China, Canada Lead Spending Spree on U.S. Real Estate, Report Finds

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China, Canada Lead Spending Spree on U.S. Real Estate, Report Finds

(Brett Rowland, The Center Square) China and Canada led the ranks of foreign buyers snapping up U.S. homes, according to a new report.

Foreigners bought $56 billion worth of existing U.S. homes from April 2024 through March 2025, according to the National Association of Realtors 2025 International Transactions in U.S. Residential Real Estate report.

That’s a 33.2% increase over the previous year. International buyers bought 78,100 properties, up 44% from the prior year and the first year-over-year increase since 2017. The median purchase price for foreign buyers was $494,400, a record high, according to the report.

“International interest in buying U.S. real estate increased following the global economic recovery from several years of pandemic-related disruptions. However, elevated home prices and interest rates continue to dampen overall potential sales activity and remain well below pre-pandemic levels,” NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said.

Chinese buyers led the pack, accounting for 15% of the total foreign buyers, followed by Canada with 14% and Mexico with 8%. India (6%) and the United Kingdom (4%) rounded out the top five nations.

Most foreign buyers flocked to Florida, which accounted for 21% of all purchases, followed by California at 15%. Texas (10%), New York (7%) and Arizona (5%) rounded out the top five U.S. destinations for international buyers, according to the report.

“Boosted by a significant increase in the state’s housing inventory, Florida remained the top destination for foreign home buyers, extending a streak of at least 15 years,” Yun said.

Most of the buyers lived in the U.S. Foreign buyers who resided in the U.S. as recent immigrants or who were holding visas that allowed them to live in the U.S. bought 43,700 homes (56% of all foreign purchases) with a total dollar volume of $26.9 billion. Foreign buyers who lived abroad purchased 34,400 homes (44% of all foreign purchases) with a total dollar volume of $29.1 billion.

“To some degree, due to stubbornly high mortgage rates, a greater share of international home buyers paid cash – 47% compared to 28% among all buyers – and they were more likely to purchase homes priced in the upper end of the market,” Yun said. “Foreign buyers are drawn to investing in American real estate, in part, by our country’s strong protection of private property rights.”

Fiscal Fallout: Washington State Government Spending Surges 116% Since 2015

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Fiscal Fallout: Washington State Government Spending Surges 116% Since 2015

(TJ Martinell, The Center Square) Washington state faces deficit spending by 2028 as lawmakers just hit taxpayers with the state’s largest combined tax increase – all driven by massive state spending increases over the past decade, an investigation of state budgets by The Center Square found.

Washington state spent about $80 billion in the 2013-15 budget but is set to spend more than $173 billion in 2025-27, a more than 116% increase over that time. U.S. inflation since 2015 has risen just 35.63%.

The surge in spending of taxpayer dollars prompted some policy analysts and lawmakers to say the increases must end sooner or later.

Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council member and ranking minority member for House Appropriations Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, told The Center Square that the only winners in Olympia are “politicians, bureaucrats and criminals.”

“At the end of the day you have to ask yourself, ‘What did we get for that new spending?” he asked. “At the end of the day, we don’t see the results on what we’re spending on.”

In just five specific budget areas, state spending increased by $77.2 billion since the 2013-15 biennium, although that spending includes more than just state revenues and in one area a shift occurred from local funding to state funding.

“I think that a combination of the fact that you already have a shortfall with a $9 billion tax increase, things have to change moving forward,” Mountain States Policy Center Vice President and Director of Research Jason Mercier told The Center Square. “I don’t know if they can do much more. They’ve played all the games; they’ve done all the fund shifts. You just did a tax increase. It’s not going to get better; it’s going to get worse on the forecast. The question now with budget is at some point you have to do the responsible thing and cut some spending.”

According to an analysis of data from fiscal.wa.gov, the $77 billion increase over the past decade in just those five areas occurred within the following departments of the combined capital and operating budget:

  • An increase in Washington State Department of Social and Health Services spending from $9 billion to $25.4 billion, a $15.6 billion or 182.22% increase
  • An increase in Long Term Care spending from $3.8 billion to $12.9 billion, a $9.1 billion or 239.47% increase
  • An increase in General Apportionment spending from $11.4 billion to $22.6 billion, a $11.2 billion or 98.25% increase
  • An increase in Public Schools spending from $17.7 billion to $37.4 billion, a $19.7 billion or 111.3% increase
  • An increase in Washington State Health Care Authority from $16.4 billion to $38 billion, a $21.6 billion or 131.71% increase

That spending far outpaces inflation and population growth.

