| Africa North |
| Nigerian military says it killed 16 Boko Haram terrorists in northeastern Borno state |
| 2025-05-24 |
[AA.COM.TR] The Nigerian army on Friday said that it killed 16 Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...murderous Moslems in northeastern Borno state. In a statement, army spokesperson Onyechi Anele said the soldiers engaged the murderous Moslems with sustained indirect fire around 1:00 a.m. (2:00 WAT) in the Damboa local government on Friday and the shootout led to the death of no fewer than 16 terrorists. Boko Haram, a deadly terror group based in northeastern Nigeria and also active in Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon ...a long, narrow country that fills the space between Nigeria and Chad on the northeast, CAR to the southeast. Prior to incursions by Boko Haram nothing ever happened there... , and Mali, has carried out a series of deadly attacks and displacements of innocent people for over a decade. Borno State has, in the last few months, witnessed an increase in the activities of the terrorists, using bombs to wreak havoc. ''The main thrust of the attack targeted the Brigade, prompting the swift deployment of air support to reinforce ground troops,'' Anele said in a statement on Friday. She also confirmed that an ammunition storage area was hit during the exchange but was swiftly brought under control, with no further escalation recorded. Similarly, Nigeria's National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu said 15,543 Lions of Islam were killed across the country in the first two years of President Bola Tinubu's administration. Ribadu disclosed this in a presentation he made at the national summit of the All Progressives Congress to mark the two years of President Bola Tinubu's administration on Thursday. |
| Link |
| Fifth Column |
| Day 3: Feds charge Capital Jewish Museum killer with murder |
| 2025-05-24 |
| The US Justice Department said Elias Rodriguez, 31, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, as well as other charges, including the murder of foreign officials. An affidavit filed by an FBI agent in support of the criminal complaint said that as police escorted Rodriguez from the building, he shouted, “Free Palestine.” The document said police reviewed security footage showing Rodriguez walking past the victims outside the museum, then turning, pulling a firearm from his waistband, and shooting them in the back. After the victims fell to the ground, he approached them and fired several more times, as Milgrim attempted to crawl away from him. Milgrim then sat up while Rodriguez reloaded, and he shot her again, the video shows, according to the affidavit. Investigators recovered 21 empty shell cases and a 9mm handgun from the scene that matched a firearm Rodriguez purchased in Illinois in 2020. He flew from Chicago to Virginia with the firearm in his checked baggage, the affidavit said. He had declared the firearm for the flight. Rodriguez later told detectives that he admired Aaron Bushnell, an anti-Israel activist who self-immolated outside the Israeli embassy last year in protest, calling Bushnell a “martyr.” Rodriguez, a 30-year-old from Chicago, also said he had bought a ticket to the event at the museum three hours before it started. The case is being investigated by the FBI and Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department, and is being prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Israel’s ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, said the attacker was inside the event before the attack. “He milled around inside the event. We still don’t know exactly what he said, but he said enough that they removed him,” Leiter said at a press briefing at the scene of the attack. “He went outside, waited for embassy workers to come out, and shot them.” Three others escaped the shooting unharmed, Leiter said. At his first appearance in court on Thursday, the suspect waived his right to a detention hearing, and a preliminary hearing in the case was set for June 18. Rodriguez said little during the proceeding except to answer, “I do” to questions from a federal magistrate judge about whether he understood his rights. FBI agents were seen at his apartment in Chicago on Thursday, where law enforcement blocked off the street. ‘He never should have made it inside that building’: Security lapses in DC museum killings [IsraelTimes] Head of local Jewish community relations council calls to ‘extend the perimeter around our institutions,’ notes finite resources limit extent to which possible targets can be hardened On Wednesday night, three armed security officers stood guard as the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington held its annual meeting in the nation’s capital. On the agenda: discussions about the various ways antisemitic rhetoric can lead to violence. Hours later, JCRC CEO Ron Halber said, he found out about the deadly shooting of two Israeli embassy staff at the Capital Jewish Museum. It was a nightmare come to life. “It’s just godawful. There’s no other way to describe it. It was a