Report: Colombian Drug Cartel is Now in the Gold Mining Business

Ken Silva
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Report: Colombian Drug Cartel is Now in the Gold Mining Business

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) The Wall Street Journal published an in-depth story Tuesday about an armed drug cartel that’s illegally mining gold from a China-owned mine in Colombia.

According to the Journal, the drug cartel Gulf Clan has commandeered some 30 miles of tunnels from Zijin Mining Group, a Chinese state-controlled company—causing it to lose some 3.2 tons of gold, estimated to be worth around $200 million and equal to 38% of the mine’s total production. Gulf Clan, which smuggles drugs and migrants to the U.S., reportedly has some 7,000 armed members.

The Gulf Clan reportedly commandeered the tunnels through brute force, forcing Zijin security forces to retreat with explosives and gunfire “in what a company official described as trench warfare.”

“Miners often seize Zijin tunnels by first tossing explosives and shooting at guards,” the Journal said, citing a security guard at the site.

“The miners carry jackleg drills and set off as many as 250 detonations a day to break through rock. Their advance has cost Zijin two of the mine’s three sections,” the newspaper reported.

“The richest and deepest part of the gold mine remains in company hands. Zijin has about 4,500 workers there and at processing centers. The company excavates around 4,000 tons of rock a day, which yields an average of 53 pounds of gold.”

The Gulf Clan also reportedly provides its miners with prostitutes, marijuana and other drugs.

Zijin Mining Group reportedly purchased its Colombian site in 2020 for $1 billion. The company has reportedly filed a $430 million lawsuit at the World Bank’s International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, alleging Colombia authorities aren’t doing their job to ensure cartels aren’t stealing gold.

But according to Colombia’s vice minister of defense, Daniela Gómez, the country doesn’t have the capacity to flush out the clandestine miners from the “subterranean theater of operations.”

“The demands made by the company are not realistic,” said Gómez, according to the Journal. She reportedly said Zijin bought the gold-mine operation “knowing that the illegal extraction of minerals was taking place.”

Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.

Congress Unearths Secret FBI Social Media Surveillance Tool

Ken Silva
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Congress Unearths Secret FBI Social Media Surveillance Tool

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) The House Judiciary Committee recently discovered that the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force—which was responsible for helping squash the Hunter Biden laptop story ahead of the 2020 election—uses a secret software tool to monitor Americans’ social media content.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, disclosed the tool in an open letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday, demanding answers about how it’s used. Jordan said he learned of the software tool last month, when interviewing an FBI Criminal Investigative Division Analyst previously assigned to the FITF.

According to Jordan, the FBI analyst “disclosed that the FITF uses ‘software tools where [the FBI can] search open-source databases about content indicative of criminal conduct.’ According to the analyst’s testimony, the FBI uses this tool to monitor social media posts by users, regardless of whether the users are American citizens or foreign actors, to search for ‘content indicative of criminal conduct.'”

“The analyst further testified that the FBI shares its findings, such as the specific ‘username and the content’ of the posts, with social media companies to censor such content accordingly.”

The FBI analyist told the committee that the FBI only uses the tool to monitor “criminal conduct.” But according to Jordan, an FBI attorney repeatedly interrupted lawmakers when they questioned the analyst about the nature of the software tool and the scope of the FBI’s use of it.

“Agency counsel repeatedly prevented the analyst from fully answering the Committee’s questions,” Jordan said. “Therefore, we write to obtain additional information in order to understand whether the FBI has or could use this software tool to censor or infringe upon lawful speech, particularly Americans’ political speech.”

Jordan seeks a briefing on the software by Nov. 26.

Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.

Trump’s Pick to Lead Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, Shocks Mainstream Media

Julianna Frieman
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Trump’s Pick to Lead Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, Shocks Mainstream Media

(Julianna Frieman, Headline USA) Republican President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday evening nominated former Fox News host Pete Hegseth to serve as secretary of Defense.

“Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country. Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First,” Trump said in a statement. “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice – Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down.”

Hegseth is an Army combat veteran whose tours of duty included combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the terrorist detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

He earned two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman’s Badge.

