Trump White House Begins Substantial Federal Workforce Reduction as Shutdown Continues

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White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought on Friday said the Trump administration has started layoffs of federal bureaucrats after Democrats shut down the government.

“The RIFs have begun,” Vought wrote on X, referring to reductions in force that would dramatically reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy.

An OMB spokesperson told Breitbart News that the RIFs have begun and they are substantial.

Eric Teetsel, the CEO of the Center for Renewing America, noted that a RIF is a permanent elimination of a position rather than a temporary furlough. . .

About 300,000 federal civilian workers will leave their jobs this year as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to reduce the size and scope of the federal government. (Read more from “Trump White House Begins Substantial Federal Workforce Reduction as Shutdown Continues” HERE)

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Department of State Officer Fired After He Was Caught Hiding His Romantic Relationship with Daughter of Chinese Communist Party Affiliate

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Daniel Choi, a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, was fired after he was caught on hidden camera admitting to having a secret romantic relationship with the daughter of a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) affiliate, who he said “could have been a spy.”

“I defied my government for love,” Choi told one of James O’Keefe’s undercover journalists while on hidden camera. Choi’s admission was then made public by O’Keefe Media Group (OMG).

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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded by recommending Choi’s termination to President Donald Trump, who approved the decision.

“After Presidential review and approval, the Secretary of State has terminated a Foreign Service Officer (FSO) who concealed a romantic relationship with a Chinese national with ties to the Chinese Community Party,” the State Department said on Wednesday. (Read more from “Department of State Officer Fired After He Was Caught Hiding His Romantic Relationship with Daughter of Chinese Communist Party Affiliate” HERE)

Hamas Chief Declares War in Gaza Over, Says Terror Group Confident in Trump-Brokered Cease-Fire; Israel Continues to Attack Gaza as Palestinians Celebrate Ceasefire Deal

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By New York Post. Exiled Hamas chief Khalil Al-Hayya declared Thursday the war in Gaza has ended after the terror group received assurances from the US and other nations about the impending cease-fire deal brokered by President Trump.

Al-Hayya delivered the long-awaited message as the Israel and the Palestinian terror group signed an agreement to stop the fighting and allow the remaining Israeli hostages to be released.

The Hamas leader said his side has received guarantees from the US, Arab mediators and Turkey that the bloody war has come to a permanent conclusion.

He also said along with the end of the war, the deal will pave the way to reopen a key crossing with Egypt and see all jailed Palestinian women and children released by Israeli authorities. (Read more from “Hamas Chief Declares War in Gaza Over, Says Terror Group Confident in Trump-Brokered Cease-Fire” HERE)

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Israel Continues to Attack Gaza as Palestinians Celebrate Ceasefire Deal

By The New Indian Express. Israeli military on Thursday continued attacks on the Gaza Strip, with just hours for the initial phase of a ceasefire deal agreed upon by both Israel and Hamas to come into effect.

Israeli attacks in the vicinity of Hamad City, northwest of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, have killed atleast one Palestinian, reported Al Jazeera. Several others were injured in an Israeli drone attack that targeted Yarmouk School, west of Gaza City.

According to the territory’s Health Ministry, at least 10 Palestinians have been killed and 49 injured in Israeli attacks on several parts of Gaza in the past 24 hours.

The attacks came as US President Donald Trump late on Wednesday announced that Israel and Hamas has agreed upon the first phase of his Gaza peace plan, signalling a long-awaited ceasefire. (Read more from “Israel Continues to Attack Gaza as Palestinians Celebrate Ceasefire Deal” HERE)

In Cell Where Jeffrey Epstein Died, a Scene of Disarray That Never Underwent Thorough Inspection, Experts Said

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By CBS News. The federal investigation into the death of convicted sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was marred by significant lapses, experts told CBS News, including the failure by investigators to interview potential witnesses, properly preserve certain evidence and run basic forensic tests.

Nearly two years passed before investigators interviewed the two key corrections officers on duty the night Epstein died in his cell in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown New York City, in what was later ruled a suicide, according to court documents. One of those officers was the only person to attest to seeing Epstein hanging by a bedsheet from his bunk.

And details pulled from 90 photos of the cell and other evidence collected in the hours after Epstein’s death — but before FBI agents arrived to process the scene — appear to show a succession of basic oversights, ranging from an absence of evidence markers to items being moved, experts told CBS News.

“The FBI literally has all of the best tools. I mean, spared no expense. They have every tool you can imagine. And they used none of it as far as we can tell,” forensic analyst Nick Barreiro said after reviewing the photos, many of which have never been published. “How are there not way more people pointing out the absurdity of this?”

The images were previously obtained by 60 Minutes. After the recent release of surveillance video from the night Epstein died, which appeared to show details that contradicted official reports, CBS News reviewed them and other documents with several forensic experts. (Read more from “In Cell Where Jeffrey Epstein Died, a Scene of Disarray That Never Underwent Thorough Inspection, Experts Said” HERE)

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Epstein bank records sought by top House Democrat from Jamie Dimon, other CEOs

By CNBC. A top House Democrat asked four major bank CEOs to share a slew of financial records related to Jeffrey Epstein, pushing forward an investigation into the notorious sex predator, after the lawmaker’s effort to subpoena the banks for the documents was blocked by Republicans.

House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., in letters to the CEOs obtained by CNBC, asked how Epstein and his co-conspirators could have conducted a reported $1.5 billion in suspicious transactions “for years without ever being caught.” . . .

The letters came as the Trump administration continues to face pressure — from Democrats and from some of President Donald Trump’s Republican supporters — over its handling of matters related to Epstein.

