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Report: First Trump $1,000 ‘Self-deport’ Flight Conducted By DHS

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2

    The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has conducted its first charter flight for migrants who agreed to “self-deport.”

    The flight took 64 citizens of Colombia and Honduras to their home country.

    “This was a voluntary charter flight, not an ICE enforcement operation,” DHS said in a press release, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    “All participants were offered the same benefits as any illegal alien who self-deports using the CBP Home App. They received travel assistance, a $1,000 stipend, and preserved the possibility they could one day return to the United States legally.”

    Despite the early success of the deportation flights, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) cautioned people against taking the assistance, noting that some may not be able to return to the U.S. in the future.

    “AILA cautions individuals when reviewing the announcement to understand it is deceptive and gives people the impression there are no consequences, such as being barred from returning in the future. No one should accept this without first obtaining good legal advice from an immigration attorney or other qualified representative,” the group said when the move was first announced.

    “It is unethical for the government to tell people ‘Self-Deportation Is Safe’ but not explain the hardship and legal risks to them, especially for people who do not have an attorney and will not know their rights under the law.”

    DHS on Monday said those in the group “chose to return home the right way,” and in contrast with other media distributed by the agency, showed photos of smiling migrants descending from planes, welcomed by host country governments waiting with stuffed animals for children.

    They noted that in Honduras, returnees were also eligible for $100 in government assistance as well as food vouchers.

    DHS defended the massive undertaking in an interview with Fox News earlier this month, saying the self deportation flights will be 70% cheaper for American taxpayers, as it currently costs DHS, on average, over $17,000 to arrest, detain, and deport someone. DHS told Fox News that paying for aliens to remove themselves, even with the stipend, is anticipated to cost only around $4,500 on average. 

    The stipend would not be paid until it was verified that an individual self-deported. Aliens will use the CBP Home self-deportation app to access this assistance, and DHS expects self-removals, already in the thousands, to ramp up significantly with this announcement.

    According to a news release, those who use the CBP Home app to leave the U.S. will be “deprioritized for detention and removal” if they are actually taking steps to exit the country. 

    “If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News in a statement. 

    “DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App. This is the safest option for our law enforcement, aliens and is a 70% savings for US taxpayers. Download the CBP Home App TODAY and self-deport,” she continued. 

    Trump Acting Attorney Files Charges Against Lawmaker Involved In ICE Facility Raid

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    Image via Pixabay images

    Ouch…

    On Monday evening, acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced that her office had charged Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) in connection with the congresswoman’s visit to an ICE detention facility in Newark.

    McIver, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D) and Reps. Rob Menendez (D-NJ)and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) visited the center on May 9. Baraka was arrested on that day, and shortly afterward, Habba hailed his arrest. But on Monday, Habba announced she is dropping the charges against the mayor and will proceed with the prosecution of McIver, alleging the lawmaker “assaulted, impeded, and interfered with law enforcement.”

    On X, Habba wrote, “Today my office has charged Congresswoman McIver with violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111(a)(1) for assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement.” In a statement, she added:

    I take my obligations as U.S. Attorney seriously. I understand the responsibility that comes with my position, and I will work diligently to uphold the law and deliver justice to the people of New Jersey.

    After extensive consideration, we have agreed to dismiss Mayor Baraka’s misdemeanor charge of trespass for the sake of moving forward.

    In the spirit of public interest, I have invited the mayor to tour Delaney Hall. The government has nothing to hide at this facility, and I will personally accompany the mayor so he can see that firsthand.

    The citizens of New Jersey deserve unified leadership so we can get to work to keep our state safe.

    The dismissal against the mayor is not the end of this matter.

    Congressional oversight is an important constitutional function and one that I fully support. However, that is not at issue in this case.

    Representative LaMonica McIver assaulted, impeded, and interfered with law enforcement in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1 1 1 (a)(1). That conduct cannot be overlooked by the chief federal law enforcement official in the State of New Jersey, and it is my Constitutional obligation to ensure that our federal law enforcement is protected when executing their duties. I have persistently made efforts to address these issues without bringing criminal charges and have given Representative McIver every opportunity to come to a resolution, but she has unfortunately declined.

    No one is above the law — politicians or otherwise. It is the job of this office to uphold justice impartially, regardless of who you are. Now we will let the justice system work.

    McIver responded with her own statement:

    “Earlier this month, I joined my colleagues to inspect the treatment of ICE detainees at Delaney Hall in my district,” McIver said. “We were fulfilling our lawful oversight responsibilities, as members of Congress have done many times before, and our visit should have been peaceful and short. Instead, ICE agents created an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation when they chose to arrest Mayor Baraka.

