President Joe Biden wants Republicans to stop "weaponizing" the U.S.-Mexico border crisis.
Apparently, being criticized for a self-inflicted problem is the new definition of "weaponization."
Biden, according to the White House, pleaded with Republicans to stop using the southern border crisis against him in a speech that he gave at the White House, on Friday.
The speech was part of the U.S. Conference of Mayors' winter meeting.
During his speech, Biden said that he has been working with Congress in order to address the southern border crisis.
Biden said:
So, let me be clear. My team has been at the table for weeks now on a partisan — with a bipartisan group of senators to negotiate a deal, including border, because I believe we need significant policy changes at the border, including changes in our asylum system to ensure that we have authorities we need to control the border. And I’m ready to act.
The president went on to say that he is hoping that "a bipartisan package" is "going to pass" the U.S. Senate at some point within the next week. And, it was at this point that Biden asked Republicans to stop using the southern border crisis against him.
"Now, the question is for the Speaker and the House Republicans: Are they ready to act as well?" Biden said.
He continued, "They have to choose whether they want to solve a problem or keep weaponizing the issue to score political points against the President. I’m ready to solve the problem. I really am. Massive changes — and I mean it sincerely."
One has to ask whether Biden really is sincere here, considering what we have seen from him since he took over for former President Donald Trump.
One of the first things that Biden did as president was to essentially open up the U.S.-Mexico border by invalidating Trump's more stringent border policies. It has been more of the same ever since.
The result has been record setting illegal immigration statistics. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) saw over 276,000 encounters in December 2023, which was a record, and things are showing no signs of slowing down.
Biden, as a result, has been getting hammered in the polls on the immigration issue. It has gotten so bad for Biden that even some members of his own party have turned against him on this issue.
Nonetheless, it is hard to believe that much is going to change under the Biden administration. The only real change is going to be the rhetoric, especially because it is an election year. Biden will likely attempt to make it appear as though he is addressing the southern border crisis, while not actually doing so, and he will attempt to use this ploy to shift the blame for the problem onto Republicans.
Congress is attempting to get Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to testify about his recent, undisclosed hospitalizations.
According to Fox News, the House Armed Services Committee asked Austin to testify in a letter that it sent to him on Thursday.
The letter was sent by the committee's chairman, U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL).
Rogers, in the letter, calls for "direct testimony" from Austin.
In the letter, Rogers not only calls for Austin to provide congressional testimony, but the congressman explains why he believes that such testimony is necessary.
Rogers wrote:
This is a time of immense global instability. Maintaining the most ready and lethal force possible requires that everyone in the national security community be able to rely upon the Secretary of Defense’s availability and transparency. Regrettably, you have not exhibited these attributes throughout this most recent string of events.
Rogers added, "Congress must understand what happened and who made decisions to prevent the disclosure of the whereabouts of a cabinet secretary."
In the letter, Rogers does indicate that Austin has already complied with some of Rogers' requests for information. But, Rogers also indicates that Austin has refused to comply with other requests.
Rogers wrote:
While you did respond to some of my questions I had for you, a concerning number of questions were not addressed. Specifically, I am alarmed you refused to answer whether you instructed your staff to not inform the President of the United States or anyone else of your hospitalization. Unfortunately, this leads me to believe that information is being withheld from Congress.
This comes after Austin - the Secretary of Defense of the United States - reportedly underwent two hospitalizations and a surgery without notifying either the White House or the Pentagon.
The Washington Post reports, "The situation has garnered significant interest and sparked controversy, after it was revealed Austin underwent two hospitalizations and surgery after a prostate cancer diagnosis but had not notified the White House or key Pentagon officials."
It has been reported that President Joe Biden and the White House did not know about the hospitalizations until Jan. 4, 2024, and that they did not know about Austin's cancer diagnosis until Jan. 9, 2024. We now know that the cancer diagnosis was in early December, the surgery occurred on Dec. 22, and the latest hospitalization was in early January.
Up until now, there are still many unanswered questions about this situation. Rogers, clearly, is trying to get some of these questions answered.
Austin, at the time of this writing, has yet to indicate whether or not he is going to comply with Rogers' request for testimony. A hearing is currently scheduled for Feb. 14.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The administration of Joe Biden is being skewered by a federal watchdog for failing to track the foreign ownership of U.S. farmlands, from which the nation's population is fed.
