The Department of Homeland Security has canceled thousands of contracts through the Federal Emergency Management Agency after watchdog groups found billions of dollars in fraud and waste, the Daily Caller reported in an exclusive. This move comes under the direction of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, following years of agency failures.

Some of the most egregious examples include nearly $10.7 million allocated to contracted media marketing for the Ready Campaign, as well as an additional $3.3 million funded to FEMA's internal marketing department, which was intended to encourage employees to complete an internal survey. Meanwhile, FEMA spent $645,000 on hosting meetings that had as few as 15 attendees and lasted just an hour.

An additional $1.6 million was wasted on setting up a pair of routine workshops, and $1.27 million was allocated for a "conference center concierge" to provide basic services, including preparing meeting rooms and reserving audio equipment. Within the Employee Relations Branch, FEMA contracted a company to shred documents and file paperwork for $594,000 and paid another $500,000 for social media recruiting.

Latosha G. who was paid for her endorsement as part of the half-million-dollar effort, boasted online about the process. "I applied that night, and I actually got a call the next day to do an interview. And I actually ended up getting a job as a local hire. A position came open as a data management specialist. I applied, I actually got an interview, and I actually got the position," Latosha added.

Troubling Pattern

The flagrant waste uncovered by DHS's inspector general and the Government Accountability Office is part of a troubling pattern within the agency. Both entities have been attempting to bring FEMA's spending under control by curbing excessive spending and promoting proper stewardship of its budget allocation, but has met extreme resistance.

"Any American who opened the books at FEMA and saw their lackluster spending controls and policies would be horrified. Secretary [Kristi] Noem has been an extraordinary leader, bringing spending best practices, fiscal responsibility, and mission alignment to an agency that has run amok for far too long," a FEMA spokesperson said.

President Donald Trump's administration has attempted to rectify some of these issues, including monthly check-ins with disaster survivors to monitor progress toward "realistic" and "achievable" housing goals based on their living standards prior to the disaster that left them homeless. Predictably, FEMA leadership is reluctant to relinquish control over the purse strings and continues its wasteful spending.

That was quite evident during Noem's confirmation hearing when Cameron Hamilton, who was acting FEMA administrator at the time, dug in his heels when questions about the agency's spending habits came up. He was gone from the agency just days later, and David Richard was tapped to replace him.

It's not just that the agency wasted taxpayer dollars in the course of its bureaucratic business. FEMA leaders did this while also, at times, abandoning the very mission for which they were given that money: disaster relief.

Dropping the Ball

The agency arguably exists primarily to deploy federal help in times of natural and other disasters. Unfortunately, a 2022 inspector general's report revealed that FEMA also struggled to deliver aid to affected Americans in the aftermath of Hurricanes Maria and Irma.

The agency lost nearly 40% of the supplies sent to Puerto Rico and failed to distribute funds to those impacted by the storm's devastation for several years. In 2024, a video emerged that purportedly showed pallets full of bottled water kept locked in a 43,000 square foot warehouse after Maria made landfall on the island nation in September 2017. It caused outraged after it was widely shared to social media.

These palletts of water were just a portion of the $257 million in supplies that went missing while people on the island went without clean water. FEMA also gave $156 million to a sole proprietor who promised to provide 30 million meals to hungry islanders. Shockingly, only 50,000 were ever distributed.

Government waste is always outrageous, but FEMA has taken it to a new level by doing so while disaster-affected Americans waited for relief that would never come. Noem is right to clean house and cancel contracts until the agency is running as it should be and helping those in need.

President Donald Trump has announced plans to expand the student visa program for Chinese nationals, a policy some say is problematic and a significant departure from his stated agenda, according to Just the News. White House officials were blindsided when officials in the Trump administration considered revoking these visas due to national security concerns.

On Monday, Trump announced plans to import 600,000 students from China to attend America's colleges and universities. Trump believes this is an integral part of brokering a deal to end the tariff war between China and the U.S. and has floated a possible meeting with the nation's leader.

