Alleged Kirk Assassin’s Gamer Pseudonym Was Reportedly ‘Donald Trump’

Ken Silva
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Alleged Kirk Assassin’s Gamer Pseudonym Was Reportedly ‘Donald Trump’

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Alleged Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson used the pseudonym “Donald Trump” while playing on the gaming platform Steam, according to a Thursday report from Bloomberg.

The factoid about Robinson’s gamer name came in a report that also revealed that the Secret Service is investigating the assassin, even though Kirk wasn’t under the agency’s protection.

“Agents are working with the FBI to study Robinson’s behavior and online activity, including his use of Trump’s name on Steam, as part of a profile they are building,” Bloomberg reported, citing anonymous sources.

“The aim is to understand how suspects form grievances, how they select targets and whether their actions signal broader risks to current or former officeholders.”

According to Bloomberg, Robinson’s Steam account is 11 years old.

“It lists an account that appears to belong to his partner as a friend. Some comments on the account were disabled shortly after Bloomberg reached out to Valve [the company that runs Steam] for comment,” Bloomberg added.

The government has falsely linked assassin’s to Steam in the past. Indeed, days after the July 13 assassination attempt against Donald Trump, Congress was provided information from the FBI that Thomas Crooks “previewed” his attack on Steam.

However, FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress on weeks later that the Steam account in question did not, in fact, belong to Crooks. Wray admitted that his own agents were duped by a fake account—meaning that the FBI briefed Congress with fake evidence in the crucial hours following an assassination attempt against the presidential frontrunner.

“That’s a situation where in our effort to give real-time information, since we’ve provided that information, we’ve since learned that the July 13 ‘premier’ profile page on the gaming platform—it turns out, it was not the shooter. It was some other individual, who as a sick joke, after the shooting created the profile page pretending to be the shooter,” Wray said in response to questions from Rep. Benjamin Cline, R-Va.

“That person has since admitted to it,” Wray said, referring to the hoaxer. “Among the other challenges we as investigators have, we have people creating accounts pretending to be somebody when it’s not the actual person.”

Wray did say that Crooks had multiple accounts on gaming platforms.

“We do believe he was a gamer and that he did have different types of gaming accounts,” Wray said.

The FBI has yet to release any information on Crooks’s gaming account.

The House Oversight committee has subpoenaed the heads of Steam, Discord, Twitch and Reddit to testify in a hearing about the radicalization of online forum users, including instances of open incitement to commit politically motivated acts.

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

Erika Kirk Named CEO of Turning Point USA

Headline USA Editor
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Erika Kirk Named CEO of Turning Point USA

(Andrew Rice, The Center Square)  Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, has been named the chief executive officer and chair of the board at Turning Point USA.

Charlie Kirk founded the organization in 2012.

Erika Kirk, 36, was “unanimously” voted in by the board of directors to take over operations at the conservative political advocacy organization, according to a social media post from TPUSA.

Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on Sept. 10 while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University.

Turning Point USA’s social media post also said Charlie Kirk expressed to multiple executives that he wanted his wife to take on this position in the event of his death.

“Charlie prepared us all for a moment like this one,” TPUSA’s board of directors members wrote in a letter posted to social media. “Turning Point USA was built to survive even the greatest tests.”

“All of us at Turning Point USA have a special role in carrying Charlie Kirk’s mantle and completing his vision to bring us closer to our Lord and fostering a prosperous country for generations to come,” the letter read.

“We will not surrender or kneel before evil. We will carry on. The attempt to destroy Charlie’s work will become our chance to make it more powerful and enduring than ever before,” the letter read.

Congressman Calls Patel a ‘Breath of Fresh Air’ for the FBI

Headline USA Editor
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Congressman Calls Patel a ‘Breath of Fresh Air’ for the FBI

(Morgan Sweeney, The Center Square)  While Democrats contend that FBI Director Kash Patel is running the agency as a political “vengeance campaign” for the president, Patel defends his reforms and Republicans insist that the bureau has changed for the better.

However, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and chair of the House Judiciary Committee thanked Patel for bringing to light things that former Director Chris Wray had left in the dark.

“Because of the work of Director Patel, we learned that the former chair of the House Intelligence Committee and current United States senator leaked classified information,” Jordan said, referring to Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

Patel recently declassified the testimony of a 2017 Democratic staffer who said that Schiff had encouraged the disclosure of “false information” that “was going to be used to indict President Trump.” Jordan accused Schiff and former FBI Director James Comey of conspiring together to “sabotage and undermine” the president.

