The former president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, was indicted Monday on charges of abusing power and aiding an enemy state for his attempt to impose martial law on the country briefly last year.
Yoon allegedly tried to engineer military conflict between South and North Korea so that he could be justified in declaring martial law, according to evidence found on his cell phone.
Former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun and former military intelligence chief Yeo In-hyung were also involved in the conspiracy and were indicted on the same charges, a spokesperson for North Korea said.
Yoon is accused of ordering a covert drone operation into North Korea in October. North Korea published photos of a smashed drone around the same time and said that it was dropping anti-North Korea pamphlets over Pyongyang.
At the time, South Korea did not disclose whether it had sent the drone.
Martial law was declared on December 3, but the National Assembly overturned the order within hours.
The apparent motive for declaring martial law was for Yoon to disband the National Assembly and rule by decree, turning South Korea back into an authoritarian dictatorship.
The National Assembly was able to thwart Yoon's alleged plans and he was impeached and suspended from office by the end of the month.
He, Kim, and Yeo were arrested, and Kim tried to commit suicide in prison.
Yoon and Kim have denied that the martial law attempt was a self-coup to get rid of political enemies, but Yeo said he regretted following the order from Yoon.
Yoon may also have been trying to end investigations into him and his wife, Kim Keon-hee and top officials.
His administration was plagued with dissension and a lack of consensus that made it difficult to get anything done.
Yoon was far-right politically, and his demise brought about the election of Lee Jae-myung, of the liberal Democratic Party, during a special election in April.
It's easy to see how liberals in this country could think our right-wing politicians are anti-Democratic if they use South Korean politics as an example, but let's remember that President Donald Trump has not tried to declare martial law or abolish Congress. It's just not the same, but American Democrats don't seem to get it.
Disputes between environmentalist interests and those working to enhance the reliability of America’s power grid are nothing new, but a standoff in a key state has just concluded in favor of the latter.
As the Daily Caller reports, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed a permit last week that will advance a significant gas pipeline project that garnered backing from President Donald Trump but drew the ire of activists and liberal lawmakers alike.
It was on Friday that the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) issued the aforementioned permit, reversing a series of prior rejections.
At issue is the Northeast Supply enhancement pipeline, a project that has been the subject of opposition from the likes of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and other Empire State lawmakers who suggested that potential environmental fallout from the endeavor was too much to risk.
Hochul, however, stood firm in the face of those critics, saying in a statement, “As Governor, a top priority is making sure the lights and heat stay on for all New Yorkers as we face potential energy shortages downstate as soon as next summer.”
The governor continued, “We need to govern in reality. We are facing war against clean energy from Washington Republicans, including our New York delegation, which is why we have adopted an all-of-the-above approach that includes a continued commitment to renewables and nuclear power to ensure grid reliability and affordability.”
According to NYSDEC, the project, if seen through to completion, will encompass an underwater pipeline that will cover roughly 24 miles and transport natural gas from Pennsylvania through New Jersey, with parts of New York City as its final destination.
Though the president and members of his administration have long pushed for more pipeline infrastructure on the East Coast, Hochul is facing backlash from members of her own party who have been voicing concerns about this particular project for quite some time.
As the Times Union in Albany reports, state Sen. Peter Harckham, chair of the Environmental Conservation Committee, declared on Friday, “I am extremely disappointed in today’s ruling regarding the NESE pipeline.”
He further opined that New York authorities would be better served focusing on fast-tracking renewable energy projects rather than greenlighting an endeavor of this nature.
Adding his voice to those criticizing Hochul’s decision was Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), who lamented in a press release, “I am profoundly disappointed by New York State’s decision to approve the proposed Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) fracked-gas pipeline.”
Nadler cited a series of what he characterized as grave environmental threats posed by the project and said that over “120 environmental, civic, and faith-based organizations from across New York have spoken out against the NESE pipeline.”
Despite the critiques on the left, approval of the permit was not without its backers, a group that included the New York State Building Trades Council and a host of economic development advocates. Those supporters noted in a letter to the governor their belief that “by enhancing system reliability during peak demand and extreme weather events, NESE will help ensure that no family or business is left without heat or power when it matters most.”
