Trump establishes a new council to advance U.S. energy dominance

From Washington Times.com (Feb. 14):

President Trump signed an executive order Friday establishing the National Energy Dominance Council.

The Council will be chaired by Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and vice-chaired by Energy Secretary Chris Wright. Other members will come from the Cabinet and other governmental agencies.

“We have more energy than any other country, and now we’re unleashing it,” Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office.

“We must expand all forms of reliable and affordable energy production to drive down inflation, grow our economy, create good-paying jobs, reestablish American leadership in manufacturing, lead the world in artificial intelligence, and restore peace through strength by wielding our commercial and diplomatic levers to end wars across the world,” the executive order said.

The order directed the council to advise the president “on how best to exercise his authority to produce more energy to make America energy dominant.”

That includes advising Mr. Trump on improving the processes of handling American energy like critical minerals, creating a “National Energy Dominance Strategy” and facilitating the relationship between the government and private sector energy companies.

Within 100 days, the council is expected to present the president a plan for how to raise awareness of the American energy dominance plan. The council will also advise agencies how to prioritize the plan, including approving new infrastructure such as natural gas pipelines in New England, California and Alaska, reopening closed power plants and turning on small modular nuclear reactors.

The council will also advise the president on energy markets, investments and how to keep the cost of energy down for Americans.

The Biden administration’s restrictions on offshore oil drilling in parts of the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans also will be lifted.

“President Trump knows that these public lands belong to the public — they don’t belong to Washington bureaucrats from the prior administration,” Mr. Burgum wrote on social media. “We’re going to make sure that we get a return on investment for the American people.”

Mr. Wright also authorized the first liquified natural gas export permit for a project in Louisiana.

“President Trump has outlined a bold agenda for unleashing American energy dominance, and restoring regular order on U.S. LNG export permits is critical for meeting this commitment to the American people,” he said in a statement.

On his first day in office, Mr. Trump declared a national energy emergency, calling for “a reliable, diversified, and affordable supply of energy to drive our Nation’s manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, and defense industries, and to sustain the basics of modern life and military preparedness.”

The emergency declaration criticized the “harmful and shortsighted policies of the previous administration.”

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie applauded the creation of the council, calling it “a strong step toward securing our energy future, and ensuring we have the resources necessary to meet the demands that AI will place on our grid.”

“Energy security is national security. By utilizing our domestic energy resources to create baseload power, we can lower prices, secure our grid, and provide the energy needed to grow manufacturing, heat our homes, and fill our gas tanks,” Mr. Guthrie, Kentucky Republican, said in a statement. [source]

America's back on track again. I like the winning.  Drill, baby, drill! 

Miscellaneous Thoughts 47

• The only person you can put on a pedestal is Jesus Christ. No-one else.
• Drag queens who entertain in front of children are closet pedophiles.
• Oppressor and oppressee are the only two truths the Left believes in. I thought the Left didn’t believe in binary concepts.
• You can change your sex but not anything else like your race. Go figure.
• Peer pressure is only good for a person if the peers are looking out for that person.
• If you are using the pronouns they/them to describe yourself, you are either possessed by demons or have multiple personalities. Either way you need help.
• What if Adam and Eve asked God if the serpent was deceiving them? They had immediate access to Him. They wouldn't even have to explain the conversation to God, He would already know being omniscience.
• The oath at a trial: The Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth is the essence of God and Jesus.
• Prediction: AI will eventually replace ghost writers.
• I wonder if Area 51 actually contains inventions from the private-sector the U. S. government classified as top-secret for national security reasons (see H.R. 4687 - Invention Secrecy Act of 1951)?

Controversial new AI app allows you to text with Jesus – and Satan

From NY Post.com (Aug. 23, 2023):

It’s not every day that the spiritual realm intersects with smartphone tech.

But in the era of chatbots and AI, even the biblical figures aren’t immune.

Welcome to the world of “Text With Jesus,” where you’re just a tap away from a conversation with the holy – and, for a price, the not-so-holy.

Deepening faith through ‘Text With Jesus’

For those longing for a more personal connection to their faith, this app might be the digital salvation they’re seeking.

Designed with devoted Christians in mind, “Text With Jesus” promises interaction with figures like Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Peter, and Matthew.

This app wears its spirituality on its screen, guiding you through its queries with responses mined from the depths of the Bible’s rich text.

Conversations go beyond tradition in the app

There’s a certain audacity in allowing you to go beyond the traditional interactions one might expect.

Although the full range of figures and unlimited messaging are only available to premium subscribers, the app is free to download and use on all eligible devices.

By shelling out just $2.99/month, you can embark on a journey through some of the Bible’s more intricate dialogues, like Adam and Eve’s narrative or the dawn of humanity.

The devil is in the details: The app’s most controversial feature

The app’s most controversial feature: conversations with Satan himself.

Expectations can be deceiving, especially in the world of AI.

Satan, historically the symbol of temptation and deceit, dons a surprisingly mellow avatar in this app.

Users anticipating fiery dialogues or cunning deceptions might be left scratching their heads.

Instead, the Prince of Darkness champions love, respect, and understanding — values synonymous with biblical virtues.

As if to ensure a modern flavor, each devilish interaction ends with a “smiling face with horns” emoji.

It’s an odd mix of solemnity and sass, which will undoubtedly spark reactions from traditionalists and tech enthusiasts alike.

Now, whether it’s a deliberate attempt to challenge perceptions or just a programming oversight remains a topic for debate.

Users anticipating fiery dialogues or cunning deceptions might be left scratching their heads.

Instead, the Prince of Darkness champions love, respect, and understanding — values synonymous with biblical virtues.

As if to ensure a modern flavor, each devilish interaction ends with a “smiling face with horns” emoji.

It’s an odd mix of solemnity and sass, which will undoubtedly spark reactions from traditionalists and tech enthusiasts alike.

Now, whether it’s a deliberate attempt to challenge perceptions or just a programming oversight remains a topic for debate.

However, it’s important to note that interaction with Satan is turned off by default and must be manually enabled by you if you choose to engage with this figure.

The app points out that, “the portrayal is rooted in Christian teachings, and users have full control over their engagement with all figures within the app.” [read more]

Don't know if this app is a good idea or not. Texting with Satan? He doesn't speak very much in the Bible and he's a very negative being. Instead how about adding other positive people like Moses (and other prophets), Mother Mary, the Apostles, etc. if you are going to write an app like this.

