House Democrat introduces bill seeking to cut ICE, CBP, replace DHS

House Democrat introduces bill seeking to cut ICE, CBP, replace DHS


by Ford McCracken 10/13/26 05:12 PM ET


Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) introduced a bill Tuesday to overhaul U.S. immigration agencies, including replacing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with a new “community-centered” department.

The “Reimagining Safety Act” would abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), as well as dismantle DHS, replacing it with a new agency called the “Department of Community Safety.” The bill would preserve non-immigration functions of DHS, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration.

“Every person dead in detention, shot or killed by ICE and CBP, every neighbor deported to a third country, every family separated … is a reason DHS must be dismantled and something new must take its place,” Ramirez said in a statement.

Ramirez, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee and a frequent ICE critic, has repeatedly called to abolish ICE and dismantle DHS in the past. After federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens as part of an immigration operation in Minneapolis in January, Ramirez marched alongside protesters in the city.

President Trump’s immigration agenda has become unpopular with voters, despite it being one of his strongest issues in the 2024 campaign. An AP-NORC poll released Oct. 1 found that just 39 percent of Americans approve of the president’s handling of immigration.

Trump allies have suggested Trump’s efforts to end illegal immigration to the country were successful, and that voters are not giving him credit for those wins. His critics argue his strict policies going after legal and illegal immigrants in the U.S. have turned off voters.

Some Democrats have avoided calls to abolish ICE entirely, though the idea did gain traction following those fatal shootings. A January Economist/YouGov poll found that more Americans supported abolishing ICE than opposed it, 46 percent to 43 percent.

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Left follows right in abandoning wall between church, state | Opinion

For a country with strong separation of church and state values, the sudden shift toward religious testimonials is one of the most surprising changes in American politics in decades.

Jonathan Turley
Opinion contributor
Oct. 12, 2026, 6:04 a.m. ET

Across the country, a curious trend is taking hold in the Democratic Party: The left has found God in politics.

As Politico noted most recently, Democrats are running for Congress by leaning on their Christian bona fides. Democrats hope they have found the key to political salvation in states like Texas. However, as Democratic candidates like Texas senatorial candidate James Talarico campaign on their religious credentials, the result has been to insert faith into the broader political debate, which now includes questions ranging from the gender of God to whether Christians have to believe that Jesus actually existed.

The rival views on Christianity by Talarico and his Republican opponent for the U.S. Senate, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, are now being debated by voters. Republicans have long emphasized faith-based politics, and the new Democratic shift has created arguably the most religious-themed election season in modern history.

For a country with strong separation of church and state values, the sudden shift toward religious testimonials is one of the most surprising changes in American politics in decades. The result has been a debate over the character of candidates based on their religious views and associations.Opinion: Polls are shouting in favor of Talarico in Texas. We'll seeLove crosswords? Explore the Crossword page and play the new MidGrid Crossword.

'Resistance preaching'

Morality and faith have long been part of American politics. However, the November midterm elections at times have sounded like candidates are running for the College of Cardinals rather than Congress.

For more secular voters, the debate has the unnerving sense of a plebiscite of the devout covering church dogma.

For religious voters, it can be equally unnerving as religion is reduced to political sound bites and bumper stickers.

DHS Calls on Sanctuary Politicians to Stop Violent Rhetoric Against ICE as Assaults Increase by More Than 1,600%

Release Date: September 24, 2026


Assaults against ICE officials have risen by more than 1,600% compared to the first year and a half of the Biden Administration

WASHINGTON – The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement calling on sanctuary politicians across the country to stop using hateful and violent rhetoric against the men and women of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who are currently facing a more than 1,600% increase in assaults against them.

According to the latest data, there were 647 assaults against ICE from January 20, 2025 to September 20, 2026, compared to just 37 under the Biden Administration from January 20, 2021 to September 20, 2022. This marks an increase of 1,649%.

