The Patriot Post® · Wednesday: Below the Fold
- Trump lampoons Obama: On Friday, DNI Tulsi Gabbard released a bombshell report that revealed the Obama administration’s actions to fuel the bogus Trump/Russia collusion narrative. As the report stated, the outgoing Obama administration “[laid] the groundwork for what was essentially a years-long coup against President Trump.” On Tuesday, President Donald Trump weighed in on the report, pointedly calling Barack Obama “the leader of the gang” that pushed this Russia collusion hoax. “He’s guilty. This was treason. This was every word you could think of,” he charged. “They tried to steal the election. They tried to obfuscate the election. They did things that nobody has even imagined, even in other countries.” He also posted on social media, “Obama himself manufactured the Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX. Crooked Hillary, Sleepy Joe, and numerous others participated in this, THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY!. Irrefutable EVIDENCE. A major threat to our Country!!!”
Trump vs. Judges — Alina Habba Edition: A panel of federal judges voted Tuesday not to extend Trump ally Alina Habba’s term as interim New Jersey U.S. attorney. Habba’s term does not end until Friday, but judges appointed Habba’s first assistant, Desiree Grace, as her replacement. Attorney General Pam Bondi quickly fired Grace, calling the judges “politically minded.” Habba is Trump’s Senate nominee for the position, but Senate opponents Cory Booker and Andy Kim withheld their blue slips, effectively killing her nomination. In such cases, district judges can vote to extend a limited term, such as Habba’s; this panel opted not to. Trump may seek a workaround to allow Habba to retain the role, as he did when he named John Sarcone a special assistant U.S. attorney with “all the powers of the U.S. Attorney” after his nomination failed.
Sports integrity in the Olympics and USA Fencing: The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has announced changes to its policy on athlete eligibility to conform with President Trump’s executive order banning biological males from competing in women’s sports. The new Athlete Safety Policy states that “the USOPC will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders with oversight responsibilities … to ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201 and the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act.” USA Fencing, which was exposed by a female athlete who had been disqualified for refusing to fence against a male identifying as a woman, has also bowed to Trump’s EO. USA Fencing will now limit its women’s category to biological females.
Trump admin cuts IRS workforce by 25%: The Internal Revenue Service has cut 25,680 employees, or roughly 25% of its workforce, since Donald Trump took office. Most of them took a buyout offer. The IRS is undergoing a significant reversal from the Biden administration, which had sought to nearly double its size. Some are concerned that the IRS is understaffed and will struggle with implementing recent changes to the tax law from Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Yale Budget Lab projects that cutting the IRS staff by 50,000 people would result in the government losing some $400 billion in revenue over 10 years. Yet Citizens Against Government Waste President Thomas Schatz disputed that concern, arguing that the federal government hasn’t been suffering a loss of tax revenue and that the staff cuts present an opportunity for the IRS to simplify and modernize, encouraging more people to file their taxes electronically.
Ghislaine Maxwell rendezvousing with deputy AG: Ghislaine Maxwell girlfriend of the late Jeffrey Epstein will soon have the opportunity to give Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche any insider information she has on Epstein’s case. Blanche said that he was in contact with Ghislaine Maxwell’s legal team and expected to speak to her soon. The House Oversight Committee is also in the process of issuing a subpoena to Maxwell to testify before them. Alan Dershowitz, Epstein’s one-time attorney, has commented that Maxwell is the Rosetta Stone of this case because she “knows everything.” At the same time, Democrats on the House Rules Committee attempted to vote to compel the release of the remaining Epstein files, which would include child porn, before Republicans recessed the meeting to block them.
Trump calls for end to cashless bail: Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday to call for an end to cashless bail, saying that crime in big cities started a significant rise at the same time as the policies were implemented. This comes after a Customs and Border Patrol agent was left wounded after exchanging gunfire with two suspects, both illegal immigrants from the Dominican Republic with extensive rap sheets. In the aftermath, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem highlighted the way “sanctuary” policies in cities like New York, where the incident happened, impede federal immigration enforcement. Incumbent NYC Mayor Eric Adams deflected blame onto his state’s cashless bail policies for allowing criminals back on the streets. New York’s 2019 elimination of cash bail still allows judges to set bail for certain offenses. However, data show that more defendants are being rearrested than before the cashless change.
Socialist Omar Fateh secures Democrats’ Minneapolis mayoral endorsement: The Minnesota Democratic Party snubbed incumbent Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey by endorsing socialist Muslim Omar Fateh for mayor in the upcoming November election. Frey is a bona fide progressive, even dramatically sobbing over George Floyd’s casket during the funeral service in 2020. Nothing is ever good enough for progressive leftists. Frey let rioters rampage through the city during the “Summer of Love” and showed staunch support for Minneapolis’s sanctuary city status, but he also opposed rent control and defunding the police. Fateh has capitalized on Frey’s progressive but realistic positions by running on a $20 minimum wage, a moratorium on charter schools, and a citywide income tax. Frey says he believes the endorsement process was flawed and plans to appeal.
Shipping companies are avoiding EVs: Last month, a container ship called the Morning Midas caught fire and sank 300 miles off the coast of Alaska. The vessel was carrying over 3,000 vehicles, including electric cars. This incident was the third such loss of a large container ship carrying EVs since 2022. The culprit for these nearly unquenchable fires was the EVs and their lithium-ion batteries, which do not mix well with salt water. Last week, shipping company Matson announced that it would no longer ship EVs and plug-in hybrids “due to increasing concern for the safety of transporting vehicles powered by large lithium-ion batteries.” This move follows a Norwegian ferry operator barring EVs from its ships due to their fire hazard. It will be interesting to see how many more shipping companies ban EVs given the risk.
Headlines
Speaker Johnson to end House session early to avoid vote to release Epstein files (Just the News)
Columbia finally punishes anti-Israel rioters over violent library takeover (NY Post)
China targets U.S. government via Microsoft in global hack (Hot Air)
A diminished CFPB, Elizabeth Warren’s brainchild, survives latest GOP threat (Washington Examiner)
Democrat Rahm Emanuel jokes about going into witness protection after admitting that men can’t become women (Not the Bee)
Squatters are taking over lots razed by the LA wildfires, and the victims can’t do anything about it (Not the Bee)
Immigrants send $200 billion out of the United States every year (Daily Wire)
Humor: Hunter Biden warns that without illegal immigrants, the price of prostitutes and crack will skyrocket (Babylon Bee)
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