Inflation has slowly but surely crept into nearly every aspect of Americans’ lives- especially the holidays. While Americans have likely already begun to shudder at the thought of heightened costs for major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas now even Halloween is being spoiled by the Biden administration. Candy prices for tick-or-treaters have jumped thanks to Biden and some kids could be left feeling the sting tonight.
Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The U.S. border is on red alert.
A report from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is revealing concerns about an overwhelming number of migrants from Venezuela flooding the border due to an incorrect understanding of U.S. immigration policy.
According to an internal DHS memo obtained by the Daily Caller, some factors leading to the impending swell at the border could be political changes, new visa requirements, a lack of resources due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and poor economic conditions in Latin American countries Venezuelans fled to.
The report also noted confusion regarding Temporary Protected Status (TPS) policies for Venezuelans is also another factor leading to the increase in migration.
“Deteriorating opportunities for Venezuelans in Latin America coupled with changing immigration policies will likely increase Venezuelans’ decision to travel to the U.S. southwest border (SWB) via the Darien Gap and Mexico,” the memo stated. “Venezuelans may also be pulled to the United States by the perception that once they reach the border, they have a greater chance of remaining in the United States, based on a misunderstood perception of temporary protected status.”
TPS is currently granted to Venezuelans who were in the U.S. as of March 8, 2021. However, in July the DHS announced an 18-month extension for those already in the program to renew their statuses.
Cato Associate Director of Immigration Studies David Bier previously told the DCNF a primary reason many Venezuelans aren’t sent back under Title 42 is because the U.S. doesn’t have diplomatic relations with Venezuela, which refuses to allow for deportation flights.
“This is true for deportations from Mexico as well,” Bier said. “The Trump administration also put a flight ban in effect for Venezuela, meaning no flights are allowed to go there. Nonetheless, some expulsions are still happening via third countries, but it’s much more difficult.”
Of the more than 5 million Venezuelan refugees in Latin America approximately 3.7 million of them live in Colombia and Peru, where they face “violence, hate, abuse, sexual and labor exploitation, and discrimination,” according to the memo.
“An exodus from these two countries alone would be a major concern as it could potentially signal larger waves of Venezuelan migrants to emigrate to the United States,” the memo said.
Nearly 150,000 Venezuelans are in Panama, however these refugees are close to losing their “pathways to residency” because of legislation that is set to expire, making their best option to come to the U.S. illegally.
“Without access to legal status, migrants cannot apply for work permits and are forced to seek jobs in the informal market, making them vulnerable to exploitation,” the memo said. “For those qualified to renew their regularization status, the 2,600 USD smuggling fee is cheaper than paying regularization costs in Panama.”
According to Customs and Border Patrol, the number of Venezuelan migrants encountered in fiscal year 2022 is over triple the number encountered the previous fiscal year, when 1,270 Venezuelans were expelled under Title 42.
In a strikingly bizarre footnote to the tragic assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a Utah man who falsely claimed responsibility for the fatal shooting has now been sentenced and faces up to 15 years in prison.
Seventy-one-year-old George Hodgson Zinn — who dramatically approached law enforcement at Utah Valley University, yelling “I shot him — now shoot me” moments after Kirk was gunned down — has now pleaded no contest to obstruction of justice and guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, according to court records.
While Zinn’s initial false confession drew headlines and confusion during the chaotic aftermath of the shooting — leading some to believe he was the shooter — investigators quickly ruled him out as a suspect in Kirk’s assassination.
During questioning at a hospital after the incident, Zinn shocked authorities by admitting he had child sexual abuse material on his phone. A warrant later uncovered more than 20 images depicting abused minors, and prosecutors charged him accordingly.
In Salt Lake County district court, Zinn was sentenced to zero to five years for obstruction and one to 15 years for each exploitation count, with the judge ordering the terms to run concurrently. The exact amount of time he will serve will be decided by the Utah parole board.
Remembering Charlie Kirk: A Conservative Voice Silenced
The backdrop to this strange prosecution is one of the most shocking episodes of political violence in recent U.S. history. On Sept. 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk — founder and executive director of the conservative youth advocacy group Turning Point USA and a leading voice in the MAGA movement — was assassinated by a sniper while speaking at an outdoor event on the Utah Valley University campus.
