Failed Republican candidate Solomon Peña was sentenced to 80 years in prison for hiring gunmen to conduct drive-by shootings at the homes of political rivals, Fox News reported. Peña lost his bid for the New Mexico state House and targeted the homes of Democratic officials in retaliation.
Peña was handily defeated in his November 2022 election and blamed the loss on voter fraud. He arranged the attacks in Albuquerque, New Mexico, between December 4, 2022, and January 3, 2023, with one of the attacks carried out using a machine gun.
For his role in hiring the gunmen and planning the attacks, at least one of which he was present for, Peña was convicted of 13 felony charges. They included four counts of using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, four counts of intimidation and interference with federally protected activities, three counts of solicitation to commit a crime of violence, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and conspiracy.
Two of the gunmen Peña hired to carry out the attacks pleaded guilty to their roles in the crimes last year. Peña tried to contract the suspects' murders after his arrest so that they wouldn't be able to testify against him.
The shootings targeted he homes of Democratic officials after Peña believed he was robbed of his seat in the state House of Representatives. Nobody was injured in the shootings, but many were carried out at homes that children and relatives of the targeted politicians occupied.
These unhinged actions were directed at the state's Speaker of the House, two New Mexico state legislators, and two Bernalillo County commissioners. Believing that the election was "rigged" against him, Peña tried to convince the board members to refuse to certify the election results in favor of his Democratic opponent, Miguel Garcia, who won 73.6% of the vote compared to Peña's 26.4%.
They refused, and so Peña hired Demetrio Trujillo and Jose Trujillo to carry out his shooting spree in retaliation. "Violence and intimidation have no place in our elections," a statement Wednesday from U.S. Attorney for New Mexico Ryan Ellison said.
It appears Peña saw himself as a warrior for justice who greatly identified with President Donald Trump's similar assertion about his 2020 electoral loss, which Trump has never conceded. "Trump just announced for 2024. I stand with him. I never conceded my HD 14 race. Now researching my options," Peña posted to X, which was then known as Twitter, on Nov. 16, 2022.
Trump just announced for 2024. I stand with him. I never conceded my HD 14 race. Now researching my options. pic.twitter.com/sKVHhxG9Vq
— Solomon Pena for NM (@SolomonPena2022) November 16, 2022
The New York Times drew parallels to Trump when reporting on allegations against Peña in January 2023. The Times noted that Peña was at the Jan 6, 2021, riot that erupted at the U.S. Capitol over Trump supporters' claims that the election was stolen from him.
Although there was no evidence that Peña had gone inside the building or participated in the violence, the insinuation was that he was so enamored with Trump that he thought his actions were similarly warranted. "He had a belief process that he was cheated," said Albuquerque Police Department Chief Harold Medina.
"To me, it’s very concerning what his actions were and the impact they could have on our democracy. He was trying to intimidate some of our elected officials," Medina added.
However, Peña's criminal history suggests that this attack was more due to his being prone to such behavior rather than acting out against "democracy." Prior to entering politics, Peña had a history of crime and had served seven years in prison after being convicted of burglary and larceny.
It is criminal and immoral for any political candidate to target the homes and families of opponents, regardless of the validity of election fraud claims. Peña has been convicted and therefore deserves to serve time in prison for what he's done, but his actions do not reflect on Trump or any other Republican who has questioned a vote count, as the establishment media has sought to claim.
Joe Scarborough admitted on MSNBC's Morning Joe that President Donald Trump's move to a federal takeover of Washington, D.C., police is a good thing, Breitbart reported. Scarborough said many on the left are quietly supporting it behind the scenes and see it as a "positive step."
On Monday, Trump announced that he was fed up with the rampant crime in the nation's capital and would be taking over the Metropolitan Police Department and activating 800 National Guard troops, Fox News reported. "I'm deploying the National Guard to help reestablish law, order, and public safety in Washington, DC," Trump said at a news conference on Monday.
"And they're going to be allowed to do their job properly," he added. Earlier that day, Trump posted to his Truth Social account that he was going to eliminate "Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum" from Washington, D.C..
The president said that the "days of ruthlessly killing, or hurting, innocent people, are OVER!" Of course, this has sent the left into a tailspin about supposed fascism and other recycled claims against Trump, but now it seems that even Scarborough and his ilk are singing Trump's praises for doing what is necessary.
