Trump Should Take Down The American Medical Association’s Licensing Grift
As a government-backed, overtly left-wing monopoly, the AMA no longer deserves a privileged role in the country’s health ecosystem.As a government-backed, overtly left-wing monopoly, the AMA no longer deserves a privileged role in the country’s health ecosystem.The WILDEST deep-state story the mainstream media won’t tell you
On paper, the U.S. Institute of Peace does exactly what its name suggests: It promotes peace and conflict resolution in global conflict zones.
But dig a little deeper into its operations, and it becomes clear that the quasi-governmental, quasi-private agency is a deep-state snake pit. According to newly appointed acting President Darren Beattie, the USIP pushed to restore the opium trade in Taliban-run Afghanistan, had former Taliban member Mohammad Halimi on its payroll, and attempted to destroy evidence during a chaotic takeover by the Department of Government Efficiency.
Beattie recently joined Glenn on “The Glenn Beck Program” to share the shocking details.
When the DOGE infiltrated the USIP in March of this year, the agency erupted into chaos.
“They barricaded themselves in the offices. They sabotaged the physical infrastructure of the building. There were reports of there being loaded guns within offices. There was one hostage situation where they held a security guard under basically kind of a false imprisonment-type situation,” says Beattie.
“In the course of all of that, they tried to delete a terabyte of data, of accounting information that would indicate what kind of stuff they were up to, what kind of people they were paying.”
Thankfully, the DOGE was still able to uncover a major scandal: “One of the people on their payroll was this curious figure who had a prominent role in the Taliban government,” says Beattie, referring to Halimi.
On top of that, the DOGE discovered that “that one of the U.S. Institute of Peace's main policy agendas was basically lamenting the fact that the opium trade had dissipated under Taliban leadership.”
“They had multiple reports coming out basically saying 'this is horrible that the opium trade has diminished under the Taliban. We need to find some way to restore it,'” says Beattie.
When ProPublica got hold of Halimi’s story, it published a twisted piece titled “DOGE Targeted Him on Social Media. Then the Taliban Took His Family,” in which authors Avi Asher-Schapiro and Christopher Bing argued that Halimi was an “exiled Afghan scholar” victimized by Elon Musk and the DOGE, alleging that the payments he received from USIP were for legitimate work.
“I'm not an expert on this particular person's history, but what's very clear is he was a former Taliban guy, and he was probably one of these people who was playing all sides,” says Beattie.
He points out that the USIP’s hostile behavior upon the DOGE’s arrival stands in stark contrast to ProPublica’s narrative. If the payments were legitimate and Halimi had nothing to hide, then why the scrambling to delete data?
“This is the real deep-state stuff that I think bothers people so much,” says Glenn. “We expect our CIA to do stuff … but when it's in the State Department, when every department is pushing out money to NGOs to overthrow governments and everything else, it's out of control.”
To hear more details from the story, watch the video above.
Want more from Glenn Beck?
To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
23 attorneys general call on EPA's Lee Zeldin to defund radical climate science institute
Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, has been an instrumental figure in dismantling the climate science regime during the second Trump administration, including major funding cuts in partnership with the Department of Government Efficiency. Now, nearly half of the states' attorneys general have called on Zeldin to strike at the head of another climate institution: the Environmental Law Institute.
Headed by Attorney General Austin Knudsen of Montana and signed by 22 other state AGs, the letter calls on Zeldin to cut funding grants for the Environmental Law Institute, which operates the Climate Judiciary Project.
'The Environmental Law Institute's Climate Judiciary Project is using woke climate propaganda, under the guise of what they call "neutral" education, to persuade judges and push their wildly unpopular agenda through the court system.'
The letter says that ELI "received approximately 13% of its revenue in 2023 and 8.4% in 2024" from federal grants and appears to expect this funding to continue, according to its financial records.
RELATED: Trump targets 2009 EPA climate rule in bold regulatory shift
"As attorney general, I refuse to stand by while Americans' tax dollars fund radical environmental training for judges across the country. The Environmental Law Institute's Climate Judiciary Project is using woke climate propaganda, under the guise of what they call 'neutral' education, to persuade judges and push their wildly unpopular agenda through the court system," Knudsen said in a statement obtained by Blaze News.
The Climate Judiciary Project, the letter continues, has a clear mission: "Lobby judges in order to make climate change policy through the courts."
The Climate Judiciary Project claims it "is a first-of-its-kind effort that provides judges with authoritative, objective, and trusted education on climate science, the impacts of climate change, and the ways climate science is arising in the law. Since its creation in 2018, the Climate Judiciary Project estimates that it has hosted more than 50 events and trained more than 2,000 judges."
