Eric Trump: Bond Companies ‘Laughing’ at $464M Judgment Demand

Luis Cornelio
-
0
Eric Trump: Bond Companies ‘Laughing’ at $464M Judgment Demand

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Eric Trump revealed that the lenders he approached for the bond in the Trump Organization civil case found the requested amount by the Manhattan judge ridiculously excessive, prompting laughter. 

Speaking on the latest edition of Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures, Eric Trump criticized the $464 million civil judgment ordered by Judge Arthur Engoron in the case brought by Attorney General Letitia James against his father and the Trump Organization. 

“No one’s ever seen a bond this size,” he told Fox host Maria Bartiromo. “Every single person when I came to them say saying, ‘Hey, can I get a half-billion-dollar bond,’ Maria, they were laughing.”

Eric Trump further emphasized, “Top executives of the largest surety companies had never seen anything of this size. What? they’re going to start seizing assets if he can’t put up something that’s not available in the United States?”

Eric Trump’s comments come as his father seeks to post bond while appealing the civil judgment. This decision imposed a nearly half-billion-dollar fine on Donald Trump amid allegations of inflating his finances in exchange for generous loans.

But the Trump Organization executive argued that the civil judgment “should be zero,” directly scolding Engoron.

“My father’s running a great company,” he added. “I run a great company. We’ve never had a default, we’ve never missed a payment, we’ve never been in a breach of covenant. Every single one of our letters came out.” 

Despite Donald Trump repaying these loans with interest, James—a Democrat who campaigned on the promise to hold the former president accountable—ignited the civil case. 

“This is lawfare,” Eric Trump said earlier in the interview. “They want to hurt my father who is winning the presidential race right now. He’s beating Biden in every single poll, in every is tingle swing state.” 

He continued: “He wants to put hundreds of millions of dollars of his own money into his campaign. How do they deprive him of that? They have [Engoron] come up with an astronomical number, give you zero time to post a bond—a bond that’s not even commercially available in the United States.” 

Ronna McDaniel Reveals Reason for RNC Resignation: ‘I Knew at That Point’

Luis Cornelio
-
0
Ronna McDaniel Reveals Reason for RNC Resignation: ‘I Knew at That Point’

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Ronna McDaniel, the former RNC chair turned NBC News contributor, spoke candidly about former President Donald Trump’s decision to request her ouster earlier this year. Even more revealing were her statements regarding the specific reason for her dismissal. 

In her inaugural appearance on the Sunday edition of NBC News’s Meet the Press, McDaniel mentioned that her infamous decision to host primary debates marked the beginning of her disagreements with Trump regarding the direction of the party. 

“We did have debates and there was tension and a little friction that started during that process,” McDaniel said in response to host Kristen Welker’s query about what soured her relationship with Trump. 

“I knew at that point when I was doing that role and we were going to have debates that when the nominee came forward and it was likely to be President Trump that they would want to switch, and that’s his right as a nominee,” she added.

When pressed about whether Trump pressured her to leave, McDaniel responded, “He absolutely wanted me to move aside and wanted Michael Whatley and Lara Trump to come in.” 

Welker revisited the primary debate topic, asking whether there was a “breaking point” between McDaniel and Trump. 

In response, McDaniel stated: “It was a lot of tension with the campaign. He really did not feel like we should have debates. He said this publicly. I got a lot of phone calls … from everybody in his campaign, and I did talk to him directly.” 

Despite the backlash against the debates, even from some RNC members themselves, McDaniel asserted that those who did not support Trump deserved an opportunity to hear from other candidates.

“Listen, there are a lot of people who support President Trump in our party, but there are others who didn’t and they needed to see that process to play out to say this was fair, my candidate was given an opportunity to speak to the American people,” she told Welker. 

She further remarked, “The voters decided, and this is the nominee, and because we let that process play out he’s the nominee without a third party running against him which is the opposite of what the Democrats did.” 