"I’d like to meet him this year. President Xi [Jinping] would like me to come to China. We’re taking a lot of money in from China because of the tariffs and different things.… It’s a much better relationship economically than it was before with [former President Joe] Biden," Trump told reporters.

"I mean, they just took him to the cleaners. We’re going to allow it, it’s very important, 600,000 students. We’re going to get along with China. But it’s a different relationship that we have now with China," Trump added.

Imminent Threat

It's surprising to hear Trump speak about broadening the program and importing more people from China, considering the growing threat it poses. Allowing Chinese nationals to come to the U.S. to study opens up numerous vulnerabilities, including intellectual property theft, economic espionage, and government infiltration.

Lawmakers have been sounding alarm bells that the Chinese Communist Party is the top concern for these attacks, and it's more than just theoretical. According to the House Committee on Homeland Security, at least 224 cases of espionage and other CCP activity occurred between 2000 and 2023, with 60 of those were found across 20 states during then-President Joe Biden's administration.

The way they go about it is also problematic in light of Trump's plan to import 600,000 students. "China continues to utilize ‘non-traditional’ collectors to conduct a plurality of their nefarious efforts here in the U.S. due to their successful ability to hide in plain sight," said former Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center Bill Evanina in 2023.

"The non-traditional collectors, serving as engineers, businesspersons, academics, and students, are shrouded in legitimate work and research, and oftentimes become unwitting tools for the CCP and its intelligence apparatus," he added during his testimony at the time. Furthermore, the communist nation codified spying into state law in 2017, mandating that citizens called on by the government to conduct espionage must do so.

Even Trump's Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said just last month that the State Department needed to "aggressively" revoke student visas from Chinese nationals "with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields," he said in a State Department statement. Rubio also recommended the government "revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong."

Opposing Trump's Agenda

It appears that the consensus is that the U.S. should proceed with caution in granting these student visas, let alone expanding them. Moreover, Trump ran on an "America First" agenda during his 2024 campaign, which leaves many to wonder how importing more than half a million students from a communist country serves that end.

This has caused friction with even the most steadfast of Trump supporters, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). "We should not let in 600,000 CHINESE students to attend American colleges and universities that may be loyal to the CCP," Greene said on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday. "Why are we allowing 600,000 students from China to replace our American student's opportunities? We should never allow that," she added.

Fox News's Laura Ingraham posed the same question to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. "The president’s point of view is that what would happen if you didn’t have those 600K students is that you’d empty them from the top, all the students would go up to better schools, and the bottom 15% of universities and colleges would go out of business in America. "He’s taking a rational economic view, which is classic Donald Trump," Lutnick claimed on The Ingraham Angle.

This is a very unusual move for Trump, especially given his harsh rhetoric against China for all of these years. Many are panicking that he's somehow pivoted away from his original agenda, but Trump has proven himself to be a master negotiator, and this is likely just another tactic meant to bring his adversary to his side of things.

President Donald Trump boasted that his wife, first lady Melania Trump, is a loving mother who keeps a watchful eye on their son Barron Trump, The Independent reported. Barron is heading into his sophomore year at New York University after his freshman year unfolded during the presidential campaign and the victory of his famous father. 

This remark came as part of a discussion about negotiations Trump was working on to end the war between Ukraine and Russia. Following his Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a reporter asked Trump about a letter Melania Trump wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the toll the war has taken on children.

That's when the president shared about his wife's "great love of children" that motivates her. "She’s got a great love of children, she has a wonderful son that she loves probably more than anybody, including me, I hate to say it," Donald Trump said of his wife, Melania Trump. "But she loves her son, she loves children, and she hates to see something like this happening."

Watchful eye

Rumors swirl around Barron as Melania Trump is notoriously protective of her family, especially her only son. A source close to the matter told People last year that she chose to keep Barron out of on-campus housing so she could keep an eye on him as he settled into his freshman year.

"She will do everything she can to make sure Barron does well in school and is socially and mentally adjusted to his life as a college student," the unnamed source claimed. The person said that it wasn't "in the stars" for Barron to live in a dorm "at this point."

