There is never a shortage of stories, but the real news is getting ignored.

There is a machine that runs on your attention. It does not care whether the story is true, false, tragic, or ridiculous. It only cares that you keep watching. Call it the Distraction Industrial Complex. It manufactures just enough outrage, just enough curiosity, just enough moral theater to keep Christian and conservative eyes locked on the secondary fight while the primary one is lost.

These stories are not always unimportant. Some of them are genuinely interesting. Some even touch real principles. That is the point. The machine feeds you material that feels urgent enough to argue about, share about, and lose sleep over. Then it moves on. The foundation keeps cracking.

Look at the WNBA. The league has spent years amplifying a pro-trans ideology that pretends biology is optional. Players and coaches wear the shirts. Statements lean hard into “inclusion.” The definition of woman is treated as a conversation rather than a fact.

Then one of the league’s stars, Sophie Cunningham, says she wants to protect women’s sports by not supporting men playing in them. The demons pounce. Soon after, a 6-foot-10 former NBA player named Enes Kanter Freedom calls the bluff. He declares himself eligible for the 2027 draft under the same self-identification logic the league has refused to close. He shows up courtside in a shirt that simply reads “WOMAN noun. adult human female.” He gets ejected after a confrontation.

The league and its allies treat him as the problem. The war against women is real. The hypocrisy is thicker than the paint on the three-point line. And still, the entire spectacle functions as premium-grade distraction. It keeps the cultural oxygen flowing toward one more gender skirmish while deeper cultural and spiritual failures continue unchallenged. Popular right-leaning outlets like OutKick and the New York Post have covered the absurdity extensively in real time, and pretty much every conservative outlet has at least mentioned it.

The coverage is necessary. The fixation is not.

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Hormuz Commercial Traffic Surges

Shortly after President Trump declared the Strait of Hormuz “an American territory” on Friday evening, the New York Post published a new report citing UK Maritime Trade Operations data showing that commercial traffic through the critical waterway has rebounded sharply as more vessels use a US-backed route along Oman’s coast. This suggests that the US military presence and offensive operations in the region have degraded Tehran’s ability to fully control the waterway.

Nearly 200 ships navigated the strait last week, up from about 150 the previous week and just 40 two weeks earlier, according to UKMTO data. Traffic has recovered to roughly 20% of prewar levels, when the waterway carried about one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil.

“It increasingly looks like Iran has at least partially lost control of the strait,” Homayoun Falakshahi, head of crude oil analysis at Kpler, told CNN.

“The Oman route absolutely makes the most sense,” added Dan Pickering, founder of Pickering Energy Partners, noting that it allows vessels to avoid the possibility of paying a toll to Tehran.

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House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer says Democrats have a pecuniary interest in keeping foreign aid going because nonprofit recipients of federal largesse are big Democrat donors.

Ahalf billion dollar fraud and bribery scheme conducted by a USAID contract officer and three conspirators that went undetected for a decade. American-bought equipment stolen by a terror group. Millions of dollars in food that spoiled in warehouses. These are but a few of the wasteful — if not corrupt ways — millions of USAID dollars have been lost.

While President Donald Trump has sharply cut foreign aid from the auspices of USAID and shifted what remains to the State Department, the massive abuse of America’s generosity to foreign countries over a decade of Obama-Biden governance is coming into clearer focus.

A Just the News review of audits and investigations of the USAID and State Department inspectors general over the last year chronicles billions of dollars lost, stolen, defrauded, or wasted because of mismanagement or years of neglect.

In many cases, tax money was given away without regard to whether the recipients could responsibly spend it or could keep it out of the hands of terrorists or other enemies, the audits show.

For instance, the USAID inspector general recently revealed that the federal government kept funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) despite evidence that 101 of its employees or associates had ties to terror groups like Hamas, including:

•  A deputy school principal serving as an al-Qassam deputy company commander in the Ain Gallout/5th infantry battalion.
• A deputy school principal serving as squad leader for the Khan Younis Brigade/2nd infantry battalion.
• A teacher serving as squad leader in Hamas’ military security department/intelligence unit who tracked assignment of explosive devices.
• A teacher serving as a platoon commander of the Central Brigade/Al Quds 2nd Battalion.
• A math & computer teacher with ties to an al-Qassam intelligence squad.
• A teacher with expertise as a sniper for Hamas.
• A teacher and Hamas soldier with orders to bring two anti-tank missiles to a prescribed location during the October 7 terror attacks
• A school principal who served as an operative of the Hamas East Jabaliya Battalion, and coordinated communications with other suspected Hamas members during the October 7, 2023 atrocities committed against Israel

Similarly, the same USAID watchdog revealed that the Yemen-based terror Ansar Allah — also known as the Houthis—walked away with about $122,000 worth of U.S. government-funded equipment from a USAID-funded aid organization.

$17 million of the $21 million of food aid stored in warehouses was not distributed to emergency food providers. Some good-intentioned aid also was wasted by bad management and logistics, the audits show.

For instance, about $17 million of the $21 million of food aid stored in Djibouti warehouses was not distributed to emergency food providers.

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One of the reasons why the federal government is 40 trillion dollars in debt is because there is an almost unbelievable amount of fraud in our system. When we talk about crime in America, most of the time we focus on the violent thugs terrorizing our streets, but the truth is that they are small-time criminals.

The big-time criminals are those that are raking in millions of dollars by stealing from the government. Medicare and Medicaid are considered to be the two largest victims. It has been estimated that Medicare fraud costs U.S. taxpayers up to $80 billion a year, and it has been estimated that Medicaid fraud costs U.S. taxpayers up to $100 billion a year. We are hemorrhaging money like crazy because of all of this fraud, and there is no end in sight.

The worst fraud occurs in major urban areas in blue states.

Everyone knows this.

The Democrats that are in power in these areas are very hesitant to crack down on the fraud, because they would literally be cracking down on the people that voted them into office.

California is a perfect example.

The state is being accused of losing $180 billion to fraud over the years, and California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office vigorously disputes that figure.

But as you will see below, the facts clearly show that there has been a tremendous amount of fraud going on.

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• Why should Egypt be searching for a formula that would facilitate Hamas’s return to Palestinian politics? Should Egypt and the rest of the international community not instead be demanding that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad surrender their weapons, dismantle their military structures, and disappear from Palestinian political life?
• This new Palestinian “unity” alliance being planned would mean that instead of producing new and moderate Palestinian leaders, the election could result in a parliament in which Hamas, PIJ, and other rejectionist groups become major political power brokers and representatives of the Palestinians.
• Is this really what Washington and its Western allies want? Are Western governments once again entertaining the fantasy that Islamist terrorist organizations can be transformed into legitimate political parties?
• Hamas members can remove their military uniforms and put on suits. PIJ operatives can replace their rifles with election posters. They can talk about democracy, elections, and political partnership. None of that necessarily changes what they plan.
• A “Western-driven disaster” could be developing in which accountability for Hamas is replaced by efforts to rescue the organization politically. “Hamas must never again be trusted with Palestinian politics. It should face the kind of post-defeat reckoning that Nazi Germany faced after World War Two or that the Baathist regimes of Iraq and Syria faced after their collapse. Why would a defeated terror organization that inflicted immense damage on its own people, its neighbors, and the entire region be offered an exit strategy or a political off-ramp? What possible campaign promise could Hamas present that makes it worthy of consideration in Palestinian elections? More war and jihad (holy war)? More governance failures? More corruption and theft of aid? Hamas is a spent force, a used and discarded object, a wrecked entity that cannot be repaired or repurposed.” — Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a Palestinian-American analyst from Gaza, X. August 21, 2026.
• “Western governments, elites, and observers continue to display remarkable naivete about the Middle East, Arab political culture, and ideologically driven movements. Democracy is not simply voting at a booth. It is the creation of a democratic tradition, a free society, an open media environment, and a civic ethos that is not driven by ideology, religion, or extremism. The United States, under a Republican administration twenty years ago, made a grave mistake by insisting on elections that included Hamas. Will the Trump administration repeat the same error once again?” — Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, X, August 21, 2026.
• The problem with the Western approach then was the assumption that participation in elections would moderate Hamas. Instead, Hamas used elections to gain legitimacy and power while retaining its weapons, ideology, and terrorist infrastructure.
• There is no reason to believe that things would be different now. Hamas and PIJ might even accept cleverly-worded conditions to enable them to participate. They might go as far as saying they accept a Palestinian state alongside Israel. They will say whatever is necessary to get through the political door.
• The real questions should be simpler: Will Hamas, PIJ and other Palestinian terrorist organizations recognize Israel’s right to exist? Will they renounce terrorism? Will they surrender all their weapons? Will they dismantle their military wings? Will they abandon jihad as a means of eliminating Israel?
• Unless the answer to all these questions is unequivocally yes, terrorists should have no role in elections, government, or Palestinian decision-making.
• After October 7, 2023, the international community should be discussing how to remove Hamas and PIJ from Palestinian political and military life – not how to help them have seats in parliament.

