The Senate on Monday confirmed real estate mogul Charles Kushner, pardoned by President Donald Trump during his first term in office, as the U.S. Ambassador to France and Monaco in a 51-45 vote.
Kushner is the father-in-law to Ivanka Trump. He was convicted in 2005 of tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions, and retaliating against a cooperating witness.
He served two years in a minimum security prison and had stayed out of trouble since then.
Kushner, who lived in New Jersey, made many philanthropic contributions during his life. There is a wing named after his family in St. Barnabas Hospital in Essex County, New Jersey; he also gave large donations to Yeshiva University in Washington Heights, Manhattan.
If all he wanted to do was give away too much money, that would be one thing. But he also schemed to get back at a witness against him--his sister--by arranging for a prostitute to seduce her husband and filming it.
That's a really slimy thing to do, and he admitted it when he pled guilty to the charges against him.
He said during his confirmation hearing that he learned from his mistakes of almost two decades ago.
"I think that my past mistakes actually make me… better in my values to really make me more qualified to do this job," he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Let's hope he's learned his lesson. Not only will he be representing the U.S. in France and Monaco, but he is also intertwined in Trump's family because he's Jared Kushner's father and the other grandfather to some of Trump's grandkids.
Trump seems to think he learned. During his nomination announcement in November, he called Kushner a "tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker, who will be a strong advocate representing our country & its interests."
"He was recognized as New Jersey Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, appointed to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, & served as a commissioner, & chairman, of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, as well as on the boards of our top institutions, including NYU," Trump said.
"Congratulations to Charlie, his wonderful wife Seryl, their 4 children, & 14 grandchildren," Trump continued. "His son, Jared, worked closely with me in the White House, in particular on Operation Warp Speed, Criminal Justice Reform, & the Abraham Accords."
Rewarding a convicted felon with an ambassadorship doesn't seem like the best move for Trump to make--although after the pardon, Kushner isn't a convicted felon anymore.
Guess we'll find out how Kushner does as the liaison to one of our biggest allies.
The release of Joe Biden's interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur is raising more questions about Jill Biden's role in concealing the former president's cognitive decline from the public.
The Biden administration and its attorney general, Merrick Garland, fought to suppress the shocking audio in the lead-up to Biden's doomed 2024 re-election effort.
The recording adds depth to Hur's conclusion that Biden was unfit to stand trial on charges of mishandling classified documents.
At the time, Democrats attacked Hur as a political hack and insisted that Biden was cognitively fit - but Democrats later turned on Biden and his family after his infamous debate meltdown on CNN.
Republicans who demanded the Biden-Hur tapes said they were necessary for transparency, after the Biden administration begrudgingly shared a transcript. Garland said releasing the audio would endanger law enforcement efforts in the future.
Biden "struggled to recall when his son died, when he left office as vice president, what year Donald Trump was elected or why he had classified documents he shouldn't have had," according to Axios, which is promoting a new book co-authored with CNN's Jake Tapper on the conspiracy to shield Biden from the public.
“You know, if I ran again I’d be running for president, and so what was happening though — What month did Beau die? Oh, God, May 30? Was it 2015 he died? I think it’s 2015," Biden said.
“Trump gets elected in November of 2017?” Biden asked at another point.
The full extent of Biden's cognitive decline was exposed irrevocably in his only presidential debate against President Trump last year.
Biden's bulging stare and hoarse, garbled speech caused panic among his former Democratic and media allies, who began pressuring him to end his campaign as his wife and family rallied to his defense.
Biden's advanced prostate cancer diagnosis has put his failed re-election effort in a sobering new perspective, and it is almost certain to complicate belated efforts by the liberal media to scrutinize Biden's cognitive decline, which was almost totally ignored by the press while he was still president.
While the sad news has brought an outpouring of sympathy across party lines, it has also led to speculation about what, if any, health details might have been withheld from the public by Biden's family.
“What I want to know is how did Dr. Jill Biden miss stage five metastatic cancer or is this yet another coverup???" Donald Trump Jr. wrote on X.
