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White House Budget Office Rescinds Federal Funding Freeze

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Just in…

The Trump’s administration’s Office of Management and Budget released a memo Wednesday rescinding a controversial order that froze a wide swath of federal financial assistance, which had paralyzed many federal programs and caused a huge uproar on Capitol Hill.

The decision came amid strong behind-the-scenes pushback from Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill, according to a GOP senator who was apprised of the decision to reverse the policy order.

The reversal was signed by Matthew Vaeth, the acting director of the White House budget office.

The order, issued Monday evening from Matthew Vaeth, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, sent shockwaves across the country and drew outrage from politicians

The funding freeze was originally scheduled to kick in at 5:00 pm ET on Tuesday and expected to remain in place through at least mid-February, The New York Times reported. Vaeth’s memo ordered that all federal agencies “must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal.”

The memo swiftly drew a legal challenge filed by several nonprofit groups, arguing that it violated both the First Amendment and federal law on how executive orders can be implemented, and the plaintiffs secured an emergency hearing that took place just minutes before the funding freeze was set to go into effect.

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

Report: White House Reviews Offer To Reopen Homeland Security

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White House negotiators are reviewing a Democratic proposal to fund and reopen the Department of Homeland Security, as talks continue to move slowly. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Tuesday that Democrats are not demonstrating urgency in reaching a deal.

According to Republicans familiar with the negotiations, the White House submitted its most recent offer to Senate Democrats more than two weeks ago. Democrats did not provide a counteroffer until late Monday evening.

A White House official confirmed to The Hill that it is currently under review.

Thune told reporters that the administration has already made significant concessions in an effort to reopen the department and restore pay for Transportation Security Administration agents and other critical personnel.

“I was going over last night some of the gives that the White House had made that went above and beyond any initial offers that they put out there, and there’s a lot of stuff in there,” Thune said.

Among those concessions, Thune said, is a proposal to increase funding for body cameras for federal immigration enforcement officials from $20 million to $100 million. He also noted that the White House has предложed additional oversight measures, including audits by the inspector general to identify “noncompliance.”

“There’s a whole bunch of stuff that have been significant gives on the part of the White House,” Thune added.

Despite those offers, Thune criticized Democrats for prolonging the negotiations.

“But the Democrats seem intent on dragging out this political issue,” he said.

Thune also pointed to the 18-day gap between the White House’s last offer and the Democratic response as evidence of a lack of urgency.

“What they want to do is they want to defund law enforcement. They want to defund ICE, and they want to defund CBP,” he said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. We got to have a meaningful conversation where we sit down at the table and actually work these issues out,” Thune added.

“You can’t get there if you’re not sitting down at the table.”

Iranian President Refutes Trump Assassination Claims

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Is this the truth?

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says his country “never” plotted to assassinate President-elect Trump and affirmed that “we never will.”

Pezeshkian made the statement during an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt on Tuesday in Tehran. U.S. intelligence authorities had stated that Iran was exploring an attempt on Trump’s life prior to Election Day. 

“This is another one of those schemes that Israel and other countries are designing to promote Iranophobia. … Iran has never attempted to nor does it plan to assassinate anyone. At least as far as I know.”

“You’re saying there was never an Iranian plot to kill Donald Trump?” Holt asked.

“None whatsoever,” Pezeshkian replied. “We have never attempted this to begin with, and we never will.”

The statement comes as Trump’s incoming special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Ret. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, recently stated that the United States must return to the policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran.

“For the United States, a policy of maximum pressure must be reinstated, and it must be reinstated with the help of the rest of the globe, and that includes standing with the Iranian people and their aspirations for democracy,” Kellogg said.

In December, President-elect Donald Trump’s FBI director pick Kash Patel, was the target of an Iranian hacking plot.

Sources close to the matter informed CNN that the hackers successfully accessed some of Patel’s communications.

Hackers reportedly accessed some of Patel’s communications, according to one source. Patel, a former chief of staff to the defense secretary during Trump’s first term, has been a vocal critic of Iran and an advocate for aggressive measures against the regime.

While refraining from addressing the specifics of the incident, Trump transition spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer framed Patel’s leadership as integral to the incoming administration’s security policies.

