This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Tom Homan, President Donald Trump's border czar, is warning of Iranian sleeper cells inside America who could retaliate in the wake of U.S. military strikes in Iran on Saturday.
Appearing on "Sunday Morning Futures" with Maria Bartiromo on the Fox News Channel, Homan said there were "1,272 nationals of Iran released into the country" during the administration of Democrat President Joe Biden.
"You compare that to the Trump administration, you have zero," he explained. "Under Joe Biden, we had over 10 million people cross that border."
"But my biggest concern from Day One, beyond the fentanyl, beyond the sex trafficking of women and children, were the 2 million known gotaways. Over 2 million people crossed that border, we don't know who they are, where they came from, because they got away because Border Patrol was so overwhelmed with the humanitarian crisis that Biden created."
"What gives me any comfort at all is that you don't have [former FBI Director] Christopher Wray there. You've got Kash Patel there. You don't have [former DHS Secrtary] Alejandro Mayorkas there anymore, you got Kristi Noem. And you certainly don't have Kamala Harris as a border czar."
"Do we know where every one of the 2 million [gotaways] are? No. We don't know who they all are. We don't know why they're here, where they came from. But we do know [from] border intelligence over the last four years, they found prayer mats south of the border. They found identification from people from Iran, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Syria south of the border.
"So we know that some terrorists have crossed that border. We'd be a fool to think zero crossed. The thing is, though, we've got President Trump as a commander in chief who's put all resources on that.
"That's why President Trump from Day One, ICE operations, despite what the left media says, he has been focused on national security threats and public safety threats, and between ICE and the bureau we've removed thousands of national security threats because of President Trump's leadership on this."
A major corruption scandal has engulfed the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where a long-running bribery scheme resulted in over $1 million in improper payments and four guilty pleas tied to federal contracting abuse, Fox News reported.
The Justice Department uncovered that a USAID official took bribes in exchange for steering contracts, drawing new scrutiny to the embattled agency, already facing restructuring and criticism over spending.
On Friday, the DOJ announced that Roderick Watson, 57, a former USAID contracting officer, pleaded guilty to accepting bribes from government contractors beginning in 2013. These bribes came from Walter Barnes, owner of Vistant, and Darryl Britt, owner of Apprio, through a third party named Paul Young, who ran a subcontractor connected to both firms.
Prosecutors say the illegal payments exceeded $1 million and included cash, laptops, NBA suite tickets, a country club wedding, mortgage down payments, phones, and jobs for Watson’s relatives. The bribes were carefully masked using shell companies, false invoices, bank transfers, and fabricated payroll records.
According to the DOJ, Britt and Barnes routed the payments through Young to obscure the origin. Investigators described this as a "pay-to-play" operation that corrupted federal contracting processes meant to serve public interests.
Sean Bottary, acting assistant inspector general for investigations at USAID, said Watson violated public trust for personal gain and reinforced that the agency is committed to rooting out fraud in U.S. foreign assistance programs.
In November 2023, Vistant, despite its ties to the ongoing bribery, was awarded a joint venture contract worth up to $800 million to support migration solutions in Central America. This mission had been a key focus under the Biden administration, particularly under then-Vice President Kamala Harris’s leadership.
The contract was later canceled after USAID excluded Vistant from government contracting, citing conduct showing a lack of honesty or integrity. This exclusion came as the bribery investigation brought damaging evidence to light.
In August 2024, however, the joint venture successfully sued the U.S. government. A court ordered their removal from the exclusion list, allowed the contract to resume, and granted a $10,000 payment. The legal turnaround added a new twist to the saga.
The revelations emerged during broader efforts to overhaul USAID. The DOGE administration implemented sweeping cuts, reducing the agency’s programs by 83% and reassigning many initiatives to the State Department as part of a larger government restructuring.
In February 2025, USAID employees were locked out of their headquarters, placed on administrative leave, and barred from accessing agency systems. The website went offline, symbolizing the agency’s abrupt pause in activity as reforms progressed.
Criticism mounted as the public learned of prior spending under USAID, including $1.5 million for a DEI initiative in Serbia and $70,000 for a diversity-themed musical in Ireland. These spending decisions fueled calls for closer oversight and accountability in foreign aid funding.
Additional controversy arose when investigators revealed that U.S. funds had supported the education of al-Qaeda terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki, including full tuition at a Colorado college. This information reignited demands for systemic checks in oversight and grant approval.
Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said Americans have reason to worry about government waste and corruption. He urged tighter safeguards across all federal agencies managing large-scale contracts.
As promised during his campaign, President Donald Trump just took a big axe to former President Barack Obama's legacy by making significant changes to his signature Obamacare legislation.
According to The Hill, on Friday, the Trump administration made several critical changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including shortening the annual open enrollment period.
Another massive change to Obamacare was that it can no longer cover immigrants who came to the United States illegally as children, which completely reversed former President Joe Biden's expansions and extensions of the program.
Under Biden, the ACA was heavily expanded and as a result, saw a record number of sign-ups during his time in the White House. Trump argues that the expansions simply opened the program up to record levels of fraud.
The enrollment period modification is one of the most impactful changes made to the ACA by the Trump administration .
The Hill noted:
According to the rule, the federal open enrollment period will run from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31. Currently, federal open enrollment ends Jan. 15.
States operating their own health insurance exchanges will have the flexibility to set their open enrollments, so long as they run no longer than nine weeks between the November and December dates.
Coverage for "Dreamers," or those who came to the United States illegal as children and were given protected status, will also be terminated under Trump's new rules for the program.
Trump administration makes sweeping changes to ObamaCare, ends ‘Dreamer’ coverage https://t.co/iRmFWbRJAd via @@YahooNews -- This POS does't understand is that the MORE people without healthcare the MORE people in ER so that people who have heart attaks and such can not get seen.
— Michael F (@VegasMike61) June 22, 2025
Other changes made to Obamacare revolve around "gender-affirming" care rules and procedures.
The Hill added:
The administration also banned plans from covering “sex-trait modification” as an essential health benefit beginning in plan year 2026. The policy will apply to the five states that currently include coverage for gender-affirming care, as well as in states that do not have such coverage expressly mentioned.
The rule changes are expected to save the United States billions by "reining in wasteful federal spending, and refocusing on making health insurance markets more affordable and sustainable for hardworking American families."
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services project that an estimated $12 billion will be saved by next year alone.
Not surprisingly, Democrats reacted negatively to the changes.
It'll be interesting to see if there's anything left of the ACA over the coming years under Trump.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Israel and Iran are at war.
Leaders of the small Middle East democracy are worried about their continued existence, amid Iranian threats to wipe the country off the map, and are insistent the rogue Islamic regime cannot be allowed to have nuclear weapons, which could do just that.
President Donald Trump is being pushed both directions, from one side to get America involved and just end the continued threat from Iran. The other side says it's not America's fight and he must stay out.
Then there's Russia and Ukraine still launching rockets, blowing up things and killing people in a war that's gone on for years already.
Further, China is threatening Taiwan, and there's war in Africa.
Franklin Graham, chief of the worldwide Christian ministry Samaritan's Purse, has posted online a simple request.
"Will you join me in lifting up President Donald J. Trump in prayer?"
He explained, "From our earthly view, we see ominous storm clouds gathered around the globe. With Iran and Israel engaged in war, Russia and Ukraine in continued deadly conflict, China imposing an imminent threat to Taiwan, war in Sudan, and more, it seems as though the whole world is on the brink of fracturing."
He said, "Our President needs wisdom and strength from God. The decisions he is called upon to make will affect each one of us, our country, and the entire world. I pray that God will direct his steps as he leads our nation through the most turbulent times we have experienced in decades."
Graham then quoted Matthew 24:7, "The Bible tells us, 'For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.'"
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump long has been critical of various U.S. government-funded media projects, such as the public broadcasting network, Voice of America and such.
He's described them as state-funded propaganda because of their serious leftist bias and advocacy.
And one of his goals for his second term in the White House is the elimination, or at least reduction, of that.
On Friday, a major step was taken in that direction.
Kari Lake, the Trump administration senior adviser working with those projects, confirmed a massive layoff program at the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
The layoffs hit that agency, as well as Voice of America. Hundreds of jobs are being terminated.
"This move follows USAGM's firing of more than 500 contractors last month. It spells the death of 83 years of independent journalism that upholds U.S. ideals of democracy and freedom around the world," claimed several VOA staff members who went to court to try to keep their salaries.
It was a victory for Trump.
