Tag: taxes

NASA Bans Chinese Nationals From Working on Agency Programs

NASA has barred Chinese nationals holding U.S. visas from its facilities and networks, the latest move by Washington to safeguard the space agency as its space race with Beijing intensifies.

Chinese nationals, who until now could work at NASA as contractors or contribute to its research, were informed on Sept. 5 that their access to the agency’s systems and facilities had been revoked. Bloomberg first reported that many suddenly found themselves locked out of NASA data systems and excluded from both in-person and virtual meetings related to their work.

NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens confirmed the decision, stating that the agency had taken “internal action pertaining to Chinese nationals—including restricting physical and cybersecurity access to our facilities, materials, and network to ensure the security of our work.”

The move comes amid heightened scrutiny of Chinese nationals working in sensitive U.S. technology sectors, as in recent years, a growing number of individuals have been accused of conducting espionage on behalf of the Chinese communist regime. In August, the Department of War—then called the Department of Defense—ordered Microsoft to stop using China-based engineers to support the military agency’s cloud computing systems.

It remains unclear if a specific incident triggered NASA’s action. In response to a request for comment, the agency’s press office referred The Epoch Times to a post on X featuring acting administrator Sean Duffy’s appearance on Fox Business.

In that interview, Duffy said the United States must lead what he described as a “second space race,” warning that the Chinese regime is not advancing its lunar agenda “with good intentions.”

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Property Taxes Are Theft

Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida has an absolutely thrilling idea, one I never imagined I would see unfold in my lifetime. He is putting on the ballot next year a referendum that would abolish or restrict local governments from taxing owner-occupied homes.

That’s right, he wants to get rid of the property tax, saving residents some $3,400 a year and fundamentally disrupting the way schools and local governments are financed.

Texas is considering the same path.

If this really happens, I can easily predict more of a demographic shift out of the Northeast and Northwest to the South and Texas. If this spreads to more states, it would amount to a revolution in public finance.

It’s long overdue. These tax schemes are brutal on home ownership. Indeed, it’s hard to say that you are ever really the owner of your home if you are having to pay rent to the government every year.

It’s especially a problem in an environment when the home valuation goes up every year and so does the tax you owe on the place. You have done nothing but lived there and enjoyed life. It is entirely paid off. Meanwhile, the government keeps coming after you with ever more pressing demands for money.

You cannot really say you are an owner of anything under these conditions. Of course when I hear about how this will save $3,400 on average in Florida, I nearly faint. In my area of the country, this would be pennies. Property taxes in New England can be $20K–40K and that is not unusual.

These taxes fund schools that people don’t use. That’s how public schooling in this country came to be financed. The system of school districts really is a system of tax districts. That’s why they are so heavily enforced. Live on this side of the street instead of that one and your taxes can be completely different. It’s all to fund the public schools, whether you use them or not.

Friends of mine are paying $30K in property taxes plus $70K per kid for private schools for three kids.

If that kind of expenditure shocks and amazes you, you are not alone. I find it all unfathomable but that’s how New England works.

It’s a different world in Texas and Florida. Here you have new experiments in school choice. The plans are different but they generally let the parent use the money that would otherwise go to the public school for private schools, charter schools, or homeschools, either in the form of direct payments or deductions from the tax bill overall.

We might ask how all of this is happening now. The answer traces to the school closures of 2020 and 2021 which dramatically reduced confidence in the public schooling system and hence the way they are financed. If millions of people are homeschooling and millions more are attending newly established private schools, the political pressure for ever-higher property taxes is thereby reduced.

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Judge Blocks Trump Admin From Banning Illegal Immigrants From Social Programs

A federal judge on Sept. 10 ordered four federal agencies to stop banning illegal immigrants from programs such as Head Start, which provides child care for poorer families.

U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy said the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Justice, the Department of Education, and the Department of Labor must halt, at least for now, efforts to remove illegal immigrants from the programs.

HHS and other agencies said in July they were reinterpreting a federal law called the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, which states that illegal immigrants cannot obtain “federal public benefits.”

Under previous interpretations, people accessing certain programs that lawmakers intended only for Americans and legal immigrants did not need to provide proof of legal status, officials said.

As Zachary Stieber reports for The Epoch Times, twenty attorneys general sued, alleging the new interpretation wrongly applied to programs that fell outside the act. In a motion for a preliminary injunction, or a block while the case proceeds, they also said that the government failed to provide “fair notice” to states of the change.

McElroy sided with the states, writing on Wednesday that “while reasonable policymakers can debate the merits of restricting access to programs to lawful citizens—and it is surely not this Court’s job to wade into that debate—the Agencies offer at best incomplete answers to serious questions.”

That appears to violate the Administrative Procedure Act, which lets judges block agency actions determined to be “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law,” she said.

