Tag Archives: The Epoch Times

Goods News For The America Economy

Posted on by
Reply

On Thursday, The Epoch Times posted an article about the unemployment numbers released for last week. Some of the economic statistics for October and November have not been released because of the government shutdown. I am not sure if they are going to be released.

The article reports:

The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits declined to the lowest level in more than three years, new Department of Labor data released on Dec. 4 show.

For the week ending Nov. 29, initial jobless claims fell by 27,000 to 191,000, marking the fourth consecutive weekly drop.

Economists had penciled in a reading of 220,000.

Notice how the economists’ estimates are always more negative than the actual figures when a Republican is in office.

The article notes:

But while slowing layoffs and declining jobless claims have been positive signs, the futures market overwhelmingly expects the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates when monetary policymakers convene their two-day policy meeting next week.

Minutes from the October Federal Open Market Committee meeting reveal a divergence in views of where monetary policy is headed. Commentary from central bank officials also suggests different assessments of the U.S. economy.

“From late spring through June, the soft data, including anecdotes from business contacts, suggested the labor market was in a ‘no hire, no fire’ equilibrium,” Fed Gov. Christopher Waller said in a speech last month. “Firms repeatedly said they were holding off on hiring for a variety of reasons.”

Waller, considered a top contender to replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell next year, supports a quarter-point rate cut to the benchmark federal funds rate.

Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack has expressed skepticism over further rate cuts, warning of high inflation.

“I remain concerned about high inflation and believe policy should be leaning against it,” Hammack said at a Nov. 6 Economic Club of New York event.

The headline annual inflation rate presently sits at 3 percent. The Fed’s preferred inflation measure—the personal consumption expenditure price index—is at 2.7 percent.

Somehow inflation was not a worry when the rates were cut during the Biden administration. Considering how much the rate of inflation has dropped, I think it is time to cut the rates and let the housing market loose.

Trying To Gain An Edge In The 2026 Elections

Posted on by

On Friday (updated Monday), The Epoch Times posted an article about the redistricting taking place in some American states.

The article includes a map showing the current state of redistricting:

I find it interesting that New York is redistricting. New York currently has 26 Representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives; seven of them are Republicans. They may have to do some serious gerrymandering to change that.

The article lists the states that have redistricted and the projected changes, the states that are considering redistricting, and the states the have ruled out redistricting. Please follow the link to the article for the details.

The 2026 mid-term election is crucial. If the Democrats take control of Congress, we will have two years of impeachment attempts of President Trump. If the Republicans take control of Congress, we might make progress in dealing with the national debt. The choice is up to voting Americans.

Moving Ahead Toward Energy Independence

Posted on by

On Sunday, Zero Hedge posted an article about the Trump administration’s actions to help America use more of her energy resources.

The article reports:

The DOE said in a statement that it had issued a notice of funding opportunity for “practical, high-impact projects” aimed at modernization and refurbishment – including projects designed to enhance efficiency, extend operational lifespan, and improve the performance of coal and natural gas facilities.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced that the initiative is designed to keep US coal plants running and ensure access to affordable energy (as data center energy demands are shoving working class families in the financial hurt locker). 

“For years, the Biden and Obama administrations relentlessly targeted America’s coal industry and workers, resulting in the closure of reliable power plants and higher electricity costs,” Wright said in a statement. 

“Thankfully, President [Donald] Trump has ended the war on American coal and is restoring common sense energy policies that put Americans first.”

As the Epoch Times notes further, the initiative follows the DOE’s announcement in September that it would invest $625 million in funding to expand and reinvigorate the U.S. coal industry in an effort to increase energy output.

The Trump administration is seeking to reverse the decline of coal use in the country. In April, Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to “identify coal resources on federal lands, lift barriers to coal mining, and prioritize coal leasing on those lands.”

The president also directed federal agencies to “rescind any agency policies that seek to transition the Nation away from coal production or otherwise establish preferences against coal as a generation resource,” according to a White House fact sheet.

Following the order, the DOE unveiled initiatives to boost domestic coal production, including facilitating new investments in coal-powered electricity generation, commercializing coal ash conversion technologies, and designating steelmaking coal as a critical material and mineral.

America has a lot of coal resources. The technology is available to use them in a way that is not harmful to the environment. In recent years, America was shutting down its coal-fired electric plants while China was building them at an accelerated rate. It’s time for that to change. Our national security depends on energy independence.

Solving The Rare Earth Trade Problem

Posted on by

On Monday, The Epoch Times reported that President Trump has signed a trade agreement with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese which will counter China’s monopoly on rare earth minerals.

The article reports:

U.S. President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Oct. 20 signed a rare earths agreement at the White House, outlining plans for both countries to jointly invest more than $3 billion in critical minerals projects over the next six months.

The White House announced that recoverable resources from these projects are valued at an estimated $53 billion, as both countries work to counter China’s global dominance in the sector.

Trump on Oct. 20 welcomed Albanese to the White House for their first formal meeting to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues, including trade, defense, and the nuclear submarine partnership.

The article concludes:

Australia views China as an increasing threat.

During the meeting, Trump noted that Beijing is paying high tariffs to the United States. He also reiterated his plans to meet with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping soon.

“I think China has been very respectful of us,” Trump said, while highlighting the billions of dollars in tariffs paid by the communist country.

