02 U.S. Politics

DOJ targets slow immigration judges as Trump pushes faster deportations– abcnews.com

pgnewser May 7, 2026 0

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PHOENIX — The Justice Department is aiming to weed out immigration judges who it feels are ruling too slowly or aren’t following the law, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Wednesday, as the Trump administration seeks to remake the courts and cut down on the backlog of 3.7 million cases to ease its mass deportation push.

Blanche was in Phoenix to address the Border Security Expo, a yearly gathering that draws top immigration officials, local and state law enforcement officers and representatives from companies doing business with the federal government. Blanche’s appearance at the gathering reflects the way immigration enforcement and border security have become priorities throughout the Trump administration.

Blanche, who has led the Justice Department since Pam Bondi was ousted last month, spoke to The Associated Press after his appearance at the conference. His comments were some of the most detailed on the changes to immigration courts since he took over the role.

“You take an oath and you’re not allowed to make decisions based upon what appear to be just sympathy or your whim,” Blanche said.

“If there’s judges that are just not applying the law in the way that it needs to be applied, delaying inappropriately, have backlogs that are just unacceptable, they’re the folks that we’re going to try to find somebody different to fill that spot.”

Texas Court Orders Terror-Front CAIR to Disclose Major Donors and Travel Records– gellerreport.com

pgnewser May 7, 2026 0

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The ruling by U.S. District Judge Alan D. Albright demands documents on donors giving $5,000 or more over the past decade, including foreign sources, plus recipients of CAIR’s larger donations and itineraries for Executive Director Nihad Awad’s trips to nine Middle Eastern countries from 2019 to 2023. The order stems from CAIR’s lawsuit challenging Abbott’s November 2025 proclamation labeling CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations under Texas law, which bars them from buying land in the state. Abbott called the decision progress in his legal fight, while the case highlights debates over transparency, terror allegations, and civil rights protections, with discovery still ongoing.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott made enormous strides in his legal fight against CAIR. Abbott declared CAIR a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

The terror group sued to block it. So he demanded CAIR give turn over its donor list and details for Nihad Awad’s travel to nine countries hosting Islamic terror.

A federal court granted his request.

For those of working to expose this terror tied group for decades, this is a major victory.

Justice Department launches civil rights probe into prosecutor in Virginia – The Washington Post– news.google.com

pgnewser May 7, 2026 2

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  1. Justice Department launches civil rights probe into prosecutor in Virginia  The Washington Post
  2. Dept. of Justice investigating Fairfax County’s top attorney over handling of cases involving immigrants  WTOP
  3. DOJ probes Fairfax prosecutor over alleged bias involving undocumented immigrants  FOX 5 DC
  4. Justice Department launches investigation in Fairfax County prosecutor Steve Descano  WJLA
  5. BREAKING: DOJ investigating Fairfax prosecutor over policy on immigrant defendants  FFXnow

US says warplane disabled ship that tried to break Iran port blockade– www.channelnewsasia.com

pgnewser May 7, 2026 0

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WASHINGTON: A US Navy warplane fired on and disabled the rudder of an oil tanker that tried to break Washington’s blockade of Iranian ports, the US military said on Wednesday (May 6).

It is the second time the US military has fired on a ship it said was attempting to violate the blockade, which has been in place since April 13.

US forces warned the Iranian-flagged M/T Hasna, which was unladen, that it was in violation of the blockade, but its crew “failed to comply,” so a US F/A-18 Super Hornet “disabled the tanker’s rudder by firing several rounds from (its) 20mm cannon gun,” Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X.

“Hasna is no longer transiting to Iran,” CENTCOM said, adding: “The US blockade against ships attempting to enter or depart Iranian ports remains in full effect.”

Oregon man indicted for assaulting federal officers during anti-ICE siege of Eugene federal building | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com

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Ryan Bruce Gaither Jr., 37, of Eugene, has been charged with assault on a federal employee involving physical contact and aggravated assault on a federal employee causing bodily injury.

