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Trump Secures Release Of American Ballerina In Prisoner Swap With Russia

By
Madeleine Jackson
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0
(Miami - Flórida, 09/03/2020) Presidente da República Jair Bolsonaro durante encontro com o Senador Marco Rubio..Foto: Alan Santos/PR

The Trump Administration has reportedly secured the release of another American being held prisoner in Russia.

On Thursday morning, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the release of American ballerina Ksenia Karelina.

Moscow released Karelina in exchange for German-Russian citizen Arthur Petrov, who was arrested in 2023 in Cyprus at the request of the U.S. on charges of exporting sensitive microelectronics, the Wall Street Journal reported.

“American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States. She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release. @POTUS will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans,” Rubio wrote on X.

Karelina was sentenced to 12 years in a Russian penal colony after pleading guilty to treason for donating $51.80 to a Ukrainian charity in early 2024.

She was initially detained for “petty hooliganism” while visiting family in Russia in February 2024, but the charge was later upgraded to treason after accusations that she was acting as an American spy.

Russian authorities claimed that Karelina, who lived in Los Angeles, raised money for the Ukrainian army and took part in “public actions” that supported Ukraine while in the U.S. 

Her boyfriend, boxer Chis Van Deerden, told Fox News Digital last year that she was “proud to be Russian, and she doesn’t watch the news. She doesn’t intervene with anything about the war.”

She is the latest American prisoner detained in another country to be freed under President Donald Trump’s administration. In February, Trump brought American history teacher Marc Fogel, who had been detained in Russia since 2021, back to the U.S.

In March, the Taliban agreed to release American prisoner Faye Hall after President Donald Trump removed multimillion-dollar bounties on senior members of the militant group, according to a report by the Telegraph.

The White House shared a video on X of Hall thanking the president.

“I’m glad you’re the President, and thank you for bringing me home,” Hall said. “I have never been so proud to be an American citizen. Thank you, Mr. President.”

In a response posted to Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Thank you Faye — So honored with your words!”

Musk Accuses Senate Dem Leader Of Profiting From Government Fraud

By
Madeleine Jackson
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12
Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer attend medal ceremony via Wikimedia Commons

Elon Musk accused Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer of somehow profiting off of government fraud in an explosive new insult.

“Chuck, I’m starting to think you’re getting a piece of the action with the government fraud. But no, that couldn’t possibly be the reason, could it?” Musk posted early Tuesday morning.

Musk, who has been leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort to expose waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government, made the comment in response to a Monday X post in which Schumer accused DOGE of “sabotaging” Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — the post reflected sentiments Schumer had conveyed during a Senate speech.

Schumer fired back in response to Musk’s suggestion he could be benefiting from government fraud.

“Another Elon lie. He wants you to think anyone who dares to stand up to him is committing fraud, meanwhile he’s taking tens of billions from the government,” Schumer declared in a post on Tuesday.

Early Tuesday morning, Musk fired off a response to a post in which Schumer suggested that Musk is slashing Social Security benefits.

“Make no mistake: What Elon Musk is doing at Social Security is cutting benefits,” Schumer said in a post on Monday, which echoed his speech. 

“The intern running Schumer’s social media account is lying,” Musk shot back Tuesday on X.

During the speech, Schumer claimed that “Elon Musk is cutting Social Security benefits.”

“When offices close down, when websites crash, when phone lines shut off, that’s no different than cutting benefits,” Schumer said.

Trump Announces Pause On Tariffs, Except For China

By
Madeleine Jackson
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0
Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

On Wednesday, President Trump raised tariffs on China to 125 percent and implemented a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs against all other trading partners, causing a major surge in the markets.

“At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable,” Trump posted on his Truth Social media platform.

Trump’s decision to pause the higher reciprocal tariffs that he announced last week, which hit about 60 countries on Wednesday morning, caused an immediate market surge.

Moments after his social media post, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising by 2,000 points after days of major losses on Wall Street.

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

New Study Suggests Majority Of Liberals Somewhat Justify Assassinating Trump And Elon Musk

    By
    Patrick Houck
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    4

    A recent study by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) has revealed a concerning trend: a significant portion of left-leaning Americans believe that political violence, including assassination, is justifiable against figures such as President Donald Trump and the de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk. The study surveyed over 1,200 U.S. adults and found that 38% of respondents felt that assassinating Trump would be at least “somewhat justified,” with this figure rising to 55% among those identifying as left-leaning. Similarly, 31% of overall participants, and 48% of left-leaning individuals, expressed some level of justification for assassinating Musk.