The Trump administration was so supportive of this and other pipeline projects that reports suggested that a work-stop order on an offshore wind farm was lifted by the White House in exchange for Hochul’s sign-off on the NESE permit, and though the governor has denied such an arrangement, the president’s position on the importance of this endeavor is clear for all to see.
A federal judge has permanently banned President Donald Trump's administration from deploying the National Guard to clean up the crime and violent protests happening on the streets of Portland, NBC News reported. The judge handed down her final decision on Friday after extending a temporary stay.
U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut, whom Trump appointed during his first term, said that it was a "necessary conclusion" to keep the president from sending the military to do what local law enforcement won't. The judge said that the situation didn't meet the criteria for him to do so.
"This Court arrives at the necessary conclusion that there was neither 'a rebellion or danger of a rebellion' nor was the President 'unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States' in Oregon when he ordered the federalization and deployment of the National Guard," Immergut explained.
The city and state first sued in September to remove the National Guard from Portland and were successful in obtaining a temporary injunction. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is appealing this latest ruling and was already in the process of doing so for the temporary order.
For some reason, leftists really love it when a city is severely lacking in law and order. Citizens are afraid to leave their houses or property unprotected because of high crime, and they are told that they are the ones in the wrong.
Trump tried to do what was right for these people, but was instead met with opposition. In response to ongoing violent protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents cracking down on illegal immigrants, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth sent about 200 troops into Portland to stop the attack on the immigration processing facility.
Now that his effort has been completely shut down for now by the courts, leftists are rejoicing. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said it was "a win for the rule of law, for the constitutional values that govern our democracy, and for the American people." Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek also celebrated the decision that will objectively make Portland less safe in a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Friday.
"This ruling validates the facts on the ground. Oregon does not want or need military intervention, & President Trump’s attempts to federalize the guard is a gross abuse of power. Based on this ruling, I am renewing my call to the Trump Administration to send all troops home now," she added.
This ruling validates the facts on the ground. Oregon does not want or need military intervention, & President Trump’s attempts to federalize the guard is a gross abuse of power. Based on this ruling, I am renewing my call to the Trump Administration to send all troops home now. pic.twitter.com/UtNinL7D0I
— Governor Tina Kotek (@GovTinaKotek) November 8, 2025
While the leftists on the left coast are doing all they can to thwart Trump, the president's attorneys have made the case that sending troops is the only option. In her decision, Immergut determined that Trump's justification for sending troops in and calling Portland "war-ravaged" as "ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa" from "crazy people" wishing "to burn down buildings, including federal buildings" was incorrect.
"The President’s determination was simply untethered to the facts," Immergut claimed. The Justice Department said that her decision "improperly impinges on the Commander in Chief’s supervision of military operations, countermands a military directive to officers in the field, and endangers federal personnel and property.
Furthermore, his attorneys said that the president's "determination was amply justified by the facts on the ground," the legal filing said. "In the weeks and months preceding the President’s decision, agitators assaulted federal officers and damaged federal property in numerous ways, spray-painted violent threats, blockaded the vehicle entrance to the Portland ICE facility, trapped officers in their cars, followed them when they attempted to leave the facility, threatened them at the facility, menaced them at their homes, doxed them online, and threatened to kill them on social media," attorneys noted.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department pointed out that the National Guard was necessary because they're "unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States." Not surprisingly, Oregon has downplayed the ongoing unrest and the need it's created.
The people who live in these leftist cities and states are being held hostage by the criminals who run amok. Trump is merely trying to restore order to an area plagued by chaos, and he's met with resistance and court cases actively trying to prevent him from helping.
One of House Speaker Mike Johnson's staffers turned up the volume on a nearby television after Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) attempted a demonstration outside of his office, Raw Story reported. Ansari set up a table with a provocative sign and claimed that Johnson was holding up the swearing in of Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) for political reasons.
As the government shutdown drags on, political stunts escalate. Ansari took up her cause to have a conversation with Johnson by setting up a table outside of his office. The sign on Ansari's table said, "Mike Johnson is starving families and gutting healthcare to cover up the Epstein Files. CHANGE MY MIND."
She claims that since Grijalva would be the extra vote needed to release the files of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Johnson is holding back. CBS News's Patrick Maguire shared a photo of the lawmaker and her table in a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.
