Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota lashed out at a reporter after being asked point-blank about an investigation into possible immigration fraud.

Omar has been accused of marrying her brother in order to help him fraudulently obtain immigration status in the U.S., though she has vehemently denied the allegations.

‘I will say it again here: They are absolutely false and ridiculous.’

On Wednesday, Omar once again denied marrying her brother when confronted by LindellTV reporter Alison Steinberg.

“You always say no one’s above the law, so do you think you should be above the law?” asked Steinberg.

“I am not above the law,” Omar replied.

“If there’s some marriage fraud, can you just tell us straight up, did you marry your brother?” Steinberg pressed.

“Absolutely not! What a ridiculous thing to ask!” Omar responded emphatically.

“That’s disgusting. Nobody should be doing that!”

“Well, then Tom Homan’s a liar or what?”

“He is. He’s been saying some dumb s**t — like you!” she replied.

The video of the interaction was widely circulated on social media.

Border czar Tom Homan confirmed on Sunday the existence of what he called an “ongoing criminal investigation” of the congresswoman by the investigations division of the Department of Homeland Security.

RELATED: Ilhan Omar FAILS to comply with officials’ demand over ‘Feeding Our Future’ scam

“If someone committed immigration violation, if someone committed marriage fraud or anything like that, regardless if they’re a congressman or not, no one’s above the law,” Homan elaborated.

Omar had released a statement in 2020 denying the allegations.

“A number of baseless rumors have been made recently about my personal life and family,” she said. “I will say it again here: They are absolutely false and ridiculous.”

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​Criminal investigation, Ilhan omar, Immigration fraud, Tom homan, Politics 

Under the guise of “math help,” a Massachusetts high school pushed for a girl’s gender transition — and soon the state took her away, her Catholic parents’ lawyer tells Blaze News.

Indeed, the Trump administration has launched an investigation into the girl’s school district after reports that school officials “allegedly facilitated” her “gender transition” without her parents’ “knowledge or consent.”

‘Sophie should not only be returned to her parents, but there should be civil and criminal penalties for such misconduct by government agents.’

Joseph and Arlene Kutzko said their daughter Sophie has been in the custody of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families since December 2024 — when she was 15 — after the Kutzkos refused to recognize her as a boy or call her by male names and pronouns, the Boston Herald reported, adding that the state also issued a permanent restraining order against the Kutzkos.

Vernadette Broyles, the Kutzkos’ attorney, told Blaze News that the parents were kept in the dark and told that Sophie was getting “math help” at Algonquin Regional High School in Northborough while a counselor allegedly “socially transitioned” her — so the parents were “deceived, actually.”

“They’re a beautiful family,” Broyles told Blaze News, adding that “it’s been hell on earth” for the Kutzkos as they do battle with three separate courts in their quest to regain custody of her and are stretched to the limit financially.

Meanwhile, Democrat Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey told the Herald that the gender issue has nothing to do with why the Kutzkos’ daughter was taken from them.

“Let me be clear about the facts in that matter,” Healey said, according to the paper. “First of all, DCF did not remove the child because of a health issue or a gender-affirming care issue. DCF removed the child after there were criminal charges filed against the parents, including the father. As you know, DCF is responsible for the care and well-being of kids, and that’s what happened in this instance.”

But Broyles countered to the Herald that physical and sexual abuse charges against the parents were deemed unfounded in juvenile court, and there was no finding of guilt in criminal court following a non-guilty disposition with prosecutors: “It’s very dishonest, because there are no standing charges against them.”

Meanwhile, as the Kutzkos’ legal fees ballooned past $150,000, Broyles noted to the paper that an unidentified adult allegedly helped Sophie get a restraining order against her parents when she had been in state custody for nearly a year — and that the order still stands.

Broyles noted to Blaze News that the restraining order includes “no contact” and that “it’s my understanding that [the Department of Children and Families] supported” the order.

What’s more, an allegation of neglect against the Kutzkos still looms — and “it’s never been explained to them,” Broyles told Blaze News.

But Broyles said she has a good idea what it’s all about.

Broyles told Blaze News the “implication” is that the neglect allegation has to do with the Kutzkos’ refusal to agree to their daughter’s desire for a medical gender transition — “but Massachusetts doesn’t want to say that.”

Meanwhile, despite no finding of guilt against the parents, the Kutzkos have “not been allowed to see or talk to their daughter or observe her for 20 months,” Broyles told Blaze News.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” their attorney added to Blaze News. “How are these people so dangerous to her? … I believe we have a state that, at its core, believes these parents are unsafe, [and] they are hiding behind a nebulous neglect. Nothing else adds up.”

