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U.S. Flexes Military Might as Trump Gives Chilling Warning to Venezuela’s Maduro if He Plays ‘Tough’

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President Trump on Monday warned Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro against taking military action against the United States, telling reporters from Florida that “if he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’s ever able to play tough.”

The remark came after Trump was asked why Maduro should take “seriously” Washington’s pressure campaign to force him to leave office after stealing the past two presidential elections in that country and running a narcoterrorist state.

“He could do whatever he wants. We have a massive Armada formed; the biggest we’ve ever had, and by far the biggest we’ve ever had in South America,” Trump said. “He could do whatever he wants. It’s alright, whatever he wants to do.”

It came hours after US Southern Command showed off the efforts of roughly 2,200 Marines training in the Caribbean this month in a series of eye-popping photos on Monday as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Maduro.

Part of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Force, the troops were pictured firing mortar systems in live-fire drills during “reconnaissance, selection and occupation of position” maneuvers recently and training on first-person view attack drones in Puerto Rico, as well as conducting flight operations aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima in the Caribbean Sea. (Read more from “U.S. Flexes Military Might as Trump Gives Chilling Warning to Venezuela’s Maduro if He Plays ‘Tough’” HERE)

Trump Admin Dramatically Scales Back Work Permits For Asylum Seekers

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The Trump administration is dramatically scaling back the timeframe in which asylum seekers and other foreign nationals can have valid work permits in the U.S.

Work permits issued to foreign nationals who’ve applied for asylum or other humanitarian programs will only be valid for 18 months rather than five years, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Thursday. The decision marks the latest action by the agency tasked with managing the country’s immigration system, since two National Guard members were ambushed by an Afghan man shortly before Thanksgiving.

“Reducing the maximum validity period for employment authorization will ensure that those seeking to work in the United States do not threaten public safety or promote harmful anti-American ideologies,” USCIS Director Joe Edlow said in a public statement.

“After the attack on National Guard service members in our nation’s capital by an alien who was admitted into this country by the previous administration, it’s even more clear that USCIS must conduct frequent vetting of aliens,” Edlow continued.

The maximum validity period for initial and renewed Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) will be scaled back for foreigners admitted as refugees, granted asylum and granted a withholding of removal order, according to USCIS. The timeframe will additionally change for aliens with pending applications for asylum, withholding of removal, adjustment of status and suspension of deportation, among other categories. (Read more from “Trump Admin Dramatically Scales Back Work Permits For Asylum Seekers” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Trump Administration Eyes Major Expansion of Foreign Entry Restrictions

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The Trump administration is preparing to dramatically broaden U.S. travel restrictions in response to last week’s deadly attack on two West Virginia National Guard members near the White House, with officials signaling that as many as 30 nations may soon be added to a new immigration blacklist.

A senior administration source confirmed that the list — which already targets 19 “countries of concern” — is set to grow “significantly,” and could continue expanding based on evolving security assessments.

“We will be announcing the list soon,” a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday, declining to identify specific countries. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who has taken a hard-line stance on immigration, teased the announcement Monday night on X, calling the proposal a “full travel ban.”

In her post, Noem urged Trump to include “every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies” on the restricted list. She argued the United States cannot allow foreign nationals to “slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS.”

“WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE,” she wrote in all caps.

The proposal comes amid a sweeping crackdown following the Thanksgiving eve shooting that killed National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically injured Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, outside the White House complex. Authorities arrested 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national accused of opening fire during a confrontation.

The attack has reignited security concerns surrounding Afghan resettlement programs and immigration vetting processes.

Prior to the shooting, the White House had already announced a freeze on asylum decisions and ordered a review of more than 720,000 green card holders from the 19 countries currently on the restricted list.

The State Department has since paused all visa issuance for individuals traveling on Afghan passports.

Lakanwal’s immigration history is now under intense political scrutiny. A former member of a CIA-backed elite Afghan military unit that helped battle the Taliban, he was evacuated to the U.S. in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome — a program launched by the Biden administration following the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

He was granted asylum in April, placing him on track to obtain a green card next year.

Photo credit: Flickr

Democrats Explicitly Tell Spy Agencies, Military To Disobey Trump

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Democratic Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin posted a video to social media Tuesday morning in which she and five of her congressional colleagues called for the military and the intelligence community to “stand up” to President Donald Trump’s administration.

The half-dozen Democratic lawmakers who took part in the video titled, “Don’t give up the ship,” had all served as military or intelligence officers. In her X post of the video, Slotkin stated the lawmakers seek to “directly” tell service members and intelligence personnel that the “American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution.”