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The Girl Scouts’ faith materials identify the Islamic Committee on Girl Scouting and say it offers “Girl Scouts of the Islamic Faith” religious recognition awards, including medals.

Girl Scout troops across the US are incorporating Islamic religious instruction, prayer and activities into scouting programs, according to a new investigation by White House correspondent Natalie Winters.

Winters reported that mosque-based troops in several states have used Girl Scout programming to teach Islamic practices, including prayer, Ramadan and hijab. The examples appear to involve individual troops and local councils rather than a nationwide requirement imposed on all Girl Scouts.

The Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) does officially recognize religious award programs operated by outside religious organizations. Its own faith materials identify the Islamic Committee on Girl Scouting and say it offers “Girl Scouts of the Islamic Faith” religious recognition awards, including medals. GSUSA also directs families toward religious organizations for information about the programs.

Islamic faith-related patch programs have also existed for a number of years now in the organization. Available materials list Ramadan, Hajj, Jumaa and “Share Ramadan With a Friend” patches for Girl Scouts across different age levels. The programs are administered by Islamic organizations rather than GSUSA itself. In some instances, Girl Scout troops learn the pillars of Islam and can fulfil requirements by visiting mosques or learning about Muslim prayer practices to get the patches.

Winters mentioned the SALAM Islamic Center in Sacramento, which hosted a Girl Scout event in February 2025. Girls were invited to try on hijabs, tour the mosque and learn about “the significance of modesty.” The mosque describes its Girl Scout program as promoting “Strong Islamic Values.”

Other examples include Girl Scout programs at the Islamic Center of Naperville, the Islamic Center of Long Island and Virginia’s ADAMS Center. Winters reported on her Substack that these programs use Islamic education or traditions into scouting activities.

Some of the programming is not new. A Girl Scout troop connected to PGMA in Washington, DC, advertised Ramadan overnight events dating back more than a decade. Activities included Islamic prayer, Quran and Hadith study, religious discussions and service during iftar. Girls were instructed to bring prayer garments or hijabs and Islamic educational materials.

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Decision allows parts of executive order to move forward before midterms

The U.S. Supreme Court Monday ruled that President Donald Trump can implement parts of his executive order meant to tighten up mail-in balloting in the U.S. – this after a group of states sued the federal government to stop the administration’s plans, claiming they were unconstitutional.

In June, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani of Massachusetts, a Barack Obama appointee, blocked Trump’s mail ballot order for the 23 states challenging the policy.

The one page ruling from the high court had the backing of the six conservative and moderate justices and allows the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to create lists of adult U.S. citizens in each state and to send those lists to states at least 60 days before a federal election as a means to ensure only citizens are sent ballots. The Trump order also directs the U.S. Postal Service, in states that have mail-in voting, to obtain lists of eligible voters and deliver mailed ballots only to those people.

Reports indicate it remains unclear how much of the executive order will be implemented before the midterm elections in November.

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ICE officials said almost 400 have either been convicted or charged with crimes in the U.S. But not even half of the more than 1,300 arrested, according to DHS’s own numbers, have been charged or convicted with crimes.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Monday that in just the first two weeks of August, 1,328 people were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Maryland and Virginia.

That’s nearly 100 people arrested each day in Maryland and Virginia in just the first half of the month.

DHS called this “Operation Safe Community — Washington, D.C.” and it described the people they arrested as illegally in the country. Out of the more than 1,300 brought into custody, almost 400 have either been convicted or charged with crimes in the U.S. News4 has not been able to independently verify that information without a full list of the people who were arrested.

What DHS did share were the names of nine people arrested, like one man taken into custody in Manassas, who DHS said allegedly is an MS-13 gang member and has previously been convicted of driving while intoxicated, driving on a suspended license and illegal re-entry. Another man, originally from Guatemala, was arrested in Alexandria and had, according to DHS, been arrested before for rape of a mentally incapacitated victim. DHS said one person they arrested had a warrant out for murder.

ICE officials said removing these people from Virginia and Maryland makes communities safer.
But one thing to note: more than 1,300 were arrested, and not even half, according to DHS’s own numbers, have been charged or convicted with crimes.

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Empire of Chaos, Lies, Plunder, Piracy. And bribes.

Mike Pompeo, former aspiring Tony Soprano, admitted: “We lie, we cheat, we steal.” And we bribe.

A Transition Protocol source, as we revealed live, is unequivocal: The President of the United States – despite having “won” the war on Iran countless times, at least in the Vociferation stakes – made a major attempt to induce IRGC Commander-in-Chief Gen. Ahmad Vahidi and senior Iranian military leadership to break with the government in Tehran through enormous financial inducements.

So here we have POTUS playing good ol’ Divide and Rule – which the Brits learned from the Roman Empire – to fracture the IRGC from the inside.

This was not a mere exploratory diplomatic contact. Trump did not merely want to determine whether Vahidi supported U.S.-Iran negotiations.

According to our source – placed in the tight inner circle of Leader Mojtaba Khamenei – this was a full leadership-buyout operation, modeled on the Venezuela playbook, to fracture the Iranian state.

The attempt miserably failed.

Because Ahmad Vahidi completely rejected it.

The Trump administration had already created a somewhat direct conduit to Vahidi through Nechirvan Barzani, the President of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq, way back in May 2026. Then-DNI Tulsi Gabbard contacted Barzani – fully authorized by Trump and Vice-President JD Vance – and an encrypted connection to Vahidi was subsequently established through Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The channel stayed dormant – or in coma, for nearly 3 months. This time though Trump attempted to turn the channel into a de facto fracturing of the Iranian leadership, employing the conceptual precedent in Venezuela: isolate the central command; handsomely bribe those immediately around it for “cooperation”; and create the internal conditions for regime decapitation.

The source describes “billions of dollars” being waved as inducements to several members of the senior IRGC leadership through Vahidi. All that while Trump was on Hardcore Vociferation mode threatening Tehran and spinning his “control” of the Strait of Hormuz.

Nothing so far has been independently confirmed in public. And probably will not. But that does not mean the source is not credible.

The source is part of Leader Mojtaba’s tight inner circle; heard all about it directly from Vahidi; and later was fully authorized to disclose the extremely sensitive information to Pakistani mediators, especially Field Marshal Asim Munir, who Trump keeps calling virtually every day asking for “help” getting the Iranians back at the negotiating table (when he in fact blew up the negotiating table).

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A shocking video has emerged showing the moment a shirtless youth executed an innocent woman in a supposedly random attack just outside a Detroit liquor store last week.

As The Metro News Detroit reported, 57-year-old Faith Williams was with her niece near a liquor store when a 15-year-old boy ambushed them. The incident occurred around 11:15 p.m. Friday in the 15500 block of East Warren Avenue near Chalmers.

The youth shot both Williams and her niece. While the girl survived, Williams did not.

Metro News Detroit captured video showing the boy lying in wait as Williams and her niece enter.

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President Donald Trump on Sunday night appeared to confirm that federal immigration authorities have active or contemplated enforcement proceedings against radical “Squad” Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota over long-standing allegations of immigration fraud.

Trump shared a bombshell report from Just the News revealing that Immigration and Customs Enforcement refused to release records concerning its investigation into the Minnesota Democrat.

ICE claimed that disclosing the records could interfere with “enforcement proceedings.”