Despite Sophie having been a “very faithful Catholic girl” and “so active in the church,” Broyles told Blaze News that “girls go down rabbit holes that suck them into this belief system” counter to parents’ wishes, and that’s “probably what happened to” Sophie, while those in custody of her are “championing” her gender transition. To wit: Broyles also told Blaze News that Sophie has been placed on birth control, is living in a male facility, and “now they want to give her testosterone,” which her father — a scientist — is totally against.

“She’s probably pretty manipulated by now,” Broyles told Blaze News.

RELATED: Blaze News investigates: Democrats attack parents and parental rights in Colorado

C.J. Doyle, executive director of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, added to Blaze News that the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families “is an unelected and unaccountable government bureaucracy with a long and disreputable history of arbitrary, autocratic, and authoritarian behavior, hostile to both parental rights and religious freedom.”

Doyle also told Blaze News that the DCF’s actions against the Kutzkos amount to “nothing less than state-sponsored kidnapping and government-inflicted child abuse. It is a direct assault, by rogue state actors, on parental authority, family integrity, and constitutionally protected religious liberty.”

Doyle also argued that “Sophie should not only be returned to her parents, but there should be civil and criminal penalties for such misconduct by government agents.”

As for the Trump administration’s involvement, the U.S. Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office on Thursday launched an investigation into the Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough in Massachusetts to determine whether the school district violated the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act in relation to the Kutzkos’ case.

“Parents have a right to know what is happening with their children at school, particularly when it concerns deeply personal matters involving their health and well-being,” said Frank Miller, director of the Student Privacy Policy Office. “These egregious allegations are not an isolated problem. Families deserve answers, and SPPO will thoroughly investigate reports like this and hold any educational institution that violates federal law accountable.”

Algonquin Regional High School and the Northborough-Southborough Regional School District denied all of the Kutzkos’ allegations, calling them “baseless” and “grossly insensitive, intrusive, and dangerous toward the child,” according to the Herald.

The paper said it has requested comment from the DCF.

The Kutzkos’ next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 29, the Herald said.

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​Catholicism, Custody, Department of children and families, Gender ideology, Governor, Massachusetts, Parental rights, Donald trump, Department of education, Investigation, Politics 

As the war with Iran drags on into its seventh month, uncertainties over oil prices have even stymied the experts charged with predicting futures. This week, J.P. Morgan officially abandoned any attempts to anticipate the outcome, claiming that analysts don’t know how to model the end of the war fueling the chaotic gas price surge.

This stunning admission came down from the head of global commodities research at J.P. Morgan, Natasha Kaneva. According to CNBC, she released a client note Thursday stating, “For the first time since the start of the Iran conflict, we don’t have a baseline view” of the oil market.

’This will be a brief and temporary interruption.’

Kaneva followed that with, “We simply don’t know how to model the endgame.”

These fears are largely exacerbated by the continued struggle over the Strait of Hormuz. Despite President Donald Trump’s insistence that the United States “powerfully” controls the strait, Iran claims the opposite, saying that the vital shipping path is closed until Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are removed from power.

According to Reuters, some commercial vessels are still permitted to pass, though the daily number has dropped dramatically from 125 vessels per day before the war to just four to 10 per day this past week. With oil tankers unable to move through as freely as before, oil supplies dwindle, and prices go up.

RELATED: ‘Clean energy’ isn’t telling the whole story

Florian Gaertner/Photothek/Getty Images

Until recently, analysts remained hopeful that three approaching redlines would force Trump to make a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by June. These included:

oil prices exceeding $100 a barrel;the 10-year Treasury climbing to 5%; andthe gasoline national average reaching $5.

The first two redlines were already crossed, with the third teetering on the edge as the national gas price average creeps up to $4.47 and counting, according to AAA. Halfway through September, there’s still no deal in sight, and analysts have all but given up on trying to predict the outcome.

Adding insult to injury, the East-West Crude Oil Pipeline in Saudi Arabia was struck by an Iraqi drone on September 11, further contributing to oil disruptions and growing gas prices. Yet despite mounting uncertainty, the Trump administration insists that the situation is under control.

“This will be a brief and temporary interruption,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said after the incident. “It will be measured in days.”

The Associated Press reports that full restoration could take weeks. All of that remains to be seen.

For now, gas prices continue to rise across the nation, with the West Coast already exceeding $5 per gallon, while California nears $6 per gallon. The midterm elections also loom on the horizon.