Democrat Rep. Yassamin Ansari set up a table outside Speaker Johnson’s office, asking for a conversation with with him on shutdown. Her sign reads: “Mike Johnson is starving families and gutting heathcare to cover up the Epstein Files. CHANGE MY MIND” pic.twitter.com/IBizs0f25G
— Patrick Maguire (@patrickjmaguire) November 6, 2025
Ansari thought she'd be cute and use the format made famous by other political pundits to elicit debate. However, the stunt backfired on Ansari after a staffer decided to drown out her point with noise from a nearby television.
This nugget came from a post by Jamie Dupree, reporter and Substack writer, who posted about the incident to X. "Angered by the refusal of Speaker Johnson to swear in Adelita Grijalva, Rep. Yassamin Ansari D-AZ set up her own protest outside the Speaker's office. His staff cranked up the volume on the TV to drown her out," the caption said.
Angered by the refusal of Speaker Johnson to swear in Adelita Grijalva, Rep. Yassamin Ansari D-AZ set up her own protest outside the Speaker's office. His staff cranked up the volume on the TV to drown her out. pic.twitter.com/qx3mcMfwaa
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) November 6, 2025
A video of the supposed drowning out of her message was posted to X by Fox News reporter Aisah Hansie. The audio makes it difficult to hear what's happening, but it was more about the optics than what she actually had ot say anyway.
Dem Rep ANSARI is holding court outside the SPEAKER’s office taking questions about the shutdown with a sign that says:
“Mike Johnson is starving families… change my mind.”
She said someone raised the volume of the Speaker’s TV to drown her out. pic.twitter.com/yKlLwcEnqP
— Aishah Hasnie (@aishahhasnie) November 6, 2025
While Ansari is attempting to make a huge issue out of Johnson's refusal to swear in a new congresswoman, what she won't say is that this is all due to the government shutdown. Democrats are holding out on passing a continuing resolution, and Johnson has sent lawmakers back to their districts rather than stay in town with nothing to do.
According to The Hill, Grijalva complained on Thursday that Johnson is being "negligent and cruel" by not swearing her in. "House Speaker Mike Johnson’s recess of the U.S. House of Representatives during a time of grave national crises is shockingly irresponsible," she claimed in an op-ed published to USA Today.
"House Republicans have been on vacation for six weeks while our economy crumbles, federal workers go without paychecks, health care premiums skyrocket and funding for food stamps dwindles. This is negligent and cruel," Grijalva lamented.
She added that her swearing in is delayed longer than any representative "in recent history to be sworn in following a special election" after she was elected to replace her father, the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva. "As these crises unfold and intensify, Speaker Johnson refuses to swear me into office, an unprecedented and starkly undemocratic position that sets a very dangerous precedent and deprives 813,000 Arizonans of the congressional representation they deserve," Adelita Grijalva said.
Democrats are perpetuating the government shutdown, but now they're claiming to be victims. Johnson is simply responding to what his opponents are doing, and if it means someone will not get sworn in, perhaps the Democrats should consider that when continuing to vote down any funding.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has decided to press criminal charges against a man who groped her while she was in the streets of Mexico City on Tuesday, Breitbart reported. Video of the event shows the alleged perpetrator casually slipping past her security and putting his hands on Sheinbaum.
The president announced her decision during a news conference on Wednesday. "I decided to file a complaint. This is something that I lived and it is something that women have to live with."
The brazen attack took place in broad daylight as Shainbaum made her way through the city for an event. The man can be seen at first putting his arm around her shoulder and nuzzling his neck before placing his hands on her breasts. A video of the incident was shared in a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.
📹 Ocurrió frente a todos: un hombre se abalanzó e intentó besar a Claudia Sheinbaum mientras saludaba a la gente.
Si eso le pasa a la Presidenta de México, ¿qué pueden esperar las demás mujeres?
El acoso sigue normalizado. Urge respeto.#Acoso #Mujeres #México… pic.twitter.com/Tik1zl1vRN— GPSnoticias Oaxaca (@GPS_noticias) November 5, 2025
The incident highlighted a troubling security issue for the president of Mexico that has far-reaching implications. Not only did the alleged perpetrator put his hands on her, but it took several seconds for anyone in her entourage to even speak to the unidentified man.