According to the U.S. Bureau for Labor Statistics inflation calculator, there has been a cumulative price increase of 35.63% since July 2015. According to the state Office of Financial Management, the state population has grown from 7,061,410 to 8,035,700 in the same time period as of 2024, a 13.8% increase.

Mercier noted that compared to other states in the region, such as Idaho and Montana, Washington state spending is out of control.

“Washington is such an outlier on the spending increase,” he said. “Other states are tracking very closely to inflation. Idaho was below inflation this past year.”

The state’s fiscal situation also comes amid record high revenues supported by the largest tax increase in state history. Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, the ranking minority member of the House Finance Committee and a member of the state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, wrote in an email to The Center Square that under the current forecast, the state ends with a $2 million balance at the end of 2027, but faces a $444 million fiscal deficit in 2028.

“We will have time to go in during the 2026 session that starts in January to make adjustments to the budget to make it balance across the 4-year outlook window … to prevent it from going negative,” he wrote. “If done early enough in session, amendments to the budget could allow for 2/3 of the 2025-27 budget cycle to absorb the changes – much better than trying to fix budget problems in the second year of the biennium when there is just a few months to absorb the changes needed to cover shortages between revenues and spending.”

However, he added that “we have time to make SPENDING adjustments to bring the outlook into balance – not to dip into emergency reserves. Budgets need to be written to expected revenues rather than to increase taxes to fund the budget written.”

Regarding the state spending increases, Orcutt said the growth has been funded by tax increases that he opposed.

“I have questioned the sustainability of most budgets passed since 2002, so I do indeed have concerns about the sustainability of spending since 2013,” he wrote. “I have and will continue to oppose tax increases and will continue to advocate for budgets to be written based on expected revenues – not budgets written, then taxes increased to fund that budget.”

During the 2025 legislative session, the Legislature enacted or increased taxes and fees estimated to generate more than $9 billion over the next four years, and include the following:

  • Increased the business and occupation tax rate for most businesses from 1.2% to 1.5%, which is expected to generate $2 billion during the 2025-27 biennium
  • Expanded the retail sales tax base to include additional services, expected to generate $2.9 billion over the 2025-27 biennium and $4.7 billion over four years, making it the largest single revenue source among new taxes and fees
  • A 50% increase in over 40 liquor-related fees
  • Retroactively created a progressive rate structure for the existing 7% tax on income from the sale of capital gains above $270,000, with an additional 2.9% tax, 9.9% total, on gains exceeding $1 million, expected to generate $282 million over the 2025-27 biennium and $561 million over four years
  • Increased the estate tax exemption from $2.193 million to $3 million; the rate for estates worth $9 million or more was increased from 20 to 35%
  • Hiked the rental car sales tax from 5.9% to 11.9% in 2026
  • An additional luxury tax on the sale, lease, or transfer of vehicles exceeding $100,000
  • Created a B&O tax on the rental or lease of self-storage units at 1.5 % or 1.75 %, depending on transaction cost
  • Increased the cost of a Discover Pass by 50%
  • Expanded the tobacco tax to include nicotine pouches
  • Raised hunting and fishing license fees by 38% and increased the cost of a combination fishing license from $45.50 to $62.49
  • Increased taxes on health insurance
  • Raised the cap on annual local property tax increases from 1% to 3%
  • Imposed a 10% excise tax on duty-free stores
  • A new ticket fee for sporting events and concerts

Initiative 960 passed in 2007 required non-binding public votes on tax increases enacted by the Legislature without voter approval. The advisory vote was repealed by the Legislature during the 2023 legislative session. In states like California and Colorado, voter approval is required for new taxes.

However, Orcutt noted that with public spending the increase doesn’t tell the full story, “since there was a major reform of education funding in 2017 in response to the McCleary lawsuit. Local levies were lowered in exchange for an increase in state funding to make it revenue neutral overall.”

In 2012, the State Supreme Court ruled via the McCleary decision that the state Legislature was failing to adhere to its constitutional mandate to fully fund K-12 education.

At the same time, Couture said that “when we had McCleary, we spent billions more dollars, but where did that money go?”