Trump posted the report to Truth Social Sunday evening without adding further commentary.

The explosive development concerns allegations that Omar entered into a fraudulent marriage with Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, who is alleged to be her biological brother, to help him remain in the United States.

Omar has repeatedly denied the accusation.

Just the News filed a Freedom of Information Act request in January seeking documents related to any ICE investigations into the alleged immigration fraud.

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A serious and potentially fatal condition has seen a major spike in teens and adults who regularly use cannabis.

As The Hill reported on Saturday, a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that “scromiting” in the United States has become more prevalent among younger marijuana users.

Scromiting is social media slang for the condition’s real name, Cannabis (or cannabinoid) hyperemesis syndrome (CHS).

As the Jackson Health System notes, CHS happens when repeated cannabis use affects the body’s normal ability to regulate nausea, triggering ongoing nausea, severe stomach pain, and uncontrollable vomiting.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., joined FOX News on Sunday to discuss the upcoming midterm election. Johnson, like Americans understand that this election will determine the fate of the nation

“I’m telling you what, you better not bet against the House Republicans.”

Johnson predicted Republicans would retain their House majority and described the midterms as a “contrast election” that would come down to about 19 seats.

God help us!

Peter Doocy: The New York Times is reporting that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Jared Kushner met privately and discussed how Democrats and the administration could work together. What do you make of this?

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ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Moore today announced the next phase of the Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS) campaign to encourage Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cardholders to transition to new, more secure, fraud-resistant “chip-and-tap” cards.

“Everywhere we go, we hear from Marylanders struggling with the rising cost of living, so our administration is committed to providing relief to the communities that need it the most,” said Gov. Moore. “That’s why we are proud to be one of the first states to roll out these new cards and spread the word to ensure that Marylanders have secure access to the vital services they need to put food on the table.”

As of August 23, 2026, more than 294,000 of the nearly 507,000 recipients of the new “chip-and-tap” EBT cards–58%–have activated their new, more secure cards. Since the transition was first announced in May, customer emails, text messages, and a new central EBT updates landing page have resulted in more than 3.8 million customer touchpoints.

Now, DHS is expanding its outreach to the remaining Maryland households via its targeted “Don’t Wait, Activate” ad campaign across Meta platforms featuring Governor Wes Moore. Customers have until September 30, 2026 to activate their cards, when current “magnetic-stripe-only” cards will be deactivated. Current benefit balances will remain unchanged and transfer automatically.

“Don’t Wait, Activate” video ad featuring Gov. Moore

“Don’t Wait, Activate” static ad

“Maryland is proud to be one of the first states in the nation to introduce new EBT cards that are easier to use and better protect customer benefits from fraud,” said Acting DHS Secretary Stacy L. Rodgers. “These are new cards with new security features that let you access the same benefits. Let’s get them activated.”

These targeted ads are the latest in a series of steps DHS has taken to keep customers informed as it continues to make benefits easier to access and more secure. In July, Maryland became the fourth state in the country to introduce more secure EBT cards equipped with Europay, Mastercard, and Visa (EMV) chip-and-tap technology. The new cards include modern security protocols designed to better protect EBT customers and reduce fraud. Amid a national rise in “skimming” and other sophisticated theft tactics, EMV chip-enabled cards provide an additional security layer, helping prevent unauthorized parties from compromising customer data.

Earlier this month DHS launched a new interactive tool to connect Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) customers with Maryland’s largest-ever network of SNAP workforce development partners. Last month, Maryland also released a data dashboard showing the impact of new federal restrictions on Marylanders’ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. As the federal government creates new barriers to food assistance, the Moore-Miller administration is taking these important steps to help eligible Marylanders keep and reconnect to their benefits.

Customers should also register for a new account on the ebtEDGE Cardholder Portal or download the ebtEDGE app for iOS or Android to manage their accounts more easily, although registration is not required for activation. Customers should not use third party apps to manage their benefits.

Customers experiencing issues, needing more information, or wishing to provide feedback can contact EBT Vendor Services directly at 1-800-997-2222. Customers can also find information about the transition and answers to frequently asked questions on our website at https://dhs.maryland.gov/ebt-updates/

About the Maryland Department of Human Services:

The Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS) is the state’s primary social services provider, serving more than one million Marylanders annually. Through its programs — including food assistance, cash support, child welfare, and energy assistance — DHS works to strengthen Maryland’s families and communities.

The Portuguese are realizing that Islam has no place in Europe, much to the chagrin of some vocal residents.

President António José Seguro signed a bill into law banning face coverings in public, dubbed the “burka law.” U.K.-based outlet GB News says the policy was adopted in Lisbon in July with a right-wing coalition in the government favoring it.

Under the new law, wearing clothing meant to hide or obstruct one’s face in public is punishable by fines ranging from 150 Euros up to 3,000 Euros. Forcing someone to cover their face could carry a prison sentence of up to three years.

Exceptions exist for professional, health, artistic, advertising, or entertainment reasons.

The ban also does not apply to aircraft, diplomatic, or consular visits — meaning Islamic countries with officials visiting Portugal will not have to comply — and it does not extend to places of worship, such as mosques, or holy sites.

Executive Director of Amnesty International in Portugal, João Godinho Martins, criticized the law as “a threat to human rights.

“Despite having removed direct references to Islam, which were a part of previous versions of the text, this new law clearly violates the human rights of Muslim women who choose to cover their faces. It is a direct threat to their freedom of expression and freedom of religion.

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A champagne Democrat socialist (DSA) with an incredibly appropriate nickname is getting dragged after posting a quite telling message on social media.

NYC resident Grace Ryan, a 25-year-old chocolate heiress from Ohio who graduated from NYU this spring, went on X last week to defend recent criticism she has received for being a rich girl cheering on socialism.

“Everyone’s trying to dunk on me for being a progressive from a privileged background but like have yall never heard of noblesse oblige?” Ryan wrote. “I have a moral obligation to use my advantages to help those who are struggling.”

A Chinese national has been charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office with submitting a fraudulent online voter registration in which he impersonated another Chinese national living in Massachusetts.

Breitbart reports that Yupeng Sun, a resident of Andover, Massachusetts, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with submitting a fraudulent voter registration and ballot during the 2024 presidential election.

The investigation was led by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), according to a press release from the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

According to court filings, Sun submitted an online voter registration in Massachusetts on October 10, 2024, impersonating another Chinese national residing in the state who had legal permanent resident (LPR) status.

Sun reportedly then submitted an early voting ballot at Malden City Hall for the 2024 presidential election on October 31, while still impersonating the victim.

Breitbart reports that Sun also submitted several anonymous tips to HSI and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) accusing the victim he was impersonating of “illegally voting in the 2024 U.S. presidential election” and stating that his victim “is not a U.S. citizen but a permanent resident.”

He is also accused of impersonating the victim and the victim’s wife in April 2024 when he submitted fraudulent forms to USCIS requesting to abandon their Legal Permanent Resident status, according to the DHS press release.

This resulted in the victim and his wife, also a Chinese national, being placed into removal proceedings in June 2024 after returning from an international trip, according to Breitbart.

NBC News in Boston reports that Sun’s victim and his wife “successfully petitioned the Boston Immigration Court to restore their green cards.”

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President Trump just put it on the record. ICE has opened enforcement proceedings against Rep. Ilhan Omar over long-standing allegations of immigration fraud. The Minnesota Democrat who spends her days attacking American borders and the agency charged with enforcing them is now the subject of those same enforcement tools.

Townhall reported the confirmation this morning. Trump made clear that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has begun the process tied to the fraud claims that have dogged Omar for years. The agency itself already admitted as much in writing.

In response to a Freedom of Information Act request from Just the News, ICE refused to release any records on its investigation into Omar. The reason given was straightforward: disclosure “could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings.”

That language is not bureaucratic fluff. Under federal guidelines, the exemption only applies when there is a reasonable likelihood of pending or contemplated law enforcement action. ICE invoked it. Trump amplified it. The process is real.

The core allegation is familiar to anyone who has followed Omar’s rise. Critics have long charged that she entered a legal marriage in 2009 with Ahmed Nur Said Elmi while maintaining a relationship with Ahmed Hirsi, the man she later married after divorcing Elmi. The claim is that the Elmi marriage was a vehicle to secure immigration status.

