Melania Trump celebrated a major victory on Monday as she added her signature to the new revenge porn ban that she helped push through Congress.
The Take It Down Act makes it a federal crime to share intimate photos of someone without their consent, including digitally fabricated images, known as "deep fakes."
While her husband's signature made it law, Melania was invited by President Trump to sign the Take It Down Act in recognition of her efforts to get it passed.
“C’mon, sign it anyway,” the president told his wife. “She deserves to sign it,” he said.
The ban was a priority for Melania, who made it part of her campaign against online bullying and intimidation, #BeBest.
In March, Melania made a rare trip to the Capitol to lobby for the ban alongside revenge porn victims.
"It's heartbreaking to witness young teens, especially girls, grappling with the overwhelming challenges posed by malicious online content, like deepfakes," she said at the time.
She hailed the law as a "national victory" at the signing ceremony, where she spoke about the addictive harms of social media and AI and the potential for these tools to be "weaponized" against innocent women and children.
“This legislation is a powerful step forward in our efforts to ensure that every American, especially young people, can feel better protected from their image or identity being abused through nonconsensual intimate imagery (NCII),” she said.
“AI and social media are the digital candy for the next generation, sweet addictive and engineered to have an impact on the cognitive development of our children,” she said.
"But unlike sugar, these new technologies can be weaponized, shape beliefs and, sadly, affect emotions and even be deadly.”
The Take It Down Act passed Congress overwhelmingly, with every Senator voting yes and only two Republicans in the House voting no.
The law's few critics say it could open the door to censorship. But supporters argue the new regulations are needed in a fast-changing era of AI technology that has given powerful new tools to abusers and blackmailers.
As President Trump noted, "With the rise of AI image generation, countless women have been harassed with deep fakes and other explicit images distributed against their will. This is wrong and it’s just so horribly wrong. And it’s a very abusive situation, like in some cases people have never seen before, and today we’re making it totally illegal."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Miles Education didn't hijack the U.S. immigration system alone, it had help. And that help came directly from American universities.
Without U.S. colleges issuing visa documents, lowering admission standards, and redesigning degree programs to meet immigration loopholes, the entire Miles operation would fall apart. These schools aren't innocent participants, they are active enablers in a coordinated scheme that transforms higher education into a foreign labor funnel.
To pull off its business model, Miles Education needed three things:
Multiple universities delivered on all three.
The universities didn't just accept Miles' students, they helped engineer the exact degree programs Miles needed. These schools restructured non-STEM master's programs by adding a couple of data analytics or IT courses, just enough to meet DHS guidelines for STEM OPT, even though the core program remained unchanged.
They knew exactly what this would do, let foreign students work for three years in the U.S. without visa sponsorship, without labor protections, and without replacing them with American graduates.
Universities also lowered their admissions standards, fast-tracked paperwork, and partnered directly with Miles to feed in large cohorts of Indian students. Some even allowed Miles to advertise the school's name in job placement packages, where education was a footnote, and the real product was employment in the U.S. workforce.
This wasn't accidental. It was deliberate, strategic, and profitable.
As Forbes reported, International Students can make up 50% of net tuition revenue, despite being a small percentage of total enrollment. For universities foreign students, especially those funneled in bulk through groups like Miles, became the financial pipeline.
But that lifeline came at a cost and Americans are paying the price.
While U.S. grads face mounting debt, limited job access, and rising underemployment, foreign students are being handed guaranteed jobs, extended work permits, and a bridge to offshoring, all thanks to the universities that were supposed to be serving their own country first.
Even newly minted M.B.A.s from elite programs are struggling to find work.
The truth is this, Miles could not succeed without U.S. universities.
It is the universities that supply the visa access.
It is the universities that give cover to the fraud.
And it is the universities that continue to sell out American students for foreign profit.
This isn't higher education. It's systemic betrayal and it's time the public demands accountability
from every institution making it possible.