    This data suggests a troubling normalization of violent political rhetoric within certain segments of the population. The NCRI report highlights that this shift has been particularly pronounced following the December 2024 assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, allegedly by Luigi Mangione. Mangione’s actions have been glamorized in various online communities, leading to a proliferation of memes and discussions that endorse political violence.

    Screenshot via X [Credit: @amuse]

    Iconography of Luigi Mangione portrays him as a saintly figure. Nationwide demonstrations against the Trump administration over the weekend also featured a life-sized guillotine display and calls to depose—that is violently overthrow—the president. (RELATED: The Coordinated Attack on Conservatives: A RICO Case In The Making)

    “What was formerly taboo culturally has become acceptable,” Joel Finkelstein, lead author of the report, said, as reported by the New York Post. “We are seeing a clear shift — glorification, increased attempts and changing norms — all converging into what we define as ‘assassination culture.’”

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    The NCRI study traces the cultural shift back to the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, allegedly by Luigi Mangione, in December 2024. What followed, researchers say, was a viral wave of memes that turned Mangione into a folk hero.

    Screenshot via X [Credit: @MrAndyNgo]

    According to the study, these memes have sparked copycat behavior targeting other figures associated with wealth and conservative politics.

    “It’s not just Luigi anymore,” Finkelstein said. “We’re seeing an expansion: Trump, Musk and others are now being openly discussed as legitimate targets, often cloaked in meme culture and gamified online dialogue.”

    A ballot measure in California, darkly named the Luigi Mangione Access to Health Care Act, is just one real-world outgrowth of this online movement.

    Screenshot via X [Credit: Elon Musk]

    The study also points to platforms like BlueSky, favored by progressive users, as amplifiers of extremist ideation. These platforms have become hubs for content that glorifies political violence, contributing to the spread of what researchers term “assassination culture.”

    Researchers warn that the increasing acceptance of such rhetoric is not confined to fringe groups but is becoming more mainstream, leading to real-world consequences. They emphasize the need for strong leadership to reassert moral norms and curb the escalation of violent political discourse.

    They underscore the urgent need for a societal dialogue on the implications of normalizing political violence and the importance of fostering a political environment where disagreements are addressed through democratic means rather than through threats or acts of violence.

    Judge Orders Trump White House To Restore AP Access

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      2

      On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, an appointee of President Trump, directed the White House to resume allowing the AP into the Oval Office, Air Force One and other limited spaces when they’re made available to other press pool members.

      He also granted the AP’s request for access to events open to all credentialed White House reporters, though he listed several caveats.

      “This injunction does not limit the various permissible reasons the Government may have for excluding journalists from limited-access events. It does not mandate that all eligible journalists, or indeed any journalists at all, be given access to the President or nonpublic government spaces. It does not prohibit government officials from freely choosing which journalists to sit down with for interviews or which ones’ questions they answer. And it certainly does not prevent senior officials from publicly expressing their own views,” McFadden wrote.

      “No, the Court simply holds that under the First Amendment, if the Government opens its doors to some journalists—be it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhere—it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints,” he wrote. “The Constitution requires no less.”

      After his initial ruling, the judge paused the order from going into effect until April 13, to give the Trump administration time to appeal.

      Scores of news organizations use the AP Stylebook for guidance on spelling, grammar and how to refer to certain people and places, to help ensure such references are widely understood in the U.S. and globally.

      Charles Tobin, a lawyer for the AP, said during a hearing last month that the news organization was in the “penalty box” for crossing Trump, which he called “abject retaliation.”

      “The White House hasn’t hidden that,” Tobin said. “They’ve doubled down.”

      Scores of news organizations use the AP Stylebook for guidance on spelling, grammar and how to refer to certain people and places, to help ensure such references are widely understood in the U.S. and globally.

      Charles Tobin, a lawyer for the AP, said during a hearing last month that the news organization was in the “penalty box” for crossing Trump, which he called “abject retaliation.”

      “The White House hasn’t hidden that,” Tobin said. “They’ve doubled down.”

      AP spokesperson Lauren Easton said the decision affirms the fundamental right to “speak freely without government retaliation.”

      “This is a freedom guaranteed for all Americans in the U.S. Constitution,” she said. “We look forward to continuing to provide factual, nonpartisan and independent coverage of the White House for billions of people around the world.”