“The brave men and women of ICE, who are simply enforcing the laws mandated by Congress and protecting the American people, are under attack every single day. Since President Trump unleashed ICE to do their jobs, assaults against them have risen by more than 1,600% in the first year and a half of the administration,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “This is the result of the vicious lies being spread by sanctuary politicians and their foot soldiers who are involved in anti-ICE riots and other acts of violence. DHS is calling on these sanctuary politicians to stop attacking federal law enforcement, stop putting the needs of illegal aliens ahead of the safety of American citizens, and to start working with us to make America safe again.”

Below are some of the most egregious examples of hateful rhetoric by sanctuary politicians against ICE:

• Representative Greg Casar said “we will all be more safe when ICE gets the hell out of Austin, Texas.”
• Representative Lloyd Doggett falsely claimed that illegal aliens “are not posing any danger to our community and are contributing to our community,” while also saying that ICE “acts in a secretive way as if it’s above the law.”
• Austin Mayor Kirk Watson falsely claimed that ICE has a “rogue nature” and “foment[s] chaos.”
• Austin City Councilwoman Krista Laine falsely claimed that ICE is “terrorizing our cities and threatening the safety of our residents.”
• Minnesota Governor Tim Walz compared ICE to a “modern-day Gestapo.”
• Representative Jasmine Crockett compared ICE to “slave patrols…disappearing people based on their skin color,” and also accused ICE of “turning us into Nazi Germany.”
• Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker claimed that the United States is “essentially” becoming Nazi Germany because of ICE’s heroic efforts.
• Boston Mayor Michelle Wu compared mask-wearing ICE agents to a Neo-Nazi group.
• Representative Becca Balint compared ICE law enforcement officers to “vigilantes” engaging in “kidnapping.”
• Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hosted a webinar providing tips for illegal aliens to evade arrests at homes, workplaces, or in public.
• Representative Dan Goldman posted an online video calling on illegal aliens to make a plan for ICE encounters.
• Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued multilingual flyers and online resources advising illegal aliens on how to evade arrest.
• California Governor Gavin Newsom released guides and sanctuary laws advising illegal aliens how to recognize ICE, block entry, and defy arrest.
• Representative Shri Thanedar introduced the Abolish ICE Act and stated that ICE “cannot be reformed and must be abolished.”
• Representative Ilhan Omar delivered a House floor speech calling to abolish ICE.
• Representative John Larson called ICE law enforcement officers “the SS” and “the Gestapo” for arresting criminal illegal aliens.
• Representative Pramila Jayapal called ICE agents “deranged” and said it is “inspiring” to obstruct immigration enforcement.
• Representative Eric Swalwell compared ICE agents to a “KGB officer in Russia.”

Resistance to Christian Nationalism Could Help Decide Midterms | Opinion

Opinion
Resistance to Christian Nationalism Could Help Decide Midterms | Opinion

PUBLISHED

SEP 24, 2026 AT 05:00 AM EDT

By Melissa Deckman and Ruth Braunstein


Since the start of the second Trump administration, Christian nationalism—a political movement asserting that the U.S. was founded as, and should remain, a nation of, by and for Christians—has gained unprecedented influence in American politics, challenging long-established lines between church and state and promoting a policy agenda aligned with its right-wing vision of “Christian” values.

Several Trump cabinet officials have deep ties to the movement. Russell Vought was a primary architect of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, widely considered a “Christian nationalist blueprint” for remaking the federal government. As head of the Office of Management and Budget, he has targeted programs the movement views as contrary to Christian values.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has led Pentagon prayer sessions featuring Doug Wilson, an avowed Christian nationalist who supports repealing the 19th Amendment, outlawing all abortion and homosexuality, and has downplayed the horrors of Southern slavery. Under Hegseth's leadership, the Defense Department has also led a propaganda blitz that incorporates Christian nationalist symbolism and directly links American military actions to passages from Christian Scripture.

U.S. President Donald Trump bows his head in prayer during the National Prayer Breakfast on February 5, 2026, at the Washington Hilton in Washington, ...Read More | SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images

Yet their worldview remains deeply unpopular. A new joint survey report from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and the Meanings of Democracy Lab of the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University finds that nearly two-thirds of Americans reject this worldview. That could be important come November, when voters get their first chance to weigh in on Trump's second term performance, including the many overtures he's made to Christian nationalists while in office.