“Kash Patel was a key part of the first Trump administration’s efforts against the terrorist Iranian regime and will implement President Trump’s policies to protect America from adversaries as the FBI Director,” Pfeiffer told the network.

Trump Admin. To Direct Agency Leaders To Brace For ‘Large-scale Reductions In Force’

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

The Trump administration will direct heads of agencies across the federal government to prepare to initiate “large-scale reductions in force” and develop reorganization plans by mid-March, Fox News reports. 

Fox News Digital obtained the memo that will be sent Wednesday to agency heads by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought and acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Charles Ezell. The memo directs them to prepare to eliminate roles and submit plans for reorganization by March 13. 

Notably, the memo states that government positions “necessary to meet law enforcement, border security, national security, immigration enforcement, or public safety responsibilities” are exempt from the order, as well as officials nominated and appointed to positions requiring presidential appointment or Senate confirmation, officials in the Executive Office of the President and U.S. Postal Service workers. 

The memo is titled “Guidance on agency RIF and Reorganization Plans Requested by Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Workforce Optimization Initiative.” 

Read:

The memo points to the president’s February executive order, which directed agencies to “eliminate waste, bloat and insularity” in order to “empower American families, workers, taxpayers, and our system of Government itself.” 

The memo provides guidance to agency heads about the reduction-in-force and reorganization plans, along with instructions for how those plans should be submitted to OMB and OPM. 

“President Trump required that ‘Agency Heads shall promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force, consistent with applicable law,’” the memo states, noting that agencies have to submit reorganization plans “no later than March 13, 2025.”

The reorganization plans, according to the memo, should provide “better service for the American people; increased productivity; a significant reduction in the number of full-time equivalent positions by eliminating positions that are not required; a reduced real property footprint; and reduced budget topline.” 

President Trump said during Wednesday’s White House Cabinet meeting that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin has floated cutting the agency’s workforce by up to 65 percent.

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

Attorney General Files Misconduct Complaint Against Anti-Trump Judge

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The Justice Department has filed an official complaint alleging misconduct by US District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg. 

The complaint, which was directed by AG Pam Bondi and reviewed by Fox News, was written by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle and addressed to the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Sri Srinivasan.

“The Department of Justice respectfully submits this complaint alleging misconduct by U.S. District Court Chief Judge James E. Boasberg for making improper public comments about President Donald J. Trump to the Chief Justice of the United States and other federal judges that have undermined the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary,” says Mr. Mizelle.

Judge Boasberg is presiding over a high-profile case involving the deportation of several migrants to El Salvador and has talked about holding DOJ lawyers in contempt because of his assertion that his order to turn airborne planes around was not followed. President Trump has also made critical comments about Judge Boasberg.

The complaint details two occasions on which Judge Boasberg made comments that the Justice Department alleges undermine the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.

“On March 11, 2025, Judge Boasberg attended a session of the Judicial Conference of the United States, which exists to discuss administrative matters like budgets, security, and facilities. While there, Judge Boasberg attempted to improperly influence Chief Justice Roberts and roughly two dozen other federal judges by straying from the traditional topics to express his belief that the Trump Administration would “disregard rulings of federal courts” and trigger “a constitutional crisis.” Although his comments would be inappropriate even if they had some basis, they were even worse because Judge Boasberg had no basis—the Trump Administration has always complied with all court orders. Nor did Judge Boasberg identify any purported violations of court orders to justify his unprecedented predictions.”

“Within days of those statements, Judge Boasberg began acting on his preconceived belief that the Trump Administration would not follow court orders. First, although he lacked authority to do so, he issued a temporary restraining order preventing the Government from removing violent Tren de Aragua terrorists, which the Supreme Court summarily vacated.

Taken together, Judge Boasberg’s words and deeds violate Canons of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges, and, erode public confidence in judicial neutrality, and warrant a formal investigation.” 

Federal Judge James Boasberg became a key figure in the fight over border security this year, after issuing a controversial temporary restraining order on March 15 that blocked President Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to speed up deportations of hundreds of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador.

Boasberg went so far as to demand that all flights bound for El Salvador be “immediately” returned to U.S. soil—an order that was not carried out. His emergency action set off a chain of legal challenges around the country, beginning with the March 15 case in his court, and eventually drew in the Supreme Court. The high court would later rule—twice—that the Trump administration’s expedited removals did not violate constitutional due process.