Miles Talent Hub – Master of Accountancy
Read the full exclusive investigation here: Imported degrees, exported jobs: How America's student visa system became a foreign labor pipeline
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The U.S. Department of Education, under the direction of President Donald Trump, has canceled a $37.7 million fine that had been imposed on Grand Canyon University, a Christian school, under Joe Biden's administration.
The Daily Caller News Foundation reported it was "the largest ever proposed against a university and sparked allegations that the Biden administration was targeting and harshly punishing Christian universities."
The Education Department now has concluded there are "no findings" of wrongdoing by the university.
It was dismissed through a procedure that means it cannot be brought again.
"Unlike the previous administration, we will not persecute and prosecute colleges and universities based on their religious affiliation," Ellen Keast, an ED official, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. "The Trump administration will continue to ensure every institution of higher education is held accountable based on facts – but department enforcement will be for the purpose of serving students, not political bias."
Under Biden, department officials had claimed that GCU misrepresented the cost of its programs.
"The facts clearly support our contention that we were wrongly accused of misleading our doctoral students and we appreciate the recognition that those accusations were without merit," GCU President Brian Mueller said.
"GCU is a leader in innovation, transparency and best practices in higher education and we look forward to working cooperatively with the Department in the future – just as we have with all regulatory agencies."
The Biden administration also tried to attack the school's nonprofit status, but the school went to court and won.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, a Democrat, now is facing federal charges for assaulting, impeding and interfering with federal law enforcement officers over when she barged into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility without permission.
"Representative LaMonica McIver assaulted, impeded, and interfered with law enforcement in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111 (a)(1)," explained Alina Habba, the acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey.
"That conduct cannot be overlooked by the chief federal law enforcement official in the State of New Jersey, and it is my Constitutional obligation to ensure that our federal law enforcement is protected when executing their duties."
A report at Fox News said McIver took to social media to claim she's in the right.
"Earlier this month, I joined my colleagues to inspect the treatment of ICE detainees at Delaney Hall in my district," McIver said. "We were fulfilling our lawful oversight responsibilities, as members of Congress have done many times before, and our visit should have been peaceful and short. Instead, ICE agents created an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation when they chose to arrest Mayor Baraka."
"That woman was out of control," said President Donald Trump Tuesday when asked about the arrest during a visit to Capitol Hill. "The days of that crap are over in the country. We're gonna have law and order."
Media personality Benny Johnson posted online video he said showed "clearly" that McIver was "verbally and physically assaulting federal agents in New Jersey after illegally entering an ICE detention facility. In the video you can see indisputable evidence of Congresswoman McIver (in the red jacket) punch, push and hit a federal agent, refusing to follow the ICE officers orders and impeding in a lawful arrest. In the body cam footage you can also watch Rep. McIver verbally threaten to 'put hands' on the federal agents. 'I touch whoever I want mother fu****!' Rep. McIver then threatens to destroy the ICE officers careers, 'You will pay!' before descending into a profanity-laced rampage tirade."
McIver claimed the charges are "purely political."
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem explained, "No one is above the law."
She said, "If any person, regardless of political party, influence or status, assaults a law enforcement officer as we witnessed Congresswoman McIver do, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Fox reported McIver faces several felonies and now must turn herself in.
Habba also confirmed charges against Baraka, who originally was arrested for trespassing, are being dismissed.
Baraka, McIver and Reps. Robert Menendez Jr., and Bonnie Watson Coleman, both Democrats, were outside the ICE facility last week "with a group of protesters when the gates opened to allow an ICE bus in. All four officials then allegedly rushed through the gates past security, according to officials from the Department of Homeland Security. "
"If it was a typical U.S. citizen, and they tried to storm into a detention facility that's housing dangerous criminals or any person at all, they would be arrested," federal officials said.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
One of the few issues that commands strong bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress is the need to confront the Iranian regime's threats and support the Iranian people's aspirations for a free and democratic nation. Indeed, in late February, Rep. Tom McClintock, R.-Calif., sponsored House Resolution 166, "Expressing support for the Iranian people's desires for a democratic, secular, and nonnuclear Republic of Iran, and condemning the Iranian regime's terrorism, regional proxy war, internal suppression, and for other purposes."