The Annie E. Casey Foundation currently ranks Washington 27th in the nation in education, a drop from 20th a decade ago.

Couture argues that the state Legislature has budgeted for years beyond the current revenue levels in the hope that economic growth will increase, noting that while revenue is still increasing “it’s just growing slowly. It’s basically calming down to realistic growth levels.”

The Center Square reached out to Sen. June Robinson, who is an ERFC member and serves as the chair for the Senate Ways & Means Committee, for comment on the state spending increases, any notable achievements as a result, and whether the spending levels were sustainable. The Center Square did not receive a response by the time of publication.

The Center Square also reached out to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s Office for comment regarding budget prioritization and spending level sustainability, but did not receive a response.

The Center Square reached out to Concerned Taxpayers of Washington State for comment, but did not receive a response. The Tax Foundation declined to comment for the story regarding the state spending increases, noting it’s beyond their scope of research.

Homeland Security Reports 361 Illegal Immigrants Arrested

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Homeland Security Reports 361 Illegal Immigrants Arrested

(Dave Mason, The Center Square) At least 361 illegal immigrants were arrested at raids at marijuana farms north of Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The department released its latest number of arrests Sunday for the raids conducted Thursday at Glass House Farms sites in Camarillo in Ventura County and Carpinteria in Santa Barbara County.

“As Secretary [Kristi] Noem stated, this is quickly becoming one of the largest operations since President [Donald] Trump took office,” said Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, the department’s spokesperson, in a statement.

Homeland Security said federal agents faced  “more than 500 rioters” during the raids. The larger protest took place in Camarillo, where the Ventura County Fire Department responded to calls for medical aid and the United Farm Workers reported several workers suffered critical injuries. UFW said one of those workers died from the injuries.

One protester at the Camarillo raid appeared to be firing a pistol at federal agents in a video broadcast by Los Angeles area TV station ABC7. The FBI has announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the individual’s arrest.

The illegal immigrants arrested by federal agents included “violent and dangerous” people, Homeland Security reported Sunday in a news release. The department listed examples of three arrested people who were previously convicted of rape, attempted rape, kidnapping, attempted child molestation, driving under the influence, property damage and burglary.

Agents from U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol “rescued at least 14 migrant children from what looks like exploitation, forced child labor, and potentially human trafficking or smuggling while facing assault and even gunfire,” McLaughlin said.

Democrats representing Ventura and Santa Barbara counties in Congress criticized Thursday’s raids.

U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Thousand Oaks, demanded answers about the legal basis and execution of the Camarillo raid, as well as its community impact, in a letter to Noem and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons.

“The farmworkers detained in these raids are clearly in the United States to fill jobs that employers cannot otherwise fill,” Brownley said in a news release. “Their undocumented status is not by choice, but a direct result of Congress’ ongoing failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform that would allow a sufficient number of workers into the country and provide a viable pathway to citizenship.”

U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, said he was at the marijuana farm in Carpinteria, a short distance south of the city of Santa Barbara, when the raid took place. He accused federal agents of using “disproportionate displays of force against local farm workers and our agricultural community.”

“As a member of Congress and representative of the Central Coast, I have the right to conduct oversight and see first-hand what ICE was doing here,” Carbajal said in a statement. “As soon as I walked up, I was denied entry and was not allowed to pass. This was completely unacceptable.”

The Center Square reached out to Homeland Security Monday for its reaction to Brownley’s and Carabajal’s comments, but did not get an immediate response.

The department Monday said illegal immigrants arrested nationally over the weekend included sexual predators, pedophiles and child abusers.

“Over the weekend, our brave ICE agents arrested monstrous illegal aliens convicted of heinous crimes including rape of a child, sexual assault and possession of child pornography. ICE is putting their lives on the line to keep America’s children and families safe,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “Yet, they are now facing a nearly 700 percent increase in assaults against them as gutter politicians attempt to attack and demonize our brave law enforcement. This is sick. We will only double down in getting these dangerous criminals off of our streets.”

Cuomo Stays in NYC Mayor’s Race as an Independent After Losing Democratic Primary to Mamdani

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Cuomo Stays in NYC Mayor’s Race as an Independent After Losing Democratic Primary to Mamdani

(Headline USA) Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday he will campaign for mayor of New York City as an independent candidate, staying in a crowded field running against surging left-wing Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani.