The first lady became particularly concerned after Trump was re-elected last November and was worried about what impact that would have on Barron's life and safety. "Melania worries about the hate in the country and how it falls on her son, who is innocent of any of this," a source said.

"She is and has been a good sounding board for him. They talk about life as it is and how they are in the spotlight," the source added about Melania Trump. Barron also has his older siblings to look up to, including his half-brothers Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, who have been instrumental in their father's business and political aspirations.

Meanwhile, Melania Trump has kept her inner circle tight and relied heavily on her parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, to provide love and guidance to Barron. Although it has been a blessing, the death of Melania Trump's mother in January 2024 was difficult for her, considering their close relationship. "Melania’s most meaningful moments of life have been with her family, and Barron is the lucky benefactor of that love and caring," the source noted.

Barron's emergence

Barron was kept out of the public eye and given a chance just to be a kid when his father first became president in 2016. With four more years to grow up, Barron emerged as a small but important part of his father's campaign this time around, even as Melania Trump did her best to shield Barron.

During his father's presidential campaign, the younger Trump became more involved and played a crucial role in helping his father cross the finish line. According to Fox News, Donald Trump said his son was the one who told him to appeal to the Gen Z voters by going on the right podcasts, including Joe Rogan which may have marked a turning point.

"[He's influenced me] a little bit," he told Maria Bartiromo on Fox News last fall. "He tells me about all the ‘hot’ guys, people I've never heard of [for podcasts]… but Don [Jr.] knows a lot about it and Eric knows a lot about it. Tiffany knows a lot. Ivanka knows a lot," Donald Trump continued about his daughters.

In June, Barron made his first appearance at one of his father's rallies and received a standing ovation from the crowd, according to The New York Post. He would go on to cast his first-ever vote as an 18-year-old in November, and it appears Barron could be on his way to emerging as another arrow in Donald Trump's political quiver.

Melania Trump has done a great job raising her son out of the spotlight and still watches over him as he spreads his wings as a college student. She clearly has a great love for her Barron and continues to hold her family close in the midst of the chaos of the White House, and that's admirable.

The Democratic National Committee has poured $15 million into paying off debt from the failed presidential candidacy of former Vice President Kamala Harris, Breitbart reported. The organization faces a shortfall after the Harris campaign spent $1.5 billion in her 15 weeks as the Democratic hopeful.

Harris was crushed in the 2024 presidential election, and now a record-setting debt has forced the DNC to shell out millions in the first half of the year. This figure comes as the Republican National Committee is working with a cash surplus of $80 million after President Donald Trump's win.

The Democrats are staring down the 2026 midterms with no momentum and depleted coffers, and some in the party have begun the blame game. Axios national political correspondent Alex Thompson dove into this saga in the news outlet, calling it a "look into the finger-pointing."

Still unpopular

Harris was supremely unlikable and ultimately failed to garner enough support to win the election. Still, the bills need to be paid, and Democrats are stepping all over themselves to blame each other as to why this is, with some saying that Ken Martin, the new DNC chair, isn't adequately fundraising for the party.

Meanwhile, the DNC has permission to use Harris's email contacts in an effort to raise money and has been sending out requests. Unfortunately, just like during the election, nobody wants anything to do with Harris, and the DNC has struggled to raise more than a pittance, two sources close to the issue told Thompson.

"The vice president has collaborated closely with the DNC to manage campaign expenses and expand our base of grassroots donors," Harris' campaign chairperson Jen O'Malley Dillon said. "She remains fully committed to strengthening the party and helping return Democrats to power," added O'Malley, who has remained on to help clean up after the campaign.

Nevertheless, the bills are coming due, and the DNC has been shelling out more than expected after the campaign claimed it was in good financial shape going into Election Day. "As of Election Day, there were no outstanding debts or bills overdue, and there will be no debt on either the DNC or [the Harris for President committee] report for post general report," Harris campaign Chief Finance Officer Patrick Stauffer said in late November.

The Harris campaign reportedly expected to be able to fundraise on election night, but the race was called for Trump in the early morning hours after a decisive win. The bills continued to pour in during the first six months of the year, and the DNC had to pay for expenses such as $2.125 million to Assembly House LLC for media production, $548,050 for charter flights, and another $237,201 to the Covington & Burling law firm.

