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Friday, March 21, 2025

Trump Signs Executive Order to Demolish Department of Education

Townhall: President Donald Trump signed a major executive order on Thursday to “begin eliminating” the Department of Education, “once and for all.” The signing came as the president gave remarks on education for this “historic event” (Townhall). Nick Sortor: President Trump has officially signed an executive order directing the Department of Education to be DISMANTLED. Our children’s education will now be HALF the cost, and multiple times better (X). End Wokeness: Department of Education: $3 trillion spent since 1979. Virtually nothing to show for it (X).

Supreme Court Strikes Down New York Law Allowing Noncitizens to Vote

New York Post: The Big Apple’s controversial law allowing noncitizens to vote in city elections was struck down by the state’s highest court Thursday… No noncitizens in New York City ever cast a vote under the law, as it quickly was challenged in the courts (New York Post). Libs of TikTok: New York’s highest court just STRUCK DOWN the NYC law that would’ve let over 800,000 noncitizens vote. The court rejected Democrats’ argument 6–1, declaring voting is a right reserved for U.S. citizens only (X).

Judge Gives Trump Several Short Deadlines to Be Given Access to Privilaged Information

Hill: A federal judge on Thursday said the Trump administration’s response to his request for more information on Venezuelan deportation flights was “woefully insufficient” and “evaded” obligations to show they complied with an earlier court ruling. In a new order, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said the Justice Department refused to meet his Thursday deadline to hand over the flight information and instead submitted a declaration from an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official informing that “Cabinet Secretaries are currently actively considering whether to invoke the state secrets privilege” (Hill). Townhall: The judge put forth several deadlines for the administration. Someone from the administration who is directly involved with the discussions must respond by Friday. On Tuesday, the administration must also respond in writing as to why they did not violate the court’s orders… The report also laid out that we have the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to thank for suing the administration for daring to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport gang members here illegally back to their home countries (Townhall). Reporter Julie Kelly: Boasberg now thinks he’s entitled to obviously privileged information related to discussions over fighting his order on Venezuelan terror flights. Insane (X).

Judge Mandates Prison to Return Trans Inmates to Female Prison

Just the News: A federal judge has ordered the federal Bureau of Prisons to return two transgender inmates to a women’s prisons after they were sent to male prison facilities. The ruling Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, in Washington, D.C., a preliminary injunction, follows a series of executive orders signed by President Donald Trump’s that have revised or reversed federal law related to transgenders and that the White House says “restores biological truth to the federal government.” Lamberth ordered the federal Bureau of Prisons to “immediately transfer” the two women – identified in court papers by the pseudonyms Rachel and Ellen Doe – back to women’s facilities and said the agency must continue to provide them with hormone therapy treatment for gender dysphoria (Just the News). Post Millennial: Additionally, the order directs the Attorney General to “ensure that the Bureau of Prisons revises its policies concerning medical care to be consistent with this order, and shall ensure that no Federal funds are expended to any medical procedure, treatment, or drug for the purpose of confirming an inmate’s appearance to that of the opposite sex.” The judge in this case has directly opposed that by demanding that the two males not only be returned to women’s prison but given medical sex change drugs (Post Millennial).

Taliban Releases American Prisoner

Associated Press: An American man who was abducted more than two years ago while traveling through Afghanistan as a tourist has been released by the Taliban in a deal with the Trump administration that Qatari negotiators helped broker, the State Department said Thursday. George Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, is the third American detainee to be released by the Taliban since January. He was seized by the Taliban’s intelligence services in December 2022 and was designated by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained the following year. Glezmann, 66, was in Afghanistan as a tourist at the time of his abduction and has visited more than 100 countries as part of his passion for exploring different cultures, according to a profile on the website of the Foley Foundation, an organization that advocates for the release of Americans detained by foreign countries. The release of Glezmann is part of what the Taliban has previously described as the “normalization” of ties between the U.S. and Afghanistan following the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Most countries still don’t recognize the Taliban’s rule (Associated Press).