In fact, a new report said Biden doesn't even appear to have plans to monitor those developments that are significant to the nation's security.
A report from Fox News bluntly warns Biden "doesn't appear to have a plan to begin" monitoring that issue.
It reports that a document assembled by the Government Accountability Office revealed the Department of Agriculture has failed to share timely information about what foreigners are buying what land, even though that's required under the 1978 Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act.
"Sharing current data could help increase visibility into potential national security risks related to foreign investments in U.S. agricultural land," explained the GAO. "USDA implements AFIDA across field offices and headquarters, but its processes to collect, track, and report key information are flawed."
Some details, in fact, are collected on "paper forms," but there's no agenda for any database.
The most recent details out are from 2021, the report said.
"This report confirms one of our worst fears: that not only is the USDA unable to answer the question of who owns what land and where, but that there is no plan by the department to internally reverse this dangerous flaw that affects our supply chain and economy," said Rep. Dan Newshouse, R-Wash., the head of the Congressional Western Caucus.
"Food security is national security, and we cannot allow foreign adversaries to influence our food supply while we stick our heads in the sand," he warned.
Recent purchases of American land by foreign corporations have raised alarms among Republicans because of the threat an enemy could be "establishing a stranglehold" on American food and energy resources.
Members of Congress specifically have expressed alarm at China's purchases, some of which have been near military installations.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Tucker Carlson certainly is a "contender" to be a candidate for vice president, according to Donald Trump Jr.
The comments came during Trump Jr.'s recent interview on Newsmax, where he responded to the idea that independent journalist Carlson, whose online reports are followed by millions and millions of people, could be No. 2 on the GOP ticket.
The No. 1 slot increasingly appears to belong to President Donald Trump, after this week's victory in Iowa's caucuses, where he won 98 of 99 counties. Polls also show him leading all contenders – from either party.
Networth anchor Rob Finnerty asked Trump Jr., "Don, is your dad serious about Tucker Carlson? Are those rumors serious?"
"That clearly would be on the table, right? I mean they’re very friendly, I think they agree on virtually all of these things. They certainly agree on stopping the never-ending wars. And so, I would love to see that happen. That would certainly be a contender," he responded.
Other names mentioned included Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, and famed neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
"You need someone who’s in alignment, as well as, like, aggressive. You actually need a fighter," Trump Jr. said. "The Republicans in Washington, D.C., are weak. You can have the House, the Senate, and they’ll still roll over."
A report at Mediaite confirmed one person Trump Jr. would oppose, Nikki Haley.
A report at Off the Press said, "Although it is not yet clear if this speculation will become reality, it is notable that Carlson has emerged as a leading voice among conservatives, with a massive following and a penchant for expressing controversial, but widely appealing viewpoints. His immense popularity and influence have made him an attractive option for the elder Trump, who is eager to rally support and secure another term in office."
WND previously reported on comments from one powerful voice.
That explained why a report from Axios noted Melania Trump's apparent endorsement.
The report confirms, "Melania Trump is an advocate for picking Tucker Carlson, the booted Fox News star. She thinks Carlson would make a powerful onstage extension of her husband, a source close to Trump told us. The former first lady has made few campaign appearances this time around – but a Trump-Carlson ticket might encourage her to hit the trail."
The report also charges that Trump, if elected, "would build a Cabinet and White House staff based mainly on two imperatives: pre-vetted loyalty to him and a commitment to stretch legal and governance boundaries, sources who talk often with the leading GOP presidential candidate tell Axios."
The report claims that Trump's candidates for filling federal positions would "want to target and jail critics, including government officials and journalists; deport undocumented immigrants or put them in detainment camps, and unleash the military to target drug cartels in Mexico, or possibly crack down on criminals or protesters at home."
Actually, Trump has promised to close the southern border, which was opened by Joe Biden who has allowed in millions of illegal aliens, likely to include terrorists. He also wants to take government out of individuals' lives, restore a powerful American presence, fix Biden's energy industry mistakes, shut down Biden's involvement in foreign wars, and more.
The Post-Millennial reported on the source's comments about Melania Trump's preference.