"When Trump signed an order in March to drastically shrink USAGM and several other federal agencies, the president and his pick to run VOA, Kari Lake, depicted U.S.-funded international broadcasting as biased, bloated and obsolete," a report from the legacy media claimed.
A report at Just the News said Lake confirmed, "USAGM now operates near the statutory minimum; lean and focused. This is a clear example of responsible government—cutting waste, restoring accountability, and delivering on the promise to put American taxpayers first."
Lake continued, "Today, we took decisive action to effectuate President Trump's agenda to shrink the out-of-control federal bureaucracy."
She explained USAGM sent notices to 639 workers, and that leaves the total workforce at about 1,400, down by more than 80% from years gone by.
Congress separately has been developed a plan that would defund, essentially, PBS, NPR and CPB
Elon Musk is back to criticizing President Donald Trump's administration, less than two weeks after a bout of insults followed by apologies, Breitbart reported. This time, the Tesla mogul called top adviser Sergio Gor "a snake" on social media.
As Musk was exiting his position leading the Department of Government Efficiency, he took potshots at Trump and his signature big beautiful bill. Following his screed, Musk would eventually post to X, formerly Twitter, that he perhaps "went too far" in his posts.
Now he's back at it again, this time focusing his ire at Gor, who did not apply for lifetime security clearances despite being in the position to grant them to others as director of the White House personnel office. "He's a snake," Musk posted under an article shared on X about the issue.
He’s a snake
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 19, 2025
It seems Musk is attempting to stir up another controversy, this time by going after Gor on social media. The criticism is unfounded as White House counsel David Warrington pointed out in response to the charge.
"Mr. Gor is fully compliant with all applicable ethical and legal obligations. His security clearance is active; any insinuation he doesn’t maintain a clearance is false," Warrington stated.
Vice President J.D. Vance also spoke in favor of Gor, whom he respects for his "effort to ensure committed, principled America First advocates staff the President’s government," Vance said. "He’s done a great job, and will continue to do so," the vice president added.
However, this is about more than just clearances for a government official. Musk and Gor had a fraught relationship culminating in Musk's flat-out refusal to have anything to do with him after a particularly tense Cabinet meeting in March.
Musk had disagreements with several Cabinet members after proposing cuts, which Trump later stated was the purview of agency leaders and not the Department of Government Efficiency. Gor was also reportedly responsible for firing Jared Isaacman, who was Musk's pick for NASA head. This reportedly became the catalyst for Musk's first barrage of social media attacks against Trump.
According to Fox News, Trump graciously posted a sendoff for Musk as he exited his post as DOGE head on May 30. The following day, Trump announced he would rescind Isaacman's offer to lead NASA.
Musk and Isaacman were linked through SpaceX, and it's clear that Musk wanted his associate for the position. Isaacman believes that his close business ties with Musk, at least in part, contributed to Trump's shift in direction after Musk's departure.
"I don’t need to play dumb on this. I don’t think that the timing was much of a coincidence, that there were other changes going on the same day. There were some people that had some axes to grind, I guess, and I was a good, visible target," Isaacman said on a podcast.
The move set off Musk, who made several posts denigrating Trump's bill as an "abomination" as well as other attacks against the president. Musk eventually apologized for this temper tantrum, but it appears he's at it again.
Musk has always been a bit of an enigma, but now his eccentricities have become a liability to the White House. Musk seems wound up all over again, and there's no telling what he will say or do next in such a state.
Attempting to pin the spread of wildfires across the state on President Trump, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) said on Wednesday that National Guard members had been diverted from firefighting duties to quell rioting.
Although Newsom was still in the process of requesting $40 billion in federal relief funds for California in the upcoming congressional spending bill, which would require Trump's signature following its passage by a Republican majority, the accusation flowed from the Democrat like he had nothing to lose.
Eight separate wildfires are raging across California at the moment, forcing residents to evacuate areas close to San Diego and Sacramento, as Breitbart News reported.
A statement from Newsom’s office said outlined the state executive office's concerns when he said, "As multiple fires burn across the state today, a critical firefighting resource is short-staffed due to President Trump’s illegal federalization of California’s National Guard troops.
"CAL FIRE crews responding to the Monte Fire in San Diego have had to fill in gaps left by a California National Guard (CalGuard) Joint Task Force Rattlesnake team that is understaffed due to the federalization of some of its members."
