As a result of the high winds that swept throughout Southwest Washington and the majority of Oregon on Monday night, tens of thousands of houses were left without electricity.
Following the issuance of a succession of thunderstorm and high wind warnings by forecasters with the National Weather Service on Monday afternoon, the power outages occurred as Fox 13 reported.
Wind gusts of up to fifty miles per hour could cause damage in certain regions, including portions of the Willamette Valley and the wider Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area, according to a warning issued by the National Weather Service (NWS).
When everything is taken into consideration, Portland General Electric (PGE) estimated that there were more than 1,000 active outages that affected about 100,000 people as of Monday evening at eight o'clock.
“PGE crews are out right now assessing damage and making repairs and will work as quickly as safety allows to restore service,” said John Farmer, a PGE spokesperson.
“We encourage customers to stay prepared for potential outages this evening as forecasted windy weather conditions continue.”
There were also large and dispersed power disruptions at Pacific Power. After midnight on Monday, the electric utility company stated that there were at least 200 current outages that affected more than 30,000 consumers.
The majority of the power outages are still being investigated, but officials with Pacific Power have stated that it is highly likely that many of the power outages are the result of trees that have fallen or branches that have fallen on power lines.
Clark Public Utilities reports that over 8,000 consumers in Clark County are currently without electricity.
Officials are advising individuals to refrain from traveling if feasible due to numerous downed trees and utility lines. Additionally, electric utilities advise individuals who encounter a downed powerline to keep away.
This outage comes just a few weeks after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee made his formal request for a federal disaster declaration in mid-Janurary following "bomb cyclone" storms that impacted the area.
Damage totaling millions of dollars was caused over the region by the storms, which featured hurricane-force winds.
Damage to public infrastructure in King County alone exceeded $11 million, according to King County Emergency Management.
This level of damage caused there to be serious debris and cleanup still underway when the more recent storms crashed into the area, furthering the damage.
Melania Trump is redefining the role of the First Lady as she pursues personal projects and attends to her initiatives during Donald Trump’s second presidential term.
Melania remains committed to her personal endeavors while holding a less traditional role as First Lady, People Magazin reported.
After a month-long absence from public engagements, Melania Trump reappeared at the Governors Ball. Her previous public appearance was on January 24, when she visited areas in North Carolina and California affected by disasters. These occasions highlight her selective presence, which aligns with her past behavior of preferring life away from the limelight.
Melania is involved in multiple projects at the White House, pursuing goals that echo her distinct style. One major undertaking is an Amazon Prime Video documentary that she is executive producing. Directed by Brett Ratner, this documentary is scheduled to release in late 2025. Its filming has taken Melania and her team to various venues, including the White House itself. According to a Miami political source, the documentary's production has kept her occupied.
She and former President Trump split their time between their residence in Mar-a-Lago and their quarters at the White House. However, they primarily reside at their Palm Beach estate. As a social source notes, Melania “leads her own life,” balancing time with the former president both at Mar-a-Lago and Washington, D.C.
Beyond her work on the documentary, Melania is relaunching her "Be Best" initiative. Originally launched in May 2018, this initiative aims to tackle critical issues such as online bullying and opioid addiction among children. This term, she plans to expand the initiative’s reach, leveraging partnerships with streaming platforms to strengthen its impact.
Melania emphasizes the potential impact of collective effort through her initiative, stating, “Imagine what we could do in those years if they will rally behind me and teach the children and protect them about social media and their mental health.”
Despite her focus on independent projects, Melania occasionally joins her husband for social engagements. In Palm Beach, she is known for maintaining a low profile, opting for privacy amidst her duties. Yet, she sometimes accompanies Donald Trump to private dinners, balancing her responsibilities with personal pursuits.
Observers point out that Melania Trump’s approach as First Lady is unprecedented. A political source reiterates, “She will never be a traditional first lady. That isn’t who she is.” This sentiment underscores her unique approach to her role, distinct from her predecessors.
This independence allows her to pursue interests that align with her personal values. Melania's tendency to shun the spotlight enables her to focus on her causes of interest, directing considerable energy toward causes and projects she deems significant.
As First Lady, she is crafting a role that resonates with her personal style, all while maintaining a presence when necessary for official duties. Her balance between traditional First Lady commitments and her own goals highlights a blend of responsibilities unique to her tenure.
Melania's reintegration into public engagements, such as the Governor's Ball, indicates her readiness to participate in key events. Yet, her introspective nature continues, illustrated by her preference for privacy.
This term, she is pioneering her own path forward, blending both conventional elements of the First Lady role with innovative personal projects. Her efforts reflect her aim to leave a meaningful legacy, contributing significantly to discussions surrounding social media, child welfare, and health issues.