Then recently, in his May 13 congressional address, McClintock noted: "It will ultimately be up to the people of Iran to chart their own future, as proposed in the Ten-Point Plan of the National Council of Resistance of Iran."
In so doing, McClintock announced that HR 166 has reached an important milestone: A majority of the House of Representatives has now joined as co-sponsors, comprising 139 Republicans and 85 Democrats. (Watch McClintock's address to Congress below.)
Amid ongoing nuclear negotiations, the NCRI recently exposed a previously undisclosed nuclear site operated by the regime, based on intelligence obtained from inside Iran. This facility, located east of Tehran, is reportedly involved in developing components for nuclear weapons. Internally, the site is known as "Ranginkaman" ("Rainbow").
Notably, back in 2002, the Iranian Resistance was also the first to reveal the existence of the secret Natanz and Arak nuclear sites – installations that had been concealed from the international community.
The Ranginkaman facility is part of the broader SPND project (Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research), which is focused on developing missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Specifically, the site is tasked with enhancing the explosive yield of nuclear warheads on ballistic missiles with ranges over 3,000 kilometers, through the use of tritium. The regime is actively working to extract and utilize tritium to further its nuclear weapons program.
The regime's strategy in nuclear negotiations
With regard to the ongoing nuclear talks, the Iranian regime appears to be stalling for time. Its main objective is to avoid triggering the so-called "snapback mechanism" that would reinstate U.N. sanctions. At the same time, Tehran seeks to reduce public discontent by securing partial relief from economic sanctions.
But can these negotiations realistically compel the regime to halt uranium enrichment inside Iran? Can they ensure the permanent closure of the Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow nuclear sites? Can they force Tehran to allow international inspections at any time, in any place?
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has repeatedly stated that Iran will not relinquish its nuclear ambitions, claiming that doing so would weaken his authority and the regime's grip on power. On the other hand, increased pressure in other areas could further destabilize the regime and potentially lead to its total collapse.
This is why, even under international scrutiny, the current brutal regime continues to secretly advance its nuclear program.
The Iranian regime is not changing its behavior
The true path to resolving the Iranian crisis lies in the overthrow of the regime by the Iranian people and their organized resistance.
On one side, the regime is already on the verge of collapse. A series of nationwide uprisings since January 2018 has demonstrated the public's will to dismantle the theocracy. The regime cannot survive under normal conditions; hence, it clings to terrorism, regional conflict and, most of all, a wave of brutal executions to suppress dissent.
On the other side stands a powerful, ready alternative: The National Council of Resistance of Iran, which promotes a forward-looking vision for a free Iran, represents the democratic solution to the existential crisis. At its core is the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, or MEK, a movement with six decades of resistance and sacrifice against both the Shah's dictatorship and the current regime.
Fact: The theocratic dictatorship in Iran remains the primary source of terrorism and instability in the entire region. It refuses to abandon its aggressive behavior throughout the Middle East, as doing so would jeopardize its dominance. Nor will it halt its terrorist activities abroad, which serve as tools of intimidation and leverage over foreign governments.
In the first week of May, the UK government revealed an ongoing terrorist plot in London orchestrated by the regime's military protectors, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The previous month, Dutch intelligence disclosed that the group behind the attack on Dr. Alejo Vidal-Quadras – former vice president of the European Parliament – had received direct orders from the Iranian regime.
The real solution: Regime change by the Iranian people
The MEK's widespread support inside Iran remains one of its greatest assets in the push for regime change. This is precisely why the regime relentlessly targets the MEK in global disinformation campaigns. MEK activists have played a key role in public uprisings, with organized field units actively resisting oppression on a daily basis throughout the country.
In the end, the regime's only remaining tools of survival are its nuclear ambitions and its campaign of mass executions. Without them, its fall is inevitable.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A new U.S. Senate report released by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Wednesday asserts Biden administration health officials knew about the risks of myocarditis from COVID-19 vaccines, but downplayed the concern and delayed informing the public about the risks of taking the jab.
