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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 Democrats melt down, call for Chuck Schumer’s ouster after deal to end government shutdown clears Senate hurdle  Democrats and progressives exploded with outrage after the Senate took a giant step toward reopening the government Sunday night, with many calling for Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s ouster. Schumer (D-NY), who voted against the bipartisan package to end the longest government shutdown in US history, was slammed for failing to prevent five Democratic defections that allowed the measure to advance, despite Republicans making no concessions on keeping Obamacare subsidies due to expire at the end of this year. “Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) chided on X. “If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?” “Tonight is another example of why we need new leadership,” jeered Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), who launched his primary challenge to Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) last month, on X. “If @ChuckSchumer were an effective leader, he would have united his caucus to vote ‘No’ tonight and hold the line on healthcare. Senate vote to end government shutdown ignites Democrat civil war Chuck Schumer faces calls to step aside over failure to secure Obamacare subsidies extension  The eight critical votes that advanced a short-term spending package on Sunday evening and put the government on the path to re-opening also tore the seams of Democratic Party unity, bringing scrutiny to its shutdown strategy and leadership. One of the eight said that the plan Democrats had rallied around at its outset had crumbled. "After six weeks — going on seven weeks — that path wasn’t working," Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said. "It wasn’t going to happen. The question was: Does the shutdown further the goal of achieving some needed support for the extension of the tax credits? Our judgment was that it will not produce that result." Supreme Court rejects appeal from county clerk who sought to overturn same-sex marriage decision The court denied the appeal with no explanation, and there were no noted dissents  The Supreme Court on Monday said it will not revisit its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, leaving intact the 2015 protections granted to couples in Obergefell v. Hodges. Justices rejected an appeal brought by Kim Davis, a former Kentucky county clerk who was held in contempt after she refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples due to her religious beliefs. The Court declined to take up her appeal without explanation and without any noted dissents, which is not uncommon when a court declines to hear a case. Court Rules Trump Must Release $4B in Food Aid  A federal appeals court late on Sunday allowed a judge's order to stand that directs President Donald Trump's administration to fully fund this month's food aid benefits for 42 million low-income Americans during the ongoing U.S. government shutdown. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to halt Thursday's decision by a Rhode Island judge requiring the U.S. Department of Agriculture to spend $4 billion set aside for other purposes to ensure Americans receive full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits. The ruling by the 1st Circuit will have no immediate impact because on Friday U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson put a temporary hold on the lower court order by U.S. District Judge John McConnell.
Trump Pardons Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Others  President Donald Trump has pardoned his former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, his former chief of staff Mark Meadows and others, according to a Justice Department official. Ed Martin, the government's pardon attorney, posted on X a signed proclamation of the "full, complete, and unconditional" pardon, which also names conservative attorneys Sidney Powell and John Eastman. The document "includes, but is not limited to" 77 people. Trump: $10K Bonus for Air Traffic Workers Who Kept Showing  The air traffic controllers who never skipped a day of work — despite not being paid amid what President Donald Trump called the "Democrat Shutdown Hoax" — might be getting a nice $10,000 bonus if the president has his way. "All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!!" Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social amid the threat of massive airline delays and cancellations due to short staffing amid the government shutdown. "Anyone who doesn't will be substantially 'docked.' " "For those Air Traffic Controllers who were GREAT PATRIOTS, and didn't take ANY TIME OFF for the 'Democrat Shutdown Hoax,' I will be recommending a BONUS of $10,000 per person for distinguished service to our Country," Trump added in his post. Kushner, Netanyahu Meet on Gaza Ceasefire Standoff  U.S. mediators are meeting Israel's prime minister on Monday with attention turning to the second, far more complex, phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal and the immediate problem of a standoff over a group of Hamas terrorists still holed up in tunnels. The meeting between President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comes a month after Washington and regional states pressed Israel and Hamas to a truce after two years of devastating war. However, any progress in Trump's ceasefire plan will not only require both sides to agree on issues that have foiled previous peacemaking efforts, but also to resolve the immediate stalemate over the trapped Hamas terrorisrs.
Kremlin: Peace Has Stalled Despite Trump's Hope  The Kremlin said Monday it wanted the Ukraine war to end as soon as possible but that the situation was stalled. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was responding to remarks Friday by President Donald Trump, who spoke about ending the war in the "not-too-distant future."
Jack Smith’s ‘Arctic Frost’ spies snooped on Congress — time to rein in the spooks By Rand Paul
Advocates for government surveillance often argue that if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. I’m sure Jack Smith, the special counsel President Joe Biden appointed to do whatever it takes to bring down Donald Trump, took solace in that bromide as he rifled through the personal data of 10 members of Congress, illegally attempting lawfare to implicate these elected officials in some contrived insurrection. Arctic Frost is the chilly name the FBI gave its unconstitutional fishing expedition. How could such an abuse of power occur in a nation famous for its protections against unreasonable searches and seizures, enshrined in the Fourth Amendment? It’s not just the economy — this is how Democrats beat the GOP across the country Affordability messaging proves more powerful than general economic stewardship arguments The ballots are counted, the pundits are spinning, and the verdict is in: affordability isn’t just an issue — it’s the issue. Democrats understood that and they won. Big. Republicans, meanwhile, are facing challenges that look strikingly similar to those that cost Democrats so dearly just two years ago. Tax cuts for the rich vs. affordability for all Democrats didn’t win because they suddenly became masterful campaigners, or because their candidates were flawless. They won because they focused on what’s keeping Americans up at night— rising prices, shrinking paychecks and the anxiety that the American Dream is slipping further away. They promised to cap drug prices, rein in healthcare costs and make life a little less punishing for the middle class. |
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