President Donald J. Trump participates in a roundtable discussion on immigration and border security at the U.S. Border Patrol Calexico Station Friday, April 5, 2019, in Calexico, Calif. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he would sign an executive order for the Pentagon to prepare Guantanamo Bay to detain 30,000 “criminal illegal aliens.”
David B. Gleason from Chicago, IL, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
“Today I’m also signing an executive order to instruct the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to begin preparing the 30,000 person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay,” Trump said. “Most people don’t even know about it.”
He said they need 30,000 beds to house the detainees, adding that putting them there will ensure they do not come back.
“It’s a tough place to get out of,” Trump added.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
President Joe Biden hugs his family during the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. (DOD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II)
Hunter Biden’s former business partner Devon Archer is reportedly set to receive a pardon from President Donald Trump.
Archer met with Trump over the weekend at the NCAA wrestling championships in Philadelphia, where he said he received some “very encouraging words.”
“I had gotten word from my attorney earlier that the president was discussing this, and he had acknowledged that he was going to do it,” Archer said of the possible pardon Monday in an interview on “Jesse Watters Primetime.”
Trump told the New York Post Sunday that he would give Archer a “full pardon” because he was “screwed by the Bidens.”
“They destroyed him like they tried to destroy a lot of people,” Trump said, according to the outlet.
Archer, who served on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma with Hunter, told the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door hearing in 2023 about the influence of the Biden family “brand.”
He told investigators Hunter put his father — then Vice President Joe Biden — on speakerphone at business meetings between 10 and 20 times, although he noted “nothing of material was discussed.”
“You didn’t think you’d ever need this [pardon] because Joe Biden said he’d take care of you. Isn’t that what he said?” Watters asked.
“Absolutely. Well, and so did Hunter. I mean, once a Biden, always a Biden.” Archer responded.
“I didn’t think — first of all, I didn’t think I’d need this because I never did anything. I was a victim of financial fraud in which I invested a lot of money and was taken down [by] a whistleblower [who] was blowing the whistle on Hunter.”
Federal authorities have indicted a U.S. Army soldier of illegally obtaining confidential phone records belonging to President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Cameron John Wagenius is facing charges for the alleged unlawful transfer of confidential phone records. He is accused of obtaining, sharing, and profiting from private telecommunication data, according to court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Seattle.
The indictment states that Wagenius “did, in interstate and foreign commerce, knowingly and intentionally sell and transfer, and attempt to sell and transfer, confidential phone records information of a covered entity, without prior authorization from the customer to whom such confidential phone records information related, and knowing and having reason to know such information was obtained fraudulently.”
Wagenius is charged with multiple counts related to the unauthorized transfer of sensitive phone records. The indictment describes a pattern of conduct involving the misuse of telecommunications data for personal gain.
The AT&T call logs for Trump and Harris were allegedly posted online in November.
The Justice Department in September charged three members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for hacking Trump campaign staffers and then leaking documents to President Joe Biden’s campaign, as well as the media.
President-elect Donald Trump’s FBI director pick, Kash Patel, was also the target of an Iranian hacking plot.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) announced Sunday that he is suspending his campaign for governor of California, just over 48 hours after multiple reports surfaced alleging sexual assault and misconduct involving a former aide and other women.
“I am suspending my campaign for Governor,” Swalwell wrote in a post on the social platform X. “To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past. I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s.”
The San Francisco Chronicle first reported Friday that Swalwell allegedly sexually assaulted a former aide in 2019 and 2024, incidents in which the woman was said to be too intoxicated to give consent. CNN later reported that four women had accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct, including one who alleged rape.
Swalwell forcefully denied the claims.
“They are absolutely false. They did not happen,” Swalwell said in a video posted on X on Friday. “They have never happened, and I will fight them with everything that I have. They also come on the eve of an election where I have been the frontrunner candidate for governor in California.”
Hear it directly from me. These allegations are flat false. And I will fight them. pic.twitter.com/bQSlCquD1U
His attorney has also sent cease-and-desist letters to several of the accusers, according to CNN.
Despite those denials, political support for Swalwell unraveled rapidly. Within hours of the initial reports, his campaign co-chairs — Reps. Adam Gray (D-Calif.) and Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) — publicly urged him to exit the race. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a longtime power broker in California politics, also called for him to drop out and said the allegations should be “appropriately investigated with full transparency and accountability.”