Fox News reports Johnson, chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, has been investigating the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines. Earlier this year, he subpoenaed the Department of Health and Human Services for records relating to COVID-19 vaccine safety data and communications about the pandemic.
The 55-page interim report states Biden administration officials "withheld crucial health information from the Subcommittee and the public." The report focuses on HHS' awareness of and response to cases of myocarditis, a type of heart inflammation, following COVID-19 vaccination.
Johnson says the records he obtained "contain evidence of the Biden administration's efforts to downplay and delay warning the public about the risks of myocarditis associated with the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines."
The report states that in May of 2021 officials initially considered issuing a formal warning about myocarditis but decided against it:
"Based on the subpoenaed records the Subcommittee has received to date, as well as public FOIA documents, this interim report will highlight records and present a timeline showing U.S. health officials knew about the risk of myocarditis; those officials downplayed the health concern; and U.S. health agencies delayed informing the public about the risk of the adverse event."
Fox News reports that the Senate report also highlights the fact the Israeli Ministry of Health notified officials at the CDC in February 2021 of "large reports of myocarditis, particularly in young people, following the administration of the Pfizer vaccine."
The report added that the Biden administration's decision "to downplay the COVID-19 vaccine health risks and delay warning the public about cardiac-related adverse events associated with the mRNA vaccines jeopardized the public's health."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Many have called then-President Joe Biden's August 2021 troop withdrawal from Afghanistan the most humiliating, disastrous, expensive and spectacularly incompetent military event in American history. And most agree it's way past time for a serious probe into what really happened and why.
Thus, on May 20, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sent a memorandum intended for senior Pentagon leadership and other Department of Defense personnel, calling for a departmental review of the deadly, chaotic military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Among the many catastrophes that ensued, on Aug. 26, 2021, 13 U.S. service members and 170 civilians lost their lives to a suicide bombing at the Kabul International Airport's Abbey Gate.
"The Department of Defense has an obligation, both to the American people and to the warfighters who sacrificed their youth in Afghanistan, to get to the facts," Hegseth wrote. For this reason, he has directed the creation of "a Special Review Panel (SRP) for the Department who will thoroughly examine previous investigations, to include but not limited to, findings of fact, sources, witnesses, and analyze the decision making that led to one of America's darkest and deadliest international moments."
Lt. Col. Darin Gaub, USA-Ret., joined Fox News to discuss the timing of the investigating panel and more. Although three-and-a-half years have passed since the military's chaotic withdrawal under the Biden administration, the former UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot and battalion commander said, "It's never too late to do this kind of review." For him, accountability is an absolute necessity, "and that starts at every level, from the president on down to the people on the ground."
Gaub, who deployed to Afghanistan four times in his career, quickly took to X to express his interest of joining the panel to investigate "the disastrous Afghanistan surrender."
Speaking to WorldNetDaily, the former Black Hawk pilot first reiterated his point that "it's never too late to hold people accountable for their actions," while adding that, conceivably, some people may even need to be commended for their heroic actions. However, he said, "it ultimately comes down to this review" finally exposing the strategic, operational and tactical aspects that led to such a historic disaster.
"This includes the decision-making in the White House down to the radio calls made at the Abbey Gate," Gaub asserted. The over-arching question of "who drove decisions" must be answered, he said, an imperative since many service members have lost trust in the nation's military over the unbelievably incompetent and deadly outcome that transpired on Aug. 26, 2021, he explained.
For Gaub, courts-martial are not out of the question. "A court martial is not an admission or determination of guilt in advance; it is a process where the truth can be determined," he explained. "The possible outcomes of courts-martial range from complete exoneration to incarceration."
And while everyone has a right to a fair investigation, Gaub is cautious about the advancing careers of some that followed the Afghanistan withdrawal. For example, Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, division commander of the 82nd Airborne, was "on the ground in Kabul, but where is he now? A four star in charge of American forces in Europe." In addition, he said, "Donahue's boss was a three-star who has since been promoted to commander of U.S. Central Command."