Existing 55 percent levies will increase to 155 percent if Xi and Trump don’t come to terms when the two meet in South Korea in the next two weeks.

“I expect we’ll probably work out a deal with President Xi of China,” Trump said. “It’s going to be very exciting. I think we’re going to work something out that’s good for both countries.”

Trump said the United States has leverage because domestic companies sell many airplanes, parts, and components to China.

“They threatened us with rare earths, and I threatened them with tariffs, but I could also threaten them with many other things, like airplanes,” Trump said. “You know about airplanes because they can’t get parts for their airplanes. We build their airplanes.”

He suggested China is in a losing position regarding trade.

“I believe that they’re in big trouble, and I don’t want them to be in big trouble,” Trump said.

China has been working to build a monopoly on rare earth minerals for many years. It was shortsighted of western nations not to counter their efforts much earlier. Hopefully this effort is not too late.

Quietly Doing Their Work

Posted on by

On Monday, The Epoch Times reported the following:

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced this past week that more than 100 federal contracts have been terminated with a value of nearly $6 billion.

Multiple agencies “terminated and descoped 108 wasteful contracts” that have a ceiling value of $5.8 billion and resulted in savings of $397 million,” DOGE wrote in an Oct. 10 post on X.

That includes a $3.1 million State Department contract titled, “Tanzania National Coordination Office Development,” it said, and a $46,500 U.S. Agency for Global Media lease for “office space for the Voice of America East Asia and Pacific Service.”

Other terminated items include a $5.8 million Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) contract for “organizational development, executive coaching, and leadership training” and a $44 million State Department contract for “professional services in Doha, Qatar.”

After being established by President Donald Trump on his first day in office, DOGE has slashed around $214 billion in estimated savings, or around $1,329.19 per taxpayer, according to an Oct. 4 update.

So far, 13,440 contract terminations totaling approximately $61 billion, 15,887 grant terminations worth around $49 billion, and 264 lease terminations totaling around $113 million have been posted on DOGE’s website.

On Friday, Fox News reported:

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on Wednesday released data showing the federal government ran a $1.8 trillion budget deficit in fiscal year 2025 amid mounting interest costs on the nearly $38 trillion national debt.

The article at The Epoch Times concludes:

While the number of layoffs is unclear, a group called the Partnership for Public Service says that more than 201,000 federal employees have left the government as of Sept. 23.

Earlier in the year, the Trump administration also had offered to pay federal workers who do not want to return to offices the option of a “deferred resignation,” meaning they would agree to resign but get paid through Sept. 30.

Efforts to lay off more employees, known as reductions-in-force, are ongoing in the midst of a nearly two-week-long government shutdown that started Oct. 1, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought confirmed this past week. Court papers that were later submitted by the administration said that around 4,100 workers across several agencies received layoff notices.

A memo released by the budget office stated that for federal programs that would have a funding lapse during a government shutdown, “such programs are no longer statutorily required to be carried out.”

It also directed all federal agencies to submit reduction-in-force plans to the budget office for review.

I know that there is some serious griping among federal employees about the Reduction In Force (RIF), but RIF’s have been happening for a long time–the last major one was in 1994. The country cannot survive without seriously cutting government spending.

Good News

Posted on by

I am writing this on Saturday afternoon. The Epoch Times has just reported that Hamas has agreed to release all hostages in accordance with U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan.

The article reports:

The group also said it has accepted parts of the peace proposal to end the war in Gaza, including giving up power, but noted that other provisions would require further consultations among Palestinians.

The announcement came after Trump gave Hamas until Oct. 5 to accept a deal to end the war between the terrorist group and Israel and release all the hostages. Trump announced the deadline in a post on Truth Social on Oct. 3.

…Hamas said it welcomed Trump’s proposal but sought clarification on certain provisions, adding that it would release all living hostages and hand over the bodies of those who have died.

I will admit to being more than a little skeptical. However, there may be some very good reasons for this. When the Arab nations joined with President Trump on the peace proposal, Hamas lost the public relations war. That is the only war they had a chance of winning. If the blockades have been successful, Hamas must be looking at a dwindling supply of ammunition, and I suspect their terrorists/soldiers are concerned about what will happen on October 6th. I will be surprised if this goes smoothly, but I also expect Israel to react without hesitation if it doesn’t. This needs to be watched closely.

Federal Agents Doing Their Job

Posted on by

On Wednesday, The Epoch Times posted an article about the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) crackdown on the Mexico-based Sinaloa cartel.

The article reports:

A nationwide crackdown on the Mexico-based Sinaloa cartel has resulted in hundreds of arrests and drug seizures, federal officials announced this week.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Sept. 8 announced 617 arrests as well as the seizure of 1,058 pounds (480 kilograms) of fentanyl powder, 714,707 counterfeit pills, 4,870 pounds (2,209 kilograms) of methamphetamine, 16,466 pounds (7,469 kilograms) of cocaine, and 36 pounds (16.55 kilograms) of heroin.

More than $11 million in currency and over $1.6 million in assets were also seized in the operation, along with 420 firearms.

…In an executive order earlier this year, President Donald Trump declared eight drug cartels as foreign terrorist groups, including the Sinaloa cartel, one of the largest and most powerful in Mexico. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has prioritized breaking up cartels and other gangs amid a broader push against crime.

Brian M. Clark, the special agent in charge of the DEA field office in Los Angeles, said in a statement that more efforts are needed against drug cartels.