Where the presidential fault comes in is as yet to be seen, but Newsom went on to say that his group, "Task Force Rattlesnake," is made up of around 300 California National Guard members, who worked under CAL FIRE to prevent the fires.
Then the governor got to the heart of the issue when he asserted that, "More than half of that team has been diverted to Los Angeles as part of President Trump’s illegal federalization of the Guard."
The Ninth Circuit may soon rule that what the governor's office calls "illegal" is actually quite legal.
The three-judge panel, which included an appointee of President Joe Biden, "sharply questioned Newsom's argument that Trump had failed to sufficiently justify his decision to send 4,000 National Guard troops to protect federal buildings and support immigration authorities as they conduct arrests and enforcement operations," according to Politico's Thursday report.
After rioters assaulted local police and federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, Newsom refused to assign blame. Additionally, he sidestepped the issue of his administration's long-standing inability to clear brush from forests.
It was only after the terrible Los Angeles flames earlier this year that Newsom authorized $50 million to be spent on legal challenges against future Trump initiatives, despite the fact that turning down the funds will equate to a ] fiscal shortfall of $10–$20 billion in California.
But this isn't exactly a new issue; the wildfires actually started while President Biden was in Los Angeles.
Biden diverted police resources from their possible role as evacuation guides, as pointed out by multiple news sites at the time.
On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that Trump hinted that his reluctance to provide Newsom the $40 billion he is requesting could be attributed to Newsom's actions: “[H]atred is never a good thing in politics.” “[H]atred is never a good thing in politics.”
The ongoing evolution of communication dynamics in political spheres took center stage recently when a female senator openly criticized a high-profile male member of the Trump administration during a Senate session.
The incident involving Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth underscores a decade-long trend in which women are increasingly assertive in their professional environments, often challenging male colleagues, as Wokespy.com reports.
Sen. Jacky Rosen was at the forefront of this emerging trend as she didn’t hold back during a confrontation with Hegseth. Over the past decade, similar encounters have become more frequent. Women in public and business arenas use assertive rhetoric toward their male counterparts, highlighting changes in gender dynamics.
The recent Senate meeting saw Rosen calling out Hegseth with strong words. She accused the secretary of being "incompetent" and "feckless," terms loaded with the weight of the escalating tension in political communications. This incident exemplifies how some female representatives and senators have been described as more confrontational toward male Trump administration officials.
Rosen’s choice of words underscored dissatisfaction among some senators about the actions of the current administration. Increasingly, conversations within such sessions mirror the broader societal shift toward more direct public and professional discourse.
The lawmaker's critique is a snapshot of how political interactions are evolving. The interaction between the senator and Hegseth was a focal point of the day’s agenda, setting the tone for the rest of the discussions.
Faced with Rosen’s pointed accusations, Hegseth's demeanor remained unflustered. Once Rosen's allocated question time concluded, Hegseth addressed her with a composed response. He stated simply and calmly, “Time’s up, Senator.”
Such a response, notable for its calmness, often contrasts with the heated accusations thrown during these sessions. This interaction showcased Hegseth's strategic approach, possibly aimed at defusing tense situations without escalating conflict.
Throughout, Hegseth's engagement with Rosen was emblematic of the broader trend of maintaining composure amidst mounting challenges from across the aisle.
The interplay between Rosen and Hegseth raises questions about future interactions in political spheres, particularly those involving gender dynamics and power play. As women become more vocal and assertive, it remains to be seen how their male counterparts will adapt.
Critically, the trends observed in such high-profile discussions reflect significant societal changes. The increasing presence of assertive female voices in both political and professional settings might reshape traditional power structures and communication styles.
This incident doesn't just highlight individual behavior but also illustrates shifting expectations in political confrontations.
Rosen’s criticisms come within a backdrop of a marked increase in female leaders questioning the competence of male officials. These developments compel a reevaluation of dialogue, debate, and decorum in political affairs.
Both Rosen and Hegseth's encounters present learning opportunities. Politicians and other public figures might reconsider how assertiveness and calm can influence public perception and legislative effectiveness.
The outcome of these evolving dynamics could herald a new era of balanced communication and power in politics, paving the way forward for more equitable interactions in Capitol Hill sessions.
President Donald Trump has driven out roughly one million illegal immigrants from the United States since January, according to a new study.