McDaniel served as the RNC chair from 2017 until 2024, following consecutive losses within the party. She ultimately resigned as chair amid widespread criticism and calls for her resignation. 

Trump seemed to concur, hinting at her imminent departure in mid-February. McDaniel announced she would step down after the Super Tuesday primaries, held on March 5. 

McDaniel is now an on-air contributor to NBC News and MSNBC. 

Biden Signs $1.2 Trillion Spending Bill

Editor 5
-
0
Biden Signs $1.2 Trillion Spending Bill

(Headline USA) Joe Biden signed a $1.2 trillion package of spending bills after Congress passed the legislation in the dark of the night.

It took lawmakers six months to pass the funding bill. The process was slowed by conservatives who pushed for responsible spending.

The White House said Biden signed the legislation at his home in Wilmington, Delaware.

The bill had cleared the Senate by a 74-24 vote shortly after funding had expired for the agencies at midnight.

The first package of full-year spending bills, which funded the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture and the Interior, among others, cleared Congress two weeks ago with just hours to spare before funding expired for those agencies. The second covered the departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State, as well as other aspects of general government.

When combining the two packages, discretionary spending for the budget year will come to about $1.66 trillion. That does not include programs such as Social Security and Medicare, or financing the country’s surging debt.

On Ukraine aid, the package provided $300 million under the defense spending umbrella.

The spending package largely tracks with an agreement that then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California worked out with the White House in May 2023, which restricted spending for two years and suspended the debt ceiling into January 2025.

The vote breakdown showed 101 Republicans voting for the bill and 112 voting against it. Meanwhile, 185 Democrats voted for the bill and 22 against.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Feds Apprehended Record Number of Criminal Noncitizens in Fiscal 2023

Editor 5
-
0
Feds Apprehended Record Number of Criminal Noncitizens in Fiscal 2023

(Bethany Blankley, The Center Square) – Federal agents apprehended a record number of criminal noncitizens in fiscal 2023, according to several reports.

In fiscal 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers apprehended nearly 50,000 criminal noncitizens; Customs and Immigration Enforcement and Removal Operation agents made 170,590 administrative arrests; and Homeland Security Investigations agents made over 33,000 criminal arrests nationwide.

According to CBP data, Office of Field Operations agents at ports of entry arrested 20,166 noncitizens with criminal convictions or those who were wanted by law enforcement in fiscal 2023 nationwide. They also arrested 11,509 individuals who already committed crimes and were in the National Crime Information Center database. The NCIC database tracks crime-related information and is available to federal, state and local law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies.

U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended 15,267 criminal noncitizens and 988 with outstanding wants or warrants in fiscal 2023 between ports of entry, according to the data.

Fiscal year to date, the combined OFO and BP numbers total over 16,000, as of Feb. 14 when the data was last updated. CBP’s fiscal 2024 runs Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024.

By comparison, the combined total apprehensions of criminal noncitizens nationwide totaled more than 40,000 in fiscal 2022, more than 28,000 in fiscal 2021, and more than 18,600 in fiscal 2020.

“Criminal noncitizens,” CBP explains, refers to non-U.S. citizens “who have been convicted of crime, whether in the United States or abroad, so long as the conviction is for conduct which is deemed criminal by the United States. Criminal noncitizens encountered at ports of entry are inadmissible, absent extenuating circumstances, and represent a subset of total OFO inadmissibles.”

Inadmissibles are required under federal law to be processed for deportation. In September 2021, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas implemented a new deportation policy stating that illegal entry itself was no longer a deportable offense despite federal law stating it is, The Center Square reported. Texas and Louisiana sued only to be told by the U.S. Supreme Court they didn’t have standing to sue.

In ICE’s fiscal 2023 annual report, it claims ICE ERO agents “nearly doubled immigration enforcement arrests and increased removals for those with no legal basis to remain in the country from the totals cited in last year’s report.”