      Elon Musk Torches Trump Trade Advisor Peter Navarro

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      0

      Tensions are running high…

      SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk sparred on social media Tuesday with White House Senior Counselor Peter Navarro, after he made comments about the DOGE adviser during an interview with CNBC.

      “Tesla has the most American-made cars. Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks,” Musk said in an X post on Tuesday. 

      “Navarro is truly a moron,” Musk said in a separate post. “What he says here is demonstrably false.” 

      “Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks,” Musk added, writing later, “By any definition whatsoever, Tesla is the most vertically integrated auto manufacturer in America with the highest percentage of US content. Navarro should ask the fake expert he invented, Ron Vara.”

      Both Navarro and Musk are two of Trump’s closest advisors, and Navarro previously served in Trump’s first administration as the director of the White House National Trade Council and the director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy. 

      Musk is currently spearheading the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative to curb government waste and spending as a “special government employee.” 

      The executive or legislative branches are permitted to take on temporary employees to address short-term projects for up to 130 days in a single 365-day period, which will expire at the end of May for Musk. 

      Navarro told CNBC in an interview Monday that Musk is a “car person” who wants “cheap, foreign parts.” 

      “When it comes to tariffs and trade, we all understand in the White House, and the American people understand, that Elon is a car manufacturer, but he’s not a car manufacturer,” Navarro said. “He’s a car assembler.” 

      The tension between the two advisors comes days after the Trump administration unveiled a host of tariffs.

      The White House dismissed concerns about the expletive-laden fighting between tech billionaire Elon Musk and White House trade advisor Peter Navarro over tariffs, calling it an example of transparency from the Trump administration.

      “These are obviously two individuals who have very different views on trade and tariffs. Boys will be boys, and we will let their public sparring continue,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during Tuesday’s briefing with reporters. “You guys should all be very grateful that we have the most transparent administration in history.”

      Leavitt suggested the back-and-forth between Musk and Navarro show Trump’s “willingness to hear from all sides.”

      “That he has people at the highest levels of this government, in this White House, who have very diverse opinions on very diverse issues,” she said. “But the president takes all opinions in mind, and then he makes the best decision based on the best interests of the American public.”

      Report: Supreme Court Gives Trump Green-light To Axe Some Probationary Workers

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      0
      Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

      Just in…

      On Tuesday, the Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration by enabling officials to fire thousands of federal workers in their probationary period, saying the government employee unions that sued don’t have legal standing. 

      The emergency ruling, for now, lifts one of two lower court orders reversing the mass terminations. The other injunction, which has not yet reached the high court, remains in effect and still protects many employees’ jobs. 

      Read:

      24a904-orderDownload

      “The District Court’s injunction was based solely on the allegations of the nine non-profit-organization plaintiffs in this case. But under established law, those allegations are presently insufficient to support the organizations’ standing,” the court wrote in its unsigned ruling. 

      Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, both members of the court’s liberal wing, publicly dissented. 

      Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have sought to rapidly reshape the federal bureaucracy, sparking dozens of lawsuits across the country.

      Democrat-led states, government unions and individual employees have filed several lawsuits alleging the administration did not follow the proper procedures for firing probationary employees

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

      Sununu Declines To Run For New Hampshire Senate Seat

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      0
      Photo of Chris Sununu via Gage Skidmore Flckr

      It’s official…

      On Tuesday, former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said he will not run for Senate in 2026.

      Sununu, who served as governor for four two-year terms before not seeking reelection in November, announced his decision in an interview with local news outlet the Pulse of New Hampshire.

      “I’m not going to run,” Sununu said, according to NH Journal. “I really thought about it. I actually talked to the White House this morning. I talked to Tim Scott. Thanked him for all their support and confidence and all that. But I don’t have to be the candidate, and I’m not going to be the candidate.”

      Speculation that Sununu may run was further stoked on Sunday after President Trump said that he met with Sununu in the Oval Office and declared his support for his potential candidacy. Trump said he hoped that Sununu would run and expected that he would win. 

      On the Democrat side, Rep. Chris Pappas announced his candidacy for the seat on Thursday after a listening tour in which he traveled to all 10 of the state’s counties as he considered running. 

      Former Sen. Scott Brown, a Republican who represented Massachusetts in the Senate from 2010 to 2013, recently announced his candidacy for Senate.