The former Fox News host, who was at the network for eight years, received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University and his graduate degree from Harvard University, according to Trump’s statement.

The president-elect praised Hegseth’s recent book, The War on Warriors. He acknowledged Hegseth’s leadership at two veterans advocacy organizations.

“Nobody fights harder for the Troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our ‘Peace through Strength’ policy,” Trump wrote.

Fox News released a statement wishing Hegseth well, according to Mediaite.

“Pete Hegseth has been an exceptional host on FOX & Friends and FOX Nation and a best-selling author for FOX News Books for nearly a decade,” said the statement.

“His insights and analysis especially about the military resonated deeply with our viewers and made the program the major success that it is today,” the network added. “We are extremely proud of his work at FOX News and wish him the best of luck in Washington.”

Hegseth’s former Fox News colleagues celebrated the announcement soon after it was made.

Fox News host Laura Ingraham was on air when news broke of Hegseth’s appointment. She took to social media later, calling Hegseth a “patriot and fighter” who will help bring “real change” to Washington, D.C.

On his primetime show, host Jesse Watters called Hegseth a “fierce advocate for veterans on and off the air.”

Harris Faulkner said “we win” with Hegseth at the helm. And late-night Saturday host Jimmy Failla joked that “all the drag queens at the Pentagon” will be out of a job.

Leftist talking heads and politicians had total meltdowns over Trump’s unconventional pick.

MSNBC’s Joy Reid said Trump was filling his “clown car” quickly and suggested he would quickly fire everyone appointed.

“You can’t make this up,” she said when she reported Hegseth was chosen.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Trump’s choice of Cabinet officials like Hegseth will make “us less safe and must be rejected.”

CNN’s Scott Jennings defended Hegseth as secretary of Defense, telling fellow panelists to give him a chance.

He reminded CNN panelists that Americans voted in Trump as a rejection of insider government officials.

“Pete Hegseth — he’s an American hero!” Jennings told CNN host Abby Phillip.

“He’s gonna have to go up there just like everybody else and prove his knowledge of how to do this job. He’s not immune from that, but we ought to give this man a chance, in my opinion.”

Some, such as well known comedian and Trump impersonator Shawn Farash, pointed out that the outside-the-box appointment underscored the deep need to reform the military, which was criticized during the Biden administration for prioritizing political agendas over military readiness.

Julianna Frieman is a freelance writer published by the Daily Caller, Headline USA, The Federalist, and The American Spectator. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliannaFrieman.

GOP Senate Candidate in Wisc. Considers Recount after Wee-Hours Milwaukee Ballot Dump

Editor 1
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GOP Senate Candidate in Wisc. Considers Recount after Wee-Hours Milwaukee Ballot Dump

(, The Center Square) U.S. senatorial candidate Eric Hovde posted a statement on Tuesday saying that he has not decided if he will ask for a recount and has intentionally not commented on his race with incumbent Tammy Baldwin, which was declared a victory for Baldwin last Wednesday.

Baldwin has 49.38% of the vote compared to Hovde’s 48.52%, according to unofficial totals. Once the full canvas is complete and the results are sent to the Wisconsin Election Commission, Hovde will have three days to ask for a recount.

If the race is within 1%, Hovde would automatically qualify and would not have to pay for a recount.

Hovde’s statement pointed to issues he had with the election results, including third-party candidate Thomas Leager, who received 28,717 votes in the race.

Leager was found to have been funded by Democratic firms and donors despite saying that he was recruited to run by the Patriots Run Project.

Hovde said that he was receiving calls of congratulations early last Wednesday morning before absentee voting results came in from 108,325 absentee voters, both in-person and mail-in votes.

Baldwin received nearly 90% of the votes from those ballots, Hovde said.

“Statistically, this outcome seems improbable as it didn’t match the patterns from same-day voting in Milwaukee, where I received 22% of the votes,” Hovde said.

He acknowledged that seeking a recount would be a serious ask and that recounts are limited to tallying votes without looking at the integrity of the entire election process.

Hovde said there were abnormalities where some Milwaukee precincts saw 150% to 200% of the registered voters vote in the election.

