Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is putting serious America First firepower around Pentagon policy. On June 29, 2026, the Department of War announced a new lineup for its Defense Policy Board, and the names tell you exactly where the strategic thinking is heading. Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. Trade Representative who ran President Trump’s trade fights from 2017 to 2021, will serve as chair. Former Sen. Norm Coleman will serve as vice chair. That is a deliberate signal. Lighthizer built his reputation taking on China and rewriting trade deals that Washington insiders said could never be touched. Wow, this is an incredible list of people for the Defense Policy Board https://t.co/y9XiqYQAfO — Jill Savage (@Jill_Savage) June 29, 2026 Now that same instinct is being pointed at force structure, modernization, and regional defense policy. The War.gov release confirms Hegseth made the appointments, placed Lighthizer and Coleman at the top, and laid out the board’s job in an immediate June 29 notice. The Defense Policy Board was first established in 1985 and provides independent strategic advice to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and Under Secretary for Policy. Its focus areas include strategic planning, U.S. force structure and modernization, regional defense policies, and other national-security issues of special interest to the Department and leadership. The release then lists thirteen additional members, turning what could have been a dry advisory-board notice into a real personnel signal for the Department of War’s next policy phase across technology, China policy, and nuclear deterrence. Beyond Lighthizer and Coleman, the board adds thirteen members: Marc Andreessen, Michael Anton, Rachel Bovard, Tom Feddo, Mike Garcia, Kenneth Jones, Blake Masters, Daniel McCarthy, Michael Pillsbury, retired Admiral Chas Richard, Francis Sempa, Christopher Williams, and Theo Wold. That is a mix of tech, national-security, and conservative policy heavyweights. Marc Andreessen brings Silicon Valley and the venture world. Michael Anton and Rachel Bovard bring sharp America First policy minds. Blake Masters adds a populist edge, and Michael Pillsbury is one of the most respected China hawks in Washington. Retired Adm. Chas Richard, who led U.S. Strategic Command, brings nuclear and deterrence experience that few outside advisers can match. Just the News reported the announcement shortly after the War.gov release and flagged the same headline picks, making clear this was both a board launch and a membership announcement from Hegseth. Their write-up highlighted Lighthizer as chair and Coleman as vice chair, alongside the addition of Andreessen, Anton, and Bovard as part of the new slate. That matters because those names point in different directions at once: trade leverage, tech power, conservative policy, and national-security hard power inside Washington. The throughline is leverage and outside pressure, from trade fights to tech competition and military modernization. Hegseth is not building a board of cautious careerists who tell the Pentagon what it already wants to hear. Lighthizer at the top of that table is the clearest sign yet that the trade-war discipline is being folded into how the Department of War thinks about strategy. This is the kind of personnel move that shapes policy long after the press release fades. This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here. The post Pete Hegseth Names Robert Lighthizer to Lead New Defense Policy Board appeared first on 100PercentFedUp.com.

