[X] I thought it was the job of the State Department to approve visas — how is a lawyer doing so? Is what he is doing illegal or legal, but annoying? Because if it’s illegal the feds need to shut him down, but if it’s legal, then someone needs to get to work to change whatever laws apply.
One single Indian immigration lawyer has approved 700,000 H-1B applicants in Texas
Where is Greg Abbott? Where are the Texas Republicans you keep voting for over and over again? pic.twitter.com/Fx9fPBx2mt
[Washington Examiner] Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) is set to face impeachment hearings when the Minnesota state legislature returns to session in February.
State Rep. Mike Wiener (R ), who represents District 5B in Minnesota’s House, filed articles of impeachment against Walz on Jan. 12, according to the politician’s Facebook page. Wiener’s efforts stem from the governor’s alleged "corrupt" conduct while in office and are related to recent revelations of rampant fraud within Minnesota’s "state-administered programs."
Wiener’s impeachment articles claimed that, "Timothy J. Walz has engaged in corrupt conduct in office by violating his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the laws of this state," reported FOX 9 News in Minnesota. Wiener argued that taxpayers demand "accountability of their elected officials."
"The taxpayers have been frauded [sic] of an estimated $9 billion. They are demanding accountability of their elected officials," Wiener told FOX 9. "No one is above the law, and our constitution gives us the tools to hold the governor accountable for ’corrupt conduct.’"
He filed four articles of impeachment against Walz, detailing the accusations of wrongdoing for each.
“It really looks like there is a political patronage system that’s running the state,” he told Alpha News’ Liz Collin on January 14, adding:
[it] has components, including some officials who look the other way, some who are very, very aware of what’s going on, and communities that are receiving all these grants and [then] voting for the people that are turning a blind eye [to the fraud]. It seems to be a whole system that has all these different components, that is enduring, and is able to keep power and control the state.
…an old-fashioned labour union-big government Democrat. I don’t know how well he’ll fit in with the new orientation toward the Jew-hating Democratic Socialists…
(D-OH) has made his political career portraying himself as a populist; however, FEC data reviewed by Breitbart News found that, over his career, he received nearly $400,000 in donations from lobbyists and corporate PACs that represent some of the largest health insurance companies.
Brown aims to make a political comeback this November by using the mantle of high health insurance premiums facing those in the Buckeye State.
He wrote last November, “Half a million Ohioans are facing monthly premiums that are double or triple what they were paying. This is a bad deal for Ohioans. It does nothing to help the out-of-control costs people are facing. We can’t allow health care costs to skyrocket and not be willing to fight. This is a problem created by Jon Husted and his special interest friends. At any point over the last 40 days, Jon Husted could have voted to reopen the government and helped people afford health care. But Jon Husted has done nothing to keep health care costs down.”
Brown has used these talking points to attack Sen. John Husted (R-OH), who he aims to oust in November.
The former senator lamented last September that most politicians appear to be bought and paid for by big corporations.
“The system is rigged. And a lot of voters think it’s because most politicians are in the pockets of big corporations — unfortunately, they’re right,” he explained.
However, data reviewed by Breitbart News found that Brown, over his career in the Senate, has received nearly $400,000 in donations from corporate PACs and lobbyists of some of the largest health insurance companies that benefit from his support of the enhanced Obamacare subsidies. This includes Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Centene, and Aetna making donations to Friends of Sherrod Brown, America Works PAC, or Canary Fund.
Brown has taken:
$112,171.96 from UnitedHealth lobbyists.
$107,514.05 from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield lobbyists
$16,500 from Blue Cross Blue Shield’s corporate PAC
$47,650 from Aetna & CVS lobbyists
$7,000 from Aetna and CVS’s corporate PACs, including after the two companies merged.
$22,170.18 from Cigna lobbyists
$6,500 from Cigna’s corporate PAC
$8,000 from Centene’s PAC
$9,650 from Molina lobbyists
$11,000 from Molina’s corporate PAC
$1,750 from Kaiser Permanente lobbyists
Beyond health insurance lobbyists’ support for Brown, his backing of the enhanced Obamacare subsidies, more formally known as the Enhanced Premium Tax Credit (EPTC), raises concerns about waste, fraud, and abuse, and the subsidies’ limited ability to lower healthcare costs.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a study in December, which found that the enhanced Obamacare subsidies are rife with waste, fraud, and abuse:
The GAO, as part of its analysis, conducted covert operations, which included fictitious identities that flood insurers with unjustified subsides. It found that 100 percent of the fake applicants were approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as recently as 2024, with 90 percent of the fraudulent applicants continuing to receive coverage in 2025.
A Husted spokesperson noted that the senator has proposed legislation that would seek to remove fraud from the program and extend the subsidies.
“Senator Husted proposed a bill that would have extended the subsidies and prevented premium hikes on all Americans while also working to actually lower the cost of health care and weed out fraud,” the spokesman said in December. “I’m surprised to hear there would be opposition to such a commonsense compromise.”
Meanwhile, Senate Republicans have pushed legislation that would lower health insurance premiums by 11 percent through cost-sharing reduction payments.
[X] Did the bill pass? Did it pass in both the House and the Senate? Did it pass with a veto-proof margin of votes? Because unless it’s veto-proof, it won’t stop President Trump from doing squat.
Let that sink in.
Congress is not reacting to a war.
They are reacting to Trump breaking a taboo.
Trump said what no Western leader has dared to say out loud:
Greenland is not just Danish territory.
It is the keystone of Arctic power, missile defense, shipping lanes, and rare-earth minerals.
And whoever controls it controls the northern gateway to North America.
That terrified the political class.
So now Washington is moving to box him in — legally, politically, and diplomatically.
This bill does one thing above all else:
It tells Trump
“You are not allowed to challenge the NATO order.”