Overall, Melania Trump is navigating a nuanced role as First Lady, weaving her individual pursuits with public expectations seamlessly. The task of maintaining her identity while taking on First Lady duties is central to her efforts, reflecting a balance that may define her tenure during Donald Trump's second term.
President Donald Trump reportedly alarmed some people after a picture emerged that showed bruising on his right hand.
According to the Daily Mail, some doctors have weighed in on his hand bruise, and admitted that it's likely because of his age and how using one's hand when blood vessels are weakened -- because of age -- can produce more prominent bruises.
It was reported that photos of the bruise, described as "yellow and purple," emerged after Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House on Monday.
The White House reassured the Daily Mail that it wasn't of any concern, and that his hand was showing bruises as a result of shaking hundreds of hands during the course of his week.
The handshaking cause is more than plausible, given that Trump is known for his aggressive, strong handshakes. Dr Stuart Fischer - an internal medicine physician in New York, weighed in on the matter.
The Daily Mail noted:
He explained old age naturally weakens blood vessels and makes them more 'brittle,' which makes bruising 'on any part of the body' much more likely and severe. He highlighted Trump is the second-oldest president in US history.
The doctor also pointed to the possibility of Osteoarthritis setting in.
The outlet added:
Osteoarthritis, an age-related disease that breaks down cartilage and bone in the joints, could be another possibility, Dr Fischer says, as it can cause easy bruising or discoloration around affected joints in the hand.
"I think it's probably all of those things together," Dr. Fischer said.
Even though there's a logical explanation for the bruising, which is certainly not uncommon, social media users -- most of them anti-Trumpers -- worked overtime to make the story something its not.
There were plenty of Trump's critics who immediately tried to make the issue something bigger.
"What aren't we being told about his health?" one X user said of Trump's bruise. Another user asked: "Is this why he wouldn't release his medical records?"
"I think it kinda looks like an IV bruise. Like he's been dehydrated and given fluids. Or maybe he's vitamin deficient?" one X user kguessed. "But that's what kind of bruise it looks to be."
Trump is just fine. We know it. They know it. Try again.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump and his executive branch Department of Government Efficiency, run by billionaire Elon Musk, are working to save American taxpayers perhaps up to a trillion dollars.
Already, estimates are that $65 billion has been cut from federal spending.
Now states are getting in the act.
Although they don't deal with trillions of dollars, savings of millions, hundreds of millions, even billions, will impact taxpayers significantly.
Just the News documents how Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced his state's version, the State Department of Governmental Efficiency Task Force.
"Florida has set the standard for fiscally conservative governance, and our new Florida DOGE task force will do even more to serve the people of Florida," DeSantis explained. "It will eliminate redundant boards and commissions, review state university and college operations and spending, utilize artificial intelligence to further examine state agencies to uncover hidden waste, and even audit the spending habits of local entities to shine the light on waste and bloat."
It's actually not an entirely new concept in the state, as it has "eliminated dozens of unnecessary boards and lifted needless regulations," already saved billions for residents, and paid down 41% of state debt while boosting rainy day funding by more than $9 billlion – all since DeSantis took office in 2019.
The state said the new task force will use a variety of methods to target and eliminate bureaucratic bloat, including artificial intelligence.
Its goals include eliminating another 70 boards and commissions, taking a deep dive into "all facets of college and university operations and spending," and look at local government spending.
"Florida will utilize AI to supplement ongoing efforts to review operations at our state agencies and identify more ways to cut unnecessary spending and eliminate bureaucracy," the report said.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
In an apparent effort to help the homeless population in Oregon, Democratic leaders of the state legislature have introduced a bill that would reduce the legal severity of theft in the Beaver State – but only if the thief shoplifts a "basic need item," with examples of things "unhoused" people tend to use.
House Bill 2640 in effect legalizes the stealing of things like food, water, and health care supplies, along with items like tarps and tents.
Though the bill has no House member's named attached to it, the introductory language in the legislation notes that it was filed on behalf of the Oregon Criminal Defense Association.
The theft of an item worth less than $100, currently a Class C misdemeanor, would become a Class A "violation," but, again, only if the stolen property is "a basic need item."
Text of HB 2640 explains:
"As used in this section, 'basic need item' means food, water, clothing, health care or medical supplies, shelter including but not limited to tarps and tents, reproductive care items including but not limited to condoms and menstrual products, child care items including but not limited to diapers and formula or sanitation items including but not limited to soap, disinfectant and toilet tissues."
