Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara adopted a judge’s ruling to grant State Farm a 17% “emergency” rate increase. I guess the millionaires that run State Farm are having a hard time. Poor fellas. Judge Karl Frederic Seligman recommended the hike while considering a larger request from last year. Lara said State Farm must now justify its financial woes and outline a recovery plan in a full hearing. And all this after the massive fires in L.A. where State Farm curiously cancelled 69% of the policies in Palisades before it went up in smoke. California is allowing State Farm to charge an extra 17% for homeowners’ insurance after already approving a 20% hike last year…. the Liberals are driving working people out of the state. pic.twitter.com/gIkgKaHtHt — Satguy 141 (@satguy01) May 14, 2025 LA Times reports: Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara adopted an administrative law judge’s ruling Tuesday and granted State Farm General an emergency 17% hike in its homeowner rates. The commissioner’s decision followed the release earlier in the day of a ruling by Judge Karl Frederic Seligman, who recommended that Lara adopt the rate increase pending the department’s consideration of a larger rate request the insurer sought last year due to its weak financial condition. “I expect State Farm to provide the highest level of service to its California customers and to fulfill its promises,” Lara said in a statement. “State Farm must now justify its financial condition and detail its recovery plan in a full rate hearing before a neutral judge and my department’s experts.” The decision also would give State Farm interim rate hikes of 15% for its condo and renters insurance and 38% for its landlord rental-dwelling insurance. State Farm originally sought a 22% emergency rate hike for its homeowners coverage, but later reduced the request to 17%. In making the ruling, the judge said that California’s largest home insurer was already in a weakened financial state at the time of the Los Angeles wildfires — and that the emergency rate hike would carry it over until the state considers the prior rate request. Last year, State Farm sought premium increases of 30% for homeowners, 42% for renters and condo owners and 38% for landlords of rental dwellings. “The proposed interim rate stipulation serves the best interests of California consumers and the public. Taken as a whole, it represents a fundamentally fair, adequate and necessary measure — effectively functioning as a rescue mission to stabilize State Farm’s financial condition while safeguarding policyholders,” Seligman wrote in his ruling released Tuesday. Shocking, not shocking, California insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara approved an insurance rate hike of up to 38% for State Farm customers. pic.twitter.com/EkGZ15vudh — Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) May 14, 2025 Cancel those policies. Now they want a raise. State Farm canceled 69% of its homeowner policies after brush removal was suspended in Palisades, leaving the area a hazard for wildfires. What were they thinking? Another land grab? pic.twitter.com/YuwbZ73raM — Steve2AGodFamilyCountry (@lakemonstercl1) January 11, 2025 The same State Farm that was busted by O’Keefe. OMG’s investigation into State Farm’s rate manipulation has been making headlines nationwide, with mainstream and local media picking up our story. “If something happens, we’ll go to the Department of Insurance… and if they don’t let us raise rates, we’ll just cancel… pic.twitter.com/3pSTJrlEK1 — O’Keefe Media Group (@OKeefeMedia) March 18, 2025 It seems trouble with State Farm isn’t only with those affected by the fires. Sharing the Wall Family story, or, should I say “nightmare” with State Farm Insurance. @StateFarm Why do we pay insurance only to have these insurance companies like State Farm abuse us when we file a claim? We need more oversight on what is going on with these insurance… pic.twitter.com/LXSDvTCGlz — M-Û-R-Č-H (@TheEXECUTlONER_) May 12, 2025