Omar has always denied it, calling the charges ridiculous and baseless. No public DNA evidence or court finding has settled the question of biological relation. What exists is a trail of shared addresses, overlapping timelines, tax filings, and unanswered questions that previous administrations preferred to ignore.

That era is over. Border Czar Tom Homan said last year the records were being pulled. Vice President JD Vance has publicly stated the Justice Department was looking at the matter. Attorney General Todd Blanche’s name has now entered the conversation. And ICE’s own FOIA response confirms the machinery is moving.

Omar is a naturalized citizen. Deportation of a citizen requires first stripping the citizenship through denaturalization, a high-bar civil process that demands proof the naturalization was obtained by willful fraud or material misrepresentation. That is exactly the path these proceedings appear to be testing.

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Treasuries, Treaties, and Treatises

Let’s start with Treasuries. We laid out the approach we would take if we were Warsh last weekend in Warsh’s Mark Antony Moment (a play on coming to “bury” inflation, yet having quite the opposite effect, at least in terms of interest rate policy).

After Bessent’s “attempt” to drive bond yields lower, we analyzed the possibilities in Treasury, Treasuries, The Fed, and Iran. The primary focus was on bonds, though we had to toss in the “possibility” of Economic Armageddon for Iran.

On Monday we discussed the Fed on Fox Business, but they picked up our theme on Tuesday where Academy was the chyron on Varney & Co. Academy had the pleasure of spending the first half hour on Bloomberg TV on Thursday where we covered rates, Iran, energy, Global ProSec, and maybe even Situational Awareness (it all becomes a bit of a blur).

Please read Thursday’s report, in conjunction with last weekend’s report (or watch the video links) to get a sense of our outlook for Jackson Hole and what the Fed should (or needs to do) to support Bessent’s efforts.

Today, we will add some additional information to reinforce our take on the power of a Federal Reserve Operation Twist.

A Fed “Operation Twist” Is the “Real” Deal

As of today, according to Bloomberg, the U.S. government has $7.5 trillion of T-bills outstanding and $21.7 trillion of coupon debt outstanding.

Bessent is buying “at least $4 billion” per “operation.” These operations are almost weekly, and while the threat of “at least” is interesting, jumping from $2 billion to $4 billion wasn’t enough to move markets for long. This is NOT QE. Gold rose, and the dollar fell, in response to Bessent. Likely overdone as this is more about re-arranging the deck chairs, rather than creating “money,” which is what the “debasement” trade seemed to buy into.

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Both Muslims and communists abide by Lenin’s famous dictum: “Give me a child for the first 5 years of his life, and he will be mine forever.”

In revealing the commonalities of the Reds and the Greens in the Red-Green Axis, we have elucidated the shared goals of communists and Muslims, including violence, monopoly rule by elites, slaughter, etc. (See the full list of essays exposing these commonalities at the end of this article.) Here we explore the control of education and the formation of the young.

Islamic political systems and Marxist-Leninist communism both treat the education and formation of the young as a central political instrument, not a neutral transmission of skills. Both claim the authority, and the practical necessity, to shape the beliefs, loyalties, and habits of the next generation according to the doctrine, and both built dedicated institutions to guarantee it—the Bolsheviks from the founding moment of their state, and Islamic rulers the moment a doctrinal threat demanded it.

In 1065, the Seljuk vizier Nizam al-Mulk opened the first of a network of state-funded madrasas in Baghdad, standardizing Shafi’i law and Ash’ari theology across the curriculum. He explained his own reasoning in his political testament, the Siyasatnama. Ismaili Shia da’wa was a doctrinal infiltration eroding loyalty to legitimate rulers, and education was the countermeasure.

The network extended within decades to Nishapur, Herat, and Isfahan, training the scholars and officials of the Seljuk state. The Baghdad madrasa alone enrolled some three thousand students by the 1090s and drew Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, later Islam’s most influential theologian, onto its faculty. Classical jurisprudence had already established the parental and communal duty to raise children in correct belief. Nizam al-Mulk’s contribution was to make that duty an instrument of state policy, not a matter left to families and mosques.

Marxist-Leninist communism reached the identical position by different means, less than two years after seizing power. Lenin, in his 1920 address to the Third Congress of the Russian Young Communist League, insisted that education under the dictatorship of the proletariat must break entirely with bourgeois content and method. The Decree on the Unified Labor School, issued October 16, 1918, nationalized and secularized Russian schooling.

The Komsomol, founded two weeks later, extended party formation into organized youth life beyond the classroom. Both were built before the Civil War had even been won, on the premise that a socialist state could not wait for a settled peace to begin forming its children.

The parallel is that both treated the education of children as too consequential to leave to families, markets, or rival authorities, and both built state or party institutions specifically to close that gap. Nizam al-Mulk and the Bolsheviks were separated by eight and a half centuries and were answering different threats—Ismaili da’wa in one case, bourgeois pedagogy in the other—but they reached for the same instrument: a curriculum the state itself controlled, extended by an organized youth structure operating outside the classroom entirely.

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Americans’ growing opposition to the prevalence of data centers has led many politicians to limit or pause their increase altogether.

Lawmakers in New York and Texas, for example, have effected stoppages of data center projects, while other states, such as Pennsylvania, have issued more restrictions on data center construction. Americans’ support for data centers has generally plummeted, as critics have linked them to higher utility bills — reflecting extraordinary water and energy usage — being experienced by local communities.

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued a sprawling data center moratorium in early August as residents soured on data centers. Abbott claimed his moratorium would protect Texans.

“My directive has halted up to 1,800 data center projects. I established guidelines & guardrails to protect Texas communities,” he wrote in a Wednesday post to social media, adding that data centers must not take water from communities, tax the Texas energy grid, or otherwise disrupt communities.

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As a charge, “racism” is completely irrelevant in 2026. “Wolf” has been cried so many times that even if it were a wolf crying it, no one would believe it or care. I should say “almost no one.” Democrats would still try to make something out of it, and Al Sharpton and Ben Crump would come to perform a little b******t two-step for the cameras and the checks. But otherwise, no one would care because, well, it is not racist to notice things.

Don’t get me wrong, racism still exists, but the most glaring way in which it exists is in the hearts and minds of leftists. It is no longer racist to judge someone by the color of their skin and treat them differently because of it; that’s half the platform of the Democrats (both the regular old kind and the Socialists of America type).

When normal people notice things the left tries to hide, that’s what is called racism now. Have you seen any videos of the so-called “teen takeovers” in major Democrat-controlled cities across the country? Notice anything beyond the approximate ages of the participants? I bet you have.

Have you watched any news stories about crime where the only identifying characteristics of suspects still at large are gender, age and height ranges? Weird how everyone involved becomes a biology expert, after being confused about what a woman is, then gets very vague about anything that might help the public assist in the apprehension of the perpetrators?

“Be on the lookout for a male wearing brown pants and a dark hoodie, somewhere between 15 and 40 and 5’8” to 6’2” is so worthless you might as well put on an APB for someone actively confessing to the crime at the time you see them. The left acts like people never change clothes, but can change other things that are unchangeable.

Meanwhile, we have politicians like pretty much every Democratic Socialist of America leftists and every personality on MS Now pretending the real crime in the country is either the existence of our republic or just white people.

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WASHINGTON — The gloves are coming off.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney likened his country’s tariff tiff with the US to a full-blown “war” on trade — with President Trump hitting back Sunday, accusing the northern neighbor of trying to secure “the benefits of being a State, without being one!!!”

“We were attacked. You’re at war when you get attacked. We got attacked,” Carney told reporters on Saturday. “That’s fine. We’ve got the reserves. We’ve got the resilience. We’ve got the plan. We’ve got the focus. We will respond.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has publicly railed against President Trump’s brass-knuckled approach to trade.Getty Images

Carney further panned the Trump administration for trying to pressure Canada into “a bad deal.”

Two youths committed a sickening act of violence last week against a hard-working single California father who regularly helped those less fortunate.