Wright pledged on Wednesday that “diesel prices, gasoline prices, all of them will be coming back down.”

Editor’s note: This article has been corrected after publication to note that the redline is the 10-year Treasury climbing to 5%, not 10%.

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​Chris wright, Gas prices, Jp morgan, Oil prices, Strait of hormuz, Trump administration, Politics, Donald trump 

Regrets, Shaggy has a few.

Actor Matthew Lillard just took a stand in classic Hollywood fashion: years after doing so might have cost him something.

John Leguizamo works and works, and in between, he whines about Hollywood’s woke deficit.

The “Scream” and “Scooby-Doo” alum says he now regrets staying silent when actress Melissa Barrera lost her gig for her extreme pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel views.

Better late than brave?

Barrera’s comments, made shortly after the October 7 attacks, alarmed people in the industry. She was subsequently fired from the “Scream” franchise.

Lillard kept his head down.

Now, with pro-Palestinian activism commonplace in La-La Land and Hollywood stars rallying around Macklemore after he got bounced from Ed Sheeran’s stadium tour, Lillard is ready to speak truth to power.

It’s really f**king bulls**t and really hard, and she’s on the right side of history. When they start coming after your job, sometimes things are worth it. … When that happened to Melissa, the whole world didn’t pipe up. But she was a year early on what the f**k’s going on. But the whole world should have popped up and said, “She’s right.” And they didn’t. And that’s brutal.

The cultural winds have shifted. What might once have put an actor’s career at risk now earns applause from plenty of his peers. And Lillard has finally found his voice.

Remember his impassioned public condemnation of the Oct. 7 attacks? His demands that Hamas release its hostages?

Neither do we.

Being forgotten fears Chuck Norris

They couldn’t beat him in life, but in death it’s easier. A little.

Action movie legend Chuck Norris died earlier this year. A huge part of his decades-long career was his starring role in CBS’ “Walker, Texas Ranger.” The series lasted for nine seasons, no small feat, bringing the iconic actor to the small screen.

So how did the Emmys honor his passing? By ignoring him.

This week’s Emmys telecast featured a segment remembering the TV stars who passed over the last year, much like the one that haunts the annual Oscars gala. And like the Academy Awards segment, the Emmys left out several notable stars.

Including Norris.

Accidental? On purpose? Do we even have to ask? It’s Hollywood …

RELATED: MACKLE-MORON: Backstabbing B-lister turns on Ed Sheeran after getting booted from tour for pro-Palestinian rant

Ethan Miller/Getty Images/iHeartMedia

Grin and bare it

USA Today is a far cry from Blaze News, but every once in a while, the liberal rag lets a right-leaning opinion sneak out. This time, it’s a columnist who said what everyone should acknowledge about the latest Sydney Sweeney non-troversy.

It’s all about politics, even though the “Housemaid” starlet isn’t political. Wait … what?

The liberal news outlet published an op-ed debunking the most recent attacks on Sweeney for baring (mostly) all on behalf of a sports betting platform.

Yes, it’s easy to argue that we’ve seen other attractive stars and athletes get nekkid for ad campaigns. It’s nothing new at all.

Yet what Ingrid Jacques argues is more important. Sweeney has a target on her back because people assume she’s pro MAGA. Even if she never wore a red hat in her life.

She’s a registered Republican in Florida, but she doesn’t weigh in on politics. Ever. It’s not her style, and that’s her choice. She keeps telling interviewers that she wants to keep her political views private.

For that, she must be punished, even if it doesn’t make a lick of sense. Even USA Today sees the scam …

Mad hombre

An actor who spends way too much time complaining is getting another plum gig.

John Leguizamo works and works, and in between, he whines about Hollywood’s woke deficit.

Really.

Leguizamo has blasted James Franco for taking the role of Fidel Castro in an upcoming project. He’s not Cuban, the actor cried. He also shrieked over Chris Pratt taking on the title role in the “Super Mario Bros. Movie.”

He’s not Italian!

Leguizamo also said the movie industry doesn’t accept Latinos. That same industry cast the star in “The Odyssey,” one of the biggest movie projects in recent years. Now, he’ll play the main villain in the upcoming “Miami Vice” reboot with Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler. That’s one of nine projects he has lined up, according to IMDB.com.

If he ever stopped complaining about Hollywood for just a minute, he might land even more roles …

​Chuck norris, Culture, Ed sheeran, Emmys, Entertainment, Hollywood, John leguizamo, Macklemore, Maga, Miami vice, Scream, Sydney sweeney, Usa today, Celebrities, Toto recall 

Sophie Cunningham is comfortable saying she doesn’t know Sydney Sweeney, but she does understand her.

