Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Monday, November 18, 2024
Ex-Top Official Catherine Austin Fitts: Inside Trump’s Victory, RFK Jr.,...
Ex-Top Official Catherine Austin Fitts: Inside Trump’s Victory, RFK Jr., and the Deep State
Former Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President George H.W. Bush, Catherine Austin Fitts, shares her insights on Donald Trump’s recent victory in the U.S. presidential election, the rising influence of independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and the impact of the so-called ‘Deep State’ on American politics. According to Fitts, change isn’t on the horizon—it’s happening right now. She also discusses the historic surge of independent voters, a movement that could permanently reshape the future of U.S. politics as we know it.
Trump picks several Catholics for Cabinet: Kennedy, Rubio, Stefanik, Ratcliffe
Left to right: John Ratcliffe, Marco Rubio, Elise Stefanik, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. | Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Image; MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images; Jason Mendez/Getty Images
By Tyler Arnold
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 18, 2024 / 06:00 am
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen several Catholics to serve in his Cabinet and other parts of his administration, including environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., three-term Sen. Marco Rubio, and Rep. Elise Stefanik.
The 45th and soon-to-be 47th president made more than a dozen announcements within 10 days of his electoral victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. Many of his Cabinet nominees and other administration official picks have yet to be announced.
Among the Catholics Trump has chosen for his Cabinet are Kennedy, who was nominated to be the secretary of Health and Human Services; Rubio as secretary of state; Stefanik as ambassador to the United Nations; and John Ratcliffe, nominated as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
These four Cabinet-level positions require Senate confirmation.
Trump also announced he will appoint Tom Homan as the “Border Czar,” a position that does not require Senate confirmation. Homan is a Catholic and was previously the director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the president-elect’s first administration.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and the son of former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, was nominated by Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees 10 agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to public health,” Trump said in his announcement. “... HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming health crisis in the country.”
A lifelong Democrat before launching an independent bid for president of the United States during the 2024 election, Kennedy dropped out of the race in August and endorsed Trump after the former president promised him a health-related role. He is Catholic and credits “a profound spiritual enlightenment” for his recovery from drug addiction in his early adulthood. However, he deviates from Church teaching on life by supporting legal abortions.
Kennedy has been critical of the childhood vaccine schedule. Kennedy has said he would not “take vaccines away from anybody” as secretary of Health and Human Services but that he would promote more inquiry into side effects. He has long been critical of large pharmaceutical companies influencing regulations and the impact that processed food has on the nation’s health.
“I look forward to working with the more than 80,000 employees at HHS to free the agencies from the smothering cloud of corporate capture so they can pursue their mission to make Americans once again the healthiest people on Earth,” Kennedy said in a statement.
Marco Rubio
Trump nominated Rubio, a one-time rival for the presidency, to serve as secretary of state.
“Marco is a highly respected leader and a very powerful voice for freedom,” a statement from the Trump transition team read. “He will be a strong advocate for our nation, a true friend to our allies, and a fearless warrior who will never back down to our adversaries.”
Rubio has served as a senator from Florida since 2011 and was previously in the Florida House of Representatives. His parents immigrated to the United States from Cuba. He was raised in the Catholic faith at an early age, but his family began attending a Mormon church during his childhood before returning to Catholicism. Although the senator is Catholic, he sometimes attends a Baptist church with his wife.
“As secretary of state, I will work every day to carry out [Trump’s] foreign policy agenda,” Rubio said in a statement after the announcement. “Under the leadership of President Trump, we will deliver peace through strength and always put the interests of Americans and America above all else.”
Rubio has historically supported a hawkish foreign policy, which is at times at odds with Trump’s campaign rhetoric that is skeptical of American involvement in foreign wars. In recent years, however, he has moved closer to Trump’s view on foreign policy. He was initially in favor of the United States providing aid to Ukraine but voted against the most recent aid bill.
Elise Stefanik
The president-elect nominated Stefanik to serve as the United States ambassador to the United Nations, which primarily represents American interests in the international organization.
“[Stefanik] was the first member of Congress to endorse me and has always been a staunch advocate,” Trump said in a statement. “... [She] led the charge against antisemitism on college campuses. She will be an incredible ambassador to the United Nations, delivering peace through strength and America First national security policies.”
Stefanik is the chair of the House Republican Conference, which makes her the fourth-ranking Republican in the chamber. She will be replaced by Rep. Lisa McClain in this role. Stefanik is a strong and vocal supporter of Israeli military action in the Palestinian Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon. She is Catholic and is opposed to abortion but supports same-sex marriage.
“The work ahead is immense as we see antisemitism skyrocketing coupled with four years of catastrophically weak U.S. leadership that significantly weakened our national security and diminished our standing in the eyes of both allies and adversaries,” Stefanik said in a statement.
