Trump Aims To End Iran’s War On America — On His Terms
'More permanent peace'
'Is it even REMOTELY reasonable?' Scott Jennings demolishes liberal CNN panel on DHS funding feud
CNN contributor Scott Jennings obliterated his fellow panelists as they tried to argue that it was reasonable for Democrats to put the Department of Homeland Security at risk.
The partial shutdown of some parts of the government is due to the demands of Democrats that Immigration and Customs Enforcement be reformed after multiple lethal incidents during ICE operations.
'The irresponsible Democrats continue to keep DHS shut down. Partisanship with deadly consequences.'
Jennings took on CNN host Abby Phillip and panelists Bakari Sellers, former Biden official Sabrina Singh, and Beth Sanner.
"Does anyone here believe that we should keep the Department of Homeland Security — that’s the name of it — indefinitely shut down to try to force ICE policy changes on an agency that’s already funded until 2029?" he asked rhetorically.
"When you acknowledge there are sleeper cells, when we all see radical Islamic terrorists throwing IEDs in New York City, when we saw a radical Muslim terrorist shoot up a bar in Austin, when we had tornadoes in Oklahoma and Michigan this weekend, when we have TSA lines of five hours in airports, we have all these things going on," he added.
"Is it even remotely reasonable to keep it closed?!" Jennings said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said at the end of January that Democrats were not backing down on the restrictions demands.
"Let me be clear: Until ICE is properly reined in and overhauled, the DHS funding bill won’t have the votes to pass the Senate," he said at the time.
RELATED: Scott Jennings obliterates liberal spin on alleged Kirk assassin: 'Evidence... is overwhelming!'
Jennings posted video of his scorching tirade on his social media account.
"Another day of the Democrat DHS shutdown dawns on America. We have radical Islamic terrorism, tornados, and 5-hr lines at the airport," Jennings wrote on the post.
"And yet the irresponsible Democrats continue to keep DHS shut down," he added. "Partisanship with deadly consequences."
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Activists cry 'racist,' sue to block removal of Somalis' special status
In a 2-1 ruling on Friday, a pair of federal appellate judges appointed by former President Joe Biden blocked the Trump administration from revoking Haiti's Temporary Protected Status designation — a special status that not only shields over 350,000 Haitian nationals from removal but enables them to continue displacing American labor.
Apparently emboldened by the D.C.-based appellate court's ruling, activists have filed a federal lawsuit in hopes of similarly blocking the Trump administration from ending Somalia's special status.
The long, slow goodbye
BlazeTV host Christopher Rufo and investigative reporter Ryan Thorpe highlighted in a damning Nov. 19 report various instances of alleged and confirmed fraud perpetrated by members of the Somali community in Minnesota as well as the alleged direction of stolen taxpayer funds by members of the Somali community to terrorists abroad.
'We are putting Americans first.'
Two days later, President Donald Trump announced that he was terminating the TPS designation for Somalia, stating, "Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing. Send them back to where they came from. It's OVER!"
Amid multiple investigations into the pervasive fraud within the heavily welfare-dependent Somali community, the Department of Homeland Security announced in January that the crime-ridden East African nation would be stripped of its special status effective March 17.
The DHS advised Somali nationals without legal status apart from TPS to start the process of self-deporting.
Somalia was initially designated for TPS in 1991 based on a determination that there were "extraordinary and temporary conditions" in Somalia preventing its expatriates from returning. This supposedly temporary designation was repeatedly extended over the next three decades.
RELATED: Mullin inherits a mess at DHS. Here’s how he can still save Trump’s legacy.
A Jan. 14 notice in the Federal Register pointed out, however, that the situation in Somalia has materially changed and that the country "today shows improved national governance and security structures and now experiences localized pockets of violence rather than nationwide, generalized conflict."
The notice stated further that "requiring Somali nationals to return to Somalia would not pose a serious threat to their personal safety as there are areas within Somalia where Somali nationals may live in safety."
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stated, "Allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests. We are putting Americans first."
The lawsuit
African Communities Together — an activist group that has challenged the Trump administration's efforts to repatriate various temporarily welcomed African migrant groups — joined the California-based Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans and four Somalis in filing a lawsuit on Monday, accusing the administration of violating the Administrative Procedure Act as well as the Fifth Amendment.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, downplays Somali criminality in the U.S., claims that the migrants' homeland is not as safe as the U.S. government has said, and states that the status termination was "motivated by racial, ethnic, and national-origin discrimination."
This theme — that the Trump administration and Trump's popular deportation agenda are racist — continues throughout the lawsuit and appears to be based on a presumption of racial animus on the part of the Trump administration.
The lawsuit presumes, for instance, that race was a factor when the administration left protections in place for Ukrainians but not for Somalis and Haitians. The complaint makes no mention of Ukraine's ongoing war with a nuclear power which has so far resulted in over 1.2 million casualties.
"The Trump administration has long embraced an anti-immigration agenda, which includes an objective of eliminating or severely restricting access to TPS for non-white, non-European immigrants," the complaint reads, "targeting them with racist rhetoric and attempting to use any mechanism possible to remove them from the country."