Voters were allowed to register up to and including Election Day across the state.

“Like many of my supporters, I was shocked about what unfolded on Election Day,” Hovde said.

Infamous Ex FEMA Official’s Anti-Trump Bias Was Not Isolated

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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Infamous Ex FEMA Official’s Anti-Trump Bias Was Not Isolated

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Now-infamous former Federal Emergency Management Agency official recently revealed that she didn’t help Donald Trump supporters in Florida after Hurricane Helene because the agency told her to do that.

On Monday, Marn’i Washington claimed during an interview with YouTube podcaster Roland Martin that the event was not isolated. She added that she had followed a widespread FEMA policy of avoiding “politically hostile” homes.

“FEMA preaches avoidance first, and then de-escalation. This is not isolated. This is a colossal event of avoidance,” she said. “Not just in the state of Florida. You will find avoidance in the Carolinas.”

An anonymous FEMA official who talked to the New York Post confirmed Washington’s claim, adding that the agency practices skipping Trump-supporting houses — or avoiding “white or conservative-dominated” disaster zones altogether. According to the official, this is an open secret at the agency that has been going on for years.

The official also said that Washington probably received “very clear guidance” from her supervisors.

“I have heard from other entities who are serving in North Carolina that there was clear guidance saying to be ‘mindful’ of the types of people who are in Western North Carolina — they’re largely Republican, very conservative — very derogatory sorts of references in their culture,” the official said.

Conservatives on Twitter criticized the woman and the agency for their actions.

“People’s lives were on the line. FEMA chose to discriminate against Americans for their beliefs. We will get to the bottom of this,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., wrote.

Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, also responded to the recent news.

“Accountability is coming for this bureaucratic weaponization by the DC apparatus,” he wrote.

Others remembered how the mainstream media mocked Trump for saying that FEMA avoided helping conservatives, and in the end, it turned out to be true.

“Whoa. This is going to get good before it’s over. They will be eating each other,” author Juanita Broaddrick wrote.

The recent news came after FEMA and the entire Left avoided helping conservatives who were suffering and dying because of Hurricane Helene.

FEMA even went as far as setting up “rumor control” and deflecting the blame after facing backlash from Americans who were saying that the agency prioritized illegal aliens and DEI over them. It was also reported that half of the phone calls from Americans who needed help from the agency were ignored.

Chris Wallace ‘Leaves’ CNN to ‘Explore Podcasting’

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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Chris Wallace ‘Leaves’ CNN to ‘Explore Podcasting’

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Chris Wallace recently announced that he left CNN to “explore podcasting.”

This resulted in conservatives mocking him online and reminding him that people need to care about what you have to say for the podcast to succeed.

“This is the first time in 55 years I‘ve been between jobs,” Wallace told the Daily Beast. “I am actually excited and liberated by that.”

He also talked about the fact that he doesn’t know anything about running a podcast.

“Not knowing is part of the challenge. I‘m waiting to see what comes over the transom. It might be something that I haven’t thought of at all,” Wallace said.

The Daily Beast reported that CNN allegedly wanted to keep Wallace, but he still decided to quit the network to become independent. Wallace told the news source that he quit CNN not because he hated the network.

“I have nothing but positive things to say. CNN has been very good to me,” he said.

CNN also responded to multiple news sources regarding Wallace leaving the network.

“Chris Wallace is one of the most respected political journalists in the news business with a unique track record across radio, print, broadcast television, cable television and streaming,” CNN CEO and Chairman Mark Thompson said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “We want to thank him for the dedication and wisdom he’s brought to all his work at CNN and to wish him the very best for the future.”

Conservatives on Twitter also responded to the recent news.

“[Seventy-seven-year-old] Chris Wallace will quit CNN and walk away from a seven-figure salary rather than renegotiate his contract. His plan is to go into independent streaming or podcasting, pointing to Joe Rogan and Charlamagne tha God’s reach as inspiration,” Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk wrote.

He then said that the reason why Wallace made this decision was because the legacy media was dying.

“Legacy news outlets are losing viewers, but even more [importantly], they’re losing their power to set narratives. Trump’s 2024 landslide could very well be the death knell for the MSM as mainstays of old-fashioned outlets run for the exits. You are the media now,” he wrote.