horrific, antisemitic, anti-Israel, violent attack,” Halber told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency Thursday. “For years I’ve said in Washington, we’re lucky we’ve never had anything” of this magnitude attacking the Jewish community. “That record came to an end last night.” In the attack’s aftermath, Jewish community professionals including Halber are refocusing, again, on how to protect their institutions from threats. The shooting has also raised urgent questions: What went wrong? And what needs to change? “Why they failed tonight we obviously have to figure out,” Eric Fingerhut, CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, said in an interview with JTA hours after the shooting, regarding security. He added later, “The risks have continued to rise as antisemitism has risen and as anti-Israel behavior in America has risen and our security teams have worked so hard to keep up with that. They obviously didn’t succeed tonight but we will not stop until we’ve ensured the security of our community.” The timeline of the attack is relatively clear and, to security analysts, troubling: According to reports, the attacker shot his victims, the couple Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, on the street outside the museum as the event, organized by the American Jewish Committee, was winding down. He then walked inside the museum, where an eyewitness said organizers offered him water and he remained for around 10 minutes until police arrived and he confessed to the shooting. Both elements of the incident — that the attacker was able to reach his victims outside the event and then proceed inside for an extended period of time — indicate missteps, according to security professionals. “What concerned me as a seasoned law enforcement official is in all the work and the efforts that we put into training civilians, his behavior was almost literally screaming that there’s an issue here,” said Paul Goldenberg, the former head of the Secure Community Network, which coordinates security for Jewish institutions nationwide. Goldenberg said that in a widely circulated video of the suspect entering the building, he appeared nervous and disheveled, with jerky movements. Goldenberg says in the future, rank-and-file attendees need to be aware of those signs — and act on them by alerting someone. “The second he walked in after the shooting there should have been a plan,” added Goldenberg, who is now the chief policy adviser and head of global policing at Rutgers University’s Miller Center on Policing. “If we know that he just shot individuals outside, whatever security was in place, he never should have made it inside that building.” Neither the AJC nor the museum immediately responded to JTA queries about who was responsible for security on Wednesday night. But by Thursday afternoon, five of the leading Jewish groups that focus on security put out a series of security recommendations for future events. The recommendations focus principally on expanding the security perimeter of events; withholding the details of events and vetting attendees; and coordinating with law enforcement or hiring security guards. The AJC had done at least some of that: The invitation said the location would be “shared upon registration.” “The Jewish community is already among the most hardened targets in the country,” Oren Segal, who oversees the ADL’s Center on Extremism, told JTA prior to the recommendations being publicized. “Bulletproof glass and metal detectors is the norm. And the question is, how broad does the perimeter need to be for the Jews to feel secure?” Leading up to the event, the museum was broadly conscious of threats. The day before the shooting, it had announced a new security grant from the local DC government — one that Halber said the JCRC had helped arrange — in connection to a new exhibit on LGBTQ Jews. The $30,000 grant was meant to help the museum cover the costs of security guards both at the front desk and roaming around the museum “to make sure that everybody is safe and that we are prepared in the event of an emergency,” executive director Beatrice Gurwitz told local news at the time. She added that the grant “also helps our staff prepare.” Washington shooting suspect was anti-Israel activist, railed against Seattle’s ‘whitening’ [IsraelTimes] Elias Rodriguez, 31, had ‘Tikkun Olam means FREE PALESTINE’ sign in home window, was linked to Party for Socialism and Liberation; apparent manifesto called to ‘bring the war home’ Long. Key associations mentioned:
Yesterday we learnt that Mr. Rodriguez‘s father, Eric Rodriguez, was an activist for veteran’s and federal workers’ rights, for which he was honoured by Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.), who brought him to see President Trump’s joint speech to Congress in March. This report adds that he had served in the Army National Guard, which sent him to Iraq. |
| Link |
| Home Front: Politix |
| Gavin Newsom Fumes as Congress Repeals California's EV Mandate |
| 2025-05-24 |