Repeat issues

This isn't the first time a loser Democrat has left the DNC holding the bag. Former President Barack Obama's 2012 victory wasn't enough to pay the bills, as he left the national Democratic Party organization in serious debt that wasn't repaid until 2015.

According to a Politico report at the time, Obama remained $2.4 million in debt years into his second term as president. The DNC struck a deal with Obama to pay the remainder of his debt in September 2015, including handing over his email list, which was thought to be extremely valuable to the Democratic Party given his two victories.

Still, 2016's losing Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, blamed this partly for falling short, stating that the DNC was not prepared for the 2016 election in part because of the debt. She had the same unlikeability problem as Harris, but she is correct that these funding issues are more common to Democrats than Republicans.

As Axios mentioned, "George W. Bush’s campaign paid off almost all of its debt within months of his reelection in 2004 and had shut down by this point in his second term." The problem for Harris and Obama is that celebrities and big crowds don't come cheap, especially when the excitement has to be made from scratch, as it was for Harris.

Biden appeared to be half dead, and Harris was just a dud, so nothing was going to save the Democrats from losing in 2024. They threw money at the problem and ended up with nothing to show for it but another four years of Trump and more debt, which is exactly what they deserve.

Democrat Rep. Adam Smith (WA) took to MSNBC on Saturday to complain about President Donald Trump's federalization of the District of Columbia, particularly the national capital of Washington.

Of course, he was goaded on by host Al Sharpton, because everyone on MSNBC hates Trump and is going to criticize anything he says or does.

The conversation

Sharpton asked, “Are you concerned with how the president and some Republican governors have begun to utilize the National Guard at this moment?”

Smith said, “Very concerned," and went on to detail what he thought the problems were with doing so.

"I mean, there are two huge problems here," he said. "Number one, we are using the United States Military for domestic law enforcement. They are not trained to do that. Also the second big problem is this is Trump basically giving himself a national police force."

So far, about 1,800 National Guard troops from a number of states have been sent to D.C., but the New York Times reported that the Guard has been in primarily a support role to the 500 federal law enforcement officers who are patrolling and making many of the arrests.

That's hardly a "national police force" for Trump's specific use. Nevertheless, Smith insisted, "He’s certainly doing it with the guard. He did it with the active duty Marines in Los Angeles. But when you look at what ICE is doing, it’s certainly ICE. They’re hiring a lot more agents, but he’s using every conceivable federal agency, the DEA, the ATF, the postal inspector service, to go out into our community and violate people’s rights to pick them up off the streets with no due process and lock them up.”

The accusations

He added, “This is Donald Trump building a national security force that will serve his interests and not the interests of the American people. What’s he going to do with that? Well, I think January 6, 2021 gives us a hint, a clue as to what he might do with it. So, look, this is not what the military is supposed to be doing. First of all, it’s dangerous in the communities. Second of all, Trump is using it to enhance his own power, which we should all be concerned about."

Smith is twisting Trump's actions and giving them evil intentions, like pretty much all Democrats and the left have done.

Trump is trying to reverse Biden's open-door immigration policies and remove as many of the 2-plus million illegal immigrants that Biden let into the country as he can.

He's also trying to reverse 60 years of Democrat policies in Washington, D.C., and potentially, other huge cities.

What is the answer?

Smith concluded by admitting that crime is a problem in these cities. He said, "And look, you know, you’ve been in New York City, you know, Washington, D.C., look, crime is a problem. Fascism isn’t the answer. And that’s the message I hope Democrats send out.”

But the bottom line is, Democrats don't have any answers for reforming immigration or reducing crime.

Their ideas have been bankrupt because they don't include enforcing the laws, and the best they can do is attack Trump for doing what he thinks needs to be done and lie about his intentions every step of the way.

In the earlier stages of the 2024 presidential campaign, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made headlines for assembling an unusual coalition of supporters from both the right and the left sides of the political spectrum before eventually throwing his support behind Donald Trump.