The article concludes:

The Treasury Department in mid-August said it sanctioned two other Mexican drug cartels, Carteles Unidos and Los Viagras, and seven affiliated individuals while accusing the groups of engaging in terrorism, drug trafficking, and other crimes.

The Trump administration has recently signaled that it may use the U.S. military to conduct operations against major criminal organizations such as cartels and gangs. Earlier this month, the U.S. conducted an airstrike against what Trump administration officials say was a boat carrying drugs into the United States that had departed Venezuela with 11 Tren de Aragua gang members on board.

“Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military,” Vice President JD Vance wrote on social media on Sept. 6.

This is only one step in dealing with the drug crisis in America. At some point we need to get to the root of the problem. Why does America have so many people who take drugs? What can we do in the way of drug rehabilitation programs that will make a difference? I realize that in order for a person with a drug problem to be helped, they have to want help. Putting that aside, as a society, we need to find better ways to prevent people from starting to use drugs and better ways to help those addicted to drugs. We could start by making marijuana illegal again. Any law-enforcement professional will tell you that it is a gateway drug.

Fighting The Drug War

Posted on by

On Wednesday, The Epoch Times posted an article about the largest seizure of chemical precursors for making drugs such as methamphetamine and fentanyl in U.S. history.

The article reports:

The chemicals, of Chinese origin, were headed to the Sinaloa cartel to be made into drugs that could be sold on the street.

When asked by reporters about the operation in which the chemicals were confiscated, officials said they were taken on the “high seas,” but declined to give further details.

…Had the precursors made it to their destination, they would have been made into hundreds of thousands of pounds of methamphetamine, with profits of more than $500 million, according to the officials’ statements.

Pirro said this seizure was made possible by the State Department’s decision to designate major drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations earlier this year.

The article concludes:

CBP  (United States Customs and Border Protection) Field Operations Director Jud Murdock noted that the Sinaloa cartel, which was slated to receive the chemicals, is one of the “most violent and brutal terrorist organizations in the world.”

According to Murdock, the cartel has produced and distributed record amounts of drugs worldwide and is responsible for countless deaths and destruction in the United States and abroad.

“The Sinaloa cartel activities are not merely criminal; they are acts of terror that threaten the safety and security of our nation,” Murdock said. “By targeting the supply chains and disrupting their operations, we are sending a clear message: DHS will not tolerate anyone or anything that wants to harm our community.”

This comes just days after former Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García pleaded guilty to drug charges in federal court in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on Aug. 25.

Zambada García, the longtime leader of the Sinaloa cartel, admitted to playing a role in a drug-trafficking operation that funneled large quantities of illicit substances, including cocaine and heroin, into the United States for years.

The prosecutors said that the Sinaloa cartel became the largest drug-trafficking organization in the world because of Zambada García and cofounder Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

This won’t end drug use and deaths in America, but it is definitely a step in the right direction.

Restoring Confidence In Our Elections

Posted on by

On Sunday, The Epoch Times posted an article about President Trump’s plan to restore confidence in America’s elections. States have authority over how to hold their elections, but they are required to comply with federal prohibitions.

The article reports:

President Donald Trump said on Aug. 30 that he has decided to issue an executive order to request that federal elections require the presentation of voter ID in order to cast a ballot.

“Voter I.D. Must Be Part of Every Single Vote. No exceptions!” Trump wrote on a post on Truth Social. “I Will Be Doing An Executive Order To That End!!!”

The president did not give a timeline for his order. The midterm elections will be held on Nov. 3, 2026.

…The president also repeated his opposition to the widespread adoption of mail-in ballots and the use of electronic voting systems, although this time he didn’t say they would be the subject of any executive action.

“Also, No Mail-In Voting, Except For Those That Are Very Ill, And The Far Away Military. Use paper ballots only!!!” he said.

Earlier this month, Trump had pledged to issue an executive order ahead of the 2026 midterm elections to end the use of mail-in ballots and return to the use of paper ballots instead of voting machines.

It would be possible to count paper ballots by counting ballots in individual precincts. It would be tedious, but it would be accurate.

In 2005, former President Jimmy Carter created the Commission on Federal Election Reform. The Commission made 87 recommendations that would improve election integrity. The Commission noted that one of the places most vulnerable to election fraud was mail-in ballots.  

What Happens When You Close The Border

Posted on by

On Friday, The Epoch Times posted an article about one consequence of closing the southern border of America to illegal entrants.

The article reports:

The Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration is playing a role in the sharpest decline in monthly remittances to Mexico in more than a decade, analysts say.

According to numbers released this month from the Bank of Mexico (Banxico), income from remittances abroad stood at $5.2 billion in June, a 16.2 percent decrease compared with June 2024.

That represents the largest drop in 13 years, according to a report from BBVA Research.

Remittances in 2024 represented approximately 3.4 percent of Mexico’s gross domestic product, according to the World Bank.

Remittances are transfers of money earned in the United States to such parties as relatives, friends, or business associates abroad. Ninety-nine percent of the remittances sent in the first half of 2025 were made through electronic funds transfers, according to the BBVA report.

The drop occurred after a decade of growth. Between 2013 and 2024, remittances to Mexico almost tripled to $64.7 billion from $23 billion, according to BBVA.

The Big Beautiful Bill includes a 1 percent remittance fee. However, there are easy ways to avoid this fee.