Another article on the matter: Text with Jesus app: AI deities trivializing Jesus (and Satan)

Researchers can now collect and sequence DNA from the air

From Live Science.com (Apr. 5, 2021):

We leave DNA all over the place, including in the air, and for the first time, researchers have collected animal DNA from mere air samples, according to a new study.

The DNA that living things, human and otherwise, shed into the environment is called environmental DNA (eDNA). Collecting eDNA from water to learn about the species living there has become fairly common, but until now, no one had attempted to collect animal eDNA from the air.

"What we wanted to know was whether we could filter eDNA from the air to track the presence of terrestrial animals," study author Elizabeth Clare, an ecologist at Queen Mary University of London, said in a video abstract for the study, published Mar. 31 in the journal PeerJ. "We were interested in whether we could use this 'airDNA' as a way to assess what species were present in a burrow or a cave where we could not easily see or capture them," she added.

As a proof-of-concept experiment, Clare and her colleagues tried collecting DNA from the air in an animal facility housing a model organism, the naked mole rat. The researchers detected both human and mole rat DNA in air from both the mole rat enclosures and the room where the enclosures are housed. 

"The demonstration that the DNA from relatively large animals can also be detected in air samples dramatically expands the potential for airborne eDNA analysis," said Matthew Barnes, an ecologist at Texas Tech University, in Lubbock, who was not involved in the new study.

In the last decade, the collection and analysis of eDNA to study and manage plant and animal populations has taken off, Barnes said. "The analogy that I use is like the detective at the crime scene, finding a cigarette butt and swabbing it for DNA to place the criminal at the crime scene. We do that with eDNA except for instead of looking for criminals, we're looking for a rare or elusive species," Barnes said. The species might be endangered or an invasive species new to an environment, he said. [read more]

Interesting. If the CSI:Miami TV drama ever comes back on the air, it could use this tech on an episode.

11 Insane Things Your Tax Dollars Paid For Thanks To USAID

From The Federalist.com (Feb. 4):

Democrats on Capitol Hill suffered a meltdown Monday after President Donald Trump moved to rein in the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The agency, which had been unilaterally established under an executive order by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 and was ostensibly created to offer foreign financial assistance promoting sustainable development. In the nearly 65 years since USAID was created, however, the global welfare agency succumbed to the worst impulses of the administrative state, with bureaucrats exploiting their authority over tax dollars to drive international censorship and regime change.

“It’s been run by a bunch of radical lunatics, and we’re getting them out,” Trump told reporters Sunday.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., complained at a press conference of congressional Democrats that USAID could no longer be leveraged to engage in overseas nation-building.

“I am exceptionally upset about USAID,” she said, characterizing the agency as America’s vehicle of “soft power.”

In an interview with Fox News, however, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the agency had become filled with “rank insubordination.”

“They just think they’re a global entity and that their master is the globe and not the United States. And that’s not sustainable,” Rubio said.

Rubio told reporters on his first foreign trip to Latin America he is now the acting director of USAID after employees and congressional Democrats were locked out of the headquarters this week.

“There are a lot of functions of USAID that are going to continue, that are going to be part of American foreign policy, but it has to be aligned with American foreign policy,” Rubio said in El Salvador.

A review of its recent priorities reveal the agency had more to do with far-left social engineering overseas than responsible diplomacy. Here’s a look at what USAID has been funding with American tax dollars:

DEI Initiatives Abroad

Last week, the Daily Mail reported on a myriad of programs supported by USAID which will now lose funding after Trump’s executive orders “sealed the spigot of U.S. taxpayer dollars flowing to DEI projects abroad.” Items include $70,000 for a “DEI musical” in Ireland, $47,000 for a “transgender opera” in Colombia, $32,000 for a “transgender comic book” in Peru, and $1.5 million for an LGBT jobs program in Serbia.

The Daily Caller also reported in September USAID delivered a $2 million grant to Guatemalan activists “to help organizations led by transexuals perform sex changes in the country.” The program was scheduled to begin in April and run until 2027.

Electric Vehicles In Vietnam

According to the Daily Mail last week, USAID “awarded $2.5 million for electric vehicles for Vietnam” under President Biden.

“Since the huge investment of U.S. taxpayer dollars there has been at least one battery station built, avoiding a total of 260 gallons of gas, according to the USAID website,” the Daily Mail reported. “An average semi-truck holds roughly, by comparison, holds about 130 gallons of gas.” [read more]

America's hard earned tax money hard at work--being wasted. Just awful. 

The rest of things your tax dollars paid for:

1. Egyptian Infrastructure
2. Group Allegedly Linked To Terrorism
3. Meals For Terrorists
4. EcoHealth Alliance
5. Personalized Contraception
6. Afghan Opium
7. Fake HIV Prevention Workshop To Engineer Regime Change
8. Global Censorship
9. British Broadcast Media

More article and videos on USAID:

• The Most Outrageous, Horrific Things USAID Did With Your Tax Dollars
• 5 of the Worst USAID Scandals in History
• USAID helped fund the ‘Soros prosecutors’
• Before it was shuttered, USAID routed funds to Soros-aligned causes, terrorists and drag queens
• More Proof: USAID ‘Care Packages’ Found with Hezbollah Weapons in Lebanon
• USAID reportedly bankrolled al Qaeda terrorist's college tuition, unearthed records show
• Trump: Dems Used USAID Money as 'Payoff' to Media
• Conservative Hungarian PM Orbán Vows To Uncover and Punish Globalist NGOs and Parties Receiving USAID Funding To Subvert His Government
• These are the schools built by USAID in Pakistan
• Trump administration takes USAID off its building lease
• Transgender opera in Colombia? 10 SHOCKING ways USAID spent your tax dollars.
• Shutdown: Marco Rubio Cancels 83% of USAID Programs
• USAID official tells staffers: Shred and burn your documents
• Why Ending USAID Is Huge, Even If It’s a Small Part of the Budget
• Supreme Court Denies Trump Admin Request To Halt $2 Billion In Foreign Aid
• 3 stories that prove USAID is a criminal organization
• Why Trump SHOULD Dismantle USAID [video]
• Unpacking SCOTUS's Latest EMBARRASSING Decision On USAID Funding [video]
• Did USAID Really Fund Chelsea Clinton’s Wedding? Here's the FACTS [video]
• DOGE Agents Take On Insane Corruption At USAID [video]



Senate confirms Trump's EPA pick

From The Blaze.com (Jan. 30):

The Senate confirmed Lee Zeldin to head the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday. Zeldin is the seventh nominee of President Donald Trump's Cabinet to be confirmed.