While 56 percent of Republicans support Christian nationalism, only 32 percent of Americans overall do. Majorities in all but four states reject Christian nationalism. In Iowa—where Trump won by 13 points in 2024—a strong majority (60 percent) oppose Christian nationalism, as do 57 percent of Texans and 56 percent of Alaskans.

Democrats can't shake their DSA problem | Opinion

Ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, the Democratic Party has a stark choice: Stay a mainstream liberal coalition or lean hard into democratic socialism.


To paraphrase a famous 2016 line about the "alternative right": A specter is haunting the dinner events, fundraisers and think tanks of the Democratic Party – the specter of the Democratic Socialists of America.

A quick saunter over to the DSA website (whose federal donation page is titled "Socialist Cash Takes Out Capitalist Trash") shows the left-of-Foucault organization has run or strongly endorsed nearly 200 candidates so far in 2026. As of Sept. 22, DSA's election tracker claimed 67 wins against 60 losses. Sixty-four other races, including many of the biggest, remain undecided.

While the full DSA slate includes contenders for some mundane local jobs ("Ramsey County Commissioner, Minnesota"), multiple candidates have already become familiar names.

In New York City, pro-Palestinian activist Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat in a Democratic primary almost certain to determine who holds his House seat. Given Espaillat's status as chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, it's fair to call this – as Politico put it – "a massive victory for the Democratic Socialists of America and Mayor Zohran Mamdani," one that "cements the DSA ... as one of the city's most potent political forces."

Dangerous new breed of Democrats' threat to America explained: Rob Finnerty

 

Aisha Wahab’s THUNDEROUS Speech in Congress After Taking Oath as First Afghan American Woman | WATCH

Socialism didn’t die with the Soviets — Mamdani just brought it to City Hall

By Kelly Sloan
Published August 29, 2026 7:00am ET

Watching Mayor Zohran Mamdani carry on in New York, I am reminded of Lord Percy of Newcastle’s ominous definition 75 years ago of “social democracy”: “The phrase,” he wrote, “does not imply that economic activity should not continue to be based on private property; it implies only that, as a matter of legal rights, such property should be perpetually insecure.”

One would be hard-pressed to find a more apt descriptor of the current situation in New York, three-quarters of a century after Lord Percy wrote those words intended as a warning to anyone who found themselves tempted by the intoxicating effects of socialism. Indeed, the rhetoric of Mamdani and his acolytes, who are now in the process of gobbling up Democratic primary nominations around the country, suggests their intentions for private property go further than that.

One can hope that it is merely hyperbolic license on their part, but such is the bombast emanating from the faction that is ascendant within the ranks of the Democratic Party. Conventional wisdom holds that this is a political anomaly, representing an extremist fringe that is too publicly unappetizing to warrant serious consideration. And yet they are winning primary elections in the middle of the country, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-NY) name is being invoked unironically as a possible presidential candidate, and Mamdani is the mayor of America’s largest city. So, it’s probably best not to ignore the threat.

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Jeffries defends himself following criticism for meeting with Jared Kushner

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Jared Kushner. Getty Images

By Kaanita Iyer

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is defending himself after facing some criticism over his meeting with Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and close adviser.

Jeffries recently met with Kushner privately in New York to discuss ways the White House can collaborate with Democrats on key issues, such as immigration, housing and the cost of living, a source familiar with the meeting told CNN.

The minority leader said Tuesday on CNN’s “The Situation Room,” “We have a responsibility to solve problems and sometimes that means meeting with people on the other side of the aisle to figure out what the opportunities will be in order to address the things that the American people definitively want us to address, which from our standpoint, is the reality that the cost of living in this country is way too high.”

When asked by Wolf Blitzer if anything was accomplished in the meeting, Jeffries said, “No, it was just a high-level, topical conversation.”

In an earlier video post on X, Jeffries said that Kushner “asked for a meeting, and I took it to discuss the affordability crisis that exists that is not a hoax.”

“No one is going to get a pass. We’re going to hold every single member of the Trump cartel accountable, beginning on Day 1,” he continued, going on to tout the ways House Democrats have challenged the Trump administration.

