Tag: donald trump

Trump authorizes military to take control of federal land along southern border

President Trump issued a memorandum Friday authorizing the military to take control of federal lands along the southern border to combat illegal immigration and drug smuggling. 

“Our southern border is under attack from a variety of threats. The complexity of the current situation requires that our military take a more direct role in securing our southern border than in the recent past,” Trump wrote in the memo issued to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Agricultural Secretary Brooke Rollins.

Trump directed his Cabinet members to “take all appropriate actions” to “provide for the use and jurisdiction by the Department of Defense” over federal lands “that are reasonably necessary to enable military activities directed in this memorandum.” 

The president listed “border-barrier construction and emplacement of detection and monitoring equipment” as the activities that the military will engage in along the US-Mexico border but later noted that Hegseth “may determine those military activities that are reasonably necessary and appropriate to accomplish the mission assigned.” 

The mission is to “defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of the US, as detailed in Trump’s Day One executive order on border security. 

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Another Day, Another Alleged Would-Be Trump Assassin Charged

Less than a week after a horrifying survey found more than half of self-identified leftists believe killing President Donald Trump would be justifiable, a Pennsylvania man has been charged with threatening to murder the president and other U.S. officials. 

Shawn Monper, 32, of Butler — the same Pennsylvania community where Trump came within a fraction of an inch of being assassinated last July — faces federal charges of making threats to assault and murder Trump, DOGE advisor and Tesla founder Elon Musk, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, and others, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. 

“I want to applaud the outstanding and courageous investigative work of the FBI and the Butler Township Police Department, who thankfully identified and apprehended this individual before he could carry out his threats against President Trump’s life and the lives of other innocent Americans,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi in a press release. 

Monper, who allegedly took to YouTube as “Mr. Satan,” made a series of threatening statements between Jan. 15 and last weekend, according to the criminal complaint. On Tuesday, the FBI National Threat Operations Section (NTOS) “received an emergency disclosure,” the Justice Department said. A subsequent federal investigation determined “Mr. Satan” was residing at Monper’s residence, according to the DOJ. 

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The IRS Isn’t Going Away, and This Is How We Know

As the 2024 campaign neared its send, candidate Donald Trump began promising that, if elected, he would support the elimination of income taxes. Shortly after he was sworn in, Trump then began saying he planned to abolish the Internal Revenue Service. The Trump team claimed in each case that it could raise enough tax revenue from tariffs to replace tax revenue from income taxes.

By March, however, Trump began backtracking, and his administration announced that the new goal was to eliminate income taxes for people making under $150,000 per year.

That last development on its own tells us that the IRS isn’t going away. If people making more than $150,000 are still going to pay income tax, then there will still be an IRS to which we’ll need to send tax returns to prove we’re not making more than $150,000.Raico, Ralph

But even if we ignore that problem, there are at least two other reasons why we can be sure the IRS isn’t going anywhere. The first way we know this is from the fact that the Trump administration is only talking about “abolishing” the progressive individual income tax. Administration mouthpieces have said nothing at all about getting rid of the income taxes known as “payroll taxes” that every wage earner pays.

The second way we know that the IRS isn’t going away is that taxes on imports—i.e., tariffs—simply aren’t going to bring in enough revenue to keep funding all the popular spending programs that Trump clearly has no interest in cutting.

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Trump Says US Will Not Attend G20 in S. Africa Because of “Land Confiscation and Genocide” of White Farmers

The US will not attend the G20 meeting in South Africa, President Donald Trump has said, because of “land confiscation and genocide” of white farmers.

In a post on his social-media site Truth Social, the President blasted South Africa for its anti-white racism.

“How could we be expected to go to South Africa for the very important G20 Meeting when Land Confiscation and Genocide is the primary topic of conversation?” President Trump posted.

“They are taking the land of white Farmers, and then killing them and their families. The Media refuses to report on this. The United States has held back all contributions to South Africa. Is this where we want to be for the G20? I don’t think so!”

The G20 consists of 19 countries, as well as the African Union and European Union, together making up 80% of the global economy and two-thirds of the population.

South Africa will hold the presidency of the G20 until November 2025, when it will be handed over to the US, at the next summit, in Johannesburg.

The decision to boycott the G20 in South Africa was first announced in February, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced he would not be attending any meetings and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he had commitments in Washington that would prevent him from attending a meeting of finance ministers.

Secretary Rubio said he would not “coddle anti-Americanism.”

In a stunning reversal of official policy and in the face of widespread media denials, the Trump administration has drawn attention to the plight of white South Africans under the post-Apartheid regime and even set up a refugee program for them to settle in the US.

At the beginning of February, President Trump signed an Executive Order creating a new pathway to settlement in the US for white South Africans.