The last time I went to Starbucks the word “woke” wasn’t even in our vocabulary. I don’t think I’ve missed out on much by not going there. Except for the fact that I could’ve seen the baristas wearing a plaid shirt under their aprons, and maybe a khaki colored t-shirt. Well, those wild and reckless days are over! Starbucks is bringing down the hammer and making their employees endure needless hardship by….making them all wear a work uniform. Who does that? Except for just about every company out there. This was just too much for the safe-space enthusiasts to endure. So they united and are now protesting because they can’t “express themselves”. Hundreds of Starbucks staff have walked out of over 50 stores to protest the company’s new dress code, which went into effect earlier this week. pic.twitter.com/SvxbogLN1X — Revamped | Career & Workplace Development (@RevampedCP) May 14, 2025 Independence Journal Review reports on this horrific tale: The union representing Starbucks workers announced Wednesday that more than 1,000 Starbucks baristas are going on strike at 75 different locations across the U.S. According to the Associated Press, the strike is in response to a new company dress code, which will put limits on what a barista is able to wear under their green aprons beginning Monday. Employees at company-operated and licensed store in the U.S. and Canada will be required to only wear a solid black shirt, and khaki, black, or blue denim bottoms. Under the old dress code, baristas had more flexibility to wear dark shades and patterned shirts. Starbucks stated that its updated guidelines aim to highlight the iconic green aprons, fostering a stronger sense of familiarity and warmth for customers while enhancing the welcoming atmosphere in its stores. Starbucks Workers United, the union representing employees at 570 of the company’s 10,000 corporate-owned U.S. stores, argued that the dress code should be negotiated through collective bargaining. Paige Summers, a Starbucks shift supervisor from Hanover, Maryland, said Starbucks has “lost its way.” “Instead of listening to baristas who make the Starbucks experience what it is, they are focused on all the wrong things, like implementing a restrictive new dress code,” Summers said. “Customers don’t care what color our clothes are when they’re waiting 30 minutes for a latte.” I started circling everything wrong with their clothes in this pic, then I realized I just need to circle the whole pic. Also, all those skinny jeans and shorts were hurting my eyes. When will this end? What’s next? Not letting them wear nose rings? I need to take a break. This story is just too much for me right now. I’ll be in my safe space if anyone needs me. I’ll let the bearded lady take it from here. (I think she’s a she?) These clowns are complaining that Starbucks is trying to enforce a dress code! What did they expect when they hired people like this?! pic.twitter.com/mSNpKt5gCy — James Pleickhardt (@JamesPleickhar2) April 30, 2025 Gen Z baristas at Starbucks are pushing back against the updated dress code, saying it limits their ability to express themselves at work.pic.twitter.com/KVl0KUyPHD — Thomas Sowell Quotes (@ThomasSowell) May 6, 2025 It’s a return to professionalism and they don’t like it. “The new Starbucks dress code is the sign that we are moving into a conservative country” Oh no!! They have to dress professionally now!! How will these narcissists be able to express themselves now?!? pic.twitter.com/m9f4IXvUxV — Meme’nOnLibs (@MemeNonLibs) April 17, 2025 Fun fact: Did you know their logo is a woman spreading her legs? That’s why the current logo is an edited version, too many people were noticing. Before: After:

A.F. Branco Cartoon—A funny thing happens when you spray Democrat lies with facts: They don’t hold up very long, especially with the rise of alternative media and the downward faith in liberal legacy media. BRANCO TOON STORE DUH: Washington Post Media Critic Finally Notices MSNBC is Completely One-Sided With No Pro-Trump Voices Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple is just now noticing that MSNBC is completely unbalanced in its news coverage and features no pro-Trump voices. He deserves a participation trophy for this. Anyone who pays even the slightest bit of attention to media knows that MSNBC has become a 24 hour one-stop-shop for hatred of all things Trump. It has been this way for years. For all of the justified criticism of CNN, they at least have Scott Jennings. FOX News has plenty of pro-Trump voices, but they also have Trump critics on their network all the time. MSNBC plays a game with this. They have on anti-Trump Republicans, then turn around and claim that they listen to both sides… READ MORE DONATE to A.F. Branco Cartoons – Tips accepted and appreciated – $1.00 – $5.00 – $25.00 – $50.00 – it all helps to fund this website and keep the cartoons coming. Also Venmo @AFBranco – THANK YOU! A.F. Branco has taken his two greatest passions (art and politics) and translated them into cartoons that have been popular all over the country in various news outlets, including NewsMax, Fox News, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, and “The Washington Post.” He has been recognized by such personalities as Rep. Devin Nunes, Dinesh D’Souza, James Woods, Chris Salcedo, Sarah Palin, Larry Elder, Lars Larson, Rush Limbaugh, Elon Musk, and President Trump.