One of her assistants seemed to chastise the man, but that didn't stop him from trying to approach her a total of three times. What's more, this seems to be a pattern in the nation where top politicians are not kept safe, including Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan, Michoacán, who was shot to death on Saturday.
In his case, a gunman was again able to circumvent any security personnel and fire several shots at Manzo despite having 14 National Guardsmen supposedly protecting him as part of his security detail. This came after the mayor was reportedly going after criminals and the Mexican drug cartels in his city.
The brazen murder sparked off days of riots in Michoacán and in the state capital, Morelia, CNN reported. The demonstrators used the slogan "enough of abuses and omissions" as their rallying cry, though the protests eventually turned violent, with some people breaching the city's Government Palace.
It wasn't just Manzo's murder that whipped citizens into a frenzy. Just last month, Bernardo Bravo Manríquez, who was a citrus farmer in Apatzingán, was found dead after speaking out in favor of more security for the nation's agricultural workers.
Unfortunately, Manzo's murder happened as the politician was attempting to clean up crime in the city. His suspected killer is thought to be a teen between the ages of 17 and 19 and may have been part of Mexico's organized crime community, though it's unknown since the suspect was killed after the incident.
Manzo was likely targeted for cracking down on these types of crimes and was often seen in public wearing a bulletproof vest. "Any criminal you encounter who is armed and resists arrest or attacks citizens, if you detect them during operations, you must take them down; there should be no leniency with them," Manzo said in a video posted to social media in May.
He was also critical of the Mexican president, whom he claimed was too soft on crime, as Sheinbaum often pushed for "peace and justice" rather than punishment for criminals. Like many on the American left, Sheinbaum has sought to address crime problems by addressing their root causes, such as poverty and a lack of education.
Now Sheinbaum has experienced the lawlessness for herself and has decided to press charges. However, the problems go far beyond political assassinations or public attacks on female politicians, and she and others in the government seem at a loss for how to stop it.
The fact that the female leader of the country is not safe on the streets speaks volumes about the situation for average citizens. The nation has been struggling for decades to get crime under control, but it seems the drug cartels and organized crime rings have a hold that's a strong as ever.
Sen. John Fetterman sided against former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) after she made several pointed remarks against President Donald Trump that he thought were out of line, Breitbart reported. The Pennsylvania Democrat slammed Pelosi after she called Trump a "vile creature" during an interview with CNN.
The 85-year-old lawmaker was expected to make an announcement about retirement following Tuesday's elections that included a referendum on California's redistricting. Nevertheless, Pelosi was out prior to Election Day smearing Trump, an activity which has become a favorite pastime for the elderly politician.
On Monday, Pelosi sat down with CNN's Elex Michaelson and trashed the president. "He’s just a vile creature. The worst thing on the face of the Earth. But anyway," she said to Michaelson, who asked if she thought he was the "worst thing on the face of the Earth" as a follow-up. "I do, yeah. I do," Pelosi responded.
“He’s just a vile creature.”
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi gave an interview with CNN’s @Elex_Michaelson criticizing President Donald Trump‘s actions.
Watch the full interview TONIGHT on “The Story Is with Elex Michaelson” airing 9p-11p PT/12a-2a ET. #CNN #News #Pelosi #Trump pic.twitter.com/FKcQJJnaHR
— The Story Is (@CNNTheStoryIs) November 3, 2025
Pelosi pulled no punches when it came to sharing her opinions about Trump, stating that she feels the way she does "because he‘s the president of the United States, and he does not honor the Constitution of the United States," the California Democrat told Michaelson. "In fact, he’s turned the Supreme Court into a rogue court," she claimed.
"He’s abolished the House of Representatives. He’s chilled the press. He’s scared people who are in our country legally," Pelosi added.
These remarks come as Pelosi has historically enjoyed tremendous influence within the Democratic Party and has wielded it against Trump for years. Her taking to the airwaves to call him names is nothing new, but it is unusual that a fellow Democrat would come to his rescue.
However, that's exactly what Fetterman did on Tuesday during an appearance on Fox News' The Story with Martha MacCallum. "The worst creatures on the face of the earth are Hamas or like the leadership of Iran — there’s a lot of people on that," Fetterman charged.
