President Donald Trump called for a top official at the Federal Reserve to step down after she was accused by federal officials of mortgage fraud. 
Trump said Wednesday that Lisa Cook, a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, should step down after Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte called for the Justice Department to investigate her over alleged mortgage fraud. 
“Cook must resign, now!!!” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115061104213677946">wrote</a> on Truth Social.  
In an August 15 letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Pulte said that Cook falsely claimed primary residency at the same time for two homes she owned in Michigan and Georgia in order to get better interest rates. 
Pulte wrote in his letter that Cook “has falsified bank documents and property records to acquire more favorable loan terms, potentially committing mortgage fraud under the criminal statute. This has included falsifying residence statuses for an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based residence and an Atlanta, Georgia-based property in order to potentially secure lower interest rates and more favorable loan terms.”
In follow-up posts on X, Pulte targeted Cook over the allegations. 
“How can this woman be in charge of interest rates if she is allegedly lying to help her own interest rates?” he <a href="https://x.com/pulte/status/1958162017468154310">wrote</a>, <a href="https://x.com/pulte/status/1958158594374873358">adding</a> in another, “Do not declare two principal residences in President Trump’s America. Mortgage fraud is a serious crime and must be prosecuted as such.”
Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) <a href="https://x.com/SenRickScott/status/1958140416835940434">responded</a> to the criminal referral by demanding that an independent inspector general be established to investigate the Fed. 
“The lack of accountability at the Federal Reserve under Chair Powell is out of control!” Scott posted on X. “This is exactly why we need to pass my bill to establish an independent inspector general at the Fed ASAP.”
When reached for comment by The Daily Wire, a media relations assistant for the Federal Reserve said that “we don’t have anything to share at the moment, but will be back in touch asap.”
Cook later released a statement on the calls for her to step down.
“I learned from the media that FHFA Director William Pulte posted on social media that he was making a criminal referral based on a mortgage application from four years ago, before I joined the Federal Reserve. I have no intention of being bullied to step down from my position because of some questions raised in a tweet,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I do intend to take any questions about my financial history seriously as a member of the Federal Reserve and so I am gathering the accurate information to answer any legitimate questions and provide the facts.”
Cook was appointed to the board of governors by President Joe Biden and is slated to stay on the board until 2038. She previously worked on the Council of Economic Advisers under President Barack Obama and at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Trump has repeatedly battled with the Fed over interest rates, demanding that Chair Jerome Powell lower rates. 
“Could somebody please inform Jerome ‘Too Late’ Powell that he is hurting the Housing Industry, very badly? People can’t get a Mortgage because of him,” he <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115057827631877948">posted</a> on Truth Social on Tuesday. “There is no Inflation, and every sign is pointing to a major Rate Cut.”
This story has been updated with comment from Cook.

