Tag: donald trump

Trump Goes All In On Regime Change In Cuba

The Trump administration just slammed the door on an effort by Cuba’s communist government to secure an economic lifeline while appearing to embrace reform. A May 1 executive order expands and sharpens longstanding American sanctions on Cuba, and appears to deliberately target a recent gesture at partially opening the Cuban economy. “All property and interests in property that are in the United States,” the order says, are barred from operating “in the energy, defense and related materiel, metals and mining, financial services, or security sector of the Cuban economy, or any other sector of the Cuban economy,” under the penalty of economic sanctions.

On March 16, in a bid for survival, the communist government of Cuba had announced a series of intended though vaguely executed reforms that would allow foreign investment in the island from Cubans living overseas. The reforms were to include a supposed expansion of private property rights. Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga said that the country was “open to maintaining a fluid commercial relationship with U.S. companies.”

Asked by email if the May 1 order was a deliberate response to the March 16 Cuban announcement, a State Department spokesman referred The Federalist to comments made on April 27 by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants. In a long discussion with Fox News Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst, Rubio rejected the possibility of reform under the current Cuban government, describing Cuba as “a failed state.”

Cuba “can get better,” the secretary of state added, but “serious economic reforms are impossible with these people in charge. It can’t happen. And these people in charge aren’t just economically incompetent. They have rolled out the welcome mat to adversaries of the United States to operate within Cuban territory against our national interest with impunity. We are not going to have a foreign military or intelligence or security apparatus operating with impunity 90 miles off the shores of the United States. That’s not going to happen under President Trump.”

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GOP bill earmarks $1B in taxpayer funds for ballroom Trump said donors would cover

Senate Republicans have expanded the scope of their immigration enforcement funding package to include $1 billion for security upgrades in the White House ballroom project and $1.5 billion for the Justice Department’s investigative and prosecutorial efforts.

The filibuster-proof budget reconciliation package that Republicans hope to pass this month provides a total of $71.8 billion through fiscal 2029, designed to last through President Trump’s term.

The bulk of the money, $69.3 billion, will go to the Department of Homeland Security to fund immigration enforcement agents and operations.

Democrats filibustered the annual Homeland Security Department appropriations bill over their objection to funding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol functions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection without significant policy changes.

That led to a record 76-day department shutdown, which ended last week after Congress passed a spending bill that funded the department, except for ICE and Border Patrol.

The budget reconciliation package is designed to fill those gaps. It provides $38.2 billion for ICE and $26.1 billion for CBP, as well as $5 billion in additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security, to be used largely at its discretion.

Much of the language describing the allowable uses of the funding is purposefully broad.

Still, it has a few specifications, including that $3.5 billion of the Border Patrol funding be set aside for upgrades of border surveillance and screening technology and “new platforms for rapid air and marine response capabilities.”

The $1 billion for the White House ballroom also falls under the Homeland Security Department. The funds are directed to the Secret Service for “security adjustments and upgrades” related to the project.

The Secret Service is planning to build an annex underneath the ballroom, along with other military-grade security infrastructure. The ballroom itself will include security features, such as bulletproof glass and counter-drone technology.

The bill says the $1 billion cannot be used for nonsecurity elements of the ballroom project. However, that figure is more than double the projected $400 million cost of the East Wing renovation.

Mr. Trump has raised the bulk of the funding needed through private donations, and some Republicans may object to taxpayer funds being spent on the ballroom project.

The reconciliation package also includes $1.5 billion for the Department of Justice, giving it wide latitude to spend the money.

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Trump Surgeon General Pick Dr. Saphier Repeatedly Instructed Americans to Take COVID-19 Shot

President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Nicole Saphier, spent the COVID-19 pandemic publicly urging Americans—particularly the elderly and medically vulnerable—to receive the COVID-19 shots.

Dr. Saphier is a board-certified radiologist, Director of Breast Imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (Monmouth), Fox News contributor, and author.

She earned her MD from Ross University, completed residency at Maricopa, and a breast/oncologic imaging fellowship at Mayo Clinic.

Federal safety surveillance data show that COVID injections have become one of the most death-reported and injury-reported pharmaceutical products in modern U.S. history.