    Last week, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) warned against repercussions for his fellow Democrat lawmakers who clashed with federal agents at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility at Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, last week after Trump’s border czar Tom Homan issued a warning to the lawmakers that charges could soon follow.

    During an exchange with Fox News reporter Chad Pergram, Jeffries repeatedly said “they’ll find out” when pressed what might happen if the House Democrats involved in the incident were to be arrested by federal authorities or get sanctioned.

    Trump Confirms Direct Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks To ‘Begin Immediately’

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    4
    Kremlin.ru, via Wikimedia Commons

    President Trump on Monday said that Russia and Ukraine will immediately begin negotiations on a ceasefire, following phone calls with the leaders of each country. He also noted the Vatican has offered to host the talks.

    The White House said Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for about two hours, after speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier in the day. 

    Trump has been pushing for a 30-day ceasefire in the war, and the White House said before Monday’s calls that he was frustrated with both sides.

    The president called for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine before entering office, and more than two months of direct diplomacy has failed to get Putin to agree to even basic terms. 

    The announcement of direct negotiations comes after Putin last week skipped appearing at direct talks in Turkey that he proposed. 

    On Monday, Trump described the tone and spirit of his conversation with Putin as “excellent.”  

    “If it wasn’t, I would say so now, rather than later,” he wrote in a post on his social media site, Truth Social.

    Trump said he agreed with Putin that “largescale TRADE” can happen between Russia and the U.S. “when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is ove

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

    Supreme Court Allows Trump Admin To Move Ahead With Ending Protected Status For Some Migrants

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

    On Monday, the Supreme Court lifted an injunction against the Trump administration, allowing it to move ahead with its plans to end protections for hundreds of thousands of migrants in the U.S.

    The decision is a victory for the Trump administration, allowing it to move forward with its plans to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections for hundreds of thousands of people who came to the U.S. through parole processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. 

    The TPS program provides legal status and work permits for these individuals.

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

    Biden Cancer Diagnosis Spurs White House Coverup Accusations

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    The news of former President Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis has sent shockwaves across America.

    Biden’s team announced Sunday that he’d been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had already metastasized to the bone, adding his family would examine suitable treatment for the “management” of the disease.

    The shocking news comes amid heightened scrutiny surrounding the Bidens potential coverup of former President Biden’s mental and physical decline while in office.

    On Monday, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) accused the Biden White House of a “political cover up” and lashed out at Biden’s then-White House doctor, though not by name, and accused the physician of having failed to deliver “world class care” to Biden and engaging in a “cover up.”

    President Donald Trump posted a message to his Truth Social app on Sunday from himself and First Lady Melania Trump expressing their sympathy and well-wishes for Biden, after it was announced that the former president is battling very serious prostate cancer.

    Trump Jr. likewise initially offered an expression of sympathy, by way of reposting a message on his account at X.

    Sharing a screenshot that included the message “Politics aside, we wish [President Biden] a speedy recover,” Trump Jr. commented “Agreed 100%.”

    In another post three hours later which also included a screenshot, Trump Jr. had a more critical take on the tragic news.

    His screenshot showed a message on the nature of Biden’s particular cancer, and calling into question the timeline of when Democrats, or at least the White House, knew about it.

    “What I want to know is how did Dr. Jill Biden miss stage five metastatic cancer or is this yet another coverup???” he said, with a sarcastic jab at former First Lady Jill Biden.

    The hosts of Fox & Friends were in disbelief Monday morning at Joe Biden’s advanced cancer diagnosis despite the “fantastic medical care” that he receives as a former president.

    “These are the types of things you look for when you get older,” Kilmeade added. “And very curious to see and somewhat discouraging to think someone could have this type of medical attention and have this get to this point.”

    Co-host Charles Hurt added: “Especially because it’s a fairly advanced form so much so that it has metastasized to a bone. And you would think that would give you a lot more time to catch it.”

    Later in the show, the curvy couch welcomed Fox News medical expert Dr. Marc Siegel, who echoed their surprise.

    “Really, really surprising that it’s this advanced at the time of diagnosis,” he said. “Now, you can miss prostate cancer but most of the time regular screening picks it up. A sitting president I would expect to have advanced screening should not be subject to debate what kind of screening.”

