This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., has unleashed on the spending by the American government … for what she believes is abuse of animals.
Right now, the government's spending in a bull's-eye because of President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, which has already singled out money lavishly spent by USAID in wildly inappropriate projects, such as promoting transgenderism worldwide. Spending by other departments also are being reviewed.
Mace, in a hearing for the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation, cited government spending on animal experimentation.
The hearing was titled, "Transgender Lab Rats and Poisoned Puppies: Oversight of Taxpayer Funded Animal Cruelty."
She called out the White Coat Waste Project that last year exposed more than $10 million in tax dollars spent "creating transgender mice, rats, and monkeys."
"These DEI grants funded painful and deadly transgender experiments that forced lab animals to undergo invasive surgeries and hormone therapies at universities across the country," she charged.
"For example, the Biden-Harris Administration spent $2.5 million taxpayer dollars to study the fertility of transgender mice. $1.1 million dollars were spent to find out if female rats receiving testosterone therapies to mimic transgender men were more likely to overdose on a party drug commonly used in the LGBTQ community to induce drug-fueled 'chemsex.'
Federal funds were also used to forcibly transition male monkeys to see if hormone therapy made them more susceptible to HIV," she said.
She said the work emanated from the Biden-Harris insistence on spreading their transgender ideology "across all facets of American society," so that they ignored the fact such experiments not only were cruel, but unneeded.
"It is well known that because of the differences between animal and human biology, animal testing frequently does not produce results relevant for humans. In fact, 90 percent of novel drugs that are successful in animal tests fail in human clinical trials," she said.
And she said now there are tech tools that "can more accurately model human biology and identify solutions that are more useful for human patients."
She said experiments on animals now are done by 27 NIH branches as well as the Food and Drug Administration, Department of Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, Defense and more.
Those actions cost Americans $20 billion a year, she said.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
We all have a hard time believing that President Donald Trump took office just two-plus weeks ago. All those phenomena we accepted as givens – DEI, transgenderism, DoJ weaponization, medical tyranny, foreign aid, fentanyl deaths, endless wars, illegal immigration, bureaucratic bloat, government censorship – were, to say the least, no longer inevitable.
For 30 years the Left imposed its agenda through a media that lied to sustain that agenda. To be sure, American Marxists have always shown an indifference to the truth as profound as that of their Soviet role models.
Until 1994, however, media lies were generally plausible, their suppression of facts subtle. Although liberals dominated America's cultural and political institutions, they were confident enough to do so with something of a gentle hand.
If any one individual embodied the post-war establishment spirit, it was Walter Cronkite, "America's most trusted man." The CBS News anchor from 1962 to 1981, Cronkite represented the gold standard of useful journalism during that era, namely the ability to feign objectivity.
But objective he never was. Biographer Douglas Brinkley quotes Cronkite as saying, "I thought that some day the roof was going to fall in. Somebody was going to write a big piece in the newspaper or something. I don't know why to this day I got away with it."
The "it" was Cronkite's liberalism. After retirement, he could be more forthcoming. At a 1988 dinner honoring Democrat Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, Cronkite went full Howard Beale:
"God Almighty, God Almighty, we've got to shout these truths in which we believe from the rooftops, like that scene in the movie 'Network.' We've got to throw open our windows and shout these truths to the streets and to the heavens." Cronkite made perfectly clear to this friendly crowd that "these truths" were the soft-core Marxist orthodoxies of the moment.
One powerful source of establishment confidence was the House of Representatives. Coming into November 1994, Democrats held an 82 seat majority in the House. They had controlled the House for 40 consecutive years and 58 of the previous 62.
Yes, Republicans could elect a president, but Democrats could, if need be, dispose of one. Richard Nixon may have won 49 states in 1972, but he lost the District of Columbia, then and now the power source for the WMD known as "lawfare."
What changed the game, I'm convinced, was the midterm election of 1994. Democrats lost an incredible 52 seats in the House, eight in the Senate, and control of both. Going forward, a shocked media would do and say whatever was necessary to keep President Bill Clinton and the Democrats in power.