He told CNN on Tuesday that he hasn’t ruled out impeaching Trump if Democrats win back the majority in the House.

Jeffries has emerged as a vocal opponent of Trump in the president’s second term. He has repeatedly insisted that Democrats are focused on lowering costs for Americans, which he says have been driven up by the president’s policies.

Teacher unions funnel funds to Democratic lawmakers

The influence of teacher unions

By Esther Wickham | The Center Square




Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., at a town hall in Las Vegas, Feb. 9, 2020. Photo: Gage Skidmore / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Cropped from Original

(The Center Square) – The nation’s two largest teachers' unions directed thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to Democratic members of key congressional education committees, according to federal campaign finance records reviewed by The Center Square.

The congressional members whose campaigns received the money supported legislation favoring schools and teachers.

The National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers represent millions of educators nationwide and are among the most politically active labor organizations in the country. The NEA has about 3 million members, while the AFT represents roughly 1.8 million.

Lance Izumi of the Pasadena, Calif.-based Pacific Research Institute said teacher unions' political spending can influence education policy at the federal, state and local levels.

Editor's Note

This is the third in a series on teacher unions, their influence on elected officials and the cost to taxpayers.

Izumi described the national teachers' unions as an “800-pound gorilla” in education politics and pointed to issues including charter schools and school choice as examples of areas where unions have sought to shape policy.

“They don't want the competition,” Izumi, senior director of PRI's Center for Education, told The Center Square during an exclusive interview.

Unions are funded with dues taken out of teacher paychecks, so critics say the taxpayers are basically funding the lobbying and campaign contributions.

The Center Square reached out to both the NEA and AFT multiple times for comments, but union officials did not respond.

The Unholy Alliance You Weren’t Supposed to Notice

Kelsey Reinhardt on August 12, 2026

Something unusual happened on October 8, 2023.

The morning after Hamas slaughtered 1,200 people in southern Israel, after women were raped, children were burned, and families were dragged into tunnels, demonstrators took to the streets and college campuses across the US, not in mourning, but in celebration.

Progressive activists marched alongside Islamist organizers. Transgender flags flew next to keffiyehs. Students at elite universities declared a sadistic massacre to be the opening act of a revolution.

It was, as one observer noted, Bolshevik demagoguery at its finest. The raped and murdered were recast as oppressors. The rapists and murderers became the oppressed.

What you were witnessing has a name.

Scholars and analysts call it “the red-green alliance”: a working coalition between the radical secular left and Islamist political movements. It is not a formal organization. It has no single headquarters. But it is real, it is growing, and its ambitions are not modest.

To understand it, you have to understand what holds it together: because on the surface, it makes no sense at all.

The radical left champions women’s autonomy, sexual liberation, and secular governance. Islamist political theology holds to the authority of Sharia, traditional gender roles, and the supremacy of religious law. These are not minor differences. They are irreconcilable visions of human life and social order.

And yet they march together. They fundraise together. They are reshaping Democratic primaries together.

What binds them is not a shared vision of the future. It is a shared enemy: the Judeo-Christian foundations of Western civilization, our natural law tradition, our ordered liberty and our understanding of the human person as made in the image of God and therefore possessed of an inherent dignity that no state can confer or revoke.

Both movements, in their activist forms, are united by what they oppose. And that opposition has proven sufficient to make them allies.

New York Democrats Vote to Ban Mother and Father From State Law Replacing With Gestating Parent

Daily Beltway Jun 4, 2026 

 Jun 4, 2026  

New York Democrats have launched an unprecedented assault on traditional family language by passing legislation that would eliminate the words mother and father from all state law. The bill, which has cleared both chambers of the state legislature, now sits on Governor Kathy Hochul's desk awaiting her signature. If enacted, this radical measure would replace mother with gestating parent and father with non-gestating parent across every family court proceeding, domestic relations statute, and education code throughout the Empire State.