Despite these rulings, Boasberg and his handling of the matter have been sharply criticized by Trump administration officials, who say his order interfered with the executive branch’s authority to secure the border. President Trump himself suggested earlier this year that Boasberg could be impeached over his conduct, prompting Chief Justice John Roberts to issue a rare public statement.

The current complaint against Boasberg—originally appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush in 2002—comes just as he may once again play a decisive role in a major class-action case involving the same group of former CECOT migrants.

TikTok Signs Trump-Backed Deal With US Investors To Avert Ban

By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54581054338/, Public Domain,

TikTok has secured a last-minute lifeline.

The social media giant reached a binding agreement Thursday with a Trump-backed group of U.S. and global investors, restructuring its American operations in an effort to avoid a nationwide ban and remain available to its 170 million U.S. users.

Under the agreement with its Chinese parent ByteDance, the hugely popular social media app will shift control of its core U.S. operations to a newly created joint venture majority-owned by American investors.

TikTok’s U.S. business will be placed under a newly created company, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, majority-owned by American investors including Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX. ByteDance will retain a 19.9% stake — the maximum allowed under U.S. law.

The new entity will control sensitive areas like user data, algorithms, and content moderation, while ByteDance continues to handle advertising and e-commerce through separate units. Oracle will act as a trusted security partner, hosting U.S. data and monitoring compliance.

The move comes after years of mounting pressure from Washington. A 2024 bipartisan law forced ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations or face a ban, putting the platform on borrowed time after repeated deadline extensions.

Trump and other supporters argue the deal protects national security without wiping out one of the country’s most influential tech platforms. Critics remain skeptical, warning that ByteDance’s continued involvement could still pose risks.

At the heart of the TikTok debate is China.

ByteDance operates under Chinese laws that can force companies to turn over user data, intensifying fears in Washington that information on millions of Americans could — or may already — be in Beijing’s hands.

National security officials and lawmakers warn that such data could have military value, raising concerns about potential access by the Chinese Communist Party.

Mediaite continues:

The White House has confirmed that Oracle, co-founded by Trump ally Larry Ellison, will license a copy of TikTok’s powerful recommendation algorithm and expand its existing role managing the data of the app’s 170 million U.S. users. A potential ban was hinged on national security concerns.

In September, Trump said he had spoken directly with China’s leader, adding: “I had a very good talk with President Xi [Jinping]” and “he gave us the go ahead.” A month later, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declared that Washington and Beijing had “reached a final deal on TikTok.”

During his first term, Trump threatened to ban TikTok outright in 2020. Congress later passed legislation forcing a sale or shutdown over security fears, which former President Joe Biden signed into law in April 2024. The ban was due to take effect in January 2025, but was repeatedly delayed by Trump as negotiations continued.

Not everyone is on board, however. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) panned the deal in a post on BlueSky late Thursday: “First Paramount/CBS and now TikTok. Trump wants to hand over even more control of what you watch to his billionaire buddies. Americans deserve to know if the president struck another backdoor deal for this billionaire takeover of TikTok.”

If regulators sign off, the deal is expected to close by Jan. 22, 2026. TikTok says users shouldn’t notice any immediate changes — but scrutiny of the platform is far from over.

READ NEXT: Trump Immediately Suspends Controversial Program Following Shocking Incidents

Trump Floats Deploying National Guard To Help Fix Airport ‘Mess’

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President Donald Trump announced he is considering deploying the National Guard into America’s airports as he urged Americans to “blame Democrats” for the security “mess” at some travel hubs.

Taking to his Truth Social platform in the morning, Trump accused Democrats of cheering for “our Country to do badly” and “fail.”

He then thanked the “patriots” of ICE, and floated the possibility of sending in the National Guard “for more help.”

A little over an hour later, Trump doubled down, fawning over the agency for “helping people with bags, even picking up and cleaning areas.”

“I am so proud of our ICE Patriots!” he posted. “They were unfairly maligned by the Lunatic Democrats for years, and now, at the Airports, in addition to what they are supposed to be doing, they are helping people with bags, even picking up and cleaning areas. They are so proud to be there!”