Zeldin was confirmed in a 56-42 vote with the support of three Democrats and all 53 Republicans. Overall, 42 Democratic senators voted to block his confirmation.

"Honored to begin this exciting journey as the 17th EPA Administrator," Zeldin said in a Wednesday post on X. "Together, we will harness the greatness of American innovation with the greatness of American conservation and environmental stewardship. Time to get to work!"

Zeldin has repeatedly championed Trump-backed environmental policies, vowing to roll back regulations and reverse so-called "green energy" policies from the previous administration.

Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, who chairs the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee, praised Zeldin as "well qualified and capable" following his confirmation on Wednesday.

"Today, the Senate has confirmed an EPA administrator who is well-qualified and capable of returning the EPA to its core missions of protecting our land, air, and water, without inhibiting economic development," Capito said in a statement. "Congressman Zeldin will lead the EPA as the agency addresses the environmental needs of our country, and he is committed to properly implementing the laws of Congress through collaboration with the members of our Committee."

"I have been continually impressed by Congressman Zeldin's character, and his dedication to our country through service in both the U.S. Army and Congress," Capito added. "I am confident he will perform the role of EPA administrator exceptionally well, and be a central member of President Trump's Cabinet as they enact policies and solutions to the environment, infrastructure, and energy challenges of our time." [source]

Good. He'll do a great job.

More articles on Zeldin and the EPA:

• Lee Zeldin demands return of $20B ‘parked’ at a financial institution by ‘Biden EPA’ to dole out to climate groups
• I just cancelled a $50 MILLION Biden-era environmental justice grant

When Artificial Intelligence Makes Art, What Becomes of the Artist?

From Breakpoint.org (Jan. 27, 2023):

In September, the first prize at the annual Colorado State Fair art competition went to a submission entitled, “Théâtre D’opéra Spatial.” The painting was submitted by Jason Allen and depicts an ornate stage and costumed performers, washed in beautiful golden light. Allen, however, did not paint the image. Instead, he typed in a few prompts on a search bar, and an artificially intelligent art generator program, called  Midjourney, did the rest.

When Allen won, outrage ensued, but Allen defended his decision to submit the painting he did not paint, arguing that his intent was not to deceive but to draw attention to the potential of artificial intelligence. “I won,” said Allen, “and I didn’t break any rules.”

This is another example of how artificial intelligence is raising questions about the nature and purpose of things, and how it relates to our humanity. What is “art” in a world where artificial intelligence can not only replicate nearly any image, but produce original images with superior skill and precision? Is art, at least as we’ve known it, finished now that the creative skills which once took a lifetime to master are reduced to a keystroke? What will now incentivize a promising young artist to develop these skills? Will painting become something pursued only by a few people as a leisure activity?

Because art is a way of expressing meaning, it has always been a uniquely human activity. After all, only humans seek meaning out of life, rather than just survival. In addition to the beauty and skill involved, we tend to value the pursuit of meaning we see in the creative work of others.

As Vincent van Gogh once reflected in a letter to his brother,

I want to get to the point where people say of my work: that man feels deeply, that man feels keenly. Though I am often in the depths of misery, there is still calmness, pure harmony and music inside me. I see paintings or drawings in the poorest cottages, in the dirtiest comers. And my mind is driven towards these things with an irresistible momentum.

Art, then, is a way of seeking and communicating meaning. Even abstract art, such as Picasso’s Guernica or Piet Mondrian’s Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow, reflect the kind of meaning-seeking creatures we are. Though an exploding paint factory could produce a splattering of color that resembles a Jackson Pollock painting, the lack of intent, communication, and skill make all the difference.

It is along those three lines—what is said, how it is said, and why it is said—that art produced by AI is clearly different than that produced by people. A machine says something when it is asked to, communicating because it is told. Thus, when it comes to art generated by artificial intelligence, both what is said and why eventually points back to a person, the Jason Allen, so to speak, who submitted the request.

A bigger and more important conflict in the world of art, more than whether a piece is painted or printed, is whether meaning is constructed or discovered. If constructed, then the purpose of art is only the self-expression of both the producer and consumer. The artist is responsible only to create an “interpretive experience” and is not subject to any fixed realities outside of ourselves. If the world was created with meaning, however, then the task of the artist is to discover and to communicate, pointing to a meaning that is already there.

All that to say, the modern and postmodern devolution of art, which far predates AI and ranges from the bizarre to the vile, has far more to do with a culture-wide loss of meaning than the addition of this new technology. Undoubtedly, people will continue to use AI to generate images, but no matter how skillful or influential AI becomes, it will always be a tool, nothing more. It will have no idea why it’s doing what it’s doing.

Humans, however, will continue to think about the meaning of the universe and our place in it, and we will continue to make meaning when we can’t find it. That we are so self-reflective about meaning says a lot about the kind of world we live in and the kind of creatures we are. C.S. Lewis put it this way, “If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning.”

That’s why the van Goghs will continue to amaze, and the grandmothers will continue to hang paintings from four-year-olds they know and love on their fridge. Ultimately, only people can be artists. Even the very best “art” from a machine is only a more sophisticated version of paint-by-numbers. To be human is to create, to invent, to innovate. To create art is how humans paraphrase creation, something we do because we are made in the image of the Creator. [source]

The Swamp's Warped Dictionary

From Red State.com (Mar. 10, 2021):

For a society to function and continue to exist – the same words have to mean the same things to everyone.  You can’t say “X” – and have a portion of a population take it to mean “Not X.”

The Left – and the DC Deep State Swamp – have a very warped and perverted dictionary.  Where all sorts of words and phrases mean the exact opposite of what they actually mean.

How The Left’s War on Words Manipulates Your Mind:

“Words can now literally be defined with their antonym. We are a hair’s width and an ounce of stupidity away from ‘war is peace, freedom is slavery.’”

As referenced, the godfather of grasping this totalitarian insanity – was George Orwell.

The Corruption of Thoughts, Language, and Power: George Orwell’s View on Government-Controlled Language

We the Antonyms are now WELL down this horrible rabbit hole.