It doesn’t mention that fewer deportations in the previous year have been attributed to injunctions put in place as the lawsuit made its way through the court system. Some have claimed the lawsuit resulted in less deportations.

ICE ERO agents conducted 170,590 administrative arrests, including of 73,822 noncitizens with a criminal history in fiscal 2023, according to the report. Those arrested had an average of four charges and convictions per individual. These included more than 33,209 for assault, 7,520 for weapons offenses, 1,713 for homicide-related offenses, and 1,655 for kidnapping.

ICE ERO agents also removed 3,406 known or suspected gang members, 139 known or suspected terrorists, seven human rights violators, and 108 foreign fugitives wanted by their governments for crimes including homicide, rape, terrorism and kidnapping.

ICE ERO agents conducted 142,580 removals and 62,545 Title 42 expulsions to more than 170 countries worldwide in fiscal 2023. They also conducted over 200,000 additional transportation segments, including domestic transfers and Title 42 expulsions, “of 249,435 individual movements of noncitizens.”

They assisted with transnational criminal organization smuggling interdiction, deploying more than 1,000 special agents on rotation to the southwest border and 300 to international locations last fiscal year. Their efforts resulted in 800 disruptions to illicit activity, apprehending 14,000 noncitizens, and making 1,900 criminal arrests, according to the report.

HSI agents also conducted 33,108 criminal arrests last fiscal year. HSI agents targeting transnational criminal organizations made 231 arrests and executed 38 search warrants. TCO units, comprised of DHS-vetted foreign law enforcement officers partnering with HSI, made 2,973 criminal arrests in fiscal 2023, according to the report.

The record high arrests of criminal noncitizens occurred as nearly 4 million foreign nationals illegally entered the U.S. in fiscal 2023, the highest number in U.S. history and greater than the populations of 22 individual states, The Center Square exclusively reported.

The trend continued in 2024. In the first quarter of fiscal 2024, apprehensions at the southwest and northern borders were the highest in U.S. history, The Center Square also reported.

Republican Governor Vetos Bill Allowing Concealed Carry in Public Schools

Editor 5
-
0
Republican Governor Vetos Bill Allowing Concealed Carry in Public Schools

(Headline USA) Wyoming Republican Gov. Mark Gordon has vetoed a bill that would have allowed people to carry concealed guns in public schools and government meetings.

The bill would have required each state facility, including the University of Wyoming, the Wyoming State Hospital and the Wyoming Boys’ School, to seek legislative approval to restrict carrying firearms.

Under the bill, open carry of firearms would still have been prohibited in schools and government meetings, and K-12 students would not have been allowed to have guns at school. Guns would still have been banned in jails, courts, police stations and hospitals, and on private property if that was the owner’s wish.

Concealed firearms would have been allowed with a permit in public schools and at the University of Wyoming and community colleges in areas not serving alcohol. They also would have been allowed without a permit in meetings, including those of the Legislature.

Supporters said continuing to not allow guns in schools and meetings infringes on their Second Amendment rights.

A handful of Wyoming districts have let school officials carry guns in schools since the state began allowing it in 2017. Other states enabling permit holders to have concealed guns in schools include Alabama, Idaho, Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Wyoming is among the gun-friendliest states, and the bill passed the state Senate 22-8.

Gordon signed four other bills concerning gun rights.

One prohibits credit card processors from using firearms or firearm-related merchant category codes and prevents the government or private entities from keeping any registry of firearms through use of a firearms code.

The other bills prohibit red flag gun laws from being enforced or implemented in Wyoming, amend regulations to have those who have had firearms rights restored eligible for a concealed carry permit, and create an account to reimburse school districts for costs related to possession of firearms on school properties by school employees.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Over 256,000 Illegal Immigrants in February, Highest for the Month in History

Editor 5
-
0
Over 256,000 Illegal Immigrants in February, Highest for the Month in History

(Bethany Blankley, The Center Square) – The number of illegal immigrants has increased significantly since Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas implemented a range of policies he said were designed to reduce “irregular migration” and create a “legal pathway” for foreign nationals to come to the U.S.