He added: “The fact is, they shouldn’t have to do this, but they are rehabbing a fake image given to them by Radical Left Democrat politicians. The Public is loving ICE, so the Democrats, unwittingly, did us a favor — They are Great American Patriots, they just happen to have much larger, and harder, muscles than most — which is what they’re supposed to have. Thank you to ICE for the GREAT job you are doing. America very much appreciates it!”

The partial government shutdown affecting DHS funding and the TSA has been going on for over 40 days, with little end in sight. Lawmakers are scrambling to end the partial government shutdown ahead of a planned two-week recess as both Democrats and Republicans find fault with a compromise plan.

President Trump indicated earlier this week that he was open to funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) without new money for federal immigration enforcement.

As a result of the stalemate, some airports have been plagued with hours-long security lines and canceled flights.

President Donald Trump warned last week that he could deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to U.S. airports to arrest illegal immigrants if Democrats refuse to meet his budget demands to end the shutdown. Republicans have pushed for full Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding, while Democrats have advocated for narrower measures that would fund agencies like the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) without supporting immigration enforcement operations.

On Wednesday, George Soros-backed Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner threatened to arrest agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deployed to the city’s airport to help with security amid Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staffing shortages. 

“This is how it works. You commit crimes within the jurisdiction that is the city and county of Philadelphia, I prosecute you. That is how it works. No, I don’t take a phone call from president saying, ‘Let them go.’ No, the president cannot pardon you,” Krasner said during a Wednesday press conference.

“I’ll say it again. The president cannot pardon you. And yes, I will put you in handcuffs and I will put you in a courtroom and, if necessary, I will put you in a jail cell if you decide to make the terrazzo floor of this airport, anything like what you did in the streets of Minneapolis, which involved the criminal homicide of unarmed, innocent people. We are not having that,” he added.

Without directly commenting on Krasner’s remarks, the White House lambasted separate comments from Krasner as he stood in front of a “Wooder Ice” mural for a video message.

Backed by ominous music, Krasner said Philadelphians enjoy Water Ice because it “doesn’t break the law [nor] bother us at an airport.” The “Rapid Response 47” team called Krasner’s video “sick and deranged,” adding, “If you don’t like it, Larry, tell your fellow Democrats to fund DHS.”

Trump FBI Nominee Targeted By Iranian Hackers

Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Ramón Colón-López and the chief of staff to Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller, Kash Patel, arrive at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Jan. 14, 2021. (DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando)

President-elect Donald Trump’s FBI director pick, Kash Patel, was the target of an Iranian hacking plot.

Sources close to the matter informed CNN that the hackers successfully accessed some of Patel’s communications.

Hackers reportedly accessed some of Patel’s communications, according to one source. Patel, a former chief of staff to the defense secretary during Trump’s first term, has been a vocal critic of Iran and an advocate for aggressive measures against the regime.

While refraining from addressing the specifics of the incident, Trump transition spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer framed Patel’s leadership as integral to the incoming administration’s security policies.

“Kash Patel was a key part of the first Trump administration’s efforts against the terrorist Iranian regime and will implement President Trump’s policies to protect America from adversaries as the FBI Director,” Pfeiffer told the network.

Patel is only the latest to be targeted in the foreign hacking plot. Iranian and Chinese actors have reportedly ramped up efforts to infiltrate the communications of those close to the President-elect.

Last month, the FBI informed Todd Blanche, Trump’s lead attorney and nominee for deputy attorney general, that Chinese hackers had tapped his cellphone, sources confirmed. 

Trump Announces He Will Pardon Ex-Honduran President

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President Donald Trump announced Friday on Truth Social that he intends to grant a full pardon to former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who is currently serving a 45-year sentence in U.S. federal prison on drug trafficking and weapons charges.

Hernández, who led Honduras from 2014 to 2022, was arrested in Tegucigalpa in February 2022 following a U.S. extradition request. He was transferred to New York two months later to face charges that federal prosecutors said stemmed from years of cooperation with major drug cartels. Prosecutors accused him of turning Honduras into a “narco-state,” alleging that during his presidency he leveraged political power to help move more than 400 tons of cocaine toward the United States in exchange for millions of dollars in bribes. Among those he allegedly interacted with was notorious Mexican cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

A federal jury convicted Hernández in March 2024 on three counts related to drug-trafficking and firearms conspiracies. On June 26, 2024, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay an $8 million fine.

