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 My son has narrated the last book I wrote. Please consider listening to it and encouraging others to do so too. (Click on Book Cover) World & Nation 'Trump Accounts' Gives Children 'Fair Shot at the American Dream'  President Donald Trump on Wednesday hailed his new "Trump Accounts" initiative, saying that for the first time, American children will have a "financial stake in the future and a fair shot at the American dream." Trump, speaking at a U.S. Treasury event that brought together politicians and celebrities to discuss the program, said Trump Accounts would automatically provide every American child born after Jan. 1, 2025, with a tax-free investment account seeded by the federal government and expanded through additional private contributions. "Under this program, the U.S. Government will automatically create a tax-free investment account for every newborn American child," Trump said. "We'll fund those personal accounts with a contribution of $1,000, which will compound and grow over the course of their lives and could grow into very, very substantial numbers," he added. Under the program, every child born in the United States will receive a $1,000 government-seeded investment account, with parents able to activate and manage the accounts beginning July 4 at Trumpaccounts.gov. Trump warns Minneapolis mayor he's 'playing with fire' after immigration enforcement conversation President Trump pounced after Mayor Frey said the city won't enforce federal immigration law  President Donald Trump asserted that Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey "is PLAYING WITH FIRE," issuing the warning in a Truth Social post on Wednesday morning. "Surprisingly, Mayor Jacob Frey just stated that, ‘Minneapolis does not, and will not, enforce Federal Immigration Laws.’ This is after having had a very good conversation with him," the president said in the post. "Could somebody in his inner sanctum please explain that this statement is a very serious violation of the Law, and that he is PLAYING WITH FIRE!" Trump warned. Frey responded to the president's comments. "The job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce fed immigration laws. I want them preventing homicides, not hunting down a working dad who contributes to MPLS & is from Ecuador. It’s similar to the policy your guy Rudy had in NYC. Everyone should feel safe calling 911," the mayor asserted in a post on X, making an apparent reference to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The president issued the warning on Wednesday after Frey, who met with Trump's border czar Tom Homan on Tuesday, declared in a Tuesday post on X that the city will not enforce federal immigration law. Minn anti-Border Patrol riot backfires as agitators allegedly hurl objects at cops, arrests expose rap sheets Demonstrators gathered outside Minnesota hotel believing Commander Gregory Bovino was staying there before police declared unlawful assembly  Several of the agitators arrested outside a Minnesota hotel where they believed Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino was staying have criminal records, with one arrestee openly embracing a "disrupt disturb resist" slogan on Instagram. The agitators were outside the SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Maple Grove, Minnesota, on Monday night where they had thought Bovino was staying. Arrests were made after authorities said the demonstration was "no longer considered peaceful," and declared it an unlawful assembly. Maple Grove police said its officers were responding to reports of a protest at the hotel, adding that it escalated when agitators allegedly began damaging property and throwing objects at officers. Several people were arrested after they allegedly did not leave once an unlawful assembly and dispersal order was issued, officials said. Medical watchdog challenges key study used to justify DEI health policies: 'Scientifically unsound' The new report was published by the medical watchdog group Do No Harm  A prominent medical watchdog group is pushing back against a widely cited study claiming racially diverse medical facilities improve outcomes for Black patients, arguing the research is being used to justify race-based diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies despite failing to prove its central claim. Do No Harm, a nonprofit organization focused on opposing ideological influence in medicine, released a report Tuesday disputing a recent study by economists Michael Frakes and Jonathan Gruber that suggests increasing the share of Black physicians in military medical facilities leads to better outcomes for Black patients. The Do No Harm study takes issue with the findings by alleging several flaws, including that Frakes and Gruber’s "The Effect of Provider Diversity on Racial Health Disparities: Evidence from the Military" measures changes in health outcomes when patients are transferred to bases with different proportions of Black doctors, but argues it never directly measures whether Black patients treated by Black doctors fare better than those treated by non-Black doctors. Iran: Did Not Request Negotiations With US  Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said he had not been in contact with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in recent days or requesting negotiations, state media reported on Wednesday. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday another "armada" is floating toward Iran and that he hopes Tehran would make a deal with Washington. The U.S. deployed additional military assets in the Gulf following nationwide protests in Iran which led to the country's bloodiest crackdown since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. "There was no contact between me and Witkoff in recent days and no request for negotiations was made from us," Araqchi told state media, adding that various intermediaries were "holding consultations" and were in contact with Tehran.
Ilhan Omar backed by House Republicans after Minnesota town hall attack Both conservative and moderate Republicans quickly condemned the attack on Omar  House Republicans are coalescing around progressive "Squad" member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., after she was attacked during a town hall in Minneapolis on Tuesday night. "This is totally unacceptable. I am glad Rep. Omar is okay," Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., wrote on X in response to a video of the incident. It's a rare show of bipartisanship in the face of political violence that has become common in recent years amid increasingly volatile rhetoric on both sides. Support for Omar came from both conservative and moderate Republicans after a man appeared to confront her and spray a substance on her before he was quickly subdued at her public event.