As NBC Los Angeles reported, 48-year-old San Bernardino chef Greg Medina was relaxing in his jacuzzi after a long day at work when two teenagers suddenly snuck up behind him and attacked.

One youth kicked the father hard in the back of the head while the other snatched his phone. Both then run away.

KTLA shared footage of the horrific and cruel attack on Friday.

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A routine trip to the hospital for joint-replacement surgery turned into a medical nightmare for four patients in Nashville after a pharmacy error allegedly resulted in them receiving a potentially dangerous potassium compound instead of an anesthetic.

Two of the patients were reportedly left paralyzed, one remains on a ventilator, and multiple patients went into cardiac arrest following the August 14 incident at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is now involved. According to the hospital, the four patients were supposed to receive mepivacaine, a local anesthetic commonly used during surgical procedures. Instead, the hospital’s pharmacy supplied potassium phosphate.

In excessive amounts or when administered too rapidly, potassium can cause potentially fatal changes in heart rhythm and cardiac arrest.

Ascension Saint Thomas acknowledged the error Friday.

“Our hearts remain entirely with the four patients and families impacted by the recent event at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown,” the hospital said. “On behalf of our leadership and care teams, we extend our deepest apologies for the harm caused.”

Well, that’s quite the “whoops.” It is unclear if the “apology” will lead to damages paid to those who were harmed.

CBS News recently covered the drug mix-up:

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A 17-year-old has died after being shot at a season-opening football game in California, sending attendees scrambling for safety.

The unidentified teen was shot near the south side of the field around 8pm, shortly after the game started. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A fight between a group broke out before the shooting occurred, KGET reported.

Up to eight shots were fired, a KGET photojournalist, who was at the game, observed.

No suspects have been announced, and no arrests have been made. Police do not believe there is a public threat.

‘We know that families look forward to coming out here every Friday night and seeing their kids play on this field. Based on our preliminary investigation, we believe this began as an isolated incident that began as an altercation between a group of individuals, which ultimately resulted in the shooting,’ Sergeant Eric Celedon said.

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Bakersfield Police Department for comment.

Footage from inside the stadium showed attendees running away in fear, with some football players crouching behind bushes.

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In what can only be described as a stunning failure of state and local policy and leadership, Los Angeles County recorded its highest tally of flea-borne typhus cases in 2025, confirming 220 diagnoses, up from 187 the year before, according to the county’s Department of Public Health. Almost nine in ten of those patients ended up hospitalized. Fleas that feed on infected rats, opossums, and other small mammals carry the bacteria behind the disease to humans, and Los Angeles has watched the case count climb for years. The 2025 total marks the sharpest jump yet.

Dr. Dean Winslow has practiced infectious disease medicine for fifty years. He taught at Stanford, ran COVID-19 testing programs for the federal government, and served as President Trump’s 2017 nominee for assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. Asked whether a typhus outbreak in one of the wealthiest counties in America points to a broader failure in public health and sanitation, Winslow gave a one-word answer. “Absolutely,” he told the Daily Signal.

“It’s largely an issue of … people living in just horrible conditions in close proximity to rats,” Winslow said, naming rodents as the primary vector for the infection’s spread.

The conditions track with the county’s homelessness numbers. Homelessness in LA County rose 3.3% over the past year, and in the city of Los Angeles itself the figure climbed 7.9%, according to data from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. Winslow said encampments put residents at heightened risk given their proximity to rats, though he cautioned the problem extends beyond encampments alone.

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Five passengers were believed to be burned after a laptop caught on fire during an American Airlines flight carrying over 130 passengers, according to reports.

The pilot reported a “cabin fire in the back of the airplane” on the flight from Atlanta, Georgia, to Dallas, Texas, on Friday evening, according to air traffic control audio obtained by CBS News.

“I think we have about four to five passengers that were burned by the laptop,” the pilot reportedly says. “The laptop is contained about mid-aircraft.”

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The first Haitians to be deported after the Trump administration slogged through multiple court battles to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians arrived in Haiti Thursday.

More than 160 people landed, according to the Associated Press. All told, about 350,000 Haitians were living in the United States under TPS.

The Supreme Court ruled in June in Mullin v. Doe that the Trump administration could end TPS for Haitians, which was first granted in 2012.

The deportees included Haitians who served prison sentences and TPS holders, Jean Négot Bonheur Delva, director general of Haiti’s National Office of Migration, said, according to AP.

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A total of 55 people have been infected with E. coli and Salmonella across 15 states in an outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Of those 55 people, 46 were infected with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, or STEC, seven with Salmonella, and two with both pathogens, according to the FDA’s Aug. 21 update. Four people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.

Minnesota accounted for the largest number of infections, with 21 cases, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Wisconsin followed with 17 cases. Florida, North Carolina, North Dakota, and New York each reported two cases. Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Washington each reported one.

According to the CDC, illnesses began on May 31, with the most recent case beginning on Aug. 8.

State and local health officials have been interviewing sick people about the foods they ate during the week before becoming ill. Of the 37 people interviewed, 26 reported eating alfalfa sprouts.

Traceback investigations at grocery stores and restaurants identified alfalfa sprouts distributed by Minnesota-based Everything Sprouts LLC as a source of illnesses, according to the FDA.

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Once the primaries are over, we can’t let our search for purity render us so apathetic that only the lunatics and fanatics decide elections.

The future of any constitutional republic has always been dependent on the electorate’s involvement and turnout. Due to rampant voter apathy, the world’s oldest constitutional republic, the United States, is rapidly approaching a crossroads that will determine whether its future will be one of chaos and upheaval or liberty and freedom.

Three centuries ago, a prescient Charles-Louis de Montesquieu (1689-1755), a French political philosopher whose writings and insights into the separation of powers, checks and balances, and the nature of republics profoundly shaped the U.S. Constitution, foresaw the dire impact of voter apathy when he wrote in his seminal work, The Spirit of the Laws, “The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy is not so dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy.”

Montesquieu understood that in any democratic society, the citizenry’s active involvement and interest are essential to prevent democratic principles from being eroded and to stop the rise of factions determined to overthrow the government. The tyranny of an established monarchy, oligarchy, or dictatorship is overt and there for all to see, whereas citizens in a democracy who are indifferent, complacent, or disinterested in the vital role the electorate plays in the democratic process are the silent co-conspirators in the rise of tyranny and the betrayal of their fellow citizens.

The meteoric rise of the virulently anti-American Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and their subsequent takeover of the Democrat party is a prime example of Montesquieu’s prophetic observation.

The DSA’s foundational strategy in taking over the Democrat party is to exploit voter apathy to win primaries in heavily Democrat districts and states, knowing the winning candidate will either be a DSA disciple or someone the DSA can easily intimidate. That strategy became clear eight years ago after the unexpected win by their fellow traveler, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

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There’s an old saying about welfare programs in general: Liberals measure the success of a social welfare program by how many people are enrolled, while conservatives measure that success by the number of people who no longer need it. That certainly applies to things like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which purports to put healthy food on the tables of Americans who are lower on the economic scale. It doesn’t always work that way, though; like so many welfare programs, SNAP is subject to considerable abuse.

Here’s some evidence: As the Trump administration’s rather mild work requirements kicked in, SNAP enrollments have dropped, and they have dropped faster than expected. That’s a good thing; if people are dropping out of SNAP because they can’t be arsed to work a few hours a week, they didn’t really need it in the first place.

That’s not how the legacy media is spinning it.

Enrollment in the biggest federally funded food aid program in the U.S. dropped by more than 13% in a 12-month span — a decline far steeper than the government estimated as work requirements and other provisions of President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” take hold.

Those losing coverage in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, include people who don’t meet the tightening requirements to participate, and, advocates say, some who qualify for the help but are rejected because they miss deadlines or don’t have the needed documentation handy. It’s too early to tell exactly how many fall into each group.

It’s also unclear how many have lost coverage because some state agencies that run the programs are overwhelmed trying to keep up with changes. That was the case in Arizona, which saw the nation’s largest enrollment drop.