    Trump Breaks Silence On Biden’s Cancer Diagnosis

    By
    Patrick Houck
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    0
    The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    President Donald Trump expressed sympathy for former President Joe Biden following Sunday’s surprise announcement of Biden’s aggressive prostate cancer diagnosis. In a Truth Social post, Trump stated:

    “Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis. We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”

    Biden, 82, was diagnosed with a high-grade, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer that has metastasized to the bone. Biden and his family are currently reviewing treatment plans with his medical team.

    Trump’s message marks a notable moment of bipartisan compassion amid ongoing political tensions.

    In his first public statement following the diagnosis, Biden expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support, saying:

    “Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are the strongest in broken places.”

    The announcement has prompted a wave of bipartisan support, with messages of encouragement from various political figures, including Kamala Harris and Barack Obama.

    However, not all reactions have been as supportive. Donald Trump Jr. initially shared a message wishing President Biden a speedy recovery but later posted a controversial comment questioning how Dr. Jill Biden could have missed signs of advanced cancer, suggesting a possible cover-up. “What I want to know is how did Dr. Jill Biden miss stage five metastatic cancer—or is this yet another cover-up???” Trump Jr. wrote on X (formerly Twitter). His post was widely criticized for its accusatory tone and for failing to note that Jill Biden holds a doctorate in education, not medicine.

    According to Newsweek‘s reporting, the cancer presumably developed rapidly, despite Biden’s routine screenings intended to detect it early:

    A professor of oncology told Newsweek that Joe Biden would have been tested for prostate cancer while in office and it is likely his cancer developed rapidly.

    Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    Biden’s age and health were dominant concerns among voters during his time as president. The 82-year-old dismissed concerns about his mental acuity, but ultimately dropped his bid for a second term following a disastrous debate performance in June last year. He was replaced as the Democratic nominee by then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to President Donald Trump.

    Questions have been raised about the Biden administration and campaign’s transparency about Biden’s age and cognitive ability. An upcoming book alleges White House aides covered up Biden’s physical and mental decline. However, there is no current indication publicly available that Biden was diagnosed with prostate cancer during his tenure as president.

    …

    Biden’s office said the former president was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Friday, with the cancer cells having spread to the bone.

    Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Rejected By GOP-Led House Committee

    By
    Patrick Houck
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    4
    Ted Eytan from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

      Fiscal fractures within the GOP torpedo Trump-backed budget…

      President Trump’s 2025 budget proposal — branded the “Big Beautiful Bill” — was dealt a devastating blow on Friday when the House Budget Committee voted it down in a 16–21 decision. All Democrats opposed it, but the decisive factor was a group of Republicans who broke ranks, citing concerns about federal debt and spending.

      The Proposal: Sweeping Trump Agenda, Big Price Tag

      The bill laid out a sweeping fiscal roadmap aligned with Trump’s priorities for a transformative second term: deep tax cuts, uncompromising immigration enforcement, increased defense spending, and accelerated domestic energy production. But its projected $2.5 trillion increase to the federal deficit over the next decade drew fire — even from within the GOP.

      Just days before the vote, a nonpartisan budget analysis warned that the proposal would exacerbate the national debt, which already exceeds $36 trillion. As Fox News reports, that forecast gave fiscal conservatives new ammunition to push back ahead of today’s committee meeting:

      The committee met on Friday to mark up and debate the bill, a massive piece of legislation that’s a product of 11 different House committees’ individual efforts to craft policy under their jurisdictions. The result is a wide-ranging bill that advances Trump’s priorities on the border, immigration, taxes, energy, defense and raising the debt limit.

      Emotions ran high in the hallway outside the House Budget Committee’s meeting room from the outset, however, giving the media little indication of how events would transpire.

      Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, who had been at home with his wife and newborn baby, surprised reporters when he arrived at the Cannon House Office Building after he was initially expected to miss the committee meeting.

      His appearance gave House GOP leaders some added wiggle room, allowing the committee to lose two Republican votes and still pass the bill, rather than just one.

      Office of Speaker Mike Johnson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

      In the end, five Republican committee members voted against the bill:

      • Chip Roy (Texas)
      • Andrew Clyde (Georgia)
      • Lloyd Smucker (Pennsylvania)
      • Josh Brecheen (Oklahoma)
      • Ralph Norman (South Carolina)

      Smucker, who initially supported the measure, reversed his position and voted “no” at the last minute — adding insult to injury for supporters of the president’s agenda.

      The vote underscores a growing tension within the Republican Party: Are Trump’s populist, big-ticket proposals increasingly at odds with traditional conservative budget hawks who prioritize fiscal restraint? Only time will tell.