An Oregon man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for an alleged physical attack against federal officers during an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demonstration in January. The incident occurred outside the Eugene federal building.

Ryan Bruce Gaither Jr., 37, of Eugene, has been charged with assault on a federal employee involving physical contact and aggravated assault on a federal employee causing bodily injury. The defendant was arraigned in federal court on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty, the Oregon US Attorney’s Office said in a press release.

On January 27, 2026, Gaither allegedly spat on a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer on the Special Response Team (SRT) and bit a second officer, according to court documents.

Video footage of his arrest shows Gaither struggling with two CBP SRT officers while he lies on the ground, handcuffs tied behind his back. He can be observed shouting with an angry facial expression before being taken into custody. As he gets whisked away, an aggressive mob of protesters surrounds federal officers, screaming and hurling projectiles, video shows. A sign stating “ICE kills” was seen being waved in the air.

Affirmative Action In NIH Grants Revealed– www.science20.com

pgnewser May 7, 2026 0

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The Supreme Court recently issued another ruling that seeks to end racial discrimination. most recently in specially-created political districts. What has not been an issue, because it was not obvious like universities and Louisiana politics, is how grants get chosen.A new study says that there was a component of racial favoritism in science funding as well, and it’s only been revealed in the wake of NIH grant cuts.

To the public, science is like sports – a meritocracy. The best win. The reality is more like politics. It helps to have friends, and it’s important that you say you will do what they want you to do. After the COVID-19 vaccine saved millions of lives and got a Nobel Prize, for example, both the NIH and the University of Pennsylvania attached themselves to it. Both were blatantly lying. The NIH had refused to fund the mRNA work of Katalin Karikó, Ph.D. Penn not only refused her tenure, they demoted her because she believed in mRNA but the federal government did not. She quit academia specifically because she knew the private sector funded nearly all actual basic research(1) while government often wanted to engage in cultural agendas or fund ‘safe’ studies guaranteed to show a positive result before the grant was up.

Iran’s top negotiator trolls Trump — RT World News– www.rt.com

pgnewser May 7, 2026 0

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“Operation Trust Me Bro failed,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said, after the US president suspended efforts to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s top negotiator has mocked US President Donald Trump after he abruptly suspended American efforts to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz, adding that Washington was again spreading falsehoods about ongoing talks.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf ridiculed Trump with a sarcastic one-liner: “Operation Trust Me Bro failed. Now back to routine with Operation Fauxios.”

Ghalibaf’s comments came after Trump paused ‘Project Freedom’, an operation aimed at clearing a path through the strait for more than 1,500 commercial vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf, just two days after its start. The US president, however, insisted that the decision was made based on what he described as “great progress” in negotiations and a request from Pakistan.

President Donald Trump said U.S. consumer confidence is ‘way up.’ Metrics don’t bear that out– www.politifact.com

pgnewser May 7, 2026 0

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During a White House small business summit, President Donald Trump said the economy is strong and his policies are satisfying Americans.

“Consumer confidence is way up,” Trump said at the May 4 event.

Three standard measurements of consumer satisfaction — from the University of Michigan; a business group called the Conference Board; and an aggregation of public polling data — show the opposite. They reveal that people are less satisfied with the economy now than at the end of President Joe Biden’s tenure, and at least one of the metrics puts consumer confidence near an all-time low.

The White House pointed to retail spending data to support his statement, but that isn’t a clear-cut measure of consumer confidence when other economic factors are at play.

Guess Who Melted Down on CNN Regarding the FBI Raid on a Top VA Dem’s Home– townhall.com

pgnewser May 7, 2026 0

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You knew this was going to happen, despite evidence that contradicts the story about the FBI raid being politically motivated: federal agents searched the home of Louise Lucas, President pro tempore of the Virginia Senate, who was strongly supporting the gerrymandering effort that gave her party a 10-1 advantage in congressional apportionment.

