House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) issued a subpoena to Attorney General Pam Bondi Tuesday over her handling of the Epstein files.

The committee voted to approve the subpoena requiring Bondi to appear for a deposition over the Department of Justice’s handling of the investigation and in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

In the subpoena, Comer said Bondi’s deposition could “inform legislative solutions” to improve the government’s response to sex trafficking and to “reform the use of non-prosecution agreements and/or plea agreements” related to sex crimes.

‘This subpoena is completely unnecessary.’

Although the subpoena refrained from harshly criticizing Bondi, it was ultimately greenlit on March 4 by committee Republicans who have expressed concerns about Bondi’s leadership.

Every committee Democrat voted in favor of the subpoena, as well as Republican Reps. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Michael Cloud of Texas, and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.

RELATED: Joe Kent resigns from Trump admin, says Israel forced US into Iran conflict

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The DOJ called the subpoena “completely unnecessary,” arguing that Bondi has “made herself available” to lawmakers with respect to the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

“This subpoena is completely unnecessary,” a DOJ spokesperson said in a statement. “Lawmakers have been invited to view the unredacted files for themselves at the Department of Justice, and the Attorney General has always made herself available to speak directly with members of Congress.”

RELATED: Watch: Bill Clinton defends Trump in Epstein deposition video

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

“She continues to have calls and meetings with members of Congress on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which is why the Department offered to brief the committee tomorrow,” the spokesperson added. “As always, we look forward to continuing to provide policymakers with the facts.”

Bondi is now called on to appear before the committee on April 14.

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Dave Bonhoff is a retired police officer from Baltimore County, Pennsylvania — and until recently also was a bus driver serving the Littlestown Area School District, WHP-TV reported.

You see, Bonhoff was in the practice of donning his well-worn Make America Great Again hat while driving his route in Littlestown — a small borough just a mile or so north of the Maryland border.

‘I want to be able to express myself. I don’t want somebody to tell me, ”Well, my feelings are hurt. You got to take the hat off.”’

But one of his students complained about Bonhoff’s MAGA hat, the station said, after which his boss at Krise Transportation called him on the morning of Feb. 18.

“She contacts me and says, ‘Hey, listen, I’m going to buy you a hat, an American flag hat, because the school district has deemed that they don’t want you to wear that Make America Great Again hat,'” Bonhoff recounted to WHP.

Well, Bonhoff — also known as “Mr. Dave from Bus #73” — decided to walk away from his bus driver gig that very day, just before the afternoon drop-off, the station said.

“If that wasn’t a condition of my employment, I’d be back to work tomorrow,” Bonhoff told WHP. “I miss the kids. Those kids and I had a great relationship.”

He added to the station that “there’s nothing in this hat that says anything about partisanship. I think that saying that this hat is political is absurd. It’s patriotic.”

When a WHP reporter asked Bonhoff how he would respond to those who argue that MAGA hats are synonymous with a political figure — President Donald Trump — Bonhoff replied that they’re off base.

“I would say that making America great is what we should all strive to be,” he noted to the station. “Anybody who doesn’t want America to prosper, I take issue with them.”

Bonhoff added to WHP that Republican and Democrat presidents during their time in office — including Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton — have used the phrase Make America Great Again.

Alas, clear explanations from higher-ups regarding exactly who said what to Bonhoff appear to be in short supply.

Al Moyer, the Littlestown Area School District’s acting superintendent, told WHP that “districts need to be neutral on sensitive issues” and that Krise Transportation employed Bonhoff, not the school district.

As for Krise Transportation, it denied giving Bonhoff any ultimatums about his MAGA hat but noted a dress code policy in a section of the company handbook, the station said: “Any item of apparel with text or graphics deemed inappropriate by management (including but not limited to alcoholic beverages, drugs, tobacco/vaping, suggestive sexual images or remarks, political sentiments, or offensive statements) are prohibited.”