Sweeney has faced backlash for a recent “gambling” ad, enduring seemingly unending criticism from female athletes across the globe, but Cunningham has one simple question: “Why are girls mad?”

‘It’s just so unauthentic.’

Cunningham said her phone blew up with people looking for her take on Sweeney’s recent ad for Novig that had the actress posing nude, save for conveniently placed sports equipment covering her private areas.

The ad was immediately characterized as a black eye for women in sports by female athletes who said it was not how they want to be portrayed. Although many athletes were put on blast as hypocrites after being reminded of their own questionable (and self-promoted) content, Cunningham seemingly saw both sides of the matter.

On “No Hesitation with Sophie Cunningham & Drew Hanlen” earlier this week, the WNBA star started with the hilarious question: Does Sweeney “even gamble on sports?”

“It’s just so unauthentic,” Cunningham continued. “You know what I mean? Like, am I surprised of how she represented the brand? No.”

The basketball player then started a back-and-forth of insult followed by praise.

“That’s what she’s made her whole career off is. And hey, don’t get me wrong, I like her. Everyone knows she is beautiful. She is hot. She clearly has my chest,” Cunningham joked.

Then the 30-year-old offered Sweeney “props” but admitted she did not like the ad.

“I think it’s like, I mean, like, what? Like, what are we doing? But again, I’m not surprised.”

Cunningham wasn’t done though, and she put the complaining athletes into her crosshairs, asking them what it is they are getting so upset about:

“But why are girls mad?”

RELATED: Travis Kelce duped by Indian illegal immigrant in massive Ponzi scheme

“That is literally what she does,” Cunningham went on. “Why is anyone mad?”

Then things went back the other way for a moment, with the baller saying, “Again, do I agree with it? Uh, morally, I think it’s kind of weird, but, like, to each their own. Go do your thing, sis.”

But then Cunningham pushed back in the other direction again and praised women for standing up for themselves and being proud of their tall bodies, “broad shoulders,” and thighs that touch.

While the athlete explained that she certainly understands how Sweeney’s ad could “deflate women” and overshadow their accomplishments, she finally settled on her previously discussed idea that even despite her moral disagreements with it, “Let that girl go do her thing.”

RELATED: Charles Barkley defends WNBA, but says ‘race’ and ‘sexuality’ are behind Sophie Cunningham clashes

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Co-host Hanlen took on more of a believe-all-women mentality, approaching the topic as being not “black and white,” and thus impossible to truly take sides.

“They knew that they were going to spike up a lot of traffic from women being disappointed with the ad and putting her down,” Hanlen said about Novig.

Hanlen’s feminist approach concluded with him saying that criticisms should be replaced by “celebrating women in sport” and giving confidence to “student athletes that don’t feel like they fit in.”

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​Wnba, Sophie cunningham, Sydney sweeney, Gambling, Sports 

Democratic Texas Senate nominee James Talarico has made his stance on LGBTQ issues clear in the past, but in a desperate attempt to rebrand himself for Texas voters — he’s now walking it all back.

“He’s nuts. He is not Texan in any way, shape, or form,” Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck says, noting that his attempt to rebrand isn’t going so well as he recently was caught telling a fan who his favorite drag queen is.

“Mr. Talarico, so nice to meet you,” the fan began.

“I was there when you defended the drags. Who’s your favorite drag queen?”

“Oh my gosh. Probably Alyssa Edwards,” Talarico responded without skipping a beat.

“No hesitation,” Glenn comments.

But in a recent interview on Fox News, Talarico claimed that his views have changed.

“Would you vote in favor of a national ban for transgender surgeries when it comes to minors?” Talarico was asked in the interview.

“Absolutely,” he answered. “And in fact, in the legislature, I voted for an amendment that would have restricted the bill in question to a ban on surgeries for minors.”

“That’s a plot twist,” Glenn says.

In the same interview, Talarico claimed that his prior belief that there were “six biological sexes” was a mistake.

“I’ve missed the mark on some of my past statements. I will be the first to admit it. What I meant is that there are two sexes and then there’s a small percentage of people with genetic abnormalities,” Talarico said.

“I obviously didn’t say it correctly. There are not six sexes. There are two,” he added.

“Does anybody believe this?” Glenn asks. “You can’t say there’s six genders and then say, ‘No, there’s two sexes.’”

“You can’t name your favorite drag queen and then say that,” he adds.

But not even the Texas Democratic Party manager believes that Talarico has changed his tune. In a hidden camera video captured by the Daily Wire, she admitted it was simply to cater to Republicans.