US-UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CONFLICT-SUMMIT-TRUMP

Trump Calls For Fed Official To Resign ‘Now’ After Mortage Fraud Allegations

Department of Justice

Donald Trump

Federal Reserve

Fraud

Interest Rates

Jerome Powell

Mortgages

Pam Bondi

The Justice Department announced Monday that Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey will step into the Trump administration as co-deputy director of the FBI, a move that reshapes bureau leadership amid reported internal disputes.
Bailey, who stepped down from his role as attorney general effective September 8, will hold his newly-created position alongside current FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino and serve under FBI Director Kash Patel.
“I am thrilled to welcome Andrew Bailey as Co-Deputy Director of the FBI. He has served as a distinguished attorney general for Missouri and is a decorated war veteran, bringing expertise and dedication to service,” Attorney General Pam Bondi <a href="https://ago.mo.gov/missouri-attorney-general-andrew-bailey-announces-resignation-in-order-to-accept-federal-position/">said</a>. “His leadership and commitment to country will be a tremendous asset as we work together to advance President Trump’s mission. While we know this is undoubtedly a great loss for Missouri, it is a tremendous gain for America.”
Bongino, who has reportedly clashed with Bondi over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, welcomed Bailey to the FBI in a social media post. After the reported tension, President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hes-in-good-shape-trump-speaks-with-bongino-after-flare-up-with-bondi?author=Daniel+Chaitin&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=‘He’s+In+Good+Shape’%3A+Trump+Speaks+With+Bongino+After+Flare-Up+With+Bondi">said</a> that Bongino was in “good shape” and that he had complete faith in Bondi.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Welcome. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/nui5E7nWAt">https://t.co/nui5E7nWAt</a>
— Dan Bongino (@FBIDDBongino) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIDDBongino/status/1957572352889283039?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Bailey, who has served as Missouri&#8217;s attorney general since 2023, reflected on his role in a post on X.
“To Missouri, thank you. My tenure as Attorney General has been the honor of my professional career, but what has made it truly meaningful has been the opportunity to serve my home state,” Bailey <a href="https://x.com/AGAndrewBailey/status/1957574008381272245">wrote</a>. “Together, we have defended the rule of law and safeguarded our freedoms. I am forever grateful.”
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Bailey will not need to be confirmed by the Senate to take the role. Missouri Republican Governor Mike Kehoe will appoint Bailey&#8217;s replacement in the coming weeks. 
During his time as Missouri&#8217;s attorney general, Bailey challenged the Biden administration and filed a variety of culture war suits. For example, he sued multiple companies like International Business Machines (<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/missouri-attorney-general-sues-tech-giant-ibm-alleging-discrimination-against-whites-asians-men">IBM</a>) and <a href="https://ago.mo.gov/attorney-general-bailey-files-suit-against-starbucks-for-race-and-sex-based-discrimination/">Starbucks</a> over diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. He also launched an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/missouri-attorney-general-launches-investigation-into-trans-center-for-harming-hundreds-of-children">investigation</a> into the Pediatric Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and <a href="https://ago.mo.gov/attorney-general-bailey-demands-millions-in-suit-against-national-planned-parenthood-for-deceiving-women-about-the-dangers-of-the-abortion-drug/">sued</a> Planned Parenthood over its promotion of the abortion drug mifepristone. Bailey also sued to stop the student loan cancellation plan pushed by the Biden administration and sued the Department of Homeland Security for data on whether illegal immigrants were being relocated to Missouri.