“We know you are under enormous stress and pressure right now,” Slotkin, a former CIA officer, said in the video she appeared in alongside Democratic Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Democratic Pennsylvania Reps. Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan, Democratic New Hampshire Rep. Maggie Goodlander and Democratic Colorado Rep. Jason Crow.

“Americans trust their military,” said Houlahan, a former Air Force officer.

“But that trust is at risk,” added Deluzio, a former officer in the Navy.

“This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens,” Kelly, a former Navy officer, said in tandem with Crow, a former Army officer, and Slotkin. (Read more from “Democrats Explicitly Tell Spy Agencies, Military To Disobey Trump” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

SCOTUS Overrules Judge Who Blocked State Dept. From Putting Natural Sex On Passports

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The U.S. Supreme Court momentarily paused a lower court injunction on Thursday that sought to force the Trump administration to deny biological reality when issuing passports to trans-identifying individuals.

In its order in Trump v. Orr, the high court granted the federal government’s request to temporarily stay a sweeping preliminary injunction issued by Biden-appointed District Judge Julia Kobick in mid-June. That order attempted to block enforcement of part of a January executive order by Trump that directed the secretaries of State and Department of Homeland Security and director of the Office of Personnel Management to “implement changes to require that government-issued identification documents, including passports, visas, and Global Entry cards, accurately reflect the holder’s sex.”

Associate Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson would have denied the administration’s request for relief.

According to CBS News, Kobick ruled that “any individual who needs to renew their passport because it expires within one year, apply for a new passport, or change their name or sex designation” may select the sex they “identify” as. This June ruling “expanded an earlier decision in April that only applied to six of the original plaintiffs.” A three-judge panel for the First Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration’s request to stay Kobick’s injunction in early September.

In its temporary ruling, the Supreme Court noted that “[d]isplaying passport holders’ sex at birth no more offends equal protection principles than displaying their country of birth—in both cases, the Government is merely attesting to a historical fact without subjecting anyone to differential treatment.” (Read more from “SCOTUS Overrules Judge Who Blocked State Dept. From Putting Natural Sex On Passports” HERE)

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Trump Admin Slashes Refugee Cap, Prioritizes Afrikaners As ‘Victims Of Unjust Discrimination’

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The Trump administration on Thursday announced a sharp reduction in the number of refugees it will admit into the country next year.

The refugee cap for fiscal year 2026 will be set at 7,500 with priority given to Afrikaners — a predominantly white minority group in South Africa — and “other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands,” according to a notice published in the Federal Register. By comparison, the U.S. admitted more than 100,000 refugees under former President Joe Biden in fiscal year 2024 — the highest figure since 1994 — according to the Migration Policy Institute. . .

A senior Trump official told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the administration “has long expressed its intention to end Biden’s abuse of the refugee program,” and noted that the ongoing government shutdown will affect refugee admissions.

“No refugees will be admitted in FY26 until the appropriate consultations with Congress are held, which are being delayed because certain members of Congress insisted on shutting down the government,” the official said.

The move reflects President Donald Trump’s broader effort to tighten asylum standards and “realign” U.S. policy, and for the first time focusing on a predominantly white minority facing persecution abroad. (Read more from “Trump Admin Slashes Refugee Cap, Prioritizes Afrikaners As ‘Victims Of Unjust Discrimination’” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Pete Hegseth Doesn’t Dispute Plans to Have ‘Crowd Control’ Troops in Every State Ahead of 2026 Midterms

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth didn’t deny reported plans to have National Guard ‘response force’ in every state ahead of the 2026 midterms.

During a conference on Thursday (23 October), a reporter asked Hegseth about  a memo circulating on social media detailing, “the establishment of a National Guard response force that will be trained in crowd control and civil unrest  deployed in all 50 states by April of 2026”.

(Read more from “Pete Hegseth Doesn’t Dispute Plans to Have ‘Crowd Control’ Troops in Every State Ahead of 2026 Midterms” HERE)

Trump Admin Asks SCOTUS To Intervene After Judicial Block Of National Guard Deployment

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The Trump administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to intervene in the ongoing legal battle over the deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago.

“This case presents what has become a disturbing and recurring pattern. Federal officers are attempting to enforce federal immigration law in an urban area containing significant numbers of illegal aliens,” Solicitor General John Sauer wrote. “The federal agents efforts are met with prolonged, coordinated, violent resistance that threatens their lives and safety and systematically interferes with their ability to enforce federal law.”