President Trump has nominated Keith Sonderling, the Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor, to permanently fill the role in his administration. “Keith previously served as Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer and, during my First Term, worked at the U.S. Department of Labor as the Acting and Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Throughout his career, Keith has proven his dedication to delivering strong results for the Hardworking People of our Country, and I know he will do an incredible job in his new role,” he added. “I am deeply grateful to President Trump for his trust and confidence. Serving in both of President Trump’s Administrations has been the greatest honor of my life,” Sonderling said. “If confirmed by the Senate, I look forward to continuing that service as Secretary of Labor and advancing the President’s agenda on behalf of America’s workers, families, unions, and job creators,” he added. I am deeply grateful to President Trump for his trust and confidence. Serving in both of President Trump’s Administrations has been the greatest honor of my life. If confirmed by the Senate, I look forward to continuing that service as Secretary of Labor and advancing the… pic.twitter.com/pW4vucF8rI — Acting Secretary Keith Sonderling (@Sonderling47) June 29, 2026 The Hill shared further: Sonderling has served as acting Labor secretary since April 20, after former Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned amid investigations into alleged misconduct by her and her husband. Prior to Chavez-DeRemer’s departure, Sonderling was her deputy for more than a year. During Trump’s first term in office, he ascended to acting administrator of the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division. “Congratulations to my friend Keith Sonderling on his nomination to serve as U.S. Secretary of Labor! It was an honor to welcome him to Colorado’s 8th District and tour Aims Community College, where we discussed strengthening workforce development and expanding opportunities for students. I know he’ll continue fighting for America’s workers,” Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CO) commented. Congratulations to my friend Keith Sonderling on his nomination to serve as U.S. Secretary of Labor! It was an honor to welcome him to Colorado's 8th District and tour Aims Community College, where we discussed strengthening workforce development and expanding opportunities for… pic.twitter.com/Nq40Wh39Rm — Congressman Gabe Evans (@repgabeevans) June 29, 2026 “Congratulations to Keith Sonderling on his nomination to be Secretary of Labor. I enjoy working with him, and I appreciate his thoughtful leadership at @USDOL. He is the kind of pro-worker leader that Americans deserve. I look forward to hearing from him before the HELP Committee,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) said. Congratulations to Keith Sonderling on his nomination to be Secretary of Labor. I enjoy working with him, and I appreciate his thoughtful leadership at @USDOL. He is the kind of pro-worker leader that Americans deserve. I look forward to hearing from him before the HELP… — U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (@SenBillCassidy) June 29, 2026 CBS News noted: Sonderling was confirmed last year to be deputy secretary of labor in a 53-46 vote along party lines. During Mr. Trump’s first term, Sonderling served in several roles at the Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Chavez-DeRemer had been under scrutiny ahead of her exit from the Department of Labor, with several news outlets reporting her conduct was under investigation by the department’s internal watchdog. CBS News has not confirmed the existence of the investigation. Chavez-DeRemer’s husband was also barred from the department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., after two women who work there reported that he had touched them inappropriately, sources familiar with the situation told CBS News earlier this year. Federal prosecutors decided not to charge her husband after reviewing evidence, CBS News reported. The post President Trump Announces Nomination To Fill Cabinet Position appeared first on 100PercentFedUp.com.

The House of Representatives on Monday passed the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act. The bill passed in a 267-117 vote, with 47 members not voting. “We worked hard to reach a workable compromise,” House Energy and Commerce Chair Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) said, according to Axios. “While no single bill will solve every challenge facing families online, this legislation represents a significant and long-overdue step forward in establishing meaningful safeguards,” he added. “The package, taken from portions of 14 digital safety bills, was brought to the floor Monday under a fast-track process called suspension of the rules, which requires two-thirds majority support for passage,” The Hill reports. “Big Tech has had a free pass for too long. Predatory design. Dangerous AI chatbots. Targeted ads at kids. My bipartisan KIDS Act protects kids online and reins in Big Tech,” Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) said. Watch below: Big Tech has had a free pass for too long. Predatory design. Dangerous AI chatbots. Targeted ads at kids. My bipartisan KIDS Act protects kids online and reins in Big Tech. pic.twitter.com/z6DksgCisf — Rep. Frank Pallone (@FrankPallone) June 29, 2026 The Hill shared further: It now heads to the Senate, where it will face an uphill battle over the House’s changes made to KOSA and other provisions. The bill includes provisions on age verification, AI chatbots, data protections and raising awareness about drug sales on social media. Its passage