Trump Envoy Ric Grenell Says He’s Still in Contact With Venezuelan Government

Headline USA Editor
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Trump Envoy Ric Grenell Says He’s Still in Contact With Venezuelan Government

(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) Ric Grenell, a special envoy for President Trump, said this week that he remains in contact with the Venezuelan government of President Nicolas Maduro despite soaring tensions between Washington and Caracas.

After the US bombed a boat off the coast of Venezuela for the first time, Maduro sent a letter to President Trump, where the Venezuelan leader disputed the claims that his government was involved in drug trafficking and said he wanted talks with the US and was ready to engage with Grenell.

When asked about the letter and if he would engage with Maduro in an appearance on CBS Mornings, Grenell said, “I’ve already engaged at the direction of President Trump. I’ve spoken to Mr. Maduro. I’ve gone down to Venezuela and I continue to talk to his team.”

Grenell traveled to Venezuela on January 31, met with Maduro, and returned home with six Americans who were detained in Venezuela. But his diplomatic efforts have angered other members of the Trump administration, and there are reportedly tensions between Grenell and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has long wanted regime change in Venezuela.

After Grenell’s latest comments about his engagement with Maduro, other Trump officials complained about him in comments to Semafor. “Unfortunately, Ric Grenell’s personal comments have been out of step with the president and administration, and the president himself and secretary of state should be deemed as the official policymakers,” one administration official said.

Another source close to the White House told the outlet that Grenell “appears to have created a new genre of Maduro fan fiction where the dictator is just a good guy who’s misunderstood, where drugs aren’t a problem, and where providing hard currency to the world’s most wanted terrorist isn’t a big deal.”

While some officials are ripping Grenell over his diplomatic efforts, Venezuela continues to cooperate with the US on deportations of Venezuelan citizens. Reuters reported that despite the tension and US military actions in the region, twice-weekly deportation flights moving illegal migrants to Venezuela from the US have continued uninterrupted.

In his letter to Trump, Maduro suggested that the US and Venezuela had resolved an issue with deportations through diplomacy facilitated by Grenell. “I recall the fake news that Venezuela had refused to accept migrants back to our country, but this issue was quickly resolved and clarified in a conversation with Ambassador Richard Grenell. To date, this channel has functioned flawlessly,” Maduro said.

 

This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com. 

 

Jeffrey Epstein Paid Someone to ‘Massage Andrew,’ New Records Show

Ken Silva
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Jeffrey Epstein Paid Someone to ‘Massage Andrew,’ New Records Show

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) The House Oversight Democrats have released a few of the thousands of records provided to it by the estate of deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

The records don’t reveal much new information. They do show that Epstein scheduled meetings—some listed as “tentative”—with billionaires such as Bill Gates, Peter Thiel and Elon Musk. He also scheduled a breakfast in February 2019 with conservative populist Steve Bannon, who interviewed him that year but hasn’t released the footage.

However, the new records do seem to indicate that Epstein paid someone to massage Prince Andrew. Epstein’s heavily redacted ledger shows that he cut a $200 check in February 2000 for a “massage for Andrew.” Another $200 check was cut in May of that year for the same reason. The rest of the ledger is redacted.

Multiple teenagers have said Epstein paid them for massages that often included sexual activities. The Justice Department claims that Epstein didn’t pimp out those girls to any other men, but him cutting checks for massages may indicate otherwise.

Deceased Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre also claimed that Epstein pimped her out to Prince Andrew. Giuffre, who reportedly committed suicide in April, has a posthumous book that’s set to hit the shelves next month.

According to an article in the US Sun, her autobiography, Nobody’s Girl, “will tell how she was ­trafficked as a teenager.”

“Giuffre’s autobiography will contain ‘intimate and disturbing’ details of her relationship with Prince Andrew. The bombshell book will see her open up for the first time since the disgraced royal paid her millions to prevent claims of sex abuse going to court,” the Sun reported in August.