An unsigned letter from members of Swalwell’s congressional office and campaign described the allegations as “abhorrent, beneath the dignity of those serving in public office and betrays the trust of all Californians,” according to Politico.
Calls for his resignation from Congress have also grown, spanning both parties.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) said she plans to file a motion to expel Swalwell from the House. Expulsion would require a two-thirds vote, meaning significant Democratic support would be necessary. Some Democrats have already indicated they would back such a move if Swalwell does not step down.
Separate investigations may further complicate his situation. The Department of Homeland Security said Sunday it is probing allegations that Swalwell illegally employed a nanny, while Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office confirmed it is reviewing the sexual assault claims.
Before the allegations emerged, Swalwell had been widely viewed as a leading contender in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. He had secured endorsements from major groups, including the California Teachers Association and the California Medical Association — both of which have since rescinded their support.
“CTA’s democratically elected board has voted unanimously to rescind our endorsement of Representative Eric Swalwell in his campaign for Governor of California. We withdraw all support,” the California Teachers Association wrote on X.
The race is now far more uncertain. Democratic strategists say candidates such as billionaire Tom Steyer and former Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) could gain traction as voters reassess their options ahead of the June 2 primary.
Swalwell’s political downfall marks a dramatic turn for a congressman who rose to national prominence as one of former President Donald Trump’s most outspoken critics. A frequent presence on cable news, Swalwell served as an impeachment manager during Trump’s first Senate trial and was a vocal advocate for investigations into Trump’s conduct and associates.
The two have traded barbs for years, with Trump repeatedly targeting Swalwell in speeches and on social media, often mocking him personally and politically. Swalwell, in turn, built a national profile by positioning himself as a leading Democratic counterweight to Trump, including during his brief and unsuccessful 2020 presidential campaign.
The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
President Donald Trump is reportedly considering a pardon of Sean “Diddy” Combs after he was found guilty of prostitution charges earlier this month.
A jury found Combs guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. More importantly, he was found not guilty of the most serious charges of racketeering, conspiracy, and sex trafficking. Due to the fact that he likely avoided a lengthy prison sentence, the verdict was considered a major win for the defense.
Now, Combs’ team reportedly wants the president to do away with those lesser charges, as well. According to a Tuesday report from Deadline, sources from within the administration said Trump has given serious thought to pardoning the music mogul.
The report continued:
Nearly two months after Trump publicly entertained the notion of a Diddy pardon in an Oval Office gaggle, a comprehensive get out of jail card for Combs is being “seriously considered,” an administration source tells Deadline.
Additionally, as several associates of the much-accused and currently incarcerated “All About the Benjamins” performer have been pitching the White House, other insiders confirm the topic has leveled up from “just another Trump weave to an actionable event” since Combs was found partially guilty in the his NYC sex-trafficking trial earlier this month. Of course, as a number of parties attest, this being the roller coaster of Trumpworld, any decision on a Combs pardon is in flux until POTUS actually puts his signature on paper.
As the report stated, the idea of Trump pardoning Combs is not a new one. Back in May, fellow music executive Suge Knight predicted that the president would lend Combs a hand in the event that he was convicted.
President Donald J. Trump is presented with a 10th Combat Aviation Brigade challenge coin following an air assault and gun rain demonstration at Fort Drum, New York, on August 13. The demonstration was part of President Trump's visit to the 10th Mountain Division (LI) to sign the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019, which increases the Army's authorized active-duty end strength by 4,000 enabling us to field critical capabilities in support of the National Defense Strategy. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Thomas Scaggs) 180813-A-TZ475-010
President Donald Trump is seriously considering deploying up to 1,000 National Guard troops to Washington D.C., a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News.
The troops would likely be pulled from the DC National Guard, although the decision about sending National Guard troops is not final, the official said.
Federal agents have deployed to DC streets in recent days, including officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Trump said on social media on Sunday that the news conference on crime and “beautification” will “not only involve ending the Crime, Murder, and Death in our Nation’s Capital, but will also be about Cleanliness and the General Physical Renovation and Condition of our once beautiful and well maintained Capital.”