February of this year broke a record of 256,094 total illegal border crossings nationwide, the highest for the month in U.S. history.

It also represents a 19% increase from nationwide encounters overall and a 38% increase in encounters at ports of entry from February 2023.

Last month’s nationwide encounters are up from 213,911 in Februar2023, 190,578 in February 2022 and 115,559 in 2021.

February’s numbers also are an increase from January 2024’s nationwide record-breaking encounters of 242,521.

This is after record numbers of illegal border crossers came through in the first quarter of fiscal 2024 both at the northern and southwest border, the highest for the quarter in U.S. history.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection released February border-related data Friday,  stating there were 189,922 illegal border crossers apprehended at the southwest border. This includes illegal entries between ports of entry and those using the CBP One app.

This represents a 21% increase from February 2023’s southwest border encounters and a 7% increase from January 2024.

The CBP One mobile app, which Congress is investigating, “remains a key component of DHS’s efforts to incentivize noncitizens to use lawful, safe, humane, and orderly pathways,” CBP said. “Generally, noncitizens who cross between the ports of entry or who present themselves at a port of entry without making a CBP One™ appointment are subject to the Circumvention of Lawful Pathways rule. This rule presumes asylum ineligibility for those who fail to use lawful processes, with certain exceptions,” which DHS encourages illegal foreign nationals to use.

Noncitizens in central or northern Mexico “who lack documents sufficient for admission to the United States” are encouraged to use the app to schedule an appointment “and remain in place until presenting at a preferred port of entry for their appointment,” in order to reduce illegal entry between ports of entry, CBP says.

In February, CBP processed more than 42,100 foreign nationals who used the app arriving at ports of entry. The appointments accounted for 86% of noncitizens processed at ports of entry, “demonstrating that noncitizens will follow an orderly process when one is available,” CBP said.

Since the app scheduling function was launched in January 2023, through February 2024, more than 501,000 foreign nationals have scheduled appointments using the app to arrive at ports of entry. The majority using it who were processed into the country are Haitian, Mexican and Venezuelan, CBP says.

With February’s numbers, fiscal year to date, 1,487,195 foreign nationals have illegally entered the U.S. excluding gotaways.

“Gotaways” is the official term used by Border Patrol agents to describe foreign nationals who intentionally illegally enter the U.S. between ports of entry and don’t return to Mexico or Canada. CBP doesn’t publicly report gotaway data. The Center Square first began reporting it to provide a more accurate picture of the number of illegal border crossers entering the U.S. every month under the current administration.

Gotaways don’t file asylum or other immigration-related claims but actively avoid being caught. They often run when they are pursued by Border Patrol agents or others in law enforcement, authorities told The Center Square. Many have criminal records; the majority are single, military age men.

According to Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens, more than 120,000 known gotaways were reported in the first quarter of fiscal 2024.

“The unknown is what is most concerning,” Owens said in a statement on social media. “Who? What? Why?” he asked, meaning Border Patrol agents have no idea who illegally entered, where they are, or what criminal intent they may have.

Referring to how many gotaways illegally entered, Owens told Fox News, “It’s in the hundreds of thousands and those are the numbers that really for us keep us up at night. … Because if you know that all you need to do is turn yourself in to the Border Patrol and go through the process, what possible reason would you have for wanting to evade capture and put yourself in danger, to cross through the desert or be in a stash house or lock yourself in the back of a tractor trailer? Could it be that those are the folks that probably have criminal intent?”

Including gotaways, the number of foreign nationals who have illegally entered the U.S. fiscal year to date is more than 1.6 million, the highest in U.S. history.

