This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The U.S. Department of Justice now is getting involved in the investigation by the White House Department of Government Efficiency, run by Elon Musk on President Donald Trump's instructions, of fraudulent and wasteful spending by the U.S. government.
Already, the Musk investigation has resulted in the essential shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which employed thousands and was tasked with handing out billions of dollars to other nations.
The problem that was uncovered was that leftists were spending billions of tax dollars on leftist ideologies in other countries that had no bearing on America's national security or priorities.
There are supposed to be a few hundred USAID workers kept on, and apparently their duties will be transferred to the U.S. State Department. Up for review, and possible shutdown, now is the Department of Education. And reports confirm the Pentagon is facing an audit.
But the situation now has gone far beyond questioning spending programs that likely were inappropriate. Now the DOJ is looking into charges that could develop against individuals or networks for stealing government property.
DOGE officials had made a referral because of evidence they uncovered.
Ed Martin, U.S. attorney for Washington, confirmed, "If people are discovered to have broken the law or even acted simply unethically, we will investigate them and we will chase them to the ends of the Earth to hold them accountable."
He explained, "We will on rest or cease in this. No one should abuse American taxpayer dollars nor American taxpayer workers. No one is above the law."
Earlier he had confirmed that an "initial review" of evidence suggests "certain individuals and/or groups have committed acts that appear to violate the law in targeting DOGE employees."
A report from the Gateway Pundit said Martin didn't provide any names of suspects, and it was unclear which laws were violated.
But the report noted he confirmed he was in contact with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to move on the allegations.
At the time, Martin explained, "I recognize that some of the staff at DOGE has been targeted publicly. At this time, I ask that you utilize me and my staff to assist in protecting the DOGE work and the DOGE workers. Any threats, confrontations, or other actions in any way that impact their work may break numerous laws."
He said, "Let me assure you of this: we will pursue any and all legal action against anyone who impedes your work or threatens your people. We will not act like the previous administration who looked the other way as the Antifa and BLM rioters as well as thugs with guns trashed our capital city. We protect DOGE and other workers no matter what."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Under Joe Biden's agenda to promote transgenderism to all, including those horrific body mutilations done on children, it was routine for prison inmates to demand, and be provided, tax-paid surgeries.
But it appears that might be coming to a halt.
A new report at HeadlineUSA explains Indiana's prison system was told by a judge to arrange for such "treatment" for one inmate, but now cannot find a doctor to participate in the procedure.
The report cited social media documentation that, "Indiana's prison system can't find a single doctor in the state willing to give a sex change to the baby-killing, self-purported trans Muslim inmate. It also looks like doctors around the country are shuttering their sex-change practices. Moreover, 15 states refused to even consider giving the baby-killer a sex change, while the rest of the states have signaled they probably won't, either."
HeadlineUSA said a federal judge had ordered the sex-change operation last year to "self-purported Muslim transgender inmate Jonathan Richardson."
He's in jail for 55 years for murdering his infant stepdaughter.
His case has been complicated by a report from psychologist Kelsey Beers who recommended against the procedure, citing the inmate's "co-morbidities of borderline and antisocial personality disorders—not gender dysphoria."
He also pointed to the inmate's history of faking mental illnesses.
Notwithstanding, the prisons division has been asking doctors to do the surgery, a result of Richardson's lawsuit over a law banning such treatments.
The report noted, "However, no doctor in Indiana is willing to conduct such a surgery, parties to the lawsuit revealed in a status report Wednesday."
One doctor said he was unwilling to move on the case and others said they had discontinued such treatments.
Reaching across state lines, the request either was rejected outright, or put on hold pending developments, by officials in Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Virginia, Wyoming.
So far, what is happening in the case is an order for a mental health evaluation for the inmate, the report said.
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.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a series of steps Monday afternoon to stem the flow of fentanyl into the U.S., thus receiving a 30-day pause in tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
"I just had a good call with President Trump," Trudeau said on X.
"Canada is implementing our $1.3 billion border plan – reinforcing the border with new choppers, technology and personnel, enhanced coordination with our American partners, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl. Nearly 10,000 frontline personnel are and will be working on protecting the border.
"In addition, Canada is making new commitments to appoint a Fentanyl Czar, we will list cartels as terrorists, ensure 24/7 eyes on the border, launch a Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering. I have also signed a new intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl and we will be backing it with $200 million.