CPAC-DC-2024

Red State Attorney General Named FBI Co-Deputy Director Alongside Dan Bongino

Dan Bongino

General

kash patel

Missouri

Politics

Mark Crosby arrived in court last week to attend the sentencing of the man who punched and kicked him in the head outside of a Baltimore Planned Parenthood prepared for his attacker to get a light sentence. 
Before the sentencing began, Crosby, 75, sat outside the courtroom holding up photos of his bloodied face as his assailant, 28-year-old Patrick Brice, paced nervously down the hall. Crosby also carried with him the blood stained shirt he was wearing when he was attacked and a list of peaceful pro-life protesters who were jailed during the Biden administration. 
Brice was convicted earlier this year of second-degree assault and reckless endangerment charges for attacking Crosby and then 84-year-old Dick Schaefer as they stood outside a downtown Baltimore Planned Parenthood facility urging women not to get abortions. Surveillance <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-full-video-shows-lead-up-to-brutal-attack-of-elderly-pro-lifers-by-man-who-dodged-prison?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Full+Video+Shows+Lead-Up+To+Brutal+Attack+Of+Elderly+Pro-Lifers+By+Man+Who+Dodged+Prison">footage shows</a> Brice getting into an argument with Schaefer before tackling him to the ground and turning around and attacking Crosby. 
Crosby asked people standing outside of the courtroom, including reporters and supporters, if what happened to him looked like a misdemeanor. 
In the end, his prediction that Brice would get a light penalty came true. Baltimore City Circuit Judge Yvette Bryant <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/man-who-brutally-beat-elderly-pro-lifers-dodges-prison-time?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Man+Who+Brutally+Beat+Elderly+Pro-Lifers+Dodges+Prison+Time">sentenced him</a> to just one year of home detention with work and other allowances, and three years of probation. 
&#8220;What about my rights and my well-being?&#8221; Crosby shouted as Bryant left the courtroom. 
Crosby later told The Daily Wire that he believed the light sentencing was because of the fact that Baltimore is a “criminal-friendly” city and run by pro-abortion officials. Crosby was represented by the Thomas More Society, which decried the sentencing. 
“This was not a minor altercation between two parties with differing views on abortion. It was a vicious, targeted assault on two senior citizens whose only ‘offense’ was praying for expectant mothers and offering life-affirming alternatives to abortion,” Thomas More Society President Tom Brejcha said.
“One of the victims was knocked unconscious. The other suffered broken facial bones and a lifelong eye impairment. This was an act of cowardice and cruelty, and sheer mayhem. This crime deserves far more serious consequences than a ‘get out of jail free’ card and a one-year home detention that amounts to nothing more than a slap on the wrist.”
Brice&#8217;s sentancing contrasted sharply with those of the dozens of peaceful pro-life protesters who were prosecuted by the Biden administration. Many of those defendants were sentenced to years long prison sentences for violating the Freedom to Access Clinic Entrances Act (FACE). 
The law, signed by President Bill Clinton to supposedly guarantee access to both abortion facilities and crisis pregnancy centers, has been used disproportionately against pro-lifers. The Biden administration paired FACE charges with a Reconstruction-era conspiracy against rights law that allows for prison sentences of over 10 years. 
Biden’s Justice Department successfully prosecuted these cases across the country — from Michigan to Tennessee to Washington, D.C. — and got lengthy prison sentences for multiple defendants. 
One woman, Lauren Handy, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pro-life-activist-sentenced-to-over-four-years-in-prison-over-protest-at-d-c-abortion-facility">was sentenced</a> to 57 months in prison for her role in an October 20 sit-in at the notorious D.C.-based Washington Surgi-Clinic late-term abortion facility. Handy helped lead a protest inside the facility that involved the group singing, praying, locking arms in front of the facility’s staff entrance, and attaching themselves with ropes and chains to block doors inside the building.
They were convicted of FACE Act charges and conspiracy against rights.
Many of Handy&#8217;s co-defendants also received lengthy prison sentences including John Hinshaw (21 months in prison), William Goodman (27 months), Jonathan Darnell (34 months), Herb Geraghty (27 months), Jean Marshall (24 months), Joan Bell (27 months in prison), Paula Paulette Harlow (24 months), and Heather Idoni (24 months). 
Biden’s Department of Justice <a href="https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/seven-defendants-sentenced-federal-conspiracy-against-rights-and-freedom-access-clinic">claimed</a> that the protest “resulted in injury to a clinic nurse.” But the Thomas More Society, which defended Handy, <a href="https://www.thomasmoresociety.org/news/thomas-more-society-files-emergency-appeal-of-lower-court-decision-denying-lauren-handys-release-from-jail-pending-sentencing#:~:text=Lauren%20Handy%2C%20et%20al.,for%20Release%20Pending%20Sentencing%2C%20here.">argued</a> differently. 
“The only basis for a finding of the use of force was when an overzealous clinic worker rushed at the pro-life advocates and tried to forcibly remove them from the clinic waiting room, resulting in her twisting an ankle,” the legal group said. “There was no allegation that Ms. Handy or her co-defendants intended to harm anyone. In fact, Ms. Handy and her co-defendants were united in their commitment to non-violence.”
In another prosecution brought by the Biden administration, six pro-lifers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pro-life-demonstrators-found-guilty-face-up-to-11-years-in-federal-prison">were convicted</a> in Tennessee of the FACE Act and conspiracy against rights. Their protest involved the demonstrators signing, praying, and sitting in front of doors in a hallway outside of an abortion facility in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.  
Two of those defendants, including 64-year-old <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pardoned-pro-life-activist-says-hes-running-on-adrenaline-and-the-holy-ghost-after-trump-pardon">Calvin Zastrow</a> and 75-year-old Chet Gallagher, were sentenced to prison. Heather Idoni, one of their codefendants, was also sentenced to serve a prison sentence to run concurrently with her sentence from D.C.
Another FACE Act defendant was Bevelyn Williams, who was sentenced in New York to 44 months in prison.  
This all changed after Trump took office and he <a href="https://www.justice.gov/pardon/media/1386366/dl">issued pardons</a> for the FACE Act defendants, meaning that Handy and the other imprisoned pro-lifers were freed. The Justice Department also issued a directive to only enforce the FACE Act in cases of extreme violence.
Crosby believes that the Trump administration should get involved in his case and look at prosecuting what happened to him and Schaefer as a hate crime as he believes that he was targeted for his religious and political beliefs.

MixCollage-14-Aug-2025-01-14-PM-6596

This Man Dodged Prison For Beating Two Pro-Lifers. Biden Jailed Pro-Lifers Over Peaceful Protests.

Abortion

Baltimore

Biden Administration

FACE Act

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Pro-Life Movement

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Washington D.C.

