With all the celebrities dropping out of a planned concert and local July 4th celebrations being called off in communities across the US, it’s hard to find much patriotism within traditionally left-leaning institutions these days. But with the nation’s 250th anniversary just around the corner, the NBA is shedding its reputation for supporting leftist causes for a moment to actually pay tribute to the occasion. TheBlaze provided this report: Now, in a league where players are quite literally rewarded for their activism, a partnership with sports trading-card company Topps and other America-focused groups is taking a front-row seat at the NBA Finals. For the series between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, the players will wear patches that read “USA 250” on their jerseys to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States, the NBA reported. According to Topps, players’ patches will be removed after every game, and “select game-worn patches” will be featured inside “ultra-rare” trading cards. The initiative is part of the NBA’s year-long celebration of the United States, which was announced in January, alongside partnerships with several groups, some of which are less controversial than others. Naturally, there was more than a little social media skepticism about the actual motivation of both the NBA and Topps: Why of course let’s not just celebrate the countryLet’s make it into so cash grab — EDR (@EDDAVI) June 1, 2026 The most American thing ever. Monetize celebrating its 250th birthday. Anything to make a quick buck. — Cheli (@fullcheli) June 1, 2026 Others are looking forward to the tribute: that patch thing sounds like it could be a cool nod, wonder how it’ll actually look on the court — SharpSide (@TrySharpSide) June 1, 2026 Fans of other leagues could soon have similar America 250-themed promotions to look forward to, as the Washington Examiner reported earlier this year: President Donald Trump is expected to meet with the commissioners of four major sports leagues to discuss celebrations marking the United States’s 250th birthday in July.  The NFL’s Roger Goodell, the NBA’s Adam Silver, the NHL’s Gary Bettman, and MLB’s Rob Manfred are likely set to speak with the president next week, according to TheAthletic. The Washington Examiner reached out to the Trump administration for comment but did not receive a reply. The developments come as the White House has spurred a variety of sports-friendly initiatives to  honor the semiquincentennial, including a UFC fight on the White House lawn in June. Trump, known for his love of sports, announced last month that the Patriot Games will also debut at the White House, touting the “unprecedented four-day athletic event” that will gather high school athletes from every state to Washington.  Here’s a flashback to Trump’s remarks: This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) remains one of the few rational voices on the left still capable of looking at his party’s political reality. And in his latest barbed criticism of the Democratic Party, including himself, Fetterman took a swipe at the effort in recent years to eliminate the filibuster in the Senate. The Hill reported on his comments: In 2022, Sinema and Manchin, both former Democrats, voted with the Republican party to block Democrats to preserve the 60-vote threshold.  At the time, Fetterman was against their effort and said the filibuster was blocking Democrats from enacting legislation backed by their constituents.  He now says the measure protects the voice of the minority. “We have the risk of if we lose the filibuster, then the rights of the minority — whether that will be Democrat or Republican minority — would have effectively little to no voice,” Fetterman said.  “And if we become a smaller version of the House, that would have profound ramifications for the United States, and that would be dangerous,” he told Miller, who is the wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.  His remarks sparked some discussion on social media: He’s right — Haley Fan (@NikkiHaleyFan02) June 3, 2026 Yeah – although he seems to be the least brain damaged democrat (that actually has brain damage) he’s towing the line – it’s their holy grail to eliminate the filibuster — pack the court – add DC as a state — — bpm (@BillOfReform) June 3, 2026 He’s the lone democrat that makes any sense. Compared to this that his party supports. pic.twitter.com/g87UNu43gE — Always Question! (@TS199052) June 3, 2026     It was just the latest example of the Pennsylvania Democrat’s willingness to call out absurdities on his own side of the aisle. As The Hill recently reported: This week alone, Fetterman accused the Democratic base of becoming “increasingly anti-American.” And almost worse, Democrats say, he was the only Senate Democrat to oppose legislation that would stop the war in Iran.  