On Tuesday's program, Scarborough noted that even those publicly against this are cheering on Trump. "This is a fascinating story because so many people have been calling me over the past couple of days, going, you know, like Washington, should have gotten involved years ago," Scarborough said.
"This place is dangerous, it’s a mess, it’s a wreck, and whatever. And then they’ll go on Twitter and go ‘his is the worst outrage of all time.’ Which I understand, it’s like people need to express their concerns about Donald Trump going too far," Scarborough added.
"We saw what happened back in 2020 with the National Guard, certainly can’t have any repeat of that. I don’t want the federalization of the entire city, but man, I don’t care what the crime statistics say, crime has been a problem in this city for the 32 years I’ve been living inside and outside of the city," Scarborough acknowledged.
"It’s just, even now, we, Mika and I, we’re talking to somebody who lives in the city, these are all Democrats who said, you know, our friends won’t walk more than three blocks in DC at night without feeling the complete opposite of New York City, where I’ll walk 40 or 50 blocks at night and not think twice about it. In New York City, in midtown downtown. I mean, New York is a safe, safe place. Washington D.C., man, it’s door to door," the MSNBC host surprisingly admitted.
Washington, D.C., is a haven for journalists, which perhaps is the reason that Trump's otherwise controversial plan is receiving so much support. These people in the establishment media may be leftists, but even they have to admit the time has come to do something, as even they're being victimized despite reports of crime decreasing.
As the New York Post reported, ABC News anchor Kyra Phillips said she has "firsthand experience" with crime in the city. "I can tell you firsthand here in downtown DC, where we work, right here around our bureau, just in the past six months, you know, there were two people shot, one person died, literally two blocks down here from the bureau," Phillips said Monday.
"It was within the last two years that I actually was jumped while walking just two blocks down from here. And then, just this morning, one of my co-workers said her car was stolen, a block away from the bureau," Phillips continued.
The anchor explained that the perpetrator "was homeless and half-dressed — clearly wasn’t in his clear mind," she added. Phillips fought off her would-be attacker, but it's indicative of what people are facing every day in the nation's capital.
Trump won because he wasn't afraid to say and do what was best for the country, even if it meant he was slandered by the mainstream media. He has continued that into his second term, but because they're being impacted by it, the left is finally on board with what he wants to do for Washington, D.C.
The Nevada Supreme Court has sided with former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden to allow his civil lawsuit against the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell to proceed, NBC News reported. Nevada's highest court said in a 5-2 ruling that the NFL's preferred resolution through arbitration overseen by Goodell was "unconscionable."
The issue stems from a November 2021 lawsuit Gruden filed against the league after emails he sent to an NFL employee, which contained offensive language, were leaked to the press. He contends those leaks were intentional and damaged his career with the Raiders and beyond.
The rules of the NFL mandate that any conflict of this nature must go through arbitration, which Gruden fought on the basis that he is no longer an employee of the organization. The Nevada Supreme Court would eventually agree with his assertion in its decision on Monday.
The NFL claimed that its Constitution and Bylaws confer "full, complete, and final jurisdiction and authority to arbitrate . . . [a]ny dispute . . . that in the opinion of the Commissioner constitutes conduct detrimental to the best interests of the League or professional football." The court disagreed, calling that rule "unconscionable" and agreeing with him that it "does not apply to Gruden as a former employee."
According to a report in Sports Illustrated in October 2021, the NFL's review of some 650,000 emails over 10 years uncovered Gruden's use of offensive language in messages to an employee. His messages contained "misogynistic and anti-LGBTQ comments."
The review was being conducted as part of an investigation into workplace conduct at the Washington Commanders, the team that was formerly the Washington Red Skins until 2019. Then-team president Bruce Allen was often on the receiving end of Gruden's messages as the two were former co-workers at the Raiders the first time, between 1998 and 2001, and with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The emails involved in the investigation were sent while Gruden was an employee at ESPN and using his personal account. Allen was using his team email account, which was the catalyst for the NFL's ability to leak information about what Gruden said.
Some of the emails include Gruden's opinions against the NFL's decision to employ female referees and for allowing football players to protest during the national anthem. Gruden also had strong opinions about Goodell for forcing coaches to draft gay players, including the first openly gay player, Michael Sam.
In reviewing more than 650,000 emails sent over the past decade, the NFL has reportedly found numerous examples of Jon Gruden using misogynistic, anti-LGBTQ, and racial slurs, per the @nytimes.