Liberal Doublespeak: Words That Don’t Mean What They Say

What Liberals Say vs What They Mean

The Seven Dumbest Things Democrats Demand You Believe

Gaslighting Biden White House Calls COVID Bill with Zero GOP Support ‘Bipartisan

Democrats’ Meaning of ‘Equity and Inclusion’ Is ‘Believe What We Say, or Else’

Of course, the Left and the DC Deep State Swamp do all this to get what they want.  When what they want is antithetical to what We the People want – and to the best interests of our country.

To wit: Here is Britannica’s definition of “free trade”:

“A policy by which a government does not discriminate against imports or interfere with exports by applying tariffs (to imports) or subsidies (to exports). A free-trade policy does not necessarily imply, however, that a country abandons all control and taxation of imports and exports.”

All of which is the exact opposite of DC’s definition of “free trade.”

DC and their Big Business cronies want to keep their First World executive compensation packages and stock market returns – while Third World-outsourcing their manufacturing and production.

Which means closing millions of American businesses – and opening them elsewhere.  To be able to fire tens of millions of Americans – to instead hire cheaper Third World labor.

For decades, the world’s nations have made this screwing of the US ever more lucrative for Big Business.  By subsidizing the products Big Business relocates to make there and sell here.  And by limiting and tariffing what remaining US businesses make here and seek to export there.

This has been the international status quo – for decades.  This is the exact opposite of “free trade.”  But it is precisely what the DC Deep State Swamp has been calling “free trade” – for decades.

Donald Trump long saw this lie for what it was.  And addressed the heck out of it during his presidential term – by adhering nearly perfectly to the dictionary definition of “free trade.”

Trump highlighted the very many limits and tariffs emplaced upon our stuff – and the very many subsidies pumped into their stuff. [read more]

Language for the Left is just a tool to confuse the Commoner.

Actually, Joe, All Your ‘Objectives’ Were Failures

From AM Greatness.com (Aug. 21, 2023):

Joe Biden in one of his now accustomed angry “get off my grass” moods dared the press to find just one of his policies/objectives that has not worked. Silence followed.

Perhaps it was polite to say nothing, given even the media knows almost every enacted Biden policy has failed.

Here is a summation of what he should instead apologize for.

Biden in late summer 2021 sought a 20th anniversary celebration of 9/11 and the 2001 subsequent invasion of Afghanistan. He wished to be the landmark president that yanked everyone out of Afghanistan after 20 years in country. But the result was the greatest military humiliation of the United States since the flight from Vietnam in 1975.

Consider the ripples of Biden’s disaster. U.S. deterrence was crippled worldwide. China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea almost immediately began to bluster or return to their chronic harassment of U.S. and allied ships and planes. We left thousands of allied Afghans to face Taliban retribution, along with some Western contractors.

Biden abandoned a $1 billion embassy, and a $300 million remodeled Bagram airbase strategically located not far from China and Russia, and easily defensible. Perhaps $50 billion in U.S. weaponry and supplies were abandoned and now find their way into the international terrorist mart.

All our pride flags, our multimillion gender studies programs at Kabul University, and our George Floyd murals did not just come to naught, but were replaced by the Taliban’s anti-homosexual campaigns, burkas, and detestation of any trace of American popular culture.

Vladimir Putin sized up the skedaddle. He collated it with Biden’s unhinged quip that he would not get too excited if Putin just staged a “minor” invasion of Ukraine. He remembered Biden’s earlier request to Putin to modulate Russian hacking to exempt a few humanitarian American institutions. Then Russia concluded of our shaky Commander-in-Chief that he either did not care or could do nothing about another Russian invasion. [read more]

So glad he is not in office anymore.

Weekend Warrior: Elon Musk Reveals How DOGE Is Cutting Billions In Spending Every Day

From Daily Wire.com (Feb. 2):

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) appears to have gotten off to a fast start during the first two weeks of President Donald Trump‘s second term.

Elon Musk, who leads DOGE, delivered a number of updates on his social media platform, X, on Friday and into the weekend about what it takes to cut government spending by billions of dollars a day.

He shared a post from DOGE that showed a list of more than 100 “DEI related contract cancellations” that resulted in more than $1 billion worth of “savings.”

Musk posted about cutting the federal deficit.

“Reducing the federal deficit from $2T to $1T in FY2026 requires cutting an average of ~$4B/day in projected 2026 spending from now to Sept 30,” Musk said in the original post. “That would still result in a ~$1T deficit, but economic growth should be able to match that number, which would mean no inflation in 2026. Super big deal.”

He later responded to the original post with updates.

“I am cautiously optimistic that we will reach the $4B/day FY2026 reduction this weekend,” Musk said. He added in a second post: “None of this would be possible without President @realDonaldTrump.”

With a third, Musk said: “Obviously, there will be EXTREME opposition from the grifters!! And they will make it sound like we’re cutting funding to save baby pandas when we’re actually cutting funding to fraudsters, wastrels & terrorists … This is only possible because of President @realDonaldTrump.” [read more]

Nice.  The Left are upset at Musk because President Trump's unelected man (Musk) and his team are going after their unelected bureaucracies.

Other articles and videos on DOGE:

• Department of Government Efficiency website
• DOGE X page
• Elon Musk unleashes nerd army of college-aged engineers to dismantle government waste with DOGE
• DOGE Is Deadly To The Swamp And A Ray Of Light For The American Taxpayer
• Elon Musk's DOGE Commission gains Access to Sensitive Treasury Payment Systems: AP Sources
• Trump sets Musk’s DOGE on Defense, Education departments
• DOGE Eliminates over $100M in DEI Funding at Department of Education
• Trump signs off on DOGE audit of IRS
• DOGE says it dug up another $1.9 billion in taxpayer money 'misplaced' by Biden admin
• DOGE says it found nearly untraceable budget line item responsible for $4.7T in payments
• DOGE Finds $2 Billion in Taxpayer Funds Earmarked for Stacey Abrams-Linked Group
• DOGE Announces $55 Billion in Savings
• Elon Musk Wants to 'Delete Entire' Govt Agencies
• States Say Trump Illegally Appointed Elon Musk to Head DOGE
• Controversy Over Elon Musk
• DOGE Begins Publishing Data After Transparency Complaints
• Why DOGE Should Leave the Penny Alone
• No One Cares When Presidential Advisers Want Bigger Government
• REVEALED: Secret Resistance Agreement Between Blue States, Left-Wing Groups and NYC Law Firms to Conduct Coordinated Lawfare Against DOGE and Elon Musk
• EXCLUSIVE: DOGE Cuts Fauci-Funded Animal Testing in China
• DOGE's top 5 BIGGEST cuts
• DOGE: VA Cancels $56,000 Contract to Water 8 Potted Plants
• WATCH: Sen. Kennedy Deliciously Dunks on Dems Objecting to DOGE As Only He Can
• The REAL Reason Democrats are TERRIFIED of Elon Musk & DOGE [video]
• Elon Musk is NOT a Threat to "Democracy." He's a Threat to Bureaucracy [video]

JD Vance's First Month

From Bill OReilly.com (Feb. 19):

Vice President Vance is off to a fast start. He's no-nonsense, and so far, his points are well-stated.

