The David Hogg ouster from the DNC as vice chair has moved forward. David Hogg might soon be ousted as Vice Chair of the DNC because he’s white and they violated gender rules by not considering a Native American woman first. Actually, they’re not being honest. We all know he might be pushed out because […] The post Hogg’s on His Way Out of the DNC Because He’s White appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

A high school English teacher in Maine appears to still have her job after she called for the assassination of President Donald Trump and his supporters and close advisors. Waterville Senior High School teacher JoAnna St. Germain posted to her Facebook late last month that the Secret Service and U.S. military need to step in to murder Trump and his supporters, The Daily Wire chronicled here. The teacher’s threatening comments sparked an investigation by law enforcement, according to local reports. St. Germain’s posts have since been wiped from her Facebook page, but her name still appears on the Waterville Senior High School staff directory, listing her as an English teacher. Screenshot: WSHS website The Daily Wire reached out to Principal Dr. Brian Laramee for clarification on St. Germain’s current employment status, but has not received a response. Additionally, a parent of a student at Waterville reportedly recorded a conversation with staff at the school who allegedly said St. Germain had not been fired and is welcome to teach, though she has not been back to the school since calling for the murders. The Maine Wire reported on the recorded conversation but has been unable to independently verify it, nor has The Daily Wire. Before wiping her social media, St. Germain published a lengthy Facebook post addressing her comments. She said she made them mostly because she wasn’t sleeping and was not in the right headspace. St. Germain also blamed past trauma. “I had a mental breakdown due to severe insomnia and the stress of trying to cope with trauma inflicted on me by a domestic abuser and rapist, but I have sought the help I needed and my brain is mine again,” the teacher said. “I’ve been under the care of an incredible psychiatric team. They saw what was happening, and worked with me to help me get fully back to myself. Mostly what I needed was sleep,” she continued. “I hope you have no idea the psychosis lack of sleep brings.” “I regret my words of violence towards the current administration,” St. Germain added. “That is not in my heart when my brain is well. I have never received so much as a speeding ticket, and I loathe guns and violence. I meet every individual with respect and an open mind when I am well. I have the most genuine remorse for making people feel unsafe.” She also doubled down on her opposition to the Trump administration, writing, “I meant every word I said about the rise of fascism and the horror of trafficking humans to foreign prisons.” “My heart breaks every day for the vulnerable populations being targeted and irreparably harmed,” St. Germain wrote. “I love you. If you hate me? I still love you.” Update on Waterville, Maine teacher who threatened to kill her students and the president. She was a victim. She just needed some rest and she promises she won’t kill any students who support Trump. pic.twitter.com/Ovc0j19lGx — Better Maine (@MaineLogic) May 10, 2025 As reported by The Daily Wire, St. Germain’s past posts said that the U.S. Secret Service “has the perfect opportunity” to assassinate Trump. “You are the ones with power. Coordinate,” she instructed. “Take out every single person who supports Trump’s illegal, immoral, unconstitutional acts. Look at the sycophants and give them what they’re asking for.” “Secret Service, you are Americans. My beloved military, you are Americans. We, the people, are counting on you,” St. Germain added. “If I had the skill set required, I would take them out myself.” Facebook: JoAnna St. Germain Related: ‘F*** Fascism’: Maine Teacher Calls For Murder Of Trump Supporters, Top Officials In Unhinged Rants