| [Breitbart] California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) was fuming Thursday as Congress passed a repeal of California’s electric vehicle (EV) mandate, which relied on a special waiver from the outgoing Biden administration in December. “Make America Smoggy Again,” he announced, sarcastically. The Senate voted 51-44 to repeal the waiver, after a bipartisan majority in the House had done the same, as Breitbart News reported earlier this month. The repeal relies on the Congressional Review Act, a Bill Clinton-era law that allows Congress to repeal regulations that are not presented to it for timely approval. Newsom says the waiver is exempt from review. In a press statement, he vowed to sue: Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta announced today the state will file a lawsuit as Republicans in the U.S. Senate target California’s clean vehicles program – a move that will “Make America Smoggy Again.” However, as Ashley Zavala of Sacramento-era NBC affiliate KCRA reported, neither California voters nor American voters generally have ever voted to approve Newsom’s EV mandate. Related: Gavin Newsom 05/19/2025 CA Uses Your Money to Give Illegals Healthcare-4 Billion Annually Gavin Newsom 05/18/2025 California Gov. Gavin Newsom is reportedly considering a presidential run in 2028 Gavin Newsom 05/15/2025 Gavin Newsom Caves to Reality: No New Illegal Aliens on Free Health Care Related: Electric vehicle 05/11/2025 States Sue Trump Admin Over Termination Of Funding For EV Charging Stations Electric vehicle 05/09/2025 Huge win for Trump as world's second biggest carmaker 'relocates' manufacturing to US Electric vehicle 04/23/2025 China 'asks' South Korea not to export rare earth products to US defense, warns companies could be sanctioned |
| Link |
| Home Front: Politix |
| Dad of suspected terrorist Elias Rodriguez was invited to Trump address by left-wing Democratic lawmaker |
| 2025-05-23 |
| [NY Post] The father of the terror suspect accused of gunning down two soon-to-be-engaged Israeli Embassy staffers at the Capital Jewish Museum was honored by a far-left member of Congress with an invitation to President Trump’s joint address this past March, The Post has exclusively learned. “Eric Rodriguez was our guest during the President’s Joint Speech to Congress, but we don’t know his family,” Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.) said Thursday night. In March, he hailed Rodriguez as “an outspoken advocate against attacks on veterans’ services and the rights of unionized federal employees.” “Eric represents the very best of our community — someone who has served his country, continues to serve his fellow veterans and fights every day to protect the dignity of working people,” the congressman said in a statement at the time. “His presence at the Joint Address is a powerful statement: we will not sit back while veterans and workers are treated as political pawns.” Related: Capital Jewish Museum: 2025-05-22 Good Morning Capital Jewish Museum: 2025-05-22 2 people with Israeli embassy ties shot dead near DC's Capital Jewish Museum, murderer shouted “Free Palestine” as arrested |
| Link |
| Government Corruption |
| Thar's Gold In Them Thar NGOs! |
| 2025-05-24 |
| [HotAir] You'll remember one of the biggest drop-mic revelations was the $20B slush fund new Environmental Protection Agency head Lee Zeldin, along with Musk's DOGE waste-huntin' hounds found stashed in a sketchy secret Citibank account. That money was allocated to just eight climate-related NGOs in last-minute 'awards' from the Biden administration as they shoveled bucks out the door like a steam-driven locomotive's fireman flings coal. The most egregious of which was an earmarked $2B award to a Stacey Abrams-connected NGO called 'Power Forward Communities,' which was only a little over a year old and had less than $100 in the bank. The Washington Free Beacon reports that the Biden EPA awarded a group linked to Stacey Abrams with no real track record a 2 billion dollar environmental grant in 2024. Everyone has been dying to know more as Zeldin turned to clawing back the money. In the meantime, other folks started digging into the Power Forward Communities (PFC) NGO, and one of them uncovered the web of deep money progressive tentacles that run all through these seemingly humanitarian organizations. Sadly, they are, in fact, usually only money laundering schemes for progressive elites and their foot soldiers. Integral to the PFC story is a fellow named Shaun Donovan, who cut his political progressive teeth as the Commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development. He left the city to become, first, Obama's Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and then his director of the Office of Budget Management. When Obama left, Donovan knew he needed a new gig, so he slid on over to the Ford Foundation, which lobbies the federal government using Henry Ford's fortune. Eventually, through all his connections, he became the new CEO of Enterprise Community Partners (ECP). The previous CEO of this non-profit NGO - one wealthy enough to boast about investing $72B for a million energy efficient homes - earned $900K a