Now firmly entrenched as Health and Human Services secretary, Kennedy has declared that, despite speculation in the media, he does not intend to pursue the presidency in 2028, as Politico reports. 

Kennedy says no

The statement from Kennedy indicating his disinterest in running for the White House in the next presidential cycle appeared to stem from criticism leveled by conservative commentator Laura Loomer, who blasted top HHS aide and RFK ally Stefanie Spear, accusing her of working to “utilize her position to try to lay the groundwork for a 2028 RFK presidential run.”

Kennedy swiftly fired back against that notion, taking to X to explain his position on the matter.

The secretary began, “The swamp is in full panic mode. DC lobby shops are laboring fiercely to drive a wedge between President Trump and me, hoping to thwart our team from dismantling the status quo and advancing @POTUS’ Make America Healthy Again agenda.”

He continued, “They’re pushing the flat-out lie that I’m running for president in 2028. Let me be clear: I am not running for president in 2028.”

Referencing criticism of the aforementioned aide, he added, “Their attacks on my staff, especially Stefanie Spear…are proof we’re over the target.”

Loomer's influence grows

Though she holds no official position within the administration, Loomer has long been a staunch defender of and advocate for the president.

As such, her investigative journalism has often revolved around exposing those in the government she believes pose a threat to Trump’s agenda, as The Hill explains.

Trump, for his part, has revealed that he “sometimes” heeds Loomer’s recommendations when it comes to personnel.

It was perhaps that fact that compelled Kennedy to jump to Spear’s defense in such a public manner and tamp down rumors of future presidential ambitions.

Given that Loomer’s past targets included Trump’s initial surgeon general pick (who was withdrawn) and also his subsequent pick for the role, as well as Vinay Prasad’s selection for a key FDA role (which was rescinded, then restored), it is clear that she wields at least some degree of influence in some corners of the White House.

What comes next?

Whether Kennedy keeps his word and stays out of the electoral fray ahead of 2028 is something that remains to be seen, but as far as Loomer is concerned, her work is just beginning.

“I’m not stopping,” she recently said. “I’m only going to intensify.”

Canada agrees to give up retaliatory tariffs on many goods imported from the U.S. as trade talks continue between Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Donald Trump, the Washington Examiner reported. Carney announced the change on Friday, stating that the rules will now align with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement trade exemptions. 

The news comes after a "productive" phone call between the leaders of both nations on Thursday as relations between Carney and Trump continue to improve. The pair has hammered out a deal that has put the increased tariffs on hold.

"Canada currently has the best trade deal with the United States. And while it’s different from what we had before, it’s still better than that of any other country," Carney said during the news conference. A clip of Carney's remarks was shared to X, formerly Twitter, on Friday.

Canada Concedes

The change to the tariff policy will go into effect on Sept. 1, though Canada will continue to impose its tariffs on aluminum, autos, and steel. This is a step toward reconciliation as the U.S. and Canada work together to make trade between the nations "fair" and defuse a trade war.

Trump announced plans for a 50% tariff on Canadian aluminum and steel and a 35% tariff on all other goods from the U.S.'s neighbor to the north earlier this year. Canada returned the favor with a 25% tariff on imports of American goods like alcohol, clothing and shoes, cosmetics, oranges, and motorcycles from the U.S.

Eager to strike a deal, Ottawa agreed to a new trade deal and began negotiations with the Trump administration. Some of those concessions included rolling back taxes on digital services and putting a hold on the retaliatory tax that should have already gone into effect while talks continued, Fox Business News reported.

Forging a new agreement was a priority for Carney and Trump as the two nations have historically enjoyed a robust trade relationship. Canada imported nearly half of its goods from the U.S. and exported more than 75% of its products to the U.S., making them each other's primary trade partner.

Prior to this new agreement, Democrats were making doomsday predictions about Trump's tariffs and the effect potential trade wars would have on the U.S. economy. Now, one by one, Trump is succeeding with these negotiations that were previously deemed impossible while winning in other areas.

