Was the old man seated alongside a barrel really all that beloved? Continue reading…

President Trump’s crackdown on crime isn’t stopping with Washington, D.C. On the day he announced the federal takeover of D.C.’s police force and sent in the National Guard, President Trump also said that other big, crime-ridden cities — like Chicago and NYC — will be next. Today, he confirmed that he plans to bring the National Guard to Chicago to clean up the streets once D.C. is restored to its former glory. Check it out: I am in tears. Trump has listened to the people in Chicago. He said he will bring the National Guard into Chicago after they are finished in DC People in Chicago will want to feel safe I VOTED FOR THIS pic.twitter.com/it7VT6fmLo — MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) August 22, 2025 In addition, President Trump mentioned that New York will come after Chicago. Hilariously (and accurately), President Trump also called out the reporters in the room with him. He said that he understands their jobs require them to say things they don’t really mean, but that deep down, they are thankful “Trump is here” to tackle crime! Watch this: IT’S HAPPENING President Trump confirms after he’s done with Cleaning up DC, Chicago is NEXT! With the reporters in the room, he points at them and says they will all say how bad of a person I am, but secretly they will say “Thank God Trump is here… I don’t want to get… https://t.co/PhInCr5bFc pic.twitter.com/2cxMmWBkUk — MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) August 22, 2025 IT’S HAPPENING    President Trump confirms after he’s done with Cleaning up DC, Chicago is NEXT! With the reporters in the room, he points at them and says they will all say how bad of a person I am, but secretly they will say “Thank God Trump is here… I don’t want to get mugged anymore” DAMMMMMM… they know he’s right. Here’s the full clip via Rumble: For those who prefer to read, here’s a transcript of what President Trump had to say: This will be one of the safest places anywhere on Earth. So, you know, I really, I really am honored that the National Guard has done such an incredible job working with the police, and we haven’t had to bring in the regular military, which we’re willing to do if we have to. And after we do this, we’ll go to another location, and we’ll make it safe also. We’re going to make our country very safe. We’re going to make our cities very, very safe. Chicago is a mess. You have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent, and we’ll straighten that one out probably next. That’ll be our next one after this, and it won’t even be tough. And the people in Chicago, Mr. Vice President, are screaming for us to come. They’re wearing red hats just like this one, but they’re wearing red hats. African American ladies, beautiful ladies, are saying, Please, President Trump, come to Chicago, please. I did great with the black vote, as you know, and they want something to happen. So, I think Chicago will be our next, and then we’ll help with New York, and we’re going to help with— and I think, really, I think a lot of these people that you see on television, they are— including the people in this audience, they’ll say bad things about me, and then they’ll say, “thank God he’s here” because half of them got mugged, and they don’t want to get mugged again. But they’re, you know, they work for— they work for stupid people that are radical left, and they’re made to do things and say things that they don’t want to be saying. But the people right here are all happy because you’re not going to be mugged in Washington, DC anymore. Incredible. This is exactly what many Americans voted for. And, whether they admit it or not, even Americans who didn’t vote for President Trump will be happier once he makes the places they live safer and cleaner. Already, President Trump is doing it in D.C. and the rest of the country is watching the results. USA Today reported on the drastic reduction in crime President Trump’s D.C. takeover has produced, so far: Since the deployment of the troops, carjackings have decreased by 83%, robberies by 46%, car thefts by 21%, and overall violent crime by 22% compared to the previous seven days, according to Metropolitan Police Department’s police union. Recently, black residents of Chicago have been posting videos like this one asking President Trump for help: BREAKING: Black Americans have started uploading videos requesting President Trump to ‘Clean up Chicago.’ Chicagoan“Hey Trump! Trump, you need to bring the National Guard to Chicago, man. You got kids kiIIing kids, man. Thats not good.” pic.twitter.com/Ct3AuoRPr1 — Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) August 17, 2025 And, President Trump is heeding the call! Chicago, then New York, followed by all the other once-great, crime-infested cities in our wonderful nation. One by once, President Trump will make our cities great again!

