Biden Climate Czar John Podesta Sent BILLIONS in EPA Grants to Apparent Shell Companies

Luis Cornelio
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Biden Climate Czar John Podesta Sent BILLIONS in EPA Grants to Apparent Shell Companies

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A group of newly established environmentalist groups hit the jackpot thanks to a generous grant program under the Biden administration, receiving billions in taxpayer dollars despite having little to no track record. 

These funds come from a $375 billion slush fund managed by Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency, created under the so-called Inflation Reduction Act to fight climate change. The EPA and former climate czar John Podesta expedited the release of $20 billion to groups that “had only recently been founded,” the New York Post reported Wednesday. 

Such lack of information raises questions from Charity Watch, an independent charity watchdog organization. “Ethically speaking, it’s concerning,” said Charity Watch CEO Laurie Styron.

She asked, “What was the purpose of creating middlemen entities when there are so many established groups in the climate space with good track records? What was the value-added in [by] doing it this way, especially with such large sums of taxpayer funds?”

According to the Post, Kamala Harris, the disgraced former vice president, granted $7 billion to the non-profit Climate United Fund in April 2024—four months before its official founding. 

The organization boasted on its website that the funds would be used to “mobilize private capital and increase access to solar, electric vehicles, and green buildings through innovative financing.” Notably, it admitted that it had been created exclusively to manage the fund. 

Despite receiving substantial taxpayer funding, there are no public records detailing how the group plans to spend the $7 billion it was awarded. Headline USA reached out for comment but received no response. 

Another recipient, the Justice Climate Fund, was awarded $940 million by the Biden-led EPA. Founded in 2023, the company has no publicly available IRS filings, according to the Post. 

Worse still, the Justice Climate Fund—whose email system rejected Headline USA’s repeated request for comment—has not listed any executive on its website. 

Power Forward Communities Inc., a third recipient, was registered in 2023 and reported a meager $100 in revenue on its tax filings that year. Despite this, it received $2 billion from the EPA. 

The nonprofit claims to be a consortium of other established organizations, including United Way Worldwide and Rewiring America. Stacy Abrams, the twice-failed Democratic candidate for governor of Georgia, served as Rewiring America’s general counsel in 2023.

These findings come less than two months after President Donald Trump took office in January. Trump’s EPA administrator, Lee Zeldin, has blocked the further transfer of funds and is currently fighting lawsuits that seek to compel him to release them. 

The Biden administration seemingly predicted that the Trump administration would delay or block the transfers, rushing to disburse the funds quietly before Jan. 20, according to Project Veritas. 

The Justice Department is reportedly investigating the scandal.

Don Jr. Humiliates Media After ‘Sources’ Falsely Claim 2028 Run

Luis Cornelio
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Don Jr. Humiliates Media After ‘Sources’ Falsely Claim 2028 Run

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Donald Trump Jr. berated news site Mediaite on Friday for citing three anonymous sources who falsely claimed he was mulling a 2028 presidential bid—a hypothetical move that would pit him against his close friend and Vice President JD Vance. 

Journalist Diana Falzone, the woman behind the Mediaite report, exclusively relied on three unnamed “high-level” sources who insisted Trump Jr. is “one hundred percent” running for president. 

Falzone ran the story despite Trump Jr.’s on-the-record denials of having any intention to throw his hat in the presidential race. Even worse, she cited no supporting evidence to corroborate the anonymous claims. 

“I accurately predicted that my buddy JD would be an instant power player in national GOP politics, so your theory is that I worked my ass off to help get him the VP nomination because I want to run for president in 2028?” Trump Jr. told Falzone.

“Are you f*cking retarded?” he asked bluntly. 

Trump Jr. added: “I’m actually glad you’re printing this bullshit though because at least now the rest of the press corps will see how shitty your ‘sources’ are and how easily you’re played by them. Congrats, moron.” 

As evidence for her reporting, Falzone pointed to President Donald Trump’s response to a question about whether he viewed Vance as his “successor” for 2028. 

Trump simply noted that Vance is “very capable” but clarified that it was “too early, we’re just starting.” 

Yet, Falzone’s unnamed sources seemingly twisted this response to claim Trump was focused on keeping “his dynasty alive” past his second term. 

“Don has been the most politically involved of all the Trump kids and has always kept the lanes open for a presidential run,” one anonymous source exclaimed. “He is a valued voice for his father, and a real possibility to be a contender in 2028.” 

A second unnamed source described Trump Jr. as “more experienced” than Vance, adding: “In about a year, real conversations will start about him running. At this point, it’s too soon, and he doesn’t want to start a battle with JD, especially since they are friends.”