year, which is quite a chunk for a charity, you'd think. But, according to Mr Chavous' research, the co-CEO pulled down a cool $800K, and the NGO spent over 27% of all its considerable income on salaries. What does this have to do with Power Forward Communities (PFC)? For one thing, the well-compensated and connected CEO of ECP, Mr Donovan, is the one who then formed that NGO and bragged about scoring the $2B award for his umbrella organization. Small, incestuous, lucrative world, these NGOs, aren't they? It also explains what went down in Lee Zeldin's testimony to Congress yesterday about the specifics that they have been finding about the proposal that came with PFC's grant paperwork. What was in the documents required to meet the 'eligibility requirements' for the federal handouts was so outrageous, it blew even the Biden administration EPA staff's mind. To the point where, when they were screening the paperwork, as internal documents have subsequently revealed, they wrote notes and memorandums about it to cover their own asterisks. One staff member reviewing the proposed salary structure thought they were so out of whack that they worried it might look bad should the public catch a glimpse. But, if you look at the mothership, ECP, that's where they all are as far as numbers go. On 12 May, PFC filed a status report with the D.C. district court claiming 'irreparable harm,' as they still could not access their Citbank funds because of mean old Lee Zeldin. Related: Lee Zeldin 05/15/2025 Texas mom purchased ammunition and tactical gear for son as he planned 'mass violence' at school Lee Zeldin 04/23/2025 Court orders Trump to restore funding to Voice of America Lee Zeldin 04/22/2025 Mexican sewage gushing into Navy SEAL training waters is US' 'next Camp Lejeune,' vets warn; UPDATE: EPA sect’y Lee Zeldin flies out to handle it Related: Power Forward Communities: 2025-04-19 DC Circuit Court of Appeals Blocks Judge Chutkan''s Order Requiring Citibank to Disburse $Billions From Biden''s Climate Slush Fund Power Forward Communities: 2025-03-09 Stacey Abrams-linked Group Got $2 Billion in 'Gold Bars' Scheme to Greenwash Appliances Power Forward Communities: 2025-03-05 Zeldin: EPA Working with DOJ, FBI on NGO Corruption After Eight Groups Tied to 'Gold Bars' Scheme Related: Shaun Donovan 03/25/2021 Poll: Dem primary for NYC mayor wide open, half of voters still undecided Shaun Donovan 07/15/2016 Final Budget Deficit Under Obama Projected At $600b Shaun Donovan 09/27/2013 White House to announce $300M in aid to Detroit |
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| Government Corruption |
| ActBlue officials decline to testify, Congress threatens subpoenas in foreign donations probe |
| 2025-05-24 |
| [JustTheNews] The witnesses initially agreed to voluntary interviews but pulled back after President Donald Trump signed an order instructing the Justice Department to probe ActBlue, correspondence shows. The chairmen of three powerful House committees on Thursday threatened to issue subpoenas after several current and former top officials of the Democrat online fund-raising platform ActBlue declined to testify in a probe into possible foreign and fraudulent political donations, according to correspondence obtained by Just the News. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., revealed in the letters that several of the witnesses initially agreed to voluntary, transcribed interviews, then pulled back through their lawyer earlier this month after President Donald Trump signed an order instructing the Justice Department to probe the platform. “As we have explained, the Committees are examining allegations that ActBlue, a leading political fundraising organization, allowed bad actors, including foreign actors, to exploit the company’s online platform to make fraudulent political donations,” the chairmen wrote in letters to the witnesses, which were sent to a lawyer representing them, Danny Onorato. "Fraudulent political donations corrupt American elections could amount to interstate criminal conduct," the letters also state. The letters laid out the testimony flip-flops for each of the witnesses, including ActBlue’s former chief revenue officer, Peter Slutsky. “On April 21, Mr. Onorato indicated that you had agreed to appear for a voluntary transcribed interview and began the process of scheduling your appearance. However, on May 7, Mr. Onorato notified the Committee that you had changed course and now would not appear for a voluntary transcribed interview,” the chairmen stated. “He cited a reported Executive Branch investigation into ‘the unlawful use of online fundraising platforms to make ‘straw’ or ‘dummy’ contributions or foreign contributions to political candidates and committees’ as the basis for your refusal to cooperate voluntarily with the Committees,” the letter to Slutsky and Onorato also states. You can read that letter here: Similar language was used for nearly all the witnesses who got the letters, which told the witnesses that an ongoing DOJ probe wasn’t a valid excuse for refusing to testify to Congress. “The relevant