Epstein was reportedly found dead in his prison cell in August 2019—allegedly of suicide. His accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, is serving a 20-year sentence after being found guilty of conspiring with Epstein in 2021.

The Oversight Committee says it’s received over 8,000 records from the Epstein estate so far.

Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.

Trans Terrorist Sentenced for Sending Bombs to Federal Buildings

Ken Silva
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Trans Terrorist Sentenced for Sending Bombs to Federal Buildings

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Transgender prison inmate David Cassady has been sentenced to 80 years in prison for mailing explosives to federal buildings in 2020, the Justice Department announced this week.

“This defendant’s devices were not only a threat to the recipients, but to every individual that unknowingly transported and delivered them,” U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina said in a Tuesday press release.

Cassady, 57, a convicted violent rapist already serving life behind bars, was indicted in April 2024 on multiple federal charges for constructing and mailing bombs to federal facilities, including a Justice Department office in Washington DC. Ironically, the indictment came as the DOJ was supporting Cassady’s lawsuit against Georgia to force the state to fund his sex-change operation.

In other words, the DOJ filed an amicus brief in support of an inmate who apparently tried bombing the DOJ, according to the DOJ. To add a drop of stupidity, the DOJ referred to Cassady as a female in the sex-change litigation, but calls him a man in the bombing case.

In any event, Cassady’s sex-change lawsuit has stalled, and it looks like he’ll die in prison.

In July, he filed an apparent manifesto as part of his sentencing memorandum.

Cassady said in his manifesto that he realized in 2019 that he needed to do “something that would sound the alarm deep within the halls of the Justice Department.” The next evening, Cassady watched a domestic terrorism documentary on the History Channel—and that’s when he set his mind on explosives.

“On December 31st, 2019, I tediously began collecting materials required to construct five Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs),” Cassady wrote. The inmate mailed two IEDs to the federal buildings, while handing three others to the prison warden.

Hours later, Cassady was interrogated by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. He wasn’t charged for roughly another four years. During that time, Cassady’s manifesto suggests that he may have acted as an undercover informant.

“I engaged in illegal activities of the unthinkable kind to strengthen my cover and intelligence gathering within Ghost Face Gangsters. Activities most intelligence assets would rather shy away from,” the manifesto says, adding that Ghost Face leader Chad Ashley Allen made him an affiliate member of the group. Allen was accused in 2023 of trafficking drugs in prison.

“I was able to identify a plausible terrorist plot,” the manifesto says, adding that he provided the information to law enforcement.

Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.

US War Chief Summons Hundreds of Generals and Admirals for Urgent Meeting

Headline USA Editor
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US War Chief Summons Hundreds of Generals and Admirals for Urgent Meeting

(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has ordered hundreds of US military generals and admirals stationed around the world to an urgent meeting, scheduled to take place at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia, next week, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.

There are approximately 800 generals and admirals in the US and at US bases worldwide, and sources told the Post that Hegseth’s order applies to every senior officer with the rank of brigadier general or rear admiral and above. The directive has been described as highly unusual and possibly unprecedented.

“None of the people who spoke with the Post could recall a defense secretary ever ordering so many of the military’s generals and admirals to assemble like this,” the Post report said.

Hegseth speaks with General officers attending CAPSTONE 25-4 course of instruction at Ft. McNair, Washington, DC, on August 13, 2025. (Pentagon photo by US Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jack Sanders)

The reason for the meeting is unclear, and even the generals and admirals are reportedly unaware of the purpose. The meeting may be related to Hegseth’s recent orders for major changes at the Pentagon, including a directive to reduce the number of four-star officers by 20%.

Another possibility is that Hegseth is ordering the meeting to prepare the senior military officers for a new war of major military escalation. A congressional aide speaking to CNN said that unless Hegseth planned to announce “a major new military campaign or a complete overhaul of the military command structure, I can’t imagine a good reason for this.”