“Washington, D.C. will be LIBERATED today!,” Trump wrote on TRUTH Social. “Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR. I will, MAKE OUR CAPITAL GREAT AGAIN! The days of ruthlessly killing, or hurting, innocent people, are OVER! I quickly fixed the Border (ZERO ILLEGALS in last 3 months!), D.C. is next!!!”
"Washington, D.C. will be LIBERATED today! Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR. I will, MAKE OUR CAPITAL GREAT AGAIN… Thank you for your attention to this matter." – President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/ymFYPsxUYI
Trump described D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser – who publicly clashed with Trump during the George Floyd riots in 2020 – “a good person who has tried, but she has been given many chances, and the Crime Numbers get worse, and the City only gets dirtier and less attractive.”
“The American Public is not going to put up with it any longer,” the president wrote. “Just like I took care of the Border, where you had ZERO Illegals coming across last month, from millions the year before, I will take care of our cherished Capital, and we will make it, truly, GREAT AGAIN! Before the tents, squalor, filth, and Crime, it was the most beautiful Capital in the World. It will soon be that again. Thank you for your attention to this matter — See you tomorrow at 10 A.M.!”
The president has reignited his warnings about a federal government takeover of Washington, and said he may even deploy the National Guard over recent crime.
Bowser told MSNBC on Sunday that “it is always the president’s prerogative to use federal law enforcement of the National Guard.”
On Sunday, police instituted a juvenile curfew in the popular Navy Yard neighborhood, after a stolen gun was discharged during a large gathering of young people late on Saturday. The incident came even as the White House had deployed a surge of federal law enforcement officers in the city over the weekend.
Trump also said the homeless population would have to move “immediately,” posting photos of encampments and trash on the streets.
“There will be no ‘MR. NICE GUY,’” Trump posted. “We want our Capital BACK.”
Last week, Trump teased taking federal control of D.C. after former Department of Government Efficiency employee Edward “Big Balls” Coristine was brutally beaten during an attempted carjacking by teenage suspects.
Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Americans still want answers…
On Monday, the House Task Force investigating the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania released its initial findings.
Lack of adequate planning, a narrow field of vision for local snipers, the absence of a unified command post and fragmented communication were among the main findings in the 53-page report that examined how 20-year-old shooter Matthew Crooks was able to climb atop a building with a line of sight to Trump and fire at him.
“Although the findings in this report are preliminary, the information obtained during the first phase of the Task Force’s investigation clearly shows a lack of planning and coordination between the Secret Service and its law enforcement partners before the rally,” the report said.
U.S. Secret Service (USSS) personnel at the event “did not give clear guidance” to state and local authorities about how to manage security outside of their hard perimeter, nor was there a central meeting between USSS and the law enforcement agencies supporting them the morning of the rally – two findings presented as key failures in the 51-page report.
The House Task Force investigating the attempts on Trump’s life is expected to release its final report by Dec. 13.
Crooks’s bullet came within inches of killing the former president and injured his ear. Shots also killed one rally attendee and seriously wounded two others.
The latest report also detailed information about Crooks’ autopsy report and the chain of events that led to release of the remains to the Crooks’s family. The Butler County Coroner’s office released the remains after the FBI concurred that no additional evidence was necessary, the report said.
The autopsy report found that Crooks died from one gunshot wound to the head, found negative results for alcohol or drugs of abuse, but was positive for antimony, selenium, and lead. Heightened levels of lead could have been due to time spent at the shooting range, the Allegheny County Chief Medical Examiner said.
The House force is made up of a bipartisan group of lawmakers and has also been assigned to investigate the September apparent assassination attempt on Trump in at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“The Task Force will continue to rigorously investigate the July 13 assassination attempt in the coming months,” the report said, adding that it is “in the process of conducting more than 20 transcribed interviews of federal officials and others who may have knowledge relevant to the events of July 13.”
This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.
First Lady Melania Trump participates in the Senate Spouses Luncheon at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, May 21,2025. (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)
Things are about to get ugly…
First Lady Melania Trump is threatening to sue former President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, for $1 billion over “defamatory” claims linking her to late financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Melania’s attorney Alejandro Brito demanded that Biden “immediately retract the false, defamatory, disparaging and inflammatory statements made about Mrs. Trump,” which were contained in a video interview with Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan and posted to Youtube in early August.
Read the full letter:
“Failure to comply will leave Mrs. Trump with no choice but to pursue any and all legal rights and remedies available to her to recover the overwhelming financial and reputational harm that you have caused her to suffer,” Brito wrote.