President Trump is considering a plan to relocate 1 million people from Gaza to northern Africa as Israel ramps up its military offensive in the Hamas-ruled territory.
As reported by NBC, Trump is not ruling out transferring 1 million Gazans to Libya in exchange for freeing up billions in funds frozen by the United States.
The plan is "under serious enough consideration that the administration has discussed it with Libya’s leadership," according to NBC.
A National Security Council spokesperson denied any such plans, calling them unrealistic.
“The situation on the ground is untenable for such a plan. Such a plan was not discussed and makes no sense,” a National Security Spokesperson said.
Any attempt to relocate a million people would face huge logistical challenges. According to NBC, the Trump administration is considering stipends or free housing to encourage Gazans to relocate, and all methods of transportation are being looked at.
Libya has experienced continuous unrest political instability since the violent overthrow of Muammar Ghaddafi in 2011. After two civil wars, the country is ruled by two competing factions.
No final decision has been made on relocating Gazans, but "Israel has been kept informed of the administration’s discussions," sources told NBC.
The idea echoes Trump's controversial proposal from earlier in the year to take over and develop heavily bombed Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East."
Trump's idea was shot down by Palestine's Arab neighbors, which have long resisted taking in Palestinian refugees, who they fear will destabilize their countries. Many Arabs also view the potential expulsion of Palestinians as a form of ethnic cleansing.
While a relocation policy would be favored by Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump has also put distance between himself and Israel as its war with Hamas has dragged on.
Israel has been escalating its bombing of Gaza in what prime minister Netanyahu has called a final push to demolish Hamas.
Trump notably did not visit Israel during a lavish tour of the Arab Gulf states last week that saw Trump ink billions of dollars in deals. He also expressed concern about people "starving" in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade.
According to NBC, Trump officials are also eyeing war-torn Syria as a possible new home for Gazans. In a political shockwave, Trump met with Syria's new president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, last week and announced an end to U.S. sanctions to give Syria a "chance at peace."
Barack Obama visited Poland just days before a pivotal presidential election to push his vision of Europe's future.
Former State Department Official Mike Benz accused Obama and George Soros of trying to "stamp out populism" in Poland, a NATO ally that has largely resisted the woke politics of its Western European neighbors.
“The problem is these folks don’t want to go along with the NATO agenda there. They don’t want endless war. They don’t want endless migration,” Benz told Real America's Voice.
Just days before Poland's presidential election, Obama spoke to a crowd in Poznań. He praised the pro-European Union government led by prime minister Donald Tusk, whose election in 2023 ousted the conservative Law and Justice Party.
Liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, a Tusk ally, edged out conservative historian and Law and Justice candidate Karol Nawrocki in the first round of Poland's presidential election, held Sunday. Both candidates are headed to a pivotal runoff on June 1.
According to Benz, globalists are meddling in Polish politics with a familiar strategy perfected in Romania, where groups tied to George Soros have infiltrated government institutions in the name of "civil society."
"George Soros funded the very first NGO that spawned 1,000 other NGOs in the new Romania post-Cold War,” Benz told host Jack Posobiec. “The USAID, its rule of law program, effectively wrote the Romanian constitution and then wrote all the amendments in order to organize its entire judicial structure."
Benz also pointed to former Obama official Norm Eisen, who is pushing for judicial reforms in Poland. Eisen played a key role in the failed effort to destroy President Trump with lawfare.
"And Norm Eisen is on tape bragging about him pursuing legal action inside of Poland against the Law and Justice Party," Benz said.
While speaking at the Impact Congress in Poznań last week, Obama praised Poland's support of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, calling it an example of Poland's commitment to "democracy."
"When Americans see the incredible generosity shown by Poland to those fleeing war, it gives them hope," he said. "This moment teaches us that progress in democracy, human rights, and all these great efforts cannot be the work of the United States alone."
Indeed, Poland has taken in one million refugees since the conflict began, but support of refugees is falling sharply.