Shortly after the report came to light, Gruden resigned: https://t.co/LmqlyxJpyM pic.twitter.com/GKu4Vt4UHQ
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 12, 2021
Because of the controversy, many believed Gruden should never work in football again. He has been working for Barstool Sports following the controversy, according to Fox News, but he longs to return to coaching football.
In a YouTube video chronicling his recent visit to Georgia, Gruden said he was there in the hopes of finding a way back to coaching, even if it is through collegiate sports. "I want to coach again. I’d die to coach in the [Southeastern Conference]. I would love it," Gruden said.
"Hopefully, I’m not done. I’m about to make a comeback," the Super Bowl-winning coach added. "Hopefully, some of these guys that fell off my branch, if you say it that way, maybe they can hire me 'cause I’m looking for a job." There are some signs of hope as he was associated with the New Orleans Saints following his 2021 ouster from the Raiders and was restored to the Buccaneers' Ring of Honor.
"I don’t care if I coach at Jones Junior High. I’m going to coach again. I’m still coaching. I’m just not on a team officially, but I do have some private assignments I work on, and I wear some gear when I’m watching the games that nobody knows about who I’m pulling for," Gruden said.
Of course, what Gruden said was objectionable, but ruining his career for life does not seem fitting for some offensive things he said in what he thought were private emails. Gruden will have a chance to be heard in court and, with any luck, may see his career restored as well.
FBI Director Kash Patel took to social media platform X on Saturday to detail some of the bureau's successes during the first 200 days of the Trump administration, including increases in fentanyl seizures, child trafficking arrests, and the recovery of 4,000 child victims.
He started the string by posting, “200 Days of Trump Admin: Fentanyl seizures by FBI From Jan 20 to Present: 1,500 Kilos — that’s enough lethal doses to kill 113,850,000 Americans. Seizures to date are a 25% increases from same time period last year, most ever. We look forward to working with our @SecDef and DoD partners to getting after it even more, thanks @realDonaldTrump for the new authorities.”
A few hours later, Katel followed up his first post, saying, “200 Days of Trump Admin, From Jan 20 to Present: FBI has arrested over 1,600 people for violent crimes against children, to include 270 arrests for human trafficking.”
But that wasn't all.
Patel concluded the series of tweets by posting,
200 Days of Trump Admin:
FBI has identified and found 4,000 child victims.
FBI investigations targeting Foreign Terrorist Organizations has resulted in 1,000 arrests of those wanting to harm our nation
Seized 6,300 Kilos of methamphetamines = lives saved #SummerHeat
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) August 9, 2025
“200 Days of Trump Admin: FBI has identified and found 4,000 child victims. FBI investigations targeting Foreign Terrorist Organizations has resulted in 1,000 arrests of those wanting to harm our nation Seized 6,300 Kilos of methamphetamines = lives saved #SummerHeat”
Breitbart News noted that child trafficking had tripled under former President Joe Biden's administration.
That's really not a surprise since his policies brought tens of millions of illegal immigrants to the United States, and many of them were criminals and child traffickers.
Reports of rape trees where migrant predators would hang women's panties on a tree after raping them and unaccompanied minors being brought across the border to be trafficked abounded on conservative media, even if the mainstream media didn't much cover any of it.
They sacrificed thousands and thousands of women and children so Biden wouldn't look bad.
Now, Trump and his administration are setting things right. They haven't released any illegal immigrants into the U.S. in months, and even arrests are down because people know they aren't going to get a free pass to come into the country anymore.
Just like word traveled fast when Biden reversed all of Trump's border policies and threw the border wide open, it has also traveled fast about the reverse.
The FBI continues to focus on doing its part to get illegal immigrants out of the country and back to their countries of origin.
Particularly the ones who have committed crimes, many of whom may have been released from prison by their leaders and sent here to disrupt our way of life.
Well before he took office for a second term, Donald Trump vowed to make illegal immigration one of his signature issues upon returning to the White House, and he shows no sign of backing away from that promise.
As Breitbart reports, the Department of Homeland Security under Trump has decided to call an end to the Biden-era policy of “quiet amnesty” for illegal migrants.
The Trump administration’s reversal of the aforementioned Biden-era policy will facilitate the reopening of hundreds of thousands of deportation cases that were administratively closed in recent years.