"Proposed tariffs will be paused for at least 30 days while we work together."
Trump also commented on the deal, indicating: "Canada has agreed to ensure we have a secure Northern Border, and to finally end the deadly scourge of drugs like Fentanyl that have been pouring into our Country, killing hundreds of thousands of Americans, while destroying their families and communities all across our Country."
"As President, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of ALL Americans, and I am doing just that. I am very pleased with this initial outcome, and the Tariffs announced on Saturday will be paused for a 30 day period to see whether or not a final Economic deal with Canada can be structured. FAIRNESS FOR ALL!"
Earlier Monday, Trump announced Mexico has agreed to send thousands of its troops to help secure its border with America in exchange for a temporary pause in tariffs on its products.
"I just spoke with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico," Trump posted on Truth Social.
"It was a very friendly conversation wherein she agreed to immediately supply 10,000 Mexican Soldiers on the Border separating Mexico and the United States.
"These soldiers will be specifically designated to stop the flow of fentanyl, and illegal migrants into our Country.
"We further agreed to immediately pause the anticipated tariffs for a one month period during which we will have negotiations headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and high-level Representatives of Mexico.
"I look forward to participating in those negotiations, with President Sheinbaum, as we attempt to achieve a 'deal' between our two Countries."
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JERUSALEM – Three more Israeli hostages were released Saturday as the first phase of the ceasefire continues to hold with a slow drip of captured Israelis being exchanged in a one-sided shakedown with Palestinian security prisoners. One of those released was Israeli civilian Yarden Bibas, about whose wife, Shiri and two young sons, Ariel, and Kfir, four years old and nine months, respectively, at the time of their kidnapping, there is increasing concern for their well-being.
Where other captives – whether under Hamas duress or a palpable sense of relief their release – have managed to crack a smile, Yarden Bibas looked a broken man. And if the gruesome details of his illegal incarceration are anything to go by, entirely unsurprising he seems as though the weight of the world is resting on his shoulders. His father and sister welcomed him back to Israel, where he did manage to smile at the reunion. He was also reunited with his mother, although the family have said, "A quarter of our heart is back – respect his privacy." He survived captivity with "immense bravery and has now returned to an unbearable reality."
Officially, Israel is unaware of the rest of the Bibas family's condition, although the IDF has expressed "grave concern" over their fate, with effectively nothing being heard from or about them, since Hamas claimed in 2024 they died in captivity. The terrorist group likes to ratchet up the national psychological torture by suggesting they died in an airstrike or the IDF operating in the area, and Israel's demand last week for further information from Hamas either about their whereabouts or condition was stonewalled.
Yarden Bibas was forced to participate in a macabre Hamas propaganda video in November 2023, in which the psychopaths who took him, filmed his response to being told his wife and children were dead. As of February 2025 it is still not clear what has happened to his family, but the fact his captors would treat him this way is an indication of the kind of barbarity Israel is dealing with.
Indeed, there was some concern among hospital staff for Bibas' health upon his repatriation, although this was somewhat mollified when he was seen to smile. However, and without diminishing the experiences of those former hostages already released, there is an admittance his return to any semblance of psychological balance will likely be a longer road, considering the brutality of his treatment.
The stories emerging from the other hostages paint a picture of extreme deprivation of food, sunlight, and basic human needs. Hostages were frequently moved between safe houses and tunnels, with many kept in solitary confinement, and subjected to forced labor.
For the other former hostages, with the exception of Bibas, their nightmare in one sense is at an end. There are those who will rejoice knowing their partner and/or children either survived the Hamas onslaught on Oct. 7 or they were previously released in the November 2023 deal.
For others there will be pain and tears, now knowing their loved ones did not manage to escape the inferno which engulfed southern Israel on that black Sabbath. However, for Yarden Bibas, there is only uncertainty and emptiness for the family he so desperately hopes will be returned to him.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Brendan Carr, recently promoted by President Donald Trump from a seat on the Federal Communications Commission to be its chair, has notified the tax-funded National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting System their acceptance of paid advertisements is going to be reviewed.