Republicans in the GOP-led House are struggling to reach an agreement for the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap being considered for President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill.” In the 389-page tax package released on Monday, there was a provision to increase the SALT deduction cap to $30,000 for individuals earning $400,000 or less, up from the current $10,000 limit from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that is set to expire at the end of this year. The House Ways and Means Committee advanced the tax measure in a 26-19 vote along party lines on Wednesday morning, but Republicans from high-tax blue states such as New York, New Jersey, and California are fighting for a higher ceiling. After Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) posted on X a photo of Trump at McDonald’s and saying, “Thanks for playing, @WaysMeansCmte,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) replied, “You forgot to add SALT with those fries, Chairman.” You forgot to add SALT with those fries, Chairman. ? ? https://t.co/QhGAUZjxla — Mike Lawler (@lawler4ny) May 14, 2025 GOP lawmakers who want a SALT deduction cap increase have star power in Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who is considering a run for New York governor after Trump pulled her nomination to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. She joined other New York Republicans for a May 8 statement that warned a flat $30,000 SALT deduction cap would not get their support. “[It] risks derailing President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill,” they said. “New Yorkers already send far more to Washington than we get back — unlike many so-called ‘low-tax’ states that depend heavily on federal largesse. A higher SALT cap isn’t a luxury. It’s a matter of fairness. We reject this offer.” Some House conservatives, who are focused on cutting how much the federal government spends and reining in a national debt that is approaching $37 trillion, have voiced reservations about the SALT deduction cap. “The top Congressional districts taking advantage of SALT (State & Local Tax) deductions (i.e., they have high state & local taxes on high incomes. Mostly Dem, heavily CA, Swamp (MD, VA), & NY,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said in a post on X last month. “In fairness, property taxes in TX are horrible, but we shouldn’t subsidize that either!” Democrats are pushing in the opposite direction. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) indicated that he would rather not have a SALT deduction cap at all, as it was before the 2017 tax law, saying on X that Republicans “must now fully restore it or be completely exposed for their phony advocacy.” The New York Post reported that Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) offered an amendment to increase the SALT deduction cap to $80,000 and pay for it by raising the tax rate on top earners from 37% to 39.6%, but that proposal was rejected by the Ways and Means Committee. Trump himself seems to be on board with a change. During the 2024 campaign, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would “get SALT back.” CNBC noted that after Trump began his second term, he told Fox News that he would “love to see something happen on SALT.” Lawmakers will now have to negotiate a resolution before the tax package is added to other parts of the “one big, beautiful bill” and a final vote by the full House. Republicans have a 220-213 majority, meaning there can only be a few defectors for the bill to pass if all Democrats vote against it. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) reportedly predicted that Republicans would need until the weekend to reach a deal on SALT. He’s been gunning to have the House finish up with the overall spending bill by Memorial Day. “We have a delicate balance to maintain to get 218 votes on one of the largest and most comprehensive and complex pieces of legislation that’s ever been drafted by Congress,” Johnson said, per a post on X from a congressional journalist. “So yeah, my concern is always the vote total, but I’m very confident that we’ll be able to deliver that.”

An analysis from Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation revealed discomfiting news for Democrats who engage in class warfare: the House tax package would give average-income people almost double the percentage decline in their tax bills than those making more than $1 million a year. The report found a general steady decline in the tax percentage as wages decreased. People making more than $1 million per year would see a drop of 8.6%; a decline of between roughly 11%-13% from those making between $1 million and $60,000, then a surge to 14.5% for those making between $50,000-$60,000; 16.1% for those making between $40,000-$50,000, 17.6% for those making between $30,000-$40,000, and 21.1% for those making between $15,000-$30,000 per year. “The measure of income used to place tax returns into income categories is adjusted gross income (“AGI”) plus (1) tax-exempt interest, (2) employer contributions for health plans and life insurance, (3) employer share of FICA tax, (4) workers’ compensation, (5) nontaxable Social Security benefits, (6) insurance value of Medicare benefits, (7) alternative minimum tax preference items, (8) individual share of business taxes, and (9)excluded income of U S citizens living abroad,” the analysis noted. “The analysis does not take account of a likely expansion of a deduction for state and local taxes, which would overwhelmingly benefit upper-income households, or look at the possible effect of spending cuts Republicans are also planning that would primarily hit lower-income people,” POLITICO reported. On Monday, House Ways and Means Committee ranking member Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) ripped the House GOP, saying,  “They’re very uncertain of where they’re headed. And they know the political consequences, because I talked to a couple of them already.” “House Republicans are hoping to get the tax portion of the bill out of committee on Tuesday. Neal plans to make that task as hard as he can,” Semafor reported on Monday. On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) resorted to the time-honored Democratic tradition of accusing the GOP of favoring the rich, saying, “My colleagues, let’s be honest about why we are here today. We are here because—according to President Trump, Elon Musk, and Republicans in Congress—the wealthiest individuals and the largest corporations in our country are not wealthy enough.” Despite Democrats’ efforts to stop it, the House Ways and Means Committee, in a straight party-line vote, voted to advance the tax package out of committee on Wednesday morning, which means the package must next go to the House Budget Committee. The package makes the income tax rates from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 permanent while including President Donald Trump’s promises of no tax on tips or overtime, a jump in the child tax credit, and an increase in the endowment tax on some universities. The House Budget Committee will gather the disparate parts of Trump’s tax bill, then send it to the entire House for a vote. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will have to work assiduously to unify the various factions in the House, given the razor-thin majority the GOP has in the House.

