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Chinese Official Reportedly Seeking Talks With Trump on Fentanyl Ingredients Amid Trade War

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A top Chinese government official is asking what the Trump administration wants the communist nation to do about chemicals used to make fentanyl amid an ongoing trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

Wang Xiaohong, China’s minister of public security, has been making inquiries about what Trump wants China to do about the fentanyl issue over the last few days, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

Chinese companies produce precursors, large quantities of chemicals that eventually flow to Mexican drug cartels, which then make fentanyl and smuggle it into the United States.

Beijing could possibly have Wang meet with senior Trump administration officials in a neutral country, the newspaper reported.

Trump has tried to persuade China, Mexico and Canada to do more to combat the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. (Read more from “Chinese Official Reportedly Seeking Talks With Trump on Fentanyl Ingredients Amid Trade War” HERE)

Trump Administration Revokes 4,000 Visas for Students With Criminal Records for Assault, Robbery: ‘Breaking the Law With No Consequences’

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The Trump administration has revoked the visas of 4,000 foreign students in its first 100 days — the bulk of which have committed crimes in the US including arson, assault and robbery, The Post has learned.

More than 90% of the rogue students who saw their visas nixed had committed crimes such as arson, wildlife and human trafficking, child endangerment, domestic abuse, DUI and robbery, a senior State Department source told The Post Monday. More than 500 of them had assault raps.

“They came and they were breaking the law with no consequences,” said the source.

“We set up a special action team to handle this.”

The State Department worked with the Department of Homeland Security, which tapped into their databases and compared that information with existing law enforcement records. (Read more from “Trump Administration Revokes 4,000 Visas for Students With Criminal Records for Assault, Robbery: ‘Breaking the Law With No Consequences’” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Three Rogue Judges Block Trump Admin Efforts To Eradicate Discriminatory DEI From Schools

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The attempted judicial coup continues apace as three federal district court judges issued directives to stop the Trump administration’s ability to halt federal funding for schools that participate in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) discrimination.

Thursday saw district judges in Maryland, New Hampshire, and Washington, D.C., issue separate sweeping orders to stop some of the major education reforms President Donald Trump was elected to enact.

“Unelected judges, keen to disrupt the President’s efforts to remove color-consciousness from American education have forgotten that the judiciary is the only non-political branch of our tripartite system of government,” Sarah Parshall Perry, vice president and legal fellow at Defending Education, told The Federalist. “Judges that prohibit the Department of Education’s enforcement of its ‘Dear Colleague Letter’ and related civil rights compliance form forget that both are constitutional and a plain-text application of longstanding federal civil rights laws like Title VI.”

“That law specifically conceives that institutions which do not uphold race neutral policies can have their federal funding revoked,” she continued. “Judges are bound to interpret the laws as they read — not as judges wish they read.”

The cases, brought by far-left teachers unions, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and others, were decided by two Trump-appointed judges and one appointee of President Barack Obama. They also came just one day after Trump signed yet another executive order trying to rein in the DEI-caused destruction in schools. (Read more from “Three Rogue Judges Block Trump Admin Efforts To Eradicate Discriminatory DEI From Schools” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Trump Admin Asks SCOTUS To Block Lower Court Injunction On Military ‘Trans’ Policy

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The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to stay a lower court’s nationwide injunction blocking enforcement of its policy disqualifying trans-identifying troops from serving in the military.

In the application filed by the Justice Department, U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer requested that the high court stay a universal injunction by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Issued by a Bush-appointed judge, the injunction is one of several orders put forward by lower court judges attempting to prevent the administration’s policy — which largely disqualifies individuals with gender dysphoria from military service — from going into effect.

As noted in the application, the first Trump administration’s military “trans” policy, which was adopted in 2018 under then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis, “generally disqualified individuals with gender dysphoria from military service.” While “district courts enjoined the policy on a universal basis” following challenges from various plaintiffs, the Supreme Court “stayed those injunctions,” thus allowing it to take effect.

Military specialists have long highlighted how authorizing Americans who identify as “transgender” to serve negatively affects military readiness.

