House Censures Al Green for Disrupting Trump Address to Congress

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The House on Thursday voted to censure Rep. Al Green (D-TX) for his protest during President Donald Trump’s address to Congress.

The chamber voted 224-198-2, which passed mostly on party lines, and ten Democrats voted with Republicans in favor of the censure.

During Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday, Green stood up, waved his cane, and yelled at the 47th president. Green sought to fight back against Trump’s claim he had a “mandate” from the American people.

Despite Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) urging the Texas Democrat to “take your seat,” Green continued to violate decorum, to which the Speaker urged the sergeant-at-arms to remove Green from the chamber.

Republicans sang, “Hey, hey, hey, goodbye,” as the sergeant-at-arms escorted Green off the House floor.

“We take no pleasure in this,” Johnson said before the censure vote.

(Read more from “House Censures Al Green for Disrupting Trump Address to Congress” HERE)

D.C. Reparations Law Takes Effect, Opening Door for Payments to Black Residents

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A law letting the District of Columbia dole out reparations took effect Thursday after clearing the monthlong review period in a Republican-controlled Congress.

The D.C. Council can now study how to compensate Black residents who are descendants of slaves or have been affected by Jim Crow-era policies.

The law, authored by Kenyan McDuffie, at-large independent, doesn’t guarantee what the payments “or other forms of redress” would look like.

The statute gives that responsibility to a 12-member commission that has yet to be established.

All D.C. laws are subject to review by federal lawmakers, who have the constitutional authority to revoke legislation before it takes effect. (Read more from “D.C. Reparations Law Takes Effect, Opening Door for Payments to Black Residents” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

If The Supreme Court Is Going To Ignore The Constitution, Trump Should Ignore The Supreme Court

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The Supreme Court’s shocking decision on Wednesday to allow a D.C. district court judge to order the Trump administration to disburse $2 billion in federal grant money is a major blow to the separation of powers undergirding our constitutional system of government.

But the thing about separation of powers is that they stand or fall together. All three branches of our government — legislative, executive, and judicial — have to respect the Constitution’s clear separation of powers. If one of them doesn’t, there’s no reason that the others should.

Put another way, if the Supreme Court can simply disregard the Executive branch’s constitutional authority and allow it to be usurped by an inferior federal court, which is what happened, then there’s no reason the Executive branch under Trump should pay any attention to what the Supreme Court says in this case, because it’s trying to assert an authority it simply doesn’t have.

So here’s what happened. As part of an administration-wide effort to crack down on fraudulent and wasteful federal spending, President Trump ordered a review of all federal grants, and also ordered that payments on all grants should be paused while the review is ongoing. Some of those grant recipients sued, and in a 5-4 decision handed down Wednesday, the Supreme Court denied a request by the Trump administration to vacate a recent ruling by D.C. District Court Judge Amir Ali (a Biden appointee) that ordered the State Department and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to disburse about $2 billion in federal grants to nongovernmental groups for “work already completed.”

In mid-February, Ali had issued a temporary restraining order that prohibited the Trump administration from pausing the disbursement of funds, arguing that the respondents were likely to succeed in showing the government violated the Administrative Procedures Act. After issuing this restraining order, Ali apparently grew frustrated by the slow pace of the disbursement of funds and on Feb. 25 issued a second order requiring the government to pay out about $2 billion in grant funds within 36 hours. (Read more from “If The Supreme Court Is Going To Ignore The Constitution, Trump Should Ignore The Supreme Court” HERE)

China Says It’s ‘Ready’ For Any ‘Type Of War’ With U.S. After Trump Doubles Tariffs

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China responded after President Donald Trump imposed higher tariffs on the communist country on Tuesday, saying that it is “ready” for “any … type of war” and will “fight till the end.”

Trump doubled the tariffs on Chinese imports from 10% to 20% as 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico also went into effect Tuesday morning. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told The New York Times that Trump’s insistence that China do more to curb fentanyl trafficking into the United States “is a flimsy excuse to raise U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports.”