The report said Trump already has revealed his opinion, although not his decision, when he said, "I like Tucker a lot. I guess I would. I think I'd say I would because he's got great common sense. You know when they say that 'you guys are conservative' or 'I'm conservative.' It's not that we're conservative. We have common sense. We want to have safe borders. We want to have a wall because walls work."
The report continued, "In late November, Carlson revealed that he became an active Trump supporter after the FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago in August of 2022 during which they seized classified documents after the DOJ claimed he was supposed to give them to the National Archives."
Carlson said, "I certainly support Trump. I'll tell you that. I've always agreed with Trump's policies, always, and I lost friends over it. I've never really actively supported anybody because it's not my job to actively support people. But, I became an active Trump supporter when they raided Mar-a-Lago last summer, the summer of 2022. That just can't stand."
He explained, "I agree with Trump on a lot, but even if I disagreed with Trump on a lot, I'd still be a Trump supporter because you cannot allow the regime, the president of the United States, to use the Justice Department to knock the frontrunner out of the race. You can't do that."
his story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The laptop computer Hunter Biden abandoned at a repair shop, and which later confirmed a long list of scandalous behaviors, played a key role in the 2020 election.
The FBI used it in its election interference campaign, in which it told publications to suppress the details because it was likely "Russian disinformation."
That happened even as FBI agents knew that it was real, that there was nothing "Russian" or "disinformation" about it.
A subsequent polling revealed that had Americans widely known the truth, enough would have withheld their support for Joe Biden to have changed the election winner … to President Donald Trump.
Now, years later, the Department of Justice is admitting what analysts, observers, media members, and experts have said for a long time: It's real.
‼️ In a new court filing today, the DOJ confirms Hunter Biden’s laptop is real, that he left it at a computer store, and that the contents matched what they obtained from a search warrant of his iCloud.
Don’t hold your breath for a retraction from Joe Biden (“It’s a Russian… pic.twitter.com/xSZ2YG8JIB— Miranda Devine (@mirandadevine) January 17, 2024
The report explained it's in a Tuesday court filing from prosecutors responding to demands from Hunter Biden that his federal firearms charges be dismissed. He's accused of lying on a required federal form when he bought a handgun, claiming he was not on drugs when his book confirms he was addicted during that time period.
The DOJ admits that the laptop that Biden "left at a computer store" had information matching what prosecutors already had obtained from Apple.
The DOJ states, "Investigators also later came into possession of the defendant's Apple MacBook Pro, which he had left at a computer store. A search warrant was also obtained for his laptop and the results of the search were largely duplicative of information investigators had already obtained."
It was the New York Post that initially revealed the contents of Biden's laptop, which contained among other things vast pages of emails about the Biden family's escapades.
One key falsehood was perpetrated by a list of "51 former intelligence officials," the report said, "who falsely claimed that the content" was a "Russian disinformation operation."
Hunter Biden also is facing legal issues over his failure to pay taxes on millions of dollars in income and possibly faces charges for being a foreign agent and failing to register properly.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
John Kerry, the connected wealthy Democrat appointed by Joe Biden to use fossil fuels to jet around the globe telling others to stop using fossil fuels, appears to have lost his cool when he was confronted about the "carbon footprint" he is generating with his world trips.
The Washington Examiner described Kerry, Biden's global warming envoy, as appearing "to lose his temper."
He was approached by a reporter at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he routinely travels to spout his talking points about global warming, which was changed to climate change when the warming stopped.
"What’s the carbon footprint of these events every single year that you come here? Do you think it’s worth it? Peasants pay for your crimes?"
"Stupid question," Kerry muttered.
One of Kerry's entourage tried to physically block the reporter, prompting a protest:
"You can’t grab me. You can’t grab us. This is a free society, mate. We have freedom of the press," the reporter charged.
So he continued, "Why do you think you’re more important? Your carbon footprint doesn’t matter but everybody else around the world…."
Kerry threatened, "Just stay back. Nobody ever suggested that. Don’t make up stupid questions."
The reporter, however, pointed out, that the fact Kerry traveled to Davos for the WEF and has done so for years is what “suggests that."
Kerry's aide once against tried to physically block the report, and he protested again.
The Daily Caller reported Kerry "lashed out at a reporter who asked him about his 'carbon footprint,'" "snapping" at Rebel News reporter Avi Yemini.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
At least, that appears to be the opinion of U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who has called for the firing of federal employees who abandon their responsibilities for those politics.