In the 30 years that followed, the Marxist infection metastasized. Ever more aggressively, our left-leaning elites labored under the grand illusion that "truth" was what they said was true and "just" was what they said was just.
Too bourgeois to be full-blown Marxists, these elites came to mimic, if anyone, the French Jacobins. In their fondness for the state and their hostility to faith, they launched a revolution of their own, a "fundamental transformation" of America, however dishonest and improvised.
Our Jacobins quickly moved beyond liberalism to progressivism. Here, as in revolutionary France, Jacobin orthodoxies were what the moment warranted, what the mobs demanded.
They used that open-ended ideology as bait to corral the radical among their intersectional ranks – the blacks, the browns, the greens, the gays, the lesbians, trans, the feminists, the Muslims, and any other "marginalized" group willing to make noise in the street.
Club members in the know did not really care about issues. For them, the ultimate goal was always power, global power. Having transcended the nation-state, they allied themselves with Jacobin elites throughout the world and proudly alienated those citizens who clung bitterly to their gods and their guns.
By 2020, every elected Democrat in Washington, some elected Republicans, much of the intelligence community and most of the administrative state belonged to Club Jacobin.
Jacobin clubs in Hollywood, on Broadway and in Silicon Valley exercised nearly monopolistic control over their respective industries. Jacobins ruled higher education and, through their unions, controlled the public-education establishment. They dominated almost every commercial newsroom and TV network as well as NPR and PBS.
By 2021, with the inauguration of President Joe Biden, Jacobins controlled the White House, the Senate, the House of Representatives and many of the instruments of justice, including the D.C. courts and the FBI. They told America what it was permissible to think and say and were eager to punish those who thought and said differently.
If the Jacobins said the election of 2020 was "free and fair," to say otherwise was to perpetuate "the big lie."
If they said January 6 was an "insurrection," to call it anything less was to side with "white supremacists."
If they said President Biden was "sharp as a tack," to say he was slipping was to pull a "deep fake" and risk rebuke from more enlightened members of the club. "I can tell you, I talked to Joe Biden in private for decades," insisted MSNBC's Joe Scarborough in March 2024. "This is the best Joe Biden."
Even a child could pinpoint the moment the woke empire imploded. That would be, of course, June 27, 2024, when a senescent President Biden took the stage to debate former President Donald Trump and fell harder than Humpty Dumpty.
Biden promptly shattered the grand illusion that had sustained his coalition for the last four years, and not even the media could put it together again.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
As Elon Musk continues his deep dive into wasteful government spending, reports are now emerging that big names in left-leaning American news, including Politico and the New York Times, have been propped up by millions in U.S. taxpayer dollars.
"Many media outlets are going to experience a mysterious drop in revenue," the head of DOGE posted on X Wednesday morning.
USASPENDING.gov, the government-spending tracker, reveals Politico received up to $27 million – some counts indicate $32 million – from different federal agencies during Joe Biden's term in office.
"What they found was absolutely shocking," Tyler Durden of ZeroHedge said concerning the internet sleuths that unearthed the information.
Some $500,000 was reportedly spent on 37 Politico "pro" subscriptions.
The New York Times received $3.1 million in taxpayer funds, while the BBC in Britain collected $3.2 million.
During a briefing Wednesday at the White House, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed media outlets have been receiving federal tax dollars, and that "will no longer be happening."
"The DOGE team is working on canceling those payments now," she said.
Interestingly, Politico staffers on Tuesday were told that a "technical error" prevented their paychecks from being distributed.
The Shore News Network noted of the financial hiccup at Politico: "The timing of these payroll issues is particularly sensitive as it coincides with broader discussions about government funding for media.
"Posts on X (formerly Twitter) have expressed skepticism and concern, with some users suggesting that the inability to pay employees might be a consequence of government funding cuts, although no official confirmation or denial has been issued by Politico on this matter."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The chief of one of the nation's biggest teachers' unions, Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers, has "endorsed" the idea of shutting down the federal Department of Education.
That's one of the goals President Donald Trump has expressed, because of the department's agenda that has included spending hundreds of millions of dollars to inculcate discriminatory gender and race ideologies in children amid its failure to improve the test scores of American children.
