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526 Members of Congress Decline to Join Anti-Marijuana Rescheduling Letter to AG Bondi, Just 9 Sign On, Down From 25 in 2024

The signatories include Representatives Pete Sessions (TX), Andy Harris (MD), Robert Aderholt (AL), Paul Gosar (AZ), Chip Roy (TX), Blake Moore (UT), Gary Palmer (AL), David Rouzer (NC), and Mary Miller (IL). No senators signed the letter.

The contrast with last year is stark. In 2024, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) circulated a similar letter opposing rescheduling that drew the support of 25 lawmakers, including several U.S. senators. This year’s version secured less than half as many backers, with support confined entirely to a small bloc of House Republicans.

The letter, led by Congressman Pete Sessions, warns that rescheduling would provide tax benefits to marijuana businesses and drug cartels, while citing concerns about addiction, mental health impacts, and links to foreign crime organizations. Despite these claims, the limited number of signatures—despite the letter being heavily circulated among lawmakers—underscores the declining influence of marijuana reform opponents in Congress.

With public opinion polls consistently showing majority support for legalization and more states moving to regulate marijuana, the shrinking list of congressional voices against reform highlights how rapidly the political landscape is shifting. Opposition to rescheduling, once much broader, is now increasingly isolated to a small group of lawmakers.

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Trans activist arrested for fatal shooting of Massachusetts man had machete assault charges dropped last month

A trans activist in Massachusetts was accused of fatally shooting a man after the victim confronted the activist for spray-painting. The suspect had previous assault charges dismissed after being repeatedly committed for psychiatric evaluations.

Snehal A. Srivastava, who went by “Sasha,” is accused of carrying out a shooting on August 28, allegedly gunning down a 56-year-old man who confronted him over graffiti. The victim was shot multiple times after walking his 6-year-old child to school.

Srivastava was ordered held without bail on Friday.

Court and police records show that Srivastava had a violent history prior to the shooting. According to the Telegram & Gazette, in September 2022, Westborough police said the suspect seriously injured a man with a machete in a movie theater parking lot. The victim told police that Srivastava circled him while he was in a car, prompting him to get out and confront Srivastava. A fight ensued, during which Srivastava cut the man’s hand with a machete before fleeing.

Srivastava was later arrested and charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct, and mayhem. Srivastava was initially held without bail and sent for a competency evaluation. In October 2022, Srivastava was released on $5,000 bail with a tracking device. Another warrant was issued five months later, leading to another competency evaluation.

In August 2023, Srivastava was held again after an alleged probation violation, and another competency hearing was ordered. The suspect was released in October 2023 under partial home confinement and required to follow court-ordered treatment plans.

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Three years on, the ‘significant sum’ paid out by Prince Andrew has still not reached accuser Virginia Giuffre’s charity  

The money Prince Andrew gave his accuser’s charity still hasn’t been paid to the organisation three years after their settlement, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. 

The ‘significant’ sum – which is thought to be in the millions – has yet to be sent to Speak Out, Act, Reclaim (SOAR) which was founded by Virginia Giuffre.

The Duke of York agreed to pay the money following his £10 million agreement with Ms Giuffre in February 2022 to settle the sexual battery lawsuit she filed against him.

He always denied her claims and insists the settlement was not an admission of wrongdoing. 

But SOAR has yet to formally launch as a non-profit group, and its predecessor, Victims Refuse Silence, lost its charitable status in 2023. 

A source said the money would get to SOAR ‘eventually’.

Ms Giuffre, who took her life in April at 41, accused the duke of having sex with her three times when she was 17 after she was trafficked by paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The money was a key to Ms Giuffre’s hopes to become a global campaigner for victims of sexual abuse.

 Instead, Victims Refuse Silence, which was active when she got the settlement, is defunct and had its charitable status revoked by America’s Internal Revenue Service in 2023 for failing to file tax returns.

SOAR’s website went online after the arrest and suicide of Epstein in 2019, but no US company records exist for it, nor is it registered with the IRS as a non-profit group. 

A source close to Ms Giuffre said the duke’s money had not been spent, but would not say where it was.

The state of Ms Giuffre’s finances were revealed during the probate of her estate in Perth, western Australia, where she lived.

She died without a will, meaning it could take years before her estate is distributed, potentially further delaying the payment.

Her family also want SOAR to get the proceeds from her memoir, due out in October. But that could be in doubt as it is not yet a non-profit.

Another source said: ‘The sad thing is that this money has not gone to help victims. The money is in legal limbo. With the mess Virginia’s death left, it’s likely to remain in limbo for a long time.’