Falzone did not respond to a request for an interview or clarification before this article’s publication.

DOJ Hiding Recordings of Undercover FBI Agents in ‘Iranian Assassination Plot’ Case

Ken Silva
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DOJ Hiding Recordings of Undercover FBI Agents in ‘Iranian Assassination Plot’ Case

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Asif Merchant, the Pakistani man busted for hiring two undercover FBI agents to be “hitmen” in an Iranian-sponsored assassination plot against Donald Trump, has been held in solitary confinement under squalid conditions since his July 12 arrest.

And according to Merchant’s attorney, he hasn’t been allowed to review the recordings of the two undercover agents and the FBI informant who ran the sting on him.

“The Government has designated all of the recorded conversations between Mr. Merchant, the Confidential Informant and the Undercover Agents, many of which are lengthy and in Urdu, as ‘Sensitive’ and consequently, it has refused to provide the defendant with a copy of those items to review at the [prison],” Merchant’s attorney, Avraham C. Moskowitz said in a Wednesday letter to U.S. Judge Eric Komitee.

According to Moskowitz, the Justice Department is refusing to provide his client with the recordings because prosecutors fear they will be smuggled out of prison—thereby endangering the informant and undercovers. But Moskowitz said the risk of recordings being smuggled out of Merchant’s high-security jail is nearly non-existent—unless one of the prison guards does the deed.

“He is in solitary confinement and has no human contact other than with the Correctional Officers who bring him his meals and check on him through the shuttered window of his cell. He is able to review discovery only when he is taken to the law library on his unit and given a computer and a hard drive provided by the Government, and he is under the supervision of Correctional Officers at all times while reviewing discovery,” Moskowitz noted.

“Mr. Merchant does not have access to any devices that would allow him to copy the recordings or to any media (such as flash drives or hard drives) on which he might store any such copies, and his total lack of human contact makes it impossible for him to smuggle anything out of the MDC,” the defense attorney added.

“Given the stringent conditions of confinement under which Mr. Merchant is held, the only way that the recordings could be copied and smuggled out of the MDC is if it is done by a member of the MDC staff.”

Moskowitz initially complained in December about his client’s restrictive prison conditions. Last month, he said the DOJ addressed his concerns. But this week, he changed course when he realized the government wasn’t living up to its promises, which include bringing Merchant to a courthouse once a month to meet with Moskowitz in person.

“I have been able to meet with the defendant at the courthouse on only one occasion, and that visit was cut short, when the Marshals insisted that he be returned before 1 pm, despite the fact that prisoners are usually returned to the MDC after the court day is over, sometime after 5 pm,” the attorney said.

“The second visit with Mr. Merchant, scheduled to take place on February 27, never happened because, for some unexplained reason, the Marshals failed to produce him to the courthouse, although other prisoners were produced that morning.”

Moskowitz asked Judge Komitee to lift the “Sensitive” designation from the recorded conversations between the defendant, the Confidential Informant and the Undercover Agents.

“The defendant participated in the conversations and knows who he communicated with and therefore there is no danger in allowing him to listen to those recordings outside the presence of counsel,” Moskowitz reiterated in his letter.

“Moreover, given the onerous conditions of confinement under which he is held, Mr. Merchant has no ability to copy and disseminate the recordings to anyone, let alone to smuggle them outside of the MDC,” he concluded.

“The only people who could smuggle copies of the recordings outside the MDC are members of the MDC staff, and if the staff with access to Mr. Merchant’s discovery cannot be trusted, then the Government should find someone at the MDC who can be trusted and provide the recordings to him/her for safekeeping.”

It’s not clear when Judge Komitee will address the issues raised in Moskowitz’s letter. The parties are set for a March 14 status hearing.

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

Cuomo Has Double-Digit Lead in New York City Mayoral Race

Headline USA Editor
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Cuomo Has Double-Digit Lead in New York City Mayoral Race

(Chris Wade, The Center Square) Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is leading a widening field of Democratic candidates vying to challenge embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams in next year’s primary.

The Quinnipiac University poll of about 1,200 New York City voters, released on Thursday, found more than 31% supported Cuomo compared to Adams’ 11% in a hypothetical matchup of nearly a dozen mayoral candidates.

Adams is seeking another term in the city’s top job in the wake of his federal corruption charges and a wave of resignations from his administration tied to his support for President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

“Three and a half years after scandals forced him to resign as New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo leads a crowded field of Democratic mayoral hopefuls with a boost from moderate Democrats,” Quinnipiac University Poll Assistant Director Mary Snow said in a statement. “A key number to watch: 16 percent, the slice of voters who are undecided as this race gains more attention.”