comes just one week after House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) announced the KIDS package received new support from ranking member Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), months after negotiations first fell apart between the two parties. The bipartisan deal notably still eliminated KOSA’s duty of care provision, which would have legally required platforms to “exercise reasonable care” to prevent harms to minors. Harms include eating disorders, suicide, substance use disorders and sexual exploitation. Tech watchdog and parent advocate groups, along with KOSA Senate co-authors Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) argue the duty of care provision is the most important part of KOSA. Blumenthal said last week that the House version of KOSA is “dead in the Senate,” though Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, told reporters last week he is open to negotiations with the lower chamber. Critics of the legislation say it would mean “de facto age checks” for everyone online and eliminate privacy. “The internet could change if the U.S. House passes the KIDS Act today to ‘protect children.’ Critics warn it could mean de facto age checks for everyone and weakened encrypted communications. The KIDS Act is a package of around a dozen bills that pairs a revised Kids Online Safety Act with new age-verification, AI chatbot, and messaging rules,” International Cyber Digest wrote. “Digital rights group EFF warns the design would pressure platforms to age-check all users, not just minors, since liability can attach when a service ‘should have known’ a user’s age, and flags new rules touching encrypted and disappearing messages. Sponsors Brett Guthrie (R) and Frank Pallone (D) say it’s kids-safety protection and note KOSA’s text says age verification isn’t required,” it continued. The internet could change if the U.S. House passes the KIDS Act today to "protect children." Critics warn it could mean de facto age checks for everyone and weakened encrypted communications. The KIDS Act is a package of around a dozen bills that pairs a revised Kids Online… pic.twitter.com/qt5TanNpG4 — International Cyber Digest (@IntCyberDigest) June 29, 2026 “PASSED: the KIDS Act requires age verification on obscene websites, sets nationwide standards enforced by the FTC, and empowers parents, while letting states pass even stronger child protections,” House Republicans stated. PASSED: the KIDS Act requires age verification on obscene websites, sets nationwide standards enforced by the FTC, and empowers parents, while letting states pass even stronger child protections. Thank you @RepGuthrie! pic.twitter.com/Y9ygMYz7Cc — House Republicans (@HouseGOP) June 29, 2026 “This is a dangerous anti-privacy bill (identity verification) that the House of Representatives might try to pass by voice vote this afternoon before many of us are even in town. Senators Mike Lee, Rand Paul, and Ron Wyden voted against a similar bill in the Senate two years ago,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) commented. This is a dangerous anti-privacy bill (identity verification) that the House of Representatives might try to pass by voice vote this afternoon before many of us are even in town. Senators Mike Lee, Rand Paul, and Ron Wyden voted against a similar bill in the Senate two years ago. https://t.co/M0QrLvrApH — Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) June 29, 2026 “Here’s the roll call of members of Congress who betrayed the Constitution and the American people by voting yes on the KIDS Act,” former Congressman Justin Amash said. “The sickest part is that these people used ‘protecting kids’ as an excuse to further insert government between parents and their children—all while establishing a surveillance infrastructure to monitor and control Americans of all ages,” he continued. Here’s the roll call of members of Congress who betrayed the Constitution and the American people by voting yes on the KIDS Act. The sickest part is that these people used “protecting kids” as an excuse to further insert government between parents and their children—all while… pic.twitter.com/zW3QZghmSc — Justin Amash (@justinamash) June 29, 2026 Axios has more: The House package includes preemption language that critics say would make it more difficult to sue social media companies for design features. If that language were law, it would have prevented landmark social media cases in California, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) said during a call with reporters last week. “Let me be clear. The Senate is not interested in having these cases preempted,” she said. “Preemption should not be a part of it, period,” said KOSA co-sponsor Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). “The preemption language in the KIDS Act is written with the explicit intent of ensuring that states have the authority to pass and enforce stronger state laws, including those with a duty of care,” House Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) said. The Trump administration and the tech industry have pushed Congress to pass legislation that would override some state AI laws. Any serious preemption effort would need to include measures protecting kids online to have a chance of advancing. KOSA co-sponsor Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) has been working with the White House on a deal tying kids’ online safety measures to federal preemption of some state AI laws and has said any legislation needs to include duty of care language. “Certainly we don’t need to tie it to bad AI policy,” Cantwell said. The post House Passes Kids Online Safety Legislation – GOP Lawmaker Warns “Dangerous Anti-Privacy Bill” appeared first on 100PercentFedUp.com.