Schiff has repeatedly denied the allegations.

“But for this guy, Kash Patel – but for this guy – we would never have known this information,” Jordan said.

Both Jordan and Patel have characterized the FBI under Patel as one that has actively uncovered and disclosed things that previous administrations have tried to hide, bringing transparency to an organization they say has been weaponized against the American people.

“Director Wray didn’t tell us that there were 26 confidential human sources at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, even though he was repeatedly asked about that by members of this committee,” Jordan said.

Confidential human sources are registered informants who provide ongoing intelligence to the government. They are not government employees, nor are they always paid for their work. Twenty-six CHSs were present at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Of those, four entered the Capitol and 13 entered the restricted area around the Capitol. Only three of the 26, however, were asked to “report on specific domestic terrorism case subjects who were possibly attending” that day; the rest, according to the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, attended of their own volition and had not been given an assignment for the day.

Later, Jordan ran through a list of things he believes the FBI wrongly did under previous administrations, including spying on parents and school board meetings, targeting Catholics, censoring Americans, targeting people who shop at Cabela’s or buy Bibles and cooking the books on crime data.

He asked Patel if the FBI was currently engaged in any of those practices, to which Patel repeatedly responded “No, sir,” and “Nobody is targeted for their faith.”

In addition to the things Patel said the FBI isn’t doing, it has also achieved some impressive stats thus far into Patel’s term, according to the director. It has arrested 23,000 violent criminals, seized 6,000 illegal guns and found 4,700 child victims – all up tremendously from the previous year.

Patel also said the U.S. is on track to achieve “the lowest murder rate in modern U.S. history by double digits,” which he attributed to the skill of FBI agents but also to relocate agents from the nation’s capital to other cities across the country.

“In just a few short months, we have already unleashed 1,000 FBI personnel across this country. Every single state across this country is getting a plus up,” Patel said. “They do not need to be in Washington, D.C., so we’re sending them into the field to each and every one of your states. Because of that, crime is at an all time low.”

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., called Patel a “breath of fresh air” at Wednesday’s hearing.

Trump’s Ukraine Envoy Says the US Could ‘Kick Russia’s Ass’

Headline USA Editor
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Trump’s Ukraine Envoy Says the US Could ‘Kick Russia’s Ass’

(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) Keith Kellogg, President Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, had strong words for Russia at a conference held in Ukraine, saying that the US could “kick Russia’s ass,” Remix News has reported.

Kellogg made the comments in the context of a conversation he had in the Oval Office about Russia’s military might. “They were talking about the primacy of the Russian military and how they were, you know, pretty good. And I said to the people in the room, we’d kick their ass,” Kellogg said at the YES Annual Meeting in Kyiv on September 12.

“What I mean by that is don’t take their statements at face value. 

They’re not as good as Putin says they are, and for that, I give great credit to the Ukrainian military because they’ve knocked them down a couple notches,” Kellogg added. He brushed off the fact that Russia was a nuclear-armed power, pointing to the fact that the US and its allies also have nuclear weapons.

The US envoy also claimed that Ukraine would win the war despite the fact that Russia continues to make gains in eastern Ukraine and has the clear advantage when it comes to manpower and weapons supplies. “Ukraine will not lose this war. Ukrainians have a moral superiority over Russia, that’s obvious,” he said.

Kellogg said that both he and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine recently advised President Trump that Russia is not winning the war.

“If Putin thinks Russia is winning, his definition of winning and my definition of winning are absolutely two different things,” Kellogg said. “If he was winning, he’d be in Kyiv. If he’s winning, he’d be west of the Dnipro River. If he was winning, he’d be on Odessa. If he was winning, he would have changed the government. Russia is, in fact, losing this war.”

Kellogg called Russia a “junior partner” of China and claimed that if Beijing cut off Moscow, the “war would end tomorrow.” The Trump administration has failed to get either India or China to reduce its trade relationship with Russia despite the threats of tariffs and sanctions.

Kellogg’s comments come as a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine seems increasingly unlikely as the two sides remain far apart on the terms for an agreement. In his role as a special US envoy, Kellogg has repeatedly met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and has pledged continued US support for the proxy war.

This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com. 

An Immigration Judge Ordered Mahmoud Khalil Deported. What Happens Now?