The article reports:

People can send money to their family members in Mexico without wiring it, Valdez said. She said people are finding other ways to deliver money, such as “getting together with the neighbors, getting together with people that are actually traveling and bringing cash.”

Some could also be taking advantage of a new system, the Bienestar card, Valdez said. The bank card system, set up by the Mexican government, can be used for remittances and is advertised as bypassing the 1 percent U.S. tax on remittances because it’s considered a bank-to-bank transfer that doesn’t involve cash.

Some Democrats have argued that the remittances help support communities in the countries they are sent to. However, it should be noted that the remittances can also support drug cartels, particularly in Mexico. These remittances may be one of the ways a family pays to have their child illegally smuggled into the United States.

Junk Food Is Becoming Healthier Under Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.!

Posted on by

On Friday, The Epoch Times posted an article about PepsiCo’s reaction to President Trump’s statement that Coca-Cola will be switching to cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. I am not saying that soda is healthy, but sugar is healthier than high fructose corn syrup. You take your victories where you can!

The article reports:

PepsiCo’s top executive indicated on July 17 that the company may switch Pepsi’s sweetener from high-fructose corn syrup to sugar, one day after President Donald Trump said Coca-Cola would soon be making the change.

“Same journey that we have in foods, we’re following in beverages. This is a consumer-centric strategy. We’re following the consumer,” Ramon Laguarta, PepsiCo’s CEO, told investors on a call after being asked about Trump’s announcement.

“If the consumer is telling us that they prefer products that have sugar and they prefer products that have natural ingredients, we will give the consumer products that have sugar and have natural ingredients. So, this is a journey of following the consumer, trying to be a little bit maybe one step ahead of the consumer, but not too many steps. And it applies to both beverages and food.”

The article notes:

Laguarta’s announcement came during a call in which executives said that PepsiCo will relaunch its Lay’s and Tostitos brands later this year to highlight that they contain no artificial colors or flavors.

“We’re trying to elevate the real food perception of Lay’s. If you think about the simplest and most natural snack, it is a potato chip; it’s a potato, it’s oil, and it’s a little bit of salt—the most simple, no artificial ingredients,” Laguarta said.

The company also said it was expanding the use of avocado and olive oil across its brands, rather than the canola or soybean oil it uses. Some health influencers, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have promoted removing seed oils from food.

America may soon become the land of healthy junk food!

A Significant Year For The Supreme Court

Posted on by

On July 3rd, The Epoch Times posted an article listing the nine key Supreme Court decisions this term.

Here is the list:

1. Nationwide Injunctions

The Supreme Court issued a landmark opinion on June 27 in which it ruled against the practice of judges issuing nationwide injunctions.

2. Gender Procedures for Minors

In June, the Supreme Court released its hotly anticipated decision in United States v. Skrmetti, which involved the Biden administration’s challenge to Tennessee’s law banning “gender-affirming care” for minors.

…The court’s 6–3 majority upheld Tennessee’s law.

3. Deportations

Trump scored an initial win when the Supreme Court removed two blocks that a federal judge in Washington had imposed on the deportations.

However, part of the ruling also stated that Trump must provide an opportunity for deportees to seek habeas relief, which is a legal mechanism for challenging one’s detention.

4. TikTok Divestiture or Ban

In 2024, Congress passed the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.

It required TikTok’s Chinese parent company to either divest its U.S. business or cease operations within the United States because of data privacy and national security concerns.

…The Supreme Court ultimately upheld the law on Jan. 17.

In a unanimous decision, the court said that the law satisfied a standard known as “intermediate scrutiny,” noting that it served the important government interest of preventing TikTok’s Chinese parent company from capturing the personal data of American users.

5. Mexico Gun Lawsuit

U.S. gun makers successfully avoided liability in a lawsuit that the Mexican government brought over the flow of U.S. firearms to cartels.

Under the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, gun companies can usually avoid liability for how people use their firearms.

…Writing for the majority, Justice Elena Kagan said that Mexico’s lawsuit did not plausibly allege that the gun companies “aided and abetted unlawful sales routing guns to Mexican drug cartels.”

6. Straight Woman Wins Discrimination Case

A heterosexual woman’s win at the Supreme Court established that non-minorities may sue on an equal footing with minorities in employment discrimination lawsuits.

7. Opting Out of LGBT Storybooks

Parents won the right to sue to opt their young children out of school storybooks that promote LGBT lifestyles in a Supreme Court ruling on June 27.

8. Porn Age-Verification Laws

State laws requiring pornography websites to verify the age of users will remain in place following a Supreme Court ruling on June 27.

9. South Carolina Defunds Planned Parenthood

States have greater leeway to defund Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, following a Supreme Court decision on June 26.

I think it has been a good year for common sense.

Things We Need To Know

Posted on by

On Sunday, The Epoch Times posted an article detailing what we need to know about President Trump’s bombing of the Iranian nuclear facilities.

The article lists five things:

Iran’s Key Nuclear Sites ‘Obliterated’

Trump said during an address to the nation that U.S. strikes had “completely and totally obliterated” three key Iranian nuclear facilities, including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan (also spelled Esfahan).

…Trump Threatens ‘Far Greater’ Attacks If No Peace

Trump threatened Iran with “far greater” attacks if the regime refused to make peace.

…US Worked With Israel

Trump confirmed the United States worked with Israel, taking a moment in his address to the nation to thank Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

…Iran Atomic Agency Vows to Continue Program

The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization said it will continue with its development of its “national industry,” an apparent reference to its nuclear development.