People associated with the January 6 Committee who did not receive preemptive pardons from former President Joe Biden may be contacted to answer some questions, a Department of Justice (DOJ) official suggested on Sunday.
Ed Martin, the Trump administration&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ed-martin-planned-to-clean-up-dc-now-hes-setting-his-sights-on-the-whole-country" target="_blank" rel="noopener">weaponization czar</a> working under the supervision of Attorney General Pam Bondi, briefly spoke about probing the now-defunct panel at the end of an <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6377014112112" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview on Fox News</a>.
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BARTIROMO: What about the January 6 committee? Did they destroy evidence? Is there criminality there?
ED MARTIN: Of course. Trust me, a lot of people did not get a pardon that were involved in the select committee, and they ought to be keeping an eye on their mailbox. <a href="https://t.co/xRelaTtlyp">pic.twitter.com/xRelaTtlyp</a>
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1957101509935525999?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Real quick, what about the January 6 Committee? Did they destroy evidence? Is there criminality there?&#8221; asked &#8220;Sunday Morning Futures&#8221; anchor Maria Bartiromo.
&#8220;Of course. We&#8217;re all in that, too,&#8221; Martin replied. &#8220;And, trust me, a lot of &#8230; people did not get a pardon that were involved in the select committee, and they ought to be keeping an eye on their mailbox, because there&#8217;s a lot to be asked about.&#8221;
Biden announced during the final hours of his presidency in January that he <a href="https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2025/01/20/statement-from-president-joe-biden-15/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pardoned</a> the lawmakers and staffers who served on the January 6 Committee, along with D.C. and U.S. Capitol police officers who testified before the Democrat-led panel, among others.
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&#8220;Baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families,&#8221; Biden said in a statement at the time. &#8220;Even when individuals have done nothing wrong — and in fact have done the right thing — and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage reputations and finances.&#8221;
As the Trump administration is looking into whether aides improperly used autopen to sign off on executive actions in an effort to conceal Biden&#8217;s health issues, Bartiromo asked Martin if the pardons were legitimate.
&#8220;Well, yes, I&#8217;m the pardon attorney, so I have — I&#8217;m in that, too,&#8221; Martin said, referring to his other job at DOJ. &#8220;I can tell you we&#8217;re investigating how the pardons were granted. It was not like anything in the history of America what Joe Biden — not Joe Biden, his staffers did, not just with the autopen, but with faking him out on the memos.&#8221;
He continued, &#8220;More to come, Maria. I&#8217;m telling you, Pam Bondi has let us loose, and when this comes out, it&#8217;ll take the whole of these people&#8217;s hoaxes down. And we&#8217;re doing it bit by bit. And it&#8217;s fantastic. It&#8217;s a great privilege.&#8221;

Ed Martin

Trump Weaponization Czar Puts January 6 Committee Associates On Notice

Congress

January 6 Committee

Joe Biden

U.S.

The Justice Department sued California on Thursday over the state’s strict emissions regulations imposed on heavy-duty trucks. 
The department challenged the California Air Resources Board (CARB) over its “Clean Truck Partnership” that pushes truck manufacturers to phase out internal-combustion engines in favor of “zero emission” engines by 2036. Two separate challenges were filed: One to heavy-duty truck restrictions and another to the guidelines for light-duty vehicles.  

“Agreement, contract, partnership, mandate — whatever California wants to call it, this unlawful action attempts to undermine federal law,” <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-california-end-enforcement-unlawful-emissions-standards-trucks">said</a> Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “President Donald Trump and Congress have invalidated the Clean Air Act waivers that were the basis for California’s actions. CARB must respect the democratic process and stop enforcing unlawful standards.”
The DOJ is joining a lawsuit brought by several truck manufacturers, including Daimler and Volvo, challenging California over its strident emissions standards. 
In its filings, the Justice Department argued that California was illegally trying to supersede federal environmental regulations. California first received approvals from the Biden administration to impose harsher emission standards. 
President Donald Trump signed congressional resolutions in June 2025 invalidating the waivers granted by the Biden administration. 
“Without these waivers, the Clean Air Act prohibits [the California Air Resources Board] from attempting to enforce those regulations,” the Justice Department said. “Yet, in an affront to the rule of law, [the California Air Resources Board] seeks to circumvent that prohibition by enforcing the preempted emissions standards through the Clean Truck Partnership.”
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The Justice Department <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1411296/dl?inline">argued</a> that California was effectively attempting to “impose a nationwide ban on internal-combustion engines in heavy-duty trucks by 2036” through the regulations promulgated through the “Clean Truck Partnership.” 
“The decision whether to ban internal-combustion engines in heavy-duty trucks rests ultimately with the federal government. And it has declined to take such a far-reaching step,” the suit said. “CARB continues to threaten truck manufacturers who refuse to comply with its preempted regulations with severe civil sanctions and hostile regulatory treatment.”