One example of supposedly "racist" commentary cited in the lawsuit was Trump's statement during a Nov. 27 press conference that "Somalians have caused a lot of trouble. They're ripping us off for a lot of money."
The lawsuit also referenced Trump's commentary during a Dec. 2 Cabinet meeting, specifically his statement, "I don't care. I don't want them in our country. Their country is no good for a reason. Their country stinks, and we don't want them in our country. I can say that about other countries too."
In addition to characterizing the administration as racist, the lawsuit complains that without the special status, former TPS beneficiaries will lose employment eligibility and benefits, which supposedly amounts to "severe" harm.
DHS did not respond to Blaze News' request for comment.
The Trump administration announced over the weekend that it intends to pursue an appeal at the U.S. Supreme Court to see through its termination of Haiti's TPS, Reuters reported.
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‘Prioritize Americans’: SBA shuts door on foreign national borrowers
The Small Business Administration has announced a policy change that many are surprised even needed to happen — and others are already calling for more action.
On Monday, the SBA, headed by Administrator Kelly Loeffler, announced a new policy that will ban foreign nationals and all noncitizens from accessing SBA-backed small business loans.
‘The Trump SBA is committed to driving economic growth and job creation for American citizens.’
The policy change is a continuation of another change implemented on March 1, which made small businesses owned or co-owned by a foreign national ineligible for two of the main SBA loan programs.
“The Trump SBA is committed to driving economic growth and job creation for American citizens,” Loeffler said.
“Last month, we made it clear that SBA would not allow foreign nationals to access our core small business loan programs — and today, we are expanding that policy to include all SBA-guaranteed loans. With our lending authority capped annually by Congress and amid record demand for access to capital, our responsibility is clear: The limited resource of SBA financing must prioritize American citizens who are building businesses and creating jobs here at home.”
These changes affect the Surety Bond and Microloan programs, which were revised earlier in the month.
Citing data from the SBA, Fox News reported that the agency has 3,300 loans for small businesses partially owned by lawful permanent residents, largely under the Biden administration. That number represents 4% of the agency’s total loans, currently at 85,000.
These changes revealed a system arguably more broken than many people would guess possible. Some X users expressed their surprise at the announcement: “Why this wasn’t already policy is mind boggling.”
Others, however, saw much more room for improvement.
“Retroactively make all loans issued to foreign nationals due immediately and in full,” Andrew Beck demanded.
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Trump holds off on Texas Senate endorsement to pressure GOP to deliver on 'No. 1 priority' legislation: Report
President Donald Trump is postponing his endorsement in the Texas Senate Republican primary to pressure Republican senators to pass the SAVE America Act, Politico reported, citing two anonymous people described as close to the White House.
Neither incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R) nor Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) received at least 50% of the vote during last week’s primary election, triggering a runoff race on May 26 before the winner faces off against Democratic nominee James Talarico.
'I think that was a very smart strategy because it bought time.'
Both Cornyn and Paxton have been vying for Trump’s endorsement. The president stated on Thursday that he would endorse one of the candidates “pretty soon.” He expects the candidate who does not receive his support to drop out of the race.
Last week, the Atlantic and Axios reported that Trump was expected to endorse Cornyn.
Paxton responded to rumors of a Cornyn endorsement by declaring that he would not withdraw from the race, even if Trump refused to support him.
Trump told Politico on Thursday that Paxton’s remarks were “bad for him” and that they may push him to select Cornyn after all.
RELATED: 'That is bad for him': Trump hints at final endorsement in Paxton vs. Cornyn Senate runoff
Paxton then walked back his comments, stating that he would “consider” withdrawing from the race if the Senate passed the SAVE America Act.
Trump has described this piece of legislation as the Republican Party’s “No. 1 priority” ahead of the midterms, adding that if it does not pass, it could spell “big trouble” for GOP candidates.
Politico reported that Paxton’s move appeared to stall Trump’s endorsement by highlighting a shared issue between them, while also revealing the tension between the president and Senate Republican leaders, who back Cornyn. Two sources close to the White House told the news outlet that Paxton’s strategy changed the dynamics.
“I think that was a very smart strategy because it bought time. Because now, if you’re the White House or Trump, why would you now weigh in?’’ a Republican operative told Politico. “Trump has remained very steadfast that he wants this done, and that is a huge priority, and he’s getting pissed off at these members and at [Senate Majority Leader John] Thune.”
RELATED: Trump to intervene in Texas' Senate race, anoint his preferred candidate
An anonymous Paxton campaign aide told the news outlet that “the grassroots donor community in Texas did not believe or realize how close Trump was [to] endorsing Cornyn.”
“Once they realized that the threat was real, they went very hard in the paint,” the aide added.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
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Virginia lawmakers send sweeping gun control bill to Democrat Governor Spanberger
Virginians are quickly learning the fruits of electing Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger and other Democrat legislators as the legislative session draws to an end in the commonwealth.
On Monday, Democrats in both chambers passed a sweeping gun control law that will soon land on Spanberger's desk.