Headline USA Editor
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An Immigration Judge Ordered Mahmoud Khalil Deported. What Happens Now?

(Headline USA) Three months after his release from an immigration jail, Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil is facing the growing threat of deportation for his role in campus protests against Israel.

In court documents made public Wednesday, an immigration judge in Louisiana ruled that Khalil should be deported for failing to disclose information on his green card application.

The decision marked a setback for Khalil, a lawful U.S. resident and recent Columbia University graduate student who became the first person targeted by President Donald Trump’s aggressive crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists. But while the ruling puts him one step closer to a final order of removal, it is far from the last word in the case.

For now, Khalil remains protected from detention and deportation under a separate judicial order. His legal team has said they intend to appeal the immigration judge’s ruling, which Khalil has characterized as “further evidence of retaliation” from a “kangaroo court.”

Here’s a look at where things stand in the ongoing legal battle:

The Sept. 12 ruling by the immigration judge, Jamee Comans, builds on her previous order issued in April, which found Khalil could be forced out of the country as a national security risk.

Khalil’s attorneys had challenged that decision, citing his lack of criminal history and close ties to the United States. His wife is a U.S. citizen, as is his 5-month-old son, who was born while Khalil was in federal custody.

Khalil was a prominent figure in protests at Columbia University against the war in Gaza, which spread to campuses nationwide. He was arrested inside his campus apartment building this past March and accused by the Trump administration of supporting “pro-Hamas” activity, referring to the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Khalil has repeatedly denied the charge and the federal government has not provided evidence for it.

Khalil has argued he is being targeted for exercising his free speech, pointing to a memo by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that justified his arrest on the grounds that his pro-Palestinian beliefs could undermine U.S. foreign policy interests.

In her latest decision, Comans said she lacked the authority “to question foreign policy determinations” and that Khalil’s “limited family ties” to the country did not amount to a compelling reason to waive her prior ruling.

Comans then sided with the government on a separate claim, finding that Khalil had “willfully misrepresented” facts about his background on his green card application, including his role in a United Nations agency that provides services to Palestinian refugees.

Khalil has maintained that any omissions on the application were unintentional.

Khalil’s attorneys said Wednesday that they intend to appeal the decision. But they also expressed concern about their odds of success in the reliably conservative federal appeals court with jurisdiction over the case.

If he were to lose his appeal, Khalil would be stripped of his permanent residency status, further restricting his ability to work and travel, according to his attorneys. But the government would still be prohibited from removing him under a June 11 order from a federal judge in New Jersey, Michael Farbiarz.

That order will remain in place while his civil rights case plays out in New Jersey. It may soon be “the only meaningful impediment” to Khalil’s deportation, according to a letter that his attorneys sent Wednesday to Farbiarz.

Oral arguments in that case could begin as soon as next month.

Judge Comans has said Khalil would be deported to Algeria, where he maintains citizenship through a distant relative, or “in the alternative” Syria, where he was born in a refugee camp to a Palestinian family.

Attorneys for Khalil have said the publicity surrounding his case would leave him in mortal danger if he were forced to return to either country.

Khalil, 30, fled Syria for Lebanon in 2013 after joining protests against then-President Bashar al-Assad. His family has roots in Tiberias but were displaced during the mass expulsion of Palestinians from what is now Israel, according to court documents.

Khalil has said he will continue advocating for Palestinians as his legal battle plays out. He is also currently suing the Trump administration for $20 million in damages, alleging that he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite.

Emailed inquiries to the State Department, the White House and the Department of Homeland Security were not returned.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press.

Cranking Up the Inflation Machine: Fed Delivers Rate Cut

Money Metals News Service
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Cranking Up the Inflation Machine: Fed Delivers Rate Cut

(Mike Maharrey, Money Metals News Service) The Federal Reserve cranked up the inflation machine, despite acknowledging “inflation has moved up and remains somewhat elevated.”

The FOMC voted 11-1 to cut the federal funds rate by a quarter percent, setting the interest rate between 4 and 4.25 percent.

The committee projected two more cuts before the end of the year.

In the official FOMC statement, the committee expressed concern about the softening economy, noting that “economic activity moderated in the first half of the year,” and that “job gains have slowed.”

However, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell characterized the rate cut as a move to mitigate risk, not to rescue the economy.

“You can think of this, in a way, as a risk management cut,” Powell said during his post-meeting conference.

