Date: 03-26-2024
Location: Bldg 30 MCC, FCR-1, Bldg 9N
Subject: Texas Governor Gregg Abbott tour of JSC on March 26
Photo Credit: NASA/James Blair
Another Democrat is calling it quits and backing Donald Trump for President…
A Texas state lawmaker from the Houston area announced Friday that she is leaving the “almost unrecognizable” Democratic Party.
In an announcement Friday, State Rep. Shawn Tierry explained that she made the switch because the Democratic Party has “veered so far left, so deep into the progressive abyss, that it now champions policies that I cannot, in good conscience, support,” the Texas Tribune reported.
“As a woman, a mother, and a lawmaker, I have dedicated my life to championing the values that fortify our families and uplift our communities. After much reflection, prayer, and soul-searching, I have come to a decision that aligns with my core values and the best interests of our beloved country,” Tierry further explained in an X post.
“For my entire adult life, I have voted as a Democrat. I was raised in a household with my amazing parents who believed the Democratic Party was the party of the people—a beacon of justice and opportunity for all,” she continued. “But as the years have passed, I have watched with dismay as the party I once knew has drifted far from its roots. It has become almost unrecognizable—radicalized and increasingly out of touch with the values that millions of everyday Americans hold dear.”
Thierry also noted how the left stifles debate, silences dissent, and demands “blind allegiance to ideology.”
The former Democrat received a standing ovation on Friday night when she formally announced her decision at a Moms For Liberty event.
“The Democratic Party has moved so far back, so deep into the progressive abyss, that it now champions policies that I cannot, in good conscience, support. Policies like promoting sex changes for vulnerable children, dismantling Title IX protections for women and girls in sports. This is not the party that I grew up with,” Thierry explained.
“And so it’s today, at such a time as this, that I am officially announcing that I am leaving the race and the life of the Democratic Party.”
Thierry was recently defeated in a primary election after she voted to ban gender reassignment surgeries for children and bar biological men from competing in women’s sports.
President Donald Trump signs Executive Orders, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)
Democratic Senators Jeff Merkley (Ore.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.) introduced legislation Tuesday aimed at preventing President Trump—or any sitting or living former president—from appearing on U.S. currency. Their proposal, titled the Change Corruption Act, comes as the U.S. Treasury considers issuing a commemorative $1 coin featuring Trump’s image in recognition of America’s 250th anniversary.
The bill, cosponsored by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), states plainly: “No United States currency may feature the likeness of a living or sitting President.” The lawmakers argue that the measure reflects historical practice, noting that U.S. currency has traditionally featured only deceased presidents and statesmen.
A Preemptive Strike on a Potential Semiquincentennial Honor
The U.S. Mint is reportedly close to announcing whether it will release a limited-run Trump coin as part of the nation’s celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States in 2026. Commemorative coins—distinct from circulating coins—are historically used to honor major anniversaries, public achievements, and historic figures. Past presidents, including Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, have been featured posthumously on such special-issue coins.
A draft image circulating within the Treasury Department shows Trump’s profile above the word “Liberty,” a standard placement for American coinage.
Democrats Frame the Coin as a Threat to Democratic Norms
In unusually heated language for a discussion about commemorative currency, Merkley compared Trump’s potential appearance on a coin to the behavior of authoritarian regimes:
“President Trump’s self-celebrating maneuvers are authoritarian actions worthy of dictators like North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, not the United States of America,” Merkley said in a statement.
He argued Congress must take action to limit the executive branch’s influence over commemorative designs:
“We must reject his efforts to dismantle our ‘We, The People’ republic and replace it with a strongman state by demanding strong accountability to prevent further abuse of taxpayer dollars.”
Cortez Masto echoed Merkley’s claims, asserting that any depiction of a living president on U.S. coinage would resemble an outdated monarchical tradition:
“While monarchs put their faces on coins, America has never had and never will have a king.”
She added:
“Our legislation would codify this country’s long-standing tradition of not putting living presidents on American coins. Congress must pass it without delay.”
U.S. Rep Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, and Cori Bush speak at the Mississippi River in Minneapolis asking for President Biden to stop Line 3 pipeline construction.
Rep. Ilhan Omar is demanding federal prosecutors return her passport, computers and other belongings seized during a search of her Washington home — while accusing the Trump administration of using a criminal investigation to punish a political opponent.
