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    DOGE Terminates Lease At Obama Presidential Library Site

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      2
      The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

      The Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has terminated the lease at the Obama Presidential Library site, although it is unlikely to impact operations there since it is due to shutter later this year and move to a new location.

      The library is located in Hoffman Estates in the northwest of Chicago and is separate to the sprawling 19.3-acre Obama Presidential Center near Jackson Park in the southside of Chicago which is under construction and is expected to be completed next year.

      The site at Hoffman Estates is run by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), as are all presidential libraries, while the Obama Presidential Center is a private venture being overseen by the Obama Foundation. 

      DOGE this week updated its list of nearly 750 federal lease terminations, totaling around 9.6 million square feet in size, which included the Hoffman Estates site. The agency, which has been tasked by President Donald Trump to cut wasteful federal spending, said the terminations will save the taxpayer $468 million in lease savings.

      The DOGE website did not provide a timetable for the closures, although a NARA spokesperson told Fox News Digital the Hoffman Estates library was scheduled to close in late Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 and move to College Park in Maryland. The government’s FY 2025 runs through Sept. 30, 2025.

      Currently at Hoffman Estates are also 35,000 physical artifacts, including gifts given to the Obamas. The library, a converted former furniture showroom, also houses former President Barack Obama’s silver BlackBerry, the draft of Obama’s first inaugural speech he wrote on a paper pad, a signed Pittsburgh Steelers football, a jeweled sword from Saudi Arabia and dresses worn by former first lady Michelle Obama.

      Those artifacts will also be sent to Maryland and occasionally lent to the Obama Presidential Center, the Chicago Tribune reports.

      NARA began leasing the building in 2016, paying $1.4 million each year in rent, according to the Chicago Tribune, citing the General Services Administration, which runs the government’s real estate portfolio.

      The Obama Presidential Library is expected to open some time next year and has been plagued by delays and cost overruns. It was initially expected to cost $350 million but that figure ballooned to $830 million in 2021. It is unclear what the total costs will be. 

      It will consist of a 235-foot tower museum, a branch of the Chicago Public Library, conference facilities, a gymnasium and a regulation-sized NBA court. It will also house the nonprofit Obama Foundation, which is overseeing the center’s development.

      Trump Threatens Russia With ‘Large Scale’ Sanctions

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
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        0
        Kremlin.ru, via Wikimedia Commons

        On Friday, President Trump said he was weighing additional sanctions and tariffs on Russia in a push to bring Moscow to the negotiating table to end the war in Ukraine.

        Overnight, Russia launched massive airstrikes against Ukraine, even as the United States is aiming to broker a peace agreement with the two nations. 

        While the Trump administration has largely focused on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, even going so far as to boot him out of the Oval Office last month, the deadly conflict began with Vladimir Putin’s invasion of his Western neighbor in early 2022.

        However, on Friday, just one week after the historic and contentious Oval Office meeting, Trump threatened sanctions against Russia as retaliation for the recent air strike, writing on Truth Social:

        Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely “pounding” Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED. To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late. Thank you!!!

        Critics of Trump’s foreign policy have long claimed that he takes the most charitable view of Putin’s expansionistic behavior, and, to be fair, Trump has largely given him a pass for invading Ukraine, calling him “genius” and “savvy” while blaming U.S. foreign policy under Biden.

        Senior Diplomat Fired Over Trump Remarks

          By
          Madeleine Jackson
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          1
          Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

          New Zealand’s most senior diplomat to the U.K. was fired after seeming to question President Donald Trump’s understanding of history and his handling of Russia. 

          Phil Goff, who was serving as New Zealand’s high commissioner to the U.K., apparently tried to draw a contrast between Winston Churchill’s handling of Nazi Germany and Trump’s approach to Russia. 

          The New Zealand official said he was re-reading a famous Churchill speech from 1938 in which the British leader blasts then-Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s decision to sign the Munich Agreement with Adolf Hitler. 

          “President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office. But do you think he really understands history?,” Goff asked Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, referencing the bust seen during President Trump’s heated exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

          Valtonen seemed uncomfortable with the question, saying she would “limit” herself in her response. Rather than saying anything about Trump, the Finnish official said many of Churchill’s remarks were “timeless.”

          When speaking with media, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters, who fired Goff, called the diplomat’s question “deeply disappointing.” He also said that it made “his position as high commissioner to London untenable.”

          Peters called Goff’s firing “one of the most difficult” things he has had to do in his career. He also said that had the former high commissioner made the statement about any other nation, he would have been “forced to act,” implying that the firing was not because Goff specifically insulted Trump. 