When President Trump pardoned all of the January 6 convicts, Vance was not completely on board with letting the violent guys off.  He said that before the blanket pardons were announced.  But a Vice President has to back the boss. Has to, or chaos descends. That's the most difficult part of the VP experience, as Mike Pence vividly found out.

Over in Europe last week, Vance was the voice of doom. He kept it simple and direct: NATO countries must pay more for their collective defense and stop freeloading off America.

You may remember President Obama said the same thing but never followed up. Trump will. Vance set the table and also scolded Europe for trying to crush dissent.

So, a good first month for J.D. looks like a strong asset for the President. But there are miles to go before he sleeps. [source]

The NATO members didn't like VP Vance was saying about them, but it was true and they needed to hear the message. He's a true America first patriot.

Excerpts from “2025 Mandate for Leadership” Part 1

PROMISE #1: RESTORE THE FAMILY AS THE CENTERPIECE OF AMERICAN LIFE AND PROTECT OUR CHILDREN.

PROMISE #2: DISMANTLE THE ADMINISTRATIVE STATE AND RETURN SELF-GOVERNANCE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

PROMISE #3: DEFEND OUR NATION’S SOVEREIGNTY, BORDERS, AND BOUNTY AGAINST GLOBAL THREATS.

…………

There should be one Cabinet Secretary who reports to the Chief of Staff’s office, either directly or through a deputy chief, according to the chief’s preference and focus.

…………

Additionally, the President should revise and sign an updated version of President Ronald Reagan’s Executive Order 12630" on federal takings. The next President should strengthen implementation of the Information Quality Act,’ robustly use the authority of the Paperwork Reduction Act,” carefully enforce the Privacy Act,” and ensure the sound execution of OIRA’s statistical and other information policy functions.

………..

1. Strengthen protections for chaplains to carry out their ministry according to the tenets of their faith.

2. Codify language to instruct senior military officers (three and four stars) to make certain that they understand their primary duty to be ensuring the readiness of the armed forces, not pursuing a social engineering agenda.

3. Reinstate servicemembers to active duty who were discharged for not receiving the COVID vaccine, restore their appropriate rank, and provide back pay.

4. Eliminate Marxist indoctrination and divisive critical race theory programs and abolish newly established diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and staff.

5. Restrict the use of social media solely for purposes of recruitment and discipline any armed services personnel who use an official command channel to engage with civilian critics on social media.

6. Audit the course offerings at military academies to remove Marxist indoctrination, eliminate tenure for academic professionals, and apply the same rules to instructors that are applied to other DOD contracting personnel.

7. Reverse policies that allow transgender individuals to serve in the military. Gender dysphoria is incompatible with the demands of military service, and the use of public monies for transgender surgeries or to facilitate abortion for servicemembers should be ended. Value the military family.

5. Restrict the use of social media solely for purposes of recruitment and discipline any armed services personnel who use an official command channel to engage with civilian critics on social media.

6. Audit the course offerings at military academies to remove Marxist indoctrination, eliminate tenure for academic professionals, and apply the same rules to instructors that are applied to other DOD contracting personnel.

7. Reverse policies that allow transgender individuals to serve in the military. Gender dysphoria is incompatible with the demands of military service, and the use of public monies for transgender surgeries or to facilitate abortion for servicemembers should be ended. Value the military family.

Source: Project 2025: Mandate for Leadership [pdf]

An article and a video on the project:

• Democrats Continue To Spew Lies About The Contents Of Project 2025
• The ONLY Thing the Left Gets Right About "Project 2025" [video]

Why Are We Banning Books? Blame Worship of Our Self-Identity

From Daily Signal.com (Mar. 10, 2021):

This week, Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced it would stop the sale and distribution of six classic volumes from the great children’s author.

Those volumes, said the company, violate its commitment to “messages of hope, inspiration, inclusion, and friendship.” The books include portrayals of people “in ways that are hurtful and wrong.”

Society has long held that activity that damages others ought to be curbed. John Stuart Mill posited the so-called harm principle—the belief that activity that harms someone ought to be condemned or even barred—in the mid-19th century. But Mill refused to conflate harm and offense: Being offended wasn’t cause for sanction of another.

Broadly speaking, society agreed with this formulation. But in the past few years, this formulation has been completely turned on its head. Now offense is not only considered a harm; it is considered the chief harm in our society.

Physical injury, after all, is merely physical. But mental or emotional injury—that threatens our very sense of identity. Because we find our identity in our own sense of self-creation, any societal denial of that sense threatens our identity.

As Carl Trueman writes in “The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self”: “The era of psychological man therefore requires changes in the culture and its institutions, practice, and beliefs that affect everyone. They all need to adapt to reflect a therapeutic mentality that focuses on the psychological well-being of the individual.”

When individual self-creation becomes the chief goal of a society, institutions must be torn down—institutions, after all, foster a set of rules that may not be conducive to individual self-creation.

Informational flow must be dammed—after all, information may allow others to take a different, objectively-based opinion about you than you take subjectively about yourself. Books must be burned—after all, books carry with them implicit messages that may threaten your sense of yourself.

Iconoclasm becomes the order of the day.

Our societal turn from actual, measurable harm toward subjective, psychological harm places us on the road to complete devastation of our culture and our rights.

Now anyone who offends—or even has the potential to offend—can be, and indeed ought to be, fired. Now any book—no matter how old or how inoffensive—can be, and indeed ought to be, banned. Now any kernel of information—no matter how true—can be discarded.

This formulation puts all power in the hands of those who are most easily offended—or least those who claim to be. The offense itself is the weapon. Legal torts require damages; societal torts merely require a claim of damages, without evidence.

No one can explain just how a drawing in “If I Ran the Zoo” has contributed to actual racism; there are no recorded incidents of a single white supremacist citing “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” as a formative source in his racist worldview.

But any academic with a computer and a degree in postmodern nonsense can take those books off the shelves simply by claiming that offense is possible.