Under the prior president, immigration judges were urged to dismiss or close cases instead of adjudicating the underlying asylum claims.
The problem, according to the Trump administration, is that the vast majority of such claims tend to be invalid once subjected to scrutiny.
Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson, addressed the shift in policy, declaring, “Biden chose to release millions of illegal aliens, including criminals, into the country and used prosecutorial discretion to indefinitely delay their cases and allow them to illegally remain in the United States.”
“Now,” she continued, President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem are following the law and resuming these illegal aliens' removal proceedings and ensuring their cases are heard by a judge.”
Last fall, the House Judiciary panel’s Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement issued a report on the harm done by the Biden administration’s policy, which was titled “Quiet Amnesty: How the Biden-Harris Administration Uses the Nation’s Immigration Courts to Advance An Open-Borders Agenda.”
A press release on the report’s findings emerged, suggesting that the prior administration’s stance resulted in upwards of 1 million illegal arrivals remaining in the country on an indefinite basis.
The report added that the Biden DOJ and DHS “caused the immigration court backlog to skyrocket, adding over 3.7 million new cases since fiscal year 2021, with over 1.5 million originating just in the first three quarters of fiscal year 2024.
With only a small number of cases resulting in grants of asylum, the Biden administration sought the abandonment, dismissal, termination, or administrative closure of hundreds of thousands of cases, allowing illegal arrivals to remain in the U.S. without facing any immigration consequences.
“This quiet amnesty,” the press release noted, “has become a hallmark of the Biden-Harris Administration’s immigration courts,” but it now appears that the practice will be coming to an end.
The Trump administration’s move to reopen cases that were previously closed or dismissed is likely to result in a dramatic change in circumstances for migrants who believed themselves safe from detention or removal, a misapprehension sadly fostered by the Biden administration.
As tumultuous as that experience may be for some, the Trump administration is determined to enforce immigration law to the best of its ability, in keeping with the president’s persistent theme of “promises made, promises kept.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is outraged after being skewered in a recent episode of South Park, the UK Guardian reported. Noem shared her dismay about the jokes during an interview on the Glenn Beck Program podcast on Thursday.
The writers of the satirical cartoon portrayed Noem as an enthusiastic puppy killer after she admitted in her memoir to killing a family dog that had to be put down. The show also mocked Noem's looks and purported plastic surgery as well as her enthusiasm for Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
In a clip shared to YouTube by the show, Noem is depicted shooting puppies in a training video used by ICE officials. At one point, it shows her face melting and then being rearranged to its current state to suggest Noem has had cosmetic surgery on her face, which the former South Dakota governor has denied.
While speaking to host Glenn Beck, Noem admitted that she hadn't viewed the episode yet because she was too concerned with "going over budget numbers and stuff." However, Noem said that she thought the show's writers lacked creativity and went for the low-hanging fruit with their jokes about her.
"It’s so lazy to just constantly make fun of women for how they look," Noem told Beck. "If they wanted to criticize my job, go ahead and do that. But clearly they can’t – they just pick something petty like that," she added.
The premise of the satire leaned heavily on her public image as an official who is tough on illegal immigration, including her penchant for posing for photos during official business. Noem recently staged a photo op at El Salvador's CECOT prison, where several illegal immigrants from the U.S. have been deported under President Donald Trump.
The episode wrecked her for her admission in her autobiography "No Going Back" that she had to shoot her dog Cricket after it got loose and killed her neighbor's chickens and disrupted their pheasant hunt. She also admitted doing the same to a goat on her farm, which outraged the woke animal rights activists.
Noem is rightly upset as it is difficult to be treated like a joke, especially when the writers were using her looks as fodder. However, the fact that she and others in the Trump administration are getting the South Park treatment means they have reached a high level of cultural status.
In fact, as Fox News reported, the DHS used a still from the episode as a recruitment tool for ICE. The show's creators did not like it and responded with a crude remark, "Wait, so we ARE relevant? #eatabagofd----," the show's account replied to the post.
Undeterred, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin used South Park's remark once again to the agency's advantage. "We want to thank South Park for drawing attention to ICE law enforcement recruitment: We are calling on patriotic Americans to help us remove murderers, gang members, pedophiles, and other violent criminals from our country," McLaughlin said.
"Benefits available to new ICE recruits include an up to $50,000 signing bonus, student loan forgiveness, and retirement benefits. Apply today at join.ice.gov," the post added.