Not Denmark.
Not Brussels.
Not the post-war system that decides who controls what.
This is not about peace.
This is about who decides the future of the Arctic.
Trump is signaling that America’s security comes before alliance etiquette.
Congress is signaling that alliances come before America’s freedom of action.
That is the real clash.
The old global order is trying to lock the door.
Trump just put his foot in it.
And the fight is now out in the open.
Video at link
🚨 WASHINGTON MOVES TO SHACKLE TRUMP OVER GREENLAND
Something extraordinary just happened.
Bipartisan lawmakers rushed out a bill to block any U.S. military action against NATO allies — right after President Trump put Greenland on the table.
[X] NOW: U.S. Senate votes 51–50 against effort to block Trump from further Venezuela military action without Congress’ authorization, Vance breaks the tie.
the Republicans who voted for the effort were Susan Collins (ME), Lisa Murkowski (AK), and Rand Paul (KY).
In other words, the usual suspects. But it didn’t pass, and their voters are loyal, so they are helping the Republicans maintain control of the Senate even though they are unapologetically old-fashioned country club Republicans who have no intention of changing.
NOW: U.S. Senate votes 51–50 against effort to block Trump from further Venezuela military action without Congress’ authorization, Vance breaks the tie. pic.twitter.com/GAiB2xTjrN
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/15/2026 6:26 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Despite most of the pompous blathering about Constitutional fidelity and adherence to the Balance of Power, much of this is about trying to ensure that the Unitary Executive Presidency's use of US military power is restrained by legislative Lilliputians whose real motives are about being relevant, influential and funded by the K street corps of lobbyists (and the nameless dark money sources behind them). I confess I am aghast at my massive cynicism, but I approach the Octogenarian plateau of Washington-Watching-Wisdom reluctantly!
[X] US House REJECTS measure to take away staff funding from rogue Judge James BOASBERG, 163-257
46 Republicans voted AGAINST. UNBELIEVABLE.
The measure from Chip Roy also slashed DC Circuit Court funding by 20%, and took staff funding away from Judge Boardman
ROY: "These two individuals have been particularly egregious in their contempt of the President and putting their personal views in front of their duty as judges to carry out the jobs that they hold."
🚨 JUST IN: US House REJECTS measure to take away staff funding from rogue Judge James BOASBERG, 163-257
46 Republicans voted AGAINST. UNBELIEVABLE.
The measure from Chip Roy also slashed DC Circuit Court funding by 20%, and took staff funding away from Judge Boardman
List of Republicans Who Voted Nay (Against the Amendment)
• Steve Alford (MO)
• Don Bacon (NE)
• Vern Buchanan (FL)
• Ken Calvert (CA)
• Buddy Carter (TX)
• Tom Cole (OK)
• Mario Diaz-Balart (FL)
• Chuck Edwards (NC)
• Jake Ellzey (TX)
• Brian Fitzpatrick (PA)
• Mike Flood (NE)
• Vince Fong (CA)
• Andrew Garbarino (NY)
• Carlos Gimenez (FL)
• Jeff Hurd (CO)
• Darrell Issa (CA)
• Dusty Johnson (SD)
• Dave Joyce (OH)
• Tom Kean (NJ)
• Jen Kiggans (VA)
• Kevin Kiley (CA)
• Darin LaHood (IL)
• Nick LaLota (NY)
• Mike Lawler (NY)
• Celeste Maloy (UT)
• Michael McCaul (TX)
• Tom McClintock (CA)
• John Moolenaar (MI)
• Blake Moore (UT)
• Dan Newhouse (WA)
• Jay Obernolte (CA)
• Harold Rogers (KY)
• Mike Rogers (AL)
• Maria Elvira Salazar (FL)
• Austin Scott (GA)
• Mike Simpson (ID)
• Adrian Smith (NE)
• Mike Turner (OH)
• David Valadao (CA)
• Bruce Westerman (AR)
• Rob Wittman (VA)
• Steve Womack (AR)
• Ryan Zinke (MT)
• Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA)
• Zach Nunn (IA)
• Derrick Van Orden (WI)
#4
Winning back our country will take two decades. Part of the struggle will be like the Israelites marching around in the desert weeding out the unfit politicians. God tells them to attack the Canaanites but they are too scared. Complaints about the amenities and two rebellions against Moses happened.
How will look? My Congressman Dave Joyce routinely votes contrary to the wishes of 90% of his voters to satisfy the party bosses and his large donors - some are probably corporations, maybe even foreign funds. Joyce needs to be replaced. The Ohio GOP will do whatever they can to prevent that. Eventually, he will be pried out of office or find a good grift in the private sector. When he finally gets gone, it will be war to replace him with someone decent. The system will try to install a clone.
What would speed the process? Prosecution of folks that have smurfed funds through Act Blue and Win Red has the potential to replace a large numbers of politicians in one cycle. The exposure of large scale corruption that started in Minneapolis has that potential. The election fraud in 2020 had that potential.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/15/2026 6:25 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Why do I have the feeling that Trump's presidency is just a splash - and, in 2228, everything will go back to "business as usual"?
Posted by Grom the Affective
Sadly, the days of this being the typical American voter are a distant memory.
The typical voter today increasingly is dumber than my cat and makes life choices based on a Tik-Tock influencer, the bovine blobs on the View, or what her friends talk about, and often worst of all, who ensures the government checks keep flowing .
The most cruel part is their vote cancels the votes of Americans who could actually save our future!
#9
The trick the GOP uses is that RINO’s are generally well funded by the party and challengers have little success in their grass roots campaign. When a donor and party supported rep retires they have a duplicate candidate ready to go. It almost takes a celebrity candidate to break the chain of custody on a red seat.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/15/2026 20:59 Comments ||
Top||
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