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Trump Deputies Cancel Illegal Migrants’ Social Security Numbers

President Donald Trump’s deputies are wiping up the Social Security Numbers that were quietly given to illegal migrants by prior administrations.

The multi-stage plan has already wiped out more than 6,300 numbers given to migrants with criminal records, terrorist affiliations, or cancelled visas.

The Washington Post reported on Thursday night:

The move, requested by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem, is aimed at putting pressure on the undocumented immigrants to leave the country, according to a White House official.

…

The action marks the start of a major campaign by the Trump administration to force out potentially hundreds of thousands who are living in the U.S. illegally but who have a Social Security number, allowing them to collect Medicaid, Medicare, unemployment insurance, federal loans or other benefits, the people said. The next target for inclusion in the database will be 92,000 undocumented immigrants with some kind of criminal conviction, the White House official said, but the effort will expand to undocumented immigrants without criminal histories after that.

“The goal is to cut [migrants] off from using crucial financial services like bank accounts and credit cards, along with their access to government benefits,” the New York Times reported on Thursday.

“President Trump promised mass deportations, and by removing the monetary incentive for illegal aliens to come and stay, we will encourage them to self-deport,” White House spokeswoman Elizabeth Huston said in a statement.

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Trump Orders Security Clearance Revoked for Former CISA Director Chris Krebs Amid Investigation into Censorship and Political Bias

Former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Chris Krebs is once again facing public examination after President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to revoke Krebs’ security clearance and evaluate the access of others tied to him, including colleagues at the cybersecurity company SentinelOne.

The order, issued via a presidential memorandum on Wednesday, marks a renewed push to scrutinize the former official’s role in what the Trump team describes as a coordinated campaign to censor political speech under the pretense of cybersecurity.

According to the administration’s statement, this action is part of a wider national security review aimed at determining whether individuals with access to sensitive intelligence are acting in alignment with what it calls “the national interest.” The memorandum also calls for a reassessment of CISA’s operations going back six years, asserting that the agency engaged in actions that directly contradicted the foundational principles of free expression.

Krebs currently holds a senior intelligence and policy position at SentinelOne, a publicly traded cybersecurity firm that entered into a partnership with CISA in 2023 to bolster digital protections for critical U.S. infrastructure. The company has not issued a public response to the developments.

The White House released a statement along with the directive, declaring:

“ENDING GOVERNMENT CENSORSHIP: President Trump is committed to ending government censorship of Americans and believes that those who engage in such conduct should not have access to our nation’s secrets.”

The release levels pointed allegations at Krebs, accusing him of weaponizing his role at CISA to silence conservative voices. It claims that the agency’s collaboration with social media companies during his tenure amounted to political interference masked as a fight against misinformation.

The statement further alleges that Krebs and his team discouraged transparency around topics ranging from election vulnerabilities to the COVID-19 pandemic, and attempted to downplay the Hunter Biden laptop story, a matter that remains politically charged.

During the 2020 election cycle, CISA worked with major online platforms to address “disinformation,” a strategy that drew concern from Republican lawmakers who viewed the effort as an overreach and a potential tool of political bias.

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Trump threatens tariffs and sanctions on Mexico for ‘stealing’ water from Texas farmers

President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs, and possibly sanctions against Mexico, if it continues to rob South Texas farmers of Rio Grande water promised under a decades-old treaty.

In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump proclaimed that Mexico owes Texas 1.3 million acre-feet of water under the 1944 Water Treaty, though Mexico was violating their obligation.

“This is very unfair, and it is hurting South Texas Farmers very badly,” the president wrote. “Last year, the only Sugar Mill in Texas CLOSED, because Mexico has been stealing the water from Texas Farmers. Ted Cruz has been leading the fight to get South Texas the water it is owed, but Sleepy Joe refused to lift a finger to help the Farmers. THAT ENDS NOW!”

Trump continued, saying he will make sure Mexico does not violate treaties with the U.S. and hurt farmers in Texas.

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Swiss Pharma Company Announces $23 Billion U.S. Investment Days After Trump Pledged ‘Major Tariff’ on Drug Imports

Pharmaceutical company Novartis announced plans to build seven facilities in the United States and expand others in a $23 billion investment over five years on the heels of President Donald Trump’s announcement of forthcoming tariffs on imported drugs.

The Swiss company revealed the major investment in a press release.

“This commitment enables Novartis to expand on its current manufacturing, research and technology presence across the country with 10 facilities, including 7 brand new facilities, creating nearly 1,000 new jobs at Novartis and approximately 4,000 additional US jobs,” the release said.

Six of the facilities will be manufacturing plants, two of which will focus on radioligand therapy in Florida and Texas. It remains to be seen where the other four plants will be built.