The Trump administration had previously filed an emergency request to stay the injunction with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. A three-judge panel on the court declined to lift the injunction last week, claiming in a one-page order that the administration did “not demonstrate[] that they will suffer irreparable harm absent a stay.” (Read more from “Trump Admin Asks SCOTUS To Block Lower Court Injunction On Military ‘Trans’ Policy” HERE)

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Trump Admin Freezes Additional $1 Billion In NIH Grants To Harvard University

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The Trump administration is pausing more than 500 grants worth an additional $1 billion from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to Harvard University, senior HHS officials told the Daily Caller.

Senior Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials told the Caller that the decision to pause the funds is because the institution has been “intransigent with respect to obligations to protect students on this campus from the effects of insidious antisemitism.” The grants include those that were funding the institution’s training of its scientists and other non-clinical trial grants, the officials told the Caller. The frozen grants will not effect the care of any children, the officials added.

“Harvard needs to fully come into compliance with Title IV of the 1964 Civil Rights Act,” a senior HHS official told the Caller regarding what the university needs to do to have the funds unfrozen. “They need to remedy the violations of Title IV with respect to Jewish students on campus, they need to make sure that the not violating title six with respect to their admissions practices, and they need to provide sufficient guarantees that this conduct is not going to repeat itself.”

The Trump administration previously sent a list of demands to the institution, asking for several audits on their response to anti-Israel protests on campus and their admissions process. The institution released a public letter defying the administration’s requests. From there, the Trump administration moved to freeze $2.2 billion to the university. Monday’s action, shared with the Caller by senior HHS officials, is in addition to the $2.2 billion frozen.

“[Harvard’s public letter] clearly demonstrates that the university can, when motivated, respond quickly, but we’ve seen them go 18 months without apparently being sufficiently motivated to address the rampant antisemitism on this campus,” one senior HHS official told the Caller. (Read more from “Trump Admin Freezes Additional $1 Billion In NIH Grants To Harvard University” HERE)

EPA’s Zeldin Demands End to Mexican Sewage Flooding Across Border: ‘It’s Been Going on for Too Long’

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The Trump administration is tackling a different border flow after illegal crossings plunged to record lows.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin embarked Monday on a mission to halt the flow of Mexican sewage into the US from Tijuana.

“EPA is going to be on the border with Mexico,” Zeldin told reporters Monday before flying to San Diego.

“There, for decades, has been raw sewage that’s been traveling across the border, and Americans are very concerned with regards to beach closures, degradation of the Tijuana River Valley and concerns of public health, air quality,” Zeldin said.

“It’s been going on for too long, and we have to urgently and deliberately pursue and implement a solution that permanently ends this, and that is an important focus of ours.”

Zeldin will meet Tuesday with Mexican Environmental Secretary Alicia Bárcena before highlighting the impact on local military operations. (Read more from “EPA’s Zeldin Demands End to Mexican Sewage Flooding Across Border: ‘It’s Been Going on for Too Long’” HERE)

Trump Launches Investigation Into Colleges Over Transgender Fencing Scandal

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A special administration task force formed by President Donald Trump has launched investigations into the University of Maryland and Wagner College after they failed to protect a female athlete penalized for refusing to compete against a male who identifies as a female, The Daily Wire can first report.

The Title IX Special Investigations Team — a joint Education Department and Justice Department project — launched a directed investigation Monday into the University of Maryland over allegations that it not only allowed a male athlete to compete in the women’s category of the USA Fencing Tournament, but also allowed that male athlete to use women’s-only intimate facilities.

The Special Investigations Team is also investigating Wagner College for its own practices and polices that allegedly allowed that male to compete in female sports and to use female intimate spaces.

Both colleges received letters from the Title IX Special Investigations Team on Monday, The Daily Wire has learned.

Officials black-carded and booted 31-year-old Stephanie Turner from a tournament at the University of Maryland for refusing to compete against Redmond Sullivan, a male who identifies as a woman and who formerly competed against males. USA Fencing allowed Sullivan, who competes for Wagner College, to compete in the women’s tournament, the organization confirmed to The Daily Wire. (Read more from “Trump Launches Investigation Into Colleges Over Transgender Fencing Scandal” HERE)

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Top Trump Adviser Reveals Administration’s ‘Red Line’ Ahead of Iran Talks

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Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff was adamant Friday that the Trump administration will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon, describing the provocative action as a “red line” — but said that the US would still be open to compromise ahead of talks with the adversary.