Many market observers took this as a more hawkish sign, assuming the cutting program will be limited.

Although he didn’t use the word, Powell described a stagflationary setup.

“While the unemployment rate remains low, it has edged up, job gains have slowed, and downside risks to employment have risen at the same time, inflation has risen recently and remains somewhat elevated.”

The only no vote was recent President Trump appointee Governor Stephen Miran, who advocated for a half-point cut.

Powell said there wasn’t widespread support for a bigger 50-basis point cut.

“I think we’ve done very large rate hikes and very large rate cuts in the last five years, and we tend to do those at a time when you feel that policy is out of place and needs to move quickly to a new place. That’s not at all what I feel certainly now, I feel like our policy has been doing the right thing so far this year.”

The Dot Plots

The FOMC released its dot plot, indicating two more rate cuts this year. However, the committee now only anticipates one cut in 2026. At the June meeting, the members projected three cuts next year.

There was significant divergence in the forecast. Two members projected as many as four cuts in 2026.

While analysts tend to get all excited about these dot-plot forecasts, they are virtually meaningless.

Fed members are notoriously bad at projecting the trajectory of interest rates, even though they’re the ones literally setting the rates.

How bad is their track record?

Fund manager David Hay analyzed past dot plots and found the FOMC only got interest rate projections right 37 percent of the time. And as Hay pointed out, “They control interest rates!”

For instance, in March 2021, the FOMC projected the interest rate would still be zero in 2022. The actual 2022 rate was 1.75 percent. And in 2023, the vast majority of FOMC members thought the rate would still be at zero. The actual rate was over 5 percent.

The FOMC would probably get much better results by flipping coins or throwing darts at the wall.

Cranking Up the Inflation Machine

While the rate cut may provide some relief for an economy buried in debt, it will also ramp up inflation.

The cut will incentivize more borrowing. The downside is that in a fractional reserve banking system, an increase in lending grows the money supply.

Powell said the rate cut put monetary policy in “a more neutral” position. After the June meeting, the characterized police as “moderately restrictive.” In fact, policy is historically loose and wasn’t even tight at the height of the tightening cycle.

After contracting during the hiking cycle, the money supply has been expanding for well over a year.

This is, by definition, inflation.

As of the end of July, the money supply had expanded by more than $600 billion since its low point in mid-2023.

As of July, the M2 money supply stood at $22.12 trillion and is above the peak reached during the pandemic.

The Chicago Fed’s own metric indicates that monetary policy remains historically loose. As of the week ending September 12, the National Financial Conditions Index (NFCI) stood at -0.56. A negative number reflects historically loose financial conditions. The NFCI remained negative even as the Fed was raising rates in 2023.

Looking at the historical data also reveals that the current interest rate level isn’t high at all.

So, why cut rates? Especially given the CPI data, which indicates inflation is alive and well.

The economy is showing cracks, and Powell acknowledged that he didn’t want to see any further deterioration in the job market.

“The labor market is softening, and we don’t need it to soften anymore (and) don’t want it to.”

This underscores the Catch-22 facing the Fed.

Price inflation is clearly alive and well based on the CPI, and monetary inflation is expanding. This would indicate the need to hold rates higher for longer.

However, the debt-riddled bubble economy is addicted to easy money. It simply can’t function in a tighter monetary policy environment.

In other words, the Fed needs to cut rates and hold them higher at the same time.

It appears the central bankers have chosen to try to keep the air in the bubble economy at the risk of unleashing more inflation.

Mike Maharrey is a journalist and market analyst for Money Metals with over a decade of experience in precious metals. He holds a BS in accounting from the University of Kentucky and a BA in journalism from the University of South Florida.

Anti-Islamic Biker Gang Guards Gaza Aid Distribution Sites

Jose Nino
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Anti-Islamic Biker Gang Guards Gaza Aid Distribution Sites

(José Niño, Headline USA) A BBC investigation recently revealed that members of a  motorcycle gang calling themselves modern Crusaders provide armed security at Gaza aid distribution sites where more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed while seeking food.

BBC News confirmed that UG Solutions, the private contractor providing security at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, employs at least 10 members of the Infidels Motorcycle Club in senior positions. 