Carr previously was the agency's general counsel, and was on the commission from 2017. He's been a critic of TikTok, on national security grounds, opposes content "moderation" or censorship on digital platforms and has urged the dismantling of the "censorship cartel" that appeared under Joe Biden's administration.
Now a report from RedState says he has put PBS and NPR "on notice that he has ordered an investigation into those outlets for violating federal law by airing paid advertisements."
NPR and PBS both, in fact, have turned to the extreme left politically in America, and have been criticized for failing to present neutral reporting. Instead they support far-left ideologies and attack conservative thought.
Carr, in fact, openly wondered about their existence.
"For my own part, I do not see a reason why Congress should continue sending taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS given the changes in the media marketplace since the passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967," he said.
The dispute over advertisements is because as tax-funded organizations they are not allowed to accept pay for ordinary ads.
They are allowed to provide acknowledgement for financial support.
"I am concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials. In particular, it is possible that NPR and PBS member stations are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements," he said in a letter.
RedState explained, "NPR and PBS have for decades aired sponsorships under rules set forth by the government. While public broadcasters are restricted by law from accepting traditional commercials, the F.C.C. has become more permissive over the years about what public stations are allowed to air. The F.C.C.'s evolving stance on the issue has gradually allowed public radio stations to become less dependent on government funding."
Eric Nuzum, of production company Magnificent Noise, said in a commercial, the sponsor owns the time and can say what it wants. In an underwriting acknowledgement, "the station provides an acknowledgment of who's providing the funding, along with basic information about the underwriter."
Carr said the problem is that broadcasters "cross the line into advertisement when they 'promote the contributor's products, services, or businesses.'" Further, they are not allowed to include "inducements" to buy.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
High school sports team cannot be for boys or girls, under the leftist ideologies demanded by Joe Biden while he was in office, ideas that President Donald Trump now is purging from the government. They had to be "equitable."
So had to be hiring practices even for jobs that demand extraordinary skills, such as military positions.
Federal grants, likewise. Literally everything had to be "equitable."
So with Los Angeles facing a massive rebuilding program after wildfires destroyed an estimated 12,000 buildings, mostly homes, the mayor's priority is to be "equitable."
"The owners of Palisades better get those recall petitions ready," explained one social media post about the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of mega-fancy homes and properties, as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a longtime leftist, "plans to hire an outside consultant to rebuild Palisades 'in a more equitable and environmentally sustainable way.'"
Elon Musk warned, "The mayor of LA is going full communist," while citing reports of her intention to rebuild through an "outside consultant."
"Recall her before it is too late," he warned.
Others cited evidence of her mismanagement.
A report from the Independent Sentinel noted she's made her decision "without any consultant with the residents."
It explained, "The firm will represent the city's interests in the wildfire recovery process, including performing damage assessments, monitoring air and water quality, interacting with various federal agencies, and ensuring that the city gets as much federal reimbursement as possible, according to chief recovery officer Steve Soboroff."
Soboroff also hinted that the city would control any federal money allocated, the report said.
President Donald Trump recently, visiting the stricken zones, said people needed to be allowed to get to their properties and start work as they wish, more or less immediately.
A commentary at HotAir explained that the city's response to the catastrophe has been so bad that its mostly leftist residents are revolting.
In fact, the report cited a polling that said 43% of residents now would consider Republican leadership in the city. While still 46% said no, the support for the GOP is at the highest level in years.
"Rather than follow predictable partisan patterns, voters in LA are fed up with failure and are demanding more competence from their elected officials," said Madison McQueen, of Owen Brennan. "Clearly there is an opportunity for new leadership, new ideas, and new direction for Los Angeles. Across LA County, most voters say fire hydrants running dry should be cause for political leaders to lose their jobs. Voters also blamed one-party rule for the lack of sufficient water storage."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
One U.S. senator has moved quickly to build on the momentum started by President Donald Trump's executive order to prevent federal promotions and payments for transgender "treatments," also described as body mutilations, on children.
Trump on Tuesday signed his executive order titled "Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation."
It includes, "It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called 'transition' of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures."
But, as a report in RedState confirmed, "executive orders are, of course, limited, and must eventually be supported by legislation."
That brought Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., into the discussion.
He announced he is reintroducing the "Protecting Kids from Child Abuse Act," which allows victims to sue the doctors who hurt them.