McElroy also pointed to the change in interpretation from decades of precedent.

“The Government argues that it has somehow interpreted this statute incorrectly for the nearly thirty years that it has been the law,” she said.

“In its view, everyone (from every past administration) has misunderstood it from the start—at least until last month, when the right way to read it became clear to the Government. The Court is skeptical of that.”

The four agencies, which had pointed to an order from President Donald Trump that directed officials to make sure that taxpayer-funded benefits are not going to illegal immigrants, did not respond to requests for comment.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat and one of the attorneys general who sued over the change, said in a statement that “with this victory, we are protecting children’s education, safeguarding critical health care, and preserving the safety net that keeps families afloat.”

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Supreme Court Grants Trump Admin Request to Withhold Foreign Aid Funds

The Supreme Court on Sept. 9 granted a Trump administration request to temporarily withhold approximately $4 billion in foreign aid funding previously authorized by Congress.

The federal government’s emergency application in U.S. Department of State v. AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition and Global Health Council v. Trump was granted by Chief Justice John Roberts one day after it was filed with the nation’s highest court.

The court issued an administrative stay, which puts a lower court order requiring the release of the funding on hold to give the justices more time to fully consider the matter. The court did not provide reasons for its decision.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) had asked the justices to pause a ruling by Washington-based U.S. District Judge Amir Ali, who ordered the federal government to spend about $4 billion in previously appropriated funds.

The money is earmarked for foreign aid and United Nations peacekeeping projects.

The Supreme Court’s new order states that Ali’s orders of Sept. 3 in the two cases are “hereby partially stayed for funds that are subject to the President’s August 28, 2025 [rescission] proposal currently pending before Congress pending further order of the undersigned or of the Court.”

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Reading and Math Test Scores for American 12th Graders Hit 20 Year Low, Despite Massive Spending on Education

The reading and test scores for American 12th graders have hit a 20 year low, new analysis has found.

This is despite the fact that the United States spends more on education than most countries. New York City is currently poised to spend up to $42,000 per student this school year.

The closure of schools during Covid can be blamed in part for this, but there has to be more to the story than that.

NBC News in Chicago reported:

Nationwide test scores show U.S. high school students falling behind in math and reading

A decade-long slide in high schoolers’ reading and math performance persisted during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 12th graders’ scores dropping to their lowest level in more than 20 years, according to results released Tuesday from an exam known as the nation’s report card.

Eighth-grade students also lost significant ground in science skills, according to the results from the National Assessment of Education Progress.

The assessments were the first since the pandemic for eighth graders in science and 12th graders in reading and math. They reflect a downward drift across grade levels and subject areas in previous releases from NAEP, which is considered one of the best gauges of the academic progress of U.S. schools.

“Scores for our lowest-performing students are at historic lows,” said Matthew Soldner, the acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics. “These results should galvanize all of us to take concerted and focused action to accelerate student learning.”

Trump’s Education Secretary Linda McMahon spoke about this recently and explained that this is one of the reasons why the Trump administration wants to return education authority to the states, so that parents and local communities can get more involved in fixing the problem.

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Free Abortions And No Prisons: 6 Craziest Beliefs Of The Socialist Faction Infiltrating The Democrat Party

ew York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and Minneapolis mayoral candidate Omar Fateh have more in common than campaigns to run major cities in the United States. Both are under 40 and elected members of their state houses. Zohran, 33, is a member of the New York State Assembly; Fateh, 35, is a Minnesota senator. Both are charismatic, Muslim, and are members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), running on the Democrat ticket with radical, socialist ideas.

DSA is not a political party, but it is acting like one. It is a parasite taking over the Democrat party, which means it is becoming harder for traditional Democrat candidates to rise within the party. Every Democrat candidate should be scrutinized for policy ties to DSA, even if they don’t advertise the connection.

As the traditional, old Democrat Party is cannibalized by DSA members, voters should understand that the DSA aims to fundamentally change the United States. The DSA calls the Constitution “ossified.” Its socialist platform is so radical that the DSA essentially proposes trashing the Constitution completely, developing a “new political order,” and writing “founding documents of a new socialist democracy.” If allowed to flourish, DSA will render the U.S. society as we know it unrecognizable.

Here is a closer look at some of the DSA’s platform that rarely, if ever, come up during campaign speeches.

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Scandal: EU Paid Over $600,000 to USAID Media Network Accused of Election Manipulation Right After EU Vote

A bombshell report from Berliner Zeitung has revealed that Ursula von der Leyen’s European Commission wired over €604,000 to the controversial media network OCCRP immediately after the 2024 EU elections. The revelation came in response to a parliamentary inquiry by AfD MEP Petr Bystron.