Trump has appointed a secretary of education with instructions to see how much of the federal agency's responsibilities can be given back to states and local communities. In Congress, there's already a plan to shut down the bureaucracy.
Now, in an interview, Weingarten "accidentally endorses ABOLISHING the Department of Education," according to a report.
"States and localities run education… they should run it. The federal government should not run it," she said.
Her quote was, "States and localities run education. It's basically. That's where 90% of the funding for education goes. They already run it. They should run it. The federal government should not run it."
Under Trump's administration, already dozens of Education Department bureaucrats have been put on leave because they were promoting the ideological diversity and equity campaigns to students.
The moves are part of the shakeup of federal government that is being implemented under Trump, who appointed Elon Musk to his administration's Department of Government Efficiency to look for ways to cut the size and expense of government.
Twitchy commented, "Yesterday, Twitchy covered Weingarten's appearance on MSNBC to rail against President Trump's call to end the Department of Education. It wasn't so much an interview that Ana Cabrera conducted with Weingarten; it was more like a mutual admiration society, with both participants spending their time agreeing with each other and patting each other on the back for their brilliant insights. But even in that softball environment, Weingarten still couldn't help but step on a massive rake as she accidentally agreed with Trump that the DOE shouldn't even exist."
Other social media responses:
"Finally she has a good idea."
And, "Ma'am we literally been saying this for decades."
They also noted Weingarten "makes over $560,000 per year, 9 times average teacher."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
As the 2022 Iranian uprising reached a critical turning point, with brave women and young people seemingly poised to consign the religious dictatorship to history, Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran's last Shah, ramped up his travels across Europe – particularly in France – seeking to position himself as a political alternative. In doing so, he courted support from certain Western conservative circles, aiming to secure media visibility.
At the height of the uprising, while Iranians risked their lives for freedom, Pahlavi sought to insert himself into the narrative as a viable replacement for the regime. Yet, for those who had sacrificed everything in the fight against tyranny, a fundamental question arose: Was their struggle meant to culminate in the return of a figure with no history of resistance and no concrete vision for Iran's future?
In a recent interview, Pahlavi himself admitted he was unwilling to sacrifice his friends or his personal freedom in the U.S. for Iran. This statement only deepened skepticism about his commitment.
A political analyst close to the current theocratic Iranian regime wrote in his widely circulated doctoral thesis: "Monarchism is an opportunity for the Islamic Republic. Monarchists have no realistic path to power, and by fostering division within the opposition, they have provided an invaluable service to the regime."
A monarchic system in irreversible decline
Iran's monarchy, one of the world's oldest political systems, lost its legitimacy by the late Qajar era due to corruption, inefficiency and authoritarian rule. The 1906 Constitutional Revolution, inspired by the French Revolution, marked a shift toward a system based on popular participation.
Ultimately, the Pahlavi dynasty was overthrown in 1979 after decades of repression and economic mismanagement. The last Shah's exile and death – like those of his Qajar predecessors – symbolized Iran monarchy's irreversible historical collapse.
Ever since, for over four and half decades, Iranians have sought a democratic alternative, one rooted in justice and human rights. The slogans of the 2022 uprising – such as "Death to the Tyrant, Be It the Shah or the Mullah" – clearly illustrate the public's rejection of both the current theocracy and a return to monarchy.
A virtual movement without popular support
The influence of monarchists remains largely confined to social media and exile circles. They exploit the crises inflicted by the current Islamic Republic – poverty, repression and executions – to position themselves as an alternative. However, they ignore a fundamental truth: The Islamic Republic rose to power in 1979 largely due to the Pahlavi regime's systematic suppression of democratic forces.
As a former regime official recently admitted, "The infernal machine of SAVAK under the Shah paved the way for the Islamic Republic."
Even in exile, monarchists have failed to establish credibility as a political force. The collapse of the "Reza Pahlavi is my representative" campaign, which sought to position Pahlavi as the undisputed leader of the opposition, demonstrated the widespread rejection of his leadership within the Iranian diaspora.