The revelations about ELI make clear that it is not shy about political lobbying.
Jason Isaac, the CEO of the American Energy Institute, said in a statement obtained by Blaze News: "Its curriculum is developed by climate alarmist allies of the plaintiffs and delivered to judges behind closed doors. Public funds should never be used to finance political advocacy disguised as judicial education."
Many supporters of this move have cited legal and ethical concerns as well as issues with consumer protection. "As we have long warned, the left has a plan to reshape American society by using lawsuits in courts all across the country, especially in places like Hawaii and other coastal enclaves. The new wave of revelations about ELI is further concerning evidence of how committed the left is to imposing mandatory Progressive Lifestyle Choices through this courtroom maneuvering and how big a threat it really is to all our ways of life," O.H. Skinner, the executive director of Alliance for Consumers, said.
The letter was signed by the attorneys general of Montana, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
The signatories are calling on Zeldin to have the EPA "cancel any on-going grants to ELI and ensure that ELI does not receive any future grants while it is sponsoring the Climate Judiciary Project."
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
State Department isn't buying ProPublica's sob story about Taliban alumnus whose funding was exposed by DOGE
ProPublica — an investigative journalist outfit that has received donations from Laurene Powell Jobs and her leftist Emerson Collective, from George Soros' Foundation to Promote Open Society, and from Crankstart Foundation, Lincoln Project donor Michael Moritz's family foundation — ran a sob story on Friday about a so-called "Afghan scholar" whose receipt of American funds through the U.S. Institute of Peace was exposed earlier this year by the Department of Government Efficiency.
The liberal publication tried to paint former Taliban official Mohammad Qasem Halimi as a victim, the work he did as "routine" yet "ambiguous," DOGE's publicization of Halimi's financial link to the U.S. as irresponsible, and the DOGE worker who briefly controlled USIP as inept.
The game the establishment media is playing is 'an insult to our nation.'
ProPublica's concern-mongering has not found resonance at the Trump State Department, which is aware that Halimi was part of the regime that harbored the terrorists who attacked America on 9/11.
In a Monday statement to Rikki Ratliff-Fellman, executive producer for Glenn Beck, the department defended cutting off Halimi, reiterated that he was indeed a former Taliban member, and underscored that the game the establishment media is playing is "an insult to our nation."
Quick background
President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Feb. 19 aimed at reducing the scope of the federal bureaucracy.
Among the federal entities that the Trump administration subsequently worked to shutter or scale down was the USIP, a think tank with an apparent problem with political bias and a budget last year of $55 million.
RELATED: America First foreign policy gets an Office of Natural Rights
The Trump administration canned 10 voting members of the USIP board of directors along with the institute's president, former Clinton official George Moose; terminated nearly all of the institute's staff and activities around the world; had elements of the DOGE take over the institute's headquarters; and transferred USIP's property to the General Services Administration.
Fired members of the board sued on March 18 to prevent a housecleaning at the USIP, claiming the wind-down was a "lawless assault." Although an Obama judge declared in May that the changes at the federal entity were "null and void," the D.C. Court of Appeals stayed the lower court's ruling.
DOGE highlights Taliban link
Following its takeover of USIP headquarters and just hours after notifying Halimi of his contract's termination, the DOGE shared some of its findings in March 31 on X, noting, "USIP contracts (now cancelled) include: — $132,000 to Mohammad Qasem Halimi, an ex-Taliban member who was Afghanistan's former Chief of Protocol."
According to Halimi's bio on the Doha Forum site, "he is the former Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs in Afghanistan" and "was assigned as a Deputy Justice Minister of Technical and Professional Affairs in 2017."
That bio omits any mention of Halimi's arrest and detention by American forces from 2002 to 2003 at Bagram Air Base or his time with the Taliban.
Deutsche Welle reported that Halimi went to work for the Taliban in 1998, working first in its foreign ministry, then becoming chief of protocol.
'This is real. We don't encounter that in most agencies.'
"I don't deny that I supported the Taliban," Halimi told DW. "I had a very good time in the Foreign Office. It was really the best time in my life. Back then, Afghanistan really needed the Taliban."
Halimi spoke glowingly about Mullah Mohammad Omar, the first leader of the Taliban who offered sanctuary to Islamic terrorist Osama bin Laden both before and after the 9/11 attacks, stating, "I cannot say it any differently today than I said it back then: Afghanistan needed Mullah Omar back then."
RELATED: The Islamification of America is well under way
Speaking to DW in 2017, Halimi stated, "To this day I still have friendly relations with the Taliban" — an organization Secretary of State Marco Rubio is looking at for a possible foreign terrorist organization designation.
