This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Taxpayers are poised to save $9 billion as a deadline looms for Congress to finalize a recissions package that will withdraw cash handouts for foreign interests as well as tax money being used for the leftist agenda pursued by PBS.
The bill, adopted by the House first and now by the Senate, still requires House approval of Senate changes before it can go to President Donald Trump for his signature.
It specifically attacks spending areas that are problematic for many Americans: billions of dollars being handed out to foreign interests as well as massive subsidies for the PBS operations that critics have called leftist propaganda outlets.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., documented the bias as only he can:
The Senate adopted the recissions package on a 51-48 vote following a 13-hour vote-a-rama that was written to cancel $7.9 billion in handouts to foreign interests as well as about $1.1 billion intended for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which includes PBS.
A report at Roll Call said senators restored about $400 million for PEPFAR, the president's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
Democrats fighting the cost-saving plan were working without one vote, as Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith went to the hospital on Wednesday feeling unwell.
The report said, "The passage vote marked a victory for the Trump administration, which is seeking to use the rescissions process to pare back federal spending and codify cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump's agenda to secure America's borders and deport illegal aliens, especially criminal illegal aliens, is off to a roaring start during his first few months in office.
Officials report about 47,000 illegals have been deported each month, so far.
And the numbers of those breaking into the nation, especially across the southern border, have plunged to only a fraction of what they were when Joe Biden essentially declared the borders open, inviting millions to come illegally.
But few law enforcement campaigns are perfect, and one dealing with hundreds of thousands of people will have mistakes.
In fact, there have been occasions where U.S. citizens have been caught up in immigration raids. Federal authorities work to sort those situations out.
But one senator has offered a very succinct solution for those concerned about being rounded up.
"Don't hang around illegals."
The Gateway Pundit explained Sen. Tommy Tuberville was "confronted" with the question.
It was Migrant Insider editor Pablo Manriquez who asked, "Do you care if U.S. citizens accidentally get detained in ICE raids?"
Tuberville confirmed "mistakes" will happen.
"But, again, as long as we take care of it the right way, understand that they are citizens, let them go, but again, if you're going to be hanging around people that are not citizens of this country, some things like that are going to probably happen," he said.
Pushed by Manriquez for more, Tuberville said, "Don't hang around illegals. Bottom line because President Trump has said, 'We're going to go after you,' and at the end of the day, if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, something bad could happen."
In a pointed criticism, Senator Ed Markey has demanded the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for her handling of severe floods in central Texas.
Senator Markey attributed the sluggish and ineffective flood response directly to Secretary Noem, drawing parallels with past federal failures.
The crisis began with devastating flooding in central Texas, which led to widespread property damage and loss of life. Subsequently, the response led by Homeland Security under Secretary Noem's directive was met with significant criticism for its inefficiency.
FEMA, the agency responsible for managing emergency situations, failed to handle the vast number of emergency calls effectively, addressing only 16% within the first three days after the flooding commenced. This failure has raised acute concerns regarding the preparedness and responsiveness of federal emergency services.
"We’ve seen all of the evidence with regard to Kristi Noem not responding quickly enough," expressed Markey. His condemnation continued as he described the administration's flood response efforts led by Noem as a "disgrace."
The debate intensified with Markey's critique of the federal decision to cut funding to NOAA, which plays a critical role in providing early warnings that are vital during such natural disasters.
Senator Markey invoked memories of past administrations' shortcomings, specifically referencing the inadequate federal response to Hurricane Katrina. He compared current praises for Noem to the infamous commendation of FEMA’s leadership during the Katrina disaster.
Amid ongoing recovery efforts, Markey stated, "It is still a crisis in Texas," emphasizing the continued struggle and the administration's failure to adequately support the affected communities. This ongoing situation has revealed deeper systemic issues within the disaster response protocols.
Markey's stark assessment paints a grim picture of federal disaster response under Noem's leadership, emphasizing that "everyone in America can see it as the lead story on their televisions every single night."
This incident has sparked a nationwide discussion on the efficiency of disaster response and management. Experts are calling for an overhaul of current systems to prevent a recurrence of such poorly handled responses.