MUST WATCH: @SenFettermanPA responds to Pelosi calling President Trump ‘a vile creature’ pic.twitter.com/jLbaaBBHhl
— The Story (@TheStoryFNC) November 4, 2025
Fetterman took offense to the way Pelosi characterized Trump and, by extension, his supporters. "I would never use those kind of terms and I wouldn’t describe our president — you can really disagree with him, and I do disagree, but I don’t think that’s really entirely appropriate," Fetterman said.
"But that’s her words for that. So for me, that’s just a different kind of a Democrat for me," Fetterman added. He also said that he doesn't agree with calling people "Nazi" or "fascist" as many in his party are fond of doing.
The senator said the same thing on Jesse Watters Primetime when speaking about the way others in his party have decided to smear Trump and the GOP during the government shutdown debate. "As a Democrat, I refuse to call you a fascist or a Nazi. I’m not going to compare you to Hitler or anything like that," Fetterman told the host Jesse Watters.
"It’s wrong. If you resort to that, you’ve lost," Fetterman added. "If you call Trump a fascist, then you’re also saying the people who voted for him are fascists — and that’s not true," he concluded.
This is a refreshing take on the issue from Fetterman, though it's unfortunately a rare one among Democrats. It's time for Pelosi and her ilk to stop with the personal attacks and extreme rhetoric that have fueled a deep divide in the country.
Former President Barack Obama has inserted himself in New Jersey's gubernatorial race in an effort to bolster Rep. Mikie Sherrill's chances of victory in a surprisingly close contest, Fox News reported. However, New Jersey Republicans called out Obama for what they're saying is a "Hail Mary" pass as the clock runs out in order to drum up "fake excitement" for the candidate.
There was a time when Obama was a superstar of the Democratic Party and absolutely untouchable. Now, people see him for the political hack that he is, especially those who were formerly his base of voters, and are on to their tricks.
During a Turning Point Action rally on Monday in Medford, New Jersey, attendee and New Jersey voter Shawn Crump laid out the problem with Democrats placing their hopes in Obama. "I'll say this as an African-American, we're done hearing Barack Obama try to tell us how we're supposed to vote," Crump said
"Because, full disclosure, I was a Democrat," Crump confessed. "I worked on his campaign in 2008, and he just let us down. He let this country down, but he especially let down a lot of African-Americans. So we really don't want to hear him tell us how we were supposed to go," Crump added.
On Saturday night, Obama attended a rally for Sherrill in Newark, New Jersey, to urge the Garden State to vote for the Democrat once again. "New Jersey, I remember just a year ago, just a year ago, I remember talking to folks who would tell me, this election doesn’t matter," Obama claimed, referring to President Donald Trump's glorious 2024 victory.
"These are simple, educated, bright people. They say, 'Whoever the next president ends up being, it’s not going to affect me.' That’s what they would say," the former president went on. "If nothing else, the last nine months should have cured us of that idea, because the stakes are now clear," Obama went on.
"We don’t need to speculate about the dangers to our democracy. They’re here. We don’t need to wonder if harm is going to be done to vulnerable people, or whether the public conversation will become meaner and coarser. We’re witnessing it. Elections matter, and they matter to you, and they matter to your family. We are being tested, and what is remarkable about America is that it gives us the power, as citizens, to change this country," he said.
"We all have more power than we sometimes imagine. We’ve just got to use it. So, if you believe in that better story of America, you cannot sit this one out," Obama implored the audience. He shared a clip of his remarks in a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.
If nothing else, the last nine months should have made it clear that elections matter. But what’s remarkable about America is that we have the power, as citizens, to change this country by voting. Go to https://t.co/NKXRGNgbZX. pic.twitter.com/pg2KD4qsg2
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 4, 2025
Far from the optimism of his hope and change campaign, Obama's words smacked of desperation. "Let's face it, our country and our politics are in a pretty dark place right now," Obama said earlier in his speech, stirring up the anti-Trump hysteria.
"It's hard to know where to start, because every day this White House offers up a fresh batch of lawlessness and carelessness and mean-spiritedness. And just plain old craziness," Obama added. Although New Jersey is typically a reliably Democratic state, it also voted in former GOP Gov. Chris Christie in 2013 and went for George H.W. Bush in the 1988 presidential election against Democrat Michael Dukakis.