Kirk, just 31 years old, had become one of the most recognizable young conservative figures in America. He built Turning Point USA from a student organization into a powerful grassroots force shaping Republican campaigns, energizing young voters, and challenging campus liberal orthodoxy across the country.
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
His death prompted an outpouring of grief and outrage from Republican leaders and conservative grassroots activists, who saw the attack as not just a crime but part of a broader pattern of hostility toward conservatives. Thousands attended memorial events, and his legacy has become a rallying point in debates over political violence and free speech on college campuses and beyond.
The suspect in the shooting — 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson — was later arrested and charged with aggravated murder. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, underscoring the gravity of the crime and the national attention still focused on the case.
What This Means Going Forward
Zinn’s sentencing closes one strange chapter in the unfolding story of the Kirk assassination, but it also highlights the turmoil that followed one of the most prominent conservative leaders of his generation. A man who tried — for reasons still unclear — to throw law enforcement off the trail of the real shooter now faces prison time for his own criminal behavior.
On Thursday, the Manhattan jury found Donald J. Trump, the 45th president of the United States, guilty on all charges.
Before the jury began deliberations, Judge Juan Merchan instructed its members that they did not need to have a unanimous verdict in order to convict the former president.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records as part of a hush-money scheme to prevent porn star Stormy Daniels from speaking out about her alleged extramarital affair before the 2016 presidential election.
Before Trump, no sitting or former president ever faced criminal charges. This is the lowest level felony in New York, any potential sentence will more than likely be served after the 2024 election.
Trump has yet to respond to the verdict.
Trump, a slight favorite to win the White House, might face diminished support from some voters who aren’t keen on backing a candidate with a criminal record. On the flip side, it could galvanize his base and swing voters, who view the trial as a politically motivated attack while the economy languishes.
The political significance of the trial was on display Tuesday, as the Biden and Trump campaigns held dueling events outside the courthouse.
The Biden campaign featured actor Robert De Niro and retired law enforcement officers who were at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, for a press conference to bash Trump as dangerous.
Robert De Niro: Donald Trump doesn’t belong in my city. We New Yorkers used to tolerate him when he was just another grubby real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot. A two-bit playboy lying his way into the tabloids. He’s a clown. But this person can’t run the country. That… pic.twitter.com/5LYzPnjVlL
It was the first time the Biden campaign held an event around the trial. Communications director Michael Tyler explained why it chose to do so, saying to the media, “Because you all are here.”
“We want to remind the American people … of the unique, persistent and growing threat that Donald Trump poses to the American people and to our democracy,” he said.
Trump’s team brushed off the Biden event as a sign of desperation.
“Why is Joe Biden now making this a campaign event after months of weaponizing the legal system against President Trump? Because Joe Biden’s numbers are in the tank,” senior Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller said.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
America First Legal is suing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office for records of any communication related to the prosecution of former President Trump between prosecutors and high-ranking Democrats.
The organization is seeking documents and communication between Bragg’s office and the Biden-Harris campaign, the DNC, Color of Change and CREW.
It is also seeking records related to efforts to raise money off the prosecution of the former president in New York v. Trump.
AFL is also looking to see if records exist between Bragg’s office and Judge Juan Merchan’s daughter — Loren Merchan — who runs a Democrat-affiliated political consulting firm, Authentic Campaigns.
“It is incumbent for Alvin Bragg’s office to meet its transparency responsibilities. The public record now reveals a direct contradiction between statements from the U.S. Department of Justice and Bragg’s own office about coordination between the two,” AFL Vice President Dan Epstein told Fox News Digital.
“And now it would appear that groups like Color of Change may be coordinating activities between Washington, D.C., and New York City behind the scenes.”
AFL describes Color of Change as a far-left, Soros-funded group. The organization issued a statement characterizing the prosecution of Trump as the “fruit of our labor.”
🚨BREAKING🚨
Soros-funded org, Color of Change, issued a statement characterizing “Bragg’s prosecution of Trump” as a “fruit of our labor.”
Color for Change President Rashad Robinson visited the White House 16 times and had 4 meetings with Biden and 4 meetings with Kamala. pic.twitter.com/OYe49gczI2
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, a senior adviser to President Donald Trump, said this week that he will dial back his spending on future political campaigns.