Halimi reportedly switched sides after his release by American forces.
The USIP contract for this friend of the Taliban was mentioned again in an April 1 post on X, which was shared by Elon Musk and ultimately went massively viral.
The caption on the corresponding post read: "With help from the FBI and Metro Police DOGE was able to access the agency and discovered massive fraud, waste and abuse-including payments to Taliban and Iraq."
The following month, a DOGE staffer told "Jesse Watters Primetime" in a May 1 group interview, "We found that [USIP] were spending money on things like private jets, and they even had a $130,000 contract with a former member of the Taliban. This is real. We don't encounter that in most agencies."
Tears for the Taliban
According to ProPublica, Taliban security forces allegedly beat and temporarily imprisoned members of Halimi's family just days after news of his USIP funding was brought to light.
Blaze News has reached out to Afghanistan's Ministries of Interior Affairs and Foreign Affairs for comment.
While the alleged violence was perpetrated by Halimi's former comrades, the liberal publication characterized the Trump administration's public recognition of Halimi's Taliban link and exposure of his supposedly benign USIP contract as an "attack" — an attack that former State Department and White House officials supposedly said was "not only absurd, but also dangerous."
ProPublica, which downplayed Halimi's Taliban past and highlighted his work with the former Karzai government, complained that after this "attack," Halimi is now without work and "wonders how he will support his wife and children and whether there’s any chance he can clear his name."
'An overwhelming majority of Americans would agree that the Federal Government should not be funding former members of the Taliban when our country is $36T in debt.'
"Why would one of the richest men in the world commit such an act of injustice?" Halimi said to ProPublica. "Sometimes I think that if Elon Musk himself were fully informed about this matter, he would likely be deeply ashamed."
Whereas the liberal publication proved eager to portray the former Taliban official as a sympathetic character, the publication alternatively characterized Nate Cavanaugh — the former DOGE staffer who worked ardently to expose the rot at USIP, briefly served as its president, and canceled Halimi's contact — as a privileged incompetent.
The publication noted, for example, that Cavanaugh: is a "28-year-old college dropout"; "had nothing in his background to suggest he would be chosen to wind down an international conflict-resolution agency"; started two companies that haven't "successfully" taken off; and "comes from a wealthy family."
Cavanaugh — whom Blaze News has reached out to for comment — apparently made no apologies for carrying out the task President Donald Trump mandated him to do.
"An overwhelming majority of Americans would agree that the Federal Government should not be funding former members of the Taliban when our country is $36T in debt," said Cavanaugh.
Cavanaugh's successor similarly appears not to be panged by ProPublica's sympathies for the Taliban alumnus.
Darren Beattie, undersecretary for public diplomacy at the State Department and acting president of USIP, said in a statement to Ratliff-Fellman, "Under President Trump's February 19 Executive Order, the United States Institute of Peace was directed to reduce operations to its statutory minimum — ending, among other things, a contract with former Taliban member Mohammad Qasem Halimi."
"The idea of funding former Taliban members on one hand, and publicly lamenting the Taliban’s success in reducing Afghanistan’s opium production on the other, highlights the schizophrenic and dangerous approach to 'conflict resolution' adopted by USIPs previous leadership," continued Beattie. "The fact that the establishment media defends using taxpayer dollars this way is an insult to our nation and the heroes who have fought to protect it."
Beattie added, "Above all, this underscores President Trump’s resolve to end the weaponization of government, cut off funding to adversaries, and shut down reckless so-called peace-building programs that end up undermining our national security."
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Is Elon Musk ditching his America Party dream for a GOP power play?
Elon Musk may be reconsidering his aspirations for a third political party after concerns from conservatives that it could divert votes from the Republican Party.
A Tuesday report from the Wall Street Journal indicated that Musk is "quietly pumping the brakes" on the formation of the America Party and may instead support another Republican politician.
'Nothing @WSJ says should ever be thought of as true.'
In late June, amid Musk's falling-out with President Donald Trump over the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Tesla CEO called for "an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a VOICE."
"If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day," Musk declared.
Several Republican politicians, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, warned Musk that a third party would likely act as a spoiler, ultimately benefiting the Democratic Party.
RELATED: Is Elon’s America Party really a threat to Republicans?
According to the WSJ's report citing anonymous sources, it appears that Musk is considering that advice. Musk has reportedly told his allies that he plans to concentrate on his businesses and does not want to alienate Republicans, particularly Vice President JD Vance, by forming a third party.
The news outlet reported that Musk and Vance have been in touch in recent weeks. Musk has allegedly stated to close allies that he would back Vance should he decide to run for president in 2028.