Eric Adams Cancels Trip to Southern Border Citing Safety Concerns

Editor 5
-
0
Eric Adams Cancels Trip to Southern Border Citing Safety Concerns

(Headline USA) New York City‘s  Democratic mayor, Eric Adams, nixed a planned Sunday trip to the U.S.-Mexico border over security concerns.

Adams was slated to depart Saturday night to visit Brownsville and McAllen, Texas.

The Democrat was expected to meet with U.S. immigration leaders as his city struggles to house new illegal immigrants.

Adams spokesperson Amaris Cockfield said Sunday that the U.S. State Department flagged safety concerns at one of the mayor’s planned stops in Mexico, prompting his office to postpone the trip.

Adams had been invited to the southern border by Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande, she said.

More than 180,000 illegal immigrants have come to New York City since the spring of 2022, according to the mayor’s office. More than 64,000 are in the city’s care through its more than 200 emergency shelter sites.

Last week, city officials and advocates for illegal immigrants reached an agreement on Adams’ bid to suspend the city’s “ right to shelter ” policy.

The agreement essentially ends the city’s blanket requirement to provide shelter for adult immigrants without any time limits. Now, officials can decide whether to allow a migrant to stay in a shelter beyond 30 days on a case-by-case basis.

Additional time will be granted if a person shows “significant efforts to resettle.”

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

‘Beijing’ Biden Threatens to Strip Dr. Sebastian Gorka Appointment to Board

Luis Cornelio
-
0
‘Beijing’ Biden Threatens to Strip Dr. Sebastian Gorka Appointment to Board

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Dr. Sebastian Gorka may face the prospect of losing his esteemed position on a Pentagon board following a threatening letter from the Biden White House.

On Friday, the White House demanded Gorka resign from his board position at the National Security Education Board (NSEB), warning of potential termination if he fails to comply with the demand. 

Sharing the letter on Twitter, a defiant Gorka asserted his refusal to step down from the board until his term ends at the end of this year.

“President Trump appointed me to a Pentagon board for 4 years before he left office,” Gorka wrote on Friday. “Yesterday Beijing Biden tried to fire. He can’t. Not before my term ends.”

In the letter dated March 22, Gautam Raghavan, the director of White House personnel, granted Gorka until the end of the business day on Friday to submit his resignation.

“As you know, you were named by President Donald Trump to this position,” Raghavan wrote. “It is customary for presidentially appointed members of boards like the National Security Education Board to be aligned with the values and agenda of the President.” 

He further added, “Such replacement of a member of a prior administration with an appointee of the new one is common, and indeed, may be how you came to be appointed by the Trump Administration.” 

Coinciding with the White House’s letter to Gorka was the announcement of new members appointed to the NSEB. 

According to the White House, the board comprises 14 members and offers guidance to the National Security Education Program, which oversees several fellowships and awards aimed at enhancing the nation’s capacity to comprehend foreign cultures and languages. 

“The NSEB is comprised of six Presidential appointees, including experts from non-profit organizations and academia who provide valuable assistance to the National Security Education Program,” the White House said on Friday. 

Gorka served as a White House aide for less than a year in 2017 and was appointed to the NSEB in 2020.

‘RINO’ Mike Gallagher Faces Imminent Threat of Expulsion After Resignation

Luis Cornelio
-
0
‘RINO’ Mike Gallagher Faces Imminent Threat of Expulsion After Resignation

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Conservative critics are urging House Republicans to immediately expel Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wisc., following the announcement of his impending resignation by April 19. 

Gallagher had previously stated his decision not to seek re-election earlier this year but has now accelerated the process by confirming his departure from the House on April 19.  

Gallagher’s revised timeline blocks the possibility of holding a special election to fill the vacant seat until the following year. 

Effectively, Gallagher’s resignation in late April impedes Republicans from securing a replacement in the reliably conservative district. This decision could be averted if Gallagher either resigns immediately or is expelled by his colleagues. 

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is spearheading the campaign for Gallagher’s expulsion, as highlighted in an interview on Steve Bannon’s WarRoom podcast. 