Asked about his plans for political contributions at Bloomberg’s Qatar Economic Forum, Musk said over video that he’s “going to do a lot less in the future.” Musk spent nearly $240 million through his political action committee, America PAC, helping Trump and Republicans in the 2024 election cycle. His comments on Tuesday, however, indicate that he won’t be as aggressive in pushing Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections.
“I think I’ve done enough,” Musk said, adding, “If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it. I do not currently see a reason.”
Watch:
Along with his major donations to the Republican effort last election cycle, Musk was also a major fixture on the campaign trail, appearing multiple times alongside Trump. After Trump took office in January, Musk led the effort, alongside the Department of Government Efficiency project, to find waste and fraud within the federal government.
After joining Trump in the White House, Musk got behind the conservative candidate in the closely watched Wisconsin Supreme Court election, saying the race could affect the “entire destiny” of humanity. Musk’s America PAC spent millions of dollars on race, but conservative candidate Brad Schimel lost to liberal candidate Susan Crawford by 10 percentage points, and the liberals maintained a majority on the court.
Musk, who was regularly seen with the president during the Trump administration’s first 100 days, has taken a step back from overseeing Trump’s DOGE initiative.
“I’ll be allocating far more of my time to Tesla…” Musk said last month.
The Tesla CEO added in his interview on Tuesday that he is committed to leading the electric car company for at least the next five years, saying that he wants “sufficient voting control” to keep Tesla from falling into the hands of activist investors.
“It’s not a money thing,” Musk said. “It’s a reasonable control thing over the future of the company.”
Musk’s shift back to focusing on Tesla comes after the company saw a drop in revenue and net income over the first quarter of 2025.
After Musk became a senior adviser to Trump and pushed for major government spending cuts, Tesla has been targeted by leftist activists who have set fires to and vandalized vehicles and threatened Tesla dealerships.
“Firing bullets into showrooms and burning down cars is unacceptable. Those people will go to prison, and the people that funded them and organized them will also go to prison. Don’t worry, we’re coming for you,” Musk said on Tuesday’s video call to the applause of the crowd.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall leave after attending the opening ceremony of the sixth session of the Senedd in Cardiff. Picture date: Thursday October 14, 2021. PA Photo. See PA story ROYAL Senedd. Photo credit should read: Jacob King/PA Wire
Just when President Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for King Charles III, a bombshell claim dropped: the two leaders may actually be family.
According to new research highlighted by the Daily Mail, Trump and the British monarch share a distant bloodline — tracing back centuries to a Scottish nobleman, the 3rd Earl of Lennox. The finding makes the U.S. president and the king “15th cousins,” a revelation that adds an unexpected twist to the royals’ high-profile visit to Washington.
The timing couldn’t be more striking.
Charles and Queen Camilla are in the U.S. for a four-day state visit, as tensions simmer across the Atlantic over foreign policy disagreements — including the ongoing Iran conflict and clashes between Trump and U.K. leadership. Now, a shared ancestry is suddenly part of the story.
Royal author Robert Hardman, who uncovered the connection, says the president’s admiration for the king could run even deeper than previously thought.
“We know that the avowedly royalist President Trump already regards the King as ‘a great guy’ and ‘a fighter’ – he told me so himself recently – but his affection for the monarch and the Royal Family may now become even more pronounced when he learns that he and the King share descent from the same Scottish nobleman,” Hardman wrote.
The research traces both men back to the 3rd Earl of Lennox — a great-grandson of King James II of Scotland — linking Trump and Charles through a sprawling, centuries-old family tree.
“Detailed research on behalf of the Daily Mail has shown they have a common ancestor in the form of the 3rd Earl of Lennox… which means that Donald Trump and Charles III are 15th cousins,” Hardman added. “Their shared forebear met an unfortunate end, however.”
And that’s putting it mildly.
Lennox’s story reads like a medieval thriller. He was caught up in a brutal power struggle over control of a young Scottish king and ultimately met a violent fate after being captured by a rival known as the “Bastard of Arran.”
New research reveals that King Charles III and President Trump are actually 15th cousins, sharing a common ancestor in the 3rd Earl of Lennox, a 16th-century Scottish nobleman. pic.twitter.com/7Dnm3EntjT
Despite his grim end, Lennox’s bloodline endured — splitting into branches that would eventually connect both to the British royal family and, generations later, to Trump’s own lineage.
