Former Press Secretary Katie Zacharia said it was an honor to work for President Donald Trump in a statement posted hours after her ouster from the White House. “President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and hardworking man. I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to,” she said. “It was an honor to work for him.” Zacharia posted the statement on Friday night, the same evening she and her family reportedly joined Vice President JD Vance and his family for dinner at the vice president’s residence. She also shared a photo of herself standing beside Trump as he sat at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. Earlier that day, five days into her tenure, Trump said he had urged her to reconsider staying on. “I said to her, honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider,” he told reporters outside the White House on Friday. “I would reconsider.” “I told Katie that in my opinion she was treated very, very unfairly, very unfairly by the news,” Trump said disclosing more of the conversation.  “And I said, Katie, do you need this? I don’t think you need this, and we’re talking about doing something. We like Katie a lot.” Zacharia was thrown into the role on short notice, accepting the job last Friday and holding her first press briefing on Tuesday. After a halting debut at the podium and questions over whether she had misrepresented herself as a lawyer, she was out exactly one week after Trump offered her the position. At the time, Trump had said, “I am confident that Katie will deliver strong results for our Country as the next White House Press Secretary, as she has the respect of, and will work fantastically with, the Media, the American People, and my Administration.” Anthony Scaramucci — whose 11-day stint as White House communications director in 2017 had long been the benchmark for brief tenures in the Trump White House — offered Zacharia some advice on X. “Dear Katie Zacharia,” he said. “Speaking as the world’s leading expert on short White House tenures: turn off the news and go enjoy your family. In time you’ll realize that the Universe did you a major favor. Before serving as Press Secretary, Zacharia briefly worked for the Department of Homeland Security as a spokeswomen for former Secretary Kristi Noem but left six weeks later after the schedule became too difficult to manage with her family.  Noem reportedly congratulated President Trump on choosing Zacharia for the role. 

A Florida man is facing first-degree murder and child abuse charges after allegedly shooting his girlfriend in the face and running her over with an SUV while his 5-year-old daughter was inside the vehicle. Christopher “Dodge” Smith, 40, allegedly attacked Jessica Antolini, 30, following an argument outside a bar in Safety Harbor, Florida, on Tuesday night, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Witnesses told investigators that Smith arrived at the bar shortly before 9 p.m. and appeared to be “hunting” for Antolini. Some described him as looking “possessed,” according to a criminal complaint cited by the New York Post. After finding Antolini, Smith provoked an argument with her outside the bar before shooting her in the face. Authorities said he then drove his SUV over her and fled the scene with his 5-year-old daughter and a dog still inside, leaving Antolini critically injured. “Detectives say multiple 911 calls reporting the shooting were received from witnesses who also provided information about Smith’s vehicle,” the sheriff’s office said in its incident report. Deputies later located Smith’s SUV and attempted to pull him over. Smith allegedly refused to stop, forcing deputies to immobilize the vehicle, according to the New York Post. Smith was initially charged with attempted first-degree murder and child abuse. He is being held without bond at the Pinellas County Jail. After Antolini died from her injuries, his murder charge was upgraded to first-degree murder. Safety Harbor Mayor Joe Ayoub announced Antolini’s death in a Facebook post, describing the community as grieving following a “devastating act of domestic violence.” “It is with a profoundly heavy heart that I must share that our neighbor, Jessica Antolini, has passed away from the severe injuries she sustained during the attack,” Ayoub wrote. “As a father to a 5-year-old daughter myself, my heart completely breaks for the innocent young child who was caught in the middle of this horrific event. No child should ever have to witness or endure such trauma,” he added. Ayoub also praised law enforcement and community members for their swift response, crediting them with helping apprehend the suspect and ensuring the child was safely reunited with loved ones. “I want to extend my gratitude to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and the brave community members who stepped forward instantly on Tuesday night,” he wrote. “Because of your quick actions and the rapid response of our deputies, the suspect was immediately apprehended and remains in custody facing upgraded charges of First-Degree Murder.” Christopher Dodge mugshot. Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (credit: NYP)