One of the defendants was released into the country under the Biden Administration. Now he is going to prison for 20 years. The case involved a 16-year-old orphan trafficked across state lines for commercial sex, and it is the kind of case that should make every American ask the same question: how was this man ever released in the first place? The Department of Homeland Security announced on June 29, 2026, that two Venezuelan illegal aliens were sentenced after an investigation led by ICE Homeland Security Investigations in San Antonio. DHS identified the defendants as Giannys Alexandra Ramirez-Fernandez and Nelson Adrian Perez-Martinez, both from Venezuela, and said both were sentenced in the Western District of Texas after a child sex trafficking case. The agency says the charges included conspiracy to traffic a child and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. DHS also says Perez-Martinez was found guilty of benefitting from sex trafficking of children and aiding and abetting coercion and enticement, putting him at the center of the longer sentence in the case. Ramirez-Fernandez was sentenced to about 12 and a half years. Perez-Martinez was sentenced to roughly 20 years. Combined, that is 32 years in federal prison. Here is the part that puts a face on every release-policy fight of the last four years. DHS says Perez-Martinez illegally entered the United States in Texas in 2023, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol, and was then released by the Biden Administration. DHS says Ramirez-Fernandez entered the country illegally at an unknown date and location. In its June 29 statement, DHS said one of the convicted defendants had been released by the Biden Administration, and Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis used the case to criticize Biden-era handling of unaccompanied minors, unvetted sponsors, and traffickers. In plain English: the man who would later be convicted in a child sex trafficking case was caught at the border and let go. JUSTICE SERVED: TWO illegal aliens sentenced to prison for CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING. The sentencing comes as a result of an investigation led by @HSI_SanAntonio into Giannys Alexandra Ramirez-Fernandez and Nelson Adrian Perez-Martinez, both from Venezuela. Perez-Martinez was… pic.twitter.com/vYLWPCn6Ok — Homeland Security (@DHSgov) June 29, 2026 The Department of Justice, Western District of Texas described the sentencing as decades in federal prison for trafficking a child orphan. The DOJ case summary anchors the numbers behind the DHS update: two separate defendants, two separate prison terms, and a combined 32 years after federal proceedings in San Antonio. The federal case also shows why the phrase “released into the country” cannot be treated like a harmless bureaucratic detail. DHS says Perez-Martinez was first caught by Border Patrol in Texas in 2023, then released, before later joining the trafficking operation described in court records. That timeline is the outrage at the center of the story: a border release, a child victim, a federal prosecution, and now a 20-year sentence. KTSA in San Antonio, summarizing DOJ and court evidence, reported that the victim was a 16-year-old orphan and that the trafficking trail began in Colombia before reaching Richmond, Kentucky, and San Antonio. The local report said Ramirez-Fernandez was 17 when she began a relationship with the victim, who was then 13 and living with adopted parents in Colombia. Ramirez-Fernandez and the minor crossed illegally into the United States in December 2022, according to the report. Perez-Martinez crossed illegally in December 2023 and later joined them. KTSA says the defendants took the victim from Kentucky to San Antonio, where an online commercial-sex advertisement was posted and investigators later traced the operation through multiple motels in the city. Investigators found the defendants accompanied the minor to about six San Antonio motels between July 19 and July 30, 2024, according to the local report. An undercover San Antonio police officer responded to an escort-service ad, and arrests followed at a Studio 6 motel on Pasteur Court. Ramirez-Fernandez pleaded guilty in September 2025, and Perez-Martinez was found guilty by a jury in February 2026. NEW: Two Venezuelan illegal immigrants have been sentenced for their roles in a child sex trafficking scheme. Giannys Alexandra Ramirez-Fernandez was sentenced to 12½ years in federal prison, while Nelson Adrian Perez-Martinez received more than 20 years after being convicted on… pic.twitter.com/uXucPexUIo — Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) June 29, 2026 DHS credited HSI San Antonio with leading the investigation, with help from HSI Houston, HSI Seattle, USCIS, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, the FBI, and state and local partners. Under President Trump, DHS is framing cases like this as a reminder that vetting, detention, and prosecution are not paperwork issues. They are public-safety issues. The 16-year-old orphan at the center of this case was failed long before the courtroom. A federal jury and a federal judge have now delivered the closest thing to justice the system can give her. This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here. The post Biden Released Him. Now He’s Going To Prison For 20 Years In A Child Sex Trafficking Case appeared first on 100PercentFedUp.com.