In the video interview, titled “Hunter Biden Returns” video earlier in August, the former first son claimed “Epstein introduced Melania to Trump. The connections are, like, so wide and deep.”
Biden also claimed that “Jeffrey Epstein introduced Melania, and that’s how Melania and the first lady and the President met.”
“If you do not comply with the above by August 7, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. EST, Mrs. Trump will be left with no alternative but to enforce her legal and equitable rights, all of which are expressly reserved and are not waived, including by filing legal action for over $1 Billion Dollars in damages,” Brito wrote. “You are on notice.”
A source close to the matter told Fox News that Biden did not comply with the requests by the set deadline.
After Fox News published the piece, however, Melania Trump got Biden’s reply addressing the attorney’s letter when Callaghan posted a further interview with him to YouTube on Thursday.
Callaghan, holding up a copy at the interview’s opening, declared: “The day of presidential litigation has arrived!”
“We’re here, maybe, to give you the platform to apologize to the first lady for your statements that you made about her possible connection to Jeffrey Epstein,” the host said to Biden.
“F*ck that! That’s not going to happen,” Biden laughed.
Defending his comments as citation, Biden continued:
First of all is that, what I said was what I have heard and seen reported and written, primarily from Michael Wolff but also dating back all the way to 2019 when the New York Times – I think Annie Carney and and Maggie Haberman – reported that sources said that Jeffrey Epstein claimed to be the person to introduce Donald Trump to Melania at that time.
Biden added that he would not bow down to pressure or lawsuit threats: “I also think they’re bullies and they think that a billion dollars is going to scare me.”
I have this to say to them: If they want to sit down for a deposition and clarify the the nature of the relationship between Jeffrey Epstein, if the president and the First Lady want to do that and all of the known associates around them at the time of whatever time that they met, I’m more than happy to provide them the platform to be able to do it.
The letter comes after the Daily Beast pulled the article detailing allegations by journalist Wolff that Melania Trump was introduced to her husband Donald Trump via a modeling agent connected to Epstein, after a challenge from the first lady’s lawyers.
“Editor’s Note. After this story was published, The Beast received a letter from First Lady Melania Trump’s attorney challenging the headline and framing of the article. After reviewing the matter, the Beast has taken down the article and apologizes for any confusion or misunderstanding,” The Daily Beast posted in place of the article. The url for the article appears to have been amended to remove the original headline and now reads: thedailybeast.com/epstein-this-story-has-been-removed.
It also comes after famed Democrat strategist James Carville apologized to the first lady after repeating the same claim.
“In last week’s podcast episode, we spoke with Judd Legum,” he said. “After the episode, we received a letter from Melania Trump’s lawyer. He took issue with our title of one of those YouTube videos from that episode and a couple of comments I made about the first lady. We took a look at what they complained about, and we took down the video and edited out those comments from the episode. I also take back these statements and apologize.”
An aide to the first lady, Nick Clemens, told Fox News in a statement, “First Lady Melania Trump’s attorneys are actively ensuring immediate retractions and apologies by those who spread malicious, defamatory falsehoods. The true account of how the First Lady met President Trump is in her best-selling book, ‘Melania.’”
By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54581054338/, Public Domain,
A 31-year-old man is now facing federal charges after authorities say he attempted to carry out a shocking attack targeting President Donald Trump and top officials during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Cole Allen appeared in court Monday following the terrifying incident that forced Trump and other high-ranking figures to be rushed out of the Washington Hilton under heavy security.
According to investigators, Allen allegedly stormed a security checkpoint Saturday night armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives—triggering panic at the high-profile event packed with journalists and political elites.
The annual black-tie dinner was immediately shut down.
A Secret Service agent was shot during the chaos but survived thanks to a bulletproof vest and has since been released from the hospital.
Chilling “Manifesto” Raises New Questions
Authorities say Allen left behind a disturbing manifesto outlining what appears to be a calculated plan to target members of the Trump administration.
In the writings, he described prioritizing officials “from highest-ranking to lowest,” suggesting a methodical approach to the attack.
He also made clear he was willing to harm others if necessary to reach his intended targets.
In one particularly unsettling detail, Allen referenced his choice of ammunition—claiming he selected buckshot “to minimize casualties,” even as he prepared for violence.