In a Wednesday appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show, Fetterman cut into Democratic attacks on Trump’s remarks that he is not focused on the financial situations of Americans while negotiating with the Iranian government, arguing Trump’s comments were “clipped.” “He said something that got clipped … saying, ‘I’m not thinking about American people financially,’ but what he really was saying — he did say — is, ‘I’m really thinking that we can’t ever let Iran building a bomb,’” Fetterman told Hannity. All of this comes a couple of weeks after he told Democrats to get over their “Trump derangement syndrome” and agree to build a White House ballroom.  “I think Uncle Fester is a sellout and a fraud, and I look forward to helping do my part to retire him in two years,” Democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko said.  Here’s a clip of his interview with Miller: This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

Federal prosecutors say they found a pipeline running from Iran’s nuclear and military programs straight to a luxury enclave on the California coast. Jamshid Ghomi, 63, a dual U.S.-Iranian national who lives in Newport Coast, was arrested June 3, 2026 on a federal complaint charging him with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The Justice Department says Ghomi is the founder and CEO of Faraz Pardaz Rayaneh Co. Ltd., a Tehran-based networking company, and that he spent more than a decade funneling sophisticated American equipment to Iranian customers without ever getting authorization from the Treasury Department. Among those customers, according to prosecutors, were the worst possible buyers: Iran’s nuclear establishment and its military. Today, Jamshid Ghomi, a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen who lives in a $35 million mansion in Orange County, California, was arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging him with selling computer technology to Iranian companies and Iran’s government — including technology to help… pic.twitter.com/EdL4OsB8Y5 — Acting AG Todd Blanche (@DAGToddBlanche) June 3, 2026 The DOJ alleges the operation was anything but small. From 2014 to 2018, prosecutors say Ghomi arranged to smuggle more than 250 metric tons of networking equipment into Iran. He allegedly used his own eBay and PayPal accounts from 2011 to 2023 for hundreds of purchases, routing the goods through intermediaries in the United Arab Emirates before they reached Tehran. Prosecutors say the equipment landed with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran between 2017 and 2023, and with Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics between 2014 and 2022. A complaint is only an allegation, and Ghomi is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The Justice Department laid out the core allegation this way: A dual U.S.-Iranian national and CEO of an Iran-based technology company was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint charging him with violating U.S. sanctions against Iran by acquiring sophisticated U.S.-origin networking, security, and encryption equipment for Iranian customers — including the Iranian regime’s nuclear and military establishment. Jamshid Ghomi, 63, of Newport Coast, is charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Ghomi is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in Santa Ana. For more than a decade, Ghomi has used FPR to procure U.S.-origin networking equipment for customers in Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. At no time did Ghomi or FPR obtain a license from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) authorizing those transactions. Then there is the money, which is where the story comes home to California. The DOJ says Ghomi moved more than $15 million from Iran into his U.S. bank accounts and a construction escrow account between 2011 and 2024. He allegedly told the IRS the money was a foreign inheritance. The same filings tell a strange story. Prosecutors say Ghomi reported almost no income, with his highest reported year coming in at $20,684, and that he claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit in seven separate years. That is a tax break meant for low- and moderate-income working families. Over the same stretch, the DOJ says he reported more than $1.7 million in home-mortgage interest and $1.25 million in state and local real-estate taxes. The Justice Department also described the money trail that allegedly led from Iran to Newport Coast: From 2011 to 2024, Ghomi moved more than $15 million from Iran into his U.S. bank accounts and into a construction escrow account held on his behalf. He falsely reported those funds to the IRS as a foreign inheritance. Ghomi’s federal tax returns reported almost no income, his highest reported income in any year being $20,684. Ghomi claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit, a federal tax break for low- to moderate-income working individuals and families, in seven different tax years. Over the same period, Ghomi reported more than $1.7 million in home-mortgage interest and $1.25 million in state and local real-estate taxes on his federal income tax returns. Ghomi funded the construction of his Orange County mansion with the proceeds of his sanctions-evasion scheme. Ghomi purchased a vacant lot in Newport Coast in March 2010 for $4,490,000 and paid approximately $10,490,371 to construct the residence from 2010 to 2013. From May 2011 to August 2015, foreign-source wires totaling more than $7 million flowed into the escrow account funding the home’s construction. These wires came from many of the same trading companies as the transfers from FPR’s operating account, were handled by the same FPR employees, and bore the same false descriptions. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche put a number on the property and signaled what comes next. He said federal authorities are beginning the process of seizing the $35 million mansion. The facts the case we are announcing today are shocking. Jamshid Ghomi is accused of violating U.S. sanctions laws by providing technological equipment to the government of Iran, including its military and nuclear program. He did this while living and enjoying the freedoms our… https://t.co/HsH4cPD7FF — F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) June 3, 2026 First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli framed the case as exactly the kind of betrayal that should bother every American. If convicted, Ghomi would face a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison. CEO of Iran tech company arrested on federal charge of supplying U.S. equipment to Iran’s nuclear and military establishment https://t.co/IF0ukUh83j — US Attorney L.A. (@USAO_LosAngeles) June 3, 2026 The case is a reminder that sanctions only work when someone enforces them, and that the regime in Tehran is always shopping for American technology through people who know how to hide. This time prosecutors say they followed the wire transfers all the way to the front door. This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

President Trump’s border crackdown just reached a major Senate test, and Democrats are trying to turn the vote-a-rama into a last-minute blockade. The fight is over the Secure America Act, the Republican reconciliation bill aimed at fully funding ICE and Border Patrol through the rest of Trump’s term. Senator John Barrasso’s office laid out the Senate Republican case this way: “The Secure America Act… will fully fund Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the next three years… through the end of President Trump’s term.” “Now, why do we need to do this? Because Democrats have refused to fund CBP and ICE. “That is their plan. Their plan is to deny these agencies the necessary resources to remove dangerous criminals from our country and our streets. “If you listen to what Democrats say, you know this is true. Their rhetoric makes this abundantly clear. “Democrats have repeatedly accused the agency’s agents of kidnapping illegal immigrants and carrying out government-sponsored terrorism. “What a terrible thing to say about our law enforcement.” “We actually need every vote and every vote will matter. “We are going to need every vote to fund ICE and the Border Patrol, because Democrats are calling for Republicans to abandon them. “They want us to abandon the policies that have reduced illegal crossings to the lowest level in recorded history. “They want us to abandon these law enforcement agents who put their lives on the line every single day and night. “Democrats will put forth amendment after amendment on the floor designed to force Republicans to abandon ICE and Border Patrol. “I want to be crystal clear. Republicans will not allow Democrats to undermine law enforcement, both ICE and Border Patrol.” Barrasso put the stakes in plain language as the Senate fight moved forward: A vote for the Secure America Act is a vote for safe streets, safe schools, and safe communities. — Sen. John Barrasso (@SenJohnBarrasso) June 4, 2026 This is why the vote matters far beyond Washington procedure. ICE and Border Patrol are not abstract line items here. They are the agencies carrying out Trump’s enforcement promise after years of catch-and-release chaos. The White House’s Securing Our Borders executive order explained the enforcement mission behind Trump’s border push: Over the last 4 years, the United States has endured a large-scale invasion at an unprecedented level. Millions of illegal aliens from nations and regions all around the world successfully entered the United States where they are now residing, including potential terrorists, foreign spies, members of cartels, gangs, and violent transnational criminal organizations, and other hostile actors with malicious intent. Deadly narcotics and other illicit materials have flowed across the border while agents and officers spend their limited resources processing illegal aliens for release into the United States. These catch-and-release policies undermine the rule of law and our sovereignty, create substantial risks to public safety and security, and divert critical resources away from stopping the entry of contraband