Moreover, analysts point out that "Even Western nations opposed to the Islamic Republic have recognized this reality and place greater hope in the 'hypocrites' (a derogatory term used by the theocratic regime for its arch-enemies, the People's Mojahedin Organization) than in the monarchists to bring about its downfall."
The Iranian regime's role in promoting monarchists
A particularly striking phenomenon is the disproportionate online presence of monarchists. Given that some former Iranian intelligence officials are closely linked to Reza Pahlavi, legitimate questions arise: Are their financial and technical resources partially supplied from within Iran?
Additionally, the monarchists benefit from the vast fortune the Pahlavi family transferred abroad before their exile. However, rather than presenting a clear vision for Iran's future, they focus primarily on undermining other opposition groups.
Peace in the region, security in the world
For more than four and half decades, the Iranian regime has destabilized the entire Middle East through hostage-taking, terrorism and regional wars, including the ongoing Gaza crisis. This strategy has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and exacerbated global instability.
Now, as the Iranian regime faces its weakest moment – following the decline of its regional proxies and the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria – it seeks to compensate for its vulnerabilities by pursuing nuclear weapons. The international community must take this threat seriously and recognize the Iranian people's right to resist.
Feb. 8: The voice of the Iranian people in Paris
On Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, tens of thousands of Iranians will gather in Paris to demand that the international community recognize their right to resistance and support the establishment of a democratic and secular republic in Iran. Their vision: Just as the right of the French people to resist the Nazis was upheld, it is now time for the world to stand with Iranians in their fight for freedom.
They suggest that supporting the Iranian Resistance and its resistance units is the only path to ending dictatorship, securing peace in the region and ensuring global stability.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A new memo being circulated among GOP leaders in Congress notes, essentially, that it's about time the lavish handouts of American taxpayers' dollars through USAID be reviewed, and regulated.
After all, much of the $40 billion in foreign aid each year doesn't even reach intended recipients and instead is used to prop up "an NGO industrial complex that has, for years, swindled the American taxpayer."
It warned, "Foreign aid should not be paying the brunch tabs of NGO executives at Le Diplomate in Washington, D.C. It should be feeding starving children in war-torn countries,"
The memo is from Rep. Brian Mast, chief of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who explained his committee already has done a probe of USAID "foreign assistance" under Joe Biden's tenure.
"As part of our thorough examination, we reviewed millions of dollars State Department and USAID grants awarded over the past four years and hosted a closed-door briefing with career State Department officials in the final days of the Biden administration. This undertaking offered a comprehensive and unvarnished look at exactly where Americans tax dollars were spent abroad," he wrote.
"What we found was the State Department and USAID had completely lost sight of their mission. For decades, U.S. foreign assistance has been an important extension of American influence and power on the global stage. One would expect the State Department and USAID to ensure that these programs promote policies, values, and objectives consistent with the national security interests of the United States and widely held American values. It would also be reasonable to expect the agencies to maintain meticulous and transparent records of all such programs, because awards, as federal expenditures, are subject to congressional oversight."
That, however, was not what was found.
"The Biden State Department and USAID failed on both counts. Rather, a small cadre of career State Department and USAID bureaucrats deployed billions of dollars in foreign grants and awards through an opaque and antiquated process. Hard-earned American tax dollars were spent on funding drag shows in Ecuador, proselytizing atheism in Nepal, counseling migrants to circumvent U.S. immigration law, providing condoms to the Taliban, and spreading LGBTQ awareness throughout the globe. Furthermore, State Department officials have demonstrated their disregard for Congressional oversight as evidenced by their obligation of millions of dollars for a series of foreign grants funding radical initiatives in the final days of the Biden administration over objections by our committee," he said.
The result under Biden's leadership, was that "misguided foreign spending damaged the United States and significantly benefited out foreign adversaries."
The report noted that the moves by President Donald Trump to consolidate USAID within the State Department isn't even brand new, as Madeleine Albright had suggested that during Bill Clinton's presidency, then-Sen. Joe Biden advocated for that in 1999 and in 2001, a bipartisan commission made that recommendation.
"President Trump is the only one who has the political strength and willpower to make these much-needed reforms a potential reality," the memo said.
It said Trump's pause and review program "is already paying dividends," as State is "rooting out waste, blocking radical initiatives, and exposing bureaucrats that are working counter to America's national security interests.