The Justice Department is putting real money behind President Trump’s immigration agenda, and it is moving fast. On June 29, 2026, the official DOJ account announced up to $3.5 billion in new grants aimed squarely at immigration enforcement, detention facilities, and prosecutorial support. The money traces back to the One Big Beautiful Bill, signed last year. This is what enforcement looks like once the funding catches up to the policy. The stated goal is simple. Get resources to the frontline partners doing the work. Since the One Big Beautiful Bill was signed by @POTUS last year, DOJ has up to $3.5 billion in new grants to prioritize: •Immigration enforcement •Detention facilities •Related prosecutorial support Ensuring resources reach frontline partners who are most affected by… pic.twitter.com/plCTirCacJ — U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) June 29, 2026 The program has an official name, and it is hard to read with a straight face. According to the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the opportunity is formally the DOJ FY 2026 Bridging Immigration-related Deficits Experienced Nationwide program, issued through DOJ’s grant system. The official page places it under the department’s law enforcement funding category, which is the point: this is grant money for agencies doing criminal-justice work, not a generic border slogan. The acronym spells BIDEN, and the listing carries Assistance Listing 16.076, Law Enforcement Support for Combatting Criminal Aliens, Drug, and Human Trafficking. The official sources do not say DOJ picked the acronym as a jab at the last administration. The irony is still sitting right there in a program built around criminal aliens, trafficking, and local enforcement deficits. The real substance is in the official funding notice, a 21-page DOJ document that lays out the legal authority, funding rounds, deadlines, eligible applicants, award period, and permitted uses. The program is authorized under the BIDEN Reimbursement Fund established by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Public Law 119-21, codified at 34 U.S.C. section 61101. The notice lists expected total funding of $3 billion, while the DOJ post cites up to $3.5 billion in available grants for frontline enforcement partners. Awards are expected to run 36 to 60 months starting August 1, 2026. Applications are being accepted in rolling rounds until the money runs out, with awards made on a rolling basis. That gives agencies more than a short-term patch. It gives them a multi-year runway to hire, build, and support enforcement capacity. Round 1 opened June 15 with a Grants.gov deadline of July 15. Round 2 opens July 20, and Round 3 opens August 24, each with its own deadlines into late September. The notice spells out what the money can do. Locating and apprehending criminal illegal aliens, analyzing investigative information to counter gangs, prosecuting crimes by aliens along with drug and human trafficking, supporting court operations, temporary detention, transportation, and the vehicles and logistics behind all of it. Funding categories cover hiring sworn and non-sworn law enforcement personnel, training critical criminal-justice staff, technology and equipment, and construction or renovation of temporary detention facilities for criminal illegal aliens. The eligibility rules tell you who this is built for. Only government entities with direct criminal justice responsibilities can apply, covering investigation, prosecution, detention, corrections, transportation, and support. Applicants must already hold a 287(g) partnership or commit to entering one. They also must participate in Homeland Security Task Force operations or other major DOJ enforcement efforts, or commit to doing so. That ties local capacity directly to the federal enforcement push. The Grants.gov listing confirms the same lane through the public grants portal, opening it to state agencies with law enforcement responsibilities and units of local government applying for federal support. It identifies the assistance listing as law enforcement support for combatting criminal aliens, drug trafficking, and human trafficking inside the United States. Programs are out of scope if they violate or promote violations of federal immigration law, impede enforcement, fail to comply with 8 U.S.C. section 1373, deny access to DHS agents, or refuse to honor DHS requests and notice. In plain terms, sanctuary policies and the agencies that protect them do not get a check from this enforcement fund or its public-safety mission. The listing is not vague about the mission. It is about criminal aliens, trafficking, and the law enforcement agencies willing to cooperate. This is the operational side of enforcement: more officers, more detention beds, more prosecutors, and more transportation to move criminal aliens out of communities. The rhetoric has been there for a while. Now the funding is on the table, and the partners willing to do the work can go get it. This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here. The post DOJ Rolls Out Up to $3.5 Billion for Immigration Enforcement Under Program Named BIDEN appeared first on 100PercentFedUp.com.