The results of Sunday's election in Poland reflect a nation divided between urban progressives and nationalists who champion Poland's traditional Catholic identity and who are strongly opposed to mass immigration. Polish conservatives have looked to President Trump as an inspiration in the struggle to preserve their country's sovereignty. Indeed, Nawrocki met with Trump in the White House earlier this month.
The liberal Trzaskowski is an advocate of the progressive, LGBT ideology that finds more support in Poland's large cities. In an echo of Warsaw's communist past, he removed crosses from public buildings in the capital last year.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
From the early church hymns, sung a cappella or perhaps accompanied by cymbals and flutes, past Gregorian chant, through the thundering pipe organ chords of J.S. Bach, to the 1960s guitars and electric pianos and then the current orchestrations backing up Christian church worship leaders, there have been a lot of changes musically.
Not so much in the lyrics, as the message from "How Great Thou Art," through "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?" to "Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul, Worship His holy name" all have revolved around worship.
Until now:
Now, one church has unleashed a new "inspirational" chorus with the words: "God bless the Christian, God bless the atheist, God bless the Muslim, God bless the rest of us. We've got no idea What we're doing."
The report at End Times Headlines explains it reveals "a dangerous drift into progressive praise."
The tune apparently comes out of The Well Church in Gilbert, Arizona, the report said.
"The song's catch phrase is 'We've Got No Idea What We're Doing,' and while the theme itself may be unintentionally honest, what follows is a troubling snapshot of what happens when worship untethers itself from biblical truth," the report said.
Lyrics:
God bless the Christian
God bless the atheist
God bless the Muslim
God bless the rest of us
We've got no idea
What we're doing
Let all our friends in
And all our enemies
All of our children
All of our families
We've got no idea
What we're doing
We've tried to find you
Throughout the centuries
Different religions in
Different countries
We've got no idea
What we're doing
The report commented, "Let's be clear. The Christian faith is not a foggy attempt to guess at God's nature. It is the glorious revelation of God in Christ, who said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me' (John 14:6)."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Some states, many cities, and even some other jurisdictions have declared themselves to be "sanctuary" locations.
Those are places where local law and its enforcers don't apply statutes regarding illegal entry into the United States, even though that is a federal crime.
They don't recognize it, they don't enforce, and many actively work to foil the federal law by refusing to accept or act on detainers, which are federal requests to turn over an illegal alien for deportation when that person finishes a local or state jail term.
Those "sanctuary" locations simply turn the wanted individuals loose, without regard for federal law enforcement.
But in one state that now could be changing.
A report from Fox News explains that in California, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli is changing things up.
He's no longer going to issue "detainers" for wanted individuals, he's going to issue criminal warrants for their arrests.
The report said his "Operation Guardian Angel" task force, including assets from ICE, HIS, DEA, FBI, ATF and Border Patrol, is under way.
"They've made it almost impossible for ICE to do their job, issue detainers and get criminal illegal immigrants out of jails. So what we're doing instead is we're going to start issuing warrants," he explained.
Federal officers scan the criminal database of those held in California jails all the time now, to identify those who are in custody, and are illegal aliens.
"We're going to flood the system with warrants for criminal illegal immigration that are in county jails, they can ignore a detainer, but they cannot ignore a criminal arrest warrant," he told Fox. "As soon as an illegal immigrant is booked into a county jail, we're reviewing their file. And if they meet the elements of illegal reentry, which is a federal crime, we are filing a complaint and getting an arrest warrant issued before they're released from state custody."
He said the plan is a test for what such adjustments in the system will do for other "sanctuary" locations, too.
After Joe Biden's administration let millions and millions of illegal aliens into the U.S. across essentially open borders, including criminal gang and terrorist elements, the administration of President Donald Trump closed the borders.
But many of the millions who already were allowed in under Biden remain.
Biden's CBP One app, to let people in, was turned into the CBP Home app, to encourage illegals to return to their home country, under Trump.
Already, 350 such warrants have been filed in just the Los Angeles area, Essayli said.
"They have no choice, they will comply. And if they don't comply, if they interfere in our ability to arrest a federal felon, they can expect to face consequences for that. So I don't expect any resistance from the local authorities," he explained.