Fox News reported that Trump's plan includes exceptions for emergency food assistance and life-saving medicine and such.
Democrats, still stunned from the 2024 election results that put to pasture then-Vice President Kamala Harris' failed campaign, claimed they are being denied entry to USAID headquarters, and are insisting they "are not going to let this injustice happen."
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, former House Foreign Affairs Committee chair, responded, "President Trump and his team are right to scrutinize and revamp U.S. foreign aid distribution to ensure every taxpayer dollar serves its intended purpose. And I am optimistic they will do it in a way that strengthens the intention behind these programs and strengthens our national security."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced President Donald Trump is signing an executive order Wednesday to protect women, and women's sports, from men who call themselves women.
Transgender ideologies were one of the highest priorities of the ended administration of Joe Biden, who actively promoted the anti-science agenda through the whole of government in the United States and where it has influences around the world.
The fact is that being male or female is embedded in the human body down to the DNA level and doesn't change. In fact, one of Trump's earliest orders was a recognition that for the U.S. government, there are two sexes, male and female, only.
The order was scheduled for signing at the White House Wednesday afternoon.
"Gender-ideology insanity is over," Leavitt said.
Leavitt noted that among the results of Biden's gender agenda was that women were being "forced to shower with biological men," which is "incredibly unfair and unsafe."
And, she said, it's "incredibly unpopular with the American people."
She noted that there have been some popular female athletes who have had the courage to speak out against the powerful institutions, including universities and athletic associations, that had adopted the leftist gender beliefs. She said the administration expects them to follow the new precedents being set.
She described as "disgusting" the "betrayal" of women by the Biden administration, where members "catered to radical activists who wanted men to be treated as women."
She said Trump's order simply will uphold the promise of Title IX, which was adopted to provide equal opportunities for men and women in sports. Biden wanted to change that law by redefining the word "sex" so that it no longer would mean "sex" but would encompass a wide range of extremist gender ideologies.
Leavitt said the plan is for "immediate action" against "schools and athletic associations that deny women single sex sports and single-sex locker rooms."
She also responded to questions about revelations that among other inappropriate uses of USAID money, millions of dollars of taxpayer money were being directed to news publications such as Politico and the New York Times, and promised that was ending.
"The DOGE team is working on canceling those payments now," she said.
And she confirmed members of the violent and criminal Tren de Aragua gang from Venezuela are being arrested and deported … to Venezuela.
And there already are 79 miles of border wall projects in the planning or construction stages.
Another topic that came up was Democrat threats that they would be fight Trump's agenda "in the streets," and she said such rhetoric is from people who "don't even know what they're talking about."
And she said Trump's plans for rebuilding Gaza is part of his agenda for "lasting peace" in the Middle East.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The Iranian regime is at its most vulnerable point in decades. Faced with mounting internal dissent after four major nationwide uprisings in the past seven years, growing international isolation, severe blows to their regional strategy, and tightening economic and diplomatic pressure by the international community, the mullahs in Tehran are racing against time. Their desperate push to accelerate their nuclear weapons project is not a show of strength but a sign of profound weakness. Now, Iran's nuclear ambitions are once again at the forefront of global security concern.
For years, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) has warned that Iran's nuclear program is not meant for peaceful purposes. Tehran has systematically deceived the world while working toward nuclear weapons capability. The West is gradually recognizing this reality.
On Feb. 4, President Trump signed a new memorandum reinstating the 'Maximum Pressure' policy.
This move will further restrict Iran's access to financial markets, intensify sanctions on individuals and entities tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and prevent the regime from acquiring the resources needed to advance its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
According to news reports, Trump's order, among other things, orders the U.S. treasury secretary to impose "maximum economic pressure" on Iran, including sanctions and enforcement mechanisms on those violating existing sanctions!
The Iranian people, who have long suffered under the brutal dictatorship, have shown unwavering resilience. Over the past four decades, 120,000 political activists, the overwhelming majority of them affiliated with the main Iranian resistance movement, the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), have been executed. Inside Iran, protests have erupted in nearly every major city. From factory workers to teachers, students to retirees, all have taken to the streets demanding change. The regime's response has been predictably violent – mass arrests, torture and executions. But this has not deterred the Iranian people; it has only made them more determined.