The group Oregon Citizens Lobby opposes the bill, stating, "A Class A violation in Oregon is the equivalent to a traffic violation. This enables criminals to commit crimes without serious consequences, putting Oregonians at a greater risk. It appears the lawyers introducing this bill think these crimes aren't worth their time, but don't stop to realize that stopping lessor crimes with consequences has a significant impact on their case load of major crimes."
In addition to making theft less of an offense, HB 2640 changes the definition of the crime of aggravated harassment to legalize spitting on a law enforcement officer, as long as there is no risk of spreading a communicable disease.
The change in statute describes one who "intentionally propels saliva at the public safety officer, and the saliva comes into physical contact with the public safety officer and creates a risk of spreading communicable disease to the officer, while the [public safety] officer is acting in the course of official duty or as a result of the [public safety] officer's official duties." The italics indicate the language proposed to be added to state law.
The Oregon Firearms Federation decried the bill, noting that it "essentially legalizes trespassing, driving while suspended, refusing to show up in court after arrest, refusing to register as a sex offender, spitting on police, and theft of food, tents, clothing, condoms and other things."
A public committee hearing on the bill is scheduled for Feb. 26.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Leftist personality Michael Moore has claimed that among the criminal illegal aliens being deported by President Donald Trump could be the person who would have found the cure for cancer.
Or discovered how to stop an asteroid that is forecast to hit Earth in 2032.
And the White House has a recommendation: He can go ahead and visit all the quantum computing and particle physics labs "that MS-13, TDA, and the cartels are now going to have to set up back home in El Salvador, Venezuela, and Mexico."
Of course the White House statement was dripping with sarcasm and it ridiculed Moore for complaining about the administration's focus on "putting our own citizens first by mass deporting illegal migrant rapists, murderers, and other criminals."
The White House, in a statement from Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai, then noted Moore is now in contention for "the dumbest statement of the year."
Specifically, the White House reported, some of those deported of late include:
And more.
A report at Breitbart documented Moore's fretting concerned: "Who's really being removed by ICE tonight? The child who would've discovered the cure for cancer in 2046? The 9th grade nerd who would've stopped that Astroid [sic] that's gonna hit us in 2032?"
Moore mostly is known for his anti-Trump statements as well as his work on the films "Fahrenheit 9/11," and "Bowling for Columbine."
In support of his argument, Moore pointed out Steve Jobs was the child of a "nothing-migrant."
"Those of us who count ourselves as part of the 'non-hater' demographic of Americans cannot even begin to add up or ascertain the innumerable ways our lives have been made better by our beloved immigrant neighbors," he said.
President Donald Trump is eager to restart the Keystone XL Pipeline project, which was axed in one of former President Joe Biden's first executive orders, Just the News reported. The Department of Energy estimated Biden's move cost $9.6 billion in revenue and as many as 59,000 jobs.
Trump championed the pipeline project during his first term and committed to new permits after Biden wasted no time in halting the project. It's unclear whether investors will want to take the risk again, but Trump is enthusiastic about reversing Biden's edict.
“I know they [the pipeline owners] were treated very badly by Sleepy Joe Biden, but the Trump Administration is very different — Easy approvals, almost immediate start! If not them, perhaps another Pipeline Company. We want the Keystone XL Pipeline built!” Trump said on his Truth Social Tuesday.
According to the Associated Press, the project began in 2010 under then-President Barack Obama but has faced several setbacks since. After years of waffling during the Democratic administration, Trump was the first to give the green light through permits.
However, Biden canceled the project on the day he took office, Jan. 20, 2021. It was a hardship that lasted for years for some of the people involved in the project, such as pipeline construction foreman Neal Crabtree.
"It did surprise us when it happened. I was upset over it. I literally cried about it. I was a foreman on one of the compressor stations. We'd been there for three weeks," Crabtree, who was on the Nebraska section, told Fox News two years after the order to cancel it.
"We were excited to start this project. You know, we have to work to keep our insurance hours going, we have to work to build our retirement," he continued.
"And when you just spent a whole year [during the COVID-19 pandemic] not working and then we think we got this huge project that's going to provide millions of man-hours for people in our industry and then the rug is pulled out from under you, it was devastating. It was numbing, I can tell you that," Crabtree added.
In contrast to his predecessor, Trump signed an executive order, "Unleashing American Energy," on his first day in office. He committed to regaining ground Biden ceded with many environmental initiatives and executive orders.
"America is blessed with an abundance of energy and natural resources that have historically powered our Nation’s economic prosperity. In recent years, burdensome and ideologically motivated regulations have impeded the development of these resources, limited the generation of reliable and affordable electricity, reduced job creation, and inflicted high energy costs upon our citizens," the order explained.