Trump pressures Iran to 'come to the table' as 'massive' US armada draws near The USS Abraham Lincoln has deployed to the region with its strike group  President Donald Trump urged Iran to "come to the table" as the U.S. deploys a "massive armada" to the region on Wednesday. Trump confirmed that the USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group are deploying as a direct threat to the Iranian regime. The president said a major attack may be necessary of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's regime does not make a deal with the U.S. "A massive Armada is heading to Iran. It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela. Like with Venezuela, it is, ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary," Trump wrote on Truth Social. Mississippi drivers stranded overnight as major nor'easter threatens the East Coast  A nor'easter is expected to develop along America's East Coast this weekend. While thousands across the South are still without following last weekend's historic winter storm, forecasters warn time is running out to prepare for the next one. The FOX Forecast Center has been tracking a new potential threat for days and says this next storm could dump heavy snow and whip up intense winds for coastal communities along America's East Coast. The latest forecast from FOX Weather shows this storm developing on Saturday just off the coast of the Carolinas. Places like Charlotte, Raleigh, and Wilmington in North Carolina may be looking at a significant snowfall, with Charleston, Greenville, and Columbia, South Carolina getting in on some snow, too. EPA Chief to Speed LA Wildfire Rebuilds  President Donald Trump said Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin will oversee federal permits tied to rebuilding homes in Los Angeles after the December 2024 wildfires, signaling a more direct White House role in the recovery process. In remarks at the U.S. Treasury's "Trump Accounts" summit in Washington, D.C., Trump said he wants Zeldin to take charge of expediting approvals needed for reconstruction, and suggested the EPA chief could use existing authority to bypass state and local officials he blamed for slowing the response. "I haven't told this to Lee Zeldin yet, but I'm going to put you in charge of getting permits. I think we're going to override the local authority because they're never going to have it," Trump said. "When I was told there's a provision where you can override the local authority to get things done — because really to me it's a national emergency what they've done to these people. It's horrible. ... So, Lee, if you want, will you accept the job? He's under a lot of stress. Override those people. Those people are incompetent. Between the mayor [Karen Bass] and the governor [Gavin Newsom], they're incompetent,” he added.
Saudi Arabia's Islamist Pivot Raises Concerns in Israel, US  Israeli officials, Jewish organizations in the United States, and supporters of Israel are voicing mounting concern that Saudi Arabia might be reorienting its regional posture away from moderation and toward Islamist and Muslim Brotherhood-aligned forces — a shift that could carry significant consequences for U.S. allies and regional stability. The unease follows a recent rise in antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric emanating from Saudi state-linked media and prominent Saudi voices, alongside what analysts describe as Riyadh's increasing alignment with countries and movements associated with political Islam. The trend has unsettled groups that once viewed Saudi Arabia as a potential cornerstone of Arab-Israeli normalization and a counterweight to Iran. US Intelligence Raises Doubts About Venezuela Leader's Cooperation  U.S. intelligence reports have raised doubts about whether interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez will cooperate with the Trump administration by formally cutting ties with U.S. adversaries, four people familiar with the reports say. U.S. officials have said publicly they want the interim president to sever relations with close international allies like Iran, China and Russia, including expelling their diplomats and advisers from Venezuela. But Rodriguez, whose swearing-in ceremony was attended by representatives of those countries early this month, has yet to publicly announce such a move. She became president after the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 3. The U.S. intelligence reports said it was not clear if she is fully on board with the U.S. strategy in her country, according to the sources, who declined to be identified by name. CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled on Jan. 15 to Caracas, where he discussed the country's political future with Rodriguez. Reuters could not determine if those conversations changed the intelligence agencies' opinion. California’s tech billionaires will leave in droves over wealth ‘seizure’ ballot measure — that won’t even fix state’s problems Twenty-one billionaires spoke about the looming prospect of a wealth tax in California, whether they will leave the state and what impact it would have on the tech industry. We’re a little over a month into an industry-wide conversation about the future of tech in California, which is largely taking place off social media. At this point, most people know the conversation was triggered by a ballot proposition floated by the state’s largest health care union that seeks to legalize a first-of-its-kind asset seizure targeting (for now) billionaires. Over the last week, I spoke with 21 billionaires about the looming prospect of a wealth tax. We discussed whether they left or are planning to leave California (most of them are), what a wealth tax means for the technology industry, and finally how, if at all, they plan to fight back. The men I spoke with include founders of companies working on a diverse range of technologies, including artificial intelligence, defense, cryptography, security, biotechnology, finance, and general software development, as well as prominent venture capitalists at several of the most famous firms in the world. Hollywood’s selective silence on Iran exposes the lie of celebrity activism The time to choose the side of freedom is now In the glittering ballroom of the Golden Globes, the air is usually thick with self-congratulatory speeches about the power of art to change the world. But this year, as the Iranian regime escalated its brutal crackdown on a generation of freedom fighters, that same room was defined by a haunting, comfortable silence. Many of the night’s most visible moral arbiters, including Mark Ruffalo, Wanda Sykes, Ariana Grande, Jean Smart, Natasha Lyonne and Bella Ramsey, proudly wore pins against ICE after Renee Good was shot. They signaled their concern for one cause while saying and doing nothing for Iran, where people are being beaten, imprisoned and killed for demanding basic freedom. We are told that "silence is violence" when it suits a domestic political narrative, yet when a tyrannical theocracy hangs young men from cranes and blinds women for the crime of showing their hair, the cameras stop rolling. |
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