Iran's accelerated nuclear ambitions: A sign of desperation
A recent U.S. intelligence assessment confirmed what the NCRI has been exposing for years: Iran is fast-tracking its development of a nuclear weapon. Tehran knows that it may not have the luxury of time. With growing internal unrest and external pressures mounting, the regime is desperate for leverage. By rapidly assembling a nuclear capability, it hopes to blackmail the international community into easing sanctions and granting concessions.
For too long, world leaders have played into this strategy. Iran's leadership understands that nuclear brinkmanship creates panic in diplomatic circles. It uses the threat of weapons development to extract favorable deals from Western negotiators. But history has proven that such negotiations only embolden the regime. The 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) failed to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions; it merely gave the regime financial resources to suppress the Iranian people and to fund further instability across the region.
The Free Iran Rally: A global call to action
As the world is grappling to define a correct policy on Iran, thousands of Iranians and supporters of democracy will gather in Paris Feb. 8 for the Free Iran Rally. The event, organized by the NCRI, is not just another protest – it is a powerful declaration that the Iranian people reject the dictatorships of both the shah and the mullahs and demand democratic change. They support the 10-point plan of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the NCRI, for a free, democratic republic, which calls for separation of government and religion, gender equality, coexistence with the rest of the world and a non-nuclear Iran.
Among those attending will be former political prisoners, activists and international political leaders who recognize that the time for decisive action is now. This rally will shine a spotlight on the Iranian people's struggle and serve as a counterweight to the regime's propaganda. It will remind world leaders that appeasement is not an option – only a free, democratic Iran can bring stability to the region.
Why this matters now
The world faces a critical decision: Will it continue to ignore Iran's nuclear ambitions and human-rights violations, or will it stand with the Iranian people in their quest for freedom? The NCRI has long argued that the only sustainable solution is regime change from within by the Iranian people and the organized resistance. The Iranian people have proven they are ready for this change, but the international community has a duty to stand on their side.
The Free Iran Rally will make clear that the Iranian people, not the mullahs, should determine their nation's future. The international community must take concrete action and stand on the side of Iran's democratic opposition and prevent the regime from acquiring nuclear capability. It is time to act decisively.
The Iranian regime is on borrowed time. Internal unrest is growing, its economy is in shambles, and its nuclear ambitions are being exposed. The NCRI and the Free Iran movement are leading the charge.
The days of appeasement must end. The Iranian people are ready for change. It is time for the international community to stand with them.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Pam Bondi was sworn in as U.S. attorney general on Wednesday and immediately took action on President Donald Trump's agenda.
She boosted his border security plan by ordering a suspension of federal funding for sanctuary cities. She indicated that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's client list soon may no longer be a secret. She ordered a halt to the weaponization of the DOJ, which has singled out Republicans and conservatives in recent years. She ordered the drug cartels to face the wrath of federal prosecutors. She opened up a review of recent "investigations" into school parents. And she called for a review of the failed lawfare cases brought by Democrat partisans against Trump.
She first thanked Trump for her appointment and promised she would not let down his Make America Great Again agenda.
Immediately followed her orders to restore integrity and credibility to the DOJ, which was used by the Joe Biden administration as a weapon against parents, conservatives, Catholics, pro-lifers, J6ers and Trump.
Included was a freeze on funding for sanctuary cities, where officials are defying federal law by not only ignoring, but actually protecting illegal aliens.
Those officials who prevent ICE from doing its work face prosecution, she said.
And she was the list of clients for Epstein, who died in a New York jail facing additional charges, revealed. His private jet, the "Lolita Express," featured a passenger list that included a number of high-profile individuals, including Bill Clinton.
And she wants a review of those Democrat lawfare cases, including Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's "hush money" case.
He used the courtroom of a judge with multiple conflicts of interest in the case, including a daughter making money off his courtroom rulings, to persuade a leftist jury in Manhattan to deliver 34 guilty verdicts against Trump.