There are several areas around the world where the US could potentially launch a new war, including Venezuela, as the US has deployed a fleet of warships to the Caribbean and has begun bombing boats in the area under the pretext of fighting drug trafficking, though US officials have told The New York Timesthat the real purpose of the deployment is regime change.

The US and Israel could be preparing to launch another war on Iran, as the US has maintained a hardline policy against the Islamic Republic since the ceasefire that ended the 12-Day War, and tensions are soaring in Eastern Europe between Russia and NATO. President Trump has also recently floated the idea of retaking Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, an idea that would require military force since it has been rejected by the Taliban.

The War Department may also be looking to turn military operations inward, as President Trump recently declared that Antifa is a “domestic terrorist organization.”

Later on Thursday, both President Trump and Vice President JD Vance downplayed the meeting. “It’s not particularly unusual that generals who report to the secretary of War and then to the president of the United States are coming to speak with the secretary of War,” Vance said. “It’s actually not unusual at all and I think it’s odd that you’ve made it into such a big story.”

This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.

Kamala Blames Trump for Own Assassination Attempt

Luis Cornelio
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Kamala Blames Trump for Own Assassination Attempt

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Former Vice President Kamala Harris claimed in her new book, 107 Days, that President Donald Trump bears blame for the second assassination attempt against him. Her reasoning? Trump’s support for gun rights.

Harris made the claim likely in reference to Ryan Routh, the Florida man recently convicted for plotting to kill Trump months before the 2024 presidential election.

In addition to the assassination charge, Routh was found guilty of multiple federal gun violations, including felony possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Harris misleadingly tried to tie Routh’s plot to broader gun rights, claiming that Trump’s support for lax gun laws enabled Routh.

“Trump was quick to blame our campaign rhetoric for calling him out as a threat to democracy,” Kamala wrote, according to screenshots of the book. “He should have been blaming the lax gun laws he championed, since the arrested man, who had a criminal record, had been flagged by the FBI as being illegally in possession of weapons, including a fully automatic machine gun.”

She continued, “Despite numerous convictions, he’d obviously had no trouble obtaining a lethal weapon.”

In reality, Routh was a convicted felon who was already prohibited from purchasing firearms, and the SKS rifle he intended to use was purchased illegally from two individuals who later pleaded guilty to unlawful firearm sales.

These individuals were Tina Brown Cooper, who pleaded guilty to firearm trafficking after acting as a middleman in the illegal sale, and Ronnie Jay Oxendine, who pleaded guilty to possessing an unregistered firearm.

Prosecutors reported that the SKS rifle was sold in August 2024 in North Carolina.

Harris’s book—released on Tuesday—is part of her long-shot effort to portray herself as a viable contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.

Trump Trolls Biden: Replaces Official Portrait with Autopen Pic

Luis Cornelio
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Trump Trolls Biden: Replaces Official Portrait with Autopen Pic

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) President Donald Trump trolled his embattled predecessor, Joe Biden, by replacing his official portrait in the White House’s Presidential Hall of Fame with a photo of his autopen. 

The White House released photos of the newly updated hall on Wednesday via X, directly highlighting Trump’s and Biden’s portraits. 

“The Presidential Walk of Fame has arrived on the West Wing Colonnade. Wait for it…” wrote White House official Margo Martin in the caption of a video posted on X. 

In the video, Martin showed side-by-side portraits of former presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Trump. 

She then zoomed in on Biden’s portrait, which was notably missing and replaced with a photo of the autopen. 

 

Trump had hinted at the stunt earlier this month while speaking with the Daily Caller. “We put up a picture of the autopen,” Trump said of Biden’s portrait, adding, “He didn’t win the race. He lost badly. He was a horrible president.” 

The White House’s use of the autopen portrait comes amid ongoing questions about who effectively governed the country during Biden’s four years in office.  

Reporting from Headline USA and several other conservative outlets noted that a small group of selected officials often made policy decisions around the White House, with Biden at times reportedly unaware of major actions. 