…Some Lawmakers Want Congressional Authorization

While some lawmakers have been supportive of Trump’s authorizing the strikes, others want congressional authorization before any additional actions are undertaken.

The lawmakers who insist that President Trump needs congressional authorization need to look at some of America’s recent history.

Double standard, anyone?

No one wants another endless Middle Eastern war, but I suspect President Trump does not have the patience for an endless war. I expect the Iranian situation–nuclear reactor sites, Strait of Hormuz, etc., to be resolved quickly.

The Covid Relief Debacle

Posted on by

On Saturday, The Epoch Times posted an article about a case of fraud involving the Covid-19 relief funds.

The article reports:

Fourteen people were arrested on May 28 for their alleged involvement in a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $25 million in COVID-19 relief funds and federally guaranteed small business loans, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The individuals are among the 18 people charged in connection with the case. Four who have not yet been arrested are currently believed to be in Armenia, the DOJ said in a statement.

All of them are facing charges of conspiracy to defraud the government, false claims, wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, laundering of monetary instruments, monetary transactions involving property derived from specified unlawful activity, and structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements.

Law enforcement officers seized about $20,000 in cash, two money-counting machines, paper cash bands, cellphones, laptops, two loaded semi-automatic handguns, and boxes of ammunition during the arrests.

Tyler Hatcher, special agent in charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation agency, said the defendants were accused of fraudulently obtaining funds through the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, and other federal funding programs.

The article concludes:

“This transnational criminal network sought to defraud the government of millions of dollars and almost succeeded,” John Pasciucco, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles, said.

It remains unclear whether the defendants have been assigned legal representation as of publication.

Was anyone in government paying attention to where taxpayer money was going?

The Supreme Court Steps In

Posted on by

Some of the lower courts in America have decided that they are the President. It’s getting very old to see anything President Trump does result in a lawsuit filed in a lower court to stop whatever it is. I think that if President Trump declared that grocery shopping on Saturday was a good thing, the courts would try to close the stores on Saturday. However, the Supreme Court is slowly stepping up to the plate.

On Friday, The Epoch Times reported:

The Supreme Court has temporarily stayed a lower court decision that halted the Trump administration’s attempt to remove a protection known as parole for immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

The court’s decision, which came on May 30, blocks the lower court order as the issue plays out in the court system. Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor dissented from the court’s decision.

The Trump administration had argued that the decision to remove parole was discretionary for the secretary of homeland security and not reviewable by courts.

We need controlled, legal immigration. We need to bring people into America who will assimilate and who will work to help build this country. We definitely need to revise our immigration policies to make it easier for people to come to America, but we also need to limit the number of immigrants we allow in at any one time. We need to control immigration in a way that allows for assimilation. Britain, and some of the European Union Countries are currently in danger of losing their identity because of mass migration by people who are not interested in assimilating into their various cultures. This is a threat to western civilization. There are differences in civilizations–and people need to live where they are most comfortable with the culture–they do not need to take over the culture of another country. The takeover of the British culture is currently happening in Britain. I don’t want it to happen here.

Inquiring Minds Want To Know…

Posted on by

On Monday, The Epoch Times posted an article about three investigations currently being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). These are three investigations that somehow were never quite concluded by the Biden administration.

The article reports:

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said on May 26 that the bureau is looking at launching investigations into cases of potential public corruption.

“Shortly after swearing in, [FBI Director Kash Patel] and I evaluated a number of cases of potential public corruption that, understandably, have garnered public interest,” Dan Bongino wrote in a post on social media platform X on the morning of May 26.

Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and radio host, noted that they “made the decision to either re-open, or push additional resources and investigative attention, to these cases.”

One case that they are looking to target is the FBI investigation into the alleged pipe bombs left near the Democratic and Republican national committee buildings in Washington a day before the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach, he said.

The FBI said in 2024 that a $500,000 reward is still in effect for information leading to the arrest of the pipe bomb suspect. Earlier in 2025, David Sundberg, former assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, told CNN that officials are seeking new leads.

“Maybe allegiances have changed or relationships have changed, and it’s time to report [on the suspect],” Sundberg told the outlet.

The article lists the two other cases:

Other cases that warrant more resources include one involving the discovery of cocaine in the White House in July 2023 and the leak of the Supreme Court’s decision that overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, Bongino said.

“I receive requested briefings on these cases weekly and we are making progress,” he said in his post. “If you have any investigative tips on these matters that may assist us then please contact the FBI.”

The article also noted:

Meanwhile, Patel confirmed on May 18 that the FBI is investigating New York Attorney General Letitia James over her real estate transactions.

I am thankful that the American people may finally find out exactly who was involved in these crimes.

Exactly What Are The Medicaid Cuts Cutting?

Posted on by

On Monday, The Epoch Times posted an article about the fraud and waste found in Medicaid.

The article reports:

Dr. Mehmet Oz, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator, said his agency and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have identified at least $14 billion in fraud, waste, and abuse.

“There’s about $14 billion we’ve identified with DOGE, of folks who are duly enrolled wrongly in multiple states for Medicaid,” Oz told Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”

As an example, Oz said: “You live in New Jersey, but you move to Pennsylvania, and which state gets your Medicaid? Turns out both states collect money from the federal government.”