In his Friday post, Trump criticized the prosecution’s handling of the case and suggested Hernández had been treated more harshly than warranted. “I will be granting a Full and Complete Pardon to Former President Juan Orlando Hernandez who has been, according to many people that I greatly respect, treated very harshly and unfairly,” Trump wrote. “This cannot be allowed to happen, especially now, after Tito Asfura wins the Election, when Honduras will be on its way to Great Political and Financial Success.”

The message reflects Trump’s increasingly vocal support for Nasry “Tito” Asfura, the conservative National Party candidate in Honduras’ presidential election. Earlier this week, Trump used Truth Social to praise Asfura, writing that the two “can work together to fight the Narcocommunists, and bring needed aid to the people of Honduras.”

Trump’s Friday post escalated that endorsement further, urging Hondurans to “VOTE FOR TITO ASFURA FOR PRESIDENT, AND CONGRATULATIONS TO JUAN ORLANDO HERNANDEZ ON YOUR UPCOMING PARDON. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE HONDURAS GREAT AGAIN!”

He also warned that future U.S. assistance to Honduras could hinge on the election’s outcome, stating that if Asfura loses, “the United States will not be throwing good money after bad, because a wrong Leader can only bring catastrophic results to a country, no matter which country it is.”

Context: Trump’s Recent Use of the Pardon Power

The announcement comes amid renewed attention to Trump’s approach to pardons and commutations, which he has described as an important tool for correcting what he views as systemic unfairness in the U.S. justice system and in politically sensitive prosecutions. In recent months, Trump has signaled his willingness to revisit high-profile cases involving allies, military personnel, and others he says were treated wrongly by federal authorities.

During his first term, Trump issued several controversial pardons, including for former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, former adviser Roger Stone, and several U.S. military service members involved in war-related prosecutions. He also pardoned political figures such as former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and longtime conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza, citing prosecutorial excess in those cases.

More recently, Trump has publicly floated pardons for individuals prosecuted for actions related to border security and drug enforcement, arguing that some federal cases—particularly those involving international cooperation or politically volatile regions—deserve closer scrutiny.

Hernández’s case now appears to be the latest example of Trump’s willingness to intervene where he believes U.S. prosecutors overstepped or failed to account for broader geopolitical considerations.

A Sign of Trump’s Foreign Policy Priorities

Trump’s strong backing of Asfura and criticism of the U.S. prosecution of Hernández reflect his broader emphasis on building alliances with conservative governments in Latin America. Throughout his presidency and afterward, Trump has framed left-wing governments in the region as destabilizing forces aligned with organized crime, while praising leaders who adopt pro-business and anti-corruption platforms.

By tying Hernández’s pardon to Honduras’ political future, Trump is signaling that he views Asfura’s victory—and Honduras’ alignment with the United States—as strategically important.

Democrat Hits Musk With Graphic Insult In Viral Clip Before Facing Immediate Backlash

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Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D) caused a social media firestorm after telling Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk to “f— off” in the latest example of her public opposition to the newly formed agency.

“F— off,” Crockett told reporter Joe Gallina outside Capitol Hill on Tuesday when asked what she would tell Musk if she could tell him anything.

Crockett’s reaction immediately drew blowback from conservatives on social media, who took issue with the liberal firebrand’s tone.

“The face of the American left, ladies and gentlemen,” conservative account Johnny MAGA posted on X.

Many Democrats in Congress have been highly critical of Musk and DOGE, arguing that the billions in cuts the agency has announced are slashing important government resources and being done too quickly.

“DOGE is pretty cruel. Let’s be blunt about that,” Hawaii Democratic Gov. Josh Green said during a press conference last week with other Democratic governors. “These are people in our states that have worked long careers, very dedicated servants, and they’re getting kicked out of their lives.”

recent poll, amplified by Musk on social media, suggests that a majority of the American people support DOGE’s mission.

The Harvard CAPS-Harris poll revealed a majority of Americans support reducing wasteful government spending. Most voters agree there should be a government agency dedicated to efficiency and that DOGE is helping to make major spending cuts, the nonprobability-based poll found.