"Any government worker who walks off the job to protest U.S. support for our ally Israel is ignoring their responsibility and abusing the trust of taxpayers," he said on social media. "They deserve to be fired."
The comments came in light of word that federal workers are scheming to stage a walkout on Tuesday "over policy decisions in the war between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas," according to a report from the Post Millennial.
Johnson continued, "Oversight Chairman Comer and I will be working together to ensure that each federal agency initiates appropriate disciplinary proceedings against any person who walks out on their job."
The report explained a group called "Feds United for Peace" was staging the job abandonment.
"Employees from at least 22 federal organizations are likely to demonstrate in the walkout," the report said.
An online posting promoting the event told staffers to "stay home from work on Tuesday.
It continued, "We ask that you give proper notification of your absence on January 16. We recommend that you notify your supervisor. You may explain it as a need to take a personal day if you prefer not to divulge your participation in the Day of Mourning."
The report said organizers claimed the walkout was because of a "desire" to influence the Biden administration on the issue.
"This is not a strike. This is a day of mourning. The purpose is to provide space for ourselves to mourn and heal. We serve the American people every day and do so with conviction and pride," the organizer said.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has concluded that fired House member Liz Cheney, whose Wyoming voters threw her out of office after she orchestrated multiple attacks on President Trump, was "dishonest, manipulative, and destructive."
He lays out in a commentary at Real Clear Wire the reasoning behind his conclusion.
It all links to a lawsuit filed by Stefan Passantino over his being fired by Cassidy Hutchinson, one of the witnesses before ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's partisan January 6 commission, which worked to assign blame for that day's rioting at the Capitol to President Donald Trump.
"I know both participants well. I entered Congress in 1978 with Liz Cheney’s father, Dick Cheney. I watched Liz Cheney become a competent, effective implementor of American policy around the world. Few things have made me sadder than watching her drift into an anti-Trump fanaticism – which ultimately convinced her that breaking the rules, destroying innocent people, and pandering fake news were justified behaviors," Gingrich noted.
"Years later, I got to know Stefan Passantino. Since 1998, he has been legal counsel for me and for our companies. He is a thoughtful, scholarly, and deeply ethical attorney. Passantino represents his clients with integrity and a passionate commitment to protecting them and seeing justice done."
He explained, "Liz Cheney and the committee’s ongoing process of dishonesty, violating attorney-client privilege, and leaking to friendly leftwing media was a total perversion of the congressional system. It was a dishonest effort to destroy innocent people of integrity with one-sided lies and smears."
He said the good coming out of the situation is that Barry Loudermilk, chief of the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight, will reveal in coming months the stunning "dishonesty" of Pelosi's committee.
"Passantino represented several witnesses before the Jan. 6 Committee with no problems. He represented Cassidy Hutchinson with precisely the same integrity. In fact, he represented Hutchinson through multiple interviews covering about 20 hours," Gingrich noted.
"Hutchinson was a desirable witness for the committee because she entered the White House in her early 20s and became Special Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Legislative Affairs. She reported to Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and had an office in the West Wing just a few feet from the Oval Office," he noted.
But then, he said, "Liz Cheney apparently decided Hutchinson would make a star witness – if only she would say the right things. In an amazingly inappropriate and unethical move, Liz Cheney herself (along with a small number of senior staff) approached Hutchinson after her second committee interview without informing [Passantino]. Liz Cheney then called Cassidy in for a third interview, with Passantino again serving as counsel, with neither Cassidy nor Cheney ever informing Passantino that they had been speaking without his knowledge. Contacting Hutchinson without informing Passantino was clearly unethical, and it appears as if Liz Cheney instructed Cassidy not to tell Passantino they had spoken. This was a profound breach of legal ethics."
Gingrich explained, "As a senior member of Congress (and the national media’s anointed hero), Liz Cheney approached and sought to manipulate an isolated, frightened woman in her mid-20s. Does that sound appropriate? I suspect Liz Cheney knew she was doing something wrong because she apparently did not tell her fellow committee members."
The result was that Hutchinson dismissed Passantino and hired a new lawyer, suddenly changing her testimony to Congress.
What that did was raise concerns in Congress about her credibility, he noted.
He said Pelosi's committee tried to keep the extent of Hutchinson's testimony changes concealed, and the GOP House now has uncovered evidence of "rule-breaking and simply lying to the American people."