Trump Keeps Winning

While the left loses its mind, Trump continues to notch one win after the next while trolling his opposition. As part of his victory lap on Friday, Trump reportedly wore a cap that said "Trump was right about everything" during his remarks about the tariff agreement.

"We want to be very good to Canada. I like Carney a lot. I think he’s a good person," Trump said of the Canadian prime minister. The president promised that they would continue to work together to find common ground on other issues, including stopping the flow of illicit drugs pouring over the northern border.

Trump has justified the high tariffs on Canada over its role in the fentanyl crisis in the U.S. that Trump's adversaries have attempted to downplay. As the White House noted just before the punitive tariffs went into effect on Aug. 1, "Mexican cartels are increasingly operating fentanyl- and nitazene-synthesis labs in Canada" and that "super labs" are popping up as they're well-hidden by the Canadian wilderness.

The White House noted that these labs "can produce 44 to 66 pounds of fentanyl weekly." Meanwhile, Canada's decision to drop the tariffs comes during a string of other Trump victories. According to The Hill, Trump boasted several wins this week, including his fruitful meetings with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, a crime crackdown in Washington, D.C., and the news that his $500 million civil judgment in New York was thrown out.

Trump knows what he's doing despite what the left and never-Trump Republicans have to say about him and his agenda. The nation is moving in the right direction on several issues, and the improvement in trade relations with Canada is just another win.

Movie producer Elon Dershowitz, known for the films Fallen and Reversal of Fortune, passed away on Sunday at age 64 after suffering a stroke, Deadline reported. The deceased was the son of author and famed attorney Alan Dershowitz, who represented President Donald Trump during his first impeachment. 

"The Dershowitz Family is heartbroken to share that Elon had a stroke and passed away peacefully, having donated his organs, on August 17, 2025. He was surrounded by his loving family. He is survived by his father Alan and his stepmother Carolyn," Elon Dershowitz's obituary read.

The tragic passing of Elon Dershowitz was likely a shock to the 86-year-old attorney. However, Alan Dershowitz curiously reposted articles about his son's death rather than a tribute. On Tuesday, Alan Dershowitz posted the Zoom link to his son's funeral service on X, formerly Twitter with the caption simply describing the time and event, "11:00 Livestream for Elon’s funeral service."

Remarkable Career

Elon Dershowitz had an impressive career, including the distinction of making the 1990 film Reversal of Fortune that garnered actor Jeremy Irons his only Oscar win. The film was based on a true-crime nonfiction book written by his father, Alan Dershowitz, with the script penned by Nicholas Kazan.

The book and film were based on the case of British attorney Claus von Bülow, who was convicted of attempting to kill his wife in 1982. She survived but was left in a persistent vegetative state. Following his book and the film, von Bülow hired Alan Dershowitz for his appeal, which resulted in a not guilty verdict.

The part of Alan Dershowitz was played by veteran actor Ron Silver. "He brought it to Hollywood," and the proud father said at the time, happy to share that the film was his son's idea. Kazan and director Barbet Schroeder would also win an Oscar for the film.

"He went around shopping it. He persuaded the company to do it. He helped pick the stars. He was a very important part of that film," Alan Dershowitz recalled. Elon Dershowitz also served as executive producer in 1998's star-studded thriller Fallen, featuring Denzel Washington, John Goodman, and Donald Sutherland.

Other assistant producer credits for the younger Dershowitz include Oliver Stone's 1987 classic Wall Street and Talk Radio in 1988. Elon Dirshowitz turned his father's book, The Advocate’s Devil, into a film and produced Pete Rose on Trial, Whose Curse Is Worse: Red Sox and Cubs on Trial, and Break Up the Bombers: Yankees on Trial for ESPN.

Family Ties

Elon Dershowitz didn't follow in his famous father's footsteps, which eventually led to his defense of Trump during the 2020 impeachment. Harvard Law School, where Alan Dershowitz has taught since 1964, noted that the professor used solid arguments based on the Constitution to stop the impeachment that sought to throw Trump out of office in the waning days of his administration.

