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 My son has narrated the last book I wrote. Please consider listening to it and encouraging others to do so too. (Click HERE) World & Nation Dept of Ed spending soared 749% despite downsizing, new DOGE-inspired initiative reveals 'Spending has outpaced not just inflation but also growing headcounts – often many times over,' watchdog says  A new initiative is tracking government agency spending in comparison to growth, and a conservative fiscal watchdog group has discovered what it deems to be an alarming trend. According to OpenTheBooks, staff levels at the Department of Education have decreased since 2000, but the agency's spending grew by 749%. OpenTheBooks says the calculation is "even more galling" after recent statistics from the National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that student achievement has still not recovered since it saw big drops during the COVID-19 pandemic. OpenTheBooks' data on the Department of Education is part of a wider initiative being unveiled by the group on Thursday to chart agency outlays versus agency spending in an effort to provide the public with "a clearer picture of the government as it stands." As OpenTheBooks tracked agency spending versus size, it found that federal agency spending has far outpaced the rate at which these agencies have grown over time. Trump HUD secretary cancels $4M in DEI contracts after launching DOGE task force Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner revealed DOGE savings on 'Fox & Friends'  Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner on cutting $4 million in DEI contracts and uncovering $1.9 billion in misplaced funds under the Biden administration. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will be canceling $4 million in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) contracts after the federal agency's freshly-formed DOGE task force uncovered $260 million in savings last week, Secretary Scott Turner exclusively announced on Fox News, Thursday. "We're working hard, and we will cut $4 million in DEI-focused contracts," he said during an appearance on "Fox & Friends." The contracts on the chopping block were geared toward "culture transformation and mindset, outward mindset thinking and subscription services," he elaborated. Sen. McConnell Won't Seek Reelection, Ending Tenure as GOP Power Broker  Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell is announcing on Thursday that he won’t seek reelection next year, ending a decadeslong tenure as a power broker who championed conservative causes but ultimately ceded ground to the fierce GOP populism of President Donald Trump. McConnell, the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history, chose his 83rd birthday to share his decision not to run for another term in Kentucky and to retire when his current term ends. He informed The Associated Press of his decision before he was set to address colleagues in a speech on the Senate floor. His announcement begins the epilogue of a storied career as a master strategist, one in which he helped forge a conservative Supreme Court and steered the Senate through tax cuts, presidential impeachment trials and fierce political fights. Hegseth Orders Senior Pentagon Leaders to Plan for Budget Cuts  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered senior military leaders to plan on cutting 8% from the department's budget for each of the next five years, The Washington Post reported Wednesday. According to a memo obtained by the outlet, Hegseth ordered that the proposed cuts be identified by Feb. 24. The memo also includes a list of 17 areas that the Trump administration wants exempted from the plans, with southern U.S. border operations, nuclear weapons modernization and missile defense, and acquisition of one-way attack drones among them. The 2025 Pentagon budget is approximately $850 billion and the general view on Capitol Hill is reportedly that massive spending is needed to defend against Chinese and Russian threats. The Post reported that if the budget cuts are adopted in full, tens of billions of dollars would be cut from each of the next five years' spending plans.
Hamas Hands Over Remains of Dead Mother, Toddler, Newborn (Now 2)  Ariel and Kfir Bibas — two of the youngest hostages held in Gaza — became a symbol for Israelis of the brutality of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack. The return of what are presumed to be their bodies on Thursday dashed hopes they had survived captivity and struck another blow to a nation still reeling from Hamas' assault. The fate of Ariel and Kfir, just 4 years old and 9 months old when they were abducted, captivated Israelis, and the return, along with a body said to be that of their mother, Shiri Bibas, brings a tragic measure of closure to the country. But it is also likely to fuel anger over the government's failure to bring home some 250 hostages sooner and safely, and it could step up pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to extend the ceasefire. ‘Unprecedented’: Biden Set New Record In Regulation Costs  Former President Joe Biden’s regulatory policies have resulted in unprecedented costs and paperwork, according to the American Action Forum (AAF). The Biden administration added $1.8 trillion in regulatory costs and 356 million hours of paperwork, surpassing all previous administrations. In contrast, President Donald Trump’s administration maintained significantly lower regulatory costs, focusing on deregulation and economic growth. American Action Forum wrote, “According to the aggregated collection of self-reported estimates from federal agencies, the cumulative total of regulatory costs under the Biden administration added up to more than $1.8 trillion — far exceeding any preceding administration on record.” The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under Biden contributed $1.3 trillion in costs, primarily targeting emissions. The policies aimed at achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. However, critics argued the measures have led to rising energy costs and potential risks of insufficient power capacity. 