In the video, the manager is asked by an undercover reporter why Talarico would “walk it back.”

“I would say that right now he’s trying to target a wider net, which unfortunately means being more palatable to Republicans here in Texas,” she answered.

“And I think that from the character that he’s shown us, it seems like he does believe the things that he said before. But at this point in time, it just seems like, from my perspective, yeah, he really needs to win those Texans over,” she continued.

“His support for trans children has not changed though?” the reporter asked.

“Yeah,” she answered.

“In his heart, he still supports,” the reporter said.

“Yeah. I think it’s, you talk to some Republicans, and they’re very Republican, especially here in Texas. Very, very to the right,” she answered.

“Who doesn’t know this?” Glenn asks. “Really. Texas, you’re going to get what you deserve if you let this guy win.”

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Daily wire, Drag queen, James talarico, Lgbtq, Texas, Two sexes, Lgbtq issues, Glenn beck, Blazetv show 

Fraud continues to plague the state of Minnesota, extending even to a program created to offset the economic impact of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Hennepin County.

Back in March, Hennepin County commissioners approved $2 million for the program meant to help small businesses that had been affected by Operation Metro Surge, which began in December and ended in February.

‘Clearly, fraud and people who want to commit it are still very active, as they do not fear the penalty.’

Three hundred applications were submitted to the Hennepin County relief program, each requesting a portion of the $2 million fund. However, after a “rigorous review,” the county has now ended the program, Hennepin County chief public relations officer Carolyn Marinan said in a statement to Fox 9.

Only about 80 applications had been approved, receiving a total of about $500,000. More than 200 applications were flagged for possible fraud, Fox 9 reported.

Hennepin County Commissioner Jeffrey Lunde claimed that despite the flood of allegedly fraudulent applications, no money was actually lost to fraudsters. “We caught the fraud before we spent any money,” he said, according to CBS Minnesota.

RELATED: Minnesota police crack down on anti-ICE protesters, multiple arrests outside hotel

Madison Thorn/Anadolu/Getty Images

It appears officials found many applications suspicious almost immediately, as the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office claimed it was asked to open an investigation into “potential criminal activity” back in June, according to CBS Minnesota. The sheriff’s office said it requested “pertinent documents” related to the case a month later, and once it receives all of those documents, it will open an investigation.

“Clearly, fraud and people who want to commit it are still very active, as they do not fear the penalty. Thanks to county staff and our partner, we were able [to] thwart these efforts by devoting more time and effort to tighter oversight, in-person inspections, and increased scrutiny,” Lunde said in a statement to FOX 9.

“As the fraudsters continue their efforts, we need to ramp up our game as well. This is the new normal for all levels of government in Minnesota.”

CBS Minnesota reported that $1 million in unused funds is still available for area small businesses, while another $500,000 will be used “to provide consulting and promotional support for businesses.”

County PR officer Marinan said, “We’ve moved beyond the urgent need for immediate grant relief and are focusing our efforts on strategies that support the long-term vitality and sustainability of businesses.”

Of note, anti-ICE agitators also surged to Hennepin County during Operation Metro Surge. One hotel alone sustained thousands of dollars in damage during a violent anti-ICE riot in downtown Minneapolis in early January, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

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​Fraud, Hennepin county, Immigration and customs enforcement, Minnesota, Politics 

The internet goes down, the cellphone towers are shot, and you need to get in contact with someone in an emergency.

What do you do?

‘The network operates independently of the internet.’

The answer actually looks somewhat like mid-2000s two-way texting technology, but with a frightening twist.

When Paris Hilton, the Backstreet Boys, and Blink 182 were hocking the T-Mobile Sidekick on red carpets, text messaging looked a lot simpler. So simple, in fact, that Americans were impressed by the ability to type messages without having to press the same button over and over to cycle through letters.

Now, a simple alternative to reliance on Wi-Fi and cellphone networks is popping up from an unlikely source.

Readers have been excited by the low-tech appeal of the Flipper One, an “off-grid radio messenger.”

In a video posted to X, the Flipper One sends a public message relayed by repeater nodes, the same simple technology that relays radio signals for emergency-service communications, for example.

The Long Range technology sent messages almost 100 miles in tests that took place in the U.K.

There’s only one catch: It exists on a network typically used by hackers.

On its website, Flipper One calls itself “a community-driven project that aims to develop a portable Linux multi-tool for hackers.”