Bonhoff remained resolute, telling WHP that “I want to be able to express myself. I don’t want somebody to tell me, ‘Well, my feelings are hurt. You got to take the hat off.'”

RELATED: Girl says she fought ‘old,’ ‘racist’ man with MAGA hat at ICE protest — and excuses fellow teen brawlers

Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R) addressed Bonhoff’s MAGA hat controversy in a statement Friday, noting that political correctness has become a “tool of intimidation,” the station said in a follow-up story:

Mr. Bonhoff is a retired police officer who continued serving his community by safely transporting children to school. Yet he was effectively forced out of his job because he wore a hat that read “Make America Great Again.” Whether someone agrees with that message is completely irrelevant. In America, citizens do not lose their First Amendment rights simply because someone else claims to be offended.

What happened here is not about “sensitivity” or “respect.” It is about the suffocating culture of political correctness that is spreading through our institutions — a culture that demands conformity, punishes dissent, and attempts to silence anyone who refuses to bow to its ideology. Political correctness has become a tool of intimidation. It is used to shame, threaten, and drive ordinary Americans out of their jobs and public life simply for expressing views that do not align with the approved narrative. That is not tolerance. That is coercion.

Mastriano added to WHP that Bonhoff was brave in holding fast to his beliefs: “Dave Bonhoff showed more courage in standing by his principles than many institutions have shown in defending the rights they claim to value. No American should ever be forced to choose between their livelihood and their constitutional freedoms.”

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President Donald Trump and his allies have come out in full force following Joe Kent’s resignation as director of the National Counterterrorism Center on Tuesday.

Kent announced his unexpected resignation in a letter to Trump, citing concerns about the United States’ military operation in Iran. Kent argued that Iran posed “no imminent threat” and that the United States was forced into the conflict on behalf of Israel, prompting backlash from the administration.

‘He had strong and compelling evidence that Iran was going to attack.’

“As a veteran who deployed to combat 11 times and as a Gold Star husband who lost my beloved wife Shannon in a war manufactured by Israel, I cannot support sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people nor justifies the cost of American lives,” Kent said in the letter.

Kent’s resignation sent shock waves through the already fracturing MAGA world. Despite the outpouring of support from anti-war commentators, Kent was met with firm disapproval from Trump.

RELATED: Joe Kent resigns from Trump admin, says Israel forced US into Iran conflict

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

“I always thought he was a nice guy, but I always thought he was weak on security,” Trump said in the Oval Office Tuesday. “Very weak on security. I didn’t know him well, but I thought he seemed like a pretty nice guy. But when I read his statement, I realized that it’s a good thing that he’s out because he said that Iran was not a threat.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a much stronger statement, debunking many of Kent’s statements she said were false.

“As President Trump has clearly and explicitly stated, he had strong and compelling evidence that Iran was going to attack the United States first,” Leavitt said, pushing back on Kent’s claim that Iran didn’t pose an imminent threat. “This evidence was compiled from many sources and factors. President Trump would never make the decision to deploy military assets against a foreign adversary in a vacuum.”

RELATED: Trump’s hilarious response after intel reportedly tells him Iran’s new supreme leader might be gay

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Leavitt went on to list Iran’s offenses against the American people, citing its sponsorship of terrorism and nuclear ambitions. Leavitt also addressed Kent’s claim that Israel forced the United States’ hand in the conflict, calling the assertion “insulting and laughable.”

“And finally, the absurd allegation that President Trump made this decision based on the influence of others, even foreign countries, is both insulting and laughable,” Leavitt said. “President Trump has been remarkably consistent and has said for DECADES that Iran can NEVER possess a nuclear weapon.”

“As someone who actually witnesses President Trump’s decision-making process on a daily basis, I can attest to the fact that he is always looking to do what’s in the best interest of the United States of America — period. America First,” she concluded.

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A Florida man entered a plea at the beginning of the month following a particularly disturbing case involving monkeys investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.