Moreover, the company is establishing a biomedical research innovation center in San Diego as part of the investment, and it is expanding three of its production facilities in Indiana, New Jersey, and California.

The company also noted that its goal is to ensure “all key Novartis medicines for US patients will be made in the United States.”

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Ten Tariff Questions Never Asked

1.Trump’s So-Called “Trade War.”

Many call the American effort to obtain either tariff parity or a reduction in the roughly $1 trillion trade deficit and fifty years of consecutive trade deficits “a trade war.” But then what do they call the policies of the past half-century by Europe, Asia, China, and others to ensure asymmetrical tariffs, pseudo-health and security trade restrictions, and large surpluses?

A trade peace? Trade fairness?

2. Do Nations Prefer Surpluses or Deficits?

Why do most nations prefer trade surpluses and protective tariffs?

Are Europe, Asia, China, and others stupid? Are they suicidal in continuing their trade surpluses and protective or asymmetrical tariffs?

Is the United States uniquely brilliant in maintaining a half-century of cumulative trade deficits? Do Americans alone discover the advantages of a $1 trillion annual trade deficit and small or nonexistent tariffs?

Why don’t America’s trading partners prefer deficits like ours—given we supposedly believe they are either advantageous or perhaps irrelevant?

3. Would Our Trade Partners Prefer to Trade Places With Us?

Would our trade partners prefer to have America’s supposed benefits of a $1-trillion trade deficit? Would the United States then “suffer” like they do by running up $200 billion annual surpluses?

4. What if Wages Went Up at the Rate of the Stock Market?

What would now be the reaction of the stock market if over the last decade wages had increased at the rate of stocks—and the stocks at the rate of wages?

5. Is Wall Street’s Panic Based on What Might Happen—Or What Is Happening?

Is Wall Street’s meltdown a fear of what might happen in the future? Or is it reacting to March’s latest jobs report that there were 93,000 more jobs created than predicted? Was the Wall Street panic predicated on reports of much lower oil prices? Did the furor arise over the March inflation report that the annualized inflation rate dipped to 2.6% per year?

6. Is the Frenzy Caused by the Trump Economic Agenda?

Is Wall Street’s worry that Trump’s impending tax cuts, more deregulation, greater budget cuts, and continued efforts to eliminate budget deficits and reduce national debt will stall economic growth?

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Trucking Has an Immigrant Problem—and Trump Can Fix It

Alegislative battle has been taking place recently in Little Rock, Arkansas, between two organizations in the same industry over an issue that has ramifications for all of North America, and President Donald Trump’s commitment to Make America Great Again.

On one side are representatives of small- and medium-sized trucking companies and the drivers they employ, and on the other, a state-level affiliate of one of America’s most powerful lobbying organizations, whose name doesn’t really tell the full tale of whose interests they represent. Though the fight in Little Rock is over a piece of state legislation, the issue being fought over has international ramifications, and is likewise of extreme import to the safety of the motoring public everywhere, as well as the wages of one of America’s largest groups of workers.

A recent tragedy in Austin, Texas, has brought the debate over these competing pieces of legislation in Arkansas into sharp relief.

On the night of Thursday, March 13, 2025, along interstate 35 in Austin, Texas, five people were killed and 11 sent to hospital when Solomun Weldekeal-Araya crashed the tractor trailer unit he was driving into stopped traffic. Amongst the dead were the entire López family—mother Natalia, father Sergio, and the children Lylah and little Diego, an infant. Araya was working for a subcontractor to Amazon, and, according to eyewitnesses, he did not slow down at all, and it took him colliding with 17 vehicles before the semi he was driving came to a stop.

Investigations into Araya reveal some disturbing resonances with many other incidents that have been taking place all across American (and Canadian) roads. Araya is a recent migrant from Ethiopia, only had his license for four months, and in that time had racked up a serious speeding ticket and a number of Hours of Service Violations. A viral video of Araya exiting his rig immediately after the crash suggested intoxication; although he was later cleared of being drunk or on drugs, the HOS violations indicate he may have been delirious from fatigue.

Though investigations are ongoing, there’s enough evidence here to suggest yet another in a pattern of horrific crashes we have seen in America—a recent migrant or refugee, legal or illegal, is involved in a collision which kills one or many people. It is later found that they either didn’t speak English, were not trained properly, had no work authorization, were involved in some kind of indentured servitude arrangement, or had already been deported multiple times.

Take the case of Ignacio Cruz-Mendoza, who crashed his truck in Colorado and, in losing the load of steel tubing from the flatbed he was pulling, instantly killed Scott Miller, 64, who coincidentally enough was a truck driver on his way home from work. Cruz-Mendoza was in the country illegally from Mexico, and had already been deported 16 times.

He has since been taken into custody by ICE after release from a very short 364 day sentence for this incident.

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