Judge April Perry of the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois initially blocked the deployment of the National Guard to Chicago. Her ruling was upheld by a three-judge federal appeals court on Thursday. The judges claimed there was “insufficient evidence of rebellion or a danger of a rebellion” and that with “regular forces,” the president could still maintain the law.

Sauer argues that the resistance forces federal agents to “scramble to protect themselves and federal property” in the face of “violent, hostile mobs.” Thus, presidential authority is warranted.

“Federal officers in Chicago have been threatened and assaulted, attacked in a harrowing pre-planned ambush involving many assailants, rammed in their government vehicles, shot at with fireworks and other improvised weapons, injured and hospitalized, and threatened in person and online, including by a $10,000 bounty for the murder of a senior federal official,” he wrote. (Read more from “Trump Admin Asks SCOTUS To Intervene After Judicial Block Of National Guard Deployment” HERE)

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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)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Former Trump Faith Adviser Robert Morris Pleads Guilty to Child Sexual Abuse

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Robert Morris, once a leading figure in the evangelical world and an informal spiritual adviser to Donald Trump, has pleaded guilty to multiple counts of child sexual abuse.

Morris, 64, was the founder and longtime senior pastor of Gateway Church in Texas, which grew into one of the larger evangelical congregations in the U.S. Over time, he also gained political visibility. In 2016, he served on Trump’s Evangelical Advisory Board. Trump’s public remarks indicate a favorable view of Morris: at a “Roundtable on Transition to Greatness” event in Dallas, Trump thanked “Pastors Robert Morris and Steve Dulin,” calling them “great people with a great reputation” and praising Gateway Church’s hosting role.

Morris entered a plea in Osage County, Oklahoma, admitting to five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. The criminal conduct dates back to 1982–1986, when the victim was aged 12 to 16 and Morris was a traveling evangelist.

Under the plea agreement, Morris will serve six months in the Osage County Jail, followed by probation under supervision (in Texas) and a requirement to register as a sex offender. The remainder of a 10-year sentence is suspended. He must also pay restitution and cover incarceration costs.

The Oklahoma Attorney General, Gentner Drummond, condemned the case as “despicable” due to Morris’s status as a pastor, emphasizing that “there can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children.”

The victim, Cindy Clemishire, confronted Morris in court, saying, “There is no such thing as consent from a 12‑year‑old child … You committed a crime against me.”

Other Known Sex Offenders in Trump‑Connected Roles

While Morris’s case is unusual in its combination of religious prominence and political connection, it is not the only instance of a convicted sex offender or alleged sexual predator connected to Trump-affiliated spheres. Below are notable examples:

Lawrence Taylor — Presidential Fitness Council

In 2025, Trump relaunched the Presidential Fitness Test and reconstituted the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. Present at the signing was former NFL star Lawrence Taylor, whom Trump introduced as “a friend … an incredible guy.”

Taylor pleaded guilty in 2011 to misdemeanor sexual misconduct and patronizing a prostitute involving a 16‑year-old girl, and as part of a court order was required to register as a sex offender. In many jurisdictions (including Florida), he remains listed in sex offender registries.

This appointment drew criticism, given that a youth- or fitness-related advisory council would plausibly engage with children or minors. Some questioned the propriety of including a convicted sex offender in a role tied to youth fitness initiatives.

Taylor himself, during the event, said, “I don’t know why [I was tapped], but I’m here to serve you.”

Tim Nolan — Former Trump Campaign Associate

Another case is Timothy Lee Nolan, a former Kentucky judge and Republican activist who was associated with Trump’s 2016 campaign. Nolan was charged with multiple counts including human trafficking, rape, prostitution, and transactions involving a minor.

In 2018, he pleaded guilty to 19 counts of child sex trafficking and was sentenced to 20 years.

Ralph Shortey — Oklahoma Campaign Chair

During the 2016 election, Ralph Shortey served as Trump’s Oklahoma campaign chair and was later charged and convicted of child sex trafficking (pleaded guilty in 2017). The case involved hiring a 17-year-old male for sexual services, and Shortey was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Trump’s remarks about Morris at the 2020 Dallas “Roundtable on Transition to Greatness” represent one of the few documented instances where he publicly commented favorably on Morris. Trump said:

“Pastors Robert Morris … they’re great people. Great people with a great reputation. … Gateway Church — the team has been incredible in hosting us.”