House Dissatisfaction With Johnson Explodes Over Foreign Aid ‘Insanity’ That Neglects Southern Border

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House Republicans’ dissatisfaction with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is rapidly growing as Reps. Scott Perry (R-PA) and Jim Banks (R-IN) are sharing their frustrations about what Banks called “insanity” in Johnson’s foreign aid framework, which includes over three times as much money for Ukraine as it does for Israel while neglecting the U.S. Southern border.

Perry took to X Tuesday to share an image of the framework, showing the bills allocate $48.83 billion to Ukraine, $14.1 billion for Israel, $2.4 billion for “Red Sea Operations,” $2.58 billion for “INDOPACOM,” and $3.3 billion for a “Submarine Industrial Base.”

“Notice anything missing?” wrote Perry. Speaker Johnson “failed to incorporate any border security into any of the FOUR of the bills he’s going to ram down our throats this week.”

“On more than half a dozen occasions in the last six months, he promised the American People this wouldn’t happen,” Perry added.

Sharing Perry’s tweet, Banks called the package “Insanity,” emphasizing the plan would send three times as much money to Ukraine as it does Israel while simultaneously neglecting the U.S. Southern border.

(Read more from “House Dissatisfaction With Johnson Explodes Over Foreign Aid ‘Insanity’ That Neglects Southern Border” HERE)

Judge Allows Juror Who ‘Celebrated Trump’s Loss in 2020’ to Stay in Pool

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New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan reportedly allowed a juror who celebrated former President Donald Trump’s 2020 loss on social media to remain in the jury pool.

Trump’s unprecedented trial began Monday morning with jury selection, the first day of a process that could span two weeks. The trial could last until June.

During Tuesday’s jury selection, Trump’s defense attorneys tried to prevent a potential juror from staying on the case because she celebrated Trump’s 2020 loss, Fox News reported.

“They wanted to have a peremptory challenge to excuse the juror because they thought that she said she could be impartial, but had social media posts that apparently had her celebrating Trump’s loss in 2020,” Trace Gallagher reported, “and so they challenged her. The judge said, ‘Nope, she can be impartial. She stays.’”

(Read more from “Judge Allows Juror Who ‘Celebrated Trump’s Loss in 2020’ to Stay in Pool” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

“Hush Money” Trial Judge May Force Trump to Miss His Son’s Graduation

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New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan is yet to decide whether former President Donald Trump can attend his son Barron Trump’s upcoming high school graduation. Merchan has refrained from ruling on Trump’s request to be excused from trial proceedings scheduled for that day.

The commencement of the criminal trial, orchestrated by Democrat Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, unfolded on Monday. Bragg has charged Trump with 34 felonies, alleging falsification of business records in connection to payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Notably, Trump is not facing accusations related to concealing a sex scandal. Trump vehemently denies all allegations against him, but if found guilty, he could potentially face incarceration.

While the jury selection process has commenced in the criminal trial, Trump’s legal team has proactively sought permission for him to forego trial proceedings on May 17, citing his son Barron’s impending high school graduation in Florida, the former president’s home state. Although Merchan has acknowledged the request, he has deferred making a definitive decision.

Merchan remarked, “It really depends on if we are on time and where we are in the trial,” indicating the possibility that Trump may have to forego attending his youngest son’s significant milestone due to the trial.

Observers have characterized the situation as another instance of perceived political targeting against Trump. Jason Miller, an advisor to Trump, lambasted the trial, labeling it a “disgusting” episode of political persecution. Trump himself, addressing reporters prior to entering the New York courtroom on Monday, decried the trial as a form of “political prosecution” and an unprecedented assault on the nation.

“This case was brought as political persecution,” Trump asserted, condemning it as an unwarranted attack on the country. He further criticized the involvement of what he described as an “incompetent man” in the proceedings, insinuating nefarious motives behind the trial.

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) echoed similar sentiments, characterizing the trial as a form of “election interference.”

Saudi Arabia Publicly Acknowledges It Helped Defend Israel This Weekend

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Saudi Arabia formally acknowledged that it helped shoot down kamikaze drones heading for Israel. It’s part of the Kingdom’s not-so-secret “cozy” relationship with the Jewish state over the past few years. There are no formal diplomatic ties between these two countries yet.