The wealthy financier and sex offender, who was once a friend of Trump’s, died by suicide while in jail facing federal child sex trafficking charges in 2019.

In his letters, Raskin bluntly asked each CEO if their bank will “help reveal the truth” about Epstein and his co-conspirators, or if they would “choose to be part of the cover-up for this massive, international sex trafficking ring that victimized more than 1,000 women and girls?” (Read more from “Epstein bank records sought by top House Democrat from Jamie Dimon, other CEOs” HERE)

MTG Blames GOP Leadership for Shutdown

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U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene blamed Republican congressional leadership for the ongoing government shutdown during an interview Thursday on CNN, calling on her party to fully fund the government. . .

“It shouldn’t be something we dangle — the American people or military pay — we shouldn’t be dangling it in front of them,” Greene said.

The Georgia congresswoman said she opposes a short-term funding bill and instead wants Congress to pass a full appropriations package, which she called its constitutional duty.

“I am a Republican and I support the President, so I voted for the continuing resolution,” Greene said. “I want to pass our appropriates. That’s our constitutional duty.” . . .

“We control the House. We control the Senate. We control the White House. I’ve been vocal saying you can use the ‘nuclear option’ in the Senate,” Greene said. “This doesn’t have to be a shutdown.” (Read more from “MTG Blames GOP Leadership for Shutdown” HERE)

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New York Attorney General Letitia James Indicted

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A federal grand jury indicted Letitia James on Thursday on allegations of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.

The two-count indictment was obtained by Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan.

“This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system,” James said in a video responding to the indictment. “He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding all because I did by job as the New York state attorney general. These charges are baseless.”

President Donald Trump appointed Halligan in September after Erik Siebert, under pressure from Trump to bring charges, resigned.

(Read more from “New York Attorney General Letitia James Indicted” HERE)

Circumcision ‘Highly Likely’ Linked to Autism, RFK Jr. Wildly Claims

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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stunningly claimed Thursday there may be a link between circumcision and autism – due to distribution of Tylenol to infants following the procedure.

“There’s two studies which show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism, it’s highly likely, because they were given Tylenol,” Kennedy told President Trump during a cabinet meeting.

Kennedy didn’t specify the research to which he was referring, but a 2015 study out of Denmark that tracked nearly 343,000 Gen Z boys suggested that circumcised males were more likely to develop autism before the age of 10 compared to their non-circumcised peers.

Researchers hypothesized that pain and stressful surgery early in life can increase the risk of neurodevelopmental, behavioral or psychological problems later on.

However, some critics called the research “flawed” and said the study authors should have examined other painful conditions such as urinary tract infections, which are common in young children. (Read more from “Circumcision ‘Highly Likely’ Linked to Autism, RFK Jr. Wildly Claims” HERE)

More Than 30 Christians Beheaded, Church Burned Down: Report

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More than 30 Christians were beheaded in Mozambique last month, with churches and homes burned down, according to a new report.

The Islamic State Mozambique Province (ISMP), an affiliate of Islamic State, has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks on Christian civilians in the northern part of the African country, often in the Cabo Delgado province, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) said last Wednesday.

ISMP released photos, seen by MEMRI, showing militants killing people and setting fire to churches and homes across several villages.

Mozambique’s President Daniel Chapo said on Thursday that security in Cabo Delgado had improved thanks to the efforts of the national military, but that terrorism threats remained. (Read more from “More Than 30 Christians Beheaded, Church Burned Down: Report” HERE)

Trump to Send 400 Texas National Guard Troops to Illinois as Anti-ICE Protests Continue to Rage: Pritzker

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President Trump is deploying 400 Texas National Guard troops to Illinois, Oregon, and other states as swarms of anti-ICE protesters continue to clash with federal agents, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Sunday night.

The Democrat blasted Trump’s “invasion” hours after the president mobilized 300 California National Guard members to Portland, where unrest has raged for over 100 consecutive days outside an immigration detention center — a scene that has been playing out in Chicago since September.

Pritzker said the plan defies his wishes, adding that federal officials haven’t reached out to coordinate or discuss the deployment.

“We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s Invasion,” the governor said in a post on X, encouraging “every American to speak up and help stop this madness.”

“It started with federal agents, it will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will not involve sending in another state’s military troops. I call on [Texas] Governor [Greg] Abbott to immediately withdraw any support for this decision and refuse to coordinate.” (Read more from “Trump to Send 400 Texas National Guard Troops to Illinois as Anti-ICE Protests Continue to Rage: Pritzker” HERE)

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Father of Hamas Hostage Furious With Netanyahu Despite Deal

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The father of a hostage held by Hamas militants has vented his anger at Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that the Israeli prime minister’s actions since the October 7, 2023 attacks prolonged the suffering of his son.

The comments by Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod has been held in captivity for over two years, follow President Donald Trump’s announcement that Israel and Hamas had agreed the first phase of a Gaza peace deal to facilitate the release of the remaining Israeli hostages, around 20 of whom are believed to be still alive.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum praised Trump for his role in helping bring the captives home, but Yehuda Cohen told BBC radio program Today “due to Netanyahu’s personal and political interest, this was prolonged for two years.” . . .

The optimism expressed by the hostages’ families underscores the relief at the possible quick return of their loved ones. But Cohen’s comments have also expressed his fears over the physical and mental condition the captives – as well as anger at Netanyahu’s actions leading up to and during the war. (Read more from “Father of Hamas Hostage Furious With Netanyahu Despite Deal” HERE)

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