The jump in removals has been credited to Trump's tough enforcement and some aliens deciding to self-deport, the New York Post reported.
Under the Biden administration, the foreign-born population exploded to all-time highs as the federal government rolled out the red carpet for border crossers. But after a few months of Trump, things are moving the other way.
A report from the Center for Immigration Studies found a sharp falloff in the number of non-citizens from Latin America who arrived in 1980 or later, a population that "overlaps significantly with illegal immigrants."
Since January, the illegal population has dropped nearly one million, from 15.4 million in that month to 14.8 million in May.
The projection was based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics' annual household survey, the Current Population Survey.
Of course, tracking the illegal population is far from an exact science. The Center for Immigration Studies noted some caveats, including the possibility that some illegal aliens are not responding to the survey out of fear.
Still, this is not the only study to find a drop in the foreign-born population. A forthcoming paper from the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute predicts a net loss in the immigrant population for the first time in 50 years, crediting the change to Trump's maximalist immigration policies.
It's a stark reversal after the foreign share of the labor force hit a record 19% under Biden's open border regime.
The Center for Immigration Studies estimated the number of foreign workers has already dropped 601,000 since January.
"A large decline in the number of illegal immigrants could be very helpful to less-educated U.S.-born and legal-immigrant workers, whose wages may rise as a result," the study concluded. "Further, a tighter labor market and higher wages may help to draw back into jobs the near-record number of working-age American men without a college degree not in the labor force."
Border Patrol agents did not release a single illegal alien into the nation's interior in May, a stunning reversal after 62,000 crossed last May under Biden.
The Trump administration has also been ramping up ICE enforcement to meet Trump's ambitious mass deportation goals, with officials reaching for 3,000 arrests per day.
The administration is also dangling $1,000 incentives to "self-deport," with flights paid for by the government.
Former President Joe Biden's longtime doctor has been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior, adding to the cloud of controversy surrounding the former White House physician.
The bombshell claims come from Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson (R), who has faced allegations of his own wrongdoing in the past.
Jackson, who was the White House physician under President Barack Obama and later President Donald Trump, said that O'Connor would make lewd, uncomfortable jokes to colleagues.
To be more specific, O'Connor would take people's cellphones and stick them down his pants for laughs, according to Jackson, who was O'Connor's boss at the White House Medical Unit (WHMU).
O'Connor "would ask people, people that he had just met, for their cell phone. They would give him their cell phone. He would stick it in his pants, in his crotch, and then give it back to them," Jackson claimed.
''[O'Connor] thought that was just hilarious," added Jackson. "Most people thought it was weird and inappropriate and immature, but he thought it was funny."
O'Connor did not respond to Daily Mail's request for comment. But Dr. Jeffrey Kuhlman, former White House physician and Jackson's direct predecessor in the role, said he never witnessed anything to back up his claims. "I am adamantly telling you: I left in July 2013 and I wasn't aware of that, no one mentioned that," he said.
Jackson offered a weak excuse for not firing O'Connor on the spot, saying he was "essentially part of the Biden family" and therefore protected. Kuhlman slammed Jackson for not bringing the accusations against O'Connor sooner.
"If it happened on [Jackson's] watch, his responsibility was to talk to the WH military office, deputy chief of staff. It's kind of repulsive that he would bring this up 10 years later," he said.
Jackson was hit with an Inspector General report in 2021 that found he drank on the job and made sexual comments to subordinates. He has dismissed the report, which led to his demotion in the Navy, as a political hit job.
Kuhlman said O'Connor and Jackson are rivals, and this may have something to do with Jackson's claims. "I would point out the obvious: the inspector general of the Navy did a report into Ronny Jackson. Jackson's opinion is that Kevin O'Connor was the source of that," Kuhlman said.
"For the record, from 2006-13 no one ever told me Ronny Jackson was behaving inappropriately. So I wasn't protecting anyone. He and Kevin were both ambitious people, sometimes you get blinded by ambition."
Kevin O'Connor has been Biden's doctor since 2009, making him a key witness in the investigation of the former president's cognitive decline.
The relationship between O'Connor and the Bidens has raised eyebrows. O'Connor was even tied to one of the family's business ventures.
O'Connor ruled Joe Biden "fit for duty" in February of 2024, despite never administering a cognitive test. This has naturally led many to suspect O'Connor was part of the cover-up.