Still, there’s hope that the Trump-era Abraham Accords, where Morocco, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, and Sudan signed a normalization treaty with Israel, can be built upon and expanded. There should be cautious optimism. These new revelations reveal that the Middle East, by and large, might not want to be thrust into a destructive regional war. However, recognizing Israel’s right to exist might still be a diplomatic work in progress. Arab nations provided Israel and American forces with vital intelligence during Iran’s assault against Israel over the weekend[.] (Read more from “Saudi Arabia Publicly Acknowledges It Helped Defend Israel This Weekend” HERE)

Edward Snowden Believes Speaker Johnson Is Showing Textbook Signs of “Congressional Capture”

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Speaker Johnson might as well go by “Flip Flop,” given his recent track record. He’s been switching his positions on major issues, directly going against what his base stands for. First, it was the funding for Ukraine; now, he’s in the thick of the FISA 702 battle and taking the wrong side yet again. What gives? Johnson’s speakership is becoming a series of flip-flops that’s leaving everyone wondering if he’s been bribed, blackmailed, or both.

So, why is Speaker Johnson flipping his position on the FISA 702 authorization, which allows warrantless surveillance? This very tool was used to spy on President Trump. Representative Bob Good recently discussed this on Steve Bannon’s WarRoom, pointing out that there’s a strong push influencing Johnson’s change of heart—and it appears to be working. . .

Speaker Johnson now believes that halting warrantless spying against innocent Americans would somehow spell disaster for the country. He recently shifted his stance, stating the change is from all the classified briefings he’s been getting.

Well, Speaker Johnson is probably telling the truth about all those briefings, and Edward Snowden thinks he’s figured out what’s really going on with Speaker Johnson. It’s a “textbook case” of “Congressional capture.”

(Read more from “Edward Snowden Believes Speaker Johnson Is Showing Textbook Signs of “Congressional Capture” HERE)

Marine’s Accusations: Pentagon Cover-Up in Afghanistan Bombing Probe

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The Marine at the heart of the recent Afghanistan probe has leveled serious accusations against the Pentagon, alleging a cover-up of evidence that could have prevented the deadly suicide bombing during the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Former Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews, who suffered life-altering injuries in the attack, testified in March 2023 about the events leading up to the bombing. He claimed that despite having identified a potential threat, he and his team were prevented from taking action. Vargas-Andrews stands by his testimony, asserting that the attack could have been averted if action had been taken based on the on-the-ground intelligence available.

The subsequent probe initiated by CENTCOM failed to substantiate Vargas-Andrews’ claims, leading to a dispute over the accuracy of the findings. While the investigation concluded that the bomber was not the individual initially identified by Marines, Vargas-Andrews maintains that there was a failure to act on actionable intelligence.

One of the key points of contention revolves around missing photographs of the bomber, which could have provided crucial intelligence. Despite exhaustive searches, these photos remain unaccounted for, raising questions about the thoroughness of the investigation.

The identification of the bomber as Abdul Rahman Al-Logari, an ISIS operative released by the Taliban, adds complexity to the situation. While CENTCOM asserts that the evidence conclusively links Al-Logari to the attack, Vargas-Andrews insists that he still had an opportunity to engage the bomber and prevent the tragedy.

The discrepancies between Vargas-Andrews’ account and the findings of the investigation underscore the need for transparency and accountability in understanding the events leading up to the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Governor Vetoes Bill Barring Sex-Change Surgeries for Minors

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Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly of Kansas vetoed a bill on Friday that banned doctors from performing sex-change surgeries on minors.

The bill was approved by the state Senate on March 27, with 27 voting in favor and 13 against, and would have prohibited state funding from being used to “promote or advocate” for puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones or sex-change surgeries for minors. The bill also barred doctors from performing sex-change procedures on minors, but Kelly argued the legislation gets in the way of “parental rights,” according to a press release.

“This divisive legislation targets a small group of Kansans by placing government mandates on them and dictating to parents how to best raise and care for their children,” Kelly said in the press release. “I do not believe that is a conservative value, and it’s certainly not a Kansas value. To be clear, this legislation tramples parental rights.”

The bill would have also prohibited any individual or institutions that receives state funding from encouraging a child to “social” transition, meaning “acts other than medical or surgical interventions that are undertaken for the purpose of presenting as a member of the opposite sex, including the changing of an individual’s preferred pronouns or manner of dress.” (Read more from “Governor Vetoes Bill Barring Sex-Change Surgeries for Minors” HERE)

Country Star Doubles Down on Choice to Take Toddler to Drag Performance

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Maren Morris recently voiced her support for drag shows as wholesome family entertainment during her Saturday appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”

The country music star addressed the Tennessee legislation prohibiting drag performances in areas accessible to children. She recalled her experience at a benefit drag show event held at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena with her son in tow.