and fugitives into the United States. We have limited information on the precise whereabouts of a great number of these illegal aliens who have entered the United States over the last 4 years. This cannot stand. A nation without borders is not a nation, and the Federal Government must act with urgency and strength to end the threats posed by an unsecured border. One of my most important obligations is to protect the American people from the disastrous effects of unlawful mass migration and resettlement. My Administration will marshal all available resources and authorities to stop this unprecedented flood of illegal aliens into the United States. Senate Republicans are also forcing Democrats to defend their position on ICE and CBP funding in public: Senator @berniemoreno shames Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats for blocking ICE and CBP funding. “[Republicans] will make certain that communities are safe in this country.” pic.twitter.com/ODNW5lxCLl — Senate Republicans (@SenateGOP) June 4, 2026 The Senate can turn this into one of the biggest border-security wins of Trump’s second term, but only if Republicans hold together through the amendment storm. If Democrats peel off enough votes or load the bill with poison pills, the same agencies enforcing the border stay trapped in a funding fight. For MAGA voters, this is a roll call worth watching closely. The border was a promise. Now Republicans have to prove they can fund the people enforcing it. This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

President Trump is moving to lock in his man at the top of the Justice Department. On Wednesday evening, Trump announced he is nominating acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to serve permanently in the role. Blanche has been running DOJ in an acting capacity, and Trump made clear he wants it made official fast. This is a reward for a loyal, proven leader who has carried the President’s agenda inside a department that spent years weaponized against him. And right on cue, RINO Senator Thom Tillis is already throwing cold water on the pick. Washington Examiner reporter David Sivak posted Tillis signaling respect for Blanche while drawing a confirmation red line over January 6. Tillis told me today he has a lot of “respect” for Blanche and credits him with de-escalating the impasse over Jerome Powell “Todd was instrumental in kind of de-escalating the whole Powell matter.” But Tillis reiterated his red line on Jan. 6, calling it a “circuit breaker”… https://t.co/RcOQ1kyRZZ — David Sivak (@DISivak) June 4, 2026 The Gateway Pundit broke the news Wednesday night, reporting that Trump told guests at a Rose Garden event he would move to make Blanche permanent attorney general. The Associated Press confirmed the nomination move: President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general, tapping his former personal lawyer who has aggressively pursued the Republican president’s agenda while leading the Justice Department in an acting role. Trump said at a dinner at the White House that he plans to nominate Blanche formally on Thursday, according to a video of the event posted on social media by a White House aide. “We are going to make him permanent attorney general,” Trump said at the Rose Garden event. Blanche sought quickly to position himself as the favorite for the permanent job after Pam Bondi’s firing in April, accelerating investigations into Trump foes and announcing a nearly $1.8 billion fund meant to compensate the president’s allies for alleged political persecution. A former federal prosecutor in New York, Blanche came to public prominence for his lead role on Trump’s defense team. Blanche knows the lawfare playbook from the inside. He sat at the defense table as Trump’s personal attorney during the New York prosecution, and now he runs the same Justice Department that was turned into a political weapon. That experience is exactly why Trump trusts him to keep the cleanup going. Fox News also confirmed the President wants the process moving quickly, reporting that Trump said the formal nomination process would begin Thursday. The formal nomination is set to go up Thursday, after which it heads to the Senate for confirmation. That is where Tillis comes in. Tillis told Sivak he has “respect” for Blanche and credits him with de-escalating the standoff over Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. “Todd was instrumental in kind of de-escalating the whole Powell matter,” Tillis said. But Tillis is calling January 6 a “circuit breaker,” which means he is already laying down a marker before the nomination even lands. That is the same tired establishment move that has slowed Trump’s picks for years. The paperwork is only the first step. The Senate fight is the next one. But Trump has made his choice, and he picked a loyalist who has stood next to him through the worst of the lawfare era. Now the only question is whether enough Republicans get out of the way and let the President have the attorney general he wants.