The legislation sailed through the New York State Senate this week after previously passing the Assembly, marking a significant victory for progressive lawmakers who have championed gender-neutral language in government documents. Proponents argue the change promotes inclusivity and recognizes diverse family structures in modern society. Critics, however, see this as yet another attack on traditional values and an erasure of biological reality from legal frameworks that have served families for generations. The bill would fundamentally alter how New York recognizes parenthood in legal contexts, affecting divorce proceedings, custody battles, adoption paperwork, birth certificates, and school enrollment documents.

Conservative advocates warn this represents a dangerous trend of ideology trumping common sense in state governance. The practical implications extend far beyond semantics. Medical professionals, legal experts, and family court judges would be required to adopt this new terminology despite its clinical awkwardness and departure from universally understood biological terms. The gestating parent designation explicitly centers pregnancy and childbirth as defining characteristics, while non-gestating parent creates a negative definition based on what someone did not do rather than their actual parental role.

Governor Hochul has remained publicly silent on whether she will sign the measure into law, though her administration has consistently aligned with progressive legislative priorities throughout her tenure. New York would join a small but growing number of jurisdictions implementing similar language policies in official government communications. The timing of this bill comes as parents across America increasingly push back against what they view as ideological overreach in schools and government institutions. This story represents a flashpoint in the broader cultural debate over gender, biology, and the role of government in shaping social norms through legislative mandates.

Gary Peters (Michigan Senator)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gary Peters

Official portrait, 2018

United States Senator from Michigan

Incumbent

Assumed office January 3, 2015

----

Personal details

Born Gary Charles Peters

December 1, 1958 (age 67)

Pontiac, Michigan, U.S.

Party Democratic

Spouse Colleen Ochoa

Children 3

Education

Alma College (BA)

University of Detroit Mercy (MBA)

Wayne State University (JD, MA)

Michigan State University (MA)

Recorded April 20, 2023

Gary Charles Peters (born December 1, 1958) is an American politician, lawyer, and former naval officer serving as the senior United States senator from Michigan, a seat he has held since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for Michigan's 14th congressional district, which included the eastern half of Detroit, the Grosse Pointes, Hamtramck, Southfield, and Pontiac, from 2009 to 2015 (the district was Michigan's 9th congressional district until 2013).

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Early life and education

After high school, Peters attended Alma College, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1980 with a bachelor of arts in political science and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.[4] He later earned a master of business administration from the University of Detroit Mercy in 1984.[8] Peters also holds a juris doctor and a master of arts in political science from Wayne State University and a master of arts in philosophy from Michigan State University.[9]

Source: Wikipedia

P.S.

University of Detroit Mercy:

The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catholic university in Michigan.

Democratic pastors run to reclaim Jesus from Trump's Republicans

Democratic pastors run to reclaim Jesus from Trump's Republicans

Malcolm FOSTER
Sat, July 11, 2026 at 9:30 PM EDT

James Talarico, running for the Senate in Texas, is one of a crop of Democrats with deeply religious backgrounds who are challenging Republican dominance among Christians (RONALDO SCHEMIDT)


A band of white Democratic pastors have a striking message ahead of November's US midterm elections: Republicans have hijacked Jesus for political gain, and we're not going to stand for it.

For decades, it's been a truism that Republicans have cornered the Christian market -- at least when it comes to white voters.

But these ministers are so fed up with President Donald Trump, and particularly his policies against immigrants, that they're running as Democrats in November to rein him in.

"The Christians we're hearing in Washington don't reflect the Jesus of the Gospels," one of the insurgents, Adam Hamilton, told AFP.

As the head of a 24,000-member Methodist megachurch in a deeply conservative, rural area of Kansas, Hamilton would typically fit the profile of a right-wing Republican Christian.

However, along with support for fiscal responsibility and a strong military, the 62-year-old Hamilton backs legal access to abortion and protecting LGBTQ rights in his campaign for the US Senate.

Citing the "crassness and mean-spiritedness" of Trump's presidency, he said what's happening in Washington is "inconsistent with the values that I've preached for 36 years."

I am a centrist Democrat and I am terrified of success | Opinion

We appeal to 'the center,' which is an ambiguous blob-like thing that exists only in the minds of Democratic strategists whose brains stopped working in the 1990s.