EPA Finalizes New Emissions Rules For Heavy Trucks And Buses

Justice Department Sues California To End Electric Vehicle Mandate

Justice Department Challenges California's Electric Vehicle Mandate

California

Carbon Emissions

Environmentalism

Trucks

Two immigrants from Mexico were convicted by a Texas jury on Wednesday of harboring illegal aliens at their bakery near the southern border. 
Leonardo Baez-Lara and Alicia Avila-Guel were <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/jury-finds-abbys-bakery-owners-guilty-harboring-illegal-aliens">found guilty</a> of two counts of harboring aliens and conspiracy at their business in Los Fresnos, Texas. The married couple, who are lawful permanent residents from Mexico, employed and housed illegal aliens at the shopping plaza they owned, federal investigators said. 
“The jury’s verdict affirms that the defendants knowingly conspired to harbor individuals in the country illegally, committed two separate acts of harboring, and did so for personal financial gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee. “These actions not only violate federal immigration laws but also exploit vulnerable individuals for profit. This conviction sends a clear message: those who engage in human smuggling and harboring for financial benefit will be investigated, prosecuted and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Baez-Lara and Avila-Guel could face up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and lose their legal status upon sentencing. They are set to be sentenced on November 18. 
Testimony during the trial revealed that the pair provided a room for employees to live in the same shopping plaza as the bakery. 
“It was a rectangular room with mattresses on the floor and housed two employees at the time of inspection who were unauthorized to work in the United States. Testimony revealed the room was originally an insurance office which became repurposed as a storage area for kitchen equipment. Authorities also found electrical wires which, coupled with the absence of a fire extinguisher and only one entrance, resulted in a safety risk for the inhabitants,” the Justice Department said. 
Investigators said that this room was used by the couple to house illegal workers and that as many as five to six adults lived in the room. 
Other testimony at the trial revealed that the couple failed to file proper paperwork declaring their employees and continued to pay their employees in cash even after their accountant told them not to. 
The case was investigated by ICE and Homeland Security Investigations.
Cesar De Leon, who represented Avila-Guel, claimed the laws against harboring illegal aliens were supposed to be focused on international criminal organizations.
&#8220;We believe that these were hardworking people, and they employed hardworking employees and they were just here to make a better living,&#8221; De Leon <a href="https://www.krgv.com/videos/lawyers-for-abby-s-bakery-owners-react-to-conviction-in-federal-harboring-case">said</a>. &#8220;I believe these laws were supposed to target international criminal organizations, stash houses, human trafficking.&#8221;
The Trump administration has sought a nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration and has brought a few cases against business owners for employing illegal aliens.

TOPSHOT-MEXICO-US-MIGRATION

Couple Convicted For Harboring Illegal Aliens At Texas Bakery

Department of Homeland Security

illegal immigrants

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Mexico

Texas

A man charged over a July 26 mob attack in Cincinnati now faces up to 15 years in prison after being hit by the feds with a gun charge. 
The Justice Department <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdoh/pr/cincinnati-man-allegedly-involved-downtown-brawl-charged-federal-gun-crime">announced</a> Wednesday that 34-year-old Montanez Merriweather had been indicted for illegally possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. Merriweather had previously been arrested over the beating of a man and a woman that was caught in a viral video. 
“There is no place for violence in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick Gerace II. “Those who commit violent acts can expect to be scrutinized and they will be held accountable for violations of federal criminal law.”
Merriweather faces local assault, felonious assault, and aggravated riot charges. He faces almost 30 years in prison on those charges. 
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“Violence, in any form and under any circumstance, has no place in a civilized society. When warranted, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, in close coordination with our law enforcement partners, will employ the full extent of our legal authority and resources to identify, apprehend, and remove violent offenders from our communities,” said ATF special agent Thomas Greco. 
Video of the attack shows a white man being thrown to the ground and kicked and punched by a group of black people outside of a music festival. After the beaten man got up, a white woman was punched in the face and appeared to be knocked unconscious. The video quickly circulated online, prompting condemnations from state and national leaders.
In response, the FBI launched an investigation into the incident at Attorney General Pam Bondi’s direction. That came after Vice President JD Vance <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vance-calls-for-man-caught-in-viral-video-punching-woman-to-be-jailed-for-a-very-long-time">condemned</a> the attack and urged the perpetrators to be thrown in prison. 
“What I saw, and I haven’t seen the full context, but what I saw is a mob of lawless thugs beating up on an innocent person, and it’s disgusting,” Vance said. “And I hope every single one of those people who engaged in violence is prosecuted to the full extent of the law. And they will be. They will be so long as law enforcement in the state of Ohio takes their job seriously.”
Some local Cincinnati officials have accused the victims of instigating the beating. For example, City Council President Pro Tem Victoria Parks wrote a Facebook comment <a href="https://www.wlwt.com/article/cincinnati-downtown-fight-video-victoria-parks-ohio/65557368">saying</a> the victims “begged for that beat down! I am grateful for the whole story.”