On one side, Lennox’s descendants would lead to Lord Darnley and Mary, Queen of Scots, eventually producing King James I — a key figure in the royal line that leads to today’s House of Windsor.
On the other, the lineage runs through Scottish clans before reaching Mary Anne MacLeod, Trump’s mother, who emigrated to the United States in 1930 and married Fred Trump — setting the stage for the future president.
The result? A centuries-spanning connection that ties a New York real estate dynasty to British royalty.
Whether the discovery changes anything politically is another question. But symbolically — especially as Trump hosts Charles at the White House — it adds a layer of intrigue to an already historic visit.
Vivek Ramaswamy speaking with attendees at the 2022 AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Is this the real reason biotech businessman Vivek Ramaswamy launched a bid for the White House?
A lengthy report from ABC News casts a look into the decision-making behind Ramaswamy’s surprising presidential campaign with sources noting the Republican businessman is aiming to knock Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s campaign in an effort to propel Donald Trump forward.
The report noted that Ramaswamy summoned a small group of conservative operatives to discuss “exciting plans” he had for the coming months in early 2023.
Ramaswamy pitched himself as a [presidential] candidate who could make serious waves in the Republican primary at the meeting. When met with some skepticism, Ramaswamy argued that his candidacy could also dissuade Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis from entering the race, according to a source who was on the call. In the lead-up to his announcement, Ramaswamy would tell several other conservative activists that he believed that if he ran, it could stop DeSantis from running or impact his viability as a candidate if he did enter the race, sources said.
The presidential bid reportedly came shortly after a potential podcast partnership with the conservative publication The Daily Wire fell through.
Another Republican aide who advised Ramaswamy early in his campaign told ABC News that there was frustration among staff early on that the candidate was more concerned about getting his campaign podcast — titled “The Vivek Show” — off the ground, rather than strategizing around how to win the party’s nomination.
“So why is Vivek running anyway?” Morefield wrote in his column. “It’s hard to imagine it’s not for one or both of the following reasons: 1) To raise his profile and secure some sort of post in the upcoming administration. 2) To pave the way for a Trump defeat of DeSantis.”
When asked for comment on this story, Ramaswamy’s senior adviser Tricia McLaughlin told ABC News, referring to DeSantis: “Does one of your sources live in a publicly financed mansion in Tallahassee, Florida?”
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.
President Donald Trump takes questions after signing Executive Orders, Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)
President Donald Trump signs Executive Orders, Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)
An Iranian general vowed to respond “decisively and destructively” to any threats from President Trump.
“We warn our enemies that Iran will respond decisively and destructively if they carry out their threats,” Gen. Hossein Salami, the leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, told state media following U.S. strikes over the weekend against the Tehran-backed terrorist group, according to Reuters.
“We are not a nation to live in hiding. We are a valid and legitimate system in the world. We announce it if we attack anywhere,” Salami was quoted as saying by ABC News.
U.S. Central Command said Saturday it had “initiated a series of operations consisting of precision strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets across Yemen to defend American interests, deter enemies, and restore freedom of navigation.”
Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday that he “ordered the United States Military to launch decisive and powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen.”
“It has been over a year since a U.S.-flagged commercial ship safely sailed through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, or the Gulf of Aden,” Trump continued. “The last American Warship to go through the Red Sea, four months ago, was attacked by the Houthis over a dozen times.”
Trump wrote that the “relentless assaults have cost the U.S. and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same time, putting innocent lives at risk.”
“To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!” his post concluded.
The large-scale campaign against Houthi targets in Yemen will be “unrelenting” until the Iran-backed proxies pledge to back off U.S. assets, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News on Sunday.
Trump said in a post on his Truth Social account that any future attacks would be viewed as having come directly from Tehran:
Let nobody be fooled! The hundreds of attacks being made by Houthi, the sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen, who are hated by the Yemeni people, all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN. Any further attack or retaliation by the “Houthis” will be met with great force, and there is no guarantee that that force will stop there. Iran has played “the innocent victim” of rogue terrorists from which they’ve lost control, but they haven’t lost control. They’re dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, “Intelligence.”
Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!
DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
According to the US Treasury Department, Iran launders funds to the Houthi rebels that the group uses to finance strikes against Israel and other US allies.