Trump nearly succeeded in flipping the state in 2024, losing by only six points but securing five counties for Republicans, which could explain why the Democratic Party appears to be in a state of panic. Burlington County Young Republicans' Joe Sereday told Fox News Digital that voters are coming out in droves for Ciattarelli, as Democrats seem to be throwing everything they can at this race.
"I think it's kind of old news now. Usually, when the Democrats roll in these big names — Obama, who else was here, Andy Kim, Cory Booker — usually that means they're in trouble," Sereday pointed out.
The dynamics of this election and the Democrats' response seem to indicate a severe lack of confidence. However, the true measure of their worries won't be known until Election Day results roll in, and it's anybody's game until then.
The federal government has prevented a total of 6,525 known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) from coming into the United States since the fiscal year began in July, according to the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC).
This number is three times higher than the previous high number of 1,903 KSTs apprehended during the entire Joe Biden administration, and twice the more than 3,000 KSTs apprehended during fiscal year 2025.
The probable reason for the unusually high number of KSTs is the designation of Tren de Aragua, MS-13, other transnational criminal organizations and cartels as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) when Trump took office in January.
The NCTC identified nearly 1,200 KSTs inside the U.S. in the first 100 days of Trump's second administration, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said at the time.
Of that number, 750 were identified with MS-13, Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa Cartel and others, according to reporting by The Center Square.
As of October, NCTC identified more than 35,000 KSTs and added them to the federal Terrorist Screening Dataset (TSDS), NCTC director Joe Kent said.
That action was key in preventing the 6,525 KSTs from entering.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. We're doing this and more every day,” he said, noting that the Biden administration would have let those KSTs in.
CBP, Border Patrol agents, and multiple other law enforcement agencies receive biographical and biometric data for all KSTs listed in the TSDS.
Most KSTs had previously been apprehended at the Northern border with Canada, but the latest figures show that the largest number, 2,782, were apprehended at the Southern border.
The difference is Trump's designation of the drug cartels as FTOs.
KSTs identified at land ports of entry “are most commonly found inadmissible to our country and immediately repatriated or removed,” CBP says. “They may also be turned over to another government agency for subsequent detention and law enforcement action.”
If they are identified between ports of entry, they are typically detained and removed by Border Patrol or turned over to other agencies for detention and/or law enforcement action.
At a White House event last week, Gabbard said some high profile arrests have been made, including Sinaloa cartel leaders, money launderers and cocaine traffickers, and a CJNG cartel affiliated baby trafficker, “La Diabla” (“the devil”).
Throughout his 2024 presidential campaign, Donald Trump made improvements in energy and infrastructure key pillars of his Make America Great Platform.
Now that he is in office for a second term, Trump -- through his Department of Energy (DOE) -- is endeavoring to invest upwards of $100 million in the restoration of coal plants across the country, and reverse damaging Biden-era priorities, as the Daily Caller reports.
It was on Friday that the DOE issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity in this particular strategic realm.
According to the announcement, the effort is meant to support “practical, high-impact projects that improve efficiency, plant lifetimes, and performance of coal and natural gas use.”
The DOE noted the administration’s hope that the projects would help turn the tide away from harmful policies undertaken by Trump’s predecessors.
“For years,the Biden and Obama administrations relentlessly targeted America’s coal industry and workers, resulting in the closure of reliable power plants and higher electricity costs,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated.
He continued, “Thankfully, President Trump has ended the war on American coal and is restoring common sense energy policies that put Americans first. These projects will help keep America’s coal plants operating and ensure the United States has the reliable and affordable power it needs to keep the light on and power our future.”
The Energy Department added that the Notice of Opportunity seeks applications from those capable of launching projects that will “design, implement, test, and validate three strategic opportunities for refurbishment and retrofit of existing American coal power plans to make them operate more efficiently, reliably, and affordably.
One such opportunity area is the “development, engineering, and implementation of advanced wastewater management systems capable of cost-effective water recovery and other value-added byproducts from wastewater streams.”
Another involves the “engineering, design and implementation of retrofit systems that enable fuel switching between coal and natural gas without compromising critical operational parameters.”