“I stand ready to advance President Donald J. Trump’s restoration of America First peace through strength leadership on the world stage on Day 1 at the United Nations,” she said.
Stefanik, like Rubio, has historically been more hawkish on foreign policy but has moved closer to Trump’s views of late. She initially backed American aid to Ukraine but later opposed it. She has previously supported Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
John Ratcliffe
Ratcliffe, who briefly served as the director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term and is a former congressman, will head the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
“From exposing fake Russian collusion to be a Clinton campaign operation to catching the FBI’s abuse of civil liberties at the FISA court, John Ratcliffe has always been a warrior for truth and honesty with the American public,” Trump said in a statement. “When 51 intelligence officials were lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop, there was one, John Ratcliffe, telling the truth to the American people.”
Like Rubio and Stefanik, Ratcliffe has also been historically hawkish. He has been strongly critical of Chinese officials and Iran. He has criticized the Biden administration for not providing more intelligence and military aid to Israel.
World Leaders meet to discuss GLOBAL GOVERNANCE G20 (R$E)
Watch live as protests unfold in Rio ahead of the G20 summit. World leaders, including Biden, Starmer, Trudeau, Macron and others arrive in Rio de Janeiro to discuss the climate agenda and "Reforming Global Governance". We will be bringing you the speeches and event live today. This may start around 11am GMT / 6am EST and go on throughout the day. Th Global Governance session is at 12.30pm EST / 5.30pm GMT This video is part of our new live broadcast coverage of world events to show you what is going on, being pushed or promoted and what to be aware of in these times.
Sunday, November 17, 2024
Republican senator accuses Dems, media of double standard on outrage over Trump's cabinet picks
'The Democrats are spending so much time talking about the scrutiny of President Trump’s picks and yet, did we spend this amount of time scrutinizing Biden’s picks?' Sen. Markwayne Mullin said
By Kristine Parks Fox News
Published November 17, 2024 8:00pm EST
GOP Senator rips media over scrutiny over Trump cabinet picks
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., defended President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks and hit back at the media over their lack of scrutiny over President Biden's cabinet picks.
A Republican senator clashed with NBC anchor Kristen Welker in a Sunday interview after he pushed back against the scrutiny over President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet nominations, compared to their treatment of President Biden's more controversial staffing picks.
Democrats in Congress and in the media have blasted Trump's cabinet nominees over their qualifications, including combat veteran Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense; South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as secretary of homeland security; Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., as attorney general; and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), among others.
On NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Welker pressed Sen. Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma, if Kennedy's skepticism toward vaccines could be a "deal breaker" in confirming the Trump nominee to head the HHS.
Mullin denied this would be a dealbreaker for him before launching into a rebuke of Democrats and liberal voices in the media for not showing the same outrage over some of President Biden's more controversial cabinet and staffing picks at the start of his term.
DEMOCRATS' FUROR OVER ‘UNQUALIFIED' TRUMP NOMINEES PUTS BIDEN'S STAFFING DECISIONS BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Friday, November 15, 2024
Thursday, November 14, 2024
‘So He Likes Them Younger’: DeVon Franklin Sparks Controversy After He Confirms New Romance With Woman 17 Years His Junior
Posted by Nicole Duncan-Smith | Published on: November 5, 2024
Movie executive DeVon Franklin is emerging from the depression that enveloped him following his split from ex-wife Meagan Good. The Seventh-day Adventist faith leader has proudly debuted his new girlfriend.
The public has observed Meagan moving forward with her new boyfriend, Jonathan Majors, while Franklin has candidly shared his emotional struggles post-divorce, notably during his sermons.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MAY 19: DeVon Franklin attends the BET+ “Kingdom Business” Los Angeles premiere at NeueHouse Los Angeles on May 19, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
In an interview with “The Breakfast Club” in 2023, Franklin opened up about how he cried himself to sleep after the breakup.
“I can sit here before all of you and have this interview and be calm and introspective and all that, but that comes from a process,” he said. “I mean, there are nights you know I’m crying myself to sleep. You know, there are moments when I’ve been angry, but I’ve allowed myself to feel whatever I felt in order to heal.”
It appears that healing has indeed begun. The “Annie” film executive is now stepping out with a renewed sense of joy, as seen in his recent appearances with personal trainer Maria Castillo.
At The Merge Awards, Franklin proudly introduced Castillo to the Baller Alert correspondent, referring to her as his “girl.”
In an interview with “The Breakfast Club” in 2023, Franklin opened up about how he cried himself to sleep after the breakup.
“I can sit here before all of you and have this interview and be calm and introspective and all that, but that comes from a process,” he said. “I mean, there are nights you know I’m crying myself to sleep. You know, there are moments when I’ve been angry, but I’ve allowed myself to feel whatever I felt in order to heal.”