Ms Giuffre’s family did not reply to requests to comment.

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Ex-Jackson Co chief deputy ousted for bad behavior working at nearby Neillsville PD

The former chief deputy of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, who was forced out last year for romantic and sometimes sexual relationships with female subordinates, is now working in the neighboring county as a patrol officer at the Neillsville Police Department.

An investigation conducted by Jackson County Sheriff Duane Waldera last year and obtained by The Badger Project in a records request found that ex-Chief Deputy Adam Olson had inappropriate relationships with at least three female deputies and also the county’s then-HR director, while he was on duty. He was also accused of “hostile” or “negative” behavior towards some female employees over the course of many years, according to the investigation.

After 15 years of full-time employment there, Olson resigned from Jackson County in March of 2024 and was hired at the Neillsville Police Department in July of 2024, according to the state Department of Justice.

One female deputy at Jackson County, who said she had a flirtatious but not physical relationship with Olson, reported that he acted inappropriately towards her, such as pushing her against a wall at the courthouse and trying to kiss her. The deputy also told investigators that in a separate event, Olson had grabbed her thighs while she was sitting and said, “you know you want it.” While those encounters were consensual, the deputy said she refused Olson because he was married.

When that deputy, whose name is redacted in the investigation, started dating another employee of the sheriff’s office, she told investigators that Olson’s attention to her soured and became hostile. The deputy said she could not report to the HR director at the time, who is no longer employed by the county, because Olson was currently in a romantic relationship with her. She told investigators Olson forced her resignation from the office and blocked her from returning as a part-time employee.

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CONFLICT OF INTEREST EXPOSED: Corrupt Judge Jia Cobb Who Blocked Trump’s Mass Deportations and Now Oversees Federal Reserve Mortgage Fraudster Lisa Cook Revealed as SORORITY SISTER!

You can’t make this up.

On Friday morning, embattled Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, recently fired by President Trump over allegations of fraud and misconduct, appeared in federal court to challenge her dismissal.

The case was heard by none other than Judge Jia Cobb, a radical Biden-appointed judge already notorious for shamelessly blocking Trump’s lawful mass deportation orders.

It can be recalled that US District Judge Jia Cobb called President Trump’s expedited removal of illegal aliens from the interior of the US a “skimpy process.”

“The procedures the government currently uses in expedited removal, however, create a significant risk that it will not identify these disqualifying criteria before quickly ordering someone removed. And the lack of available review means that once the removal happens, it is largely too late to correct the error,” Judge Cobb wrote in a 48-page opinion on Friday.

The Gateway Pundit reported on Friday morning that Judge Cobb wasted no time holding an emergency hearing that dragged on for over two hours. Attorneys for Lisa Cook and the DOJ clashed as they desperately tried to salvage her cushy position on the Federal Reserve Board.

Cook’s high-powered lawyer, Abbe Lowell, the same guy who’s been defending Hunter Biden in his scandals, went full attack mode on President Trump, whining that the Commander-in-Chief makes his orders and policies via “tweets.”

During the hearing, Judge Cobb openly cast doubt on Trump’s executive order firing Cook, but she stopped short of issuing a ruling. Court will resume next Tuesday.

Lisa Cook, fired by Trump this week for alleged mortgage and financial misconduct, is suing to keep her cushy Federal Reserve seat. The lawsuit should have been randomly assigned.

But in a shocking twist, the case landed before Judge Cobb, who just so happens to be Cook’s sorority sister in Delta Sigma Theta.

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$312 Billion in Chinese Money Laundering Networks Is Driving the Drug Crisis and Human Trafficking in the US

The Treasury Department has confirmed a national security and public safety disaster: Chinese money-laundering networks have pushed more than $312 billion in illicit transactions through U.S. financial institutions in recent years. 

That money financed Mexican drug cartels, enabled human traffickers, and supported organized criminal networks that have left tens of thousands of Americans dead from fentanyl overdoses and other cartel-driven violence.

According to FINCEN.gov, financial institutions filed 1,675 BSA reports in the dataset indicating suspicious activity potentially involving human trafficking or human smuggling.

FINCEN.gov also discovered funds potentially associated with healthcare fraud, elder abuse, and suspicious gaming activity.

What makes these Chinese Money Laundering Networks (CMLNs) especially dangerous is their coordination with Mexico’s most violent cartels, including the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation organizations. 

Mexico’s strict limits on U.S. dollar deposits force cartels to look abroad, while China’s own capital controls make moving money out of the country nearly impossible through legal channels. 