There are other areas, he said, that constitute abuse of the federal health care system. He said some people who are eligible to get a job or seek education are receiving Medicaid. Oz echoed statements made by GOP lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.)., who in recent days said that able-bodied individuals and illegal immigrants have received Medicaid benefits.

Oz urged that Medicaid be cleaned up so that it can provide services to individuals such as people with disabilities and others, suggesting that Republicans keep a work requirement to be eligible for the program.

“I think there’s a moral hazard if we don’t, because you’ve got people who are not working who could work, who should work, and it’s better for them and better for the country if they do,” he said, referring to Republicans’ having added work requirements to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that passed in the House of Representatives on May 22.

The article notes:

The bill, which is now in the hands of the Senate, would impose work requirements for low-income adults to receive Medicaid health insurance and would increase those requirements for food assistance. Supporters of the bill say the moves will save money, root out waste, and encourage personal responsibility.

Starting next year, many able-bodied Medicaid enrollees under age 65 would be required to show that they work, volunteer, or go to school in exchange for the health insurance coverage under the measure. Only Arkansas has had a work requirement that kicks people off for noncompliance.

It’s time for everyone who can to get out and help pull the wagon rather than sitting in the wagon and expecting everyone else to pull it.

Why We Need To Secure All Points Of Entry Into Our Country

Posted on by

On Thursday, The Epoch Times posted an article about a drug seizure at a Chicago air cargo facility.

The article reports:

Federal agents at a Chicago air cargo facility have seized shipments from China containing 18 pounds of xylazine, which is increasingly found in the U.S. illicit drug market.

The three shipments arrived on April 12 and were headed to residences in Cleveland and Philadelphia, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced in a statement on April 16.

“Drug traffickers are persistent in their attempts to smuggle sedatives such as xylazine into the United States, however, through our hard work and vigilance we will continue to intercept these dangerous substances at our port of entry before they can harm our communities,” LaFonda Sutton-Burke, director of field operation at the Chicago field office, said in a statement.

Xylazine, also known as “tranq” and the “zombie drug,” is a veterinary medication that acts as a sedative when administered to animals such as cattle, sheep, and horses during diagnostic and surgical procedures. Xylazine is not a controlled substance in the United States, but it is not approved for use on people, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Because of increased border security at America’s southern border, cartels and other drug smugglers are having to look for other ways to bring illegal drugs into America. We need to have drug-sniffing dogs at all points of entry.

The article notes:

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has warned that xylazine is making the deadly fentanyl crisis in the United States “even deadlier,” as fentanyl adulterated with xylazine has a longer-lasting psychoactive effect than fentanyl alone, increasing the risk of overdose death.

The Mexico-based Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are known to be sourcing chemical precursors from China before these chemicals are manufactured into fentanyl. Last year, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party warned in a report that China-produced xylazines “are rapidly proliferating across the United States.”

The article concludes:

In recent years, some states have enacted laws to regulate the use of xylazine, including South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act in both the House and the Senate in February. The legislation would make xylazine a Schedule III controlled substance while enabling the DEA to track its manufacturing to prevent any diversion to the illegal market.

“Illicit xylazine is contributing to the national drug epidemic and driving up overdose deaths in communities across the country,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who led the Senate bill with Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), said in a statement at the time.

“This bipartisan bill recognizes the lethal threat of xylazine and provides law enforcement new tools to combat its spread, while ensuring veterinarians, ranchers and cattlemen can continue to access the drug for legitimate animal treatment,” Grassley said.

Changes To Social Security

Posted on by

Don’t freak out over that headline. The changes I am talking about are good news for everyone who is currently collecting or plans to collect social security in the future.

On Tuesday (updated Wednesday) The Epoch Times reported:

President Donald Trump signed a memorandum on April 15 directing several federal agencies to take measures to prevent Social Security payments from going to ineligible people such as illegal immigrants and fraudsters.

The memorandum was directed at the Social Security Administration inspector general, the Social Security commissioner, the attorney general, and the secretaries of labor, health and human services, and homeland security.

Meanwhile, the commissioner is directed to cooperate with the attorney general to expand the SSA’s full-time fraud prosecutor program specifically targeting identity theft and beneficiary-side fraud to at least 50 U.S. Attorney Offices by Oct. 1.

The memo also “establishes a Medicare and Medicaid fraud prosecution program in 15 U.S. Attorney offices,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing.

Department heads are ordered to prioritize the placement of prosecutors in both programs to the offices whose jurisdiction has been determined by Homeland Security to cover the top 10 largest known populations of illegal immigrants.

The memo also directs the inspector general of the Social Security Administration (SSA) to investigate earnings reports for individuals over the age of 100. Earlier this year the Department of Government Efficiency reported that hundreds of eligible Social Security recipients were found to be well over a century old.

In another article posted Tuesday (updated Wednesday), The Epoch Times reported another change to Social Security:

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has rolled out “enhanced technology” to detect suspicious activity in telephone claims or banking changes. The new technology will strengthen identification verification, preventing fraud.

The SSA had initially planned to roll out new identity proofing policies in March, but pushback from beneficiaries and advocates delayed it. The policies have gone through two changes so far. So, what are these ID proofing policy changes, and how will they affect you?

The second article concludes:

Social Security benefits are often a target of thieves. And diverting benefits from a recipient’s account to a fraudulent one has been going on for many years.

The SSA is making an effort to stop the fraud by modernizing its phone system with enhanced technology. Using the new technology allows the agency to identify anomalies in the claimant’s account.

