• Obama was champing at the bit on “Russia collusion”: Then-President Barack Obama seemed to confirm rumors that Russia had meddled with the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win weeks before the CIA assessment was completed in late December of that year. At the center of the hoax, Obama ordered the creation of an Intelligence Community Assessment after Trump’s stunning election win. In mid-December, Obama spoke to NPR and others, where he endorsed a CIA leak, stating that Russia’s actions were aimed at helping Trump win. Despite having no basis for his statements, Obama’s opinions were reported as news and propagated the Russia collusion hoax. The CIA report was developed on Obama’s December 6 instruction to rewrite previous reports that showed no clear collusion with Russia or intent to favor one candidate over the other.

• FBI firings: Critics call it a “purge,” while others point out that the FBI director can make personnel decisions as he sees fit. Either way, if there is corruption in the FBI, it needs to be rooted out, and Kash Patel was appointed for that reason. Former Acting Director Brian Driscoll is one of three FBI officials being let go. The other two are Walter Giardina, who played a role in the investigation of former Trump trade official Peter Navarro, and Steve Jensen, who served as acting director of the Washington Field Office and was directly involved in the January 6 investigations. Although no official reasons have been given for the firings, several sources tied it to their involvement in J6 prosecutions. More ousters are expected at the bureau soon.

• Semiconductor tariffs: President Trump’s tariff regime is not done yet. During a White House event Wednesday with Apple CEO Tim Cook, Trump announced that a 100% tariff would be imposed on semiconductors entering the United States. He clarified that companies that make the critical technological component in the U.S. would not face any tariffs, and neither would companies in the process of building semiconductor plants stateside. Trump warned that a retroactive penalty would be applied to companies that begin and then abort construction on a plant. An anonymous White House official promised more details in a future official announcement but insisted that the goal is to reshore manufacturing while minimizing supply chain disruptions. Trump’s announcement is undoubtedly significant, as the U.S. imported more than $60 billion of semiconductors last year.

• Khalil is still here: It’s unclear how much more proof was needed to justify the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil after he promoted and incited terrorism across American campuses and cities following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. In a recent interview with The New York Times’s Ezra Klein, Khalil, a green-card holder, attempted to justify the attack as a moment Palestinians “had to reach” to be heard, claiming it was “a desperate attempt to break the cycle.” Perhaps what he really meant was Hamas didn’t like the fact that Israel was in the process of making peace with Arab states, or that Hamas wants to eradicate the Jews. DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin responded, “When you advocate for violence, glorify and support terrorists that relish the killing of Americans, and harass Jews, take over buildings and deface property … you should not be in this country.”

• Tennessee National Guard mobilized to help ICE: Patriotic state governors are sending their National Guard units to assist ICE agents as mass deportations seem to be ramping up. Over 78,000 applications have been submitted to ICE since launching a recruitment drive in late July, and now, even more support is on its way as Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has mobilized the National Guard to assist with mass deportations. The mission is still being planned, but Guardsmen will aid with administrative and clerical duties, as well as fingerprinting and DNA swabbing. Florida is sending 200 National Guard personnel to back up nine ICE offices in the state, with the first 25 already on the job. The National Guard in as many as 20 states is poised to assist ICE in similar ways.

• Media runs interference for Fort Stewart attacker: Americans around the nation are thankful that the assailant at Fort Stewart was subdued quickly on Wednesday and that the victims are expected to recover, but the media coverage exposes their priorities. CNN, CBS, ABC, NPR, the AP, and many other outlets rushed to cover the story, but despite an early release of the attacker’s mugshot, they didn’t feature it in any cover images. Not the Bee asks the question, “Why are mainstream outlets unwilling to show the attacker?” Conservatives and other observers will already know the answer: the race of the attacker doesn’t fit the desired narrative. Indeed, the sergeant was a black man. Coverage of these kinds of attacks should be fairly uniform regardless of race, but the Leftmedia often seems giddy to inform the public when the shooter is white, or even “possibly white.”

• Veterans Affairs quashes unions: In a move to improve benefits and services to America’s veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced it is cutting ties with unions. This severance is also in line with President Trump’s executive order ending collective bargaining with unions at some agencies. “Too often, unions that represent VA employees fight against the best interests of veterans while protecting and rewarding bad workers,” VA Secretary Doug Collins noted. While the unions expressed expected outrage at the termination of their contracts, calling the administration “anti-veteran,” this move will allow VA workers to spend more hours serving veterans instead of unions. As the press release stated, “Today’s decision frees VA managers to act in the best interests of veterans rather than union bosses.”

• NYC gender cult homeless shelter: Just when you thought New York couldn’t go more insane, Democrats prove you wrong. New York City is partnering with Destination Tomorrow, a “national LGBTQ+ organization that serves the community through educational, financial, housing, health, and personal support programs,” to create a Trans and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) shelter. This $65 million shelter called Ace’s Place will be fully funded by the city of New York — meaning taxpayer dollars — and it will provide high-quality transitional housing and specialized support for TGNC New Yorkers experiencing homelessness. Last we checked, a government-funded program only for people who meet certain supposedly immutable criteria is discrimination and therefore illegal. So, while the city’s broader homeless population struggles in an underfunded, overstretched shelter system, NYC’s Department of Social Services is going to prioritize a small demographic. That doesn’t seem equitable.

Headlines

• Obama-appointed judge orders “construction pause” at Alligator Alcatraz (Not the Bee)

• Trump putting more feds on DC streets in response to out-of-control youth violence (NY Post)

• DOJ to seek death penalty against accused Jewish museum murderer (Washington Free Beacon)

• Nearly one-third of detainees released from Gitmo may have returned to terrorism (Just the News)

• Gina Carano and Disney settle their legal dispute (Hot Air)

• VA school district officials being investigated for bankrolling secret abortions for students (Townhall)

• Nova Scotia bans people from woods in attempt to stop wildfires (Not the Bee)

• Humor: Trump gerrymanders U.S. to include Canada (Babylon Bee)

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