Other Democratic mayoral candidates received single-digit support from those who were polled. State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, received 8% support; Public Advocate Jumaane Williams was at 7%, and Scott Stringer, a former city comptroller, had 6%, pollsters said. City Comptroller Brad Lander, one of the first candidates to challenge Adams, was supported by about 5% of those surveyed.

New York City City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, a Democrat who formally jumped into the race on Thursday, was supported by about 4% of those who were surveyed, pollsters said.

Meanwhile, pollsters found Mayor Adams’ favorability rating continuing to slide downwards, with only 20% saying they approve of his performance in office. That’s the lowest job approval rating of any New York City mayor in the nearly 30 years since Quinnipiac began polling New York City registered voters, pollsters said.

Adams’ low approval rate was driven by Democrats with 78% disapproving of the job Adams is doing, along with 63% of independents and 52% of Republicans, pollsters found.

Cuomo, who stepped down from office in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations, announced Saturday afternoon he is running for New York City mayor. He joins an already-crowded Democratic primary trying to unseat Adams, who is refusing to step down despite increasing demands from members of his own party.

“Our city is in crisis. That’s why I am running to be Mayor of New York City,” Cuomo posted on social media, along with a campaign video. “We need government to work. We need effective leadership.”

Another Trans Terrorist Tries Torching Tesla

Ken Silva
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Another Trans Terrorist Tries Torching Tesla

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) A Salem, Oregon man was arrested this week for attempting to destroy property at a local Tesla car dealership.

Adam Matthew Lansky, 41—who reportedly uses the alias “Allison Tesla” and makes trans pornographic content under that name—was charged with illegally possessing an unregistered destructive device.

According to the Justice Department, officers from the Salem Police Department initally responded on Jan. 20 to a report of an individual throwing Molotov cocktails at a local car dealership. On Feb. 19, officers returned to the same dealership after a report of damage from what appeared to be bullets fired into a building and vehicle, the DOJ said in a Wednesday press release.

“Investigators soon linked Lansky to both incidents. Surveillance footage obtained from the car dealership appeared to show Lansky throwing Molotov cocktails that struck a dealership building and several vehicles, causing fires,” the DOJ said in a press release.

“Surveillance video from a patrol car captured a vehicle parked near the dealership while Lansky is alleged to have discharged multiple firearm rounds into a building and at least one vehicle. Investigators learned the vehicle was registered to Lansky and observed it at his residence.”

Lansky was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.

Lansky’s arrest comes just days after police in Loveland, Colorado arrested a suspect who allegedly vandalized a Tesla dealership there several times.

Like Lansky, the alleged Colorado perpetrator, Justin Thomas Nelson, 42, identifies as transgender and goes by the first name Lucy.

Nelson’s arrest stems from a Lovement Police investigation into attempted arson that took place at a Tesla shop shortly after midnight on Feb. 7. In addition, police said that various vehicles and the Tesla building were vandalized with graffiti messages, some of which were offensive and hateful in nature.

Nelson was booked into the Larimer County Jail on the following charges: Explosives or Incendiary Devices Use During Felony, a Class 2 felony; Criminal Mischief $2,000 < $5,000 Business, a Class 6 felony; and Criminal Attempt to Commit Class 3 Felony, a Class 4 felony.

A judge issued a $100,000 cash surety bond for the alleged trans terrorist.

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

Trump Sent Letter to Iran Calling for New Nuclear Agreement

Headline USA Editor
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Trump Sent Letter to Iran Calling for New Nuclear Agreement

(Kyle Anzalone, Antiwar.com) President Donald Trump says he sent Iran a letter calling for the two countries to negotiate an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program. During his first term, Trump withdrew from a deal with Iran that limited and inspected Tehran’s nuclear energy program.

In a clip of an interview with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo that was released on Friday, Trump said that he sent the Iranian letter calling for new negotiations, but suggested a war could break out if an agreement isn’t reached.

“I would rather negotiate a deal. I’m not sure that everybody agrees with me, but we can make a deal that would be just as good as if you won militarily,” Trump said. “But the time is happening now, the time is coming up. Something is going to happen one way or the other. I hope that Iran, and I’ve written them a letter, saying I hope you’re going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily it’s going to be a terrible thing for them.”

He added, “There are two ways Iran can be handled, militarily or you make a deal. I would prefer to make a deal.” The full interview with Bartiromo will air Sunday. Iranian diplomats at the UN said they have not received the letter that Trump claimed was sent on Wednesday.

Trump has said there is an urgent need to address the Iran nuclear issue. However, as recently as January, the US intelligence community did not believe Iran had decided to weaponize its civilian nuclear program.