precedent is clear that the mere existence of state or federal law enforcement investigations has no bearing on Congress’s oversight power,” the lawmakers wrote. “As such, an Executive Branch investigation into matters related to versight by the Committees is not a legitimate basis on which you may decline our request.” The letters demanded each witness schedule their interview by no later than May 29 or risk facing a subpoena. “The Committees are prepared to resort to compulsory process, if necessary, to obtain compliance with our requests,” the lawmakers warned. The committees have been probing ActBlue over lax security measures and whether those vulnerabilities allowed foreign entities to donate to U.S. political campaigns, which is illegal. In October, Steil and Sen. Ron Johnson, a fellow Wisconsin Republican, wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines about concerns that four U.S. adversaries may have donated through the platform. “We write to you to raise an urgent concern regarding potential illicit election funding by foreign actors,” the lawmakers wrote Yellen in a letter dated Thursday. “CHA has been investigating claims that foreign actors, primarily from Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and China, may be using ActBlue to launder illicit money into U.S. political campaigns.” They also said: “Our investigation has indicated that these actors may be exploiting existing U.S. donors by making straw donations without their knowledge.” The lawmakers specifically demanded access to any Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) related to money passing through the fundraising platform generated by any U.S. financial institution as part of their anti-money-laundering activities. Congress has been pouring through those SARs in recent days after gaining access to them under the Trump administration. ActBlue has acknowledged to Congress that it has updated its donor verification policy to automatically reject donations that “use foreign prepaid/gift cards, domestic gift cards, are from high-risk/sanctioned countries, and have the highest level of risk as determined,” by its solution provider, Sift. The change occurred just three days after Steil introduced the Secure Handling of Internet Electronic Donations (SHIELD) Act, on Sept. 6, 2024, to ensure foreign money stayed out of online political fundraising. Before the change, Steil said, donations made with foreign gift cards were not automatically rejected by ActBlue before the change, Just the News reported. ActBlue has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and says that it is fully cooperating with ongoing investigations. "Democratic and progressive campaigns have trusted ActBlue’s two-decade-long track record of innovation and dependability to deliver during big fundraising moments," the firm said in a statement in June 2024 celebrating its 20th anniversary in business. According to internal company documents reviewed by the committees, during the 2024 campaign cycle, ActBlue issued new standards encouraging staff to “look for reasons to accept contributions.” Before the policy change, the platform already failed to require CVV numbers for credit card transactions, increasing fraud risks. An internal assessment by the company determined the policy change led to “between 14 and 28 additional fraudulent contributions each month,” the committees said. The documents also show the platform began monitoring potential fraudulent donations from several foreign sources, including hundreds of donations from Brazil, Colombia, India, Iraq, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia, and other countries. The lawmakers and Trump have both asked DOJ to probe ActBlue for possible criminal conduct. Related: ActBlue 04/23/2025 FBI claims alleged neo-Nazi killed parents as part of Trump assassination attempt ActBlue 04/20/2025 Congresswoman Maxine Dexter (D-OR) announces she will travel to El Salvador to 'demand the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia' ActBlue 04/11/2025 FEC Opens Probe of Rep. Jasmine Crockett Donations Related: Suspicious Activity Report: 2025-03-17 501c4 charities being given dark money to fund anti-Tesla protests Suspicious Activity Report: 2025-03-16 James Carville Says He's 'Telling' Dem Donors That Party Needs To Stop Pulling 'Stunts' Against Trump Suspicious Activity Report: 2025-03-14 Rep. James Comer and the FBI to bring CRIMINAL CHARGES against those behind ActBlue |
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| Government Corruption |
| The Walls Are Closing in on Biden's Inner Circle |
| 2025-05-23 |