Attorneys for Rep. Ilham Omar (D-MN) asked federal prosecutors Friday to immediately return all property seized from her home in an ongoing criminal investigation. On Monday, agents from the Department of Homeland Security searched the congresswoman’s home after a federal judge approved the search warrant. Once inside, the agents took several personal items, including her cellphone, notebooks, personal computers and her passport, according to the Wall Street Journal.  “There is no legitimate basis for any suggestion that she has violated any law concerning her citizenship status,” said Omar’s attorneys in a letter to the Justice Department.  “This vindictive, retributive, and politically motivated criminal investigation into one of the President’s chief congressional critics violates Representative Omar’s constitutional rights and threatens the separation of powers,” they added. Her attorneys argue the search was deliberately timed for the final weeks before the midterms, when voters will decide whether Omar serves a fifth term. Justice Department practice has long discouraged overt investigative steps against a candidate in the roughly 60 days before an election — a practice Omar’s lawyers say the department violated. Spokesperson for the Department of Justice Emily Covington told ABC news that, “Our attorneys and law enforcement partners complied with all court orders and legal obligations, as they always do.” Omar’s attorneys also requested copies of any video and audio recordings that were made inside her home.  The scope of the investigation remains unknown, however, the Daily Wire outlined five possible crimes on Wednesday. First, the Department of Justice could be looking into whether Omar’s father committed immigration fraud when he was seeking refugee status—meaning his Ilhan Omar’s citizenship could also be affected. Second, there are questions around whether her father became a citizen and whether Omar was under 18 at the time. Third, there are allegations that her husband, Tim Mynett, used Omar’s position to benefit his firm’s African clients through legislation, along with questions about his businesses and the couple’s financial disclosures. A 2025 filing valued the couple’s assets at up to $30 million, largely from Mynett’s business stakes; an amended filing earlier this year reported a net worth of roughly $18,000 to $95,000, with Mynett’s businesses listed as having no value after liabilities. On Thursday, Omar thanked her supporters and constituents who have stood by her. “Thank you to everyone who stood with me over the years,” she said. “It’s been a scary journey but I have always been grounded in my work and ability to provide exemplary service to my constituents. Trump and his administration have been after me since I arrived in Congress. I have always stood up to him and that will never change. The pedophile protector will never silence me.” The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to the Daily Wire’s request for comment. 

A massive shelter dog that weighed the same as a baby hippo has shed the pounds—and found a new home. The huge bulldog named Peggy Sue swelled to 70 pounds (32.5kg) before she was taken to the RSPCA’s West Hatch Animal Centre in England. She was so large she struggled with walking, infections, and overheating, […] The post Massive 70lb Dog the Size of Baby Hippo Sheds Pounds and Gets New Home appeared first on Good News Network.

By the author of Dear Diary: It’s Me, Jessica: The Second Year A note from the author: Dear Diary fans, First and foremost, I would like to thank you all for your patience.   Life took a different turn, and while I thought I could continue writing Dear Diary, I was not just a little wrong, but a great, big, fat wrong.  So, after my brief hiatus, Jessica, Rae, Jack, Mom and Dad, Samson and the puppies, and all the denizens of Four Corners are back.   I hope I will continue to entertain you, and we shall, together, see what adventures, challenges, trials, and tribulations Jessica and company face. v/r J. Conrad Garret In case you missed the last chapter, you can find it here. Dear Diary, It’s me, Jessica. The smell of fall was in the cool, crisp air. The sky was a bright blue. The tree leaves were changing from their lively greens to bright yellows, oranges, and reds. As I rode my horse to Four Corners, I heard squirrels rooting through the fallen leaves. Tom and Collins greeted me with a smile and a wave as I passed through the East gate. Yellow Teeth Bob nodded to me, but was busy writing down trade transactions in his book for two men. The animal pens were fairly full, the butchers were at work, and others to collect on what they had agreed to for trade. It was a busy morning. When I reached Four Corners proper, I tied my horse to the hitching posts at the side of Sean’s shack. He too was busy writing down trade transactions and, like Yellow Teeth Bob, gave me a nod and quick smile. I stopped by Daniel and Savannah’s medical quarters to see if they were in, but they were not. They were likely walking around Four Corners, checking in on people. I headed South for Nate’s place. Four Corners had its own kind of energy, or vibe, as people went about their business. Others talked and laughed openly. The smell of the cooking fires and food was in the air. Men waiting for a shave or to have their hair cut or trimmed played cards around a small fire while the two barbers busily cut or shaved. Mom cuts my hair, but once in a while, Rae and I would come and trade for hair washing and a trim. The barbers made their own goat soap and scented it with different flowers, herbs, and lavender. Did not sound like much but in comparison to our usual daily sponge bath, it was luxurious. Rae and I would only do it a few times a year. I would mention it to Rae. In another month, if not sooner, no one would want to go around with wet hair, no matter how