Rex Huppke
USA TODAY
June 28, 2026, 5:08 a.m. ET

Hello, I am a centrist Democrat who is terrified that progressive liberal candidates keep winning primary elections.

I am also terrified of my own shadow, but this is somehow worse.

Suddenly, voters are being won over by liberal candidates ‒ even a few who are democratic socialists! ‒ who aren’t afraid to lean into populist messages with passion and an apparent drive to actually do things that will make people’s lives better. What is that all about? Since when did the things voters want become so important?

Following the embrace of New York City’s popular democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani, two democratic socialist candidates and one progressive candidate won their recent congressional primary races. I immediately took to my living room's fainting couch. (Like most centrist Democrats, I have a fainting couch in every room.)

Like my good friends in the Republican Party, I fear any kind of democratic socialist as well as any progressives who are actually progressive. They all seem far too fixated on helping "the people." Blech.Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
As a centrist Democrat, I cannot accept new ideas. Or winning.

I recently read this in The Nation, a progressive magazine I can only read while on a fainting couch: “In Michigan’s open Senate race, Chuck Schumer has made his support of moderate Representative Hayley Stevens clear. But that hasn’t stopped Abdul El-Sayed from climbing in the polls. Running on a platform of taxing billionaires, ending the corrosive effects of money in politics, and Medicare for All.”

It said El-Sayed has been endorsed not only by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Ro Khanna of California but also the “influential United Auto Workers union.”Opinion: Democratic socialism is thriving in New York. This is good.

AUGH! What kind of radical Democrat would talk about taxing billionaires in a moment when income inequality is at the top of voters’ minds and people are struggling to afford food?

That’s edging too far away from the center, which is the safe place where I reside and insist all other Democrats must reside. It’s nice here. There are comfy pillows a corporate lobbyist once gave me, and we just sit and occasionally furrow our brows.

Ms. Rachel teams up with N.J. Democrat to protest Delaney Hall: ‘It just broke my heart’

Updated: Jun. 11, 2026, 10:15 p.m.
|Published: Jun. 10, 2026, 9:37 a.m.

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J, speaks during a Senate Homeland Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)AP


By Lauren Sforza | NJ.com


Ms. Rachel, a popular children’s entertainer, teamed up with U.S. Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) on Tuesday to condemn the separation of children from their parents detained at Delaney Hall.

Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, visited the immigrant detention center in Newark on Monday to meet with children whose parents have been detained. In recent months, she has been an outspoken advocate of children and their families who have been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

In a video shared by Kim on Tuesday, Ms. Rachel described her visit to Delaney Hall. She also blasted Dilley Immigration Processing Center — a detention center in Texas — for detaining children.

Ms. Rachel thanked Kim for speaking out against the conditions of Delaney Hall and showed him letters from children being held in the Texas detention center. The video was taken in the Capitol rotunda in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday.

“Senator Kim, thank you so much for taking the time to look at the letters and the children at Dilley Immigration Detention Center, who’ve been in there sometimes for many months and who are still there now, and for reading their words and hearing their voices. It means the world to us,” she told Kim.

“I also want to thank you so much for all you’ve done for Delaney Hall. I was there yesterday, and I was up till 2am worried about these kids and families. They’re so wonderful, and they just miss their parents so much. And the trauma was just very obvious. And it just broke my heart,” she said.

Giving Ventures Ep. 100 - Arabella: The Left's Dark Money with Scott Walter

Giving Ventures Ep. 100 - Arabella: The Left's Dark Money with Scott Walter

DonorsTrust

 Jan 13, 2026  Giving Ventures Podcast

For the past decade, one entity has become predominant in secretive giving on the left of the political spectrum: Arabella Advisors. It goes by a lot of different names, like the New Venture Fund, the Windward Fund, 1630 Fund. This panoply of organizations represents hundreds of nonprofit entities ranging from full-fledged 501(c)3s and 501(c)4s to astroturf groups that only exist as websites. Billions of dollars have flowed into and out of these Arabella entities, all working to counter free markets and conservative ideas and to advance progressive ideology.