| [PJ] Earlier this week, I made the case that Dr. Kevin O’Connor — Joe Biden’s longtime physician and former White House doctor — should be called to testify before Congress about his role in the cover-up of Biden’s obvious cognitive decline and now his cancer diagnosis. A growing number of medical experts agree that Biden’s condition didn’t just appear out of nowhere; it was likely known about for years. And now, we may finally be seeing the walls start to close in. On Thursday, House Oversight Chairman James Comer ramped up his investigation into the deliberate and coordinated cover-up, not just of Biden’s mental and physical deterioration, but also the possible unauthorized use of an autopen to greenlight sweeping executive actions, including controversial pardons. In a major development, Comer sent formal letters demanding transcribed interviews with five of Biden’s closest insiders. The list includes Dr. Kevin O’Connor himself, former Domestic Policy Council Director Neera Tanden, and longtime Biden loyalists Anthony Bernal, Annie Tomasini, and Ashley Williams. According to Comer, these individuals weren’t just witnesses; they were likely key players in the effort to hide Biden’s true condition while quietly allowing others to operate the levers of power on his behalf. If the Biden team thought they could run out the clock, they have another thing coming. The investigation is gaining traction, and accountability may finally be catching up. |
| Link |
| Africa Horn |
| U.S. to impose sanctions on Sudan over chemical weapons use |
| 2025-05-23 |
[SUDANTRIBUNE] The United States will impose sanctions on Sudan ...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans...after determining its government used chemical weapons ...have not been used since WWI except for in Iraq, by the late, unlamented Saddam Hussein and in Syria, but really, honest, not by the Syrian government. And in Germany in WWII, but that was against civilians. Lots of them, just one of many reasons Hitler's also late and unlamented... in 2024, the State Department announced on Thursday. The determination, made under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 (CBW Act), was delivered to Congress alongside a finding that Sudan is in non-compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), to which it is a party. ''The United States calls on the Government of Sudan to cease all chemical weapons use and uphold its obligations under the CWC,'' Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement. Following a 15-day congressional notification period, the sanctions are expected to take effect around June 6, 2025, upon publication of a notice in the Federal Register. The measures will include restrictions on U.S. exports to Sudan and limitations on access to U.S. government lines of credit. The United States reiterated its commitment to hold accountable those responsible for contributing to chemical weapons proliferation. The revelation of Sudan's chemical weapons use follows earlier reports of such actions. According to a New York Times  ...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... report published on January 16, 2025, senior U.S. officials indicated that Sudan's military used chemical weapons on at least two occasions against the paramilitary group it is battling for control of the country, the Rapid Support Forces (R.S.F.). These weapons were reportedly deployed recently in remote areas of Sudan, targeting R.S.F. members, with U.S. officials expressing concern about potential future use in densely populated parts of the capital, Khartoum. These revelations coincided with earlier U.S. sanctions imposed on Sudanese military chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for documented atrocities, including indiscriminate bombing of civilians and the use of starvation as a weapon of war. |
| Link |
| Home Front: Politix | ||
| DHS ends Harvard's student visa program over 'pro-terrorist conduct' | ||
| 2025-05-23 | ||
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is eliminating the student visa program at Harvard University due to "pro-terrorist conduct" at campus protests, Fox News Digital has learned. It's a severe consequence for what DHS claims is Harvard's refusal to comply with its requests for behavioral records of student visa holders. "This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus," said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. "It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments. Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused. They have lost their Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification as a result of their failure to adhere to the law. Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country." Harvard may no longer enroll foreign students in the 2025-2026 school year, and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status to reside in the U.S. before the next academic year begins. "As a result of your brazen refusal to comply with multiple requests to provide the Department of Homeland Security pertinent information while perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas rhetoric, and employs racist ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ policies, you have lost this privilege," Noem wrote in a letter to Maureen Martin, the university’s director of immigration services. Noem offered Harvard 72 hours to provide the information requested for an opportunity to regain its visa program for the next school year. She called the move the "direct result of Harvard’s epic failure to comply