“The U.S., not anyone else, is responsible for the fentanyl crisis inside the U.S. In the spirit of humanity and goodwill towards the American people, we have taken robust steps to assist the U.S. in dealing with the issue,” Lin said, adding, “If the U.S. truly wants to solve the fentanyl issue, then the right thing to do is to consult with China on the basis of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit to address each other’s concerns.”

The communist government spokesman then warned that China was “ready” for war.

“If the U.S. has other agenda in mind and if war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end,” Lin said. “We urge the U.S. to stop being domineering and return to the right track of dialogue and cooperation at an early date.” (Read more from “China Says It’s ‘Ready’ For Any ‘Type Of War’ With U.S. After Trump Doubles Tariffs” HERE)

Making a Single Change Can Cut Your Microplastics Intake From 90,000 to 4,000 Particles per Year

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. . .Microplastics are everywhere — in the beauty products we wear, the cleaning supplies we use and even in the food we eat. Research suggests that these particles, smaller than a grain of rice, can harm reproductive, digestive and respiratory health, potentially leading to colon and lung cancer.

In a new scientific paper, three physicians report that switching from bottled water to filtered tap water could cut your microplastic intake by about 90% — from 90,000 to 4,000 particles each year.

“Given the widespread presence of microplastics in the environment, completely eliminating exposure is unrealistic. A more practical approach is to reduce the most significant sources of microplastic intake,” the researchers wrote this week in the Genomic Press.

This advice may be tough to swallow. Bottled water was America’s favorite packaged drink last year, according to industry data, with 16.2 billion gallons consumed, a 2% increase from 2023.

Microplastic exposure occurs when particles break off from the bottle’s inner surface and enter the water, particularly when the bottle is squeezed or exposed to heat. (Read more from “Making a Single Change Can Cut Your Microplastics Intake From 90,000 to 4,000 Particles per Year” HERE)

Judge’s Failure To Recuse Himself From Trump Spending Freeze Case Shows How Court Is Rigged

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Judge John McConnell, chief judge of the federal district court of Rhode Island, has such a deep conflict of interest in one of the Trump Administration’s spending freeze cases that it is obvious he should have recused himself. His continued involvement in the case is another sign that the court system is rigged, leaving the majority of U.S. citizens who voted for President Donald Trump’s policies watching lawfare instead of seeing progress.

When the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) told federal department heads in January to place a temporary pause on grant, loan, and other financial assistance programs, the left rushed to court to fight it. The OMB wanted to assure taxpayer money was not going to support programs promoting diversity equity and inclusion (DEI), woke gender ideology, and the Green New Deal.

In this case, a group of 22 states and the District of Columbia went to court calling the administration’s freeze on federal funding unconstitutional. McConnell ordered the administration to unfreeze the funds and the administration is now appealing. A similar case, brought by the National Council of Nonprofits is playing out with U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan in the Washington, D.C. court. You can read about that case here.

The spending freeze affected federally funded nonprofits which may get their money directly from the federal government, from state programs that receive federal funds and pass the money on to nonprofits, or from other nonprofits that get money from the feds and hand it out as local grants.

McConnell has held an 18-year leadership role in Crossroads Rhode Island, a $31 million nonprofit that gets over half its funding from federal money. It received more than $18 million in 2023 according to its tax exempt 990 form, first reported by researchers at America First Legal (AFL).

(Read more from “Judge’s Failure To Recuse Himself From Trump Spending Freeze Case Shows How Court Is Rigged” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Popular Over-The-Counter Drug Can Slow the Spread of Breast, Bowel and Prostate Cancers

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Breast cancer rates are on the rise for women under 40 in the US, with recent research showing they have increased by more than 0.5% per year in 21 states.

Additionally, prostate cancer rates have increased by 2% to 3% annually, and colon cancer rates have risen by 1% to 2% per year among individuals younger than 55, data shows.

Now, a new study has identified one popular drug as a potential agent in slowing the progression of certain cancers — including those of the breast, bowel and prostate — and the best part is that it’s available over the counter.