Flipper One, a working prototype that’s not yet on the market, is the successor to the Flipper Zero, a commercially available device that gained popularity online for its ability to hack RFID and infrared signals, which resulted in countless videos of people hacking key fobs and department store networks.

RELATED: Poll: Most think AI could do this to humanity — but don’t agree on what to do about it

Flipper One is designed as an upgrade that can get into Wi-Fi and 5G networks and comes equipped with a satellite modem. The (scary) possibilities are endless.

“The network operates independently of the internet, requires no radio transmission licence, and is free to use. A good option for keeping text messaging available when the internet goes down,” Flipper R&D wrote on X.

Using the MeshCore network — developed for off-grid communication specifically — the Flipper One requires no internet connect or cellphone service, can encrypt messages, and can broadcast its location if necessary.

Operating on radio frequencies means the signals are detectable, but messages to another person on a private channel on the network can be protected using a randomly generated key-code.

RELATED: We now have killer weapons in space, says the military in a shocking new disclosure

So while the thought of simplistic texting has reminded readers of Motorolas and the era of the midriff, the device is indeed a venture into a mostly unknown world for the general population.

There are apps to use the MeshCore system and access the messaging services on other platforms.

Similar messaging technology is also available using the Meshstatic network, which is incompatible with MeshCore, and operates by using user devices for relaying, as opposed to MeshCore, which uses dedicated infrastructure as relay nodes.

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​Meshcore, Flipper one, Flipper zero, Meshstatic, Tech 

President Trump’s call for a $5,000 “dividend” payment to all adult U.S. citizens is being widely criticized as fiscally unsound, grossly irresponsible, a cynical vote-buying scheme, and another political promise that will never come to fruition.

Trump’s plan, as he presented it in just a couple of throwaway sentences at the Republican Midterm National Convention in Dallas last week, is indeed all those things. It amounts to a Keynesian-style attempt to stimulate the economy temporarily by making people feel richer than they are, to be followed by the usual consequences of such fiscal monkeyshines: violent inflation and a subsequent grinding recession.

An unprecedented economic boom or dramatic revenue surge cannot be assumed in advance.

Trump, however, is a habitual dealmaker. What if congressional leaders were to respond to the president’s idea as a starting point for negotiations?

My suggestion: Agree with the president to pass a one-time tax cut of $5,000 for the 2027 fiscal year, paired with a permanent spending cap set at the 2019, pre-COVID-19 level and mandatory 2% additional reductions in the spending cap each year through 2040.

The tax cut would be payable immediately upon enactment and designated as refundable to all U.S. households that file a personal income tax return (whether they pay any income tax or not), thus fulfilling Trump’s promise.

Republicans would make a simple deal with the American people: $5,000 today for every adult citizen, in exchange for serious, desperately needed cuts in federal spending beginning in the next fiscal year and continuing through the next decade. Any congressional Democrats who want to do the right thing will be welcome to vote for it as well, of course.

For practical reasons, the spending cuts would need to begin with the 2028 fiscal year in October 2027, but the 2% annual spending cuts thereafter would easily offset the extra interest costs on the additional federal debt that the delay would create.

To implement the cuts, Congress would convert the federal portion of spending on Medicaid, SNAP, housing programs, higher education, and the like into block grants to the states, with the expenditures scaled down to the 2019 level. The legislation would institute 5% annual reductions in those block grants for subsequent years through 2040, essentially phasing them out of the federal fisc.

The move to block grants with annual downsizing would steadily transfer responsibility for welfare spending to the states, where it belongs. Federal redistribution programs are not explicitly permitted under the Constitution, and the Supreme Court should never have allowed Congress to establish those programs.

These welfare programs account for about 24% of the $7 trillion-plus federal budget, around $1.7 trillion. In 2019, they composed about $1 trillion. A return to that number would pay off a $1.3 trillion refundable one-year tax cut in less than two years, with a dozen years of much lower federal spending on the way.

RELATED: Free money wins elections — and that’s why America’s debt will keep growing

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc./Getty Images

If a 40% cut in spending on federal welfare programs sounds draconian and cruel, remember that the 2019 spending level was far from stingy. We needed cuts then, and we need them much more urgently now, even without Trump’s dividend payments. Investigations during President Trump’s current term suggest that elimination of entitlement fraud could lead to even greater cuts than what this plan would call for.

Congress should also consider cutting defense spending to provide further spending reductions.

In short, this would be a temporary tax cut and permanent spending cuts — the very opposite of the way things are ordinarily done in Washington D.C. The key element, and the unique opportunity here, is the political goodwill and appealing trade-off the $5,000 dividend checks would provide.