CNN anchor Jake Tapper, not particularly known for conservative commentary, corroborated this in his book, Original Sin, writing that Biden’s presidency “was, at best, a five-person board with Joe Biden as chairman.” 

Biden’s lack of oversight reportedly extended to the issuance of presidential pardons, with some White House officials using the autopen to sign some of the largest batches of clemency in history. 

In total, Biden signed 4,245 acts of clemency during his tenure, far exceeding the 3,796 pardons signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt during his 12 years in office, according to Pew Research. 

Family Reveals Psychedelic Drug Use by Kirk Killer’s Boyfriend

Luis Cornelio
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Family Reveals Psychedelic Drug Use by Kirk Killer’s Boyfriend

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) New details reveal Lance Twiggs, boyfriend of Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer Tyler Robinson, turned to drugs after being expelled by his strict Mormon parents.

In addition to consuming alcohol, Twiggs reportedly used marijuana and mushrooms to cope with his parents’purported rejection, said Jackie Nielsen, a family friend, in a Thursday interview with the Daily Mail.

Nielsen, who also has several children that had known Twiggs for years, reportedly took him in after he was forced out.

Twiggs has faced widespread criticism after reports suggested he failed to notify police when Robinson allegedly confessed via text to killing Kirk on Sept. 10.

Twiggs, who is cooperating with police, has since moved out of the apartment he shared with Robinson. This, however, has not prevented his social media accounts from being flooded with messages linking him to Kirk’s death.

Despite the attacks, Nielsen defended Twiggs’s character in the interview with the Mail, calling the idea he was involved in Robinson’s acts as “simply unfathomable.”

“After high school he did some marijuana and mushrooms and did have an occasional drink. But he was still the same kind, caring person,” Nielsen said. “I’m certain Lance wasn’t involved. I just don’t believe it. Trans or not, Lance was a good-hearted boy.”

Nielsen affirmed that Twiggs “wasn’t violent or cruel” and “didn’t push his ideas on people.”

She added: “He didn’t want attention – in fact, what’s happening now is his worst nightmare. The version of Lance that’s being talked about in the media is not the kind, shy boy that I’ve known for years.”

All six of Nielsen’s children attended St. George Academy with Twiggs, who she described as “kind, bubbly and funny.”

Two of her sons were also in the online group chat where Robinson may have discussed his plans. They were investigated by the FBI following Kirk’s murder but are not accused of any wrongdoing.

“It was just boys being ridiculous boys, saying silly stuff to one another,” Jackie said of the group chat. “I asked my son directly if Tyler or Lance ever said anything political or anything that worried him. He said no.”

Nielsen revealed that one of her sons is still in shock, while the other is still grappling with Robinson’s actions.

“He’s so sad for Lance. And never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined Tyler doing something like this,” she added.

 

Ex-FBI Director James Comey Indicted for Perjury

Headline USA Editor
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Ex-FBI Director James Comey Indicted for Perjury

(Headline USA) Ex-FBI Director James Comey was charged Thursday with lying to Congress, charges that stem from him illegally authorizing the leak of information to news media ahead of the 2016 election.

The indictment makes Comey the first former senior government official involved in targeting Trump in the politically motivated Russiagate investigation to face consequences. Trump has for years derided that investigation as a “hoax” and a “witch hunt,” and former DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz found in 2023 that the FBI didn’t have a firm basis for launching the investigation in the first place.

Trump on Thursday hailed the indictment as “JUSTICE FOR AMERICA!” Bondi, a Trump loyalist, and FBI Director Kash Patel, a longtime vocal critic of the Russia investigation, issued similar statements. “No one is above the law,” Bondi said.

Comey, in a video he posted after his indictment, said: “My heart is broken for the Department of Justice but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I’m innocent. So let’s have a trial.”

The two-count indictment accuses Comey of lying to the Senate Judiciary Committee when he said he had not authorized anyone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports about a particular investigation. Though the indictment does not mention the investigation or its subject, it appears from the context to refer to an FBI inquiry related to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who ran for president against Trump in 2016.