“I think he should be expelled preemptively because he is just allowed to just walk out of Congress on a day of his choosing where his district doesn’t get to replace him until next Congress,” Greene asserted.

“His district deserves a voice in Congress, and we should expel him in that way his district can replace him as quickly as possible with a special election,” Greene added.,

The Georgia lawmaker suggested that the ongoing turmoil within House Republicans is a consequence of what she describes as the “irresponsible actions” of fellow Republicans.

Greene is not alone in advocating for Gallagher’s expulsion. Several figures, including political commentator Alex Bruesewitz, conservative journalist Emerald Robinson, pro-Trump activist Ryan Fournier and podcast host Charlie Kirk, have echoed Greene’s sentiments. 

However, the likelihood of such an outcome appears slim, as House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., praised Gallagher’s years of service in a statement responding to his resignation announcement. 

“Mike has been a trusted friend and colleague since we both entered Congress in 2017, and it has been an honor to serve alongside him,” Johnson wrote Friday on Twitter.  

The House speaker further added, “We will greatly miss his leadership on Capitol Hill, but we are happy for him, Anne, and their daughters as they begin the next exciting chapter of their lives.”

Gallagher has served in Congress since 2017, coinciding with Donald Trump’s inauguration as president. He has been re-elected three times and currently chairs the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. 

Gallagher’s unexpectedly early resignation aligns with that of Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., who announced his decision not to seek re-election but ultimately chose to step down ahead of schedule. 

With these two departures, Republicans now hold a 217 majority to Democrats’ 214. This means that Republicans can only afford one defector in legislative proceedings. 

A Bitter McCarthy Claims House GOP Chaos Is Retribution for His Ouster

Luis Cornelio
-
0
A Bitter McCarthy Claims House GOP Chaos Is Retribution for His Ouster

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy suggested that the current chaos engulfing House Republicans over federal spending is a direct consequence of his ouster in 2023.

In an interview with Fox News’s Jesse Watters on Watters Tonight, McCarthy pointed to what he described as the moment when Republicans lost their majority and bargaining power against Democrats. He attributed this loss to Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who filed a motion to vacate the House in September 2023.

“This comes down to what is happening in Congress today, goes back to when those eight Republicans led by Gaetz partnered with every single Democrat to decide who could be speaker,” McCarthy claimed. “That’s when Republicans lost the majority.”

McCarthy’s remarks were prompted by questions regarding House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., facing a motion to vacate the speakership initiated by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. 

Greene criticized Johnson for failing to provide 72 hours for House Republicans to review a $1.2 trillion government spending bill funding the Biden administration until the end of September.

McCarthy elaborated on the 72-hour rule during the interview, emphasizing its purpose to provide both members and the American public enough time to scrutinize proposed legislation.

“I think it’s always helpful to allow people to read the bill, allow America to read the bill,” he added, seemingly criticizing his predecessor. 

He later said that such a rule is only waived in the case of a continuing resolution, where members are already familiar with the content. 

McCarthy scolded the $1.2 trillion spending bill as a “huge mess,” and said that Republicans lost their ability to negotiate with Senate Democrats and President Joe Biden “when those eight gave the majority to Democrats.” These remarks once again alluded to his ouster. 

“This is a very difficult job,” he remarked regarding the role of House speaker. 

The current chaos in Congress began when both chambers hurriedly passed a government spending bill to avert a government shutdown before the midnight deadline on Saturday. 

For the past six months, the federal government has been funded through stopgap measures aimed at preventing a default on its debt obligations. 

The new appropriation bills passed the House with a vote of 268-134 (with 112 Republicans and 22 Democrats voting against it). In the Senate, the bill passed by a vote of 74-24 (with 22 Republicans, 1 Democrat and 1 Independent – Sens. Michael Bennet and Bernie Sanders – voting against it). 

1...1,3971,3981,399...3,866Page 1,398 of 3,866