"History will not grant Liz Cheney or the Jan. 6 Committee members the profile in courage they wanted. It will record a profile in deception, distortion, and vengeance," he said.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Ray Epps, who famously was caught on video telling people to go into the U.S. Capitol building the day before the Jan. 6, 2021, riots, has been given a year of probation plus orders to pay $500 restitution and do 100 hours of community service.
The ex-Marine was accused by observers of being an FBI informant at those events because of the video "in which he is seen talking about going to the Capitol the next day," a report explained.
One member of Congress recently estimated there were 200 FBI operatives at those events, and the Daily Mail commented that Epps' sentence "seems to be comparatively light in relation to those received by other January 6 defendants, who have on average received several years in prison as punishment."
The Daily Mail report said suggestions Epps was cooperating with the FBI mostly came from "a video taken of Epps on January 5, where he is seen talking about entering the Capitol the following day. Images also show Epps whispering with another man, who went on to be accused of being the first person to bypass police barricades."
Epps has sued Fox News claiming that the network spread "destructive conspiracy theories" about him and last year Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Gordon said that Epps was not ever an "undercover agent for the government."
As part of a plea deal with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to a count of engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building.
Just the News reported prosecutors had requested six months in prison for Epps.
Epps, 62, has claimed he wasn't a government informant and he's denied he encouraged people to breach the Capitol to get them in trouble.
The government, in a sentencing memo, claimed, "Even if Epps did not physically touch law enforcement officers or go inside of the building, he undoubtedly engaged in collective aggressive conduct."
He was allowed to appear at his sentencing by video.
A lawyer for Epps reported reaction to his actions and case forced him, and his wife, to sell their property and businesses and flee Queen Creek, Arizona.
"He enjoys no golf, tennis, travel, or other trappings of retirement. They live in a trailer in the woods, away from their family, friends, and community," attorney Edward Ungvarsky said.
Some 1,200 people have been accused of crimes for that day, and more than 900 have been convicted or pleaded guilty. Often their cases involved trespassing or entering a restricted area.
Two-thirds have been ordered to jail.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Facing a possible citation for contempt of Congress, with its potential jail sentence, Hunter Biden has flip-flopped and now is volunteering to testify before Congress.
Lawyer Abbe Lowell, representing the first son, told the House Oversight and House Judiciary committees in a letter that Biden will comply if a new subpoena is issued under the "duly authorized impeachment inquiry."
Biden had publicly snubbed Congress' earlier subpoenas to appear to testify in the investigation of Joe Biden for possible impeachment. That investigation is based on a long list of issues and evidence supporting them, ranging from charges the family was running an influence-peddling operation to sell access to Joe Biden to foreign nations, to that FBI document that alleges Joe and Hunter each got $5 million bribes from Ukrainian interests.
Fox News said it was just days ago the House Oversight and Judiciary committees voted formally to recommend Hunter Biden be held in contempt of Congress. Votes by the full House still would be needed.
He had issued a flat refusal to appear for a closed-door deposition, and in a stunt demanded that his testimony is in a public hearing.
The lawyer, however, claimed that the original subpoenas were "legally invalid" because they were issued before the House voted to formalize an impeachment inquiry.
That is in dispute, as it's not certain that Congress needs to formally vote to open an
impeachment inquiry before assembling testimony.
Now, with his client facing the potential of a House vote on his contempt citation shortly, the lawyer said, "If you issue a new proper subpoena, now that there is a duly authorized impeachment inquiry, Mr. Biden will comply for a hearing or deposition."
The House Rules Committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, and at that point, lawmakers could prepare a contempt of Congress resolution, which would be followed by a full House vote as early as the next day.
Hunter Biden actually staged a second stunt before Congress, appearing before the House Oversight Committee as it was marking up its resolution. But he, and his accompanying lawyers, simply walked out a short time later.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, rejected Biden's demand for public testimony, denying him special treatment that other witnesses who have been summoned before Congress were not given.
Fox reported, "Lowell's offer also comes after Hunter Biden on Thursday pleaded not guilty to all federal tax charges stemming from Special Counsel David Weiss's investigation. Hunter Biden also pleaded not guilty in September to all federal gun charges from Weiss' probe."
Just the News called the reversal "dramatic."