"Musk's allies said he hasn't formally ruled out creating a new party and could change his mind as the midterm elections near," the WSJ stated.
However, Musk reportedly canceled a July call with a group that specializes in organizing third-party campaigns, and he has not recently engaged with individuals who have expressed interest in the America Party.
RELATED: 'TRAIN WRECK': Trump blasts Elon Musk over anti-MAGA campaign, new 'moderate' party
Charlie Kirk responded to the WSJ's report in a post on social media.
"Elon Musk is reportedly reconsidering his bid to launch a third party and instead put his support behind Vice President JD Vance should he decide to run, per a new report from the WSJ. Will have to wait for confirmation from Elon, but this would be very positive news for the country if true," Kirk wrote.
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Vance directed the WSJ to the vice president's recent interview with the Gateway Pundit, during which he stated he hopes Musk will "come back into the fold" during the midterm elections.
While Musk did not respond to a request for comment from the WSJ, he dismissed the outlet's reporting in a post on X.
"Nothing @WSJ says should ever be thought of as true," he wrote without elaborating further.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
If red states can’t deliver DOGE promises, what can they deliver?
The DOGE revolution has identified federal waste, forced Washington politicians to rethink their spending habits, and exposed the decades-long crusade by Democrats to funnel taxpayer money into activism. In a state like North Dakota — a deep-red stronghold — you’d expect Republicans to seize November’s America First mandate and gut bloated budgets.
Think again. Too many unprincipled legislators are choking on the swamp’s fumes, betraying the voters who rejected the status quo. It’s time to call them out.
Politicians care more about re-election and climbing the ladder than they do about your wallet. They’ll dodge tough cuts to keep their seats, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill.
North Dakota’s Legislative Task Force on Government Efficiency — a state-level DOGE — was established by House Bill 1442 to tackle the state’s $20.3 billion 2025-27 budget. The mission: Slash waste, end duplication, and put taxpayers first.
For fiscal conservatives, it looked like a dream come true. But after its first meeting July 30, conservatives are sounding the alarm. This committee is packed with spendaholics who will keep the gravy train rolling for as long as they can.
If we want real cuts, we need to stop coddling politicians and start fighting in Republican primaries.
Some get it; some don’t
Credit where it’s due: the leadership is solid. Chairman Rep. Nathan Toman (R-Mandan) is a budget hawk. Vice Chairman Sen. Chuck Walen (R-New Town) has a good record with his conservative base. Both men understand that North Dakota’s budget bloat calls for a chainsaw, not a Band-Aid.
But their grit is drowned out by a committee built to fail — thanks to GOP leaders afraid of losing votes by cutting unnecessary funds. Legislative Management appointed Senate Minority Leader Kathy Hogan (D-Fargo), a Democrat who has never met a spending bill she didn’t love, especially in human services and health care. Her role is to protect the status quo, not shrink it.
RELATED: Don’t let rural America become the next New York City
Then there are Republican Reps. Glenn Bosch and Robin Weisz — appropriations loyalists who rubber-stamped 99% of the state budget. They are not reformers. Expecting them to cut waste is like asking a fox to guard the henhouse.
State problem, national roots
This isn’t just North Dakota’s mess — it’s politics everywhere. Red-state Republicans talk tough about fiscal discipline but crumble when the time comes to act. Why? Cutting spending risks votes, dries up PAC money for re-election, and alienates lobbyists.
It’s why North Dakota GOP leaders play nice with Hogan. It’s why Bosch and Weisz keep the spending spigot open. And it’s why our $36.2 trillion national debt keeps climbing.
Politicians care more about re-election and climbing the ladder than they do about your wallet. They’ll dodge tough cuts to keep their seats, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill.
The only fix: Primaries
The DOGE is a great idea. But across red states, task forces like North Dakota's stall when Republicans fear backlash more than they fear waste. Without legislators willing to fight, this will become another powerless committee generating reports nobody reads.
The fix? Get serious in Republican primaries.
In North Dakota, Citizens Alliance is backing challengers to big spenders like Bosch, Weisz, and their allies. In Pennsylvania, the group has added more than 55,000 GOP voters — 250 per day — because primaries are the contact sport that scares RINOs straight. In Idaho, Citizens Alliance helped oust Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Winder in 2024 and backs more than 40 lawmakers with proven conservative records.
North Dakota needs that same fire if it wants the state task force on government efficiency to roar instead of roll over. Republicans who dodge the DOGE mandate aren’t just failing — they’re betraying voters who demanded lasting reform. If they can’t bring a bulldozer to budget bloat, they don’t belong in leadership.
Today's top stories
www.theblaze.com
thefederalist.com