The investigation revealed that seven gang members oversee operations at the controversial aid initiative backed by Israel and former U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Infidels Motorcycle Club emerged from military veterans of the Iraq war in 2006 and members identify themselves as modern Crusaders, adopting the Crusader cross as their emblem. This imagery references medieval Christians who battled Muslims for control of Jerusalem. The gang currently hosts anti-Muslim content on its Facebook page and previously organized a pig roast “in defiance” of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, according to the BBC. 

Johnny “Taz” Mulford leads both the Infidels Motorcycle Club and serves as UG Solutions’ “country team leader” in Gaza. 

Mulford inadvertently exposed fellow gang members when he instructed Infidels leadership not to respond to BBC inquiries but included the news organization in his “reply all” email, disclosing names and addresses of members working in Gaza.

Three prominent Infidels MC figures hold key positions in UG Solutions’ Gaza operations. Larry “J-Rod” Jarrett, the gang’s vice president, oversees logistics operations. Bill “Saint” Siebe, the national treasurer, leads security at one Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution site. Richard “A-Tracker” Lofton, a founding member, manages another distribution location.

Mulford displays the date 1095 tattooed across his chest, marking the year Pope Urban II launched the first crusade against Muslims. He bears Crusader cross tattoos on both forearms alongside the word “Infidels.” The gang sells merchandise celebrating 1095 as the beginning of “a military campaign by western European forces to recapture Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim control.” 

Social media posts show Mulford recruiting military veterans two weeks before deploying to Gaza, seeking anyone who “can still shoot, move and communicate.” At least 40 of approximately 320 UG Solutions personnel in Gaza were recruited from Infidels MC, per estimates by former contractors.

UG Solutions compensates contractors $980 daily including expenses, with team leaders at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation “safe distribution sites” earning $1,580 per day.

According to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports 1,135 children, women and men died near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites while desperately seeking for food through September 2. The UN attributes most killings to Israeli security forces. Since the sites opened in late May, casualties of Palestinian seeking aid have reached 2,158 fatalities and more than 15,843 injuries.

Edward Ahmed Mitchell, deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, condemned the arrangement. “Putting the Infidels biker club in charge of delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza is like putting the KKK in charge of delivering humanitarian aid in Sudan. It makes no sense whatsoever,” Mitchell declared. “It’s bound to lead to violence, and that’s exactly what we’ve seen happen in Gaza.”

UG Solutions claims that it conducts comprehensive background checks and deploys only qualified, vetted individuals. The company stated it does not screen candidates for “personal hobbies or affiliations unrelated to job performance.” However, reports indicate Jarrett faced arrest for drunk driving two years ago and carries a previous driving under the influence charge from roughly a decade earlier.

Jameson Govoni, UG Solutions founder and chief executive, was arrested earlier this year in North Carolina for alleged involvement in a hit-and-run incident and fleeing police to evade arrest.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation maintains a “zero-tolerance policy for any hateful, discriminatory biases or conduct” and relies on “people from all backgrounds” to provide Gaza aid. The foundation emphasized its team’s diversity contributes to operational success. UG Solutions defended Mulford as a “trusted and respected figure” with more than 30 years of experience supporting US operations worldwide.

UG Solutions admitted to using warning shots to disperse crowds but denied allegations that contractors fired on civilians or endangered people seeking food through incompetent leadership. The Israeli military stated incidents involving civilian casualties remain “under review by competent authorities.”

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino 

 

Bomb Threat Hits TPUSA as Glenn Beck Arrives for Kirk’s Show

Luis Cornelio
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Bomb Threat Hits TPUSA as Glenn Beck Arrives for Kirk’s Show

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Phoenix police evacuated an area near Turning Point USA’s headquarters Wednesday after a bomb threat—just as Glenn Beck prepared to guest host The Charlie Kirk Show.

The threat came from a suspicious bag left by an unknown individual, prompting police to deploy a bomb squad around 12:00 p.m. ET. The bag was deemed safe 30 minutes later.

Police later arrested a suspect but charges are not expected.

The scare coincided with Beck’s arrival for a special appearance on the show formerly hosted by Kirk, who was murdered on Sept. 10.

“In the abundance of caution and for the safety of those in the area, this location has been cleared and the PPD Bomb Squad has responded. There is not a threat attached to the incident,” police wrote on X.

It later confirmed: “UPDATE: The bag has been deemed safe. Bomb Squad is no longer investigating the area. Restrictions will be lifted shortly.”

Footage shared on X by Newsmax correspondent John Huddy showed a police official in bomb gear. Huddy noted that a bomb robot conducted an initial inspection.