In a video, Cuomo, who last month suffered a bruising loss to Mamdani in the Democratic primary, announced he was making another run to combat the progressive Mamdani, who he said “offers slick slogans but no real solutions.”

“The fight to save our city isn’t over,” Cuomo said. “Only 13 percent of New Yorkers voted in the June primary. The general election is in November and I am in it to win it.”

Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams also is running as an independent in the general election and Curtis Sliwa — founder of the 1970s-era Guardian Angels anti-crime patrol — is again on the Republican line.

People opposed to Mamdani’s progressive agenda, which includes higher taxes on the wealthy, have called on donors and voters to unite behind a single candidate for the November election. They fear multiple candidates will splinter the anti-Mamdani vote, increasing the Democrat’s chances to win.

Mamdani’s campaign responded to Cuomo’s announcement by saying the ex-governor and mayor are cozying up to “billionaires and Republicans” while the Democratic nominee remains focused on affordability issues.

“That’s the choice this November,” campaign spokesperson Jeffrey Lerner said in a statement.

Cuomo’s decision to continue on in the race is the latest chapter in his comeback attempt, launched almost four years after he resigned as governor in 2021 following a barrage of sexual harassment allegations. He denied wrongdoing during the campaign, maintaining that the scandal was driven by politics.

Cuomo was treated as the presumed frontrunner for much of the Democratic primary, with the former governor boasting deep political experience, universal name recognition and a juggernaut fundraising operation. He limited media interviews, held few unscripted events and avoided mingling with voters.

That strategy contrasted with Mamdani’s energetic street-level campaign centered around affordability issues. The 33-year-old amassed a legion of young volunteers who blanketed the city to build support, while the candidate’s savvy social media persona won him national acclaim.

Lagging behind Mamdani in the vote count, Cuomo conceded the race last month on primary night. Final results released after the city ran through its ranked choice voting calculations showed Mamdani besting the former governor by 12 percentage points.

Despite the Democratic primary loss, Cuomo had also qualified to run on an independent ballot line in November under a party he created called “Fight and Deliver.”

As he weighed whether to stay on as an independent, Cuomo began losing support from traditional allies. Key labor unions backed Mamdani and the Rev. Al Sharpton, an influential Black leader, urged Cuomo to step aside.

Some deep-pocketed contributors have meanwhile aligned behind Adams, who is running as an independent. Although he’s still a Democrat, Adams pulled out of the primary shortly after a federal judge dismissed a corruption case against him at the request of President Donald Trump’s Justice Department, arguing that the case had sidelined him from campaigning.

Cuomo, 67, served as governor for over a decade and modeled himself as a socially progressive Democrat who got things done. He pushed through legislation that legalized gay marriage and tackled massive infrastructure projects, like a three-mile bridge over the Hudson River that he named after his father.

Cuomo’s national profile peaked in the early days of the nation’s coronavirus outbreak during his televised daily briefings. The governor leavened stern warnings for people to wear masks with heartfelt expressions of concern for his elderly mother or brotherly banter with Chris Cuomo, a TV journalist.

His reputation was soon tainted when it emerged that the state’s official count of nursing home deaths had excluded many victims who had been transferred to hospitals before they succumbed.

Cuomo resigned shortly after New York’s attorney general released the results of an investigation that found he sexually harassed at least 11 women.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press.

‘Trans’ Inmate Says He Sent Bombs to Federal Buildings to Raise Awareness for Prison Abuse

Ken Silva
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‘Trans’ Inmate Says He Sent Bombs to Federal Buildings to Raise Awareness for Prison Abuse

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Transgender prison inmate David Cassady has filed a memorandum asking for leniency ahead of his sentencing for mailing explosives to federal buildings in 2020—claiming that his actions were inspired by the desire to expose abuse at Phillips State Prison in Georgia.

Cassady, 55, 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 refers to Cassady as a female in the sex-change litigation, but calls him a man in the bombing case.

In any event, the public now has a chance to see what motivated Cassady. The trans inmate filed an apparent manifesto last week as part of his sentencing memorandum, which asks the judge to send him to a federal facility instead of state prison to avoid further abuse.

According to Cassady, he was knife-raped by a Blood gang member in 2018, and his “lover,” Steven, was stabbed 14 times trying to protect him. Two days later, Cassady said his “trans sister,” Joseph “JoJo” Pagen, was murdered by a member of the Ghost Face Gangsters.