Francisco Javier Ravelo, 36, of Coral Gables, Florida, pleaded guilty on March 2 to distributing videos depicting the torture of monkeys. Ravelo was charged in October 2025.

‘It reflects a willingness to dominate, torture, and inflict suffering without remorse.’

The Department of Justice’s press release, citing court documents, explains that Ravelo, a U.S. citizen, “created some and administered some online chat groups dedicated to the distribution and discussion of sexual and violent videos depicting monkeys being mutilated and burned, including baby and adult monkeys.”

The DOJ said Ravelo personally distributed “more than 40 of these obscene crush videos.”

RELATED: ‘Staged armed robberies’: 11 Indian nationals catch visa fraud charge amid conspiracy allegations

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

U.S. law defines “animal crushing” as “actual conduct in which one or more living non-human mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians is purposely crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled, or otherwise subjected to serious bodily injury.”

“In his first term, President Donald J. Trump signed the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act into law to end animal crushing,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “If you are involved in this sadistic activity, we will prosecute you.”

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said: “Deliberate cruelty to animals is one of the clearest red flags. It reflects a willingness to dominate, torture, and inflict suffering without remorse. The defendant didn’t merely view this material. He created and administered online groups devoted to it and distributed dozens of obscene animal torture videos. That conduct fuels a market built on brutality.”

HSI New Orleans, HSI Pensacola, the local U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division investigated the case that led to Ravelo’s guilty plea, according to an ICE press release.

Ravelo faces a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.

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Approximately 200,000 foreign truck drivers will no longer be able to renew their commercial driver’s licenses following the Department of Transportation’s final rule that took effect on Monday.

The DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced the final rule, “Restoring Integrity to the Issuance of Non-Domiciled Commercial Drivers Licenses,” in February to prevent “unqualified foreign drivers” from operating big rigs and buses on American roadways.

‘Under President Trump’s leadership, we are putting the safety of the driving public first.’

A press release from the FMCSA noted that in 2025, non-domiciled drivers caused 17 fatal crashes and 30 deaths.

The announcement followed a nationwide audit that found “systemic non-compliance” in the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs in several states.

The final rule’s key provisions include limiting non-domiciled CDLs to foreign nationals with H-2A, H-2B, and E-2 visas. It also terminated Employment Authorization Documents as acceptable proof of eligibility. Additionally, it required state licensing agencies to verify the eligibility of foreign nationals through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system.

RELATED: Foreigners want to drive a big rig? They’ll need more than work authorization papers, Duffy says.

Sean Duffy. Photographer: Ryan Collerd/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Therefore, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, asylum seekers, Temporary Protected Status holders, and those relying solely on work authorization documents are no longer eligible to obtain a CDL.

Foreign nationals who no longer meet these qualifications may continue to drive as long as their current license remains valid. However, they will not be able to renew their licenses once they expire.

RELATED: ‘Imminent hazard’: Trump administration shuts licensing loophole after illegal alien trucker allegedly causes fatal crash

Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Washington Post estimated that the final rule, which took effect on Monday, will impact about 200,000 CDL holders.

“For far too long, America has allowed dangerous foreign drivers to abuse our truck licensing systems — wreaking havoc on our roadways. This safety loophole ends today,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated during February’s announcement of the final rule. “Moving forward, unqualified foreign drivers will be unable to get a license to operate an 80,000-pound big rig. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are putting the safety of the driving public first. From enforcing English language standards to holding fraudulent carriers accountable, we will continue to attack this crisis on our roads head on.”

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In a major upset, a Republican has finally made an inroad in what was once considered a safe Democratic county in Virginia.

Democratic candidate Muhammad “Sef” Casim lost a special election for a vacant seat on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors to Republican Jeannie LaCroix following a precipitous loss of support from his own party.

‘I want to make clear that the foolishness of my actions during my college days did not translate then, and most definitely does not indicate now, any prejudice or hatred I hold towards the Black community.’