It appears that healing has indeed begun. The “Annie” film executive is now stepping out with a renewed sense of joy, as seen in his recent appearances with personal trainer Maria Castillo.
At The Merge Awards, Franklin proudly introduced Castillo to the Baller Alert correspondent, referring to her as his “girl.”
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
HHS Spent Hundreds of Millions of Dollars on DEI Initiatives Under Biden, Watchdog Finds
President Joe Biden speaks before signing executive orders at the White House, January 28, 2021. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
By Alex Welz
November 12, 2024 6:19 PM
The Department of Health and Human Services has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds carrying out President Biden’s DEI initiatives, according to a new nonprofit government watchdog report released Tuesday.
Biden issued an executive order in June 2021 calling for federal agencies to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in recruits and when considering promotions. DEI quickly became a dominant theme within the federal government over the next four years.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) currently employs 294 DEI employees, costing the agency $38.7 million in taxpayer funds each year, according to a report from OpenTheBooks. In Fiscal Year 2023, 247 of those workers made over $100,000, while four took home double that sum.
An additional 207 HHS employees oversee Biden’s “health equity” efforts in the Offices of Minority Health at a cost of $29.4 million for salaries alone each year.
“At the National Institutes of Health, the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is organized like its own corporation,” OpenTheBooks wrote in a statement. “It has separate departments for Guidance, Education & Marketing, Data Analytics & Customer Outreach, and an ostensibly redundant Diversity & Inclusion Division.”
Some of the spending choices that are receiving the most blowback include $5 million to “diversify the doula workforce” and another $25 million for “nursing workforce diversity.”
Since Biden assumed the Oval Office in 2021, grant applicants for the Rural Communities Opioid Response have been required to complete a “Disparate Impact Statement” that explains how systemic racism will inform their efforts in addressing the opioid crisis. Applicants remain encouraged to defer to groups that have suffered from disproportioned historical iniquities.
Another controversial program is Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST), which “awards grants to top universities to hire scientists from minority backgrounds — specifically considering a scientist’s ‘commitment to diversity’ as equally important to their academic ability.” The NIH Common Fund has committed $241 million to the program over the course of nine years.
A $102 million allocation was given to the Health Resources and Services Administration for “training for diversity.” Part of this allotment is also to be spent on the FIRST program, funding “Centers of Excellence” on campuses seeking to advance “recruitment, training, and retaining underrepresented minority students and faculty at health professions schools.”
Variations of the term “equity” could be found 829 different times in HHS’ 2025 congressional budget request, the report uncovered. OpenTheBooks also discovered 92 DEI employees working under the direct oversight of HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.
“One recent CDC program pushed for ‘vaccine equity’ in Atlanta, Georgia by distributing 5,500 monkeypox vaccine doses to Black ‘LGBTQ+ men who have sex with men’ to help ‘celebrate diversity and the impact of distinctly Black gay and queer culture on the community,’” the report read.
Thousands of black church leaders were even recruited to serve as “vaccine advocates and influencers.”
“Records of both vaccine equity programs have been removed from the CDC’s website,” the report claimed.
By Alex Welz
November 12, 2024 6:19 PM
The Department of Health and Human Services has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds carrying out President Biden’s DEI initiatives, according to a new nonprofit government watchdog report released Tuesday.
Biden issued an executive order in June 2021 calling for federal agencies to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in recruits and when considering promotions. DEI quickly became a dominant theme within the federal government over the next four years.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) currently employs 294 DEI employees, costing the agency $38.7 million in taxpayer funds each year, according to a report from OpenTheBooks. In Fiscal Year 2023, 247 of those workers made over $100,000, while four took home double that sum.
An additional 207 HHS employees oversee Biden’s “health equity” efforts in the Offices of Minority Health at a cost of $29.4 million for salaries alone each year.
“At the National Institutes of Health, the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is organized like its own corporation,” OpenTheBooks wrote in a statement. “It has separate departments for Guidance, Education & Marketing, Data Analytics & Customer Outreach, and an ostensibly redundant Diversity & Inclusion Division.”
Some of the spending choices that are receiving the most blowback include $5 million to “diversify the doula workforce” and another $25 million for “nursing workforce diversity.”
Since Biden assumed the Oval Office in 2021, grant applicants for the Rural Communities Opioid Response have been required to complete a “Disparate Impact Statement” that explains how systemic racism will inform their efforts in addressing the opioid crisis. Applicants remain encouraged to defer to groups that have suffered from disproportioned historical iniquities.
Another controversial program is Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST), which “awards grants to top universities to hire scientists from minority backgrounds — specifically considering a scientist’s ‘commitment to diversity’ as equally important to their academic ability.” The NIH Common Fund has committed $241 million to the program over the course of nine years.