good it felt or smelled. I walked up to Nate’s RV. He was sitting at his folding table outside under the pop-up tent. “Good morning Jessica. How are you?” he said, and stood up and offered his hand. Jamal was football-linebacker big, but Nate was lumberjack big. My hand was just as small in Nate’s hand as we shook. “Good morning, Nate. I am doing well. Dad drew up plans for the covered wagon he built for Katie. He has a few trailer tires you can use.” Nate unrolled the drawings I handed him. “These are good. What I like about your dad is that he is methodical, detailed, and likes to share. Prevents me from having to reinvent the wheel,” he said with a big grin. “Tell him I said thank you.” “I will. Have you seen Daniel or Savannah?” “Yeah, they are making the rounds, passed by here earlier. The cold is out and about.” “Nothing bad, is it?” “Oh, not really. I got it for a few days. Sore, scratchy throat, stuffy head, occasional cough. Usual get-over-a-cold remedies, rest, hot tea, chicken soup, and I was back on my feet in no time. Daniel and Savannah are just looking over the vulnerable, the little ones and the like.” “I have some of Jack’s industrial-strength cleaner as a disinfectant for them.” “Yeah, they are out and about to the South.” “Okay, thanks.” “Thank your dad for me for the plans and the tires.” “Will do!” I found Daniel and Savannah closer to the South gate examining a small girl. “The fever is gone, and she looks like she is over her cold,” Savannah was saying to the girl’s mother. “Just a few remaining sniffles.” The little girl then blew her nose on her mother’s long apron. “Perfect timing,” Daniel smiled, looking on. “Thank you, Wendy,” the mother said, rolling her eyes. She thanked Daniel and Savannah and led Wendy away. “Jessica!” Savannah exclaimed when she saw me and gave me a big hug. Despite our high school history before the power went out, Savannah would now always hug me when we greeted each other and when we parted. Diary, it is kinda funny, I think of Rae as the big sister I never had and Jack as the big brother I never had and now I think of Savannah as the sister I never had. Come to think on it, it is like parts of our community and Four Corners are like a big family I never had. Tom and Collins. Sean. Katie. Okay, maybe not Yellow Teeth Bob, but you get the idea. “Jack sent me with some of his industrial-strength cleaner and disinfectant for you.” I pulled out two large bottles of the cleaner and disinfectant, sealed with corks. “Oh, good. We used up the last bottle when Sam was splitting kindling, missed, and cut the back of his hand with a hatchet.” “You had to use that much disinfectant?” I asked. “Oh, no. Some to clean the wound. The rest was for the pain when I had Savannah stitch him up. Half a bottle of that stuff and he was feeling no pain!” “How did the stitching go?” I asked Savannah. “Pretty good, actually. Daniel has had me practicing with fishing line on scrap cuts or skin of slaughtered livestock. Some of the ladies who do knitting also helped me.” “Knitting?” “Seems odd, but they would have me do the same knots with yarn and darning needles. I could see what I was doing on a much larger scale. And once I got the hang of it, I could do it faster. Then, when I moved on to working on the livestock scraps and skin, it only took a few knots to get it right. When I worked on Sam, him being drunk is what made it more difficult. He kept trying to use his hand I was stitching up to give us play-by-play of his winning touchdown at the state champs when he was a wide receiver in high school.” “I was two inches from hitting him to knock him out when Savannah suggested I give him another pull of the disinfectant. Two minutes later, he was passed out and drooling on himself,” Daniel smiled. “That is one way of doing it,” I nodded to Savannah. “Yes. But from what we saw, Sam did not appreciate the hangover the next morning,” Savannah smiled sweetly. About 1stMarineJarHead 1stMarineJarHead is not only a former Marine but also a former EMT-B, Wilderness EMT (courtesy of NOLS), and volunteer firefighter. He currently resides in the great white (i.e. snowy) Northeast with his wife and dogs. He raises chickens, rabbits, goats, occasionally hogs, cows and sometimes ducks. He grows various veggies and has a weird fondness for rutabagas. He enjoys reading, writing, cooking from scratch, making charcuterie, target shooting, and is currently expanding his woodworking skills. The post Dear Diary: It’s Me, Jessica: Chapter 16 (Book 3) appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

The king of cocaine wrote off an estimated $2.1 billion each year due to chunks of cash being eaten by rats (whether those “rats” were animals or people, the record is unclear). According to Pablo Escobar’s brother and accountant, Roberto, the cartel accumulated so much cash that it could hardly keep track of it. That write-off is nearly twice the $1.2 billion Bank of America now must pay for violating federal anti-money-laundering laws.  But the consequences of money laundering extend far beyond missing cartel cash or billion-dollar bank penalties. Few people are passionate about ones and zeroes, but most Americans care about human trafficking, fentanyl syndicates, gas prices, avocado farmers, and the future of the American dream. Money laundering enables criminal organizations to threaten the things Americans care about, while the resulting illicit financial activity can undermine legitimate American businesses.  