He said, "This is the safest way for us to get criminal illegal immigrants. Get them while they're still in state custody, where they've been searched. They have no weapons, and we can do a safe transfer."
Donald Trump Jr. became the first public figure on Sunday to break an hours-old "truce" between Republicans and Democrats that began after former President Joe Biden's metastatic prostate cancer diagnosis when he called out 'Dr. Jill Biden' for missing the fact that her husband was ill with cancer.
"What I want to know is how did Dr. Jill Biden miss stage five metastatic cancer or is this yet another coverup???" Trump Jr. captioned a repost of a doctor's post calling the missed diagnosis "malpractice."
What I want to know is how did Dr. Jill Biden miss stage five metastatic cancer or is this yet another coverup??? pic.twitter.com/fSqtDmcX4p
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) May 18, 2025
The post came just hours after President Donald Trump wished Biden well on Sunday, publicly confirming the diagnosis that was apparently first made on Friday.
"Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery."
Trump Jr. posted a similar message on X right after the announcement: "BREAKING: Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Politics aside, we wish him a speedy recovery!"
But it didn't take long for politics to creep back in, after a number of medical professionals questioned how the cancer could have gotten so bad without anyone catching it.
The questions are valid. Apparently, anyone over 80 is tested for prostate cancer. Why wasn't Biden tested?
Like Dr. Quay posted, "It is highly likely he was carrying a diagnosis of prostate cancer throughout his White House tenure and the American people were uninformed."
Another post by Trump Jr. hearkened back to two years ago when Biden said during a speech that he had cancer.
At the time, the White House and the media called it a "gaffe" and said that he misspoke, but questions linger about whether he just said what was true but that was being covered up until now.
It was further suggested in the comments of Trump Jr.'s post that the breaking news of the diagnosis may have been a "Wag the Dog" attempt to distract from increasing reports that Biden had dementia while president.
It's not completely inappropriate to ask these questions when the facts seem incongruous and don't seem to make sense.
It is possible to wish Biden well in his recovery while at the same time wondering if the truth about the diagnosis had been covered up for Democrats' political advantage.
Former President Joe Biden found himself in quite the predicament last week after Axios obtained the recordings from his deposition with Special Counsel Robert Hur regarding the classified documents found at his Delaware home.
The outlet reported that the audio transcript revealed the former president essentially admitted to keeping a certain Afghanistan-related document for "posterity's sake," which to some indicates an admission of guilt.
The now-infamous interview with Hur took place in October of 2023, and at the time, it created great controversy.
During the conversation with Hur, Biden's attorneys were apparently flustered with the aging president's answers, and understandably so.
As the elderly president rambled on during the conversation with Hur, one of Biden's attorneys was quick to interject in what appeared to be an effort to save the president from incriminating himself.
"I just really would like to avoid, for the purpose of a clean record, getting into speculative areas...He does not recall specifically intending to keep this memo after he left the vice presidency," attorney Bob Bauer said at the time.
What really messed Biden up is that at first, he claimed he didn't know how he came into possession of the document.
"Your answer is that you don't know," Bauer told the president at one point.
The president then gave a completely different answer when he was called out about several reports that had indicated otherwise.
Axios noted:
But then deputy special counsel Marc Krickbaum noted that journalists had written about the document, and he asked whether Biden had intended to keep it because of its historical value, prompting Biden to say, "I guess I wanted to hang onto it just for posterity's sake"
A spokesperson for the former president attempted to insist that the audio transcript was simply a repeat of what had already been released in text version last year.
"The transcripts were released by the Biden administration more than a year ago. The audio does nothing but confirm what is already public," spokesperson Kelly Scully said.
Biden's bad week turned worse over the weekend when it was revealed that he has been diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer.
The story is developing, but the latest reports indicated that the cancer has already spread to his bones, which is never a good sign.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an "aggressive" form of prostate cancer "with metastasis to the bone."
A statement from his personal office Sunday indicated: "Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms.
"On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.
"While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.
"The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians."
