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Thursday, February 27, 2025

State Department Identifies $60 Billion in Foreign Aid Cuts Mostly Stemming From USAID

Free Beacon: President Donald Trump’s State Department completed its review of U.S. foreign aid, identifying nearly 15,000 grants worth $60 billion for elimination. The review pertained to foreign aid that flowed from both the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Within the State Department, auditors reviewed more than 9,100 grants worth an estimated $15.9 billion. It identified 4,100 of those grants worth $4.4 billion for elimination. The lion’s share of the grants identified for elimination, then, came from the USAID side, where Trump administration officials moved to slash 5,800 grants valued at $54 billion. That marks a 92 percent reduction in USAID’s multi-year grant spending (Free Beacon). National Review: Ultimately, the document states, State and USAID “will undergo a process — in consultation with Congress — to reform the way the United States delivers foreign assistance.” They will conduct that process, per the memo, according to the three guiding criteria for State Department initiatives that Rubio laid out during his confirmation hearing: whether it makes America safer, stronger, and more prosperous (National Review).

Testimony Reveals USAID Gave $122 Million to Charities with Terrorism Ties

National Review: The now-shuttered U.S. Agency for International Development has funneled at least $122 million in approved grants to terror-tied aid charities, including an evangelical Christian group that in 2014 facilitated a $125,000 sub-grant to a Sudanese terrorist organization linked to al-Qaeda’s Osama bin Laden. USAID has long been complicit in funding humanitarian aid groups associated with designated terrorists, such as Hamas and Hezbollah. This is just one egregious example of the waste, fraud, and abuse within USAID that the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency are working to uncover (National Review). Oversight Committee: At the Middle East Forum, we’ve uncovered evidence of $164 million in approved grants, $122 million of which ended up supporting radical or terror-tied organizations. That’s not pocket change; that’s a jackpot for the wrong crowd (Oversight Committee).

CNN’s Jake Tapper Co-Authors Book About Media’s Attempt to Cover Up Joe Bidens Cognitive Decline

The self-awareness is truly zero. Townhall: CNN’s Jake Tapper, along with Axios’ Alex Thompson, announced their new book on Wednesday morning, “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.” The cover fittingly shows President Joe Biden covering his face. The announcement has generated plenty of reaction, given that Tapper was among those participating in the very “cover-up” his book purports to discuss (Townhall). Stephen Miller: Here’s Jake Tapper incensed over Joe Biden’s “stutter” and outraged over claims of Biden’s cognitive decline. Now he’s cashing in on a book about Biden’s cognitive decline and media cover up. There is no bottom for these people (X). Katie Pavlich: Excuse me? Seems like Lara Trump is owed an apology (X).

Zelensky to Visit White House on Friday

Katie Pavlich: President Donald Trump will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House Friday to sign an agreement with the United States to develop rare earth and critical minerals in the country (Townhall). Chair of Urban Warfare Studies John Spencer: Rare earth minerals have become crucial to almost every sector and the global economy at large, drawing significant attention to the countries that possess these vital resources. Access to “rare earths” are now also central to many geopolitical disputes, due in part to President Donald Trump, who has said he will make the continuation of U.S. aid to Ukraine contingent on access to the country’s resources (X).

Trump's Pick to Lead DOJ's Civil Rights Division Promises to Attack DEI, Punish Institutions for Antisemitism

Townhall: President Donald Trump’s pick to head the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)’s Civil Rights Division plans to drop the hammer on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) front. As the Trump administration’s civil rights enforcer, U.S. Assistant Attorney General hopeful Harmeet Dhillon says she will enforce the law against those blatantly discriminating in the name of DEI… At her confirmation hearing Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Dhillon said that she won’t tolerate the Left’s racist ways—not in Trump’s America. “The Department of Justice stands for justice for all Americans,” she declared (Townhall). Post Millennial: Harmeet Dhillon vows to combat religious as well as racial discrimination on US college campuses if confirmed as Civil Rights attorney (X). Federalist: Harmeet Dhillon said corporations that use diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) racial quotas could be prosecuted under federal civil rights law. In an exchange with Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Dhillon was asked about a 2023 initiative from retail corporation Target to hire 20 percent more black employees, in what Schmitt said was an “overt racial quota system” prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. “Senator, if the facts are as you just described them, I believe that practice is illegal and unconstitutional,” Dhillon said (Federalist).