During an interview on The Lead with Jake Tapper, he asked Tom Homan about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who recently posted a video threatening Tom Homan if his agents touch any of the lawmakers. He cut right through her video rant. “First of all, you can’t intimidate me. Come on, give me a break. Five years […] The post Tom Homan on AOC’s Threats & A Massive Crackdown Is Coming! appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

President Donald Trump deepens U.S. ties in the Middle East with historic economic partnerships, while domestic battles over tax cuts and Medicaid rage on in Congress. The Federal Aviation Administration calls an urgent meeting with airlines to address critical staff shortages and faulty equipment at major travel hubs, grounding thousands of flights. And, a sweeping ICE raid in Nashville nets nearly 200 illegal aliens, sparking backlash from the city’s Democratic mayor and a larger national debate on Homeland Security protocols.  It’s Thursday, May 15, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:     If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:     Budget Battle Continues Topline: House Republicans negotiated Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” this week in marathon sessions that began Tuesday and stretched well into Wednesday morning. Lawmakers muscled the legislation forward to prepare it for passage by the end of next week. As budget negotiations continue to shape the bill, Congressional Republicans are focused on permanently extending Trump’s 2017 “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.” On top of that, Republicans want to make good on Trump’s campaign promises, such as no tax on tips, and boost funding for the military and immigration enforcement. “We’re checking all the boxes,” Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) told Newsmax. “ [The president] promised no taxes on overtime, no taxes on Social Security, no taxes on, for example, interest on car loans that are made in America. A number of those things are woven into this bill, and we’ve made all the math work so we can do that.“ So far, Republicans have agreed on new tax exemptions for tips and overtime pay for those earning less than $160,000 annually. The government will pay $1,000 to parents for babies born through December 31, 2028. The House bill also raises the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction from $10,000 up to $30,000, which some Republicans in blue states have said is still not enough. However, to balance the books, the GOP must find funding offsets. For example, the bill limits itemized deductions for the 37% top bracket, and some Inflation Reduction Act tax credits for electric vehicles and green energy will be scrapped, though not entirely until 2029. The bill would also introduce work requirements for able-bodied people to access Medicaid, and would create new safeguards to prevent waste and fraud, although those reforms could face opposition in the Senate. And… Yesterday, the White House announced an agreement that it said would generate an economic exchange worth $1.2 trillion with Qatar. As part of that deal, Qatar Airways said it plans to buy as many as 210 planes from Boeing. The U.S. has also agreed to deeper military cooperation with Qatar. Earlier this week, the president struck deals with Saudi Arabia that the White House says are worth about $600 billion.   FAA Reforms Topline: The Trump administration is putting pressure on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after several deadly plane crashes and concerns with staffing shortages. On Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy testified to lawmakers on a House Appropriations subcommittee about the Transportation Department’s new budget request. He’s asking for billions of dollars to update the country’s air traffic control system, which has been the target of widespread criticism after several deadly disasters and major snarls in the system. Hundreds of flights were grounded at Newark Liberty International Airport last week when air traffic controllers lost communications with planes for about 90 seconds. Newark needs 38 air traffic controllers – it only has 24, and five of them are on a 45-day trauma leave due to stress resulting from recent problems. Also, construction at Newark has caused about 34 flight cancellations per day. Duffy blamed the Biden administration for failing to fix a broken system. “This did not have to be our story,” Duffy said. “Over the last four years, the last administration, they knew this was a problem. And by the way, during COVID, when people weren’t flying, that was a perfect time to fix these problems.” On Wednesday, airlines met with the FAA to address the situation at Newark. The FAA is already working on the Newark airport — it installed a software update to prevent another outage and is slashing the number of flights for now. Duffy has made reversing the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI ) hiring practices implemented under the Obama and Biden administrations a major focus and has introduced a new recruitment program to address the air traffic controller shortage. He also wants to invest in new equipment — new radios for air traffic controllers, radar on the ground, tarmac sensors, and a new flight management system to improve airspace efficiency. As he was testifying to Congress on Wednesday, Duffy’s Transportation Department announced it had just approved dozens more infrastructure grants, for a total of 405 grants worth nearly $5 billion so far. The department says it has cleared about 13% of the backlog under former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who served during the Biden administration.   