It also alleges that he did “corruptly endeavor to influence, obstruct and impede the due and proper exercise” of the Senate’s inquiry.

Adopted from Associated Press reporting. 

George Soros Facing Impending Federal Investigation

Luis Cornelio
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George Soros Facing Impending Federal Investigation

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) George Soros and his Open Society Foundations could soon face criminal investigations from the DOJ after years of alleged wrongdoing.

The DOJ instructed several Trump-appointed U.S. attorneys to examine potential criminal offenses, including arson, providing material support to terrorism, racketeering, wire fraud, and other violations, according to a Thursday report from the New York Times.

The directive comes shortly after President Donald Trump publicly decried the slow pace of investigations and potential indictments involving embattled figures like former FBI Director James Comey, Democrat Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Soros and OSF have long drawn scrutiny for funneling billions into left-leaning causes, including the election of some of the nation’s most radical prosecutors.

Numerous reports and investigations have determined that these prosecutors routinely ignored criminal activity, putting Americans at risk.

The DOJ directive specifically targets U.S. attorney offices in California, New York, Chicago, Detroit, Maryland and other regions.

The move follows a report from the Capital Research Center, which found that OSF granted $80 million to groups tied to terrorism or extremist violence.

“The evidence is stark: Open Society has sent millions of dollars into U.S.-based organizations that engage in ‘direct actions’ that the FBI defines as domestic terrorism,” the group said in the report.

Earlier reporting from the Media Research Center further underscored Soros’s massive influence.

According to the MRC, Soros’s OSF not only funneled millions into campaigns to elect leftist prosecutors but also appeared to control them through a network of radical organizations.

“The Soros empire spent at least $40 million to elect its prosecutors. It then invested an additional $77,663,316 to 20 leftist nonprofits to coordinate and control the prosecutors, bringing the total Soros spending to at least $117,663,316,” MRC reported in 2024.

Soros’s influence extended beyond politics and into the media. In 2023, the Media Research Center reported that OSF granted $131 million to 253 media organizations worldwide, effectively giving Soros and Open Society the power to shape narratives and influence public discourse.

Prosecutors have largely ignored these findings, at least not until now.

Report: Kirk Alleged Killer Encountered Police Hours After Attack

Luis Cornelio
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Report: Kirk Alleged Killer Encountered Police Hours After Attack

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Law enforcement officers in Utah made contact with Tyler Robinson just hours after he allegedly assassinated Charlie Kirk, the former founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, according to a new report by Fox News.

Robinson reportedly approached an officer as he tried to retrieve the rifle used in the Sept. 10 shooting, which killed Kirk as he addressed a crowd of young supporters at Utah Valley University.

Investigators learned of the attempt from text messages Robinson sent to his transgender-identifying boyfriend, Lance Twiggs.

The encounter happened around 6:30 p.m., roughly six hours after the shooting. By then, officers had already located the rifle, which Robinson allegedly wrapped in a towel and left in a wooded area near campus.

“The officer was guarding the perimeter after authorities placed the campus on lockdown, and the encounter appears to have thwarted the suspect’s attempt to recover the Mauser .30-06 rifle prosecutors allege was used to kill Kirk,” Fox News reported Thursday.

In a text to his boyfriend, Lance Twiggs, Robinson wrote: “I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. Its [sic] quiet, almost enough to get out, but theres [sic] one vehicle lingering.”

In a separate text message, Robinson reportedly expressed his intent to try again but said police made it too risky.

“There is a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don’t wanna chance it,” he allegedly wrote.

He also voiced concerns about what his father would say about the missing weapon, which had been gifted to him by his grandfather.

“I’m wishing I had circled back and grabbed it as soon as I got to my vehicle… I’m worried what my old man would do if I didn’t bring back grandpas [sic] rifle,” he wrote.

 

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