"These high energy costs devastate American consumers by driving up the cost of transportation, heating, utilities, farming, and manufacturing, while weakening our national security. It is thus in the national interest to unleash America’s affordable and reliable energy and natural resources," the executive order said.
One of the many promises was to "facilitate the permitting and construction of interstate energy transportation and other critical energy infrastructure, including, but not limited to, pipelines..." This will not only help the energy sector but also ease inflation.
Trump is committed to fixing what Biden broke in the nation with his horrible policies. This project can now get off the ground with Trump at the helm and ready with the permits as Americans cheer him on.
Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency lost over 20 federal servants on Tuesday due to their refusal to use their technical expertise as part of the administration's downsizing efforts, as The Daily Mail reported.
“We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations,” the 21 staffers wrote in a joint resignation letter.“However, it has become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments.”
Employees reported that Musk recruited political ideologues with insufficient skills and experience to reduce the federal government under President Donald Trump.
Musk and the Republican president's tech-driven purging of federal employees suffered a momentary setback with the departure of engineers, data scientists, designers, and product managers. This follows a series of legal challenges aimed at halting the firing or coercion of thousands of government workers.
Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary for the White House, issued a statement in which she dismissed the widespread resignations.
“Anyone who thinks protests, lawsuits, and lawfare will deter President Trump must have been sleeping under a rock for the past several years,” Leavitt said. “President Trump will not be deterred from delivering on the promises he made to make our federal government more efficient and more accountable to the hardworking American taxpayers.”
Musk posted about the issue on social media saying the story was “fake news” went on to say that the staffers were “Dem political holdovers” who “would have been fired had they not resigned.”
Staff who left the US Digital Service reported that their duties were being incorporated into DOGE. Obama created the USDS after the failed introduction of Healthcare.gov, the web gateway millions of Americans use to sign up for insurance plans under the Democrat's signature health care bill.
All those who resigned were senior executives at companies Google and Amazon and said in their resignation letters that they joined the government out of obligation to public service.
Trump's decision to allow Musk the power to make changes, seems to have amended that. Following Trump's inauguration, staffers reported being called into interviews that hinted at the covert and disruptive activities of Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Staff said White House guests, some of whom would not be named, questioned nonpartisan personnel about their qualifications and politics. Many young people were driven by ideology and Musk fandom, rather than enhancing government technology.
“Several of these interviewers refused to identify themselves, asked questions about political loyalty, attempted to pit colleagues against each other, and demonstrated limited technical ability,” the staffers wrote in their letter. “This process created significant security risks.”
About 40 office workers were laid off this month. They wrote that the firings crippled the government's technology management.
“These highly skilled civil servants were working to modernize Social Security, veterans’ services, tax filing, health care, disaster relief, student aid, and other critical services,” the resignation letter states. “Their removal endangers millions of Americans who rely on these services every day. The sudden loss of their technology expertise makes critical systems and American’s data less safe.”
Tuesday saw the resignation of about a third of the 65 USDS employees who had previously refused to take on additional responsibilities under DOGE.
The Trump administration is scrutinizing the Biden administration's policies concerning unaccompanied migrant children, alleging severe safeguard failures.
The inquiry points to the possible endangerment of these children to labor and sexual exploitation due to allegedly flawed vetting processes, Breitbart reported.
Under President Biden's administration, the Department of Health and Human Services recorded the entry of about 291,000 unaccompanied migrant children into the U.S. Concerns have been raised by the Trump administration that these children, due to insufficient sponsorship vetting processes by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), might have been placed into harmful environments.
A lack of stringent checks allowed potentially hazardous sponsors to gain custody of these children. A significant focus of the allegations is on the procedures established under Biden, which the Trump administration claims prioritized expedience over the well-being of the children transferred from federal custody.
According to accusations from the Trump administration, the ORR's loose vetting facilitated fraudulent applications, significantly compromising child safety. A memo circulated within the Trump administration highlighted that key safety measures were notably absent, and fraudulent documents were often overlooked.
Instances were reported where a man presented a mismatched Guatemalan ID, yet it was accepted as valid verification for sponsorship. In another case, a faked photograph was used as proof of a relationship with a child—all under the watch of Biden's ORR.
Officials from the Trump administration have expressed that this oversight precipitated a crisis. “It was all about getting them out of custody as quickly as possible," an official explained. The focus on speed over security led to these critical lapses in vetting procedures.