I have little sympathy for people who are able-bodied and don’t want to work, or who miss deadlines. The work requirements aren’t that nasty; applicants between 18 and 64 have to register for work, participate in SNAP’s Employment and Training program, accept a job if one is offered, and not quit any job or drop weekly hours below 30. Now, I don’t know what the rest of the country is like, but in our towns and our one city (Anchorage) around here, almost every gas station and convenience store has Help Wanted signs up. And this isn’t a new thing; there have been work requirements for some time; the One Big Beautiful Bill just tightened things up some.

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A new Gallup poll finds that just 54% of U.S. adults say they drink alcohol, tying last year for the lowest rate Gallup has recorded since it began tracking Americans’ drinking habits in 1939.

At the same time, a majority now believes that having even one or two drinks a day is bad for your health.

The shift has happened quickly. The percentage of Americans who drink fell from 62% in 2023 to 58% in 2024 and 54% in 2025, where it remained this year.

The latest findings are based on Gallup interviews with U.S. adults ages 18 and older conducted July 1-19.

HEALTH CONCERNS

Health concerns may be playing a role in the decline. Fifty-one percent of Americans now say drinking one or two alcoholic beverages a day is “bad for one’s health,” statistically similar to the record-high 53% who said so last year.

That represents a dramatic change from 2001, when Gallup first asked the question. At that time, only 27% said moderate drinking was bad for health, while 22% believed it was good for health and 46% thought it made no difference.

The changing attitudes come as medical evidence has increasingly challenged the once-common idea that moderate alcohol consumption — particularly red wine — may be good for the heart.

The U.S. Surgeon General warned in 2025 that alcohol consumption increases the risk of at least seven types of cancer, including breast, colorectal, liver, mouth, throat, esophageal and voice box cancers. The advisory noted that cancer risk can rise even at relatively low levels of alcohol consumption.

Americans who continue to drink also appear to be consuming less. Drinkers reported an average of 3.2 alcoholic beverages during the previous week, compared with an average of 3.9 drinks across the five Gallup surveys before 2025.

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If the first step in getting a new trial is getting a new judge, convicted killer Karmelo Anthony has already taken a great leap forward.

Presiding over a hearing Thursday on whether Anthony should get a new trial in the stabbing death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a track meet in Frisco, Texas, in April 2025, was a jurist who had nothing to do with the original case.

And that was just what Anthony’s attorneys had been hoping for.

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As racial identitarians like the Black Panthers and leftist ideologues try to justify 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony’s April 2025 stabbing murder of Austin Metcalf, details have emerged making their position that this was “self-defense” more tenuous.

In June, Anthony was found guilty of Metcalf’s murder after stabbing him at a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Despite the circumstances of that moment being clear enough, Anthony found supporters excusing his actions that day.

According to them, this was a young man that apparently felt threatened, was outnumbered, and ultimately, was innocent.

Now, the New York Post has revealed new details that never made their way into the trial per a “gentleman’s agreement.”

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Yet another heinous murder committed by an illegal alien

Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos, 19, an illegal from El Salvador, was arrested this week for allegedly stabbing 42-year-old Carmen Lizet Puch to death, then dousing her body in gasoline in an attempt to set her on fire. Authorities say he eventually dumped her body in the parking lot of Difficult Run Park in Fairfax County, Virginia.

“No one deserves to be treated the way that our victim was treated,” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said. “The way that she was treated by this killer was reprehensible, to say the least.”

Fifty percent of Fairfax County’s murders this year have been committed by illegal aliens, and the number could be higher as the police are resistant to arresting them and the county’s attorney, George Soros-backed Steve Descano, is reluctant to prosecute them.

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In a major First Amendment and investigative-reporting win, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has overturned a jury verdict and damages award against James O’Keefe and undercover journalist Allison Maass stemming from a Project Veritas investigation into Democracy Partners.

The panel ruled 2-1 that the First Amendment protects publishing undercover footage and that the damages improperly punished protected journalistic activity.

O’Keefe announced the decision in a video posted on his X account Friday evening, saying his faith in the future of journalism has been restored after the appellate court, including a Democrat-appointed judge, set a powerful precedent for undercover work nationwide.

WATCH:

Two longtime Massachusetts fishermen initially thought they were reeling in a shark, but instead they caught a 1,200-pound marlin, believed to be the biggest of its kind ever hauled in on the East Coast.

Damon Sacco, a seasoned charter fishing boat captain from the Bay State had been fishing for hours with his client on Wednesday when he caught a glimpse of a giant fin breaking the water’s surface about 100 miles off Cape Cod, MA.

At first, Sacco thought it was a massive shark but then he “got a better look at it and thought, dang, that thing’s pointed” and assumed it was “too big for a marlin,” he recalled.

Two longtime Massachusetts fishermen initially thought they were reeling in a shark, but instead they caught a 1,200-pound marlin, believed to be the biggest of its kind ever hauled in on the East Coast.

Damon Sacco, a seasoned charter fishing boat captain from the Bay State had been fishing for hours with his client on Wednesday when he caught a glimpse of a giant fin breaking the water’s surface about 100 miles off Cape Cod, MA.

At first, Sacco thought it was a massive shark but then he “got a better look at it and thought, dang, that thing’s pointed” and assumed it was “too big for a marlin,” he recalled.

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U.S. higher education costs have surged over the past year, according to a Sallie Mae/Ipsos report out Wednesday.

The new report found that total college costs for families climbed to an estimated $34,019 during the 2025-26 academic year, marking a 10% rise from the year prior, Higher Ed Dive reported. Meanwhile, U.S. families had to pay out of pocket for 49% of those education costs.

A Sallie Mae spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the new report “finds that college spending rose but that’s not necessarily a function of higher tuition alone.” The spokesperson added that the $34,019 total spent during the 2025-26 academic year “includes every dollar used towards higher education last year which is everything from tuition and fees to books, technology, meals, housing, travel, and other related expenses.”

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An Ohio doctor shot dead in a murder plot allegedly hatched by her own 18-year-old daughter had years earlier written an academic paper examining the psychology of teenage killers.

Tamela Dutcher, 55, was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after she was gunned down by two men as she sat on the couch inside her Delaware County home last week, according to an affidavit obtained by Oxygen.

Her daughter, Bryanna Dutcher, and the two men, identified as her boyfriend Christian Evans, 20, and his roommate Dajameous Payne, 21, have now all been indicted in connection with her murder.

Bryanna’s arrest followed a forensic examination of her phone that revealed a damning exchange with Evans, in which the couple plotted the moments just before the deadly ambush, according to documents obtained by WCMH News.

In a chilling twist, Tamela, a central Ohio doctor, co-wrote a 2002 paper for the International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health examining violence committed by children.

The paper, published 24 years before her daughter would be charged in her killing, warned that ‘children and youth are being killed or are killing at an ever-increasing pace.’

Eerily, it noted that while most offenders are boys, ‘those few girls who kill tend to kill family members’ – a prediction that would take on new significance decades later.

The horror began on August 14, when a man frantically called 911 to report that his wife had been shot in the face. He could be heard on the line asking: ‘What the hell did you do?’ according to WCMH.

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The Internal Revenue Service has announced interest rates for tax underpayments and overpayments for the fourth quarter of 2026, keeping them at 7 percent for individual taxpayers.

When taxpayers do not pay taxes, penalties, and other charges on time, the IRS charges interest on the underpayment. Conversely, when taxpayers pay more tax than they actually owe, the agency pays interest on the overpayment. Those rates are determined quarterly. The 7 percent rate for overpayments and underpayments takes effect Oct. 1, according to the IRS.

For corporations, the overpayment rate is 6 percent, while the rate on the portion of a corporate overpayment exceeding $10,000 is 4.5 percent. The underpayment rate is 7 percent, the same as for individual taxpayers, while large corporate underpayments carry a 9 percent rate. All of the rates are unchanged from the third quarter.

According to an April 26 IRS update cited by The Epoch Times, interest on underpayments begins accruing on the due date of the amount owed and continues until the balance is paid in full.

Interest on overpayments is calculated based on factors including the tax filing due date, payment dates, and when the IRS receives a return in a format it can process.

Taxpayers can file claims if they believe the amount of overpayment interest they received was insufficient.

The rates were announced based on the federal short-term rate for July, which was determined to be 4 percent.