In addition, the use of the AVS will not only prevent fraudulent banking changes but also expedite processing. Overall, Social Security beneficiaries and new claimants will still have the convenience of phoning while still preventing fraud.

As someone who is married to a person in Information Technology (IT), I am suspicious of any change to a computer program. There are almost always glitches. I am hoping that the new fraud detection protocols have been thoroughly tested. If these new protocols are successful in eliminating the majority of fraud in the Social Security program, they will extend the lifespan of the program for years.

The Latest Inflation Numbers

Posted on by

On Thursday, The Epoch Times posted an article about the latest inflation numbers.

The article reports:

Falling energy prices helped U.S. inflation cool in March, slowing to its lowest level in six months.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual inflation rate declined to 2.4 percent from 2.8 percent in February, the lowest reading since September.

Economists had penciled in a reading of 2.6 percent.

On a monthly basis, the consumer price index (CPI) fell by a better-than-expected 0.1 percent.

Core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, also eased to 2.8 percent. This is the first time that annual core inflation has been below 3 percent since early 2021.

The core CPI increased by 0.1 percent month over month, below the consensus forecast of 0.3 percent.

The article concludes:

Minutes from the March Federal Open Market Committee policy meeting revealed that policymakers are worried about tariff-driven inflation risks.

“Participants assessed that uncertainty around the economic outlook had increased, with almost all participants viewing risks to inflation as tilted to the upside and risks to employment as tilted to the downside,” the meeting summary, released on April 9, reads.

However, based on President Donald Trump’s recent decision to impose a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs, many doom-and-gloom projections “can be dialed down a bit,” according to Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate.

“The so-called 90-day pause doesn’t remove all uncertainty or potential negative impacts but is helpful,” Hamrick said in a statement to The Epoch Times.

“Fears about a huge pickup in inflation and near-term recession risks can be dialed down a bit.”

The next major inflation report will be the March producer price index, which measures the prices businesses pay for goods and services. Economists pay attention to this gauge as it can serve as a precursor to future inflation trends.

Energy prices are one of the things that fuel inflation. As American becomes energy independent again, the cost of crude oil will continue to drop, gasoline prices will continue to drop, and inflation will gradually come down. Even if OPEC cuts production in an attempt to keep oil prices high, it is quite possible that America will be able to make up for the cut. At that point, OPEC may not want to continue losing revenue because of their production cuts. We are in a very interesting time economically right now. Stay out of debt and pay your bills on time!

Returning Transparency To Colleges

Posted on by

On Friday, The Epoch News reported that HR 1048, a bill that will require American colleges and universities to disclose all foreign gifts and contracts from countries of concern, had passed the U.S. House of Representatives. The vote was 241 in favor and 169 against. Thirty-one Democrats voted with the Republicans to pass the bill. One Republican, Representative Don Bacon (R-Neb.), voted against the bill. The bill now moves to the Senate.

The article notes:

The measure would lower the reporting threshold for foreign gifts and contracts from $250,000 to $50,000 and require disclosure of any amount from countries or entities deemed of concern, such as China and Russia.

It would also prohibit institutions from entering contracts with such countries or entities without obtaining a waiver from the Department of Education.

In addition, the bill would require schools to disclose financial ties between covered individuals—such as faculty researchers—and foreign sources. Private universities with large endowments would be required to report foreign investments annually.

…Supporters of the bill said it addresses concerns that increased reporting requirements would be burdensome or threaten faculty privacy, which critics have raised.

A fact sheet from the bill’s backers refuted those claims, noting that faculty disclosures would only apply to gifts above the same threshold that applies to members of Congress.

The bill also passed the House in late 2024 but was not taken up in the Senate by then-Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (R-N.Y.).

The bill now heads back to the U.S. Senate, where it is more likely to be taken up this session under Republican Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.).

Unfortunately, money buys influence. That is the reason many of our universities have whitewashed the violations of civil rights in Muslim countries under Sharia Law. That is the reason we have the absurdity of “Gays for Palestine” on some of our college campuses. The students are not informed enough to know that homosexuals are killed in Muslim countries for being homosexual. This law is needed, and I hope the Senate will consider it and pass it.

Where Did The Money Actually Go?

Posted on by

On Sunday, The Epoch Times reported that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has uncovered 5,593 loans made by the Small Business Administration (SBA) worth $312 million given to borrowers age 11 or under at the time of the loan.

The article reports:

“While it is possible to have business arrangements where this is legal, that is highly unlikely for these 5,593 loans, as they all also used [a Social Security number] with the incorrect name,” the post reads.

DOGE and the SBA are now working to investigate the matter, according to the post. The Epoch Times contacted the SBA for comment on March 9 but did not receive a response by publication time.

Also on March 8, DOGE wrote in a separate post that it found that the SBA issued 3,095 loans for $333 million to borrowers whose age was listed at more than 115 years old. Those borrowers, it stated, were listed as alive in the Social Security database, and in one instance, a person recorded as being 157 years old received loans worth $36,000, including under the Paycheck Protection Program and as an Economic Injury Disaster Loan.

Also on March 8, DOGE stated that a Department of Agriculture contract worth $10.3 million that was for “identifying unnecessary contracts” had been canceled, noting that it was one of 162 nonessential contracts that had been terminated.

I am happy that DOGE has found the questionable loans. I will be happier when the people responsible for the fraud are put on trial.