Democrats Favor Dictatorship of Cuba to Israel in New Poll

National Review: The anti-Israel left has gained so much ground that Cuba now rates higher among Democrats than the Jewish state. Just 33 percent of Democrats said that they had a “very” or “mostly” favorable view of Israel, according to Gallup, compared with 55 percent who said the same about the repressive communist dictatorship of Cuba. Also, 45 percent of Democrats said they had favorable views of the “Palestinian Territories.” In contrast, 83 percent of Republicans hold a favorable view of Israel (National Review). Gallup: As is usually the case, U.S. foreign policy plays an important role in shaping Americans’ views of various countries. Americans view long-standing allies such as Great Britain and Japan very favorably. Despite Trump’s criticisms of Canada, it also remains broadly popular, though the intensity of Republicans’ favorability toward it has never been lower. Americans hold mostly negative views of countries that are perceived threats to U.S. national interests, such as North Korea, Iran and Russia (Gallup).

Iran Has Enough Enriched Uranium to Produce Six Nuclear Weapons

Wall Street Journal: Iran has sharply increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in recent weeks, according to a confidential United Nations report, as Tehran amasses a critical raw material for atomic weapons. The increase in Iran’s holdings of uranium enriched to 60%, or nearly weapons grade, gives it enough to produce six nuclear weapons. Iran is now producing enough fissile material in a month for one nuclear weapon, according to the report. Tehran’s strides come as the country has indicated an openness to negotiating with the U.S. on limits to its nuclear ambitions. The Trump administration has said it would return to a policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran but that it also wants to negotiate a nuclear deal. Still, there hasn’t been significant direct contact between the two sides since President Trump took office. And Iran has said it won’t negotiate directly with Washington while under maximum pressure sanctions (Wall Street Journal). Daily Wire: The Islamic regime, which is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, is increasing its defenses around the nuclear facilities, including the deployment of anti-aircraft launchers (Daily Wire).

Trump Prepares Federal Agencies for Layoffs

National Review: The Trump administration is ordering federal agencies to prepare for overhauls and mass layoffs by March to fulfill the president’s plan to restructure the federal government. The Office of Personnel Management, the White House’s human resources department, and the Office of Management and Budget, sent a memo to agency heads Wednesday instructing them to submit plans for “large-scale reductions in force” and “reorganization” by March 13 (National Review). Rapid Response 47: POTUS: “We’re cutting down the size of government — we have to! We’re bloated. We’re sloppy. We have a lot of people that aren’t doing their job” (X).

Soros Groups Connected to Recent Demonstrations at Republican Townhalls

Daily Wire: The so-called backlash to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project on display at recent Republican town halls was actually astroturfed by left-wing organizations. The legacy media, naturally, jumped on the alleged backlash, with The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CBS News all reporting the protests as if they were organic opposition to President Donald Trump’s attempt to reduce wasteful government spending. It turns out, however, that the protests were anything but organic (Daily Wire). Free Beacon: The demonstrations drove mainstream media coverage of brewing backlash against the Trump administration as the lower chamber left Washington, D.C., for a week-long recess. Well-funded liberal organizations organized many of them. The George Soros-funded groups Indivisible and MoveOn were at the center of the demonstrations. Both groups launched national “mobilization” efforts targeting the “Trump-Musk agenda” and “Trump-Musk coup” during the recess period. MoveOn said its “members and allies will show up at congressional-led town halls and congressional offices around the country, targeting House Republicans whose votes will be crucial in opposing Trump and Musk’s harmful policies.” Indivisible issued a “Musk or Us Recess Toolkit” that showed members how to find their local town halls and urged them to “take the fight to Elon” (Free Beacon).

10.

Kathy Hochul to Trump on Congestion Tax: Trump Administration once again trying to overrule New Yorkers

What New Yorkers want this? She is the one who is forcing another tax down their throats. New York Post: The Trump administration ordered the shutdown of congestion pricing in Manhattan in the coming weeks – but Gov. Kathy Hochul defiantly said New York won’t comply. New York “must cease the collection of tolls” by March 21,Federal Highway Administration executive director Gloria Shepherd wrote in a letter to city, state and MTA officials. The letter was sent on Feb. 20 and made public Wednesday, just days after Gov. Kathy Hochul made a personal appeal to the president with a picture-heavy “booklet” highlighting the success of the tolling program (New York Post). Kathy Hochul: The Trump Administration is once again trying to overrule New Yorkers. They’re about to find out what happens when you piss off 6 million New York commuters (X). You’re telling me there are six million New Yorkers in favor of being forced to pay $9 each time they want to drive on their own streets? Doubtful.

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