For taxpayers other than corporations, the overpayment and underpayment rates are calculated by adding 3 percentage points to the federal short-term rate.

For corporations, the underpayment rate is the federal short-term rate plus 3 percentage points. The corporate overpayment rate adds 2 percentage points, except for the portion of an overpayment exceeding $10,000, for which only 0.5 percentage point is added.

Penalty Relief

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Data centers have emerged as an unlikely bipartisan flashpoint heading into the 2026 midterms, Newsweek reported Saturday, highlighting that the issue is now reverberating through all six Senate races rated toss-ups by the Cook Political Report.

Voters on the left and right are increasingly worried that the artificial intelligence boom could leave their communities footing the bill through higher electricity costs, strained water supplies, and fewer jobs.

An Annenberg Public Policy Center poll found 61% of Americans oppose new data centers in their communities, including 69% of Democrats and 54% of Republicans.

Annenberg research analyst Shawn Patterson told Newsweek that a 12-point increase in opposition this year was ”not confined to a partisan subgroup.”

The backlash has created a political tightrope for candidates trying to balance America’s race with China for dominance in AI against increasingly vocal voters who question the local costs of the massive facilities needed to power it.

President Donald Trump has warned communities rejecting data centers risk being ”left behind,” while House Speaker Mike Johnson has cautioned that moratoriums could surrender ground to China.

At the same time, Republican governors, Democratic candidates, and local officials across the country have pushed for greater scrutiny, restrictions or pauses on development.

The underlying pressures are substantial.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimated in June that data centers could consume 11.8% of all U.S. electricity by 2030, with scenarios ranging from 9.5% to 15.3%.

The International Energy Agency says data centers accounted for roughly half of the growth in U.S. electricity demand in 2025 and are expected to account for about half of the country’s additional electricity demand through 2030.

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COUNTY EXECUTIVE GIORDANO TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE
REGARDING WICOMICO NURSING HOME

Press Conference Will Address Recent Events, Misinformation, and the Path Forward

SALISBURY, MD — Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano will hold a press conference on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in the Wicomico County Council Chambers to address recent events and ongoing concerns surrounding the Wicomico Nursing Home.

Over the past several weeks, significant public discussion has occurred regarding the Nursing Home, including statements and allegations that have created confusion about its operations, administration, and current circumstances. County Executive Giordano believes the public deserves a clear and factual understanding of what has occurred, the actions that have been taken, and the County’s path forward.

“There has been a tremendous amount of misinformation, speculation, and hearsay circulating about the Nursing Home, and unfortunately, much of it has been presented to the public without the full context,” said County Executive Giordano. “The residents of Wicomico County deserve facts. They deserve to understand what has actually occurred, why certain decisions have been made, and what we are doing to protect the long-term stability and success of this important facility.”

During the press conference, the County Executive will provide information regarding recent developments at the Nursing Home, address several of the claims and misconceptions that have circulated publicly, and discuss the steps being taken moving forward.

The County Executive will also emphasize the importance of distinguishing between legitimate concerns and unverified allegations. Decisions affecting the Nursing Home, its employees, its residents, and Wicomico County taxpayers should be based on documented facts and a complete understanding of the circumstances—not rumors, political rhetoric, or incomplete information.

“The Nursing Home serves some of the most vulnerable members of our community, and discussions about its future should reflect the seriousness of that responsibility,” Giordano said. “This press conference is an opportunity to put the facts before the public, provide necessary context, and explain where we go from here.”

Members of the media and the public are invited to attend.
PRESS CONFERENCE DETAILS
Date: Thursday, August 27, 2026
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Wicomico County Council Chambers
Topic: Wicomico Nursing Home — Recent Events, Facts, and the Path Forward

I have been begging Julie Giordano for months to do something about getting Mill Branch Road black topped. It’s a mess and in bad need of resurfacing. Every rural road in the Athol, Hebron and Mardela area has been black topped and striped, except Mill Branch Road. Recently they even repaved Old Florist Lane outside of Hebron, which has NO through traffic on it and 3 houses and the road isn’t even a quarter of a mile long. I have received my tax bill and I don’t see any reduction in my taxes. Mill Branch Road just had a major logging operation this summer and it has damaged our already shoddy road, plus dozens of watermelon buses every day, soon school buses, farming machinery nearly year round, work traffic, you name it. The road is narrow and when passing another vehicle one of them has to go off the roadside to get past. I have contacted the Ms. Giordano and the supervisor of the county roads dept, numerous times, all to no avail. I just want to know why our road is left in such disrepair and neglected while all the surrounding area roads have been fixed and are great!!! We pay the same taxes as those who live on all those other roads. No one will respond to me!!!

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced another round of funding aimed at getting more teachers into Maryland classrooms.

The state is awarding $14.7 million through its Grow Your Own Educators Grant Program to 13 school systems.

The grants will help 845 school employees become fully licensed teachers while continuing to work.

The program’s goal is to reduce teacher vacancies and create debt-free pathways into the profession, with a focus on high-need areas, such as special education and early childhood education.

Source

Anglers in the Chesapeake Bay are enjoying the influx of Spanish mackerel into the region along with the bluefish that have been in residence for the past month.

Chesapeake Channa (northern snakeheads) are providing plenty of fishing action in the tidal rivers of the upper Bay. Many of the region’s tidal rivers have extensive grass beds, which are excellent habitat for these fish.

Crappie offer plenty of fun fishing in tidal and nontidal waters this week. They usually can be found holding near structure in moderately deep water.

Surf anglers at Assateague are catching a mix of kingfish, spot, and croakers with the occasional flounder.

Read more about the week ahead!

Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida appeared on the Sean Hannity show on FOX News last night and aid that when it comes to the radicals of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the situation is worse than many Americans realize.

According to Luna, the DSA is funded in part by, and has direct ties to, the Chinese Communist Party. She also reminded viewers about some of the DSA’s crazy views and policies.

Because of all of this, Luna suggested that she is cautiously optimistic about the midterms.

Partial transcript via Breitbart News:

Tuesday on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) reacted to the rise of the so-called Democratic Socialists of America, whom she alleged were funded and tied to the Chinese Communists.

“[Y]ou go through eliminate the Senate,” host Sean Hannity said. “You know, you no longer choose the president. You pack the judiciary. Amnesty for illegals. Abolish borders. Abolish ICE. End all deportation, defund the Department of War, brilliant, establish a wealth tax, Green New Deal, oh, abolish police and prisons, and corporations are owned by the government. That’s what they’re standing for. And in this case, you have a guy saying he doesn’t like the Constitution. And I’m wondering, OK, where’s this headed?”

Luna replied, “Look, Sean, this is a lot more nefarious than I think a lot of people realize. DSA is absolutely funded and tied to the Communist Chinese Party. We know, for instance, in their mega-donors like Neville Roy Singham who are currently under investigation by the Department of Justice that they’re not only pushing Marxism, but they’re also joining with other groups like the Party of Socialism and Liberation, working in conjunction to target these moderate Democrats and flip these seats.

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A book that has been in publication since 1818 has just released its trusted winter forecast, warning millions throughout the US of bitter cold and heavy snow ahead.

The Farmers’ Almanac made its official Winter 2026-2027 predictions this month, calling for a season full of coastal storms and snow in the Northwest and bitter cold and snow in the Midwest and Northern Plains.

Overall, 150 million people across 29 states, from Maine to Montana, in the northern half of the US are expected to experience periods of snow and freezing temperatures between December 2026 and March 2027.

The West, Northern Plains, Upper Midwest and Great Lakes are predicted to see ‘fast-moving clippers, sudden cold snaps and brief snowy periods.’

In the Northeast, a so-called ‘complicated’ winter forecast is unfolding, with the 200-year-old publication predicting coastal areas receiving more rain or mixed sleet and ice.

However, inland areas, such as Pennsylvania, western New York and parts of New England, could get several rounds of heavy wet snow, especially in January and February.

The annual guide has been a trusty resource for gardeners, fishers, farmers and anyone planning outdoor activities since the 19th century, providing seasonal forecasts based on a formula created by founding editor David Young.

The almanac says its forecasts are accurate 80 to 85 percent of the time and are based on past weather patterns, activity on the sun and the movements of the moon and planets.