Kristi Noem Announces Seizure of Over $500 Million Worth of Illegal Drugs

Daily Wire: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem spoke at an event on Thursday where the United States Coast Guard offloaded a historic seizure of drugs that were headed for America’s borders. Speaking at Port Everglades in South Florida, Noem ushered in the offloading of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of drugs that were seized by cutter vessels operating in America’s coastal waters (Daily Wire). Rapid Response 47: Secretary Noem: “In the first 100 days of President Trump’s administration, he’s already delivered on his campaign promises to make America safe again… Here at Port Everglades, over 2.5 tons or 45,000 pounds of cocaine and 50 pounds of marijuana, valued at over half a billion dollars, are going to be offloaded and taken out of circulation. This is an unprecedented seizure of illicit drugs” (X).

European Union Delays Counter-Tariffs on U.S. Exports

Hill: The European Union will delay tariffs on U.S. exports into the trading bloc in response to the imposition of tariffs on European aluminum and steel, a measure announced in February by the White House as part of an overhaul of the U.S. trade policies. The EU had been planning to levy two tranches of tariffs starting April 1 on a range of U.S. goods that includes agricultural products and clothing items but announced Thursday that the countermeasures will be taking effect beginning in mid-April (Hill). Fox Business: After the EU first announced its countermeasures, Trump responded by threatening a 200% tariff on wine and other alcohol products from its European counterparts if the union were to proceed with its retaliatory tariffs (Fox Business).

Husband of Former Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-Missouri) Charged With Fraud for Receiving $20,000 in Payments Meant for Small Businesses During Covid

Washington Post: The husband of former congresswoman Cori Bush (D-Missouri) has been charged in connection with more than $20,000 in payments from the pandemic-era Paycheck Protection and Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs, according to an indictment filed in D.C. federal court on Thursday. Cortney Merritts, 46, faces two counts of wire fraud for allegedly filing sham applications in 2020 and 2021 with the Small Business Administration, enabling him to collect money aimed at helping struggling businesses make payroll during the pandemic… An attorney for Merritts said he plans to plead not guilty (Washington Post). Collin Rugg: The development comes following a separate investigation where Bush is accused of paying her husband $150,000 to serve as her “bodyguard” (X).

China Executes Four Canadian Nationals on Drug Charges

Wall Street Journal: Four Canadian nationals were executed in China on drug-related charges, according to Canadian authorities, in a rare case of the country carrying out the death penalty against Westerners. The Canadian government rebuked Chinese authorities, saying the country carried out the executions earlier this year. Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said she and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had tried to intervene to stop the executions and asked for leniency “for other Canadians that are facing a similar situation.” The Canadians were dual citizens and faced “charges linked to criminal activities, according to China, linked to drugs,” Joly said Wednesday. China doesn’t recognize dual citizenship and takes a tough stance on drug crimes, though it is rare for the death penalty to be used against Westerners. Under Chinese law, the smuggling of drugs is punishable with prison—including a life sentence—and the death penalty, depending on the severity of the offense (Wall Street Journal). BBC: Relations between Canada and China have been icy since 2018, after Canada detained a Chinese telecom executive, Meng Wanzhou, on a US extradition request. China arrested two Canadians shortly afterwards, both of whom have now been released. In 2023, Canadian media released reports, many based on leaked intelligence, about detailed claims of Chinese meddling in the country’s federal elections. China denied the reports, calling them “baseless and defamatory” (BBC).

10.

Unites States Fully Supports Israel’s Operation in Gaza

Katie Pavlich: The Israeli Defense Forces continue to hammer the Gaza Strip after Hamas and other Iranian backed terrorist groups refused to hand over hostages stolen on October 6, 2023. The United States is fully supporting the move, with the White House leading the way. “President Trump fully supports Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Trump made it clear that if Hamas does not release the hostages, there will be hell to pay,” the White House released Thursday. Further, the U.S. is taking over the military response to Houthi rebels in Yemen and has been launching attacks on the terrorist group for days (Townhall). Israel Defense Forces: Rashid Jahjuh, the Head of Hamas’ General Security Forces and Ayman Atsalih, the Head of the Khan Yunis sector within Hamas’ General Security Forces. This unit was responsible for exposing “collaborators”, safeguarding senior Hamas members and assets within Gaza and abroad, and suppressing opposition to Hamas’ rule. Additionally, it operates to produce intelligence assessments that enable senior Hamas officials to plan and execute terror attacks against the State of Israel. In addition to his role, Jahjuh also oversaw Hamas’ propaganda efforts aimed at shaping public opinion in Gaza (X).

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