A $102 million allocation was given to the Health Resources and Services Administration for “training for diversity.” Part of this allotment is also to be spent on the FIRST program, funding “Centers of Excellence” on campuses seeking to advance “recruitment, training, and retaining underrepresented minority students and faculty at health professions schools.”
Variations of the term “equity” could be found 829 different times in HHS’ 2025 congressional budget request, the report uncovered. OpenTheBooks also discovered 92 DEI employees working under the direct oversight of HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.
“One recent CDC program pushed for ‘vaccine equity’ in Atlanta, Georgia by distributing 5,500 monkeypox vaccine doses to Black ‘LGBTQ+ men who have sex with men’ to help ‘celebrate diversity and the impact of distinctly Black gay and queer culture on the community,’” the report read.
Thousands of black church leaders were even recruited to serve as “vaccine advocates and influencers.”
“Records of both vaccine equity programs have been removed from the CDC’s website,” the report claimed.
Trump taps Musk to lead a 'Department of Government Efficiency' with Ramaswamy
Updated November 12, 20249:03 PM ET
By
Camila Domonoske
Jeongyoon Han
Elena Moore
(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on November 12, 2024 shows Vivek Ramaswamy (L) and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk (R). President-elect Donald Trump on November said Musk will lead a so-called Department of Government Efficiency alongside American entrepreneur Ramaswamy.Andrew Caballero-Reynolds and Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to head a new government agency focused on regulating federal spending.
In a statement released Tuesday, Trump referred to the new agency as the "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE,) an acronym that is an apparent wink to the dog-themed cryptocurrency by the same name that started as a joke and skyrocketed after Musk promoted it.
While it is not yet clear whether this entity will exist within the federal government or outside, an official government agency cannot be created without an act of Congress.
"Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies - Essential to the 'Save America' Movement," Trump wrote. "I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the Federal Bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency and, at the same time, making life better for all Americans."
The move by Trump marks another deviation from political tradition in assembling a new administration. It's also a continuation of Trump's relationships with Musk and Ramaswamy, businessmen who are both relatively new to politics but have become close allies of the incoming president.
On the campaign trail, Trump spoke of creating a role in the federal government for Musk, who is the richest man in the world and owns Tesla, SpaceX and the social media platform X.
Musk has become an increasingly influential voice in conservative politics. He first proposed a "government efficiency commission" that would monitor federal agencies during a conversation he had with Trump on X. Since winning the presidential election, Trump and Musk have remained in close orbit.
The appointment also brings Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate, officially into Trump's administration after he was reported to have once been under consideration for vice president.
"We will not go gently," Ramaswamy said in a post on X in response to the news while tagging Musk, who commented separately in Trump's original announcement.
"This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in Government waste, which is a lot of people!" Musk said.
While most department heads have to be confirmed by the Senate, it's unclear what formalities Musk and Ramaswamy will have to go through for these roles.
For Musk, having a direct role in the administration raises questions about potential conflicts of interest. He could potentially gain regulatory authority over federal agencies that oversee many of his companies that receive government funding, including Tesla, SpaceX and Starlink. Musk's companies have also been the subject of federal investigations.
Musk and Trump
Musk became a major supporter of Trump in the final leg of his presidential bid, appearing on the campaign trail and spending more than $100 million on organizing efforts through his super PAC, "America PAC." His political contributions went on to surpass the total amount of public donations from the entire oil industry.
Musk's relationship with Trump exists a world apart from the careful way most American CEOs navigate politics — although Musk already has a history of breaking from corporate tradition.
The tech mogul's support for Trump was also a surprising ideological pivot. Musk, who built his vast fortune on electric vehicles with a declared commitment to fighting climate change, is now embracing a politician who consistently dismisses concerns about carbon emissions.
That said, Trump's appreciation was public. On the campaign trail he softened some of his rhetoric against electric vehicles, saying he had "no choice" to be in favor of them after Musk's endorsement. Trump also called Musk a "super genius" in his victory speech and included Musk in a family photo after the election.
Musk went on to weigh in on spending cuts while speaking to Trump supporters at a rally in New York City ahead of Election Day, arguing the budget for the federal government could be significantly shrunk by "at least" $2 trillion.
Cutting costs in business; spending big in politics
He has a record of cutting spending within his businesses. After buying X, he conducted mass layoffs, vastly reducing the size of the company from 8,000 to 1,500 people.
Ahead of Trump's announcement, Musk also said he plans to keep his super PAC active as Republicans gear up for special elections and the midterms.
Like Musk, Ramaswamy has also called for drastic reductions in federal spending.
Until he dropped out of the 2024 presidential race in January to endorse Trump, Ramaswamy vowed to reduce the role of the federal government. His policy proposals included slashing the Federal Reserve workforce by at least 90% and deporting American-born children of undocumented immigrants.
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