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The national debt surpassed a record $40 trillion on Wednesday, a staggering milestone as defense costs, social programs like Social Security and Medicare and interest on the burgeoning deficit make up an enormous share of federal spending.

The milestone figure was recorded just five months after the US hit a record $39 trillion debt in March. It reached $38 trillion five months before that, in October.

The unprecedented $40 trillion figure highlights competing administration priorities, from boosting defense spending that the US relies on to carry out President Donald Trump’s almost-6-month-old war in Iran to lowering the cost of gas and groceries.

Kush Desai, a White House spokesman, said the Trump administration ‘has been focused on slashing waste, fraud, and abuse in federal spending while accelerating economic growth to get America´s debt-to-GDP ratio trending in the right direction.’

However, experts say the exploding debt and the latest record milestone are already affecting Americans’ pocketbooks by raising borrowing costs for things like mortgages and cars, lowering wages from businesses that have less money available to invest, and creating more expensive goods and services.

‘If we want to improve our living standards, today and for the next generation, now is the time for lawmakers to put our nation on a more affordable and sustainable path,’ says Michael A. Peterson, CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, a think tank focused on US fiscal challenges.

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A Virginia mother was stabbed to death on a jogging trail by a teenage migrant coworker who was caught entering the US illegally two years ago, police said.

Carmen Lizet Puch, 42, was found dead in a parking lot near a trail in Great Falls Park, an 800-acre park in McLean, Virginia, early Monday morning.

Officers found her lying on the gravel next to her car with stab wounds on her upper body, Fairfax County police said. She was also doused in gasoline and set on fire.

Puch was pronounced dead at the scene. She leaves behind a three-year-old daughter.

Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos, 19, has since been arrested in connection with her slaying and was charged with second-degree murder, the force revealed Wednesday.

Cedillos-Campos, originally from El Salvador, illegally crossed into the US at the southern border near El Paso, Texas, in 2024, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Customs and Border Protection agents arrested the teen, but the Biden Administration ‘recklessly’ released him back into the country, DHS said.

DHS officials have urged Virginia’s Democrat Governor Abigail Spanberger to ‘put her community first’ and turn Cedillos-Campos over to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

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Donald Trump‘s congressional whisperer is departing the White House as a staff exodus descends on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave and the president’s approval sinks near record lows.

James Braid, the White House director of legislative affairs, is leaving the administration in September.

Braid has been responsible for liaising with members of Congress to shepherd the president’s policy agenda through Capitol Hill, a job that has become increasingly difficult amid intra-GOP fighting and personal attacks Trump has lobbed at lawmakers.

His departure comes amid an avalanche of aides leaving the administration. Last week, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced she would depart White House service at the end of this month.

Her former deputy spokeswoman, Abigail Jackson, left two weeks ago.

Earlier this month, White House counsel David Warrington, shared that he too would leave at the end of August.

Deputy National Security Adviser Andy Baker and Trump aide Emily Underwood also said they would leave the administration’s employment this month as well.

The exodus comes as the president’s approval rating has slid to near record lows. A new Reuters/Ipsos survey found that just 33 percent of respondents approve of Trump’s performance, while 64 percent disapprove.

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It took the US 200 years to reach its first $1 trillion in debt. It took 95 days to add its last.

After several weeks of build up, today the Treasury announced that total public debt surpassed $40 trillion for the first time, after jumping by over $60 billion in one day, and has now surged by $1 trillion in just over three months, and by a third of the total in less than five years, as US lawmakers continue to ignore calls to contend with historically wide fiscal deficits.

The largely expected news came just hours after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unexpectedly announced the Treasury’s latest attempt to rein-in long-term borrowing costs from multi-year highs, the most important component of the growth in debt. The Treasury stunned the market when it said, just two weeks after the latest Refunding Announcement where it should have made this change, that it was ramping up the support for longer-dated securities by “increasing, by at least double, the size of liquidity support buyback operations for longer-dated nominal coupon securities (the 10-year to 20-year sector and the 20-year to 30-year sector).”

The announcement that sent yields plunging, if only for the time being.

Remarkably, it was less than 5 years ago that US debt hit $30 trillion back in January 2022, illustrating the rapid growth in federal borrowing needs. And there’s no end in sight.

As Bloomberg notes, “Republicans have long opposed revenue-raising tax increases,” while Democrats are best known for spending like drunken sailors to maximize socialist central planning, and both parties are loathe to sign on to politically toxic cuts to healthcare and retirement benefits for seniors. Many observers anticipate Congress and the administration of the day will only act if forced by a financial-market disruption.

That won’t stop them from talking about it all the time, though, as both parties at least pretend to understand that the US is on a catastrophic collision course should debt growth continue at this pace, and if the AI bet – which is now an all-in for virtually everyone – fails to dramatically boost productivity. Bessent, for one, said a key reason he got involved in politics was to help tackle deficits running at a pace unprecedented for times outside of major wars, pandemics or depressed job markets. So far he has failed catastrophically, and worse, he is doing precisely the kind of activist issuance “Twisting” for which he bashed his predecessor, Janet Yellen.

Economists, the Congressional Budget Office and Wall Street all see little or no progress in coming years for the deficit-to-gross domestic product ratio.

“Optically, I’m sure crossing thresholds like $40 trillion will focus attention on the issue in the near term,” said Matthew Luzzetti, chief US economist at Deutsche Bank AG. “But it does not represent a magical threshold for debt dynamics, and projections have anticipated this outcome for some time.”

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Kentucky Fried Chicken is running a once in a blue moon promotion to celebrate a 15 year franchise anniversary.  The only problem is, they’re doing it in West Africa in the country of Ghana where the poverty rate is 22% and the average yearly wage is $2630 USD.

The one-day deal (one piece of chicken, two tenders, and a small fry for GH¢15, roughly equivalent to $1.35 US) ran from 9 AM to 5 PM at locations across Ghana.  The event unexpectedly drew massive crowds with no police presence, which resulted in a stampede at multiple locations that nearly developed into riots.

Hungry Ghana citizens arrived as early as 3 AM at some locations to get their hands on the meal containing only three pieces of chicken (reports of four pieces of chicken are, apparently, incorrect). Lines ran into the streets followed by overcrowding and confrontations.  Some KFC restaurants suffered property damage as customers tried to force their way inside.  Hired security tried to force the crowds back by whipping them with leather belts or spraying them with water hoses.

Police finally intervened to restore order and prevent full blown mob violence.  Local media noted with some embarrassment the behavior of Ghana citizens, leading to questions about the state of Ghana’s economy and level of overall poverty.

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President Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at retired Army Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, celebrating his upset loss in Florida’s Democrat Senate primary and calling for him to be prosecuted.

Vindman, a key witness in Trump’s first impeachment who later emerged as a prominent critic of the president, lost Tuesday’s primary to hard-left state Rep. Angie Nixon, who won 56% of the vote despite being heavily outraised by Vindman.

Nixon will face Republican Sen. Ashley Moody in November’s election.

Trump seized on the defeat Wednesday, calling Vindman a “treasonous creep” and attacking his role in the events that led to Trump’s 2019 impeachment.

“The most gratifying loss last night was that of a real treasonous creep, Alexander Vindman, to a Radical Left Lunatic, who can’t speak or think properly, and who will go down to certain defeat at the hands of Ashley Moody, a truly Fantastic Senator, from the Great State Florida,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

Vindman, a combat veteran wounded in Iraq, lost big to Nixon despite raising $20 million to her $1 million.

“Vindman, if you remember, was the one who lied about my ‘Perfect Call’ with President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy of Ukraine, only to find out that the conversation was routinely recorded and proved that I was 100% in the right (Completely Innocent!). It was, indeed, a Perfect Call, and the Dumocrats Fake Impeachment effort massively failed,” Trump continued.

“Vindman should be prosecuted for what he did!”

Vindman, who was serving on the National Security Council, was a key witness in the impeachment inquiry that led to Trump’s first impeachment.

Vindman testified about Trump’s July 2019 phone call with Zelenskyy, during which Trump asked Zelenskyy to investigate Joe Biden, then a Democrat presidential candidate.

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