Attorneys for the Minnesota Democrat sent the Justice Department a letter Friday challenging the search and demanding the immediate return of all property taken by investigators, The Daily Wire reported.
Agents with Homeland Security Investigations searched Omar’s residence Monday, October 12, under a warrant approved by a federal judge. Items seized included her cellphone, notebooks, personal computers and passport, according to The Wall Street Journal, as cited by the Daily Wire.
“There is no legitimate basis for any suggestion that she has violated any law concerning her citizenship status,” her attorneys wrote.
“This vindictive, retributive, and politically motivated criminal investigation into one of the President’s chief congressional critics violates Representative Omar’s constitutional rights and threatens the separation of powers,” they added.
Omar Fires Back At Trump
Omar’s response has extended beyond her lawyers’ demands.
In a Thursday message to supporters, the congresswoman described the experience as frightening but vowed to continue confronting President Donald Trump.
“It’s been a scary journey but I have always been grounded in my work and ability to provide exemplary service to my constituents,” Omar wrote in a post quoted by the Daily Wire.
“Trump and his administration have been after me since I arrived in Congress. I have always stood up to him and that will never change.”
Her office had also rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing following Monday’s search, calling the operation an abuse of federal power directed at a political adversary.
DOJ Defends The Search
The Justice Department has disputed the accusation that investigators acted improperly.
“Our attorneys and law enforcement partners complied with all court orders and legal obligations, as they always do,” DOJ spokesperson Emily Covington told ABC News, according to the Daily Wire.
Omar’s attorneys also requested recordings made inside her home during the search.
The timing is another central point of contention. Monday’s operation occurred just 22 days before the November 3 midterms, when Omar is seeking a fifth term.
ABC News reported that the department has historically advised prosecutors against overt investigative steps involving candidates within 60 days of an election. Omar’s attorneys argue the search violated that longstanding practice.
What Investigators Are Examining
Sources told ABC News that the investigation concerns Omar’s immigration paperwork. The Somali-born congresswoman arrived in the United States as a child refugee and became a naturalized citizen in 2000.
The full scope of the investigation remains undisclosed. The Daily Wire discussed several possible avenues of inquiry, including family immigration records and financial disclosures, but those possibilities should not be confused with publicly announced charges.
Omar has denied wrongdoing, and ABC News reported she had not been charged with a crime.
Trump, meanwhile, continued criticizing Omar after the search. Asked Tuesday whether he wanted her deported, he declined to endorse that outcome while attacking her performance in Congress.
“I don’t take a position,” Trump said, according to ABC News.
Vice President JD Vance separately said he had received no advance notice of the search and maintained that investigators should follow the evidence.
Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America,
ANALYSIS – In his Twitter Spaces debut Tuesday night, called “Tucker on Twitter,” former Fox News host Tucker Carlson immediately accused Ukraine of being responsible for the catastrophic attack on the Nova Kakhovka dam in Southern Ukraine.
And he may be right.
Ukraine and Russia have routinely accused each other of shelling the dam, the hydroelectric station and the nearby Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
Both sides have blamed the other for the attack, in what appears to be a war crime. Kyiv blamed Moscow for the “terrorist attack,” but the Kremlin claimed that Ukraine had struck the dam to impact Russian-controlled Crimea’s water supplies.
And, despite his spotty track record on speculation, in this case, he may be right. Or at least, the assumption that Russia is always the culprit is no longer valid.
Based on recent reporting, which I wrote about here, Ukraine may, in fact, have been responsible for the serious sabotage of the Nord Stream undersea gas pipelines in September 2022, which was long blamed on Russia.
This makes the always-blame Russia crowd look less credible. But that doesn’t mean Tucker’s always-blame-everyone-except-Russia approach is any better.
While on Fox, Tucker repeatedly blamed the United States and Joe Biden for being behind the Nord Stream attack.
On Feb. 24 he said: “So the Biden administration committed the single largest most profound act of industrial terrorism of sabotaging history. They blew up the Nord Stream pipeline …”
Thus, as far as we can tell, Biden knew about it beforehand but was unwilling or unable to do anything about it.