When criminal enterprises are allowed to exploit free markets, public confidence in capitalism suffers, potentially making alternatives like socialism more appealing.  Bank of America’s stock promptly plummeted more than 8% after the news broke, issuing a stinging blow to shareholders who presumably expected that the company would not willfully violate the Bank Secrecy Act, fail to promptly report more than $5 billion in suspicious transactions, or leave itself vulnerable to potential illicit activity involving Mexican cartels and Chinese money-laundering networks (organizations so common that they have earned their own acronym within federal crime reports, CMLNs).  Bank of America is not the only bank facing scrutiny over its anti-money-laundering practices. Other financial institutions would be wise to ensure compliance with relevant Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) requirements before finding themselves in a similar position.  The staggering sums of money involved are not shocking to anyone who knows the real numbers behind some of the most profitable criminal organizations on Earth.   U.S. government estimates have placed Mexican and Colombian drug cartels’ annual revenues as high as $39 billion from drug trafficking alone. The Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) have collaborated with CMLNs since at least 2016. Mexican cartels need to launder their illicit American dollars, while Chinese nationals seeking to circumvent China’s currency restrictions need access to those same dollars. CMLNs marry the two.  International criminal organizations reportedly generate tens of billions in annual illicit proceeds, but money laundering is what allows those proceeds to sustain and expand their criminal operations. Money laundering often involves mixing illicit funds with legitimate income and moving the money through banks to disguise their criminal origins. Once the money appears legitimate, criminal organizations can use it to finance further operations without raising suspicion.  Although cartels and CMLNs are famously coy about their profits, publicly traded American financial institutions are not. Bank of America reported approximately $30.5 billion in net income in 2025. Its recent $1.21 billion penalty is equivalent to nearly 4% of its annual profits.  Major American banks have millions of shareholders, including ordinary Americans whose retirement savings are tied up in mutual funds and pensions. These institutions’ directors owe shareholders fiduciary duties, including a duty of oversight that requires them to make good-faith efforts to ensure adequate reporting systems are in place to detect and address serious compliance failures.  Why Should American Investors Care About Money Laundering?  Consider the industries that benefit when illicit profits are concealed from law enforcement and reinvested.  When banks turn a blind eye to suspicious financial activity, they risk giving some of the world’s most destructive criminal enterprises room to thrive:  Human Trafficking  In 2024, FinCEN found that TD Bank’s inadequate monitoring of payment platforms, including Venmo and Zelle, prevented it from detecting and timely reporting activity indicative of human trafficking.  Drug Trafficking  In 2012, HSBC agreed to pay approximately $1.9 billion after federal investigators uncovered the laundering of at least $881 million in drug trafficking proceeds, including money tied to the Sinaloa Cartel.  Fuel Smuggling  Mexican cartels have expanded into the fuel business, stealing and smuggling petroleum products for enormous profits. FinCEN has warned that cartels use shell companies and American bank accounts to conceal payments associated with these schemes, with more than $7 billion in suspicious activity identified in the year following its 2025 alert.  Avocado Farm Extortion  Mexican cartels have extorted avocado growers under threat of violence, turning an ordinary agricultural industry into another source of criminal revenue. In 2025, the Treasury Department sanctioned Luis Enrique Barragán Chávez, known as “Wicho,” for his involvement in avocado extortion in Michoacán, Mexico.  Illicit Market Competition  Treasury’s 2026 National Money Laundering Risk Assessment warns that illicit finance crowds out legitimate businesses and undermines confidence in American free markets.  Shareholders Deserve Answers  In our capitalist system, corporate directors have fiduciary duties to act in shareholders’ best interests and pursue long-term shareholder value. Generating profits and delivering returns is precisely what investors expect them to do. But those profits must be earned within the bounds of the law, not at the expense of American investors or national security.  As international criminal networks become increasingly sophisticated at exploiting legitimate financial institutions, shareholders have every reason to demand greater transparency about their banks’ exposure to illicit activity. Boards should now be asking how Bank of America managed to overlook billions in suspicious transactions and whether their own institutions are vulnerable to similar failures.  Bank of America’s settlement illustrates just how expensive apparently inadequate oversight can become. And when financial institutions fail to take known risks seriously, ordinary shareholders are left dealing with the consequences.  Pablo Escobar could afford to lose billions to rats. Shareholders and citizens should not have to pay for their banks’ failure to keep dirty money out of the American financial system.