Now, as she is elevated for one of the highest health offices in the country, critics argue her role in persuading Americans to accept a pharmaceutical intervention linked to unprecedented reported deaths, hospitalizations, and injuries is not simply controversial.

They argue it is professionally and morally disqualifying.

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Trump’s War on Iran Is Not America’s War

In a recent editorial exhorting President Trump to stay the course in Iran, the Wall Street Journal wrote, “Democrats in Congress are hoping for Mr. Trump’s failure in Iran, as if that wouldn’t also be America’s.”

For the life of me, I don’t see how Trump’s failure in Iran would also be America’s failure in Iran. I wish the Journal had explained its reasoning. I hope it still does.

This is Trump’s war. Not America’s. Trump’s!

Let’s keep in mind some basic facts. Trump launched this war all on his own. Well, okay, not entirely on his own. He launched it in consultation and partnership with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The two of them got together and decided to initiate their war on Iran, clearly thinking that it would be over within a few short weeks.

One fact is undisputed. Trump did not go to Congress, which consists of the elected representatives of the American people, to secure a declaration of war before launching his war of aggression on Iran. He (as well as the Wall Street Journal editorial board) knows full well that that is what the U.S. Constitution requires. The Constitution is the law. It is the higher law that we the people have imposed on Trump and all other federal officials. Trump is required to obey our law, just as the American people are required to obey laws enacted by Congress (and enforced by Trump and other executive branch officials).

Trump chose not to obey the law. He chose to break it. He chose to launch his war on Iran all on his own. He knew that when he launched his war, he was breaking the law — our law — the law of the Constitution.

Therefore, how in the world can Trump’s illegal war, which he launched without the consent of the American people, as required by law, possibly be converted into America’s war? I just don’t get it. I wish the Journal’s editorial board would explain its reasoning. If Trump’s illegal war of aggression against Iran results in his failure, why isn’t that his failure alone? Why is it also the failure of our country?

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Trump DOJ Closes SF Asylum Factory That Approved Cases at 4X National Rate

The federal government closed the San Francisco Immigration Court at 100 Montgomery Street ahead of schedule, leaving thousands of immigration cases in transition and prompting concerns among legal advocates about delays and confusion.

The closure, which took effect prior to the originally planned timeline, impacts a court widely considered a central hub for immigration proceedings in the United States.

During the court’s final hours of operation, only one individual remained in line for services as operations concluded.

Legal experts and advocates say the shutdown places approximately 15,000 cases in uncertainty within San Francisco alone.

Bill Hing, a professor of law and migration studies at the University of San Francisco, described the scope of the impact.

“We are talking about 15,000 cases that are in limbo in San Francisco. It’s a major hub of immigration in the U.S. Many people who are applying for asylum come to San Francisco, come to the Bay Area, and this is major blow for them,” Hing said.

Ahead of the May 1 closure, the Department of Justice dismissed at least 20 of the court’s 22 immigration judges.

One of those judges, Jeremiah Johnson, spoke publicly in December about his termination.

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Trump says missing, dead scientists likely unrelated

FBI and experts see no consistent pattern

Federal agencies, including the FBI and NASA, are reviewing the cases but stress that no evidence supports coordinated foul play. Retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer said a true conspiracy would require consistent victim profiles, access levels, and methods, which are absent here. The individuals span fields from astrophysics to pharmaceuticals, with varying clearance levels and circumstances, making a targeted operation unlikely based on current evidence. Newsweek

“Coffindaffer said a true conspiracy would show consistency: similar victims, a narrow professional focus, comparable access levels and repeated methods. Instead, the cases under scrutiny involve researchers and workers spread across multiple disciplines—from astrophysics and pharmaceuticals to administrative and contractor roles—working at different institutions and agencies.”Newsweek

Jennifer Coffindaffer, Retired FBI Special Agent

MIT professor’s murder ruled isolated incident

The FBI concluded that the killing of MIT’s Nuno Loureiro was the result of a decades-old grudge by Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, unrelated to other cases. Retired FBI profiler Julia Cowley said this case should be excluded from the broader review, underscoring the need to avoid bias and only link cases where evidence supports it. This finding narrows the pool of potentially connected incidents under federal scrutiny. Boston 25 News + 1

“You really have to check your bias at the door and say is this really a significant connection? Am I really seeing a link here? Or am I wanting to see that link?”Boston 25 News

Julia Cowley, Retired FBI Profiler

List of cases fueling public intrigue

At least a dozen cases since 2022 have drawn attention, including the disappearances of retired Air Force Major General William Neil McCasland and aerospace engineer Monica Reza, and the deaths of NASA researchers Michael David Hicks and Frank Maiwald. Some cases remain open missing‑persons investigations, others have confirmed causes like suicide or homicide, and several lack public cause-of-death details. The diversity in geography, roles, and circumstances complicates efforts to establish any overarching connection.