Criminals found the perfect solution: CMLNs convert cartel drug profits in dollars into Chinese renminbi and then cycle those funds back into the U.S. banking system. 

The cartels get clean money. China’s elites get access to American assets. And Americans pay the price in drug overdoses, gang violence, and financial corruption.

Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) documented 137,153 suspicious activity reports between 2020 and 2024 linked directly to CMLNs. 

These reports describe methods ranging from mirror transactions and trade-based laundering to the use of so-called “money mules.” 

Students, retirees, and homemakers with little or no income were recruited to make large deposits that far exceeded their financial profiles. This layering of ordinary citizens into billion-dollar schemes makes detection more difficult and gives cartels longer lifelines.

FinCEN also found $53.7 billion in suspicious real estate transactions, much of it in major cities where foreign buyers already distort housing markets. 

Another $766 million was tied to adult day-care centers in New York, which investigators believe could be linked to healthcare fraud, elder abuse, and even human trafficking. 

More than 1,600 cases pointed to human smuggling and trafficking operations, while another 108 cases were tied directly to elder abuse and Medicare fraud. 

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Letitia James Caught Harboring Fugitive! — Jailbird Niece is Hiding Out in Letitia’s “Primary Residence” Mortgage Fraud Home in Virginia

The North Carolina Department of Adult Correction is actively searching for Nikia Monique Thompson, the fugitive daughter of New York Attorney General Letitia James’s niece

Thompson, listed as an “Absconder” (offender number 0898340) on the department’s official site, is wanted for violating probation terms. North Carolina authorities are urging anyone with knowledge of her whereabouts to call their tip line at 1-888-646-0024.

Where is Nikia Monique Thompson hiding? All indications, including from Letitia James herself, are that Thompson is hiding out at Letitia’s “mortgage fraud” home in Norfolk, Virgina.

This means that Letitia James herself could be charged with harboring a fugitive. And, because it involves interstate flight, James could be subject to federal harboring law which carries up to 5 years in prison.

As detailed on Sam Antar’s White Collar Fraud website, Letitia James co-signed for a mortgage for a property located at 604 Sterling Street in Norfolk, Virginia, alongside her niece, Shamice Thompson-Hairston in August 2023.

Despite being a permanent resident of Brooklyn and New York State Attorney General, as part of this transaction, James executed a notarized Power of Attorney (POA) which included a sworn declaration stating, “I hereby declare that I intend to occupy this property as my principal residence.”

William Pulte, Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, cited this declaration in an April 14, 2025, letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, alleging that James may have falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government-backed loans with more favorable terms, since her “primary residence” declaration was instrumental in securing lower mortgage rates.

In addition, James’s 2011 HAMP loan that I covered in The Gateway Pundit was also cited by Pulte for investigation.

On May 21, 2025 while speaking before the Association for a Better New York, Letitia James attempted to deflect the growing controversy over her criminal referral to the DOJ by claiming her motives were purely familial.

“In reality, the power of attorney was never used to determine my eligibility for a mortgage for my niece for a home in the state of Virginia,” James said. “My niece has children, and because I’m a good aunt, I wanted her to have a home.”

But as I detailed in The Gateway Pundit in Crime Runs in the Family! Letitia James Buys Home for Niece’s Jailbird Adult Kids, James’s explanation, that she is a “good aunt” merely helping her niece and her children, was misleading. The “children” whom James’s statement implied were minors, are both adults, and both have significant criminal histories.

Nakia Monique Thompson has a criminal record spanning 20 years in the states of Virginia and North Carolina, and include multiple convictions for contributing to delinquency of a minor, abuse of child, possession of burglary tools, third degree larceny, assault and battery,  trespassing, shoplifting, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, possession of marijuana, driving with a suspended license, and even malicious conduct while incarcerated.

Her persistent criminal activity underscores the seriousness of James’s role in providing Thompson with a hide out while on the run from North Carolina authorities.

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U.S. generals ran cover for Taliban, despite violent attacks during bungled withdrawal

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and CENTCOM Commander Frank McKenzie repeatedly ran cover for the Taliban’s behavior in 2021, denying that the Taliban had carried out attacks against U.S. and NATO bases during the withdrawal and defending the Taliban’s behavior during the evacuation.

In the weeks after the fall of Kabul, U.S. military brass such as Milley and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would repeatedly testify that the Taliban had broken every provision of the Doha Agreement but one — its vow not to attack U.S. and NATO forces.