“I think our position begins with dismantlement of your program. That is our position today,” Witkoff told the Wall Street Journal, explaining what he plans on telling Iranian officials on Saturday in Oman.

“That doesn’t mean, by the way, that at the margin we’re not going to find other ways to find compromise between the two countries,” the special envoy added, suggesting there are some accommodations the Trump administration might be willing to provide the theocratic regime in order to get it to scrap possible nuclear ambitions.

“Where our red line will be, there can’t be weaponization of your nuclear capability,” Witkoff asserted. (Read more from “Top Trump Adviser Reveals Administration’s ‘Red Line’ Ahead of Iran Talks” HERE)

Pete Hegseth Says Panama Accepted Agreement on Warship Canal Passage After China Accused the U.S. of ‘Blackmail’

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that the nation of Panama agreed to allow warship passage through the canal after Chinese officials accused the U.S. of trying to use blackmail to further its interests.

Hegseth said that the two nations had signed a memorandum of understanding to allow U.S. warships to pass through the canal without paying a toll. The agreement for security cooperation also includes auxiliary vessels.

When asked about the accusation, Hegseth fired back at China.

“I don’t know anything about blackmail,” he responded, “but I do know about strength, peace through strength, and deterrence.”

On Wednesday a Chinese official had more fiery rhetoric against the U.S. as a trade war escalated between President Donald Trump and the communist-governed nation.

“Everyone knows who wants to control the Panama Canal,” said ministry spokesperson Lin Jian to reporters. “The U.S. side should take a look in the mirror to see who really threatens the sovereignty, security, and development of other countries.” (Read more from “Pete Hegseth Says Panama Accepted Agreement on Warship Canal Passage After China Accused the U.S. of ‘Blackmail’” HERE)

Why Comparing Trump’s Tariffs To The Smoot-Hawley Act Is Dishonest

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Trump’s tariffs are not designed to encourage Americans to borrow money and maximize their consumption. Nor are they designed to encourage participation in speculative stock market or real estate bubbles. America’s free trade policies encouraged such excesses after the end of the Cold War, and we can’t stand a repeat of the folly. While his critics wrongly invoke the Smoot-Hawley tariff failures of 1930, Trump’s emerging tariff policies, particularly if combined with the appropriate monetary policy, will have much better results and Make America Great Again.

As Trump’s tariffs are implemented, they will generate revenue for the federal government and encourage investment in atrophied as well as cutting-edge sectors of the American economy. In addition, they will increase the quantity and quality of jobs available for Americans as a whole, will persuade (and are already persuading) our trading partners to adopt fairer and less predatory trading regimes, will arrest a possible slide into recession, and will get our economy moving toward our long-term growth potential of 3 percent (or more) GDP growth per year.

President Trump says “tariff” is one of his favorite words, and historical evidence indicates tariffs work. They worked for the Chinese this century, they worked for the Japanese after World War II, and they worked for the U.S. and Germany in the late 19th century. Back then, American and German growth rates and economic vibrancy radically outstripped the growth rates and economic vibrancy of a free-trading Britain, which, after abandoning its early 19th-century tariffs, adopted the free trade nostrums of David Ricardo and slipped into decline.

One of the few instances when tariffs failed was during the Smoot-Hawley tariff episode at the beginning of the Great Depression. But there are special circumstances surrounding the imposition of the Smoot-Hawley tariffs that the free-traders hesitate to mention. When the United States raised the Smoot-Hawley tariffs, the U.S. was the world’s greatest creditor, and by raising the tariffs, we prevented others from selling us things so they could make money and pay us back. When they didn’t pay us back, it collapsed the global financial system and helped usher in the Great Depression.

Obviously, today the circumstances are reversed. The United States is now the world’s largest debtor. If we can’t pay back our debts, the global financial system will collapse, which would be disastrous for the entire world. (Read more from “Why Comparing Trump’s Tariffs To The Smoot-Hawley Act Is Dishonest” HERE)