The only way to reverse the spending cuts would be through legislation signed by the president or a veto override. Trump would have every reason to refuse any attempt by Congress to restore the spending, especially given his track record of trying to implement limits on entitlement programs through executive orders. The same would be true for any Republican successors.

Moreover, the transfer of welfare responsibility to the states would eliminate congressional spending junkies’ ability to use these programs as a slush fund for buying votes. In addition, the money simply will not be there, given the rising cost of Social Security and Medicare.

This plan would allow Congress fiscal breathing space to develop a plan to transition Social Security and Medicare into private taxpayer accounts and transfer future responsibilities for those programs to the states. Social Security and Medicare are just as unconstitutional as the other entitlements, with the important difference that these were funded by people’s paychecks with the direct promise of repayment, a pledge the government must keep for current and prospective retirees.

Americans would be relieved to know that major Social Security cuts are off the table.

The plan should also make permanent all of Trump’s executive orders that have reduced federal regulations — and add further regulatory relief.

RELATED: Trump’s interest-rate fantasy runs into debt gravity

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The large, one-year tax cut would spark an economic boom of possibly unprecedented proportions. Economic growth would cause federal revenues to rise dramatically in subsequent years, which would enable the government to begin paying down the existing federal debt.

The spending cuts would push down interest rates by greatly reducing the federal deficit and thereby raising the assurance that the federal government will be able to pay its debts, thus increasing the value of Treasury bonds and lowering interest costs.

This would reduce interest rates for all Americans, including for mortgages. That would help relieve the housing affordability problem.

The entitlement cuts would also put able-bodied people back to work and make them taxpayers instead of tax takers, raising revenues and cutting costs further. That would spur even more economic growth.

These would be impressive achievements. A political party that instituted this plan could create a permanent majority despite the inevitable mistreatment by the media and the opposition party, while returning the nation to constitutional rule. Most people dislike the current overspending, and people recognize that far too much of it goes to cheaters, grifters, and government cronies.

For the good of the American people, Trump and the congressional Republicans should prepare legislation to implement this full plan in the lame-duck session, immediately after the election, regardless of whether they win House and Senate majorities this fall. They would be giving the American people a great gift of economic prosperity and better government, and Democrats would not be able to reverse any of it, with a Republican president holding veto power.

​Inflation, Recession, Taxes, Spending cuts, Deficit, Donald trump, Interest rates, Economy, Dividend, Congress, Trillion, Opinion & analysis 

In what BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales calls a “fluff piece” from Politico, major Democrat donor Reid Hoffman has warned Kamala Harris to stay out of the presidential race.

“We just talked about Gavin Newsom saying, ‘Yeah, I mean, sure, I’ve thought about running for president, but if Kamala runs, I’m out. I’m out. She can just have it,’” Gonzales begins.

“And now we hear that this big Democrat, you know, shadow puppeteer and megadonor Reid Hoffman … he’s like, ‘OK, I’m going to choose my fighter.’ And it’s not Kamala,” she continues, explaining that he did show favor for AOC.

But Hoffman, Gonzales notes, isn’t just the founder of Linkedin.

“There’s a lot of fishy stuff about him in the Epstein files that I’m going to share, and then you can draw your own conclusions,” she says.

In 2013, Hoffman sent Epstein an email that read: “Also: when will you be @ your island? Chatting with Joi about setting up a joint visit.”

“By the way, we know that he went to the island, based off of other files, too. There’s an entire itinerary of how he was flown in for the visit,” Gonzales says.

“Now, Reid Hoffman has said, ‘Yes, I went to the island, but I didn’t know anything about the girls, and I didn’t do anything with the girls,’” she continues.

“He also said he didn’t know about Epstein’s criminal history or allegations of any wrongdoing,” she adds.

However, she’s “not buying that.”

“I’m not buying that he didn’t know about Epstein’s criminal history or allegations of any wrongdoing when this email from 2015 exists where he is trying to help him with bad press,” she says.

In the email, Epstein writes: “is the metal sculpture yours?”

Hoffman responds: “my gift to you. … been giving a bit of thought to how I can help with recent press fu. Mostly looking for help on the on-line front.”

In another strange email, Hoffman writes that he sent “two gifts” to Epstein.

“1 – Ice cream. If you have any interest, you should try – else for=the girls. 2 – something that may strike your funny bone for the island,” he wrote.

“I’m just wondering who are the girls? What is the island gift? What do you mean ‘ice cream’?” Gonzales asks, pointing out that sending ice cream “doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

“So being that Reid Hoffman has this weird history with Jeffrey Epstein … it bothers me that the media is giving any kind of legitimacy to the guy who was this close with Jeffrey Epstein,” she continues.