Here’s you’re lighthearted story for the day. A video that has gone viral shows a black bear taking a dip in a hot tub in Tennessee. The bear visited the hot tub at a rental in Pigeon Forge. The woman who filmed the bear said the bear showed no aggression, and after he took time to relax, he left without incident. Yahoo News provided more details on the bear’s swim: A black bear was caught taking a dip and splashing about in a hot tub in Tennessee earlier this month. Felicia Shillingburg said she was in the hot tub of a rental in Pigeon Forge with her mother and a friend when a bear came around the corner and onto the wooden deck. Video taken by Shillingburg shows the bear relaxing in the hot tub and swimming around. Shillingburg can be heard saying, “He was hot. He said, ‘Where’s the party? Where’s the party at?’” The renters shared the footage to Facebook and said th bear did not seem aggressive and seemed to be “very comfortable with humans.” “He just took a dip and left,” Shillingburg said. Here’s the footage: ‘WHERE’S THE PARTY AT?’: This black bear was spotted living it up in a Tennessee hot tub. pic.twitter.com/BL1eLYoK0Z — Fox News (@FoxNews) August 22, 2025 Not all bears in Tennessee are as friendly. WVLT reported a Gatlinburg woman was bitten and dragged by a bear that broke into her home: A woman claims she was bitten and dragged from her home by a black bear this week, according to Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency representative Matthew Cameron. Cameron said wildlife officers received a report that a woman had been bitten by a black bear and dragged from her porch just after 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Officials said that when officers arrived at the home on Jefferson Road in Sevier County near Gatlinburg they saw a yearling bear inside a trap that had been set following a previous incident at the same residence last Friday. Cameron said that earlier incident involved a bear breaking into a vehicle and causing extensive damage, ultimately rendering the vehicle a total loss. Groceries were present inside the vehicle at the time of the break-in.

The Florida Everglades are currently experiencing a massive wildfire. At the time of this writing, over 42,000 acres have already been burned, resulting in heavy smoke hovering over the city of Miami and the region surrounding the Everglades. Currently, the fire is at a 10% containment. NBC Miami reported more on the fire’s path and destruction: Firefighters are facing major challenges as they work to contain a massive wildfire burning deep in the Everglades. The blaze, known as the Mile Marker 39 Fire, has now scorched at least 42,000 acres — double the area reported just a day earlier. Officials said only about 10% of the fire is contained. The remote location, along with wetlands that make access difficult, has slowed efforts to put out the flames. In some areas, crews are relying on helicopters to scoop water from nearby canals and drop it on hotspots. “Our wild land firefighters from the FFS [Florida Forest Service] using heavy equipment, engines, specialized equipment working on the ground in areas that are accessible, the wetlands have been a hinderance in terms of fire suppression activity,” said Michelle Danielson of the Florida Forest Service. Drivers along Alligator Alley reported seeing both heavy smoke and bright orange flames as early as Thursday morning. Here are some scenes of the blaze: NEW:A MASSIVE fire began Tuesday and has soared to over 40,000 acres in South Florida’s Everglades.This dubbed the Mile Marker 39 Fire, which is believed to have been started by lightning.Daily showers are expected in South Florida, which should help greatly in suppression, as… pic.twitter.com/opaYwsIbc5 — WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) August 22, 2025 A blanket of smoke was seen across parts of South Florida on Wednesday as firefighters in Broward County worked to control a brush fire in the Everglades, according to WSVN. Aerial footage from the station shows a brush fire burning and sending thick white smoke into the air. pic.twitter.com/MGS23ZkC20 — The Associated Press (@AP) August 21, 2025 Wow, biggest Everglades fire we’ve gotten in a while right off Alligator Alley. pic.twitter.com/pKYDqAzvOx — Kokoro wo moyase#FreeThemAll (@drgloryjjjjj958) August 21, 2025 CBS reported on the current air quality in Broward county, where the blaze is taking place: Broward’s Natural Resource Division said the air quality for the county on Friday is moderate. Those sensitive to particle pollution should limit their time outdoors. The county will see some relief late Friday afternoon when a seabreeze kicks in and pushes the smoke to the west. The rest of South Florida’s air quality is good. BREAKING: MIAMI IS COVERED IN TOXIC SMOKE Over 19,000 acres of Everglades are on fire and officials admit it’s 0% contained. The skies are choked out, the air is officially “unhealthy,” visibility is collapsing, and millions are breathing poison. Wildfires in a swamp? In… pic.twitter.com/XwC9n6yKfy — HustleBitch (@HustleBitch_) August 20, 2025

President Donald Trump is demanding the immediate release of former Colorado election official and Gold Star mom Tina Peters from prison or there would be “harsh measures” taken. The judge gave the elderly woman nine years for trying to preserve election data by letting another person use a security badge to download the machine’s date […] The post President Trump Threatens “Harsh Measures” If Tina Peters Is Not Released appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