The culture is paying attention to what is happening in the Trump administration, which is why the show felt it could poke fun at its policies and figures and have its audience understand the jokes. It was lazy to focus on Noem's appearance, but the episode remains a net positive for the Trump agenda as it demonstrates the conservative movement's arrival at prominence.
President Donald Trump accused Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of "extortion" after Democrats held out on hundreds of Senate confirmations over $2 billion in funding, Newsmax reported. The Senate broke for summer recess without confirming the executive appointments after a deal couldn't be reached.
More than 140 of Trump's picks are awaiting confirmation as Schumer maneuvers to delay or block them until he gets his way. Among the nominees are 30 ambassadors, including Kimberly Guilfoyle as ambassador to Greece, and Mike Walz as United Nations ambassador.
Many of them have already been approved with bipartisan support in their respective committees. However, Schumer has set into motion a procedural requirement for the Senate to agree on voting rules for candidates as Democrats ask for their pet causes to be funded, including $1 billion for the Global Fund and $50 million to fight HIV in developing countries.
This process would have forced Senate Majority Leader John Thune to keep the Senate in session and lawmakers in Washington, D.C., through the rest of the summer to get each one through. Instead, Schumer held out to secure billions in wasteful spending, and both sides walked away from the table for now.
Trump was not about to take this lying down, of course. The president struck back at Schumer and the Democratic Party on a post to Truth Social on Wednesday, calling them "extortionists" and "thugs" over the scheme to delay the confirmations.
"Politically embattled Senator, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, wants the Republicans to pay, as EXTORTION, TWO BILLION DOLLARS in order for the Radical Left Democrats to approve the hundreds of Trump Appointments who have been waiting for months, and are raring to go. This has never happened before," Trump wrote.
"There has never, in U.S. history, been such a delay. THEY ARE EXTORTIONISTS! Republicans must create legislation in order to get out of the grasp of these Country hating THUGS," Trump continued.
"Move quickly!!! MAGA." Trump concluded. The president urged the lawmakers to come to a decision to get the nominees through. Unfortunately, Trump ended the standoff in a draw as both sides backed off. Perhaps this means Schumer learned after taking several lashes from his party earlier this year for giving in to Trump.
In March, Schumer backed away from blocking a GOP-led funding bill because he wanted to avoid a government shutdown, NBC News reported. Many in his party were outraged that he'd give an inch to Trump, and perhaps he's worried about the same thing happening this time.
Even former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was outraged and urged fellow Democrats in the Senate to vote against the bill that would fund the government for another six months. Instead, Pelosi wanted a continuing resolution, which does the same for a shorter term to keep the government operating but forces more legislation. "Democratic senators should listen to the women," Pelosi said in a statement at the time.
"Appropriations leaders Rosa DeLauro and Patty Murray have eloquently presented the case that we must have a better choice: a four-week funding extension to keep [the] government open and negotiate a bipartisan agreement. America has experienced a Trump shutdown before — but this damaging legislation only makes matters worse," the California Democrat added.
Schumer also drew the ire of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). "I think there is a deep sense of outrage and betrayal. And this is not just about progressive Democrats. This is across the board. The entire party," Cortez said. It seems that being on the wrong side of his party is not where Schumer wants to be again.
Trump is correct that the Democrats in the Senate were wielding their power to obtain funding for their causes in a way that seems underhanded. However, they will have to continue the fight after the recess, and Trump has a way of getting what he wants in the end.
President Donald Trump has kept his campaign promise and once again donated his presidential salary to the White House Historical Association, Breitbart reported. The president famously gave away his $400,000 annual earnings during his first term as well, breaking with the majority of his predecessors who kept their pay.
Trump shared the news on his Truth Social on Wednesday. "I am proud to be the only President (with the possible exception of the Late, Great George Washington) to donate my Salary. My first 'Paycheck' went to the White House Historical Association, as we make much needed renovations to the beautiful 'People’s House,'" Trump wrote.
"Great improvements and beautification is taking place at the White House, at levels not seen since its original creation. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" the president concluded.
As with his first term, Trump pledged to give away his presidential salary after his reelection. This immense act of charity is another way to make not only America, but also the nation's capital, great again, without taking more from the taxpayers.