A Logical Trend

Posted on by

On Tuesday, The Epoch Times reported that a record number of office spaces in American cities are being renovated and turned into housing units. This is a great way to help with the housing shortage, but I am not sure what will happen if companies ask their employees to begin actually coming into the office to work.

The article reports:

While the U.S. housing market is still falling short by 4–5 million properties, the office-to-apartment conversion industry is making a little headway to help alleviate the problem. This year alone, a record-breaking 70,700 apartments are expected to be created from vacant office space nationwide.

A new report from RentCafe indicates that office conversions now comprise almost 42 percent of some 169,000 apartments in adaptive reuse projects.

Not surprisingly, the New York metropolitan area leads the nation in office-to-apartment conversions in the pipeline for 2025, with 8,310 units planned. Washington, D.C., which held the top spot last year, has 6,533 conversions planned, and Los Angeles has 4,388 units. Chicago and Dallas round out the top five, with 3,606 and 2,725, respectively.

Since the pandemic, a significant share of the nation’s office space remains empty, as workplaces shifted to remote options. According to Yardi Matrix, a real estate data-acquisition firm associated with RentCafe, the national office vacancy rate soared to almost 20 percent by the end of December 2024.

The article notes:

The RentCafe report indicates the bulk of today’s commercial conversions (42 percent) are office buildings, followed by hotels (22 percent), factories (11 percent), and warehouses (6 percent).

The article concludes:

“A lot of younger people fresh out of college are leaving home for the first time and have a different mindset,” he said. “They like a lot of modern amenities like smart homes, gyms, pools, community rooms, rooftop decks, and social engagement. Plus, they value proximity to transportation and convenience retail.”

As for affordable rental options, the report indicates most of the planned conversion developments will be offering a percentage of affordable units for those who qualify financially. “There is also a large amount of supply coming, so developers have to be competitive to be able to retain renters,” he said.

If you are younger and don’t plan on marrying or having children for a while, living in a former business building or hotel converted to private residences would be a great experience. There is no lawn to take care of, and the amenities could be very nice.

How Much Are They Actually Saving?

Posted on by

On Wednesday (updated Thursday), The Epoch Times posted an article detailing how much government waste the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has uncovered.

The article reports:

A new list from the White House assesses the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE’s) financial impact so far at more than $3.4 billion, with substantial savings realized through cuts to the Department of Education.

The latest numbers, provided to The Epoch Times on Feb. 11, include $59 million that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) staff sent to house illegal immigrants in New York City hotels. The White House has sought to claw back that money.

The list also includes a variety of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) contracts and grants, many in the Department of Education, as well as moves against DEI-related directives and policies deemed as out of step with the new administration’s priorities. On the first day of his new presidency, President Donald Trump issued an executive order against DEI in the federal government.

The article includes the following:

That’s pretty good for a couple of weeks’ work.

The article concludes:

One lawsuit over DOGE employees’ access to Treasury Department payment systems data resulted in a court order from Judge Paul Engelmayer on Feb. 8, temporarily preventing DOGE employees from looking at that data and requiring that they destroy any of it they may have obtained.

On Feb. 11, in response to a Justice Department filing that challenged Engelmayer’s order, Judge Jeanette Vargas maintained the DOGE employee prohibition while clarifying that the ban did not prevent Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent from accessing his own department’s data.

Vargas will preside over a hearing on the DOGE case on Feb. 14.

In the Oval Office on Feb. 11, Trump questioned Engelmayer’s order.

“How could a judge want to hold us back from finding all of this fraud and finding all of this incompetence?” he asked.

This is NOT a Constitutional crisis–this is the American voters making their voices heard.

The Times They Are A’Changing

Posted on by

On Friday, The Epoch Times reported that Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy will be removing the unreasonable fossil fuel emissions standards put in place by the Biden administration.

The article reports:

In December 2023, the DOT’s Federal Highway Administration finalized a rule establishing a method to measure and report transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions.

The rule required state-level agencies to establish targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles traveling on national highways. These emission targets were intended to become more stringent over time, and agencies were required to report on their progress in meeting them. The rule did not specify how low the targets should be but allowed agencies the discretion to set goals appropriate for their communities.

The rule was set up to “confront the increasingly urgent climate crisis,” according to the executive summary, and was expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent to 52 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. This was part of a plan to reach “net-zero emissions by no later than 2050,” according to a 2021 White House fact sheet.

On Jan. 29, Duffy approved a proposal to rescind the rule.

The article concludes:

The action is in line with several executive orders recently issued by President Donald Trump, including the “Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions” and “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” the department stated.

All DOT offices are required to identify and report, within 10 days, programs and policy statements that are subject to Trump’s relevant executive orders, according to the memo, and revoke nonconforming rules.

Duffy also signed an order to lower costs “through smarter policies, not political ideologies.” Under the order, it must be ensured that all DOT loans and grants are based on “sound economic principles, positive cost-benefit analyses, and pro-economic growth priorities.”

Duffy said these actions are a step toward restoring commonsense governance and merit-based policies at the Transportation Department.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are focused on eliminating excessive regulations that have hindered economic growth, increased costs for American families, and prioritized far-left agendas over practical solutions,” he said.“The American people deserve an efficient, safe, and pro-growth transportation system based on sound decision-making, not political ideologies. These actions will help us deliver on that promise.”

This is definitely a step in the right direction.