An Obama-appointed judge ruled on Friday that President Donald Trump can’t cut federal funding from dozens of cities and counties that officials have deemed “sanctuaries” for illegal immigrants. U.S. District Judge William Orrick, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2012, extended a preliminary injunction to block the Trump administration from pulling federal funds, or attaching immigration conditions to federal funds for local jurisdictions, according to a Fox News report. The ruling protects more than 30 sanctuary jurisdictions, including Los Angeles, Baltimore, Boston, and Chicago. Orrick additionally blocked Trump from placing similar immigration-related conditions on two grant programs. The judge argued that Trump’s action to protect Americans from unvetted illegal immigrants, specifically by threatening to withhold federal funding, is unconstitutional coercion. In January, Trump signed an executive order to cut off federal funding for sanctuary jurisdictions, moving to fulfill a widely-supported campaign promise. The EO, called “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” directs the DOJ and the Department of Homeland Security to ensure “sanctuary jurisdictions” do not receive federal money. It further directs the DOJ and DHS to “evaluate and undertake any other lawful actions, criminal or civil, that they deem warranted based on any such jurisdiction’s practices that interfere with the enforcement of Federal law.” End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships The administration has also targeted the worst of the worst, suing Los Angeles and New York City for such policies. The DOJ sued Los Angeles in June, arguing that city policies barring city resources from aiding in immigration enforcement operations or collecting information about individuals’ citizenship status violate federal law, Reuters reported. A month later, the DOJ took action against New York City for related immigration reasons. Trump has spoken fiercely about wanting to defund sanctuary jurisdictions, deeming them a threat to the American people and the rule of law. “No more Sanctuary Cities! They protect the Criminals, not the Victims. They are disgracing our Country, and are being mocked all over the World,” Trump posted back in April on Truth Social. “Working on papers to withhold all Federal Funding for any City or State that allows these Death Traps to exist!!!” The Trump administration is expected to appeal the ruling.

Illegal border crossings are down across the U.S. border with Mexico, and Customs and Border Protection has also seen a significant decline in drug seizures at the border. But the same cannot be said of drug seizures in the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands as cartels look for ways to get their drugs into the United States with the U.S.-Mexico border practically shut down.   While illegal crossings are down in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, drug smuggling is on the rise. Already in fiscal year 2025, Border Patrol has seized 9,600 pounds of cocaine, while it seized 5,900 pounds in 2024 and 5,300 pounds in 2023.  “The Caribbean has always been a hot spot for cocaine,” Chief Patrol Agent Reggie Johnson of the Ramey Sector told The Daily Signal.   The Caribbean’s geographical location makes it a prime region for drug smuggling, according to Johnson. Specifically, Puerto Rico can be thought of as a “bridge to the U.S.,” he explained, because it is geographically much closer to Venezuela, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic—high drug-producing nations—than to the U.S. mainland.  Most of the drugs entering Puerto Rico are smuggled in via boat, according to Johnson. Once inside the U.S. territory, he says it is easier for smugglers to get the drugs to the U.S. mainland because flights are domestic from the Caribbean into the U.S.   Smugglers “may mail the cocaine, they may try to travel with the cocaine on planes, or they’ll take other boats or ships toward the United States,” he said.   Efforts to apprehend drug smugglers is often a joint law enforcement effort that includes the Coast Guard, CBP’s Office of Field Operations, and local police in Puerto Rico.  “It really should not surprise people if there is an uptick in activity in Puerto Rico because the U.S.-Mexico border has been pretty much shut down,” Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, told The Daily Signal.   Drug traffickers are “nimble,” Vaughan says. “They have to find substitutes for the business that they were able to do [while] taking advantage of the U.S.-Mexico border,” she said, adding that there has been an increase in maritime drug smuggling since the start of the Trump administration in January.   President Donald Trump has prioritized border security since returning to the Oval Office, ending the “catch and release” of illegal aliens, reinstating the Remain in Mexico Policy, and ending a number of “parole” programs used to mass parole illegal aliens into the U.S. under the Biden administration.   Additional resources are needed to address the increased drug smuggling efforts in Puerto Rico, and Johnson says the passage of the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” is expected to provide those resources.   “We’re going to receive the resources and funding like we’ve never seen before for border security,” the Ramey Sector chief said. “You know, my sector personally, we’re going to have more vehicles, more personnel to address the threats, drones, surveillance towers, ATVs—we’re going to be fully equipped to handle the threat and ensure we can detect the threat before it makes landfall.”   The One Big, Beautiful Bill includes $165 billion in funding for the Department of Homeland Security, including $4.1 billion to hire additional border security personnel and “$3.2 billion for new technology and $2.7 billion for new cutting-edge border surveillance,” according to DHS.   The focus of the Border Patrol right now is “100% situational awareness,” Johnson says, adding that every mile of Puerto Rico’s border is “going to be secure.”   The post Fewer People, More Cocaine: Smuggling Operations Through Puerto Rico appeared first on The Daily Signal.