An audio clip was going viral today claiming President Trump is backing out on doing the $2,000 stimulus checks. But….is it true? Well, I’ve got it for you right here so we can listen to it together and then I’ll tell you what I think. See here: Trump is already trying to back out of giving the $2,000 stimulus checks. “When did I say that?” pic.twitter.com/QIH563WVLl — The Green Dragon Tavern (@greendragonhq) January 12, 2026 Another here: BREAKING: Trump is NO LONGER giving Americans their promised $2,000 STIMULUS checks. pic.twitter.com/5WuxsA3lnn — 100XwithNAVI (@navitraderlive) January 13, 2026 Ok, so let’s just start with an actual transcript. Sometimes it helps to just see all the words written down. So let’s start here: REPORTER: You promised $2,000 cheques to Americans based off of your tariff revenues. When can they— TRUMP: I did do that? When did I do that? Well, I mean, you’re—you’re a—yeah, I’m thinking. Well, I did 1776 for the military, right? REPORTER: When will those Americans get those— TRUMP: Well, I am going to—the tariff money is so substantial, that’s coming in, that I’ll be able to do 2,000 sometime, I would say, toward the end of the year. So, here are my thoughts — you’re of course free to have your own as always. ONE, the beginning strikes me more as just a miscommunication or Trump being distracted or not really hearing the question correctly. TWO, when he finally gets on the same page with the reporter and seems to understand the question, he confirms that he is still planning to do the $2,000 checks likely towards the end of the year, although I expect they will come shortly before Midterms. THREE, as stated above, I think either he didn’t initially hear or understand the question very well, or perhaps he was just a little tired in that moment.  The man sleeps less than 4 hours a night and although he seems to be reveling in it and loving every moment, he still has the pressure of the entire world on his shoulders.  Since he immediately corrected his earlier answer and confirmed the checks were still coming, I think it’s more than fair to give him some grace and a pass at the initial fumble. Scott Bessent has also confirmed the checks are coming, and here are early details: JUST IN: Income Levels Released Showing Who Will Qualify For the $2,000 Stimulus Checks Rumors have been swirling the past few days about upcoming $2,000 stimulus checks / dividend checks / tariff checks being issued soon to the American public. But details have been scarce. Until today, President Trump had said they would not go to "high income families" but it was unclear how that was going to be defined. Today Scott Bessent gave us much more information. While Bessent shows less confidence than President Trump does in these checks actually going out, did confirm the definition of who qualifies will be "families making less than $100,000". He also reminded us of two other huge details... One: huge tax refunds coming in 2026. Two: the new $1,000 stock market accounts for all new babies born in the United States. Watch here: ? BREAKING: Scott Bessent says $2,000 tariff checks from President Trump would go to families making less than $100,000 per year Plus, MAJOR tax refunds coming in 2026 because of Trump's new law? "$2K rebate - that would be for families making less than $100,000. We have not… pic.twitter.com/JKCGH0GmrF — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 12, 2025 BREAKING: Scott Bessent says $2,000 tariff checks from President Trump would go to families making less than $100,000 per year Plus, MAJOR tax refunds coming in 2026 because of Trump's new law "$2K rebate - that would be for families making less than $100,000. We have not [decided]. It's in discussion." "The other thing - what we did with the tax bill is financing the president's no tax on tips, overtime - the big refunds you will see are the result of THAT. That's ANOTHER payment to the American people." He also confirmed that prices for everything are going to start coming down very aggressively soon. Watch here: BREAKING: In a major development, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirms the PRICE OF COFFEE will go down after an impending announcement for tariff relief "You're gonna see SUBSTANTIAL announcements over the next couple days for things we don't grow in the U.S. Coffee,… pic.twitter.com/DQwKyDEBn9 — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 12, 2025 RELATED REPORT: President Trump Announces Tariff Stimmy Checks, Here’s How Much You Can Expect To Receive President Trump may soon put money into your pocket. In a post on Truth Social on Sunday morning, President Trump shared that a dividend check from the revenue generated from tariffs will be given to the American people. Trump noted the checks will be $2,000 and will not be given to "high income people." Take a look: Donald J. Trump Truth Social Post 07:25 AM EST 11/09/25 People that are against Tariffs are FOOLS! We are now the Richest, Most Respected Country In the World, With Almost No Inflation, and A Record Stock Market Price. 