"I'm not necessarily saying they are guilty of anything, but if you promote people involved in the Afghanistan disaster, I will say you could be creating a national security risk at the highest levels," Gaub said, referencing again the urgency of the investigation announced by Hegseth. "What's the evidence going to say?"
President Donald Trump's Department of Justice has opened a probe against New York City mayoral hopeful Andrew Cuomo, the Daily Wire reported. The investigation will determine whether he allegedly lied to Congress about his handling of COVID-19 while governor of New York.
Cuomo was eventually forced out of office over sexual misconduct allegations. However, that was after the then-governor made one of the deadliest decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of his COVID-19 response plan, Cuomo mandated that patients positive for the virus be admitted back into nursing homes. This may have resulted in thousands of needless deaths at these facilities.
When asked about it in front of Congress, Cuomo may have downplayed his role. "The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation of Andrew M. Cuomo, a front-runner in the New York City mayoral race, after Republicans accused him of lying to Congress about decisions he made during the coronavirus pandemic as governor," a source close to the matter shared.
In a June 2024 hearing, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) claimed there was "overwhelming evidence" that a 2020 audit underreported nursing home deaths from COVID-19 by 46%. Cuomo was involved in that audit and was governor at the time of the issue.
Moreover, Comer said that Cuomo made "criminally false statements" about the issue. Rich Azzopardi, a Cuomo spokesman, said that the GOP had cooked up the investigation since his client was the frontrunner for Democrats.
"We have never been informed of any such matter, so why would someone leak it now? The answer is obvious: This is lawfare and election interference, plain and simple — something President Trump and his top Department of Justice officials say they are against," Azzopradi claimed.
The spokesman added that Cuomo "testified truthfully to the best of his recollection about events from four years earlier, and he offered to address any follow-up questions from the subcommittee — but from the beginning this was all transparently political." However, as Fox News reported, the matter had been referred to the Department of Justice under then-President Joe Biden and ignored.
Cuomo made the decision to send patients infected COVID-19 back to nursing homes in an effort to alleviate hospital overcrowding. Instead, it became a way for the virus to spread like wildfire through the most vulnerable population.
A March 2022 report by the New York state comptroller said that the Health Department under Cuomo "was not transparent in its reporting of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes" and "understated the number of deaths at nursing homes by as much as 50%" during some points of the pandemic. This tracks with Comer's findings as well.
Last month, Comer sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi asking for the case to be taken up again as "the Biden Administration ignored this referral despite clear facts and evidence." He urged Bondi to "take appropriate action" based on his referral and reiterated that request in a statement Monday.
"Andrew Cuomo is a man with a history of corruption and deceit, now caught red-handed lying to Congress during the Select Subcommittee’s investigation into the COVID-19 nursing home tragedy in New York. This wasn’t a slip-up – it was a calculated cover-up by a man seeking to shield himself from responsibility for the devastating loss of life in New York’s nursing homes," Comer said.
"Let’s be clear: lying to Congress is a federal crime. Mr. Cuomo must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The House Oversight Committee is prepared to fully cooperate with the Justice Department’s investigation into Andrew Cuomo’s actions and ensure he’s held to account," Comer demanded.
Of all the failures and injustices from politicians during the pandemic, Cuomo's was arguably the worst. He has yet to pay for that decision, but his time may have finally come.
Vice President J.D. Vance blasted the courts after several blocked President Donald Trump's immigration policies that the American people support, the Daily Wire reported. Vance expressed his outrage about this during an interview with Ross Douthat at the New York Times.
During the 2024 campaign, Trump made it clear that he would crack down on illegal immigration. He has kept that promise from day one of his presidency, including invoking the Alien Enemies Act to deport dangerous illegal immigrant gang members.
However, the courts have attempted to thwart these policies at every turn. Vance spoke at length about this with Douthat on his "Interesting Times" podcast, which was released on Monday.
