The Patriot Post® · Monday Executive News Summary
Anti-ICE Wisconsin judge convicted: On Thursday, Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan was found guilty of felony obstruction related to her efforts earlier this year to help an illegal alien in her court evade arrest by ICE agents. Following a court proceeding in April, during which she learned ICE agents were waiting outside her courtroom, she snuck the illegal out through a side door. “Dugan betrayed her oath and the people she served when she obstructed federal law enforcement,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated. “Today, a federal jury of her peers found her guilty and sent a clear message: the American people respect law and order. Nobody is above the law. This Department will not tolerate obstruction, will enforce federal immigration law, and will hold criminals to account – even those who wear robes.” Dugan now faces a sentence of up to five years in prison. She plans to appeal her conviction.
Formal TikTok deal: TikTok and the U.S. government have finally come to an agreement. The social media platform will sell a 50% stake in its U.S. entity to a consortium of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake, and the Abu Dhabi-based MGX. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, will retain a 19.9% stake, while existing investors will hold about 30.1%. Larry Ellison’s Oracle is expected to take responsibility for safeguarding the U.S. data, which concerns lawmakers. “Algorithm security, content moderation, and software assurance” will also come under the control of the new U.S. entity, although changes are not expected to happen overnight. The deal is set to be closed on January 22.
More missing migrant kids located: Here’s some good news before Americans fully enter into Christmas celebrations — 129,000 kids who went missing under the Biden administration have been found. Earlier this month, DHS reported having found only 62,000 of the children, so a majority have been located recently. More than 500,000 unaccompanied minors crossed the border under the disastrous Biden regime, and 291,000 of those were never given court dates. While fears of exploitation, trafficking, and abuse are still prevalent, the strong work done so far in locating the children is something to celebrate.
Rep. Stefanik drops NY gubernatorial bid: Once viewed as a rising star within the ranks of the GOP, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik’s political career looks to soon come to an end — at least for now. The 41-year-old Stefanik announced over the weekend that she is suspending her New York gubernatorial campaign after failing to get Donald Trump’s full endorsement after Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blackman threw his hat in the governor’s race. Furthermore, Stefanik announced that she would not be running for reelection in the House next year. Following her announcement, Trump quickly endorsed Blackman while offering his support to Stefanik, calling her “a tremendous talent.” Ironically, it was Trump’s initial nomination of her as UN ambassador, which he subsequently rescinded to ensure the GOP retained majority control of the House, that ultimately cost Stefanik her chairmanship of the House Republican Conference.
Retribution for turncoat Sinema: In early 2024, members of Joe Biden’s DOJ Criminal Division discussed potentially opening a criminal investigation into then-Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who had left the Democrat Party the year prior to become an independent. According to recently released documents, then-FBI Special Agent Walter Giardina, who was also involved in the controversial Arctic Frost probe, sought to investigate Sinema for potential campaign finance violations, which Sinema’s chief of staff, Daniel Winkler, described as a probe driven by “partisan political reasons.” Winkler observed, “It’s disappointing, though not surprising, to learn that Walter Giardina, who led politically motivated investigations at the FBI, also sought to investigate Kyrsten for partisan political reasons after she defied Biden and the Senate Democrats to protect the filibuster.” Ultimately, moving forward on an investigation was rejected by then-Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Aloi.
U.S. seizes second oil tanker off Venezuelan coast: On Saturday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the U.S. Coast Guard had seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, marking the second such vessel connected to Venezuela in recent weeks. “The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region,” Noem explained. This action follows Donald Trump’s order last Tuesday to impose a “complete and total” blockage on oil tankers moving to and from Venezuela. Trump also announced via Truth Social that “the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.”
Welfare for illegals: Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner revealed last week that an estimated 59% of illegal immigrant families use one or more welfare programs. The cost to the American taxpayer of subsidizing this welfare for noncitizens is $42 billion a year. Americans have long known that the massive wave of illegal aliens invited into the country by Democrats and Joe Biden was costing them, but $42 billion annually is beyond the pale. American immigration used to be a story of self-driven success. Immigrants were encouraged to bring their work ethic and make something of themselves. Easily accessed and poorly policed government handouts attract exactly the opposite traits in immigrants.
Trump’s immigration gold card rakes in $1B: Since the website for President Trump’s $1 million immigration gold card went live last week, it has already generated over $1.3 billion in revenue, reports Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. There are three total options: the individual card for $1 million, the corporate card for $2 million, and the $5 million platinum card, which allows individuals to reside in the U.S. for up to 270 days a year while being exempt from taxes on non-U.S. income. In the Roosevelt Room on Friday, Trump promised that the funds would go “toward reducing debt.”
Foreign applicants to U.S. colleges fall following Trump’s visa crackdown: International students make up 1.2 million, or 6%, of higher education enrollees, according to the Institute of International Education. The top countries sending foreign students to the U.S. are India and China. Since Trump has said that the U.S. government’s top priority is protecting our nation and securing our border, while also cracking down on antisemitism on campuses, the State Department has pushed to ensure that applicants follow the law. As a result, by August, 6,000 student visas had been cut, and newly enrolled college students declined 17% this fall compared to last year. Trump also signed a compact to ensure no more than 15% of a university’s undergraduate students are foreign, and no more than 5% of a school’s international student population is from a single country.
Headlines
Trump suspends diversity visa program that brought over Brown University suspect (Not the Bee)
Zohran Mamdani appointee resigns after vile antisemitic social media posts resurface (NY Post)
Chinese researcher on U.S. visa charged with smuggling E. coli into the country (Fox News)
Public safety concerns lead to cancellation of major New Year’s Eve events (Fox News)
Humor: 7 other things Trump is naming after himself (Babylon Bee)
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