Trump Escorted Out As Event Collapses
President Trump was quickly removed from the venue as the situation unfolded, with law enforcement scrambling to contain the threat.
The Correspondents’ Dinner—long considered one of Washington’s most high-profile media events—was abruptly canceled as the situation spiraled.
Facing Life Behind Bars
Allen is now facing three federal charges tied to what prosecutors describe as an attempt to violently disrupt the event. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the suspect’s background and motives.
BREAKING: WHCD shooting suspect Cole Allen has been charged with attempting to kill the President of the United States and could face life in prison if convicted. pic.twitter.com/Aygg1DHjhl
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) delivered sharp criticism of President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi during a fiery appearance Sunday on ABC’s This Week, accusing the administration of failing to deliver real transparency on the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Speaking with host Martha Raddatz, Massie — one of the most outspoken Republicans pushing for full disclosure of Epstein-related records — questioned Bondi’s performance during last week’s high-profile House Judiciary hearing.
“She came with a book full of insults, one for each congressperson,” Massie said. “She obviously had one for me. And, you know, I’ve been there when [former AG] Merrick Garland was there. Obviously, politically, I don’t agree with him, but he performed much better in terms of at least not looking bad. And, unfortunately, we didn’t get the answers we wanted about the Epstein Files Transparency Act from her.”
Massie also took aim at Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche over a letter sent Saturday claiming the Department of Justice has now produced “all” Epstein files.
“I know the DOJ wants to say they’re done with this document production,” Massie said. “The problem is they’ve taken down documents before we were able to go over to the DOJ and look at the unredacted versions. They took down some of the most significant documents. Two of them involving Virginia Giuffre’s case and other things, the picture of Epstein at — in a room where it’s got CIA written on the boxes. That’s been taken down. We want to be able to look at all these files. They can’t keep those documents down after they’ve already produced them.”
New Report Raises Questions About DOJ’s “Full Release” Claim
Massie’s concerns come as a new investigation by Channel 4 News is raising fresh doubts about whether the Justice Department has truly released the full Epstein archive.
According to internal emails reviewed by the broadcaster, federal investigators expected to process between 20 and 40 terabytes of data seized from Epstein’s properties — including his Florida mansion, New York townhouse, and private island. Other early-stage emails referenced totals as high as 50 terabytes.
In one internal email from 2025, officials reportedly said they were “looking at approximately 14.6 terabytes of archived data.”
By contrast, Channel 4 noted that the most recent release of roughly 3.5 million documents amounted to just over 300GB — which the outlet said represents only about 2% of the data investigators were discussing.
“They claimed that 6 million pages were identified, including duplicates — they released over 3 million,” Channel 4’s U.S. editor Asnushka Asthana said. “Both those numbers are tiny compared to the amount collected according to today’s emails.”
One investigator described the data dump as chaotic and incomplete:
“Imagine if we had seized the papers from approximately 100,000 filing cabinets. Then that all just got dumped in one big pile… And then any of those documents that was larger than 100 pages couldn’t be opened. That’s what we’ve got.”
Massie Turns Fire on Trump
Raddatz closed the interview by asking Massie directly about President Trump, who has thrown his support behind Massie’s primary challenger, Ed Gallrein, and has repeatedly attacked the Kentucky congressman over his push for transparency.
Massie did not hold back.
“Look, this is about the Epstein class, the people who are funding the attacks against me,” Massie said. “They may or may not be implicated in these files, but they were certainly rubbing shoulders with the people who are in these files. They’re billionaires who are friends with these people. And that’s what I’m up against in Washington, D.C. Donald Trump told us that even though, you know, he had dinner with these kinds of people in New York City and West Palm Beach, that he would be transparent. But he’s not. He’s still in with the Epstein class. This is the Epstein administration, and they’re attacking me for trying to get these files released.”
Watch:
🚨 BREAKING:
Rep. Thomas Massie just said it out loud:
“Trump is still in with the Epstein class. This is the Epstein administration. And they’re attacking me for trying to get these files released.”
Despite the mounting scrutiny, Bondi has insisted the Justice Department has complied fully with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
In a February 14 letter to lawmakers, she stated that the department had “released all ‘records, documents, communications and investigative materials’” in its possession, along with a list of “all government officials and politically exposed persons” referenced in the released materials.