401k’s are Highest EVER. We are taking in Trillions of… — Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 9, 2025 Read Trump's full post on Truth Social here: People that are against Tariffs are FOOLS! We are now the Richest, Most Respected Country In the World, With Almost No Inflation, and A Record Stock Market Price. 401k’s are Highest EVER. We are taking in Trillions of Dollars and will soon begin paying down our ENORMOUS DEBT, $37 Trillion. Record Investment in the USA, plants and factories going up all over the place. A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone. Trump: “If I didn’t have tariffs, the entire world would be in a depression.” (The only time the world has EVER been in a depression, was specifically because of tariffs). pic.twitter.com/KUc8aVPn9n — Spencer Hakimian (@SpencerHakimian) November 5, 2025 The Hill noted that Congress may have to approve the new tariff dividend: President Trump said Sunday that each American will receive at least $2,000 from tariff revenue collected by the administration. “A dividend of at $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone,” the president said on his Truth Social platform. He added that those against the tariffs are “FOOLS!” Such a proposal would likely need to be passed by Congress. This summer, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo.) introduced legislation to give $600 tariff rebates to nearly all Americans and their dependent children. “My legislation would allow hard-working Americans to benefit from the wealth that Trump’s tariffs are returning to this country,” Hawley said at the time. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, though, told CNBC in August that the administration’s priority is paying down the $38.12 trillion national debt using the tariff revenue.

Legendary Dilbert cartoonist later turned prolific author later turned podcaster, Scott Adams, died together. Some say he lost his battle with cancer, but to quote the equally legendary Norm Macdonald “it was really more of a draw”. He was ready to go and he was prepared, drafting up a final statement that he gave to his ex-wife to post and then read on his show. Here is the post containing his final statement and a deathbed confession: A Final Message From Scott Adams pic.twitter.com/QKX6b0MFZA — Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays) January 13, 2026 FULL TEXT: A Final Message From Scott Adams If you are reading this, things did not go well for me. I have a few things to say before I go. My body failed before my brain. I am of sound mind as I write this, January 1st, 2026. If you wonder about any of my choices for my estate, or anything else, please know I am free of any coercion or inappropriate influence of any sort. I promise. Next, many of my Christian friends have asked me to find Jesus before I go. I’m not a believer, but I have to admit the risk-reward calculation for doing so looks attractive. So, here I go: I accept Jesus Christ as my lord and savior, and I look forward to spending an eternity with him. The part about me not being a believer should be quickly resolved if I wake up in heaven. I won’t need any more convincing than that. And I hope I am still qualified for entry. With your permission, I’d like to explain something about my life. For the first part of my life, I was focused on making myself a worthy husband and parent, as a way to find meaning. That worked. But marriages don’t always last forever, and mine eventually ended, in a highly amicable way. I’m grateful for those years and for the people I came to call my family. Once the marriage unwound, I needed a new focus. A new meaning. And so I donated myself to “the world,” literally speaking the words out loud in my otherwise silent home. From that point on, I looked for ways I could add the most to people’s lives, one way or another. That marked the start of my evolution from Dilbertcartoonist to an author of what I hoped would be useful books. By then, I believed I had amassed enough life