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

      IRS, DHS Reach Game-Changing Agreement For Trump Immigration Agenda

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      1
      Illegal Immigration in the United State via Wikimedia Commons

      History in the making…

      The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have reportedly come to an agreement to allow ICE to access taxpayer information to locate illegal immigrants subject to deportation.

      According to Fox News, the Trump administration filed a memorandum of understanding late Monday with a court to create guardrails and a process for ICE requests to the IRS to further investigations of criminal illegal immigrants who have failed or refuse to leave the United States 90 days after a judge has issued a final order of removal. 

      “The Internal Revenue Service and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement have entered into a memorandum of understanding to establish a clear and secure process to support law enforcement’s efforts to combat illegal immigration,” a Treasury Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

      “The bases for this MOU are founded in longstanding authorities granted by Congress, which serve to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans while streamlining the ability to pursue criminals,” the statement said. “After four years of Joe Biden flooding the nation with illegal aliens, President Trump’s highest priority is to ensure the safety of the American people.”

      A senior Treasury Department official said the illegal immigrants have been given due process but have overstayed 90 days post a judge’s removal order. 

      The MOU outlines a process to ensure that sensitive taxpayer data information is protected while allowing law enforcement to pursue criminal violations, the official said. 

      A draft agreement reported last month by the Washington Post said it would limit ICE to confirm the addresses of illegal immigrants who have final removal orders.

      The deal would allow ICE to submit the names and addresses of illegal immigrants to the IRS, who could then cross-check those immigrants’ tax records and provide the immigration agency with current address information.

      The significant step forward comes amid the Trump Administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

      On Monday, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily paused a lower court’s order requiring the Trump administration to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador. This pause delays the midnight deadline previously set for Abrego Garcia’s return.

      U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis had earlier mandated the administration to “facilitate and effectuate” Abrego Garcia’s return by midnight, emphasizing that his deportation was an “administrative error.” The Department of Justice (DOJ) acknowledged the mistake but argued that the court’s injunction was “patently unlawful,” asserting that the government lacks the authority to retrieve him from El Salvador.

      Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks Order For Trump Admin To Return Wrongfully Deported Immigrant

      By
      admin
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      1
      Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

      Chief Justice John Roberts has temporarily paused a lower court’s order requiring the Trump administration to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador. This pause delays the midnight deadline previously set for Abrego Garcia’s return.

      U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis had earlier mandated the administration to “facilitate and effectuate” Abrego Garcia’s return by midnight, emphasizing that his deportation was an “administrative error.” The Department of Justice (DOJ) acknowledged the mistake but argued that the court’s injunction was “patently unlawful,” asserting that the government lacks the authority to retrieve him from El Salvador.

      Abrego Garcia, 29, had been residing legally in the U.S. with authorization from the Department of Homeland Security and has no criminal record. An immigration judge had previously ruled in 2019 that he should not be deported due to the likelihood of facing persecution by gangs in El Salvador. Despite this, he was detained and deported last month.

      U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/us_icegov/54295293536/in/photostream/, Creative Commons Attribution-Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal (CC BY-NC-SA 1.0)

      The Hill reports:

      Roberts agreed to hold the deadline until the high court can resolve the Trump administration’s emergency request to wipe it completely.  The chief justice set a fast briefing schedule for the request, ordering the plaintiffs to respond by Tuesday afternoon.

      Monday’s “administrative stay” does not address the underlying merits of the dispute and is not necessarily an indication of how the court will rule.

      The Trump administration has acknowledged an “administrative error” that mistakenly removed Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who resides in Maryland, despite an immigration judge’s 2019 ruling protecting him from being deported to El Salvador over fears of violence. 

      Abrego Garcia was one of hundreds of migrants deported to a notorious Salvadoran prison last month. The administration has accused him of being connected to MS-13 based on a report from a confidential informant, but Abrego Garcia’s family rejects that he has any gang ties.

      Casa Presidencial El Salvador, Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotospresidencia_sv/, Creative Commons Attribution-Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal (CC BY-NC-SA 1.0)

      DOJ asserts that it cannot return Abrego Garcia to Maryland now that he is under the supervision of Salvadoran authorities.

      The administration has linked Abrego Garcia to the MS-13 gang, a claim that has been contested due to a lack of supporting evidence. The case has drawn significant attention, highlighting tensions between judicial authority and executive actions in immigration enforcement.

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