with simple reporting requirements." Harvard, meanwhile, asserted the termination was "unlawful." "The government’s action is unlawful. We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host our international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University – and this nation – immeasurably. We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission," university spokesperson Jason Newton told Fox News Digital. The records requested include any footage of protest activity involving students on visas and the disciplinary records of all students on visas in the last five years. Noem said last month she had requested records related to visa-holding students enrolled in the university and Harvard’s counsel did not provide adequate information to meet the demand. After the DHS general counsel asked again for the information, Harvard provided an "insufficient, incomplete and unacceptable response," she said. "Consequences must follow to send a clear signal to Harvard and all universities that want to enjoy the privilege of enrolling foreign students, that the Trump administration will enforce the law and root out the evils of antisemitism in society and campuses," said Noem. Requested records also include footage or documentation of illegal, dangerous or violent activity by student visa holders, any records of threats or the deprivation of rights of other students or university personnel. Harvard could not immediately be reached for comment. Last month, Harvard announced it would allow foreign students to accept admission to both Harvard and a foreign university as backup amid the Trump administration’s threats to move to block Harvard’s authorization to host them. Typically, students must accept enrollment at Harvard by May 1 and can’t commit to another university. At least a dozen Harvard students have had their authorization to study in the U.S. revoked over campus protest activity. The Trump administration has already frozen close to $3 billion in federal funding to the university, largely dedicated to research, and launched investigations across the departments of Justice, Education and Health and Human Services. They claim that Harvard has failed to address campus antisemitism and eradicate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in its policies. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress this week that the State Department had probably revoked "thousands" of student visas by this point and would "proudly" revoke more. "We're going to continue to revoke the visas of people who are here as guests and are disrupting our higher education facilities," he said Tuesday. "A visa is a privilege, not a right." The crackdown on university policies comes after a wave of pro-Gaza student protests and encampments swept schools across the nation since the beginning of Israel’s offensive campaign to eradicate Hamas after the Oct. 7 attacks to pressure university administrations to divest from Israel.
Trump has cracked down on campus anti-Semitism, which surged nationwide under Biden Related: Department of Homeland Security: 2025-05-21 ICE captures illegal immigrant wanted for allegedly killing mother in DUI crash Department of Homeland Security: 2025-05-17 Warning to Leave US: Thousands of Afghan Refugees in California receive deportation letters Department of Homeland Security: 2025-05-16 MAGA demands immediate arrest of former FBI director James Comey after he 'called for assassination' Related: Student visa: 2025-05-11 Tufts Turkish student who penned anti-Israel op-ed returns to Massachusetts after over 6 weeks detained Student visa: 2025-05-11 Israel claims it’s promoting Palestinian emigration from Gaza. So why are so few leaving? Student visa: 2025-05-11 America’s universities, still fighting against Jews and Israel: week of 5/4-5/10 Related: Harvard: 2025-05-20 UCLA Pro-Palestine protester rushed to the hospital after collapsing on Day 9 of her hunger strike Harvard: 2025-05-18 NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani doubles down on bizarre refusal to sign resolution condemning Holocaust Harvard: 2025-05-18 Paleo-love/Jew hate at America’s universities: week of 5/11-5/17/2025 | ||
| Link |
| Home Front: Politix | |||
| Sparks fly between Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Dem Rep. Watson Coleman: 'You should feel shameful' | |||
| 2025-05-23 | |||
Sparks flew on Capitol Hill Wednesday as Education Secretary Linda McMahon faced off with Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., in a fiery exchange during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing in the latest clash over the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education. The war of words began when Watson Coleman asked, "Do you believe that there is illegal discrimination against people who are Black or brown, and other types of discrimination in jobs and education in this country?" "I think it still exists in some areas," McMahon replied. Watson Coleman pressed further: "Then can you tell me why the Office of Civil Rights and the Department of Education is being decimated?"