So, you can see where the idiots would go with this, even though The New York Times reported that the investigation into Lucas started under the Biden administration. It is related to her involvement with a cannabis business. It’s a corruption probe. Yet, when you invite disgraced former FBI official Andrew McCabe and Adam Kinzinger to weigh in, you know a mountain of BS is coming. Curtis Houck of Newsbusters clipped this exchange:

Tapper: “The FBI will not say on the record why they executed the search warrant at the offices and businesses of the Virginia state Senator, Louise Lucas. What was your reaction to the news?

McCabe: “You know, it’s shocking, Jake. And it — it raises a couple of really interesting points. First, of course, this is a search warrant. It’s not an indictment. She hasn’t been charged with anything. She certainly hasn’t been convicted of any wrongdoing. Every search warrant is accompanied by an affidavit. That’s the facts that are presented to the judge, upon which the judge determines that there’s probable cause to believe there’s evidence of a crime inside that location. We don’t see those facts. We don’t typically see those affidavits. They are sealed until that person is — is charged and brought to court.

So, After All of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Whining About the Voting Rights Act Decision, She Did This…– townhall.com

pgnewser May 7, 2026 0

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Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was not pleased with the Louisiana v. Callais decision. She filed a dissenting judgment, which enforced the ruling with immediate effect because it relates to the upcoming elections. Ms. Jackson’s dissent was ripped apart by Justice Samuel Alito, who academically called her a moron—this is becoming a common occurrence. Even liberal justices have sought to steer clear of attaching their names to her opinions.

Alito called her dissent on the judgment utterly irresponsible. And now, after all that bellyaching from Ms. Jackson, she denied a motion to recall the Callais judgment. No justices dissented.

This case is settled. It involved Louisiana creating a majority-black congressional district after the initial map was invalidated under VRA. Now, this map was struck down as unconstitutional, with the court limiting its interpretation of Section II of the Voting Rights Act, which allows congressional apportionment based on racial quotas.

The 2026 Map War: Race, Redistricting, and Trump’s Agenda– www.standingforfreedom.com

pgnewser May 7, 2026 0

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The redistricting war for the 2026 midterms is on – and it may be the most aggressive mid-decade, multi-state map fight of the modern era.In the weeks following the Supreme Court’s April 29 decision in Louisiana v. Callais, the redistricting fight accelerated across the country. GOP-led states such as Florida, Louisiana, and Tennessee began moving or preparing to move on new congressional maps, while Virginia Democrats pushed a mid-decade redraw of their own.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a sweeping new congressional map into law on May 4 that could increase Republicans’ advantage in Florida’s House delegation from 20-8 to 24-4.

Louisiana delayed its congressional primaries while lawmakers begin work on a new map. Tennessee Republicans have released a proposal that could eliminate the state’s only Democratic-held congressional district, while Alabama and other Southern states are weighing how far the Callais ruling allows them to go. But this is by no means just a red-state story.

Katie Porter just threw mashed potatoes on Democrat plans to LIE and say they DON’T want taxpayer-funded healthcare for illegals– www.louderwithcrowder.com

pgnewser May 7, 2026 0

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Democrats and the media (but I repeat myself) have worked very hard to claim they don’t give taxpayer-funded healthcare to illegal immigrants. Or, any taxpayer-funded benefits, really. They do a lot of arguing semantics and nitpicking over rhetoric, and doing both in bad faith. AKA “independent” “fact” checking. Well, California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter just treated the op as if it were her ex-husband and she was holding a pot of mashed potatoes.

There was a debate this week with Porter and the other candidates running for California governor. The question of giving free healthcare (aka, paid for by taxpayers) to illegal immigrants came up. Porter, like the other Democrats on stage, was all about it.

Yes. And that’s what I think Californians deserve as answers to these questions.

She has a point. If I were a Californian, I would want to know a clear “yes” so I knew not to vote for that person.

Bracing For The Blue Wave: White House Lawyers Prep For A Post-Election Reckoning– crooksandliars.com

pgnewser May 7, 2026 0

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The Trump White House is in panic mode, treating a likely blue wave like an alien invasion. The votes aren’t even cast, and they’re preparing their team for gridlock and the likelihood of being subpoenaed into oblivion.