The OCCRP (“Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project”) includes German establishment outlets such as Der Spiegel, Die Zeit and Süddeutsche Zeitung. These are the very same outlets that ran smear campaigns against conservative and EU-skeptical politicians in the run-up to the election. Critics say the payment looks less like support for “investigative journalism” and more like a payoff for political services rendered.

OCCRP’s Track Record: Targeting Populists

This is not the first time OCCRP-linked media have interfered in European elections. In 2019, Der Spiegel and Süddeutsche Zeitung detonated the infamous “Ibiza Affair,” toppling Austria’s successful FPÖ-government and driving the party’s EU election results down from 26% in the polls to just 17.2% at the ballot box.

In 2024, the same outlets again spearheaded attacks – this time together with Czech partner Denik N – falsely accusing politicians from six European countries of being “Moscow’s agents” because they gave interviews to Voice of Europe, a Prague-based news site critical of Zelensky’s regime.

Among those smeared were former Czech President Václav Klaus, ex-Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda, and AfD candidate Petr Bystron. None were ever charged with any crime, yet OCCRP media blasted the claims across Europe. Bystron endured 23 house raids based solely on OCCRP’s “reporting.” After more than a year, not a single shred of evidence has been found.

NATO Narrative and Media Propaganda

The attacks mirrored findings by U.S. investigative journalist Michael Shellenberger, who documented how NATO-linked networks financed smear campaigns to delegitimize critics of the Ukraine war. Rather than investigate, OCCRP outlets dutifully repeated the talking points – unverified, uncritical, and amplified millions of times.

Bought and Paid For

According to French outlet Mediapart, OCCRP has taken in nearly $50 million from U.S. sources, with funders holding veto rights over staff appointments and dictating yearly editorial agendas. The Panama Papers, for example, conveniently wiped out competition to U.S. tax haven Delaware. That wasn’t independent journalism – it was paid political warfare.

OCCRP and Trump’s Impeachment

The network even played a role in the 2019 impeachment drive against President Donald Trump, peddling CIA-fed stories that he withheld Ukraine aid. In reality, Trump was pressing Ukraine to investigate the Biden family’s corruption. One of Trump’s first moves after his reelection was to cut OCCRP’s funding from USAID.

Why Did von der Leyen Pay?

The question now is why Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission wired over half a million euros of taxpayer money to this network immediately after an EU election – especially when OCCRP’s record is riddled with election interference, propaganda campaigns, and ties to U.S. intelligence-linked funding.

As Berliner Zeitung concludes, this could be shaping up to be the biggest media scandal in postwar Europe.

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Ukraine Runs Low On Air Defense Munitions-Expect Another Z Trip To DC?

It’s time for another Zelenskiy trip to Washington to demand weapons the American military needs to defend the homeland.

The question is — will Trump give them to Kyiv? Or put America first?

Recently, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth released information that after the Middle East ’12 Day War’, the U.S. had used up 25% of its reserve of air defense munitions.

Ukraine is running low on air defence munitions as the Pentagon slows arms deliveries following a June review of US military aid.

The slowdown comes amid intensified Russian missile and drone attacks, including the largest aerial assault since the full-scale invasion, killing civilians and targeting key infrastructure, reports FT.

Officials warn Ukraine’s air defence systems could soon face critical shortages if attacks continue. 

US shipments of Patriot interceptors, Stingers, NASAMS missiles, Hellfires, and precision artillery shells have all been delayed.

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Suffering in Afghanistan the Fault of Taliban, Not U.S. Aid Cuts

A devastating earthquake underscores how the Taliban has subjected the people of Afghanistan to suffering, while the muted international response shows that even globalists, Muslim-majority nations, and authoritarian regimes are steering clear of the Taliban and its support for transnational terrorism.

Prior to the earthquake, the only government extending significant economic support to the Taliban was the Biden administration. In 2021, it left behind over $7 billions of dollars’ worth of weapons, and over its four-year term (2021–2025) provided an estimated $2.5–3 billion in direct aid. However, the real total is much higher. Testimony before the House Oversight Committee revealed that between 2021 and 2023 alone, the Biden administration gave Afghanistan $8 billion.

The 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck Konar province near the Pakistan border late on August 31, 2025, killing more than 2,200 people and injuring thousands. The shallow quake collapsed fragile mud-and-brick homes, wiping out entire villages and leaving over half a million people without shelter.

This tragedy comes amid one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Four years of Taliban rule have left Afghanistan isolated, foreign aid has dried up, and nearly half the population, about 23 million, depend on assistance. While the Taliban has appealed for help, its alignment with authoritarian powers, support for terrorism, and gross human rights violations have discouraged broader aid and recognition.