Tucker’s claims aren’t helped when he spouts pro-Russian talking points in his video, such as:
The Kakhovka dam was effectively Russian. It was built by the Russian government. It currently sits in Russian- controlled territory. The dam’s reservoir supplies water to Crimea, which has been for the last 240 years home of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Firstly, the ‘Soviets’ built the dam during the USSR, not the ‘Russians,’ and the USSR no longer exists. Secondly, it doesn’t matter how long Russia’s Black Sea Fleet was based in Crimea; it belongs to Ukraine because that’s what happened when the USSR dissolved in 1991 and Ukraine became independent.
Tucker’s Trumpian personal insults, like describing Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, as a “sweaty and rat-like comedian-turned-oligarch,” probably don’t help his credibility much either.
Tucker is on firmer ground when he argues that: “Blowing up the dam may be bad for Ukraine, but it hurts Russia more, and for precisely that reason, the Ukrainian government has considered destroying it.”
Especially when he cites a December report from The Washington Post in which a Ukrainian general spoke of using U.S.-made HIMARS launchers to “test strike” on the Kakhovka dam.
So, what are the facts?
The dam spanning the Dnipro River was breached on Tuesday, flooding swaths of territory and threatening crucial water supplies to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
At least 42,000 people and 1,500 square miles of land are at risk from the flooding caused by the destruction of the dam, likely slowing any potential Ukrainian military advance in the Dnipro River delta.
Much of the Dnipro River delta will become inaccessible for land operations, raising suspicions that Russia deliberately sabotaged the dam to prevent an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive.
However, the flooding has disproportionately affected the Russian-occupied side of the river.
The Kakhovka reservoir does supply Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast and the Crimea peninsula with fresh water.
Zelensky has said that the only way to destroy the dam is through mining and explosives and emphasized that Russian forces have now occupied the dam for over a year.
In a statement, Ukraine’s Southern Operational Command said, “Russian occupation troops blew up the dam” at Nova Kakhovka in the Kherson region.
Blaming “Russian terrorists” for the attack, Zelensky said on Twitter that “the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam only confirms for the whole world that they must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land.”
In the end, Tucker may be right. Ukraine could have been behind the attack.
But he is far more credible when he is less bombastic and emphatic with his theories. Such as when he states:
So really, once the facts start coming in, it becomes much less of a mystery what might have happened to the dam, and a fair person would conclude that the Ukrainians probably blew it up, just as you would assume they blew up Nord Stream, the Russian natural gas pipeline last fall.
Tucker ended his new Twitter show by promising to be back with “much more, very soon.” I’m looking forward to it.
Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.
Donald Trump Jr. unloaded on Sen. Ted Cruz on Wednesday, accusing the Texas Republican of flat-out lying about President Trump’s controversial Iran peace agreement and fueling a growing civil war inside the MAGA movement.
“The only problem with this quote is that @tedcruz is lying thru his teeth about the deal,” Trump Jr. wrote on X.
“We’re not giving them a cent and he knows that. Using fake news about the peace deal to undermine @realDonaldTrump is the opposite of MAGA.”
The only problem with this quote is that @tedcruz is lying thru his teeth about the deal. We're not giving them a cent and he knows that. Using fake news about the peace deal to undermine @realDonaldTrump is the opposite of MAGA. https://t.co/X2q3jesxc3
The blistering rebuke came after Cruz blasted the Trump administration’s newly unveiled memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran, warning it could ultimately enrich one of America’s most dangerous adversaries.
“History teaches that giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is not a good idea,” Cruz told The Hill. “I think the president is receiving some very poor advice on this deal.”
The agreement, signed this week following months of negotiations aimed at ending the 110-day U.S.-Iran conflict, has triggered fierce backlash from several Senate Republicans who argue Tehran is walking away with major concessions.
At the center of the controversy is a proposed $300 billion investment fund intended to help rebuild Iran’s economy and infrastructure. According to Reuters, private companies from the United States, Gulf states, Asia, South America and Africa have already pledged financing for more than half of the fund, with investments targeted toward energy, transportation, logistics and manufacturing projects.
Trump and his allies insist critics are misrepresenting the arrangement.
Speaking at the Group of Seven summit in France, Trump flatly denied that American taxpayers would finance Iran’s reconstruction.
“We’re not investing any money,” Trump told reporters. “We’re not putting up 10 cents.”
The president added that private companies are free to invest if they choose, but emphasized the U.S. government is not contributing funds.
Still, Cruz remains unconvinced.
The Texas senator has repeatedly warned that any deal allowing Iran access to billions in investment while preserving elements of its military infrastructure would be a “disastrous mistake.” In recent weeks, he has voiced concerns that Tehran could emerge from the agreement financially stronger while retaining significant regional influence.