      Report: Melania Trump Statue In Slovenia Sawed Off, Stolen

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      0
      By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54426560683/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=163105965

      Police in Slovenia are investigating the disappearance of a bronze statue of U.S. first lady Melania Trump.

      The life-size sculpture was unveiled in 2020 during President Donald Trump’s first term in office near Sevnica in central Slovenia, where Melania Knavs was born in 1970. It replaced a wooden statue that had been set on fire earlier that year.

      According to Slovenian media reports, the bronze replica was sawed off at the ankles and removed.

      The original wooden statue was torched in July 2020. The rustic figure was cut from the trunk of a linden tree, showing her in a pale blue dress like the one she wore at Trump’s presidential inauguration in 2017.

      The replica bronze statue has no obvious resemblance to the first lady.

      Secret Service Investigating Former FBI Director Over Alleged ‘Assassination’ Threat

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      1

      A former FBI official is being investigated over his alleged threats against President Trump.

      Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem accused former FBI Director James Comey of calling for President Trump’s “assassination,” saying federal law enforcement authorities are now investigating the “threat.”

      “Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump,” Noem wrote on the social platform X on Thursday evening.

      “DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately,” she added.

      Comey, a longtime critic of Trump’s, posted a photo earlier Thursday on Instagram of seashells on a beach arranged to form the numbers “8647.” The post garnered significant blowback from much of Trump’s base, with many understanding the numbers to be a call for violence against the 47th president, Trump. Others suggested the “86” could be calling for the president to be impeached or removed from office.

      Image via Wikimedia Commons

      Comey removed the photo Thursday evening and clarified in a new post that he did not intend to call for violence and didn’t realize his message would be interpreted that way.

      “I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message,” Comey wrote on Instagram.

      “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,” he continued. “It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”

      In a statement to The Hill, a spokesperson for the Secret Service said the agency “vigorously investigates anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees.”

      “We take this responsibility very seriously and we are aware of the social media posts in question,” the spokesperson continued. “Beyond that, we do not comment on protective intelligence matters.”

      FBI Director Kash Patel also weighed in on the matter in a post Thursday.

      “We are aware of the recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump,” Patel wrote on X.

      “We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support,” he continued.

      Former Biden Officials Offer Rare Praise For Trump Middle East Accomplishments

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
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        1
        President Donald Trump participates in a welcome ceremony with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud at the Royal Court Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

        Former top officials in the Biden administration admitted they were impressed by President Donald Trump’s bold moves this week during his historic tour in the Middle East.

        Trump’s visit to the Middle East is his first major overseas trip since retaking office. The White House said he aimed to strengthen strategic partnerships in the region for stability and economic prosperity with the visit.

        Trump announced on Tuesday he would be lifting U.S. sanctions on Syria, before meeting with Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Wednesday, becoming the first U.S. president to meet with a Syrian president in 25 years.

        He also secured a $600 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia to invest in the U.S., and agreed to sell Saudi Arabia an arms package worth nearly $142 billion

        “Gosh, I wish I could work for an administration that could move that quickly,” one official admitted.

        “It’s hard not to be simultaneously terrified at the thought of the damage he can cause with such power, and awed by his willingness to brazenly shatter so many harmful taboos,” Rob Malley, former special envoy to Iran under Biden, also said.

        “He does all this, and it’s kind of silence, it’s met with a shrug,” Ned Price, a former State Department spokesperson in the Biden administration, added. “He has the ability to do things politically that previous presidents did not, because he has complete unquestioned authority over the Republican caucus.”

        Trump said Tuesday during a speech in Saudi Arabia that he was dropping U.S. sanctions on Syria, implemented under ousted President Bashar al-Assad, “in order to give them a chance at greatness.”

        “In Syria, they’ve had their share of travesty, war, killing many years. That’s why my administration has already taken the first steps toward restoring normal relations between the United States and Syria for the first time in more than a decade,” Trump said.

        Former Obama administration officials Tommy Vietor and Ben Rhodes hailed the move on their “Pod Save the World” podcast Wednesday.

        “It’s a very big deal,” Vietor said. “So I think Trump deserves a lot of credit for this decision. It was politically difficult… but it’s unequivocally the right thing to do.”

        “It’s so clearly the right decision,” Rhodes agreed. “I don’t know why Joe Biden didn’t do this.”

        “I don’t like Trump’s motivations for lots of things he does,” Rhodes added. “But one thing you will say is he’s not tied to this constant fear of some bad-faith right-wing attacks or stupid Blob-type, ‘we don’t do this, we must leverage the sanctions for blah blah blah.’ No! Sometimes you just have to try something different.”

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