Part of the dialogue involves the importance of maintaining and possibly increasing funding for NOAA to enhance storm prediction and readiness capabilities, ensuring that communities can better prepare for and respond to natural disasters.
The broader implications of these discussions could lead to significant changes in policy and operational procedures aimed at bolstering the nation's response to natural calamities.
The ongoing crisis and federal response have galvanized communities and legislators alike, advocating for more robust infrastructure and clearer crisis management strategies.
As discussions advance, there is a conscientious push towards more sustainable and effective disaster management practices that prioritize human safety and swift response.
In light of these events, Markey’s call for Noem's resignation is not just about accountability for the Texas flood response, but also a demand for proactive leadership in Homeland Security.
A federal appeals court has blocked President Trump from ending a "temporary" legal status granted to Afghan refugees by his predecessor, Joe Biden.
The refugees have Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which provides relief from deportation and work permits. The Trump administration has emphasized the "temporary" nature of the status, but federal courts have repeatedly challenged his authority to suspend the program.
"Once again, a rogue judge is trying to infringe on the separation of powers and impede the Trump administration's rightful ability to carry out its immigration policy. Temporary Protective Status is meant to be 'temporary' in nature. We look forward to ultimate victory on the issue," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement.
Thousands of Afghans entered the U.S. as part of Biden's chaotic evacuation from Kabul in 2021. The poor vetting involved in the Biden administration's rushed process for admitting Afghan refugees has raised security concerns.
A 27-year-old Afghan national who entered the U.S. in September 2021 on a special immigrant visa - a status given to Afghans who supported the U.S. military - pled guilty last month to plotting an Election Day terrorist attack. The TPS program is separate from the special immigrant visa.
CASA, an immigrant advocacy group, sued to block Trump's May order that suspends TPS for thousands of Afghans. TPS was greatly expanded under President Biden, who used it as a de facto amnesty program.
The Biden administration renewed TPS protections for Afghans in 2023, citing "deepening humanitarian crisis" and "economic collapse" under Taliban rule.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said that Afghanistan has gotten safer, so there is nothing preventing Afghans from returning to their homeland.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit froze Trump's move for one week and gave Trump and CASA one week to file arguments.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the appellate court's ruling "ignores the President's clear authorities under both Article II of the Constitution and the plain language of federal law."
"Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was never intended to be a de facto asylum program, yet it has been abused as one for decades," McLaughlin said. "The Trump administration is restoring integrity to our immigration system to keep our homeland and its people safe, and we have the law, the facts, and common sense on our side."
The ruling sets up an absurd scenario: the current U.S. president is being forced to keep immigrants in the country who are only allowed to stay under a "temporary" status that was abused by Trump's predecessor. It's also worth noting that those immigrants only came here in the first place because of a crisis in Afghanistan that Biden and his team caused.
In May, the Supreme Court allowed Trump to end TPS protections for 350,000 Venezuelans.
The White House has agreed to keep funding AIDS treatments in foreign countries after pushback in Congress.
President Trump's budget director Russ Vought said the administration is fine with the Senate's amended $9 billion rescissions package. The amendment removes cuts to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which was established by President George W. Bush.
“America remains the most generous country in the world because President Trump has a humanitarian heart, and we urge other nations to dramatically increase their humanitarian efforts," a senior official told Breitbart News.
PEPFAR has long enjoyed bi-partisan backing, with supporters crediting it with saving millions of lives in developing countries. The program provides
Trump has effectively dismantled America's foreign aid organization, USAID, which is mainly responsible for managing PEPFAR.
The Trump administration pushed for $400 million in cuts to PEPFAR in a rescissions package, which if approved, would cancel billions in spending that Congress authorized in the past, including funding for left-leaning public broadcasters like NPR.
During a congressional hearing in June, Vought, a budget hardliner, said the administration expected Africa to take on a larger burden with HIV/AIDS prevention.
"It is something that our budget will be very trim on because we believe that many of these nonprofits are not geared toward the viewpoints of the administration, and we’re $37 trillion in debt,” Vought said. "So, at some point, the continent of Africa needs to absorb more of the burden of providing this health care.”