lessons that I could start passing them on. I continued making Dilbert comics, of course. As luck would have it, I’m a good writer. My first book in the “useful” genre was How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big. That book turned out to be a huge success, often imitated, and influencing a wide variety of people. I still hear every day how much that book changed lives. My plan to be useful was working. I followed up with my book Win Bigly, that trained an army of citizens how to be more persuasive, which they correctly saw as a minor super power. I know that book changed lives because I hear it often. You’ll probably never know the impact the book had on the world, but I know, and it pleases me while giving me a sense of meaning that is impossible to describe. My next book, Loserthink, tried to teach people how to think better, especially if they were displaying their thinking on social media. That one didn’t put much of a dent in the universe, but I tried. Finally, my book Reframe Your Brain taught readers how to program their own thoughts to make their personal and professional lives better. I was surprised and delighted at how much positive impact that book is having. I also started podcasting a live show called Coffee With Scott Adams, dedicated to helping people think about the world, and their lives, in a more productive way. I didn’t plan it this way, but it ended up helping lots of lonely people find a community that made them feel less lonely. Again, that had great meaning for me. I had an amazing life. I gave it everything I had. If you got any benefits from my work, I’m asking you to pay it forward as best you can. That is the legacy I want. Be useful. And please know I loved you all to the end. Scott Adams Of course the most fascinating part of this is his literal deathbed confession that he left to the very end. He also seemed to adopt Pascal’s Wager more perfectly that I have ever seen or heard anyone else ever doing. In case you’re not familiar with that, Blaise Pascal once reasoned that placing your faith in God/Jesus could really be reduced to four possible outcomes, one which is eternal gain, one which is eternal loss, and then two that are essentially a wash. So, applying strictly logic, “Accepting God” either gives you a wash or Eternal Gain, while “Rejecting God” either gives you a wash or Eternal Loss. The choice in retrospect is simple: I can’t say I’ve ever seen anyone wait until the very last moment and pull a Pascal’s Wager so ardently, even to the point of saying “I’m not a believe, but here goes nothing!” But I’m not here to judge. In fact, I thought this post from someone named Ryan Visconti perfectly summarized the way to process this. Extremely well said Ryan! Scott Adams is a theological case study. “I’m not a believer.” Followed by a Pascal’s Wager -like confession of faith based on the risk / reward. I honestly wonder how Jesus will handle these cases. God knows the heart and He will judge Scott justly. Part of me thinks Jesus… https://t.co/5FnTziQB7Q — Ryan Visconti (@ryanvisconti) January 13, 2026 Scott Adams is a theological case study. “I’m not a believer.” Followed by a Pascal’s Wager -like confession of faith based on the risk / reward. I honestly wonder how Jesus will handle these cases. God knows the heart and He will judge Scott justly. Part of me thinks Jesus could look at Scott and say, “my name isn’t a lucky rabbits foot to cover your bases in the final moments.” In some ways, Scott’s statement reminds me of the guy who’ll tell a girl he loves her so she’ll sleep with him (using someone through disingenuous devotion). Romans 10:9 states it’s not just confessing Jesus publicly, but believing in your heart that God raised him from the dead which brings salvation. Did Scott believe in his heart? He seems to have implied he didn’t. So I don’t know. But maybe he meant he didn’t up till the moment of his declaration. I believe his statement could be equated to a Mark 9:24 “I do believe, help my I belief” declaration which I believe Jesus would respond graciously to. Part of me worries for Scott, but another part of me has a strong sense that God’s mercy & grace will be far more extensive than we realize. The majority of people who end up in hell will TRULY have no excuse. I’m very hopeful to meet Scott in heaven someday and I trust in Jesus’ perfect judgement. Love to know what you think! RELATED REPORT: Scott Adams Says He Will Be Converting to Christianity: “I’ve still got time!” Drop your thoughts below in the comments!