Even if the letter was sent, Tehran may not be receptive to talks with Washington. Iran and the US had a nuclear deal that Tehran was complying with before Trump abandoned the agreement and reimposed sanctions on Iran in 2018.

In February, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei discussed the issue explaining, During the Barack Obama presidency, “we sat down and negotiated with the US for about two years, and an agreement was formed. In this agreement, the Iranian side was very generous and gave many concessions to the other side.”

“But the US did not carry out that agreement. The same person who is now in office tore up that agreement. We must learn from this experience.” He continued, “One must not negotiate with a government like the US government. Negotiating with it is not wise, it is not intelligent, and is not honorable.”

The Ayatollah stopped short of ruling out talks with the US.

Last month, Trump signed an executive order calling for more sanctions on Tehran to “drive Iran’s export of oil to zero.” At the time, he said he was “not happy” with signing the order.

This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.

Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com and news editor of the Libertarian Institute. He hosts The Kyle Anzalone Show and is co-host of Conflicts of Interest with Connor Freeman.

Over 100 Federal Agents Have Handled Evidence in 2nd Trump Assassination Attempt Case

Ken Silva
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Over 100 Federal Agents Have Handled Evidence in 2nd Trump Assassination Attempt Case

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) More than 100 federal agents have handled the massive amounts of evidence stemming from the case of Ryan Routh, the man who allegedly tried assassinating Donald Trump on his Florida golf course last September.

Routh’s attorneys disclosed the information about the federal agents in a Thursday court filing, which notified Judge Aileen Canon about the huge troves of discovery they’ve been receiving in recent weeks. The attorneys said they’ve received some 596.7 gigabytes of new evidence since January.

“The discovery continues to involve several terabytes of information. From the defense review, it appears that more than a hundred federal agents have worked on the discovery items in this case,” the defense attorneys said.

“In order to receive the additional discovery, the government requested a drive able to contain an additional seven terabytes of discovery,” they added.

“Our office does not have such large drives as part of our normal office supplies. As such, it was necessary for our technology department to special order a 10-terabyte drive. Last week, our office told the government when it would arrive and be delivered to their office, and our office delivered the drive on time.”

Routh’s attorneys also responded to the Justice Department’s complaint about the lack of discovery produced by the defense. The defense team noted that it only has to produce discovery to the DOJ if they intend to use that material as evidence in court. Otherwise, they have a duty to protect their client’s information, they said.

“In direct contrast to the government’s requests, the Defense is obligated to not produce information or documents that it examines under the Sixth Amendment right to counsel and Fifth Amendment due process provisions,” they said.

“In summary, the defense should not reveal or disclose information which is not required by rule and would reveal work product information.”

This week’s filings by the DOJ and Routh’s attorneys were followed up with two court hearings on Friday: a status conference to discuss various deadlines for filing motions, and a secret hearing to discuss classified evidence in the case. The public and Routh’s defense attorneys were both prohibited from the second hearing.

Prosecutors have accused Routh, 58, of Hawaii, of stalking Trump for a month before he built a sniper’s nest near the Trump International golf course in West Palm Beach.

Federal prosecutors charged Routh with possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, and attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate.

Routh has pleaded not guilty. His trial is set for September.

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

American Employers Add 151,000 Jobs in February

Headline USA Editor
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American Employers Add 151,000 Jobs in February

(Headline USA) Over the month of February, U.S. employers added roughly 151,000 jobs. Per a Labor Department report on Friday, this marked a notable increase in job creation from January, when U.S. businesses added 125,000 in January. 

Economists initially projected that businesses would add 160,000 new jobs in February. That said, the unemployment rate climbed upward slightly to 4.1% as the number of unemployed Americans rose by 203,000.

Employment increased in the healthcare, finance, transportation, and warehousing sectors. The federal government recently cut 10,000 jobs, the most since June 2022. 

Restaurants and bars experienced a loss of 28,000 jobs in February in addition to a job loss of nearly 30,000 in January.

“The labor market continues to hold up, but we’re still a far cry from where we were a year or two years ago,’’ observed Sarah House, a senior economist at Wells Fargo.

House believes hiring will slow down and unemployment will also increase as President Donald Trump continues to impose tariffs on the United States’ trading partners — economic policy moves that many mainstream economists believe will raise the prices of basic consumer goods. 

On the average hourly earnings front, these earnings increased by 0.3% in February, falling from a 0.4% spike in January.

It remains to be seen how the U.S. economy will look in the next few months. 

With the Trump administration following the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) recommendations to slash wasteful spending and burdensome regulations, the private sector is expected to rebound and expand its operations.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press.