That’s when Cassady said he decided to infiltrate the Ghost Face Gangsters to avenge his friends.

“My plan would be carried out under the code name ‘Operation Standpoint.’ I was walking a very dangerous tightrope, and I knew it,” Cassady said in the manifesto. “I knew of no other way to pull this strategic plan off than to work clandestine to infiltrate Ghost Face, even if it meant the possibility of getting myself arrested or even killed.”

Cassady became involved with the Ghost Face Gangsters by apparently seducing one of the members that was his cellmate, according to his manifesto. However, the two found themselves wrapped up in a murder-for-hire investigation, and Cassady was thrown into solitary confinement, where he was brutally tortured.

At one point, Cassady said he tried killing himself in solitary. He hung himself unconscious, and said he slipped into the spirit realm. There, he saw his murdered trans sister “JoJo,” as well as a black female inmate who was put to death in the facility decades ago. The black inmate said she was Cassady’s guardian angel, according to his manifesto.

“I’m the reason you’re still alive for I have cut you down. Night afer night I’ve watched over and protected you,” the black ghost told Cassady, he said.

Cassady said he then realized 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.

Cassady’s manifesto further suggests that Biden’s DOJ may have delayed his case because the DOJ was also supporting his lawsuit against Georgia, which is now in limbo.

In his manifesto, the inmate thanked the DOJ for its “mercy.”

“By deferring detention, you allowed me to further my transition, completing portions of the long-awaited gender affirming surgery,” Cassady said in conclusion.

A sentencing date for the inmate has yet to be set.

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

Trump: Ukraine to Pay for More U.S. Patriot Missiles

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Trump: Ukraine to Pay for More U.S. Patriot Missiles

(, The Center Square) The U.S. will send more Patriot missiles to Ukraine to help in its ongoing war with Russia but the European Union will pay for them, President Donald Trump said Sunday.

“I haven’t agreed on the number yet, but they’re going to have some. Because they do need protection,” Trump said. “But the European Union is paying for it. We’re not paying anything for it. But we will send it, and it’ll be good news for us, we will send them Patriots, which they desperately need.”

Trump plans to meet Monday with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to discuss the ongoing war and NATO’s roll in helping defend Ukraine.

“I’m going to have a meeting with the Secretary General coming in tomorrow,” Trump also said Sunday. “But we basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military. And they are going to pay us 100% for them. And that’s the way we want it.”

Trump criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for continuing to bomb Ukraine despite ongoing peace negotiations.

Putin “talks nice, and then he bombs everybody in the evening,” Trump said. “It’s a little bit of a problem there. I don’t like it.”

Trump has been critical of NATO spending on defense but last month he said he got most of the 32 member nations to agree to increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP.

‘Pentagon’s Ghostbusters’ Spending Millions on Probing ‘Supernatural Entities’

Jose Nino
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‘Pentagon’s Ghostbusters’ Spending Millions on Probing ‘Supernatural Entities’

(José Niño, Headline USA) For years, a clandestine group within the Pentagon funneled public funds into bizarre paranormal investigations, with some officials claiming encounters with supernatural entities and psychic phenomena.

A New York Post investigation by journalist Steven Greenstreet uncovered how a clandestine group of high-ranking U.S. government officials—nicknamed “The Pentagon’s Ghostbusters”—have spent decades channeling taxpayer money into secretive paranormal investigations, including UFOs, ghosts, and monsters.

Central to the exposé is Robert Bigelow, a real estate billionaire and owner of Skinwalker Ranch, whose company received the bulk of a $22 million Pentagon allocation secured by Senator Harry Reid in 2008 for the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP).

The program’s true purpose was concealed from oversight, with Greenstreet noting, “No one outside the rogue group knew what the money was actually being spent on.”

Among the key figures is Jessica Wyatt, a division chief at the Defense Intelligence Agency, who describes encountering a “half beaver, half dinosaur creature” at Skinwalker Ranch and later experiencing poltergeist activity at her home. Jay Stratton, a decorated Marine and senior intelligence officer, claims his most terrifying experience was not in combat but at the ranch, where he was haunted by supernatural entities.

The report also links Navy pilot Alex Dietrich, known for the 2004 “Tic-Tac” UFO sighting, to Pentagon paranormal investigators.