President Donald Trump reacted to the news on Truth Social: "Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden's recent medical diagnosis. We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery."
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News' senior medical analyst, told anchor Jon Scott: "I'm a little taken aback that it's this far advanced."
"I wouldn't say it's ominous, but I'd say it's very, very concerning and clearly a life-threatening situation."
He noted about "80% of men at the age of 80 have some prostate cancer cells in their body" and that "the five year survival rate is somewhere between 30% and 40%."
Peter Doocy, the White House correspondent for Fox News, said, "It's very sad to hear."
"As far as the diagnosis, we just know what we're told," Doocy continued. "White House officials assured us through July of last year that he was healthy enough to serve another term."
"Who knows how long they've actually known about it?"
Jeff Mason, the Reuters White House correspondent, extended his best wishes to the 82-year-old Biden and his family, and explained, "From a political angle, it will absolutely, when you set aside the realities, the health issues he's now dealing with which is private but also a story as a former president, it will also raise questions again about his decision to run for re-election."
"A lot of those questions were focused on his mental acuity, but his age of course means there's a higher likelihood of having diagnoses and diseases that come to you as you get older."
When asked if he thought the diagnosis would create more sympathy for Biden, Mason responded: "I don't know the answer to that but I think certainly the American people and people in general when they see somebody facing a diagnosis with this, have sympathy. And I'll be interested to watch how that sympathy manifests itself in terms of how people respond on Capitol Hill from both parties."
Meghan McCain, daughter of former U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who died of brain cancer in 2018, said on X: "Cancer is the absolute worst. It is hell. It is incredibly difficult for any family, anywhere that has to deal with it.
"Wishing nothing but healing, prayers, light and strength to President Biden and his family. I don't believe times like these are appropriate for politics."
Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have made headlines in recent months due to persistent rumors about the health of their marriage, but now it is their eldest daughter who is in the news for all the wrong reasons.
As the Daily Caller reports, Malia Obama is now the target of claims from an independent filmmaker who contends that a Nike commercial crafted by the famous former first daughter is suspiciously similar to a piece of her own creation.
At issue are assertions from Natalie Jasmine Harris in which she suggests that Malia Obama lifted notable scenes and stylistic themes from Grace, a short film she released in 2024.
According to Harris, those elements appeared in a Nike ad directed by Ms. Obama, which was released just this month, leading her to cry foul.
Harris took to X to articulate the reasons for her frustration, stating, “My Sundance short film GRACE (shot brilliantly by Tehillah de Castro) was made with deep loved and care. The social cut of the new @Nike commercial directed by Malia Obama (who was also at Sundance my year) feels shockingly similar to my work....”
She went on, “I know art often overlaps, but moments like this hit hard when you've poured your heart into telling stories with care and barely get the recognition you deserve. If brands want a certain look, why not hire from the source instead of for name recognition?”
Harris' specific complaint has to do with a scene in which two Black girls are engaged in a round of pat-a-cake, as the New York Post notes.
Speaking to Business Insider about the comparison, Harris declared, “It's not about the game. It's about the cinematic tools used to depict it.”
The aspiring filmmaker went on to suggest that the camera angles, shot framing, and even the color palettes in the two pieces were startlingly analogous, posting a side-by-side visual comparison and adding, “It's devastating.”
According to Harris, the entire episode points to an industry-wide dilemma, of which young talents such as herself tend to bear the brunt.
“It speaks to a larger issue of brands not supporting independent artists and opting for folks who already have name recognition, which doesn't breed innovative films or original storytelling,” Harris lamented.
Malia Obama, while remaining largely behind-the-scenes as she continues to build a career in the film industry, drew attention last year when she attended the Deauville American Film Festival in France to present her directorial debut The Heart, as People noted at the time.
It was noted at the time that Ms. Obama's film was released under the name “Malia Ann,” a move the budding director made in order to thwart suggestions that her ability to present her work at such a prestigious festival had anything to do with her familial connections.
However, if Harris' claims have any truth to them, it seems as though the nepotism ship, at least in terms of Nike's eagerness to associate with the Obamas, has already sailed.