The false threat came just days after Kirk was targeted and killed while addressing Turning Point USA supporters at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.

The suspect, Tyler Robinson, allegedly wrote in text messages to his transgender-identifying boyfriend that he killed Kirk because he was sick of Kirk’s “hate.”

Days later, two men—Adeeb Nasir and Adil Justice Ahmed Nasir—allegedly placed an incendiary device beneath a Fox 13 News van in Salt Lake City, Utah, investigators said.

The men now face terrorism-related charges.

Biden Spent Independence Day at a ‘High-End Trailer Park’

Luis Cornelio
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Biden Spent Independence Day at a ‘High-End Trailer Park’

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Joe Biden, broke and desperate for relevancy, appears to be persona non grata within Democratic circles.

The disgraced former president was spotted celebrating Independence Day at what the Wall Street Journal described as a “high-end” trailer park in California—all the while struggling to stay afloat financially.

“It was a far cry from how Biden’s peers spent their summers. Barack and Michelle Obama wined and dined on Martha’s Vineyard while Bill and Hillary Clinton donned black tie in the Hamptons for wedding celebrations uniting her former staffer Huma Abedin with the favored son of billionaire Democratic funder George Soros,” the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

Biden’s unusual presence at the trailer park, owned by a family friend Moby, was highlighted by The Wall Street Journal in a report on his collapsing finances since leaving office in January

The newspaper noted that Biden has struggled to secure the financial backing offered to his predecessors, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

He has failed to raise money for a presidential library, has been passed over for major speaking engagements and has been allegedly forced to accept reduced fees for the few gigs he did land.

Biden does not travel on private jets and instead relies on first-class seats on American Airlines or Amtrak trains.

He pledged to pay off $800,000 in personal debt and said he wanted to help his daughter Ashley cover expenses following her recent divorce filing.

He recently signed a $10 million book deal. This is far below the $60 million paid to the Obamas after leaving office.

The Ivy League University of Pennsylvania reportedly rejected plans to host Biden’s presidential center after the discovery of classified documents he abandoned upon leaving the Obama administration.

Biden’s struggles stand in stark contrast to the millions his family raked in after he left the vice presidency in 2016, money that later became the focus of congressional investigations.

Trump Says the US Has Bombed Three Boats Near Venezuela

Headline USA Editor
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Trump Says the US Has Bombed Three Boats Near Venezuela

(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) President Trump told reporters on Tuesday that the US has “knocked off” a total of three boats in the Caribbean as the US military campaign near Venezuela continues.

The president previously announced the bombing of two boats near Venezuela that he claimed were carrying drugs, without providing evidence, and released footage of the strikes. “We knocked off actually three boats, not two, but you saw two,” Trump said.

He made the comments when asked what message he wanted to send to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. “Stop sending Tren de Aragua into the United States, stop sending drugs into the United States,” he said.

The Trump administration has claimed that Maduro controls the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TDA), but that contradicts a declassified US intelligence assessment. “The Maduro regime probably does not have a policy of cooperating with TDA and is not directing TDA movement to and operations in the United States,” a memo from the Office of the Director of Intelligence, dated April 7, 2025, reads.

The Trump administration launched the campaign against Venezuela despite the country’s willingness to cooperate on prisoner swaps and deportations. Maduro said on Monday that communications with the US have been “thrown away,” though he said the two countries are still in contact to facilitate the return of Venezuelans from the US.

“The communications with the government of the U.S. have been thrown away, they have been thrown away by them with their threats of bombs, death, and blackmail,” Maduro said.

The Venezuelan leader also said that the US policy amounted to “aggression” against Venezuela. Other Venezuelan officials have suggested that the US may be trying to provoke a response from Venezuela to justify another military escalation. Media reports have said that the US is considering launching strikes against alleged cartel targets inside Venezuela, and Trump has not ruled out the possibility.

While Trump and other US officials claim the military action and pressure on Venezuela’s government is about drug trafficking and a response to overdose deaths in the US, fentanyl doesn’t come from or through Venezuela, and the majority of the cocaine that is transported to the US comes through the Pacific, not the Caribbean.

Democrats in Congress have slammed the US military campaign in Venezuela, with Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) calling the strikes “lawless killings” and warning that it could lead to a full-blown war. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has also been very critical of the military action, pointing to the fact that even the worst criminals get trials in the US.

This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com. 

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