In fact, the Taliban had also violated that provision, because the Taliban attacked U.S. and NATO bases in Afghanistan multiple times, both before and after President Joe Biden’s “Go-to-Zero” order, including attacks on Bagram Air Base when U.S. troops were still there. The Taliban’s official spokespeople would often take credit for the attacks too.

The GOP-led House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) final report from last year had a section about how “Taliban Attacks on U.S. Bases Continue[d]” during the U.S. military withdrawal in the spring and summer of 2021, but nowhere in that section nor anywhere else in the report did it include the key fact that Milley and McKenzie repeatedly and falsely claimed that these attacks hadn’t happened.

Multiple key Biden Administration officials also repeatedly praised the “businesslike” character of the Taliban during the non-combatant evacuation operation (NEO) at Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA), despite clear evidence that the Taliban was beating up some Americans and blocking some U.S. citizens from escaping Afghanistan, and in spite of overwhelming evidence that the Taliban was beating up and even executing some Afghans who wanted to flee Taliban rule. McKenzie played an especially key role in establishing this narrative, although Milley played his part too.

HFAC’s September report also made no mention of McKenzie’s insistence that the Taliban had been “very businesslike” and “very pragmatic” and made no mention of Milley’s claims that the Taliban was not interfering with the U.S. evacuation, nor did the report make any reference to other Biden Administration officials repeating this false “businesslike” mantra about the Taliban.

Biden issued a pardon to Milley on his last full day in office in January 2025. McKenzie and other military leaders were not pardoned. McKenzie is currently listed as the Executive Director for the Global and National Security Institute at the University of Southern Florida. 

McKenzie did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent to him through his email at the school. Nor did he respond to prior Just the News reporting about him.

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Wealthy Island Community’s Sewage Has a Cocaine Problem

The picturesque island of Nantucket off Cape Cod is producing sewage with high levels of cocaine, possibly revealing the illegal drug of choice in the exclusive upscale New England community.

As part of a program initiated this year, Nantucket, Massachusetts, has been using its sewage “surveillance program” to get a handle on the amount and types of drug use on the island, where population quadruples to 80,000 in the summer months with tourists and seasonal residents.

Conducted at the island’s Surfside wastewater treatment facility, the testing found cocaine levels about 50 percent higher than the national average, according to the town and county’s website.

Labeled the “High Risk Substances Summary for Nantucket Sewer Department,” the testing revealed below-average levels of fentanyl, the powerful opioid that has caused thousands of overdoses in the United States.

The surveillance program tests for a range of substances besides cocaine, including nicotine, methamphetamine, and other prescription and illicit opioids. The idea and technology of testing the sewage was developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to test for the virus.

According to the program’s official description:

While the goal is not to estimate exact numbers of users, the data will help identify concerning patterns, such as sustained increases in certain drug markers, that can guide timely, evidence-based interventions. For example, if a prolonged spike in stimulant use is observed, the Town can coordinate educational outreach, screening efforts, or peer-led recovery support tailored to that substance.

While nicotine use was typical of regional and U.S. averages, other noteworthy findings were the levels of crystal meth and xylazine, an animal tranquilizer that authorities say is often mixed in with other drugs. Both those drugs showed very low levels.

“What’s shocking is that there is a low level of trace items,” Randolph Rice, a legal analyst, told Fox News Digital. “For example, there is very little fentanyl or xylazine…Oftentimes, these substances are added to [drugs] to make them more potent, but they also make them deadly. So what it’s telling us in Nantucket, is they’re getting the pure stuff.”

Back in May, a local news outlet reported what it called the largest cocaine bust in the island’s history when more than five pounds of the drug were seized during the arrest of a suspect from the Dominican Republic who has a green card allowing him to live legally in the United States.

One activity that could distort drug use trends determined from sewage is the pressure of law enforcement.

David Katz, a former DEA special agent, told Fox News Digital that cocaine concentrations could also come from a dealer flushing a large stash to avoid being busted during a raid.

“We used to shut the water off before we did search warrants because of that same thing,” he said.

The other cause, he said, would be the toilet flushes from cocaine users as the drug leaves their system.

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70 piles of cremated human remains discovered in Nevada desert

An investigation is underway after an individual found 70 piles of cremated human remains outside of Searchlight, Nevada, roughly 50 miles south of Las Vegas.

The piles of ashes were found on the Bureau of Land Management land on a dirt road, according to 8 News Now in Las Vegas. The news outlet obtained photos showing small gray piles of ashes spread on the ground. 

BLM officials told the Associated Press that it was investigating the discovery of the ashes with Las Vegas police. 

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