Despite its major influence, Arabella is still pretty secretive. But one individual thoroughly understands the reach of Arabella and its tentacles: Scott Walter, the president of Capital Research Center, which focuses on the sources and influence of philanthropic dollars on the left.

Religious Liberty Dinner Highlights Commitment to Freedom of Conscience

24 May 2026

During the event Liberty magazine is recognized for its 120 years of advocacy.

Christelle Agboka, North American Division News

Orlan Johnson, North American Division Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director, addresses guests at the nineteenth annual Religious Liberty Dinner on April 22. [Photo: Art Brondo, NAD]


The North American Division’s (NAD) nineteenth annual Religious Liberty Dinner, held on April 22 in the James Madison Memorial Building at the Library of Congress, championed freedom of conscience as a core human right. Overlooking the gathering, a statue honoring Madison, the fourth United States president and key architect of constitutional religious freedom rights, visually reinforced the evening’s theme.

Hosted by the NAD Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department and Liberty magazine, the dinner brought together 90 religious liberty advocates, faith representatives, government officials, academics, Washington Adventist University honors students, Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders, and other guests.

In his welcome, Orlan Johnson, NAD PARL director, underscored the significance of the gathering. “For nearly two decades this event has served as a space where people of diverse beliefs, backgrounds, and perspectives can come together in unity,” he said.

Attendees greet one another during the North American Division’s nineteenth annual Religious Liberty Dinner. [Photo: Art Brondo, NAD]

Johnson reminded attendees that, globally, many people do not have the freedom to worship—or not worship—as they see fit, ending with an appeal for ongoing advocacy: “Let tonight be more than a dinner.”


Celebrating 120 Years of Liberty Magazine

A highlight of the evening was the official recognition of the 120-year anniversary of Liberty magazine by United States representative Jamie Raskin, who represents Maryland’s eighth congressional district. Notably, the magazine was founded in Takoma Park, Raskin’s hometown and part of his congressional district.

In brief remarks, Raskin praised Liberty magazine for helping keep alive what he called “the founding and most revolutionary principle of our Constitution”—the separation of church and state. He then presented Bettina Krause, Liberty editor and NAD PARL associate director, with a certificate honoring the magazine’s “120 years of zealously championing the separation of church and state, the precondition for freedom and progress in American life.”

Gregg Jarrett: Lawmakers are embracing lawlessness

 

 

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DHS Tells Agents to Ignore State Mask Bans During Operations

By Solange Reyner | Friday, 29 May 2026 12:32 PM EDT


The Department of Homeland Security has instructed federal immigration officers that they are not required to comply with state and local laws restricting the use of face masks while carrying out their official duties, according to an internal agency memo reviewed by The New York Times.

The May 15 memo from the department's general counsel was issued amid growing disputes between federal immigration authorities and Democrat-led states over enforcement operations and the conduct of federal agents.

According to the memo, federal officers are "not legally required to comply with state and local mask prohibitions while carrying out their official duties."

It further advised agents to "freely perform their authorized duties without concern for state interference or fear of prosecution."

The guidance comes more than a week after New York state lawmakers approved a wide-ranging public protection and government operations bill that includes immigration-related measures limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and expanding protections for immigrants and undocumented students.

The legislation, passed as part of the state budget process for the 2026-27 fiscal year, would restrict actions that state and municipal employees can take in connection with federal immigration enforcement, create new protections for schools and sensitive locations and establish a new immigrant trust office within the state attorney general's office.

DHS has argued that federal law generally preempts state and local regulations that interfere with the execution of federal duties.

The memo reinforces that position by assuring officers that they can continue wearing masks during enforcement operations regardless of state or local requirements.

The issue has drawn heightened attention as Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have conducted enforcement actions in major cities, often while wearing tactical gear and face coverings.

Immigration advocates and some elected officials have criticized the practice, saying it makes it difficult for the public to identify officers and distinguish them from private individuals.

Federal officials have defended the use of masks, citing safety concerns and a rise in threats directed at immigration officers.

Jen Goodman, a spokeswoman for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, told the Times that any "ICE agent who comes to New York and violates our laws will be held accountable."

Source