Vance took exception with the judiciary, mostly for its unwillingness to listen to the will of the people. "You cannot have a country where the American people keep on electing immigration enforcement, and the courts tell the American people they’re not allowed to have what they voted for," Vance told Douthat.
"And that’s where we are right now," the vice president added. Vance promised that they were going to continue to fight, however. "We’re gonna keep working it through the immigration court process, through the Supreme Court as much as possible," Vance said.
"And look, success to me is not so much a number, though obviously I’d love to see the gross majority of the illegal immigrants who came in under Biden deported. That actually is a secondary metric of success," he added, speaking about then-President Joe Biden's lax immigration enforcement.
"Success to me is that we have established a set of rules and principles that the courts are comfortable with, and that we have the infrastructure to do what allows us to deport large numbers of illegal aliens when large numbers of illegal aliens come into the country. That to me is real success," Vance added.
Vance believes the only way to get this done is through cooperation with the courts. However, the administration has met particular resistance with its decision to use the Alien Enemies Act.
Trump has attempted to use the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to swiftly remove illegal immigrants who are gang members from the U.S. As CNN reported, the Supreme Court again blocked its use in a decision Friday.
Vance believes this is a mistake because legal immigrants are the most invested in rooting out dangerous criminals in the migrant community. "One thing I’d love for the American media to do a little bit more is really go to a migrant community where you have, say, 60% legal immigrants and 40% illegal immigrants," Vance explained.
"The level of chaos, the level of violence, the level of, I think, truly pre-modern brutality that some of these communities have gotten used to — whatever law was written, I think it vests us with the power to take very serious action against this," he explained.
"It’s bad, it’s bad. It’s worse than people appreciate," Vance said. He warned naysayers not to "filter" how they feel about immigration enforcement with the fact that Trump and Vance are the ones who wish to do it.
Americans voted to fix the problems with illegal immigration, and Vance is correct that the courts are working against that end. The good news is that the Trump administration will surely press on until the problem is properly addressed, just as they promised.
The Senate confirmed New Jersey real estate developer Charles Kushner, the father of President Trump's son-in-law Charles Kushner, to be ambassador to France.
Kushner was confirmed 51-45, overcoming scrutiny of his past convictions for tax evasion and illegal campaign contributions. President Trump pardoned Kushner in December 2020, citing his charitable work.
Kushner was prosecuted by then-U.S. attorney Chris Christie for tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions and witness tampering.
The witness tampering charge stemmed from Kushner's effort to blackmail his brother-in-law by hiring a prostitute to seduce him. Kushner spent two years in federal prison for his crimes.
Kushner expressed remorse for his past to the Senate, saying he had learned from his mistakes.
“I don’t sit here before you today and tell you I’m a perfect person,” Kushner told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his confirmation hearing. “I am not a perfect person.”
“I made a very, very, very serious mistake, and I paid a very heavy price for that mistake,” he said. “I think that my past mistakes actually make me better with my judgment, better in my view of life, better in my values to really make me more qualified to do this job.”
New Jersey Democratic senator Cory Booker, a regular Trump critic, voted to confirm Kushner. He was the only Democrat to do so.
Kushner, a New Jersey real estate mogul, supported Booker's political career early on in Newark, backing his first unsuccessful bid to be mayor of the city, as reported by the New Jersey Globe.
Booker defended his vote for Kushner, pointing to Kushner's work on the First Step Act, the criminal justice reform law signed by Trump in his first term.
“I have passionate differences and disagreements with Charlie Kushner, but I supported his confirmation because he has been unrelenting in reforming our criminal justice system and has substantively helped achieve the liberation of thousands of people from unjust incarceration,” Kushner said.
At his confirmation hearing, Kushner acknowledged Booker for his "special and close friendship."
Trump called Kushner, the founder of Kushner Companies, a "tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker" while announcing his nomination for the ambassadorial post.
Kushner's son Jared is the husband of Ivanka Trump, President Trump's daughter. Jared and Ivanka served as top advisers in the first Trump White House but opted not to return for Trump's second term.