Cruz is hardly alone.
Several Republican senators have raised alarms over the agreement, with critics arguing the deal lifts pressure on Iran without permanently dismantling its nuclear ambitions or missile capabilities. Sen. Bill Cassidy called the agreement “the worst foreign policy blunder in decades,” while other GOP lawmakers have questioned whether Tehran is giving up enough in return.
President Donald Trump said Monday that White House physicians helped treat Rep. Neal Dunn, a Florida Republican, after the congressman received what Trump described as a “terminal” medical diagnosis — an episode Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson framed as a dramatic intervention that helped save Dunn’s life.
The president and Johnson recounted the story during remarks at the White House, saying Dunn had continued working in Congress despite what they characterized as a dire prognosis.
“He would be dead by June,” Trump told reporters, describing the severity of the diagnosis Dunn had reportedly received before receiving treatment.
Johnson said the situation came to Trump’s attention after he informed the president about Dunn’s condition. According to Johnson, Trump quickly suggested involving White House medical staff to evaluate the congressman.
“The man has a new lease on life. He acts like he’s 30 years younger,” Johnson said, describing Dunn’s recovery after treatment.
Johnson explained that White House physicians helped coordinate care for the Florida lawmaker and arranged for him to receive treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the premier military hospital that frequently treats senior government officials and members of Congress.
According to Johnson, Dunn underwent emergency surgery shortly after the White House doctors became involved.
Trump praised the speed and professionalism of the medical team, calling the White House physicians “miracle workers.”
“I said, I have to call them. And I called the two doctors. They’re both great. And they immediately went over to see the congressman, and he was on the operating table like two hours later,” Trump added.
Dunn, who represents Florida’s 2nd Congressional District in the state’s Panhandle, is himself a physician. Before entering politics, he served as an Army surgeon and later worked in private medical practice. His medical background has often shaped his work in Congress, particularly on issues involving healthcare policy and veterans’ services.
First elected in 2016, Dunn has served five terms in the House of Representatives and has been a reliable conservative vote on fiscal issues, national defense, and social policy.
In January, Dunn announced that he would not seek reelection in 2026, signaling the end of his congressional career. At the time, he framed the decision as an opportunity to step away from Washington and spend more time with his family.
“I want to pass the torch to new conservative leaders, return home to Panama City, and spend more precious time with my family and our beloved grandchildren,” Dunn said in a statement announcing his retirement.
He also reflected on his legislative priorities during his time in Congress.
“It has been my greatest honor to fight for lower taxes, our military and veterans, the unborn, healthcare innovation, and policies that empower Americans over bureaucracy and addressing threats from Communist China, Russia and others,” he added.
Dunn’s departure comes during a cycle that is already seeing a significant number of lawmakers opt not to run again. As of mid-March, 60 House members have announced they will not seek reelection in the 2026 election cycle, according to the U.S. House of Representatives Press Gallery’s “Casualty List.”
That total includes 23 Democrats and 37 Republicans.
Several of those lawmakers are leaving to pursue other offices, including gubernatorial and U.S. Senate bids. Others are retiring outright after years in public service.
Among Republicans, some departures have come through electoral defeat. Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas, for example, recently lost his primary race to state Rep. Steve Toth.
While Dunn’s decision to retire was announced before the details of his health episode were publicly discussed, the account shared by Trump and Johnson Monday offered new insight into the medical crisis he faced earlier this year — and the role White House doctors played in coordinating the emergency treatment that both men say dramatically improved his outlook.
President Trump announced Wednesday that he will designate antifa as a terrorist organization, and is recommending investigations into people who allegedly fund it.
It’s unclear when the designation will take place, or what legal implications it will have. Antifa — short for anti-fascist — is a loose affiliation of mostly left-leaning activists.
“I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post. “I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Trump made a similar announcement that antifa would be designated as a terrorist group during his first term in 2020, when the country was gripped by turbulent protests, but never followed through on the threat.
The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.
Over the last week, the president and conservatives have railed against what Trump has called “radical left political violence” following the deadly shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Hours after Kirk was killed last Wednesday, Trump vowed to “find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity, and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it.”
Earlier this week, after a reporter asked President Trump if he planned on designating antifa as a domestic terror group, he responded, “it’s something I would do.” He also floated racketeering charges against people that he claimed have funded “agitation.”