'Brazen defiance': Judge urged to hold Marco Rubio in contempt of court  A federal judge is being asked by contractors and aid recipients to hold Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the director of the U.S. Agency for International Development in civil contempt of court over their "brazen defiance" of an order to keep the agency functioning. According to Politico's Kyle Cheney, the motion for contempt was filed by the plaintiffs this afternoon in AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition v. Department of State. Last week, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ordered the administration to allow USAID funding to resume after the Trump administration put a blanket freeze on almost all foreign aid, resulting in federal aid workers, including those abroad, being unexpectedly suspended from duties and food aid piling up unused at U.S. ports. While it is appropriate to audit and review where foreign aid is going, he continued, “there has been no explanation offered … as to why reviewing programs — many longstanding and taking place pursuant to contractual terms — required an immediate and wholesale suspension of appropriated foreign aid.” LA Mayor Karen Bass gives mind-boggling excuse for being in Ghana as her city burned  Embattled Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has offered a mind-boggling excuse for being 7,500 miles away in Ghana as her city was consumed by wildfires — blaming others for not telling her she “shouldn’t have gone on the trip.” Bass claimed she wasn’t alerted to the widely shared warnings of the wildfire risk as she flew to Africa on behalf of the Biden administration. “We need to look at everything about the preparation and all of that for the fires … I think when we evaluate that, we will find that although there were warnings, that I frankly wasn’t aware of…,” Bass told Fox 11 before noting the city’s preparation “wasn’t what it typically is.” Susan Collins vows to oppose Trump FBI director nominee Kash Patel ahead of critical vote Kash Patel can lose only a few GOP votes Thursday  Moderate GOP Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, revealed she won't back President Donald Trump's nominee to be director of the FBI, Kash Patel. "The nomination of Kash Patel to serve as Director of the FBI comes to the Senate against the backdrop of recent personnel actions at the Department of Justice, including the resignations of several career federal prosecutors who felt they were being instructed to act in a manner inconsistent with their ethical obligations," she said in a Thursday statement released just before a key procedural vote. "While I strongly support efforts to ensure all federal employees perform their responsibilities ethically and in accordance with the law, Mr. Patel’s recent political profile undermines his ability to serve in the apolitical role of Director of the FBI," she added. Patel will have a final confirmation vote on Thursday afternoon. Commerce secretary shares Trump's 'goal' to abolish the IRS  More details have emerged from the Trump administration about alleged plans to get rid of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and utilize tariffs so the "whole economy explodes." "His goal is to abolish the Internal Revenue Service and let all the outsiders pay," Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on "Jesse Watters Primetime" Wednesday. "As the president said, reciprocal tariffs, either you bring yours down or we're going to bring ours up. If we go to their level, it will earn us $700 billion a year to be equal to everybody else," he expanded on "America’s Newsroom" Thursday. "And there goes our deficit. And interest rates come smashing down, and the whole economy explodes higher." Last month, President Donald Trump announced a new "External Revenue Service" that would be tasked with collecting revenue from tariffs, and potentially replace the IRS as America has been "taxing ourselves." Mark Levin Defies Trump By Backing Zelensky and Trashing Putin — Bashes ‘Sick’ and ‘Un-American’ Foreign Policy  Fox News’ Mark Levin delivered an implicit rebuke of President Donald Trump’s rhetoric about the ongoing war between Russian and Ukraine on Wednesday, debunking a series of false and misleading claims made by the president. On his radio show, Levin delivered a history lesson on Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s rise to power and various crimes, while going to bat for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump has been scathing in his criticism of Zelensky this week, excoriating him for not holding elections, as well as supposedly being responsible for the conflict and the deaths of “MILLIONS,” despite the fact that Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022 without provocation. After running through his history lesson, Levin played a clip in which his Fox News colleagues Martha MacCallum and Jack Keane pushed back on Trump before diving into the issues himself. USA-Canada 4 Nations finale is about pride — and so much more Players on both sides of this USA-Canada rivalry who will square off in the 4 Nations Face-off final Thursday have agreed on one thing. This is the biggest game of their lives. The ever-growing animosity between the two countries as sovereignties has given the rematch some political charge. The chaotic first nine seconds of their round-robin meeting, when it looked more like the UFC than the NHL before a 3-1 USA win, piqued the interest of new fans. One month of Trump reminds Americans what we’ve been missing Trump's return shows what it's like when presidents are visible, engaged and even do interviews. A month into President Donald Trump’s administration, the most obvious change from the Joe Biden years is that we actually have a president again. The last four years have largely been a mystery to the American people. Who was in charge? Who was making the policies? The clarity and transparency of the Trump administration leaves no room for that kind of doubt. The president is doing what he said he would during the campaign. He is leading and he is governing. The breakneck pace of activity of this White House has been exciting to watch but some seem to long for the days when the president didn’t attend events or talk to the media. There’s a line of thinking that people "have to" focus on Trump. On Super Bowl Sunday, CNN host Brian Stelter posted on X: "Think about it: A year ago you could go days without seeing or thinking about Biden. Now you’re lucky if you can go hours without thinking about President Trump. He’s inescapable. And that’s just how he likes it. Today: The Super Bowl is also the Trump Bowl." Well, yes, in February of last year, the president was largely in hiding because his mental decline had yet to be exposed. It wouldn’t be until June that America would get to see what the White House, with the help of their media friends, had been covering up. The pretense that the Biden administration had been standard or normal is just that. There was nothing normal about hiding the president away and attacking anyone who asked questions about it. Hooray! Team Trump is rescuing working-class motorists from Kathy Hochul’s elitist Midtown tolls Hooray! Team Trump is coming to the rescue of working-class motorists by killing the city’s despised “congestion” tolls. Kudos to President Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for making the move. As Duffy explained in revoking federal approval Wednesday, the $9 hit for driving in Manhattan below 60th Street was a fraud from the start. |
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