Nashville ICE Raids Nab Nearly 200 Illegals Topline: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carried out a week of raids in Nashville, Tennessee, arresting nearly 200 illegal aliens and prompting outrage from the city’s Democratic mayor. A week-long ICE raid in Nashville that started on May 3 captured nearly 200 illegal aliens, many of whom have been convicted of criminal offenses. Of the 196 illegal aliens detained by ICE, 95 had prior criminal convictions or pending charges, and 31 had illegally re-entered the United States after previously being deported. A Daily Wire investigation found that one of the illegal aliens captured is a 60-year-old Iraqi national who was convicted of rape and failed to register as a sex offender. Another is a 33-year-old from El Salvador believed to be affiliated with MS-13, a violent gang that was recently designated a foreign terror organization by the Trump administration. The government of El Salvador also suspects the man of committing aggravated murder. There’s also a Haitian male convicted of possessing meth with the intent to distribute, a Salvadoran convicted of possessing cocaine with the intent to manufacture and sell the drug, and a Guatemalan national with a conviction for aggravated assault. Nashville Democratic Mayor Freddie O’Connell said that ICE’s immigration enforcement raids caused “deep community harms” and added that he was “heartbroken” over the federal law enforcement agency’s actions. O’Connell announced the creation of the “belonging fund,” a joint project between the city of Nashville and a local foundation to support organizations that assist illegal aliens with their childcare, transportation, and food needs. The mayor also signed an executive order requiring city employees and police to report any communications with ICE to his office. But Nashville Legal Director Wally Dietz said that the city government can do nothing to prevent ICE from carrying out enforcement operations in Nashville. “We are powerless. We have absolutely no authority to instruct ICE not to carry out their enforcement actions…we have no authority to tell [Tennessee Highway Patrol] they cannot cooperate with ICE.” Tricia McLaughlin, the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, called O’Connell a “pro-open borders politician” who would “rather protect illegal aliens than American citizens.” O’Connell was also slammed by ICE acting director Todd Lyons, who said that the Nashville mayor should be thanking the federal law enforcement agency for protecting his city. 

Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) tried to trip up Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his testimony on Wednesday, but instead exposed herself to be wildly unfamiliar with Kennedy’s department. While Kennedy was trying to respond to Alsobrooks’ confusing questions about his sprawling department, she suggested to the secretary that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is not part of his department, which, of course, is false, since HHS does oversee NIH. “It’s assistive reproductive technology, it’s a division. Do you know what it does?” Alsobrooks asked Kennedy. The secretary asked what she’s specifically talking about is part of NIH, since, when he took over as secretary, there were dozens of offices for reproductive health, which Kennedy is in the process of organizing and consolidating. “No, it’s actually part of your agency,” Alsobrooks responded. “NIH is part of my agency,” RFK shot back. “Senator, you should know that.” “I do know that,” the senator suggested. “It’s actually, the CDC is where is it.” Astonishingly, Alsobrooks then told RFK that he was “unfamiliar with the programs” in his department. “You’re unfamiliar with my agency,” a fiery Kennedy reacted. “The NIH and the CDC are part of HHS.” WATCH: This sums up today for you. RFK Jr was supposed to be answering questions about his 2026 proposed budget. Instead, he was giving Congress a lesson on his agency. Kennedy: “Is it part of NIH?” Senator: “No, it’s actually part of your agency.” Kennedy: “NIH is part of my… pic.twitter.com/8sT6IzX8o9 — Anna Matson (@AnnaRMatson) May 14, 2025 As highlighted by The Daily Wire, Kennedy sparred with a number of Democrats during his testimony before the House committee on appropriations before his hearing with the Senate. Kennedy defended cuts made to HHS and called out Democrats for echoing party talking points and engaging in what he viewed as the politicization of public health. In one instance, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) accused Kennedy of potentially breaking the law and putting Americans’ health at risk over cuts he’s made at HHS. The secretary shot back by describing the “absolute cataclysmic disorganization” of the department when he took it over, which he said was under her oversight for decades. “We had nine separate offices of women’s health,” RFK explained. “When we consolidate them, Democrats say that we’re eliminating them. We’re not, we’re still appropriating the $3.7 billion, but we’re not keeping all nine. We had eight separate offices for minority health, we eliminated one. We had 27 HIV offices, we had 59 behavioral health programs.” Moreover, during his testimony before the Senate Health Committee, several protesters were tackled and arrested by Capitol Police for screaming and interrupting Kennedy’s opening statement. Among those arrested was Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen. Related: Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Arrested For Stunt During RFK Testimony