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is a Communist.  To prove it, he canceled British elections and trial by jury, mandated digital ID, rolled out facial recognition in every town, and established laws to jail people who say things he disagrees with The land that gave the USA the Magna Carta is destroying its systems of laws […] The post Keir Starmer Is Canceling Elections Because He’s Scared of the Voters appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

The National Republican Congressional Committee is targeting Democratic Rep. Adam Gray of California in a new ad campaign. The NRCC released its first ad targeting Gray on Tuesday. The ad targets Gray’s record on immigration. “Adam Gray voted to give criminal illegal aliens driver’s licenses. He voted against funding to deport dangerous criminals. Adam Gray is dangerously radical on immigration,” the ad states. Gray currently represents California’s 13th congressional district, a seat identified last year as one of the most vulnerable of the upcoming midterm elections. California Governor Gavin Newsom’s efforts to redistrict ahead of midterms may have given Gray some room to breathe, however. Immigration has been a top issue for Republicans since President Donald Trump returned to office in January. Immigration remains one of Trump’s most popular issues, though Americans’ approval of Trump’s handling of immigration has slipped since he effectively ended massive amounts of illegal immigration that poured into the country under the Biden administration. That ad hits Gray over a couple of votes on his record regarding immigration, one of them from over a decade ago. In 2013, while Gray was serving in the California assembly, he voted in favor of a bill that would allow illegal aliens to receive a California driver’s license. Last year, Gray voted against Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which, in part, provided funding for finishing the border wall along the United States’ southern border. It also provided a surge of funding for hiring thousands of federal immigration agents. The One Big Beautiful Bill included a slate of other Trump priorities, as well. The bill made permanent the 2017 tax cuts from Trump’s first term in office, secured $12.5 billion for the national air traffic control system, and funded development of the Golden Dome missile defense system. Gray is in his first term as a U.S. congressman, having flipped California’s 13th district from Republican control in 2024. Gray beat then-incumbent Republican Rep. John Duarte by less than 200 votes. Gray’s strongest opponent this cycle is Kevin Lincoln, the Republican former mayor of Stockton, a city added to California 13 under the new congressional map pushed for by Newsom. “From Assemblyman to Congressman, Adam Gray’s out of touch, radical immigration votes put criminal illegal immigrants first and the safety of California families dead last. Californians deserve a Congressman who will put their safety first,” NRCC spokesman Christian Martinez told The Daily Wire in a statement.

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti was flabbergasted to find out Mike Tomlin stepped down as the Steelers head coach during a Tuesday press conference. “Holy sh*t!” Bisciotti exclaimed when a reporter asked if Tomlin would be a candidate in Baltimore. “Would that be awesome? Only if John takes the Pittsburgh job. Wow, wouldn’t that be interesting?” Two rival coaches switching positions? That wild thought is technically a possibility now that Tomlin stepped down after 19 seasons with the Steelers Tuesday. John Harbaugh parted ways with the Ravens a week ago after 18 seasons, seemingly at the hands of Tomlin, whose team got the best of Baltimore in their storied rivalry after the Ravens’ kicker missed the game-winning field goal. “I don’t know, that thing last week, maybe disqualified him from my opening,” Bisciotti said jokingly in regards to the Ravens losing to the Steelers. The two coaches came into the season as the NFL’s most tenured leaders. Now they are both out of the league. “After much thought and reflection, I have decided to step down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Tomlin said in a statement. “This organization has been a huge part of my life for many years, and it has been an absolute honor to lead this team. I am deeply grateful to Art Rooney II and the late Ambassador Rooney for their trust and support. I am also thankful to the players who gave everything they had every day, and to the coaches and staff whose commitment and dedication made this journey so meaningful. I want to also thank Steeler Nation. Your passion, loyalty, and high expectations represent what makes this franchise truly special.” Pittsburgh will hire only its fourth head coach since 1969. Before Tomlin was hired in 2007, Bill Cowher led the Steelers from 1992 to 2006, taking over for Chuck Noll. Tomlin led the Steelers to a Super Bowl in 2009, marking the sixth championship for the franchise. “During our meeting today, Coach Tomlin informed me that he has decided to step down as our Head Coach,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement. “Obviously, I am extremely grateful to Mike for all the hard work, dedication and success we have shared over the last 19 years. It is hard for me to put into words the level of respect and appreciation I have for Coach Tomlin. He guided the franchise to our sixth Super Bowl championship and made the playoffs 13 times during his tenure, including winning the AFC North eight times in his career.” Tomlin’s next moves are unclear. NFL insider Josina Anderson reported Tomlin has indicated wanting to coach in warmer environments than the Steel City. The Super Bowl-winning coach would also be welcome on television as an analyst if he chooses that route. Whatever direction Tomlin goes, the 53-year-old will be sought after. Tomlin leaves Pittsburgh as a winner, never recording a losing season. “His track record of never having a losing season in 19 years will likely never be duplicated,” Rooney II said.

WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court appears poised to allow states to keep men out of women’s sports after the majority of justices seemed favorable towards laws from West Virginia and Idaho that make participation in women’s sports contingent on sex. After three and a half hours of arguments on Tuesday, the justices seemed skeptical of claims from transgender-identifying athletes that laws keeping them off women’s sports teams violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution and Title IX. The outcome of the cases could have far-reaching implications for protecting women’s privacy in bathrooms, locker rooms, and other sensitive spaces. The justices heard the cases of West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox. Both cases revolve around laws in West Virginia and Idaho that prohibit men from competing on women’s sports teams. The strongest pushback against the arguments made against the laws came from Justice Samuel Alito, who pressed lawyer Kathleen Hartnett, an attorney representing a transgender-identifying male athlete from Idaho, about what her definition of sex was. “Is it not necessary for there to be, for Equal Protection purposes, if that is challenged under the Equal Protection Clause, an understanding of what it means to be a boy or a girl or a man or a woman?” he asked. “We do not have a definition for the court, and we don’t take issue with the … we’re not disputing the definition here. What we’re saying is that the way it applies in practice is to exclude birth sex males categorically from women’s teams, and that there’s a subset of those birth sex males where it doesn’t make sense to do so, according to the state’s own interest,” Hartnett replied. “How can a court determine whether there’s discrimination on the basis of sex without knowing what sex means for Equal Protection purposes?” Alito followed up. He also asked Hartnett if she thought female athletes worried about fair competition were bigots. In a different section of arguments, Chief Justice John Roberts joined in Alito’s skepticism about ACLU lawyer Joshua Block’s reluctance to provide a definition of sex for the court. “Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. It’s a statutory term, it must mean something,” Roberts said. “You’re arguing here there is discrimination on the basis of sex, and how can we decide that question without knowing what sex means in Title IX?” Justice Brett Kavanaugh appeared inclined to let the debate play out at the state level, noting that 27 states have protected women’s sports while the other 23 allow males who identify as females to compete in the women’s division. “Why would we, at this point, just the role of this court, jump in and try to constitutionalize the rule for the whole country while [there’s] still, as you say, uncertainty, debate — while there are still strong interests on the other side?” he said. Kavanaugh also noted that sports are often a “zero-sum game” and that even one transgender-identifying athlete allowed on a women’s team could have an outsized impact. At a press conference after the case, Alliance Defending Freedom lawyer John Bursch told The Daily Wire that he believes the issue should be national and that women in California and Massachusetts should not have their right to fair competition taken away. During arguments, demonstrators on both sides held competing rallies. One woman from North Carolina who was holding a sign in favor of protecting women’s sports told The Daily Wire that she got on a bus at 3:00 a.m. to travel up to Washington, D.C., for the demonstration.

January 13, 1966, was a big day in television history. Darrin and Samantha Stevens welcomed their first child, daughter Tabitha. During the season 2 episode And Then There Were Three, the Bewitched storyline changed, giving Samantha and Darrin a whole new set of adventures. Eventually, the couple would also have a son, Adam, in season 6, to align with star Elizabeth Montgomery’s real-life pregnancy. In honor of her television birth, Erin Murphy, who played Tabitha, shared a sweet throwback photo from her Bewitched days. Erin Murphy Hasn’t Changed Much Since Her Tabitha Days At 61, Erin Murphy has the same sweet smile she had as a little girl playing Tabitha on Bewitched. She posted a photo on Facebook of herself on the set standing in a playpen. “On this day in TV history, I was born on Bewitched…60 years ago! Happy TV birthday to ME!” Erin Murphy wrote. Fans loved seeing the throwback photo, but some had a hard time believing it’s been 60 years since we met Tabitha. “Tabitha you definitely are not 60 today,” a fan wrote. “Maybe 45 at max.” “Happy Birthday to Tabitha. My mother watched the show and I remember how excited she was when Tabitha was born. I can’t believe that was 60 years ago,” another person wrote. This fan remembers the episode very clearly. “Emotional scene between Darrin and Endora in front of the babies at the hospital. Eve Arden was hilarious as Nurse Kelton as she tried matching wits with Endora and Serena.Endora ended up naming Tabitha,” they wrote. Another fan close to Erin Murphy’s age still watches Bewitched. “I love sharing Bewitched with MY grandkids…we were born just a couple months apart…so you & Bewitched show the styles and strollers/car seats of OUR time…LOL. Love ya, grrl!!” They wrote. This story’s featured image is by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images.