Other officials, such as Pentagon scientist Sarah Gam, claim psychic abilities gained after a near-death experience. Gam claimed that during surgery, she briefly died, then visited heaven, encountered God, and came back with newfound psychic powers.

Army veteran and Pentagon analyst Kevin Brown alleges he is haunted by the ghost of a 12-year-old girl, while Air Force reservist David Grush expanded a top-secret program to include UFO research, only for it to be shut down for “lack of merit.”

The investigation further reveals that the government itself spread fake UFO stories to mask classified technology, with Greenstreet reporting, “The U.S. government itself was the source of many of these paranormal UFO claims.” This has raised grave national security concerns.

In 2023, then-Sen. Marco Rubio, (R-Fla.) warned, “Either they’re telling the truth…or we have people in really important positions of government, who are crazy and who are out there making up stories and who are still in positions of importance. Either one is a big problem.” Sean Kirkpatrick, former director of the Pentagon’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, describes the phenomenon as a “zealous paranormal religion inside the U.S. government.”

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

Nine Old People Burned to Death in Fire at Massachusetts Assisted Living Facility

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Nine Old People Burned to Death in Fire at Massachusetts Assisted Living Facility

(Headline USA) A fire tore through an assisted living facility in Massachusetts, trapping residents inside, including some who were hanging out of windows screaming for help, authorities said Monday. Nine people died and at least 30 were injured in the blaze, which has been put out.

Firefighters responded to the Gabriel House assisted living facility in Fall River at about 9:50 p.m. Sunday and were met with heavy smoke and flames at the front of the building, the state Department of Fire Services said in a news release. About 70 people live in the house.

The fire was out by Monday morning and firefighters were able to get inside and rescue numerous occupants. About 50 firefighters responded, including 30 who were off-duty.

Many of those rescued were taken to local and regional hospitals in varying conditions.

Jarren Oldrid described the scene as “pretty terrifying” as he tried to figure out if his 67-year-old father, Steven Oldrid, was safe. He found him recovering from smoke inhalation at a hospital.

“It’s kind of just a whirlwind of trying to figure out what’s happening, how this could happen in such a major way,” he said.

Five firefighters suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, the statement said.

“This is an unfathomable tragedy for the families involved and the Fall River community,” said Chief Jeffrey Bacon.

He told reporters “multiple people were hanging out the windows looking to be rescued.” Family members who showed up said police were trying to break windows.

Joe Alves, who lives several houses down from the facility, said he was watching TV when he heard the wave of sirens and fire crews responding to the fire.

He said he saw officials pulling bodies and injured pets out of the building, with some pouring water bottles on burns as they desperately tried to help those in need.

“There were people in wheelchairs, a lot of people missing limbs, it was terrible,” he said, choking up slightly.

The Fall River Police Department in a statement said that “without hesitation, officers entered the smoke-filled facility, breaking down doors and escorting residents to safety.

“Approximately a dozen non-ambulatory residents were physically carried out by our officers. Their bravery and quick action undoubtedly saved many lives.”

The origin and cause of the fire are under investigation, state and local authorities said.

Gabriel House opened in 1999 and has 100 units, according to Massachusetts Executive Office of Aging & Independence. An email was sent to an office spokesperson Monday seeking comment on the home’s inspection records.

Email and phone messages also were left at Gabriel House. A worker at the scene declined to comment to an Associated Press reporter.

Fall River, which has about 94,000 people, is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Providence, Rhode Island.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Report: Ghislaine Maxwell Willing to Testify to Congress about Epstein Files

Ken Silva
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Report: Ghislaine Maxwell Willing to Testify to Congress about Epstein Files

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) The Daily Mail reported Sunday that convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is willing to spill the beans to Congress about her former boyfriend and criminal accomplice, deceased sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.

“Despite the rumors, Ghislaine was never offered any kind of plea deal. She would be more than happy to sit before Congress and tell her story,” an anonymous source who knows Maxwell told the Daily Mail.

“No-one from the government has ever asked her to share what she knows. She remains the only person to be jailed in connection to Epstein and she would welcome the chance to tell the American public the truth.”

The Daily Mail’s report comes as the Trump administration is trying to bury the Epstein scandal. Earlier this month, the Justice Department released a memo stating that Epstein had no clients, he didn’t blackmail anyone, and that there was no foul play involved in his Aug. 10, 2019, prison death.