In the end, the only literature allowed will be the literature that adheres to the values of our postmodern world—a world in which we are not expected to conform to societal rules but society is expected to conform to our own acts of self-definition.

That means your child reading “I Am Jazz” but never—never, Gaia forbid!—the Bible. It means goodbye to cultural icons, large and small—goodbye to all vestiges of the past, replete with their “bigoted” value systems.

It means that the purges have only just begun. [source]

It’s too bad Dr. Seuss stopped publishing those volumes all because the Marxist philosophy (religion?) of DIE. Maybe they will reconsider in the future.

Chinese nationals attempting entry to U.S. bases spark espionage concerns

From Just the News.com (Sept. 4, 2023):

An increasing number of incidents have been occurring involving Chinese nationals, sometimes posing as tourists, attempting to access sensitive U.S. sites, including military bases, rocket launch sites and even the White House.

The FBI, the Department of Defense and other agencies held a review last year, according to The Wall Street Journal, to figure out how to limit these incidents from occurring. The Journal is reporting that there have been as many as 100 such incidents in recent years, according to U.S. officials who describe them as a potential espionage threat.

These “gate-crashers” range from “Chinese nationals found crossing into a U.S. missile range in New Mexico to what appeared to be scuba divers swimming in murky waters near a U.S. government rocket-launch site in Florida,” according to the outlet.

Officials believe these breaches are attempts to test security practices at U.S. military installations and involve Chinese nationals who are required to report back their findings to the Chinese government.

Three Chinese citizens were sentenced to about a year in prison in 2020 after pleading guilty to illegally entering the Key West naval air station and taking photos.

While there have been no cases that resulted in espionage charges, two Chinese diplomats were expelled from the U.S. in 2019 on suspicion of espionage after they drove onto a highly sensitive military facility in Virginia where U.S. Navy SEALs train, according to the Journal. [source]

Good deal the spies were caught. The Chi-Coms were taking advantage of Briben’s weak leadership.

Kristi Noem confirmed as secretary of homeland security

From ABC.go.news (Jan. 25):

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, the firebrand who gained a national spotlight during the coronavirus pandemic, was confirmed by the Senate on Saturday to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

Noem won confirmation in a 59-34 vote, making her the fourth person confirmed to Trump's cabinet. Pete Hegseth was confirmed as defense secretary just hours earlier.

In a statement released by the department, Secretary Noem said she will work "every day" to keep Americans "safe and secure."

"The Trump Administration will once-again empower our brave men and women in law enforcement to do their jobs and remove criminal aliens and illegal gangs from our country," she said in a statement on Saturday. "We will fully equip our intelligence and law enforcement to detect and prevent terror threats and will deliver rapid assistance and disaster relief to Americans in crisis."

Noem thanked the president for the opportunity to serve and said she wants to achieve the president’s mandate "to secure our southern border and fix our broken immigration system."

During her confirmation hearing, Noem said the southern border is "not secure" and that she will help to fix it.

"President Trump needs to achieve this mission because two-thirds of Americans support his immigration and border policies, including the majority of Hispanic Americans," Noem said in her opening statement. "I was the first governor to send National Guard troops to our southern border when Texas asked for help and when they were being overwhelmed by an unprecedented border crisis. If confirmed as secretary, I'll ensure that our exceptional, extraordinary Border Patrol agents have all the tools and resources and support that they need to carry out their mission."

The Department of Homeland Security already shut down the CBP One app, which allowed migrants to make appointments at the border to claim asylum -- something Noem promised the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee she'd do.

Noem will oversee 22 agencies with more than 260,000 employees who work on issues ranging from the border to federal disaster management to the Secret Service.

"As secretary, I will oversee the Secret Service, an agency that is in serious need of reforms. We all saw the threats to President-elect Trump last year and the consequences of failure," Noem said. "Now, that should never happen again, and I've worked closely with my own gubernatorial protective detail, and I'm familiar with what works and what doesn't work, and I'll bring that experience towards strengthening the Secret Service."

The incoming secretary said she will follow the law and implement reforms with no political bias, including with regard to disaster relief.

She added that "if given the chance to be secretary of homeland security, that I will deliver the programs according to the law and that it will be done with no political bias." [source]

She's already doing a better job than Mayorkas. At least she is accompanying ICE officers when they are apprehending illegal criminals and terrorists. Mayorkas never did that. A paycheck was all he cared about. Not the country.

More article on Noem and DHS:

• Kristi Noem: Notorious Gang Leader Nabbed by ICE Was Trying to Buy Explosives—What For?
• United States Begins Flying Illegal Aliens To Guantanamo Bay
• Trump's DHS has update about payments for migrants in NYC hotels
• ‘They will be fired’: DHS has identified ICE raid leakers, Noem says
  
• DHS chief Noem says two ‘leakers’ of ICE raid info will be referred to DOJ for ‘felony prosecutions’
  

Hegseth Confirmed, Thanks to Vance's Tiebreaking Vote

From Newsmax.com (Jan. 24):

Vice President J.D. Vance was needed to break a tie Friday night in order for the Senate to confirm Pete Hegseth as President Donald Trump's defense secretary.

"Congratulations to Pete Hegseth," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "He will make a great Secretary of Defense!"

It was the second time in U.S. history that a vice president was needed to break a tie to confirm a Cabinet nomination. The first was in 2017 in Trump's first administration, when Mike Pence cast the tiebreaking vote to confirm Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

"I thought I was done voting in the Senate," Vance, a former Republican senator from Ohio, posted on X, with a laughing emoji.

Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted against Hegseth, as expected, but a surprise no vote came from Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., forcing Vance, as president of the upper chamber, to step in with the tiebreaking vote.

McConnell, who stepped down as the longtime Republican Senate leader, voted Thursday to advance Hegseth's nomination to a final vote. But he said after Friday's vote that Hegseth had not demonstrated a sufficient understanding of national security challenges to oversee what he called "the most consequential Cabinet official in any administration."

"Effective management of nearly 3 million military and civilian personnel, an annual budget of nearly $1 trillion, and alliances and partnerships around the world is a daily test with staggering consequences," McConnell said in a statement, according to The New York Times. "Mr. Hegseth has failed, as yet, to demonstrate that he will pass this test."

Another Republican on the fence about Hegseth, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, lived up to his pledge to vote for any of Trump's Cabinet nominations once they were approved at the committee level for a final Senate vote.