Trump To Lay Out His Plan For Reducing Crime In Nation’s Capital

Cincinnati Beating Suspect Faces Years In Prison After New Charge From DOJ

Cincinnati

Ohio

Violent Crime

Over two dozen fugitives from Mexico, accused of drug trafficking, murder, and kidnapping, were extradited to the United States on Tuesday. 
Those extradited include men linked to Mexican drug cartels that have been classified as terrorist organizations by the Trump administration. They now face criminal charges, including drug trafficking, hostage-taking, kidnapping, gun crimes, human smuggling, money laundering, and murder. 
“Today is the latest example of the Trump administration’s historic efforts to dismantle cartels and foreign terrorist organizations,” Attorney General Pam Bondi <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/26-fugitives-wanted-violent-and-serious-crimes-returned-united-states-mexico-including-0">said</a>. “These 26 men have all played a role in bringing violence and drugs to American shores — under this Department of Justice, they will face severe consequences for their crimes against this country. We are grateful to Mexico’s National Security team for their collaboration in this matter.”  
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Almost all of the fugitives face life in prison if convicted in federal court. The Justice Department said the men were collectively responsible for smuggling tons of cocaine, meth, fentanyl, and heroin into the United States. 
“This transfer is yet another example of what is possible when two governments stand united against violence and impunity,” U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson said. “These fugitives will now face justice in U.S. courts, and the citizens of both of our nations will be safer from these common enemies.”
Several of the men were members of the Sinaloa Cartel, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), and Cártel del Noreste, all terrorist designated cartels, according to the Justice Department. 
One of those extradited, Robert Salazar, was wanted in connection with the murder of  Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Juan Escalante in 2008. Escalante <a href="https://www.odmp.org/officer/19840-deputy-sheriff-juan-abel-escalante#:~:text=Deputy%20Sheriff%20Juan%20Escalante%20was,deputy%20before%20being%20fatally%20shot.">was</a> shot by two gang members outside his home before he left for work. 
Another one of those handed over to American authorities was Abdul Karim Conteh, a Sierra Leone national accused of smuggling illegal immigrants from Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Somalia, Cameroon, Senegal, Mauritania, Ethiopia, and Egypt into the United States. 
Luis Raul Castro Valenzuela, a Sinaloa Cartel member set to face American justice, is charged with kidnapping and holding hostage an American, the Justice Department said. 
The extradition agreement with Mexico coincides with a report from last week that President Donald Trump had quietly signed an order to use military force against drug cartels in foreign countries. Mexico has resisted suggestions that the American military be deployed on the ground to crack down on the cartels. 
“We cooperate, we collaborate, but there is not going to be an invasion,” Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said. “That is ruled out, absolutely ruled out,” she continued. “It is not part of any agreement, far from it. When it has been brought up, we have always said no.”

MEXICO-US-ECONOMY-CEO-DIALOGUE-SHEINBAUM

Dozens Of Mexican Drug Cartel Fugitives Extradited To Face American Justice

Cartels

Illegal Immigation

Two more military academies agreed to permanently end race-based admissions, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
In a new settlement, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the Air Force Academy will abandon DEI in favor of merit, Attorney General Pam Bondi <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-settles-lawsuits-challenging-race-based-admissions-west-point-and-air">said</a>. The settlement will lead to the dismissal of two lawsuits against the academies brought by the group Students for Fair Admissions.
“This Department is committed to eliminating DEI practices throughout the federal government,” Bondi said. “We are proud to partner with the Department of Defense to permanently end race-based admissions at West Point and the Air Force Academy — admission to these prestigious military institutions should be based exclusively on merit.”
Students for Fair Admission, the group whose suit led to the end of affirmative action at universities across the country, argued that race-based admissions policies at the military academies violated the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution.
The terms of agreement in the settlement stipulate that merit will be the only factor leading to admission at either West Point or the Air Force Academy.
“America is the land of equal opportunity, in spirit and in law,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York. “Today’s agreement ensures that our future military leaders will carry on the greatness that is born of opportunity, effort, and a level playing field.”
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon also praised the settlement.
“Congrats to our [DOJ Civil] Division for their hard work in restoring merit-based admissions to some of our top military academies!” she posted on X.
In June, a similar settlement <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/naval-academy-promises-to-permanently-end-race-based-admissions">was announced</a> between Students for Fair Admissions and the U.S. Naval Academy.
That came after President Donald Trump signed an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/restoring-americas-fighting-force/">executive order</a> on January 27 that said that no one within the military should be given any advantage based on gender or race.
“Unfortunately, in recent years civilian and uniformed leadership alike have implemented Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and their attendant race and sex preferences within the Armed Forces,” Trump wrote in an executive order. “These actions undermine leadership, merit, and unit cohesion, thereby eroding lethality and force readiness.  They also violate Americans’ consciences by engaging in invidious race and sex discrimination.”