Aspirin can help the immune system fight cancer spread by blocking a chemical (TXA2), made by blood platelets, that would otherwise weaken the body’s T cells, which are important for attacking cancer cells, the study found.

Previous research has indicated that aspirin has the potential to slow the progression of some cancers.

A 2021 analysis that reviewed 13 studies with over 140,000 breast cancer patients found that aspirin use was linked to a 31% reduction in breast cancer-specific mortality and a 9% decrease in recurrence or metastasis risk. (Read more from “Popular Over-The-Counter Drug Can Slow the Spread of Breast, Bowel and Prostate Cancers” HERE)

Alleged Abbey Gate Plotter Was Released From Prison After Joe Biden Abandoned Bagram Two Weeks Before Bombing

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An affidavit released Wednesday revealed that an alleged architect of the 2021 Abbey Gate suicide bombing that killed 13 American service members in Afghanistan was released from prison just two weeks before the attack — which coincides with when thousands of prisoners were released from the Bagram Air Base after the Biden administration abandoned it.

The affidavit, released by the Trump Department of Justice, stated that Mohammad Sharifullah was in prison in Afghanistan from approximately 2019 until approximately two weeks before the attack at the Hamid Karzai International Airport’s (HKIA) Abbey Gate.

The affidavit did not say which prison Sharifullah was released from. However, it is a widely known fact that around the time of his release and two weeks before the bombing, Taliban fighters took over a U.S. base abandoned by the Biden administration and freed thousands of prisoners.

(Read more from “Alleged Abbey Gate Plotter Was Released From Prison After Joe Biden Abandoned Bagram Two Weeks Before Bombing” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Trump Expected to Sign Executive Order Abolishing the Department of Education: Report

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President Trump is set to sign an executive order to eradicate the Department of Education as early as Thursday, according to a report.

Trump will reportedly use his executive powers to direct Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Education Department” based on “the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law,” according to the Wall Street Journal, which viewed the drafted order.

“The experiment of controlling American education through Federal programs and dollars–and the unaccountable bureaucrats those programs and dollars support–has failed our children, our teachers, and our families,” the draft order, which was labeled as “pre-decisional,” reads.

The order – which supports the president’s pledge to have the federal agency shuttered – has been in the works since Trump’s transition, the outlet reported. . .

McMahon, 76, who was confirmed along party lines Monday, cited the commander in chief’s upcoming move in an email to staffers mere hours after she was approved to head the department, the outlet reported, saying she would “send education back to the states.” (Read more from “Trump Expected to Sign Executive Order Abolishing the Department of Education: Report” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

About That Film That Won Best Documentary at the Oscars

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Earlier this week, the 97th Academy Awards took place. In the category of Best Documentary, those involved with a film known as “No Other Land” took home the Oscar. Although the documentary began before the October 7, 2023, conflict between Israel and Hamas, the film about the Gaza region still allowed the filmmakers to go on a rant spewing anti-Israel propaganda when accepting their awards. Further, these same filmmakers were seen proudly displaying keffiyehs on the red carpet, which has become a terrorist symbol.

One of the filmmakers, Basel Adra, issued such a call for “the world to stop the injustice and end the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people,” which is a narrative used to attack the Jewish State of Israel; those in attendance unfortunately but predictably applauded. Many other Hollywood stars in attendance were also seen wearing anti-Israel pins for the award show.

Although another filmmaker, Yuval Abraham, did mention the attack on Israel that took place on October 7, this came after he spoke about “the atrocious destruction of Gaza and its people, which must end.” He also spoke about “ethnic supremacy” and then condemned “the foreign policy in this country,” standing on a stage in the United States, a line which received more applause.

There was another volunteer filmmaker, Hayim Katsman, involved who did not get to attend the awards ceremony or appear on the stage, as he was an Israeli who was murdered on October 7. (Read more from “About That Film That Won Best Documentary at the Oscars” HERE)