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DC Judge APOLOGISES To Alleged Trump ASSASSIN

A federal magistrate judge in Washington, D.C., has come under fire after expressing deep concern – described by multiple outlets as an apology – over the custody conditions of Cole Tomas Allen, the 31-year-old accused of attempting to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on April 25.

The judge’s remarks, captured in court and widely circulated on X, have ignited accusations of a two-tier justice system that coddles violent attackers while everyday Americans watch their rights erode.

According to reports from the emergency hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui voiced serious worries about Allen’s placement in restrictive custody following the shooting incident.

Fox News reported that “The judge is very concerned about his constitutional rights, saying the defendant has requested meetings with his legal team, and that has not been allowed. He’s been put in a restrictive 24-hour lockup with no windows in a padded room without an opportunity to get out for recreation.”

“He has been put on su*cide watch by the Department of Corrections, and the judge was asking why,” the reporter further noted.

Fox News host Larry Kudlow ripped into the development live on air, echoing the growing frustration.

“The judge apologised to this guy, who would’ve sprayed the whole audience?! And killed God knows how many people? Then would’ve taken a shot at the president? We’re apologizing to this guy?! I don’t GET that!”

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Donald Trump threatens to take Cuba ‘immediately’ in horror new invasion warning

US President Donald Trump has threatened to take over Cuba, claiming his military could do so “almost immediately.”

Speaking on Saturday, he said: “Cuba, which we will be taking over almost immediately.”

Addressing the crowd in Florida, Trump suggested the US could move away from the Iran war and deploy vessels towards Cuba on their return.

He added: “On the way back from Iran, we’ll have one of our big, maybe the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, the biggest in the world, we’ll have that come in, stop about 100 yards offshore.

“They’ll say ‘thank you very much. We give up…I like to finish a job.”

Trump has sparked intnerational outrage with his threats to attack Cuba.

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Millions of Americans expected to lose SNAP benefits amid fraud crackdown

Some Americans who are reliant on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps, are expected to lose benefits after the passage of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Starting Friday, May 1st, the president’s bill requires adults up to 64 years old, without young children, to log 80 work, school, or volunteer hours per month to maintain eligibility.

Supporters of the new restrictions believe it will reduce the risk of SNAP fraud and increase workforce participation.

“Reintroducing basic guardrails like an asset test is a commonsense step to restore integrity, ensure benefits go to those who truly need them and protect the long-term viability of the program. This isn’t about taking help away. It’s about making sure SNAP works the way it was intended to,” said Matt Schmid, America First Policy Institute Health & Harvest Campaign Director.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is currently working to crack down on food stamp fraud across the nation, including what officials call a “loophole,” which allows wealthy individuals to claim eligibility for government benefits.

“We’ve found 500,000 people getting more than one benefit illegally. We found 244,000 dead people. This is just the red states,” said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

The USDA also revealed this week that in one state alone, SNAP recipients had ties to more than 14,000 luxury vehicles.

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Iran war ‘likely’ to restart, senior Tehran official warns after Trump says US might be ‘better off’ without deal

The war between the US and Iran is “likely” to restart, a senior Iranian official predicted on the heels of comments by President Trump that the US might be “better off” without an agreement.

A “renewed conflict between Iran and the United States is likely,” said Mohammad Jafar Asadi, a high-level officer in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iran wants the US to test its strength, said Ali Rafiei Atani, an IRGC commander in Qazvin province.

“We hope America makes a mistake and tests its power on the ground as well. It was defeated at sea and in the air, and we would like it to test itself on the ground too,” claiming the conflict had “shattered America’s hollow power.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), an Iran hawk and a prominent Trump ally, is calling on the president to “finish the job” with more strikes if Tehran continues to be “provocative.”

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