Trump himself lashed out at a reporter last week for asking about Epstein.

“Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy’s been talked about for years,” Trump said.

“At a time like this,” he added, “where we’re having some of the greatest success and also tragedy with what happened in Texas, it just seems like a desecration.”

The president later took to his website, Truth Social, to declare that the Epstein files were a similar hoax to Russiagate.

Despite Trump’s attempts to bury the story, even some of his most diehard supporters are still calling for transparency in the Epstein case.

Epstein’s death was ruled a suicide by hanging after he was found dead in his jail cell on August 10, 2019. But his lawyers contested that claim. Skeptics point to malfunctioning surveillance cameras, sleeping guards, and broken bones in Epstein’s neck as indications that his death was something other than suicide.

Because of Epstein’s extensive fraternization with high-profile politicians and celebrities such as Bill Clinton, former Israeli PM Ehud Barak, Prince Andrew and Bill Gates and many more, some claim that Epstein’s death was actually a hit job to silence him. Proponents of that theory include Maxwell, who’s serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.

“I believe that he was murdered. I was shocked, and I wondered, ‘How did this happen?’ Because I was sure he was going to appeal, and I was sure he was covered by the non-prosecution agreement,” Maxwell told British reporter Jeremy Kyle of TalkTV in 2023.

The non-prosecution agreement referenced by Maxwell was a sweetheart deal Epstein signed with the Department of Justice in 2008, in which he pleaded guilty to a state charge of procuring for prostitution a girl below the age of 18. Epstein was housed in a private wing of the Palm Beach County Stockade, and was reportedly allowed to leave the jail on “work release” for up to 12 hours a day.

After the Miami Herald published an expose on Epstein and his non-prosecution agreement in late 2018, Epstein was arrested again on July 6, 2019, on federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York.

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

Yemen’s Houthis Committed to Ceasefire With the U.S.

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Yemen’s Houthis Committed to Ceasefire With the U.S.

(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) Yemen’s Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, are committed to a ceasefire deal with the US despite the group’s recent attacks on two commercial ships that were carried out as part of its blockade on Israeli-linked shipping, Drop Site News has reported.

“Our military operations remain directed exclusively at Israel. Should the United States reengage in the conflict, any escalation will be met in kind,” Muhammad al-Bukhaiti, a senior Ansar Allah official, told Drop Site.

Since President Trump announced the end of the US bombing campaign in Yemen on May 6, the Houthis have refrained from attacking any US naval ships or commercial vessels. The recent Houthi attacks on two cargo ships were not a violation of the ceasefire deal since they were not American.

A senior US official told The Wall Street Journal last week that as long as the Houthis aren’t shooting at American ships, the ceasefire is still in place. A Pentagon spokeswoman also told the paper that the US hasn’t changed its “force posture” in the region despite a recent statement from the State Department that suggested the US could restart its bombing campaign in Yemen.

Photo of the sinking of the bulk carrier Magic Seas that was released by the Houthis

While the ceasefire remains in place, Israel is reportedly urging the US to start bombing Yemen again. Ansar Allah officials have vowed that Yemeni operations against Israel won’t stop until there’s an end to the genocidal war and siege on the Gaza Strip.

According to Israel’s Kan broadcaster, Israel told the US that the Houthi attacks “can no longer remain solely an Israeli problem,” and called for “more intense combined attacks against Houthi regime targets — not just [Israeli] air force fighter jet strikes, but also a renewal of American attacks and the formation of a coalition including additional countries.”

President Trump launched airstrikes against Yemen from March 15 to May 6, which involved over 1,000 missile strikes and killed over 250 civilians. The brutal bombing campaign was launched in response to the Houthis announcing they were reimposing a blockade on Israeli shipping in response to Israel violating the Gaza ceasefire by imposing a total blockade on the Palestinian territory.

Throughout the US bombing campaign, the Houthis were able to fire missiles and drones at US warships and launch missiles at Israeli territory. Multiple US MQ-9 Reaper drones were shot down, and the US lost two F/A-18 fighter jets that fell off aircraft carriers during Houthi attacks. While Trump framed his ceasefire with the Houthis as a victory, he essentially gave up on trying to stop the Houthi attacks on Israel.

This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.

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