Nevertheless, the father and son enjoyed strong family ties. Elon Dershowitz's passing was sudden, but it wasn't the first time his father had to grapple with losing him. When he was just 10 years old, Elon Dershowitz was diagnosed with a brain tumor that doctors said would be fatal before he reached his 13th birthday, a milestone marked by a Bar Mitzvah in his Jewish faith.

It was a major blow to Alan Dershowitz at the time. According to The New Yorker, Alan Dershowitz was in Palo Alto on sabbatical in December 1971, attempting to write a book when his son was diagnosed. He was obsessed with finding a cure for his son's illness. "I couldn’t concentrate on my book," he recalled about the time in his life.

"My marriage, which had been suffering for several years even before our trip to California, was now in deep trouble," Alan Dershowitz said. Although he indeed lost his marriage to his first wife, Sue, who is Elon Dershowitz's mother, the son pulled through and lived another 54 years.

Alan Dershowitz is a prominent attorney and cultural figure, but tragedy touched his family just the same with Elon Dershowitz's sudden death. No matter how old they get, losing a child is a heartbreaking event for any parent to suffer, especially when it is so quick.

President Donald Trump's Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have increased migrant arrests in Georgia by 367% between January 10 and July 31, Breitbart reported. This comes a little more than a year after 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley was murdered by an illegal immigrant in Athens, Georgia.

The Peach State has seen an explosion in the number of illegal aliens flooding into it from all over the world. More than three-quarters of a million migrants were reportedly living in Georgia as of last year, but the problem came to a head after Riley's brutal murder made national news.

Now the nation is turning its attention to Georgia as the Department of Homeland Security touted ICE arrests that have soared with Trump's illegal immigration crackdown, including some of the most dangerous criminals. "Under President Trump and @Sec_Noem, @ICEgov has arrested 4,500 illegal aliens in Georgia—a 367% increase compared to the Biden administration," a post to X, formerly Twitter, said Wednesday.

The Offenders

The DHS under Secretary Kristi Noem shared mug shots and information on the crimes committed by some of these offenders picked up in the ICE raids. They included several criminals who committed sex crimes against children, including Mexican national Juan Carlos Mendoza-Gonzalez, a convicted child molester and statutory rapist.

They also picked up Honduran Luis Alfredo Betancourth-Euceda, who was convicted of two counts of sexual battery against a child under 16, and Venezuelan national Robert Edward Matos-Madueno, who has been accused of sexual battery against a child under 16, sexual molestation, and false imprisonment.  ICE arrested Eduardo Garcia-Gonzalez of Mexico, who is accused of drug crimes, child molestation, and two counts of sexual battery against a child under 16.

Matilde Romero Sanchez of Mexico, who was arrested for child molestation and incest, and Fernando Hernandez-Martine of Mexico, who was convicted of two counts of child molestation, were also rounded up by ICE. Others faced drug charges, like Osvaldo Rodriguez-Padilla of Mexico, and drug and weapons charges, like Flavio Delabra Rebollar of Mexico.

Immigration enforcement also apprehended Jacob Aguillon-Martinez of Mexico, who was arrested after a vehicle hit-and-run and charged with homicide-negligent manslaughter. These convicts and alleged criminals are not the hardworking immigrants Democrats claim their lax polices are meant to give a helping hand to.

Instead, these are people accused or convicted of some of the worst crimes who make Georgia's cities and neighborhoods unsafe for Americans. While this widespread roundup is an excellent move from the Trump administration to fix a problem left by his predecessor, then-President Joe Biden, it comes too late for Laken Riley.

Vicious Crime

According to the New York Post, 26-year-old illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra, who had ties to the brutal Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, attacked Riley while she was out for her morning run on the campus of the University of Georgia on Feb. 22, 2024. Ibarra attempted to sexually assault Riley, but the young woman fought back for an agonizing 20 minutes. It ended when Ibarra smashed Riley's head into the ground and smothered her.

Riley placed a call to 911, but she passed away before police found her bloodied body. Department of Homeland Security’s Tricia McLaughlin blamed Biden for his "open border policies" that allowed the criminal illegal alien into the country to commit crimes like Riley's murder, which she cited when announcing the recent arrests.