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In a world where headlines often spotlight urban crime, New York City just made history— but for all the right reasons. According to the NYPD, 2025 marked the lowest number of shootings ever recorded in the city’s history, a milestone city leaders are celebrating as a testament to strategic, data-driven policing and community resilience. “In 2025, New York City recorded 688 shooting incidents,” said Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch at a press conference last week. “That didn’t just break the previous record set in 2018; it shattered it, with 66 fewer shootings than that benchmark year.” Even more striking, Tisch noted, was the record set in December: only 35 shootings were reported citywide, the fewest ever in any month on record. “We see the headlines and we hear the pundits talk about crime being out of control in our city,” she said. “These numbers tell a very different story.” Precision policing and community partnerships At the heart of this shift is what officials call a “precision policing strategy”. This is a multi-pronged approach that includes ramping up patrols in areas most affected by gun violence and targeting organized criminal networks. “Make no mistake about it,” Tisch said, “these reductions are the product of our precision policing strategy, putting an unprecedented number of cops on the streets and in the neighborhoods driving violence.” The NYPD deployed thousands of additional officers on foot posts and conducted targeted takedowns of violent gangs, leading to significant progress that, officials say, sets New York apart from other major U.S. cities. Tisch also noted her developing partnership with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, describing their working relationship as “close and productive”. Their alliance is something that both she and the mayor suggest is instrumental in steering the city toward a safer future. Crime stats show broader progress Beyond gun violence, the NYPD reported an overall drop in major crime across the five boroughs. There was a three percent decline in major crime in 2025 compared to the previous year, with 121,542 incidents reported versus 125,026 in 2024. Murder rates dropped by more than 20 percent citywide, with 77 fewer homicides than the year before. Robberies fell nearly 10 percent, and both burglary and theft saw modest but meaningful declines. Hate crimes were down by 12 percent, and antisemitic incidents fell by three percent, though they still made up 57 percent of all reported hate crimes. “Antisemitism continues to be the most persistent hate threat that we face,” Tisch said, underscoring the ongoing need for vigilance and education. There were a few areas where crime ticked up. Rape cases increased by 16 percent, a change that NYPD attributed to new legislation enacted in September 2024, which broadened the state’s legal definition of rape to include more forms of sexual assault. Felony assault also rose slightly, by 0.4 percent, due in part to domestic violence cases and assaults on public employees. Safer streets, stronger communities City leaders emphasized that these improved numbers are more than just statistics. Every number represents lives changed and communities healed. “Each of those percentage points adds up to dining room tables without an empty seat, lives freed from the dark cloud of grief, children that grow up with a parent at home,” said Mayor Mamdani. Governor Kathy Hochul echoed that sentiment, calling the numbers “nothing short of extraordinary.” Reflecting on her first year in office in 2022, she said, “Today is a milestone—something I think we could not have foreseen four years ago.” Looking ahead While challenges remain, 2025’s record-low shooting rate and broader crime reduction give officials hope for sustaining this progress in the years ahead. With continued investments in targeted policing, community partnerships, and support for violence prevention efforts, city leaders believe the trend can continue. As Tisch summed it up, “New York City has pushed gun violence down at a scale unlike any other city in the country.” And if the numbers are any indication, the strategy seems to be working.     Did this story stand out? Share it with a friend or support our mission by becoming an Emissary.