The last realm of opportunity is the “deployment, engineering, and implementation of advanced coal-natural gas co-firing systems and system components, including highly fuel-flexible burner designs and advanced control systems, to maximize gas co-firing capacity to provide a low cost retrofit option for coal plants while minimizing efficiency penalties.”
The DOE’s push could not come at a better time, given the administration’s recent release of a report documenting the risk of grid failure currently plaguing the nation.
This summer, the DOE report revealed that “blackouts could increase by 100 times in 2023 if the U.S. continues to shutter reliable power sources and fails to add additional firm capacity."
As such, the DOE's Friday announcement underscores not just the urgent energy challenges facing America, but also Trump’s willingness to address them.
Ronald Holmes III has left his position as national finance director for the campaign of U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner of Maine, WMTW-TV reported. Holmes announced that he was leaving the campaign because his "standards as a campaign professional no longer fully aligned with those of the campaign."
Platner, an oyster farmer, has positioned himself in the Democratic primary but has already hit some snags. The latest comes after Holmes abruptly announced that he was leaving the "Graham for Maine" campaign in a post to the professional networking site LinkedIn.
"I joined this campaign because I believed in building something different — a campaign of fresh energy, integrity, and reform-minded thinking in a political system that often resists exactly those things. Somewhere along the way, I began to feel that my professional standards as a campaign professional no longer fully aligned with those of the campaign," Holmes said in his post.
"I'm proud of the people who showed up with good hearts and clear purpose and the lessons that came with the work," he added. Losing Holmes is just the tip of the iceberg of problems Platner is facing.
Holmes is only the latest insider to abandon what appears to be a sinking ship. On Oct. 17, former Maine Rep. Genevieve McDonald left her job as the political director for the campaign following resurfaced Reddit posts crafted by Platner that attacked rural White Americans and slammed police.
As Politico reported, this trouble triggered the campaign to send out non-disclosure agreements to staffers, including McDonald. “The campaign offered me $15,000 to sign an NDA. I did not accept the offer. I certainly could have used the money. I quit my job to work on Platner’s campaign, believing it was something different than it is," McDonald told Politico.
This explaination from McDonald sounds shoickingly similar to the way Holmes described their parting. Unfortunately, the scandal has grown after additional posts came to light that he ridiculed the tipping culture of Black Americans and downplayed sexual assaults in the military.
Platner continued to experience personnel issues as recently as last Tuesday. His campaign manager, Kevin Brown, left his post after discovering that he and his wife were expecting a child, though the issues surrounding the campaign couldn't have helped. Prior to leaving, Brown had only served in the campaign position for a week.
As difficult as these changes have been for the campaign, arguably the worst scandal has to do with Platner's tattoo that contains a Nazi symbol. He has tried to explain it away as a drunken impulse, but the scandal is far from over.
According to Fox News, the controversy about Platner's tattoo erupted after old social media posts revealed the skull and crossbones design that was used by Nazi officers. The candidate said that he didn't know the origin of the design when he got the tattoo in Croatia in 2007, following a "night of drinking" while he was in the Marine Corps.
"We thought it looked cool," Platner claimed. He said he's "lived a life dedicated to anti-fascism, anti-racism and anti-Nazism" and was therefore "appalled" to find out its true origin. Platner shared the story in a video uploaded to X, formerly Twitter, on Oct. 22.
"Years ago I got a skull and crossbones tattoo with my buddies in the Marine Corps. I was appalled to learn it closely resembled a Nazi symbol. I altered it yesterday, into something that isn't deeply offensive to my core beliefs. I am very sorry to all of you who had to contemplate a symbol of hate over the past 48 hours," Platner explained in the caption.
Years ago I got a skull and crossbones tattoo with my buddies in the Marine Corps.
I was appalled to learn it closely resembled a Nazi symbol. I altered it yesterday, into something that isn't deeply offensive to my core beliefs.
I am very sorry to all of you who had to… pic.twitter.com/RQSiRsrTiC
— Graham Platner for Senate (@grahamformaine) October 22, 2025
Democrats have largely been silent on this controversy, but it seems Platner is unable to stop the momentum, even with the establishment remaining silent. Only time will tell whether Platner can ride this out, but it isn't looking good, and certainly won't serve him if he makes it to the general election.