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky landed in Turkey today for what he hoped would be face-to-face negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Instead, he was met with Putin’s underlings. On Sunday, Putin first proposed direct talks with Ukraine to bring the three-year war to a close during a televised address. “We are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions,” Putin said. “We offer the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations already on Thursday, in Istanbul.” HOW TRUMP AND RUBIO PUT AMERICA FIRST IN 100 DAYS Zelensky responded by challenging Putin to come to Istanbul himself for a face-to-face meeting. “We await a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy,” Zelensky said on X. “There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will be waiting for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday. Personally. I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses.” Instead, Russia sent aides to negotiate with the Ukrainian leader, who described them as “stand-in props,” reported the BBC. In response, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said “A clown and a loser is talking about respected people.” BEN SHAPIRO CONFRONTS ZELENSKY ON CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION AND CONSCRIPTION IN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Russia’s delegation will be headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, but meetings are still not officially scheduled, according to the BBC. So far, Zelensky has met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara. President Donald Trump also said he was skipping the meetings because of scheduling conflicts, despite floating the possibility of attending earlier this week. Trump said he doesn’t think it “was possible for Putin to go” if he himself wasn’t there. “I actually said, why would he go if I’m not going?” Trump said, speaking at a business roundtable in Doha, Qatar during his four-day Gulf tour. HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST TRIP The President added that the war “has to stop.” “We spent $350 billion there — just handed,” he said. “Nobody even knows where the money is. There’s no accounting.” Trump added that Zelensky is the “greatest salesman, maybe in history” because “every time he came to the United States, he’d walk away with $100 billion.” “That’s a good salesman, right?” Trump added. “Last time he didn’t do as well. He only got $60 billion.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio is already in Istanbul for meetings with his NATO counterparts and he and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff were planning to be present for the Russia-Ukraine talks.

Most children don’t begin remembering things until they’re around two or three. Before that, some events might stand out, such as emotional events. Parents can employ things that evoke emotional responses to create early childhood memories. When Liz Stanford was preparing to celebrate her son’s second birthday, she planned a special surprise. It will probably cause an emotional response in most people. @spenditlikestanford the pure shock on his face #toddlerbirthday #2ndbirthday #secondbirthday ♬ Stuff We Did (from ‘Up’) – Piano Version – your movie soundtrack When Liz’s son woke up, he left his bedroom to see the Pooh friends waiting for him with birthday hats and balloons. Eeyore (who has his tail), Tigger, and Winnie the Pooh wait in the hallway to wish the young boy a bright beginning to a special day. You can see from the look on his face that seeing his friends lined up made him happy. In the stories of Winnie the Pooh, Pooh’s friends are stuffed animals that come to life in Christopher Robin’s imagination. With this birthday surprise, Liz is helping her young son develop the imagination that will bring these friends to life. Image from TikTok. The only thing that might have been better would be to turn her son’s room into the Hundred Acre Wood. As Liz’s son clutches a Mickey Mouse stuffie, it is evident that the Disney characters have a big influence on him. The character Christopher Robin was based on the real-life son of A.A. Milne, although the stories came from the author’s imagination. Whether her son remembers this birthday will likely depend on many factors. One thing the parents can do is show this and other videos to keep that memory alive. The emotional impact of seeing all his friends ready to celebrate also makes an impact. Please share if you “saw” Tigger bounce when the door opened. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Mom Surprises Toddler With Special “Guests” On His Second Birthday appeared first on InspireMore.