"From the beginning, I have been clear about my position: If President Trump’s nominees were reported favorably out of the relevant committees, I would support their confirmation on the Senate floor absent new material information about their qualifications," Tillis posted on X. "Once Pete Hegseth’s nomination was sent to the floor by my colleagues on the Senate Armed Services Committee, I conducted my own due diligence, including asking tough questions of Pete, and I appreciated his candor and openness in answering them.

"Pete has a unique perspective as a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and is unquestionably passionate about modernizing our military and supporting the brave patriots like himself who serve our nation."

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., reportedly opened Friday's session saying that Hegseth, an Army combat hero, "will bring a warrior's perspective" to the top military job. [source]

Good. Glad he got confirmed. Hopefully, he can make good changes.

Other articles on Hegseth as Defense Secretary:

• Trump: 'Winning Is What Matters' in Hegseth Vote
• Hegseth WINS, but what happened on the Senate floor after the vote revealed everything…
• Pete Hegseth Gives US Troops New Marching Orders Hours After Confirmation
• Defense Secretary Hegseth Pulls Gen. Milley's Security Clearance, Detail
• Hegseth Signs Memo Reversing Renaming of Fort Bragg
• Pete Hegseth orders defense leadership to draw up plans for huge budget cuts as DOGE enters the Pentagon: report
• Hegseth: U.S. Not Cutting Defense Spending, Is Reallocating Some Existing Spending
• Pentagon: 5,400 Civilian Workers to Be Cut Next Week
• Exclusive: Pentagon Orders the Removal of DEI from All Official Online Content
• Defense Secretary Hegseth Puts Mexico on Blast: ‘Curb the Influx of Migrants and Fentanyl, or US Military Will Strike the Cartels’
• Hegseth Orders 3,000 Troops To U.S. Southern Border: ‘Dead Serious’
• Hegseth to Cyber Command: Stand Down on Russia

Joseph Goebbels’ Own Words Show He Loved Socialism and Saw It as ‘the Future’

From Jon Miltimore on FEE.org (Jan. 23, 2023):

One of the comforts of growing older is knowing that some things will never change.

Sports fans will always argue over the designated hitter rule and over who was the best heavyweight boxer of all-time (Muhammad Ali). Movie fans will never agree which Godfather movie was better, the first or the second (the first.) And the trumpets will sound at the Second Coming before capitalists and socialists agree on whether the Nazis were “really socialists.”

The last item has always puzzled me, I confess, and not just because the word is right there in the name: National Socialism. If you read the speeches and private conversations of the Nazi hierarchy, it’s clear they loved socialism and despised individualism and capitalism.

In his new book Hitler’s National Socialism, the historian Rainer Zitelmann gives a penetrating look into the ideas that shaped men like Hitler and Goebbels. While it’s clear they saw their own brand of socialism as distinct from Marxism (more on that later), there is no question they saw socialism as the future and despised bourgeoisie capitalism.

Consider, for example, these quotes from Joseph Goebbels, the chief propagandist for the Nazi Party:

1. “Socialism is the ideology of the future.” – Letter to Ernst Graf zu Reventlow as quoted in Goebbels: A Biography
2. “The bourgeoisie has to yield to the working class … Whatever is about to fall should be pushed. We are all soldiers of the revolution. We want the workers’ victory over filthy lucre. That is socialism.” -quoted in Doctor Goebbels: His Life and Death
3. “We are socialists, because we see in socialism, that means, in the fateful dependence of all folk comrades upon each other, the sole possibility for the preservation of our racial genetics and thus the re-conquest of our political freedom and for the rejuvenation of the German state. – “Why We Are Socialists?” Der Angriff (The Attack ), July 16, 1928
4. “We are not a charitable institution but a Party of revolutionary socialists.” -Der Angriff editorial, May 27, 1929
5. “Capitalism assumes unbearable forms at the moment when the personal purposes that it serves run contrary to the interest of the overall folk. It then proceeds from things and not from people. Money is then the axis around which everything revolves. It is the reverse with socialism. The socialist worldview begins with the folk and then goes over to things. Things are made subservient to the folk; the socialist puts the folk above everything, and things are only means to an end.” -”Capitalism,” Der Angriff, July 15, 1929
6. “In 1918 there was only one task for the German socialist: to keep the weapons and defend German socialism.” -”Capitalism,” Der Angriff, July 15, 1929
7. “To be a socialist means to let the ego serve the neighbour, to sacrifice the self for the whole. In its deepest sense socialism equals service.” – diary notes (1926)
8. “The lines of German socialism are sharp, and our path is clear. We are against the political bourgeoisie, and for genuine nationalism! We are against Marxism, but for true socialism!” – Those Damn Nazis: Why Are We Socialists? (1932)
9. “We are socialists because we see the social question as a matter of necessity and justice for the very existence of a state for our people, not a question of cheap pity or insulting sentimentality. The worker has a claim to a living standard that corresponds to what he produces.” – Those Damn Nazis: Why Are We Socialists? (1932)
10. “England is a capitalist democracy. Germany is a socialist people’s state.” – “Englands Schuld” (the speech is not dated, but likely was given in 1939)
11. “Because we are socialists we have felt the deepest blessings of the nation, and because we are nationalists we want to promote socialist justice in a new Germany.” – Die verfluchten Hakenkreuzler. Etwas zum Nachdenken (1932)
12. “The sin of liberal thinking was to overlook socialism’s nation-building strengths, thereby allowing its energies to go in anti-national directions.” – Die verfluchten Hakenkreuzler. Etwas zum Nachdenken (1932)
13. “To be a socialist is to submit the I to the thou; socialism is sacrificing the individual to the whole. Socialism is in its deepest sense service.” – as quoted in Escape from Freedom, Erich Fromm
14. “We are a workers’ party because we see in the coming battle between finance and labor the beginning and the end of the structure of the twentieth century. We are on the side of labor and against finance. . . The value of labor under socialism will be determined by its value to the state, to the whole community.”-Those Damn Nazis: Why Are We Socialists? (1932)

These quotes represent just a smattering of Goebbels’ views on and conception of socialism. One can see that in many ways the Nazi spoke much like Karl Marx.

Phrases like “we are a workers’ party,” “the worker has a claim to a living standard that corresponds to what he produces,” “money…is the reverse with socialism,” and “we are against the political bourgeoisie” could easily be plucked from Marx’s own speeches and writings—yet it’s clear Goebbels despised Marx and saw his brand of “national socialism” as distinct from Marxism. [read more]

I wonder if present-day self-proclaimed socialists know the information above? Probably not.