          “When you’re in that position, you represent the views of the government and the policies of the day – you’re not able to free-think, you are the face of New Zealand,” Peters told the press on Thursday.

          US And Ukrainian Officials To Convene In Saudi Arabia For Peace Discussions

          By
          Patrick Houck
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          4
          By President Of Ukraine - https://www.flickr.com/photos/165930373@N06/54169325552/, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=156221279

          Senior officials from the United States and Ukraine are scheduled to meet in Saudi Arabia next Wednesday to discuss efforts to end the ongoing war with Russia. This meeting marks the first significant dialogue between the two nations following a public dispute between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Oval Office last week.

          The scheduling of the meeting was finalized during a phone call between White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Zelensky’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak. President Zelensky mentioned in Brussels that both nations have resumed talks and anticipates a productive meeting.

          Ukrainian officials remain open to signing the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal that was put on hold last week.

          The Hill reports:

          The meeting signals a thawing of relations between the U.S. and Ukraine that ruptured abruptly following an explosive Oval Office confrontation between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

          “We are now in discussion to coordinate a meeting with the Ukrainians in Riyadh or even potentially Jeddah,” Witkoff told reporters outside the White House.

          “So the city is moving around a little bit, but it will be Saudi Arabia. And I think the idea is to get down a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire as well.”

          The meeting comes on the heels of a previous similar U.S.-Russia meeting in Riyadh.

          Zelensky has sought to repair relations with Trump following the Oval Office debacle, the fallout including Trump halting military assistance to Ukraine and cutting off intelligence sharing with the Ukrainians, harming Kyiv’s ability to hit high-value Russian targets.

          The international community will be closely monitoring these discussions, hoping they lead to a sustainable resolution to the conflict.

          Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.

          Republican Campaign Chair Warns Lawmakers Against In-Person Townhalls

          By
          Madeleine Jackson
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          1

          Republicans are on high alert…

          National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson warned congressional lawmakers to avoid in-person town halls and predicted that protests are only going to get worse.

          The remarks came after President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to accuse “paid troublemakers” and Democrats of manufacturing the scenes of discontent at GOP events across the country. In a post on Truth Social,

          Paid ‘troublemakers’ are attending Republican Town Hall Meetings. It is all part of the game for the Democrats, but just like our big LANDSLIDE ELECTION, it’s not going to work for them!

          According to Wall Street Journal Congress reporter Olivia Beavers, Hudson called for the full attention of all present at the closed GOP House meeting on Tuesday before warning that protests would be getting worse and that no one should be doing in-person town halls for the time being.

          Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) reportedly stood up and shared that protestors had been picketing outside of her house and were harassing her children.

          Hudson went on to claim that Democratic activists were “hijacking” the town hall events and “drowning out” local constituents, another source told Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman. He added that Democrats would be attending the events just to get a “viral clip” of Republican lawmakers being challenged.

          Hudson reportedly recommended that Republicans do virtual town halls or tele-town halls instead, rationalizing that this was a more efficient way of reaching constituents.

          Social Media Erupts Over Dem Responses To Child Cancer Survivor

            By
            Madeleine Jackson
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            4
            Photo via Pixabay images

            Democrats have some thinking to do…

            Social media erupted after many Democrat lawmakers notably stayed seated as a 13-year-old brain cancer survivor was asked to be made an honorary Secret Service agent

            “A terminally ill child with brain cancer is given an honorary Secret Service award and the Democrats refuse to stand or clap for the child,” Trump administration official Ric Grennell tweeted regarding the interaction between the 13-year-old and the president. 

            “Democrats refused to stand for the brain cancer surviving kid! How awful can one party be?” Outkick founder Clay Travis tweeted.

            “Democrats didn’t even stand for the boy who survived brain cancer,” Republican activist Scott Pressler posted on X.

            “Democrats refused to stand or clap for a little boy fighting cancer,” Libs of TikTok posted on X. “Truly sick people.”

            However, others highlighted the overall importance of the moment. 

            “This is the first time I can remember crying during a state of the union. Thank you President Trump,” Meghan McCain posted. “This is so beautiful. Anyone who has been impacted by brain cancer knows how special this is.” 

            McCain’s father, the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., died of brain cancer in 2018. 

            Report: Top HHS Spokesman Out After Clashing With RFK Jr.

              By
              Madeleine Jackson
              -
              5
              By Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America - Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., CC BY-SA 2.0,

              Just in…

              The top communications official at Health and Human Services has stepped down after just weeks on the job — as it was revealed he clashed with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over the deadly measles outbreak gripping Texas, according to multiple reports.