On March 10, LaCroix received 1,694 (43.73%) of the votes compared to Casim’s 1,436 (37.07%). Democrat Pamela Montgomery, a write-in candidate who launched her campaign barely one week before the election, drew from Casim’s votes, though how many is unclear, according to WJLA.

Casim faced calls from his own party to back out of the race after past social media posts, which he described as “offensive to the Black community,” resurfaced during his campaign.

RELATED: ‘So pathetic’: Virginia governor nailed with backlash over response to possible terror attack at Old Dominion

Chair at-Large Deshundra Jeffersonpwcva.gov

Prince William County Republican County Chairman Jacob Alderman called for the immediate withdrawal of support for Casim, posting screenshots of many of Casim’s past posts and reposts, which he described as “a disturbing pattern of racist, misogynistic, antisemitic, anti-Christian, and anti-American views.”

The posts, which come from X, all appear to be from over a decade ago, with many of them dated between 2012 and 2015.

Posts include Casim allegedly writing or reposting other accounts saying: “Never call a tiger ‘tigga.’ Only tigers can call themselves ‘tigga’”; “This girl’s fav match going on, No dangerous Hindu male”; “the person below is a dirty slut”; and “Heading ot [sic] VCU in the morning with my N***a.”

Casim wrote an apology on Facebook on February 28: “Nobody’s history is perfect and I am no exception. 14 years ago I had made social media posts that were disrespectful and posted a reference to my friend using a term that is quite frankly, offensive to the Black community. There is no excuse for this and I deeply apologize. I want to make clear that the foolishness of my actions during my college days did not translate then, and most definitely does not indicate now, any prejudice or hatred I hold towards the Black community.”

Potomac Local reported that several Democratic elected officials called on Casim to step away from the race over the “racist, xenophobic, and misogynistic” remarks.

Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chair Deshundra Jefferson issued a separate statement on March 2 criticizing Casim’s past remarks — and his apology. “I am deeply disgusted by the past comments Sufiyan Casim made — as well as his lack of responsibility and accountability. No apology should start with the words, ‘Nobody’s history is perfect and I am no exception,’ as it dismisses the pain that one’s words have caused,” Jefferson stated.

LaCroix will assume the role of Woodbridge District supervisor following the election upset, which was triggered after former Supervisor Margaret Franklin won election to the Virginia House of Delegates 23rd District in January.

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As Hollywood continues to embrace diversity mandates — which couldn’t have been more clear at the 96th Academy Awards — the film industry is sending the wrong message about merit and inspiration.

“The Academy Awards came up with new criteria for how to win or be eligible to even win the Best Picture nominee,” Whitlock says, noting that potential winners had to meet DEI requirements.

“At least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors submitted for Oscar consideration is from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group in a specific country or territory of production,” read some of the Representation and Inclusion Standards of the Academy Awards.

“At least 30% of all actors not submitted for Oscar consideration are from at least two underrepresented groups which may include women, racial or ethnic group, LGBTQ+, people with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing,” reads another guideline.

“This is all programming. This is all brainwashing. This is all a reflection of unreality,” Whitlock says, before playing a clip of Michael B. Jordan, who won the award for Best Actor.

“I stand here because of the people that came before me. Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith. And to be amongst those giants, amongst those greats, amongst my ancestors, amongst my guys,” Jordan said.

He then added, “I just want to say thank you for everybody in this room that has something to do with my success.”

“You know, he rattles off this group of black actors,” Whitlock comments, pointing out that when it was his dream to be a great sportswriter, he didn’t choose his heroes based on skin color.

“What — you’re telling me that in 2026, the only people that can inspire black kids are other black people? I just — I don’t get this. This is so limiting,” he continues. “White people get to be inspired by any and everybody. There’s a white kid, right now, today, that’s sitting around saying, ‘Hey, I want to be like LeBron James.’”

“They get access to be inspired by whatever human being is on the planet. Their options for inspiration are limitless. We’re telling black kids, subtly and straightforwardly, that the only people that can inspire you are other black people,” he adds.

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