The legal impact of designating a U.S.-based group like antifa as a terrorist organization is not clear. Federal law allows the government to formally label international groups as “foreign terrorist organizations” and criminally charge people who offer support to them, but a similar legal mechanism doesn’t exist for alleged domestic terrorist groups, according to a Congressional Research Service report.
Over the past five years, Antifa‐affiliated individuals and supporters have been involved in several high-profile violent incidents, including the killing of Aaron Danielson in Portland in August 2020. That occurred after clashes between a pro-Trump caravan and counter-protesters; Michael Reinoehl, who had publicly identified with the Antifa ideology, admitted to shooting Danielson and was later killed by federal law enforcement. Additionally, in 2021 the U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon stated that Antifa caused over $2.3 million in damages to federal property in Oregon during riots, not counting damage to state or private property.
More recently, allegations of arson, vandalism, and attacks on federal law enforcement have been tied to Antifa-aligned groups. In early 2025, for example, federal prosecutors charged 17 people for violent activity associated with attempts to attack and burn down an ICE facility in Portland on July 4. These actions allegedly involved setting fires, confronting federal officers, and destroying property. Some local reports also claim Antifa militants caused more than $1 million in damage during an occupation and vandalism spree at the University of Washington’s Interdisciplinary Engineering Building.
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.
Well-known actor Dennis Quaid said in a recent interview that he plans to vote for Donald Trump in the November election.
The celebrity announced his support of the Republican candidate during an interview with Piers Morgan on British television when asked by Morgan what he thought of Trump.
“I think I’m gonna vote for him in the next election,” the actor said. “It just makes sense. I was ready not to vote for Trump, until what I saw is, more than politics, I see a weaponization of our justice system and a challenge to our Constitution.”
“Trump is the most investigated person, probably in the history of the world, and they haven’t been able to really get him on anything,” he added.
Quaid went on to reference many of Trump’s accomplishments…
“What he did with Korea, with Rocket Baby, the way he defeated ISIS in three weeks,” he continued. “You know, people don’t even remember, it happened so fast. How he stood up for us overseas. The way he responded to China. He stands up to people and that’s what makes him a leader. Rather than, what I kind of compare it to, what was going on in Jimmy Carter’s administration, where we’re trying to be everybody’s friend and pal.”
“And there’s some evil people and bad actors in this world and so, you know, people might call [Trump] an a**hole but he’s my a**hole,” Quaid said. “I’ll tell you one true thing about him is that I really feel that he is working for the American people. That’s what he’s all about, and I do believe that to be true and sincere.”
Here's the full clip of Dennis Quaid's remarks why he explains why he is going to vote for Trump and why he won't vote for Biden.
"It just makes sense. I was ready not to vote for Trump, until what I saw is, more than politics, I see a weaponization of our justice system and a… pic.twitter.com/74E5fnVvbR
In the end, former President Donald Trump spoke to the court from the defense table in his civil fraud trial.
Trump’s remarks came during closing arguments, which remain ongoing.
“The facts are the financial statements are perfect, that there are no witnesses against us. The banks got all their money paid back. There were great loans,” Trump maintained, echoing remarks he has previously made in public.
Trump spoke for approximately five minutes before accusing Judge Arthur Engoron of having his own agenda.
“I certainly understand that,” the GOP front-runner persisted. “You can’t listen for more than one minute.”
At that point, Engoron told one of Trump’s lawyers to “control your client.” The judge eventually cut Trump off.
Engoron ruled on Wednesday that he wouldn’t allow Trump to speak during his attorneys’ closing arguments because he wouldn’t agree to avoid personal attacks.
NBC News further reports on the unprecedented courtroom display:
Speaking from the table sitting next to his lawyers, Trump spoke to denying all wrongdoing while Engoron quietly listened.
Trump maintained that banks “got all their money back” and “they weren’t defrauded” while repeating his call to receive damages “for what we’ve gone through.”
The former president accused James’ office of not providing one document proving her allegations of inflating his financial statements and argued that the case presents a “situation where I”m an innocent man.”
“The legal scholars looking at this case find it disgraceful,” he said, adding “this is a fraud on me.”
James is asking Engoron to fine Trump and his co-defendants over $370 million and impose a lifetime ban on Trump and two former company executives from the New York real estate industry.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