The administration's PEPFAR plans faced backlash from some Republicans, leading to a compromise.
Vought argues the bill is "substantially the same package," and indeed, it still totals roughly $9 billion in funding cuts.
The administration also downplayed its reversal and dismissed the suggestion that Trump planned to take away life-saving care from anyone.
The State Department issued a "limited waiver" in February that allowed "life-saving" HIV services to continue despite Trump's pause on foreign aid.
“PEPFAR continues to support lifesaving HIV testing, care and treatment, and prevention of mother-to-child transmission services approved by the Secretary of State,” the administration official told Breitbart. “An estimated 86 percent of beneficiaries could be receiving lifesaving treatment and prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services based on the full operational capacity of all active awards.”
The rescissions package advanced Tuesday, with Vice President J.D. Vance breaking a tie in the Senate.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A South Carolina town is being sued for imposing a permitting scheme and demanding other limits on the display of a religious sign.
First Liberty Institute has filed the action in federal court against the town of Chapin for its agenda to impose a permit requirement, and other limits, on Ernest Giardino.
"No one should be forced to ask the government's permission to express their faith in a public space," explained First Liberty lawyer Nate Kellum, in a statement about the case.
"The First Amendment is his permit. Like any citizen in any city in America, Mr. Giardino is free to peacefully share his religious beliefs on a public sidewalk. Chapin's ordinance is overbroad, unconstitutional, and must be repealed or enjoined."
The legal team explained Giardino "was on a public sidewalk at the intersection of Old Lexington Road and Chapin Road on June 20, 2024, holding a 20×24 inch sign attached to a short handle, which read 'Trust Christ He paid the price' on one side and 'He Saved Others—Jesus—He'll Save You' on the other side."
It wasn't his first time there with a sign, the report said. He'd been there on and off for eight months without any complication.
But on that date, a Chapin police officer confronted him and told him he needed to town's permission to share his message of faith.
The town's code enforcement officer and chief of police both affirmed that message, and they handed him a permit application that suddenly limited his sign display to 30 minutes, including a demand he change street corners after 15 minutes.
The civil rights complaint challenges the constitutionality of the town's agenda.
It's because the town regulating "demonstrations" is written vaguely enough to allow officials to claim that a man holding a sign is, in fact, a demonstration.
"Chapin's application of the ordinance to Giardino has deprived and will continue to deprive him of the exercise of his fundamental freedoms and guarantees," the legal filing charges. It seeks nominal damages and injunctive and declaratory relief restoring his rights.
The town is accused of violating the First and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution as well as the state's Religious Freedom Act.
The case describes facts that undermine the town's agenda to call a sign a "demonstration."
"Giardino does not engage in any form of protest or demonstration with his signs. He does not object to anyone or anything with his signs, nor does he convey any political views with his signs. When holding one of his gospel-oriented signs in public, Giardino consciously avoids blocking pathways or disrupting traffic."
He's compelled to share his beliefs by his Christian faith.
"He wants to inform others of the salvation they can find by believing in Jesus Christ and accepting Him as their savior," the filing charges. "To convey this evangelistic message, Giardino holds a 20-inch by 24-inch sign attached to a short handle containing a short, pithy statement about the gospel while standing on a public sidewalk or public right-of-way in the town limits of Chapin, South Carolina."
His signs, over the months, have said, "Give your burdens to Jesus," "Don't give up! There is hope in Jesus," "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found," "Say it and mean it…God be merciful to me a sinner…," "Christ Jesus came to save sinners," "Sin – Face it now or face Him later," and "Death is Not the End, Ye Must Be Born Again."
He spontaneously picks street corners.
"Through signs, Giardino can convey his message without causing anyone to stop or speak with him. Individuals in vehicles can read the statements on his sign as they drive by him. Giardino typically holds a sign in a public space for over one hour and in the late afternoon during rush hour and/or after schools have let students out, to maximize the number of people who can view the messaging on his sign," the filing charges. "He does not use amplification or project his message orally to share his religious beliefs. He remains silent when he holds a sign, only speaking with individuals who approach him for conversation."