The Taliban maintain close ties with al-Qaeda and provide safe haven for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which continues to operate from Afghan territory and carry out cross-border attacks. A UN report noted, “The Taliban do not conceive of TTP as a terrorist group: the bonds are close, and the debt owed to TTP is significant.” Other designated terror groups have pledged allegiance to the Taliban, including al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Jemaah Islamiyah, Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, and Ansar al-Sharia in Libya.

Since the fall of Kabul in 2021, only Russia has formally recognized the Taliban as Afghanistan’s government. Moscow lifted its “terrorist” designation in April 2025 and formally recognized the regime that July. China has not granted formal recognition but accepted Taliban credentials in 2024, and Iran has also moved closer, handing over the Afghan embassy in 2023 and sending its foreign minister to Kabul in 2025. Yet both Iran and Pakistan have worsened the crisis by deporting 1.9 million Afghan refugees, many forced to live in tents near the borders.

Under Taliban rule, human rights and quality of life, especially for women, have collapsed. Nearly 23 million Afghans require aid: 21 million lack safe water, 14.8 million face acute food insecurity, 14.3 million have limited healthcare access, and 7.8 million women and children need nutrition support. The World Food Program warns 3.1 million Afghans are on the brink of starvation, with 2.9 million already at emergency levels.

Healthcare is collapsing. By April 2025, 439 facilities had closed due to U.S. funding cuts, leaving three million people without care. More than 200 others have shut from severe shortfalls, affecting two million more. In 2023, reports warned that over 90 percent of facilities were at risk, leading to an estimated 4.8 million unattended pregnancies and 51,000 maternal deaths between 2021 and 2025. Infant mortality was 43 per 1,000 in 2021, and maternal mortality 620 per 100,000 in 2020. Between mid-2024 and mid-2025, 3.5 million children and 1.2 million pregnant or breastfeeding women are projected to suffer acute malnutrition.

The economy has collapsed. Nearly half of Afghans live below the poverty line. Before the Taliban takeover, foreign aid made up 40 percent of GDP, funded more than half the government’s $6 billion budget, and covered up to 80 percent of public expenditures. Since then, this support has vanished, leaving more than 14 million food insecure and nearly five million women and children acutely malnourished.

Repression is systematic. In the first half of 2024, UN monitors recorded nearly 100 arbitrary detentions and at least 20 cases of torture, targeting former officials, deportees, and LGBT Afghans. Corporal punishments are common, with at least 147 men, 28 women, and four boys flogged in 2024, and more than 180 people publicly punished for adultery or homosexuality in early 2025.

Freedom of expression has disappeared. Between 2021 and 2024, UNAMA documented 336 cases of arbitrary arrest, torture, and intimidation of journalists. The Taliban banned live political broadcasts, censored images, and detained reporters, often without legal or family access. Civil society critics also face harassment, including the detention of analyst Jawed Kohistani.

Women and girls have been erased from public life. They are banned from secondary school from age 13, excluded from universities, and denied healthcare without a male guardian. Nearly 80 percent of young women between 18 and 29 are neither in education, employment, nor training. Only one in four women is working or seeking work, compared to nearly 90 percent of men, creating one of the world’s largest workforce gender gaps. The Taliban suspended women’s medical education in 2024, and UNDP estimates these restrictions cost the economy up to $1 billion annually.

Violence compounds repression. ISKP has carried out deadly attacks on Hazara communities, mosques, buses, and Taliban offices. Pakistani cross-border fire and airstrikes have added civilian casualties. Meanwhile, the Taliban’s Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice law enforces strict dress and behavior codes, backed by raids and checkpoints, mirroring their 1996–2001 rule. UN experts describe this as “institutionalized persecution” that may amount to crimes against humanity.

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Tucker Carlson DEMOLISHES Mark Cuban After the Liberal Billionaire Offers a Silly Reason Why “We” Should Continue Sending Money to Ukraine

Liberal billionaire Mark Cuban suffered an epic humiliation at the hands of Tucker Carlson during a recent debate, which exposed his self-serving and hypocritical attitude regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Carlson and Cuban faced off at the “All In” summit, which was held in Los Angeles from Saturday to Monday. The two discussed a variety of topics, including AI job displacement, the Epstein files, and antisemitism.

The debate, however, took a bad turn for Cuban when one of the hosts asked him if he thought ‘we’ (Americans) should continue sending money to Ukraine. After admitting he did not have a good answer, Cuban eventually brought up his Ukrainian ancestry on his grandparents’ side as a reason why.

Carlson quickly interjected and asked Cuban how much money he had sent to Ukraine. When Cuban said ‘none,’ Carlson left him speechless by asking what the billionaire meant by “we.”

Things got even worse for Cuban when he offered his reason for refusing to send Ukraine a single dime despite his ties to the country. Carlson scolded Cuban on his hypocrisy and pointed out that what he was advocating for was the opposite of charity.

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