In response to these findings, the Trump administration has embarked on a reform of the Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) program, originally initiated in 2008. The goal is to minimize the vulnerability of these children to trafficking and ensure their safe handling by tightening sponsorship requirements.
Further actions taken include an overhaul of the application rejection rates. Historical data from the New York Post indicated that the ORR under Biden had a rejection rate of only about one percent for sponsorship applications, starkly highlighting the laxity previously in place.
This sweeping reform aims not just to rectify the lax vetting but to establish a sturdy framework that ensures the safety and well-being of these children is prioritized over administrative convenience.
Despite reported instances of inadequate verification and fraud, there was reportedly little action taken by the then HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra's office to remedy the situation.
This has led to serious allegations of negligence by the Biden administration. "This was a heinous dereliction of duty by the Biden administration and must be immediately rectified to protect vulnerable children," a report from the Trump administration asserted.
These strong accusations underline the severity with which the Trump administration views the purported negligent practices of their predecessors and highlight the emphasis on revamping the existing protocols to better the conditions and safety measures for unaccompanied migrant children.
With the reforms currently being implemented, there is a robust effort to ensure that the missteps observed under Biden's stewardship are not repeated. Innovations in the vetting process, including better fingerprinting and identification of sponsors, are being advocated and rolled out.
An incident of forcible ejection at a council meeting in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho has triggered widespread condemnation and discussions about civil liberties.
Teresa Borrenpohl, a former Democratic Party candidate, was dragged out of the meeting by security after a confrontation with local officials, The Sun reported. This action has raised serious questions about the enforcement of First Amendment rights.
Borrenpohl's removal followed her vocal opposition to a new law that repealed Medicaid expansion, an altercation that was captured on video and led to public outrage.
The council meeting was held on a Saturday at a high school auditorium in Coeur d'Alene, where Teresa Borrenpohl attended to express her dissent against the recent legislative change. The law in question had repealed Medicaid expansion, which had previously passed in the state house. Borrenpohl, well-known for her three unsuccessful runs for the Idaho House of Representatives, voiced her concerns loudly during the meeting.
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris intervened, escalating the situation by warning Borrenpohl. He bluntly stated, "Shut up or be arrested. This is not a negotiation." This stern admonition was not received well, as Borrenpohl continued to protest her stance on the matter.
The tension in the room spiked as security personnel approached Borrenpohl to enforce Norris's directive. Footage from the scene shows the security team attempting to physically remove her from her seat, leading to a struggle that would soon draw wider attention.
As the struggle ensued, Borrenpohl was seen being pulled from her seat by the security guards. The skirmish became physical; they dragged her across the auditorium rows while she resisted fiercely. In the chaos, Borrenpohl lost one of her shoes and was seen biting one of the officers, a reaction to her arm being twisted forcefully by the guards.
The scene was dramatic and distressful. "It was violent and traumatic," Borrenpohl later told the Idaho Statesman. "They had grabbed my wrists. They contorted my body. They were forcing me on the ground. I didn't know if I was being arrested by the sheriff's office or if I was being kidnapped," she explained, conveying her confusion and fear during the incident.
This distressing episode did not go unnoticed. The footage of Borrenpohl's ejection was widely viewed, fueling a public outcry over the perceived heavy-handedness of the response to her protest. Comments and reactions flooded social media, with many echoing Borrenpohl's sentiment that her First Amendment rights had been violated.
In the aftermath, Borrenpohl faced a misdemeanor battery charge for her actions during the altercation. However, this legal development did little to quench the growing debate over the appropriateness of the security measures used. Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White was among those who criticized the handling of the situation.
Chief White emphasized the importance of safeguarding civil liberties, regardless of the context. "I don’t care what your message is, especially in an open town hall like this. We have to respect everybody’s First Amendment rights," he stated, which aligned with the public sentiment that the incident was mishandled.
Borrenpohl herself remained resolute and vocal following the incident. On Instagram, she shared her disbelief and distress over the encounter: "I could have never imagined my right to free speech and my right to assemble could be stripped in such a violent way," she wrote. Her statement highlighted the emotional and psychological impact the incident had on her and potentially on others who witnessed it.
The event in Coeur d'Alene has not only sparked local debates but has also caught the attention of national media, contributing to broader discussions about the balance between maintaining order at public meetings and respecting the democratic right to protest.
As conversations continue, the community and nation watch closely, seeking a careful examination of the policies governing the conduct of security personnel in public spaces. The incident also stands as a stark reminder of the evolving dynamics of political expression in public forums.
Teresa Borrenpohl's altercation at the council meeting encapsulates the ongoing tensions between governmental authority and citizen rights, a fundamental issue that remains at the heart of America's democratic values.