According to The Washington Post, the White House Counsel’s Office has been quietly holding internal briefings for political appointees, walking them through how congressional oversight functions and how to handle it effectively. The sessions reportedly last around half an hour and include a presentation covering the basics of oversight and recommended best practices.

According to two anonymous sources familiar with the meetings, staff have been advised to be mindful of written communications and to respond promptly to any inquiries from Congress. All of this comes as the administration appears to be quietly acknowledging the real possibility of major Democratic gains in this fall’s midterm elections.

“It’s obvious to everyone that it’s very likely,” said one of the two officials, who attended a private briefing, the outlet reports. “It was a sober-eyed conversation.”

While one official insisted that “This is nothing new,” some of the meetings during the past month have had “a strong overtone” of the midterms, two people said.

They Came for Mifepristone. The Abortion Rights Movement Is Ready. – Mother Jones– www.motherjones.com

pgnewser May 7, 2026 0

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Medication abortion is back at the US Supreme Court—which is exactly where abortion opponents want it. Last week, in a late Friday afternoon move guaranteed to stoke maximum confusion and panic, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked a Food and Drug Administration rule allowing telemedicine prescription of mifepristone, one of two drugs that make up the gold-standard abortion-pill regimen. On Monday morning, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito put that ruling on pause until May 11.

But even as abortion advocates expressed relief that telemedicine abortions can continue for a few more days, the order by Alito—the same ultraconservative who wrote the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022—was at best a reprieve. At some point soon, the court’s right-wing supermajority could drastically curtail or cut off access by mail to an extremely safe and effective drug that has been used by hundreds of thousands of women a year since Dobbs, including in states where abortion is banned. Almost two-thirds of abortions in the US now happen with pills, and nearly 30 percent occur by telemedicine.

The GOP’s “Jim Crow Gerrymander” Rips Up Memphis and America’s Civil Rights Legacy– www.thenation.com

pgnewser May 7, 2026 0

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As Republicans destroy historic Black-majority House districts in the South, they are being compared with segregationists George Wallace and Bull Connor.

In the last speech of his life, delivered at the Mason Temple in Memphis on April 3, 1968, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of the legacy of the student civil rights activists of the early 1960s: “I knew that as they were sitting in, they were really standing up for the best in the American dream, and taking the whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.”

The next day, King was assassinated just blocks away, on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel—hallowed ground which now serves as the home of the National Civil Rights Museum. Few cities are so closely associated with the civil rights movement of the 1960s as Memphis. And fewer still have so rich a history of struggle and success in making real the promise of representative democracy.

Poll: Voters aren’t so sure about Trump’s sweeping election bill– www.politico.com

pgnewser May 7, 2026 0

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President Donald Trump has made the SAVE America Act a central GOP priority ahead of the midterms. Voters still don’t know how to feel about it.

New results from The POLITICO Poll show that while many Americans support some core provisions of the SAVE America Act — such as requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote — that support is not overwhelming. And they are far less certain about the sweeping elections bill overall, even as Trump has for months pressured Republican lawmakers to pass it.

Democrats in particular oppose much of the SAVE Act, and many of them are unenthusiastic even about the voter ID provisions that generate the broadest support — a sign that Trump is prioritizing legislation that has little crossover appeal.

A 42 percent plurality of voters who supported former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 back requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote, including when registering by mail. But that number is dwarfed by the three-quarters of Trump 2024 voters who support such a measure, according to the survey conducted by Public First.

MAGA wins Bigly in Indiana – DC.report

pgnewser May 6, 2026 0

Five of the seven republican Indiana state senators that voted against the redistricting measure that would eliminate Democrat seats in the U.S. House lost decisively to Trump-endorsed candidates in the GOP Primary. Four other Trump-endorsed candidates won their primaries decisively as well.

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