Independent journalist Kyle Becker agreed with Kirk, adding that Wallace may not succeed outside the legacy media because he is the establishment’s product who doesn’t understand that you need to be “honest, hard-working, and sincere to build trust” of Americans.

Other conservatives also mocked Wallace, claiming that they never cared about him in the first place.

The recent news came after CNN and MSNBC announced their ratings tanked after the 2024 election and Donald Trump’s victory.

Infowars Could Shut Down on Wednesday

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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Infowars Could Shut Down on Wednesday

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Alex Jones, founder of Infowars, recently revealed that his news organization could shut down on Wednesday if the “good guys” don’t win the auction.

“Infowars To Close Its Doors Wednesday,” Jones wrote on Twitter, attaching a video of him going into details about what will happen.

In another post, Jones clarified that there was a typo, giving some hope to his supporters.

“There is a typo in this headline. Infowars could be closed down [on] Wednesday if a hostile buyer gets it at action. Infowars will continue if the good guys are able to win the auction,” he added.

Conservatives quickly responded to the recent news on Twitter in different ways.

“This is one of the saddest days in human history,” Dom Lucre, a conservative activist, wrote.

Jones responded to him by saying that Trump’s upcoming presidency could save other conservatives from Jones’s fate.

“Weaponized courts are the [Deep State’s] favorite weapon. But with Trump‘s reelection, we’ve got a good chance to stop this from happening to other people,” he wrote.

Fr. Calvin Robinson, a Catholic priest who recently permanently moved to the United States from the United Kingdom, told Jones never to give up.

“Fight, fight, fight!” he wrote.

Others asked Elon Musk to buy Infowars so that Jones could continue doing what he’d been doing for decades.

“Please buy [InfoWars] and name Alex [Jones] as [CEO]. His voice is too important to lose. Save [InfoWars]. FIGHT for Alex,” @RobertM817817 wrote.

Some conservatives also pointed out the hypocrisy of the Left.

“It’s ridiculous he has to sell his show and have to pay $1.5B. What about the people who lied about Covid and they knew they were lying? No accountability at all!” @HunterRyne816 wrote.

Other people have also suggested that Jones could become President-elect Donald Trump’s press secretary.

“The press secretary role just opened up. Just saying. This may or [may] not be fate,” @AutismCapital wrote.

Jones said he would agree to work as a press secretary in the new Trump administration.

WH Staffers Line Up in Funeral-Like Reception for Kamala’s Return

Luis Cornelio
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WH Staffers Line Up in Funeral-Like Reception for Kamala’s Return

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Hundreds of federal staffers lined up outside the White House on Tuesday to greet Vice President Kamala Harris after her 2024 election loss to President-elect Donald Trump. 

This was Harris’s first return since Nov. 5, when an overwhelming majority of Americans delivered an ultimatum to the Biden-Harris administration: they wanted change.

As Harris exited her Secret Service motorcade, hundreds of staffers lined a side entrance of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, applauding and cheering the outgoing vice president.  

“MVP! MVP! MVP!” the staffers shouted, possibly referring to “Most Valuable Player” or “Madam Vice President.”

It is unclear whether the aides were required to appear or if they attended voluntarily. Harris quickly released an edited video of her remarks, complete with captions and apparent filters

In response, Harris told staffers that they “still have a lot of work to do” before the end of their term. For most of them, Jan. 20, 2025, will be their last day of employment. 

“Listen, we do the best work anybody could do, which is to dedicate ourselves to the people, to public service, to lifting folks up, knowing we have the power, and when we do that work, we make a difference,” Harris said in a meandering speech. “And you all are a part of doing that work every single day, and I am so grateful to each of you.” 

Concluding her remarks, Harris added, “So let’s get back to work because we still have work to get done. And I am sending all my love and thanks. Thank you, everyone!”

This appearance followed Harris’s $1 billion campaign spending spree, which ended in her losing every battleground state to Trump.  

Harris’s candidacy cleared the way for Trump’s historic return to the White House with Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress. 