“And yet Donald Trump is orange man bad because he was in a grainy picture with him in 2000,” she adds.

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

To enjoy more of Sara’s no-holds-barred takes on news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Gavin newsom, Kamala harris, Jeffrey epstein, Donald trump, Reid hoffman, Epstein files, Emails, Blazetv show 

Throughout the Biden administration, Google was locked in two antitrust cases — one over its search engine dominance and another for its digital advertising business. For remedies, Google was at risk of divesting some of its most prized products, including Chrome and Google Ads. However, a new decision will let Google keep its toys in the end.

To understand the scope of this story, we have to go back to October 2020 when the first complaint was filed by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The document accused Google of a Sherman Act violation — the bill that bans monopolistic practices — and ultimately aimed to bring action against the tech giant for “unlawfully maintaining monopolies in the markets for general search services, search advertising, and general search text advertising in the United States.”

Google risked divesting several of its major products and services.

The case would ultimately go to trial in late 2023 with Obama-appointed District Judge Amit Mehta presiding, but not before a second antitrust case tried to bring Google to its knees once more.

In early 2023, another complaint was filed, this time aimed directly at Google’s online ad business. It claimed that the company:

Monopolized the ad server market, which is the software that website publishers use to manage the ads on their websites.Monopolized or attempted to monopolize the ad exchange market, which is a digital auction where publishers sell ad space to advertisers.Monopolized the advertiser ad network market, which is a system that gathers up available ad space from multiple publishers to sell to advertisers.Was complicit in unlawful tying, where a company uses its dominance with one product to coerce users to adopt another product under the guise that their pairing is necessary to make the system of platform work as intended.Brought monetary damages upon the United States.

RELATED: Google’s AI overhaul of Search will overfish the internet to extinction

bgblue/Getty Images

The collective charges from both cases resulted in multi-year trials, each with major repercussions mounting for the tech giant. At one point, Google risked divesting several of its major products and services, including the Google Chrome browser, the Android mobile operating system, and Google Ads. And somehow, bit by bit, Google clawed its way out of total calamity.

In September 2025, District Judge Mehta ruled that Google would not have to sell Chrome or Android. However, the company was still found guilty in that it “harmed Google’s publishing customers, the competitive process, and, ultimately, consumers of information on the open web,” according to a press release. To atone, Google was forced to:

End bundled contracts, where Google forced OEMs and partners to include Google apps on their devices in exchange for Google Play Store support.Disclose web search index data with rivals for a small fee, excluding trade secrets and intellectual property.Allow rivals to rent Google search results, maps, and other services on their websites with tapered plans that diminished over the next five years.Provide a five-year license to competitors to use Google’s search ad network.Submit to a five-member watchdog group to ensure all remedies were met for six years.

Things were looking up for Google, but it wasn’t out of the woods yet. The second case was still underway, and after Clinton-nominated District Judge Leonie Brinkema found the company guilty again, a new batch of devastating remedies were on the table. This time, Google risked having to:

Sell its Google Ads business, including Google AdX (aka: Google Ad Exchange) and Google DFP (aka: DoubleClick for Publishers), formerly known as Google Ads Manager.Discontinue tying practices for a minimum of 10 years.Put 50% of Google Ads (AdX and DFP) profits into a locked escrow account from April 17, 2025, until the Google Ads sale is complete.Refrain from using data collected through Google services — like YouTube, Gmail, Search, Chrome, or Android — to exclude competitors for a minimum of 10 years.Submit to two independent watchdog groups to ensure the sale is carried out properly and that all rules are met.

RELATED: How Google went from American innovation to tech stagnation

sesame/Getty Images

Fast-forward to September 2026, and now the final major repercussion is no longer in play. District Judge Brinkema ruled that Google will not have to sell its ad business after all, allowing the company to keep all of its main products and services intact.

That said, consequences still loom for the Big Tech giant. Like in the case before it, Google will have to make behavioral changes to its business model. The exact remedies are still sealed in District Judge Brinkema’s official opinion, which is expected to be released by the end of September.

Regardless of the information contained inside, one thing is clear: Google earned the ire of the courts, got itself slapped down with two back-to-back antitrust lawsuits, and even as it stumbled on the cusp of the biggest company breakup since AT&T, the tech giant still came out with all of its parts attached. Only time will tell if Google can keep its nose out of trouble.

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​Biden administration, Google play store, Google, Antitrust, Courts, Trial, Case, Tech