"President Trump promised to put Americans first and remove violent criminals from our country and that’s exactly what we are doing. Thanks to his and Secretary Noem’s leadership, ICE is once again empowered to remove the worst of the worst — including murderers, pedophiles, gang members, drug traffickers, and terrorists," McLaughlin said.

"In Georgia alone, arrests of illegal aliens have increased by 367 percent," she added. It stands to reason from the rap sheets of these illegal immigrants apprehended that Trump has prevented more murders, rapes, and child molestations by unleashing ICE to clean up the problem.

These crimes are disgraceful, and the people who commit them are only in the U.S. because Biden and the Democrats welcomed them with open arms. Trump is finally doing something about it, and what's happening in Georgia is a very good start.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the entire length of the border wall will be painted black as another safeguard preventing people from illegally crossing the southern border, Fox News reported. Noem said this move was ordered "specifically at the request" of President Donald Trump.

Noem made the announcement Tuesday in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, near a portion of the border wall while flanked by other officials and Border Patrol agents. She said the darker color would make the metal heat up, which would deter climbers, while also protecting the material from the elements.

"If you look at the structure that's behind me, it's tall, which makes it very, very difficult to climb, almost impossible. It also goes deep into the ground, which would make it very difficult, if not impossible, to dig under. And today we are also going to be painting it black," Noem said. "That is specifically at the request of the president," Noem clarified in a video of her remarks shared to X, formerly Twitter, by ABC News on Tuesday.

A new era

After four years of illegal immigrants flooding through the border under then-President Joe Biden, Trump's policies are once again focused on border security. Noem said that thanks to Trump's "one big, beautiful bill" signed on July 4, "an incredible amount of resources" will go toward stopping illegal immigration, including building additional sections onto the border wall.

Noem said they are constructing those sections at breakneck speed, completing up to a half-mile of border fence per day. The Trump administration is also focused on making the border "secure far into the future" with technology such as sensors, cameras, and other physical barriers in waterways.

"We're doing due diligence in securing every single inch of our border. Remember that a nation without borders is no nation at all," Noem said during the news conference. "We're so thankful that we have a president that understands that and understands that a secure border is important to our country's future," Noem credited Trump.

During the press event with Noem, Interim Chief Patrol Agent for the El Paso Sector Walter Slosar boasted that daily apprehensions have dwindled from about 2,300 per day under Biden in 2021 to around just 41 per day. Slosar noted that Biden hamstrung Border Patrol into "observing" migrant crossings, whereas now illegal immigrants are "running from us."

Even the gotaways are in the single digits under Trump. "We're apprehending those individuals. Our gotaways are the lowest they've ever been. And we're putting we're working with the Department of Justice … we're putting criminal charges on those individuals applying consequences and our partners in ICE ERO [Enforcement and Removal Operations] are removing those individuals from the United States."

The left whines

Because Trump is focusing on the problem rather than exacerbating it like Biden did, the left is in a tizzy about anything he suggests regarding border security. This new paint job has elicited the usual whiny responses and lamentations, including suddenly worrying about government spending on something they insist won't work.

"The crazy thing is that despite this costing literally billions of dollars; they have the money for it! That’s right, Congress decided to cut funding for benefits for Americans and instead give CBP billions for the border wall, which they’ll now use to paint the thing black," Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, said on X, formerly Twitter.

"Straight out of the Wile E. Coyote playbook," another user posted. User Zack Nelson, who runs the JerryRigEverything YouTube page, similarly mocked Trump's efforts while pretending to care about the cost of a government project in a post to X.

"Do they not sell gloves in Mexico?  I could climb that wall with 20 bucks worth of materials from home depot. Such a waste of time and money," Nelson claimed.

This opposition is rich, coming from people who supported Biden's policies that allowed unvetted illegal immigrants to pour into the U.S. for his entire administration while he was wasting taxpayer dollars elsewhere. Trump's plan to paint the wall black is just another layer of protection for the American people, and they can't stand that.

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