Democrat Chris Murphy Introduces Universal Background Check Bill

From Breitbart.com (Mar. 2, 2021):

On February 14, 2021, Biden urged legislators to put forward universal background check legislation and on February 18, 2021, Breitbart News noted Murphy was expected to do it.

Universal checks criminalize law-abiding citizens who sell a 5-shot revolver to a lifelong neighbor unless that neighbor first seeks out a Federal Firearms License (FFL) holder and undergoes an FBI background check.

On the other hand, such checks do not impact criminals as they do not typically buy their guns from legal sources.

In fact, such checks have been in place in California since the 1990s yet shooting victims in South Los Angeles surged 742 percent during the first 16 days of 2021 alone.

The key with universal background checks is they lead to other gun controls, such as government-mandated rationing of firearm purchases, which now exists in California.

Moreover, on January 24, 2021, Breitbart News pointed out universal background checks are unenforceable without a gun registry. This is because such checks are presented as a way to track every gun sale in the country, retail or private. To do this, the government must first know where every gun sits currently. This leads to firearm registration, which now exists in California as well.

CBS News reported Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) is cosponsoring Murphy’s bill.

Blumenthal commented on the legislation, saying, “The American people are responding to a political movement that has resulted from Parkland, Sandy Hook, Las Vegas — the shorthand of tragedies that have caused this political movement to be a force that has met this moment of reckoning.”

Ironically, universal background checks would not have stopped any of the three mass shootings mentioned by Blumenthal. That is because in two of them–Parkland and Las Vegas–the attackers passed background checks for guns. In the third, Sandy Hook, the attacker stole his gun, so no amount of point-of-sale background checks would have mattered. [source]

This blast-from-the-past is why the Dems should never have the majority in Congress—they will try to restrict the law-abiding American’s rights. It’s good this bill never got passed. But they will always keep trying.

ICE agents arrest MS-13 member on El Salvador's Top 100 most-wanted

From Fox News.com (Aug. 17, 2023):

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents captured two violent criminals this week wanted in El Salvador and Brazil. One is an MS-13 gang member on El Salvador's Top 100 Most Wanted list, and the other is a former military police officer who participated in a 2015 Brazilian massacre.

Immigration authorities had previously deported the MS-13 member, but he illegally reentered the United States, officials said. The Brazilian former military officer was arrested in New Hampshire on Monday, but no further details were provided on how he came to be in the country.

On Aug. 11, officials from ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) New Orleans office arrested MS-13 member Juan Carlos Portillo, 29, in Chelsea, Alabama, officials said in a news release Monday.

Portillo, also known as Juan Alberto Zamora-Zamora, Jose Adalberto Lopez-Lopez, and by his MS-13 name Pirana, is on El Salvador's Top 100 Most Wanted List. He is the subject of an arrest warrant issued in El Salvador on March 11, 2014, ICE said.

Portillo is wanted in El Salvador for aggravated kidnapping, attempted aggravated homicide, aggravated extortion, terrorist organization, deprivation of liberty and aggravated homicide.

On Dec. 7, 2022, Portillo was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol near Hidalgo, Texas, and was deported to El Salvador on Dec. 23. However, ICE said he managed to illegally reenter the country without having been admitted or paroled by an immigration officer.

ERO New Orleans' Birmingham sub-office received information from ERO San Salvador on July 5, 2023, that Portillo was residing in Columbiana, Alabama. After further investigation, ERO officials made the arrest in Chelsea on Aug. 11. 

"This MS-13 gang member blatantly ignored laws both in his home country and here in the United States and this arrest sends a message that we will not allow our communities to be safe havens for violent criminals," said ERO New Orleans Field Office Director Mellissa Harper. "By apprehending and removing dangerous individuals like Portillo who are part of transnational criminal organizations, ERO officers are making our communities safer." [read more]

It's good the wanted man was captured, but how many wanted got-aways slip pass the ICE agents? The Briben regime didn’t really know. And that's the problem. It’s good that we have a competent America first border czar and competent DHS secretary that cares about our borders.

Hamas altered hostages' appearances before release – report

From J Post.com (Jan. 26):

Hamas has reportedly implemented an “accelerated rehabilitation” process for the hostages before their release.The terrorist organization, according to a report from N12, provides hostages with nutritious food and stimulants shortly before their release to create the impression that they were treated well during captivity.

This practice has come to light amid the ongoing phased release of hostages. The report states that Hamas ensures hostages appear energetic and in good condition upon their return to Israel. However, testimonies from recently freed women paint a starkly different picture of their captivity.

Details of captivity

Released hostages told Israeli authorities, according to N12, that they drank seawater and ate only bread and rice. Others revealed that they were held in harsh conditions, including underground tunnels and cages.

N12 noted that the pre-release measures are part of Hamas’s efforts to influence public perception of their treatment of hostages.

Four hostages – Karina Ariev, Liri Albag, Daniella Gilboa, and Naama Levy – were released from Hamas captivity on Saturday. Additionally, Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbrecher were released from Sheba Medical Center after a week of medical checks following their homecoming. [source]

Despicable. Then again that's what Hamas does. Trying to make the world believe they didn't abuse the hostages. All about impression management.

Other Hamas articles:

• Secret Hamas docs reveal torture, execution of gay terrorists — while some male Oct. 7 Israeli victims were raped in captivity
• 'Unspeakably evil': Kfir, Ariel Bibas were brutally murdered in Gaza captivity, not by IAF strike
• Coffins of Bibas children reveal Hamas's ruthless ideology
• Let's commemorate our murdered hostages properly, not how Hamas wants us to- editorial
• Hamas’s hostage releases are modern-day slave auctions - opinion
  
• God changes ‘a.m. to p.m.,' terrorists can't account for divine intervention - opinion
  
• Media Sympathizes With HAMAS After Israel Frees Hostages?! [video]

Watch Live: Donald Trump Signs the Laken Riley Act

From Breitbart.com (Jan. 29):

President Donald Trump signs the Laken Riley Act into law on Wednesday, January 29.

As Breitbart News reported:

The Laken Riley Act was named after the 22-year-old nursing student who was brutally murdered in Athens, Georgia, by an illegal alien released into the United States interior.

The bill would require DHS to take into custody illegal aliens arrested, charged, or convicted for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.

[source]

Great!  Glad he signed the act.