Merrick Garland Used a Codename While Running Biden’s DOJ

Ken Silva
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Merrick Garland Used a Codename While Running Biden’s DOJ

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Investigative journalist Jason Leopold has uncovered the alias former Attorney General Merrick Garland used while running the Justice Department under the Biden administration: “Abraham Rose.”

Leopold, who frequently unearths government documents via the Freedom of Information Act, said he first learned that Attorneys General use code names about a decade ago, beginning with Barack Obama’s Eric Holder.

The DOJ told Leopold that AGs use an email alias for conducting official government business “to guard against security risks”—though the practice could arguably be used to hide nefarious behavior.

According to Leopold, Holder used the codename “Lew Alcindor,” which is the birthname of NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Another Obama AG, Loretta Lynch, used “Elizabeth Carlisle.” “Lynch’s middle name is Elizabeth, but I could never figure out what Carlisle represented,” Leopold noted in a Friday article on the matter.

Trump-era Attorney General Jeff Sessions, for his part, used the alias Camden Hybart. Leopold said that Sessions went to high school in Camden, Alabama and he grew up in Hybart.

Meanwhile, former AG William Barr used the alias “Bill Ahern”—Ahern being the maiden name of his mother.

That brings us to Garland.

“Last week, the Justice Department sent me a letter that said Garland’s email alias was ‘Abraham Rose.’ I’m stumped. Is the name related to the apricot-colored English rose? Was it linked to a Bible passage in the Book of Genesis?” Leopold asked. “I wasn’t able to reach Garland. If you have any insight, please reach out!”

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

Trump Signs Order to Establish Gov’t Bitcoin Reserve

Headline USA Editor
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Trump Signs Order to Establish Gov’t Bitcoin Reserve

(Headline USA) President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday establishing a government reserve of bitcoin, a key marker in the cryptocurrency’s journey towards possible mainstream acceptance.

Under Trump’s new order, the U.S. government will retain the estimated 200,000 bitcoin it’s already seized in criminal and civil proceedings, according to Trump’s “crypto czar” David Sacks.

“The U.S. will not sell any bitcoin deposited into the Reserve. It will be kept as a store of value. The Reserve is like a digital Fort Knox for the cryptocurrency often called ‘digital gold,’” Sacks said on social media.

The executive order calls for a “full accounting” of the government’s bitcoin holdings, which Sacks said have never been fully audited. He added that the U.S. government has previously sold off about 195,000 bitcoin over the last decade for $366 million. He said those bitcoins would be worth about $17 billion if the government hadn’t sold them.

Sacks said the order allows for the Treasury and Commerce Departments “to develop budget-neutral strategies for acquiring additional bitcoin.”

Once a skeptic who said a few years ago that bitcoin “seems like a scam,” Trump has embraced digital currencies and leaned into his unofficial role as the “ crypto president ” in ways that can both help the crypto industry and enrich himself and his family. Wealthy players in the crypto industry, who felt unfairly targeted by the Biden administration, spent heavily to help Trump win last year’s election.

Establishing a bitcoin reserve was one of several crypto-related promises Trump made on the campaign trail last year. Trump is also pushing Congress to pass industry-friendly legislation, and under his administration the Securities and Exchange Commission has started dropping enforcement actions it had taken against some major crypto companies. On Friday, Trump is set to host many key industry leaders at a White House “Crypto Summit.”

Bitcoin is the oldest and most popular cryptocurrency. Created in response to the 2008 financial crisis by an anonymous person or persons, bitcoin has blossomed from an experiment by libertarian cryptography enthusiasts into an asset with a market cap of about $1.7 trillion. While it hasn’t taken off as a way to pay for everyday things, bitcoin has found popularity as a store of value that’s not controlled by banks, governments or other powerful entities.

Bitcoin’s supply is capped at 21 million coins, a built-in scarcity that supporters say makes it a great hedge against inflation. Critics have long said bitcoin lacks any inherent value, but it’s so far defied naysayers with remarkable price increases. Some supporters of a strategic bitcoin reserve said it could one day help pay off the U.S. national debt.

Crypto prices soared after Trump’s victory last year, and when the price of bitcoin first crossed $100,000 in early December, Trump took credit and posted “YOU’RE WELCOME!!!” on social media.

But prices have since cooled off. Trump’s executive order did not equate to an immediate price spike for bitcoin, which was trading around $86,000 shortly after his announcement.

The executive order also creates a “U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile,” where the government will hold seized cryptocurrencies other than bitcoin. On Sunday, Trump sent crypto prices on a short-lived surge after a surprise announcement that he wanted the government to hold lesser-known cryptocurrencies XRP, solana and cardano.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

 

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