Online, Hawley explained his plan will "create a private right of action for individuals who were harmed by a gender-transition procedure performed on them when they were minors."
The liability would fall on "a pediatric gender clinic where the procedure was performed; a medical practitioner who performed the procedure or was employed by the clinic; and a university or hospital that is affiliated with the clinic."
Further, it was bar "federal funding to any pediatric gender clinic, to any university or hospital that is affiliated with a pediatric gender clinic, and for any gender-transition procedure performed on minors."
It essentially "would enshrine most of President Trump's EO into law," the report said.
"This seems like a no-brainer, a policy statement that should be enshrined in the hallowed halls of the Museum of the Mind-Numbingly Obvious. But the fact is that the rise of 'transgenderism' has made it necessary, especially where children are concerned. There is a reason we don't allow children to make certain decisions; they lack the maturity, the experience, and the wisdom to do so. That's why we don't let children sign contracts, or buy alcohol, tobacco, or firearms," the report explained.
"We don't let them sign consent for medical treatments, even as something as minor as filling a cavity; we don't let them get tattoos. We sure shouldn't allow them to get harmful, permanent, life-changing, and sterilizing treatments and procedures that will require them to have medical intervention for the rest of their lives."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Karoline Leavitt, in her first briefing as press secretary for President Donald Trump's White House, answered questions, over and over, on wasting taxpayer money, transgenderism, wokeness, DEI and much, much more.
She noted that foreign nationals who enter the United States illegally have, in fact, broken the law and are subject to removal:
She addressed the fact that she will tell reporters the truth, and she expects them to meet the same standard:
She pointed out that new media, bloggers and such, will have access to the briefings, along with the traditional corporate media:
Responding to questions about President Trump addressing the cost of living, she pointed out that egg prices exploded under Joe Biden, on whose orders millions and millions of chickens across the U.S. were destroyed.
On spending cuts, she cited the order that tax money stop going to various DEI, green scams, transgenderism, wokeness programs and social engineering, and said this is what voters elected Trump to address.
Under the Biden administration, officials were spending "money like drunken sailors," she said. That's why consumers have been hit by inflation, more than 20% under Biden.
The spending pause, she pointed, already found $37 million "about to go out the door" to the World Health Organization, from which Trump has withdrawn America, as well as $50 million for condoms in Gaza, a "preposterous waste" of tax money.
She said Trump is insisting the world respect America, as evidenced by the decision in Colombia to work with Trump's program regarding illegal immigration.
"This president will not tolerate illegals moving into America's interior," she said. He expects "every nation on this planet to cooperate."
On birthright citizenship, she said state officials, even federal judges, are allowed their opinion that it is constitutional. But the administration believes it is not and intends to pursue its case up to the Supreme Court, which has not decided specifically on the amendment's reference to jurisdiction, if needed.
She said the president is firm is his ending of funding for UNWRA and the designation of the Houthis as terrorists. She said an investigation into why the Biden administration kept money flowing, and left the Houthis undesignated, would be good although she did not know of any such plans.
"It wouldn't be a bad idea," she said.
Leavitt also announced: "After research and study, the drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the FAA for research and various other reasons."
Here are her full responses:
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – In one of his first official acts as new secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth spoke with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone Sunday, during which the two discussed the "unbreakable bond" which exists between the United States and Israel.
According to an official, "both leaders discussed the importance of advancing mutual security interests and priorities, especially in the face of persistent threats. The secretary stressed the United States is fully committed, under President Trump's leadership, to ensure Israel has the capabilities it needs to defend itself."
Netanyahu warmly congratulated the new head of the Department of Defense on his confirmation.
Hegseth was speaking in the wake of the Trump administration's release of a significant tranche of MK-84 2,000-pound bombs, which the Biden administration halted, concerned Israel would use them in its assault on Rafah – which took place anyway despite the unofficial embargo.
A statement from the Prime Minister's Office read: "Secretary Hegseth noted his many years of support for the State of Israel and his friendship with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and promised the U.S. would stand shoulder to shoulder alongside Israel and was fully committed to its security."
At his confirmation, Hegseth responded to a question from U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., about Israel saying he was a Christian who "robustly supported the State of Israel and its existential defense." He added for a flourish, "I support Israel destroying and k*lling every last member of Hamas."