“We were doing a benefit at Bridgestone last year when they were doing the drag ban in Tennessee,” Morris told Kelly Clarkson. “There were drag queens like throughout, entertaining as well, and one actually danced with me when I was singing my song, ‘The Middle.’ And it was just amazing and fun.”

“My son loves watching me, like sit in the makeup chair and just is like fascinated with the colors … it was just like completely harmless,” she added.

(Read more from “Country Star Doubles Down on Choice to Take Toddler to Drag Performance” HERE)

Former Trump Attorney Tells CNN: Irish Woman Critical of Trump Not Deemed ‘Dangerous Juror’

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Criminal defense attorney Bill Brennan, who previously represented former President Donald Trump, told CNN Monday that an Irish woman who went off about her dislike of Trump was not a “dangerous juror.”

Jury screening for Trump’s hush money trial began Monday as concerns emerge about jurors with bias against the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee. Brennan told CNN’s Jake Tapper that an outspoken woman who made her “hate” for Trump undoubtedly was less “dangerous” to the jury pool than someone less vocal.

“We had a lady come up as a prospective juror. I’ve been picking juries for about 35 years. Uh, she looked good to me, a lady in her mid-40s, uh, of Irish extraction. She spoke with a brogue, she worked in an Irish pub and on our questionnaire, questions 29 and 30 said, ‘Do you have any former — do you have any strong feelings about the former president and if so, would they affect your ability to be fair?’” Brennan said.

“And she checked them, so I said, ‘Well, ma’am, would they be positive or negative feelings?’ And she says, ‘Oh, I despise that man,’ he continued, imitating the woman’s Irish accent. “And I said, I guess it was late in the day, Jake, and I said, ‘Oh, come on, don’t sugarcoat things for me. Speak your mind.’ She says, ‘Oh, Speak me mind? I hate him!’”

Brennan was recalling a potential juror from the time he defended Trump during a tax fraud case against the Trump Organization in 2022. New York Justice Juan Merchan, the same judge presiding over the hush money case, fined the Trump Organization $1.6 million in Jan. 2023, according to The Associated Press (AP). (Read more from “Former Trump Attorney Tells CNN: Irish Woman Critical of Trump Not Deemed ‘Dangerous Juror'” HERE)

Supreme Court to Deliberate on Case with Potential to Impact Hundreds of Jan. 6 Prosecutions

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The upcoming Supreme Court hearing of Fischer v. United States has drawn significant attention due to its potential ramifications for both the prosecution of Jan. 6 defendants and the ongoing legal challenges involving former President Donald Trump. At the heart of the case lies the interpretation of an obstruction statute, Section 1512(c)(2), which carries penalties of up to 20 years in prison for those found guilty of corruptly obstructing official proceedings.

Joseph Fischer, a defendant in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, argues that his prosecution under this statute represents an unprecedented expansion of its scope. Fischer’s legal team contends that Section 1512(c)(2) was originally intended to target evidence tampering in corporate fraud cases, rather than obstruction of Congress’ certification of electoral results.

Fischer’s case underscores broader concerns about the application of the statute to Jan. 6 defendants, many of whom face felony charges under its provisions. Should the Supreme Court rule in Fischer’s favor, it could potentially affect the outcomes of numerous cases and even prompt early releases for some defendants.

The government, however, maintains that the statute’s language encompasses all forms of corrupt obstruction of official proceedings, without limitation to evidence tampering. This interpretation was upheld by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-1 decision, which deemed the meaning of the statute unambiguous.

Nevertheless, dissenting voices, including Judge Gregory Katsas, have criticized the government’s interpretation as overly broad and potentially unconstitutional. They argue that such a reading could criminalize constitutionally protected activities such as advocacy and protest.

The Fischer case also intersects with the legal challenges facing former President Trump. Two of the charges in Trump’s election interference case hinge on the same obstruction statute under review. Critics contend that a correct interpretation of the statute could undermine a key aspect of the indictment against Trump.

However, Special Counsel Jack Smith has defended the charges, asserting that they would remain valid irrespective of the Supreme Court’s decision on Section 1512(c)(2). Smith argues that the use of falsehoods or creation of false documents constitutes evidence impairment, thus satisfying the statute’s requirements.

As the Supreme Court prepares to hear oral arguments in April, the outcome of Fischer v. United States holds significant implications for the legal landscape surrounding Jan. 6 prosecutions