'These are simply semiautomatic firearms that law abiding citizens own.'
The bill, HB217, places a ban on new sales of "assault firearms" and makes it illegal to possess high-capacity magazines exceeding 15 rounds of ammunition.
Virginia law defines an "assault firearm" as "any semi-automatic center-fire rifle or pistol which expels single or multiple projectiles by action of an explosion of a combustible material and is equipped at the time of the offense with a magazine which will hold more than 20 rounds of ammunition or designed by the manufacturer to accommodate a silencer or equipped with a folding stock."
RELATED: Virginians oppose Richmond's war on the Second Amendment: Poll
Sponsored by Del. Dan Helmer (D), the bill would make these offenses a Class 1 misdemeanor. Class 1 misdemeanors are punishable by "confinement in jail for not more than twelve months and a fine of not more than $2,500, either or both," according to Virginia law.
Spanberger's office did not immediately reply to a request for comment from Blaze News.
Chris Stone with the Virginia-based Gun Owners of America said, “Semiautomatic weapons, as they would like to call them, ‘assault weapons,’ have been owned by the public for years, and rifles of any kind are very rarely used in the commission of a crime. We don’t even like to use the term ‘assault weapon,’ because it’s just made up. These are simply semiautomatic firearms that law abiding citizens own.”
Another proposed bill would impose a civil penalty of up to a $500 fine for persons who store their firearms in their vehicle. The vehicle could also be towed for "safekeeping."
Stone pointed out the catch-22 that lawful gun owners would find themselves in if that bill ever became law.
"Because of the litany of ‘gun free zone’ laws that we have in this state, if you go to somewhere where you can’t legally bring your firearm in, law-abiding citizens who have a concealed handgun permit are going to leave that firearm in their car," Stone said.
Helmer has been busy sponsoring other bills as well, including a "first of its kind" bill that dictates that school instruction must "not describe, portray, or present as credible a description or portrayal of the actions precipitating or involved in the events of the January 6, 2021, insurrection as peaceful protest."
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J6 committee's anti-Trump storyteller referred to DOJ for criminal charges: Report
The Jan. 6 Select Committee's various improprieties and its prioritization of narrative over facts have been exposed. Nevertheless, key participants in the Democrat-led lawfare campaign have so far managed to evade consequence. That might soon change.
House Republicans have reportedly referred Jan. 6 committee star witness Cassidy Hutchinson to the Department of Justice for criminal charges.
The USSS agents ... directly refuted the fundamentals of her story.
A pair of sources reportedly familiar with recent developments told CNN that Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk (Ga.), the chairman of the Select Subcommittee to Investigate the Remaining Questions Surrounding Jan. 6, 2021, recently made the referral, which was co-signed by House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
The referral reportedly accuses Hutchinson — who milked her time in the limelight for a book deal — of lying to Congress in her public testimony in June 2022.
This is undoubtedly good news for President Donald Trump, who claimed Hutchinson "made up" stories about him during her testimony.
"Our great Secret Service has totally CRUSHED Cassidy Hutchinson’s (who I barely knew) made up (FAKE!) stories about me roughing up Secret Service Agents from the back seat of the Beast (Limo)," Trump noted in March 2024. "Has she now changed her testimony? Will she be prosecuted for what she did and said?"
Blaze News has reached out to the Department of Justice and Loudermilk's office for comment. CNN indicated that Hutchinson's current and former lawyers did not respond to multiple inquiries.
Loudermilk released a congressional report in March 2024 alleging that the Jan. 6 Select Committee — manned by outspoken critics of President Donald Trump — erased records; hid numerous transcribed interviews; failed to turn recordings over to GOP lawmakers; and suppressed evidence that failed to conform to Democrats' preferred narrative.
The report, penned by the House Administration Committee's oversight subpanel, also impeached Hutchinson's character and testimony.
Hutchinson, who served as assistant to Trump's former chief of staff Mark Meadows, sat for six transcribed interviews and one publicized hearing with the committee.
The report noted that on June 20, 2022, in her fourth transcribed interview with the Jan. 6 committee, Hutchinson told a previously unheard tale about how on January 6, 2021, Trump allegedly got into a scuffle with a Secret Service agent and attempted to wrest control of the presidential limousine after his speech at the Ellipse.
Hutchinson's allegations pertained to supposed incidents to which she was not an eyewitness.
The Jan. 6 committee didn't bother interviewing either of the two Secret Service agents referenced in Hutchinson's testimony who were actually present at the time of the alleged events or anyone else implicated prior to her testimony.
When the committee put questions to the USSS agents some four months after Hutchinson's testimony, they directly refuted the fundamentals of her story.
In December 2024, Loudermilk released another damning congressional report, this time alleging that:
- former White House employee Alyssa Farah Griffin back-channeled with former Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), the vice chair of the Jan. 6 committee, to help Hutchinson change her story;
- Hutchinson had secret conversations with Cheney without her attorney's knowledge; and
- "Hutchinson committed perjury when she lied under oath to the Select Committee."
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