Washington DC Celebrates Army’s 250th Anniversary With Parade And Festivities

Two More Military Academies Agree To ‘Permanently’ Drop Race-Based Admissions

Affirmative Action

Air Force

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Military

U.S. Military

West Point

President Donald Trump promised on Monday to clean up crime and vagrancy in the nation&#8217;s capital by shifting more responsibilities over the district to the federal government. 
Trump made the announcement during a press conference at the White House, where he laid out a number of executive actions he was taking to fight violent crime, decrease homelessness, and otherwise clean up Washington, D.C. 
“I&#8217;m announcing a historic action to rescue our nation&#8217;s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor, and worse,” Trump said. “ This is Liberation Day in D.C., and we&#8217;re gonna take our capital back. We&#8217;re taking it back.” 
Trump on Monday invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act and declared a public emergency. This granted him to move the D.C. Police Department under the control of the Justice Department. DEA Administrator Terry Cole will head the department, per Trump&#8217;s orders. 
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and U.S. District Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro all appeared alongside Trump at the news conference.
The president also added that he was sending 800 National Guard troops to patrol the streets of D.C. Last week, the administration sent 500 federal agents into the district, including from the FBI, ATF, DEA, Park Police, the U.S. Marshal Service, the Secret Service, and the Department of Homeland Security. 
“The murder rate in Washington today is higher than that of Bogota, Colombia, Mexico City, some of the places that you hear about as being the worst places on earth,” Trump said, adding that “the only language” that criminals understand is when you “knock the hell out of them.” 
The president added that he would like to see Republicans in Congress move to end cashless bail in the district, saying that the policy led to lawlessness in the streets. Trump added that he planned to improve infrastructure in the district and crack down on homeless encampments. 
“We&#8217;re going to replace the medians that are falling down all over the roads. We&#8217;re gonna replace the potholes,” he said. 
Burgum, who briefly spoke during the conference, said that Park Police had cleared over 70 homeless camps from D.C. since March 27. 
“We’re going to be removing homeless encampments from all over our parks, our beautiful, beautiful parks, which now a lot of people can&#8217;t walk on,” Trump said. “We&#8217;re moving the encampments away, trying to take care of people. Some of those people, we don&#8217;t know how they even got there.”

President Trump DC Public Safety Emergency

‘We’re Gonna Take Our Capital Back’: Here’s Everything Trump Is Going To Do To Clean Up D.C.

‘We're Gonna Take Our Capital Back’: Here's Everything Trump Is Promising To Do To Clean Up D.C.