The city, however, set up a permit procedure that allows the mayor to reject any request at his own discretion.
Giardino initially complied with the demands, and obtained a permit, but found police shutting down his speech anyway, as he did not carry a copy of the permit with him while he held a sign.
The filing reveals Giardino tried to obtain relief from the town without legal action, but was told by one official the town believes its local requirement "supersedes the Constitution because it's a local ordinance."
Town officials promised a "statement" on the dispute, which had not arrived by publication.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Federal authorities have issued a subpoena for New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy to appear and answer questions about his boast to be housing an illegal alien.
The subpoena is from the Department of Justice regarding Murphy's statement he would house an illegal at his home, and he dared the federal government to intervene.
A report from Just the News noted the FBI already has sought interviews with at least four witnesses regarding the comments.
The report said three sources have informed the New York Times that Alina Habba, the interim U.S. attorney in New Jersey, is investigating.
It was in February when Murphy, as Democrats were orchestrating their attacks on the Trump administration for its efforts to secure the national border with Mexico and deport illegal alien criminals who were invited into the country under Joe Biden's regime in Washington, made the statement.
Murphy pointed out there was a person in his social circle "whose immigration status is not yet at the point that they are trying to get it to."
He boasted, "And we said, 'You know what? Let's have her live at our house above our garage.' And good luck to the feds coming in to try to get her."
Tom Homan, President Trump's border czar, promised at the time, "We'll look into it."
Murphy later tried to backtrack, insisting then that the woman he was talking about was in the U.S. legally and never lived at his house.
A report at Shorenewsnetwork said, "The investigation appears to be distinct from any existing Justice Department inquiries into New Jersey's so-called sanctuary policies, which limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
In wake of the passage of President Trump's big beautiful bill, the White House Tuesday posted an interactive map to enable Americans to discover the positive financial impact of the legislation's passage in their state, compared with conditions if the measure had failed.
The page also includes a "Tax-Free Tips and Overtime Calculator" for workers to figure out what their individual savings will be under the new law.
The map allows users to click on a specific state, and statistics pop up, including average take-home pay increases, the number of Social Security recipients that will be helped, as well as the projected number of jobs in that state that will be protected.
"A typical family with two children in California can expect to see higher take-home pay of about $8500 to $12500 with OBBB compared to if it was not passed," according to the map. "Around 4% of the labor force is employed in occupations that would likely benefit from the no taxes on tips provision of the OBBB. Around 6.0 million seniors in California could benefit from the no taxes on Social Security provision of the OBBB."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Sounding like a polished preacher expounding on the words of Jesus, U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., Wednesday used words of the Savior on the Senate floor as he argued against $9 billion in federal budget cuts the upper body was debating.
Coons solemnly intoned the shortest verse in the Bible, "Jesus wept," and insisted that is exactly what He will do should Republicans succeed in cutting a fraction of 1 percent of the mammoth federal budget.
Reaction on X were swift and creative:
"Crazy how many Democrats suddenly become Christian Nationalists and start piously quoting scripture when their 'transgender tampons for Bangladeshi toddlers' programs are on the line."
"The separation of church and state people are asking 'What would Jesus do?' again."
"Jesus says marriage is between a man and a woman, Chris. He's got much more to cry about with you."
"Someday [Coons] can ask Jesus if he wept for the LGBT programs that were defunded. But I don't think that will be top of mind on that day."
The recission legislation Congress is considering would cut specific foreign aid programs as well as PBS and NPR, government-funded media outlets.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Under the rubric of MAHA – Make America Healthy Again – President Trump has announced he has spoken to officials at Coca-Cola, and the company has agreed to begin sweetening their iconic drink with cane sugar.
Trump posted on Truth Social: "I'd like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them – You'll see. It's just better!"
For decades, most soft drink manufacturers in the U.S. have used high-fructose corn syrup or other sweeteners, rather than actual sugar – though some have still used sugar in their products sold in other nations.
The move comes the same week several ice cream manufacturers, under pressure from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s crusade against artificial ingredients, announced they will discontinue use of several artificial dyes in their products.