There are many projects underway in Washington, D.C., thanks to Trump, including adding a flagpole on the North Lawn near the new Rose Garden patio and another on the South Lawn. Each flagpole is nearly 100 feet high and will proudly fly the Stars and Stripes, thanks to the personal generosity of the president.
Trump has also announced plans for a grand ballroom to be added to the White House, a project which he and other private donors will fund. The new addition is planned for the East Wing off the East Room and will be used as the Reception Room upon completion.
In a surprise move on Tuesday, Trump fielded questions from reporters about the plan as he made an appearance on the White House roof, according to the Associated Press. "Anything I do is financed by me, so you don't have to worry. It's contributed just like my salary is contributed," Trump said, making it clear that taxpayers wouldn't be footing the bill.
LOL! Trump is on the White House roof inspecting his improvement projects while taking questions from the press…
"Anything I do is financed by me, so you don't have to worry. It's contributed just like my salary is contributed."
pic.twitter.com/Gtlx40f2oJ— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) August 5, 2025
Meanwhile, the president has also worked on sprucing up the Oval Office by adding his signature gold trim throughout and gilded decor pieces to the mantelpiece. Trump hung portraits that were previously long in storage, including those of past presidents, adding gravitas and more ornamentation to the historic space.
This means a great deal to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who frequented the White House as a child. "I’ve been coming to this building for 65 years, and I have to say that it has never looked better," said Kennedy, who is the nephew of President John F. Kennedy and son of Robert F. Kennedy, who served as attorney general at the time.
"I’ve spent some time in the Oval Office, which really has – it’s been transformed," Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said. "I was looking at a picture of the Oval Office the other day when I was there, when I was a kid with my uncle," he added..
"And you know… it’s always extraordinary to go into that, that sacred space, but I have to say that it looked kind of drab in the pictures, and they’re black and white pictures, but it looked drab, and it looks the opposite of drab today," he added. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also said that inhabiting beautiful spaces "elevates the human spirit. And this building, of all buildings, should look beautiful. And under your stewardship, it looks extraordinary today."
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration's plan to reallocate $4 billion from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, CBS News reported. The funds would come from FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, which the agency had eliminated in April.
U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns of Boston issued his ruling on Tuesday that halted the plan. The case was brought in July by Massachusetts and 19 other Democrat-led states, which sued over FEMA's ability to dispense with funds meant for fortifying infrastructure against natural disasters.
Before its elimination, BRIC set aside funding for flood control, including stormwater management infrastructure, or elevating or relocating buildings in areas that experience repeated floods. The judge contended that using funds from the canceled program on anything but disaster relief would cause "irreparable harm" to areas prone to flooding.
"The BRIC program is designed to protect against natural disasters and save lives," Stearns wrote of the since-eliminated program. Stearns is also "not convinced" that the money Congress had set aside for BRIC should be reallocated to other projects based on how it was awarded.
According to Newsweek, FEMA said in a news release published April 4, 2025, that BRIC was being eliminated as "yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program." It said that the program was "more concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters."
The agency has since walked back that position, including removing that news release from the website. FEMA's acting administrator, David Richardson, said that the "BRIC program provides technical and financial assistance to States and local governments for cost-effective pre-disaster hazard mitigation measures that reduce injuries, loss of life, and damage and destruction of property," in a reversal of April's news release.
"The Secretary of Homeland Security [Kristi Noem] has not made a final decision to end the BRIC program," Richardson said, adding that "no grants have yet been canceled." Still, the states that brought the lawsuit against the Trump administration over the funds say Trump is playing politics.
"The president keeps breaking the law, and we keep holding him accountable in court. Shuttering this program would do nothing to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse or improve government efficiency," California Attorney General Rob Bonta, one of the lawsuit's lead plaintiffs, said in July.
"This is a program with bipartisan support that is focused on protecting lives and livelihoods from flooding, wildfires, earthquakes, and other natural disasters," he added. However, like many government programs, suspected partisanship in FEMA seems to cut against Republicans, including one high-profile case in Florida.
As the Daily Wire reported at the time, employees of FEMA were fired after it was revealed that officials in the agency told disaster relief workers to skip houses with Trump signs in Florida. The news outlet shared a screenshot of an internal message in a bombshell exclusive on November 8.