              Thomas Corry, the assistant secretary of public affairs, who has only been on the job for a few weeks, announced he was quitting Monday, according to Politico.

              This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

              Trump Transports Raided Materials Back To Mar-A-Lago

                By
                Madeleine Jackson
                -
                2
                Marine One lifts-off after returning President Donald J. Trump to Mar-a-Lago Friday, March 29, 2019, following his visit to the 143-mile Herbert Hoover Dike near Canal Point, Fla., that surrounds Lake Okeechobee. The visit was part of an infrastructure inspection of the dike, which is part of the Kissimmee-Okeechobee Everglades system, and reduces impacts of flooding for areas of south Florida. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian) [Photo Credit: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

                It’s over…

                President Donald Trump said he is taking the government-generated documents found in Mar-a-Lago after his first term, where they were seized by the FBI, back to Florida.

                The president took to Truth Social on Friday to say he is taking the documents back:

                The Department of Justice has just returned the boxes that Deranged Jack Smith made such a big deal about. They are being brought down to Florida and will someday be part of the Trump Presidential Library. Justice finally won out. I did absolutely nothing wrong. This was merely an attack on a political opponent that, obviously, did not work well. Justice in our Country will now be restored.

                The FBI seized the documents at Trump’s Florida home and resort in August 2022. Agents found boxes of documents all over Mar-a-Lago, including in a ballroom, a storage room, and a bathroom. Two months before, an attorney for Trump attested to the Department of Justice that to the best of her knowledge, no government documents were at Mar-a-Lago. The raid showed otherwise.

                Trump has long claimed he declassified the documents in question and that he took them “very legally.”

                “There’s something going on because they’re going after me viciously,” he said in March 2024. “Then all of a sudden it comes out that Biden took 10 times the number of documents that I did. And I took them very legally and I wasn’t hiding them.

                On Friday, Kyle Griffin of NBC News reported that White House staffers were seen loading about 15 boxes on Air Force One en route to Mar-a-Lago.

                Trump was criminally prosecuted by former Special Counsel Jack Smith, who alleged that the president willfully took classified material to Mar-a-Lago after departing the White House in January 2021. 

                Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by Trump in 2020, ultimately dismissed the case on the grounds that Smith’s appointment as special counsel was illegal.

                Trump Ends Talks With Zelenskyy, Cancels Joint Press Conference

                By
                Madeleine Jackson
                -
                3
                By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54325633746/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=159707159

                It’s over…

                President Trump has called off negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to end the conflict in Ukraine after a tense Oval Office meeting in which the two leaders sparred over U.S. support for Kyiv.

                “We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today. Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure,” Trump posted on Truth Social after the meeting. 

                “It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations,” Trump continued. “I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”

                Shortly after Trump’s post on Truth Social, Zelensky’s motorcade pulled up to the White House, signaling negotiations had ended.

                The two leaders had been scheduled to hold a joint press conference and sign a deal giving the U.S. access to Ukraine’s critical minerals supply later in the day. The press conference has been canceled, and the minerals deal was not signed.

                Trump’s post followed a stunning exchange in the Oval Office in which the president and Vice President Vance teed off on Zelensky, accusing him of being ungrateful for U.S. support and of having little leverage in talks.

                Watch:

                Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted publicly for the first time since his Oval Office blowup with President Donald Trump on Friday with a social media post thanking the United States.

                “Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit,” Zelenskyy posted on X. “Thank you @POTUS. Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.”

                Trump To Sign Executive Order Making English Official Language of US

                  By
                  Madeleine Jackson
                  -
                  1
                  President Donald Trump signs Executive Orders, Monday, February 10, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House photo by Abe McNatt)

                  President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order that will make English the official language of the U.S., Fox News Digital confirmed on Friday morning. 

                  Trump will sign the executive order later on Friday, which rescinds a mandate issued by former President Bill Clinton in 2000 that required federal agencies and recipients of federal funding to provide language assistance to non-English speakers, a White House official shared with Fox Digital. 

                  Fox News noted that the U.S. has never had an official language across its nearly 250-year history, though every major document such as the Constitution and Declaration of Independence has been written in English. About 180 countries of the 195 countries across the globe have official languages, leaving the U.S. as one of the few countries that has not officiated a language, a White House official shared. 

                  The order is intended to celebrate multilingual Americans who have learned English and passed it down to their family members, while also “empowering immigrants” to reach the American dream via a common language. 

                  This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

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