The judge had allowed salacious testimony against Trump who essentially was convicted of felonies, even though the events involved were classified as misdemeanors, for describing legal expenses as legal expenses.
Fox News reported Bondi's first hours were crammed with action, as the situation has been for Trump and many of his other appointments, as they try to repair damage left behind by the Joe Biden administration.
Her goals include calling for the death penalty when appropriate, after Biden commuted the death sentences of dozens of murderers and rapists, and a call to eliminate the drug cartels.
A memo about her plans that Fox obtained explained lawyers who decide to use their own opinions on cases, rather than the policy of the law and the administration, will be given "discipline," or fired.
Also planned is a "Weaponization Working Group" to review the activities of all law enforcement agencies over the past four years to identify instances of "politicized justice."
Those topics include lawfare prosecutions against Trump led by former special counsel Jack Smith; Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg; and New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the civil fraud case against Trump and his family.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Tragically, it was a day of "nines." It occurred on 9 February 2001; it happened 9 miles south of Oahu, Hawaii; and the accident claimed nine lives.
Who would have thought it could ever happen? Due to the total unlikelihood of such an occurrence, one wonders how long it took for those onboard the Japanese fishing boat and research vessel – the 191-foot Ehime Maru – to even realize what was happening before it quickly sank.
It is a big ocean, yet on that day, the nuclear attack submarine USS Greenville (SSN-772), in an emergency surfacing maneuver, unwarily surfaced right underneath the Japanese ship. The sub's rudder sliced into the hull of the Ehime Maru, causing it to sink in a matter of minutes.
While 25 survivors were rescued, nine aboard the fishing vessel, including four high school students, died. But imagine the horror the survivors experienced being lifted up out of the sea as clear skies on a bright sunny day betrayed signs of any immediate danger.
As it turned out, there had been no real emergency on the submarine. It was simply conducting an emergency ascent from the depths below to demonstrate to civilian visitors onboard how quickly it could be done.
However, the accident put the lie to the concept that little ships operate in big oceans. In the Ehime Maru's case, it turned out to be a very small ocean indeed.
Due to this collision, however, the Navy made significant changes to submarine surfacing maneuvers. The absence of any repeat incidents almost a quarter of a century later demonstrates success in "enlarging" the ocean for surface vessels by implementing new measures for their safety.
Similarly, when it comes to aviation, the "Big Sky Theory" suggests that "collisions between aircraft are unlikely due to the vastness of airspace." Of course, that big sky is severely reduced as aircraft converge in proximity to the same airport. This was the scenario on the evening of Jan. 29, 2025 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
An American Airlines passenger jet on approach to the airport and a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter on a night training mission heading for Ft. Belvoir in Virginia, collided in midair at 8:47 p.m.
There were no survivors as 67 people lost their lives (64 on the jet and three on the helicopter) as the two aircraft exploded and fell into the Potomac River.
Much more operating room existed for the two ships involved in the accident off of Oahu as the flight path of these two aircraft was restricted due to heavy traffic.
It will undoubtedly take months for an investigation into the cause of the air disaster to be completed. Clearly, however, among the cast of characters involved both in the air and on the ground, someone dropped the ball.
Some factors possibly contributing to the disaster include the answers to the following:
At a post-crash press conference, President Donald Trump implied that his predecessor's diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policy could have been a factor but did not articulate exactly how. The investigation will undoubtedly focus on the training and experience of all involved and their superiors as well. If the senior helicopter pilot was inexperienced, the DCA flight corridor should never have been used for an annual evaluation.
Despite a nighttime sky, visibility was clear. ATC audio reveals less than 30 seconds before the crash, the helicopter was specifically asked if it could see the jet. The helicopter crew responded, "… aircraft in sight, request 'visual separation.'"
This term refers to an ATC method used to ensure aircraft are kept apart in such confined flight areas. While instructed to pass behind the jet, less than 13 seconds later the collision occurred.
While the loss of 67 souls is a great tragedy, an ultimate result of the investigation into this air disaster will lead – as it did to "enlarging" the oceans for safe travel by surface traffic due to the 2001 sinking – to a similar enlargement of the skies for safer air travel.