Kamala Funneled $500K to Al Sharpton’s Non-Profit Ahead of Softball Interview

Luis Cornelio
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Kamala Funneled $500K to Al Sharpton’s Non-Profit Ahead of Softball Interview

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris’s failed presidential campaign donated $500,000 to Al Sharpton’s non-profit, the National Action Network, just weeks before her softball interview with him. 

This hefty donation, first reported Tuesday by the Washington Free Beacon, appeared to be part of Harris’s longshot strategy to gain support from Black and Latino groups before the 2024 election. The Free Beacon noted Harris blew $5.4 million on this effort. 

FEC filings revealed Harris’s campaign issued two payments of $250,000 to the National Action Network, on Sept. 5 and Oct. 1. Notably, Sharpton then interviewed Harris on his MSNBC show PoliticsNation on Oct. 20—less than a month after the payments. 

Sharpton conveniently avoided tough questions in the interview, a typical approach for MSNBC hosts notorious for their leftist rhetoric and partisan coverage. 

Sharpton showered Harris with compliments, calling her campaign “extraordinary and historic.” He also gave her a platform to address rising concerns about her credibility among Black men. 

In stark contrast, Sharpton chastised Trump as “hostile” and “erratic.” Even worse, Sharpton failed to disclose the $500,000 donation to viewers during the interview. 

Harris’s payment to Sharpton’s non-profit surfaced amid growing scrutiny over her failed campaign’s staggering $1 billion spending spree. 

The Washington Examiner revealed this week that Harris’s campaign paid Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions $1 million for another softball interview, featuring celebrity guests. 

Winfrey confirmed the generous payment in a statement to the media. 

“I did not take any personal fee,” Winfrey said. “However the people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story.” 

Reports also suggest that the Harris campaign spent several million dollars to produce public appearances by Beyonce, Megan the Stallion and Eminem—all of whom endorsed the embattled vice president. 

Such spending left the Harris campaign in $20 million in debt and facing the reality of President-elect Donald Trump returning to the White House and Republicans retaking control of Congress.

‘Get Hit in the Head’: Biden Gives Startling Response to Reporter Asking About Hostages

Julianna Frieman
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‘Get Hit in the Head’: Biden Gives Startling Response to Reporter Asking About Hostages

(Julianna Frieman, Headline USA) President Joe Biden gave a startling response Tuesday after a reporter asked him about a potential hostage deal during a White House meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Neria Kraus, an anchorwoman at NewsIsrael13, posted video of her exchange with Biden, who questioned whether a mass of cameras behind her could hit her in the head.

“President Biden, do you think that you can get a hostage deal by the end of your term?” Kraus asked the lame duck president, who leaves office in 69 days.

“Do you think you could get hit in the head by the camera behind you?” Biden mumbled back in a response that, if not for its flat delivery, might have been an attempt to humorously avoid giving a direct answer.

Kraus’s post noted that Biden was “commenting on the number of the cameramen in the room.”

Herzog considered his one-hour meeting with Biden to be “very productive,” CBS News reported.

The Israeli president told reporters in an exchange after the meeting that the Biden administration will continue to work toward “peace and stability” in Israel until Jan. 20.

“President Biden was very gracious, very open, very friendly, and we had an open and frank discussion,” Herzog said. “And the most important thing out of this discussion is, of course, the commitment of President Biden and the administration to work until Jan. 20, until the last minute, to achieve goals that are so important to peace and stability, and predominantly, security and security of the state of Israel in the Middle East.”

When the two met in the Oval Office, Herzog gifted Biden an artifact from the foot of Temple Mount in Jerusalem, according to the outlet.

Herzog described Iran as an “evil empire” after speaking of the death of two Israelis killed in Nahariya by rockets fired from Lebanon.

“First and foremost we have to get the hostages back,” Herzog said.

That afternoon, Republican President-elect Donald Trump announced the selection of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as the incoming U.S. ambassador to Israel.

“Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years,” Trump said in a statement. “He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!”

Julianna Frieman is a freelance writer published by the Daily Caller, Headline USA, The Federalist, and The American Spectator. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliannaFrieman.

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