Doug Burgum

Homelessness

Pete Hegseth

White House

The Trump administration is reportedly probing the office of Letitia James, the attorney general of New York, over her fraud case against President Donald Trump last year, which resulted in a penalty of more than half a billion dollars.
The Justice Department has opened an investigation into James&#8217; office, with the acting U.S. attorney in Albany hitting her with two subpoenas this week, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/doj-opens-investigation-new-york-ags-office-brought-fraud-case-trump-rcna223731">reports</a>.
One of the subpoenas relates to James&#8217; fraud case against Trump, while the other involves her case against the National Rifle Association.
The federal probe is looking at whether James violated Trump&#8217;s civil rights as well as the NRA&#8217;s during those cases.
Trump and James have been locked in multiple vicious legal battles for years.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
No one is above the law.
— Tish James (@TishJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/TishJames/status/1796292561264332946?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Shortly after she was elected in 2018, James <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/ny-s-attorney-general-one-most-powerful-nation-should-worry-n985086">promised</a> to &#8220;use every area of the law&#8221; to go after Trump, his family, and his business, and she has made good on that vow.
In 2022, James sued Trump, accusing the New York real estate mogul and his children of lying to lenders and insurers by inflating the value of his properties by billions of dollars, including Trump Tower in Manhattan and Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
She sought to prohibit Trump and his children from running a business in New York ever again.
A judge fined Trump $300 million in the case, which has since grown to more than $500 million with interest. Trump is appealing the decision.
&#8220;No one is above the law,&#8221; James posted on X in May of last year.
James&#8217; office also worked alongside the Manhattan district attorney&#8217;s office in its criminal investigation of Trump&#8217;s business.
On Friday, James’s lawyer <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/nyregion/letitia-james-subpoena-trump-doj.html">called</a> any investigation into Trump’s fraud case “the most blatant and desperate example of this administration carrying out the president’s political retribution campaign.”
&#8220;Weaponizing the Department of Justice to try to punish an elected official for doing her job is an attack on the rule of law and a dangerous escalation by this administration,&#8221; attorney Abbe Lowell added.
Trump has accused James of a vendetta against him, calling the suit a &#8220;witch hunt&#8221; and <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63000691?utm_source=chatgpt.com">noting</a> that James referred to Trump as an “illegitimate president” during her campaign.
Last year, James&#8217; office won its civil fraud case against NRA head Wayne LaPierre, who led the gun rights powerhouse for more than 30 years before stepping down days before his trial.
A judge <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/judge-temporarily-bans-wayne-lapierre-returning-lead-national-rifle-as-rcna163637">banned</a> LaPierre from returning to lead the NRA for 10 years after a jury convicted him of taking millions of dollars from the group for his personal use.
Details about the Justice Department&#8217;s investigation into James&#8217; office are few so far.

NY Attorney Gen. James Holds News Conference Before Hearing On Case To Protect Citizens From Musk’s DOGE Accessing Private Data

Justice Dept Opens Investigation Into Letitia James’s Anti-Trump Crusade

Letitia James

Trump Administration

The United States doubled its reward on information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday, offering $50 million.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the new bounty in a video statement, highlighting Maduro’s ties to drug cartels and calling the South American dictator a threat to U.S. national security.
“Maduro uses foreign terrorist organizations like TDA, Sinaloa, and Cartel of the Suns to bring deadly drugs and violence into our country. To date, the DEA has seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates with nearly seven tons linked to Maduro himself,” said Bondi.
“The DOJ has seized over $700 million of Maduro-linked assets, including two private jets, nine vehicles, and more,” she added. “Yet, Maduro&#8217;s reign of terror continues. He is one of the largest narco traffickers in the world and a threat to our national security.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Today, <a href="https://twitter.com/TheJusticeDept?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheJusticeDept</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/StateDept?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StateDept</a> are announcing a $50 MILLION REWARD for information leading to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro. <a href="https://t.co/D8LNqjS9yk">pic.twitter.com/D8LNqjS9yk</a>
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi/status/1953583017353466306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
The United States’ bounty on Maduro previously increased in January when the Biden administration increased it to $25 million. The higher bounty came after the United States accused Maduro of claiming victory over a fraudulent election last year.
The United States has not recognized Maduro as Venezuela&#8217;s lawful leader since 2019, after the dictator claimed victory over the “deeply flawed 2018 presidential election,” according to the Department of Justice.
The Department of Justice first placed a bounty on Maduro in 2020, set at $15 million.
During his first term, President Donald Trump began to <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-in-final-parting-shot-hits-venezuela-with-sanctions">ratchet</a> up pressure on Maduro. One of Trump’s last acts of his first term was to put in place sweeping sanctions on assets and people suspected of aiding Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, PDVSA, of trading its fuel.
Venezuela’s economy has collapsed under the Maduro regime, with millions of residents fleeing the country. The regime has kept afloat almost entirely from the country’s oil industry. Venezuela possesses the world’s largest proven oil reserves.
Earlier this year, Trump reversed course on a decision to cancel Venezuela’s license to work with Chevron to export oil to the United States. Chevron first obtained the license to work in Venezuela in 2022, and Trump canceled the license in February.
The president <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/trump-admin-allows-chevron-again-pump-oil-venezuela-reversing-ban">renewed</a> the license in July, reportedly as part of a prisoner swap that saw 10 American hostages returned to the United States from Venezuela.

Nicolas Maduro

Trump Hikes Bounty On Venezuela’s Maduro To $50M

Venezuela

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