EXCLUSIVE: Internal messages obtained by The Daily Wire show a FEMA official ordered relief workers in Florida not to help houses with Trump signs pic.twitter.com/o73ejUuYUG
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) November 8, 2024
At least 20 homes with Trump signs in the Lake Placid, Florida, area were not offered aid following Hurricane Milton, as per the directive. In a letter to Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) in March, FEMA's then-acting director Cameron Hamilton explained that three employees in supervisory roles were fired over the issue.
"As you know, FEMA terminated that crew lead’s employment with the agency on November 9. Since then, in cooperation with the Office of Inspector General and the Office of the Special Counsel, FEMA’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) — which reports directly to me — conducted an exhaustive investigation of this incident to determine the full extent of any further inappropriate behavior or misconduct," Hamilton noted.
The White House has been blindsided by judicial decisions that are reversing agenda items. Whether the BRIC program was politicized or not, it seems that each agency should be able to make decisions about where its funds end up, regardless of who is in the White House.
Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro was placed under house arrest for an alleged attempted coup meant to keep him in office after his 2022 electoral defeat, NPR reported. This decision comes as President Donald Trump imposed a 50% tariff on the nation over its handling of Bolsonaro's case.
Bolsonaro was put under restrictions on what he could say publicly after his defeat. However, the 70-year-old allegedly used his three sons, who hold elected office, to amplify his message to the people, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said in his decision Monday.
The former president allegedly said "good afternoon, Copacabana, good afternoon my Brazil, a hug to everyone, this is for our freedom" through the cell phone of one of his sons during a protest in Rio de Janeiro. Attorneys for Bolsonaro said that this message could not "be regarded as ignoring precautionary measures or as a criminal act," but the judge disagreed.
Attorneys for Bolsonaro have promised to appeal his conviction. Meanwhile, Trump is using the power of the American government in pursuit of justice for Bolsonaro, including the tariff leveled against the South American nation as part of his trade war and other sanctions.
The Trump administration believes the case against Bolsonaro is dubious. When the Treasury Department announced sanctions against Brazil, it claimed that de Moraeas imposed "arbitrary" pre-trial detentions and used his authority to stifle the free speech of his political enemies, according to Fox News.
"Alexandre de Moraes has taken it upon himself to be judge and jury in an unlawful witch hunt against U.S. and Brazilian citizens and companies. De Moraes is responsible for an oppressive campaign of censorship, arbitrary detentions that violate human rights, and politicized prosecutions—including against former President Jair Bolsonaro," Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said in the notice.
"Today’s action makes clear that Treasury will continue to hold accountable those who threaten U.S. interests and the freedoms of our citizens," Bessent added. In addition to the hefty tariffs, the sanctions imposed on the judge included freezing any assets in the U.S. held by de Morae in a 50% or more share, including property.
Moreover, the Treasury Department warned that any entity or person who engages in activities or completes transactions with de Morae in violation of the sanctions may also be subject to the sanctions. Trump was able to impose sanctions based on an executive order he issued in his first term, combating "serious human rights abuse and corruption around the world," which "constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States."
Passed in 2017, Executive Order 13818 added to the existing 2016 Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, giving the president the right to declare sanctions against entities that violated those rights. The use of this was already in the works, as last month the White House was rumored to be working with the Brazilian ex-president's son, Eduardo.
The Brazilian Supreme Court's case against Bolsonaro accused him of orchestrating a coup attempt through criticism of the voting system and an effort to get top military officials on board with his plan, including a riot at the nation's capital. The court even alleged that there was a plan to assassinate a Supreme Court judge and Bolsonaro's successor.
Predictably, the left has drawn strong parallels between Bolsonaro and Trump. According to a CNN report in 2023, many claimed that Bolsonaro's rhetoric about election rigging and the ensuing riot mirrored the Jan. 6, 2021, incursion at the U.S. Capitol.
Leftist news outlets called the Jan. 6 riot an "insurrection" that Trump incited by giving a speech and then waiting at the White House while it unfolded, a claim which has since been debunked in court. Bolsonaro was not even in Brazil during the riot, but both were roundly criticized for these events, which took place allegedly at their behest.
Then-President Joe Biden took to X, formerly Twitter, to denounce such actions. "I condemn the assault on democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil. Brazil’s democratic institutions have our full support, and the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined," Biden wrote at the time.
It's difficult to separate fact from fiction in the U.S., let alone in a foreign country. However, Trump's defense of Bolsonaro and the actions against him speak volumes, especially since Trump has been vindicated in defending himself against his own witch hunt.