Watson Coleman grew visibly frustrated and accused the administration of racial bias in immigration and education policies, saying its actions amounted to "favoritism and prioritization of white over color." In a blistering rebuke, Watson Coleman said, "Your rhetoric means nothing to me. What means something to me is the actions of this administration. I’m telling you, the Department of Education is one of the most important departments in this country. And you should feel shameful to be engaged with an administration that doesn’t give a damn." McMahon, remaining composed, replied, "I am the secretary of Education who has been approved to run this agency by Congress. And I was appointed by the president. And I serve at his pleasure under his mandate. So, therefore, the direction of his administration is what I will follow." The exchange came as part of a larger hearing in which McMahon laid out President Donald Trump’s 2026 education budget proposal, which calls for a $12 billion cut to the Education Department, a 15% reduction. McMahon described her work as the department’s "final mission": to wind it down and restore education oversight to states, parents and local educators. "Let’s focus on literacy. What we’re seeing in those scores is a failure of our students to learn to read," McMahon said. "We’ve lost the fundamentals." Chairman Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., praised McMahon’s approach, noting, "Despite $3 trillion in federal education spending since 1980, student achievement has not improved. The answer is not more money. It’s more accountability and local control." The plan consolidates 18 federal programs into a single $2 billion block grant to states. Democrats labeled the proposal as a backdoor effort to gut federal support for public schools. On student loans, McMahon said the department has begun recovering repayments after years of Biden-era pauses and confusion. "Since we restarted collections in May, we have recovered nearly $100 million," she said. She also defended staffing cuts and administrative restructuring, stating, "We’re delivering on all of our statutory requirements with fewer people and lower overhead." Republicans on the subcommittee shared their support for charter schools and school choice. McMahon, in agreement, pointed to a proposed $60 million increase in charter school funding. "We’ve got about a million students on charter school waiting lists," she said. "Parents should be deciding where their children can go to school and get the best education." Democrats also criticized McMahon for not defending early childhood education, particularly Head Start, even though the program technically falls under the Department of Health and Human Services. "Every Head Start program in the country has three days of funding. That’s not someone else’s problem. It’s America’s children," said Rep. Josh Harder, D-Calif. McMahon responded, "The earlier we can start education, the better, but I don’t believe the federal government is responsible for everything. That’s where states can lead." The Trump administration also defended its position forcefully outside the hearing room. "On the topic of corruption, let’s not forget that the Department of Education was created by President Carter in an attempt to win voters," Savannah Newhouse, Education Department press secretary, said in a statement to Fox News Digital following the exchange. "Since then, we have spent over $3 trillion pretending the department is necessary as student learning outcomes have not improved," she continued. "While the congresswoman from New Jersey basks in her five minutes of fame, the Trump administration is working to improve student outcomes and ensure American families have access to the quality education that they deserve."
Related: Linda McMahon 05/14/2025 Harvard expands lawsuit after Trump terminates another $450 million in grants Linda McMahon 04/19/2025 Trump to Harvard: Open Your Books On Foreign Income> Linda McMahon 04/01/2025 Trump admin reviews $9 billion in Harvard funding amid campus antisemitism crackdown Related: Watson Coleman 05/15/2025 Democrats Drag America Into the Mouth of Their Madness Watson Coleman 05/11/2025 Looney Jersey Dems put law enforcement at risk with pointless antics Watson Coleman 05/11/2025 DHS says ‘arrests are still on the table' after New Jersey House Dems caught on camera ‘storming' ICE facility | |||
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| Interesting Coincidence - The Last 8 Members of Congress Who Died Were All Democrats |
| 2025-05-23 |
[BusinessInsider] No coincidence at all. While the Republicans started replacing their country club Republicans like Mitt Romney in 2007 with first TEA Partiers and then MAGA Trumpsters, the Democrat Old Guard were holding tight to power — leaving only when carried out by six, including a state funeral attended by all the former presidents except Donald Trump, who was openly told his presence wasn’t wanted.
In the last two and a half years, eight sitting members of the House or Senate have died in office. Every time, it's been a Democrat. Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, died on Wednesday at 75, after a battle with esophageal cancer. He's the third House Democrat to die in the last three months. If Democrats had gained a narrow 1 or 2-seat majority in 2024, they would have lost it by now. The streak of Democratic deaths could just be something of a coincidence. After all, there are plenty of elderly and diminished Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including former Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. But Democrats do tend to be older than Republicans, on average. A report from FiscalNote found that in the last Congress, the average House Democrat was six years older than the average House Republican, while the gap was seven years in he upper chamber. There are some potential structural reasons for this as well, including the seniority system, which Democrats tend to employ more than Republicans. The deaths are just another data point in a long-running conversation that's been raging within the Democratic Party for years about age and gerontocracy, which culminated last year in President Joe Biden's decision to drop out of the presidential race after a disastrous debate performance. Since then, Democrats in particular have been taking age more seriously, including when it comes to who's serving in important committee positions. Connolly notably beat back a challenge from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York in December for the Oversight position he's now vacated. Here's the full list of Democratic lawmakers who have died in office since November 2022:
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