A 2020 research paper titled “Car Seats as Contraception” has once again become the springboard for debates over why so-called “family vehicles” such as minivans and SUVs are unable to accommodate multiple car seats easily. Social media users argue that it’s just another way that large families are discouraged or even discriminated against. They question why car seat manufacturers are not intentionally designing their products to be more streamlined so three can fit across a bench seat in the back of a high occupancy vehicle, and why car manufacturers are not similarly concerned with making their vehicles big-family friendly. The paper, which appeared in The University of Chicago Journal of Law & Economics, argues that people are less likely to have more children due to the limitations posed by fitting many car seats into a standardly equipped vehicle. “Women with two children younger than their state’s [car seat] age mandate have a lower annual birth probability of .73 percentage points,” the paper says. It notes that this trend began in 1977 when car seat laws were passed. This concept has become a hot topic of conversation on X as parents with big families relate with this particular struggle. “I’ve been saying this. [T]here is NO reason you shouldn’t be able to easily fit 3 car seats of any brand in any car that has 3 back seats. so many people I know have had to buy a bigger car for a third kid and I don’t think people realize this is actually a serious consideration for everyone thinking of growing their family beyond 2 kids,” one reaction said. “I’m a car seat fan — my kids max out weight limits rear facing & in 5 pt harnesses,” one person shared. “HOWEVER. Carseat design & car design appear to be 2 fields so separate they’ve never even contemplated the existence of the other.” “If your minivan seats 7 you should be able to fit 5 car seats,” the social media user added. “I find this 100% believable,” another person wrote. “We have two toddlers. Our third child is on the way. Federal regulations mean that we are *required* to buy a bigger car than our CR-V if we want our family to legally ride together in the same car. I have 0 idea how that’s supposed to work if you’re a working class parent.” “We just had to buy a bigger vehicle to accommodate #5 which who’ll be here October,” another commenter echoed. “We had a Grand Caravan, and I wasn’t able to fit 4 in properly because of the rear bench seatbelts and anchors. We just did the best we could which meant not using the seats as per the manual.” The topic went viral once before when a resurfaced clip of Vice President J.D. Vance weighed in on the topic during a 2023 congressional hearing. A clip of his statements was circulated in September 2024 ahead of the election. “American families aren’t having enough children. I think there’s evidence that some of the things that we’re doing to parents is driving down the number of children that American families are having,” Vance said in the video. “In particular, there’s evidence that the car seat rules that we’ve imposed, which of course I want kids to drive in car seats, have driven down the number of babies born in this country by over 100,000. So as we think about how to make kids safe here, I think we should do it in a way that’s accommodating to American families.” Social media accounts dedicated to making multiple car seats work in standard American cars have become popular, with one of the most well-known, “The Car Mom,” promising “Car reviews and car buying tips for families.”

A heroic young Israeli police officer, a father of three who rushed to save his countrymen from Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, killing more than a dozen terrorists intent on slaughtering Israelis, took his own life after apparently suffering from survivor’s guilt and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). First Sgt. Igor Pibenev, 32, the father of three daughters, was at the police station in Hebron on the morning of October 7 when he heard Hamas had launched its murderous assault. Driving to his home in Yated, a village near the Gaza border, he first encountered two terrorists near Urim Junction and killed them, prompting two other terrorists to start shooting at him, both of whom he killed. “The scenario in my head was that I would get home and see a lifeless house, but I put fear aside,” Pibenev recalled. “From Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, I headed home, but I saw terrorists walking toward the kibbutz cowshed. Then a shootout began, lasting a few minutes. On the way from the police station to my community, I saw a suspicious white vehicle and stopped on the side of the road. I identified terrorists; I shot at them and eliminated them. We had drills for situations like these, but I never believed that we would confront so many terrorists. When I heard about what happened in Kibbutz Be’eri, I imagined how I’d be left without a wife and children, but I remained optimistic the entire time.” “After I eliminated the terrorists, I received a message from my wife that she is currently at the neighbors’ with the children and she is fine and healthy. I said I am on my way,” Pibenev said. “I entered the house, and the look my wife gave me and the girls was that I had arrived as they had hoped. … I gave a hug to the children … My feeling was that I was marrying my wife again and that I was back three more times in the delivery room with the excitement of seeing my children come into the world.” Three months ago, Pivenev’s wife Chani posted on social media: “If there are people around you are have been sinking since that Saturday, (October 7) turn the world on its head so that they can get the proper professional help and treatment. Don’t try to save them alone, you can’t, and things will just get worse. Fight the feelings of guilt — it’s not your fault.”

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a defense agreement with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. Unlike the defense sales deal signed with Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, which aims to counterbalance Iranian influence in the region, the deal with Qatar risks empowering a nation with a history of supporting terrorism and strong ties to Iran. Qatar signed a letter of intent to purchase $2 billion worth of MQ-9B Reaper drones and $1 billion in counter-drone technology, becoming the first international customer for Raytheon’s Fixed Site–Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aerial System Integrated Defeat System (FS-LIDS), designed to neutralize small unmanned aircraft. Letters of intent were also signed between Qatar and the United States to “further strengthen our security partnership,” the White House said in a statement, outlining up to $38 billion in potential defense and security-related investments. “The United States is in a very strong position militarily,” Trump said, sitting next to Al-Thani. “We have the best equipment anywhere in the world and you’re buying a lot of that equipment actually.” TRUMP WELCOMED IN QATAR WITH PARADE OF CAMELS AND TESLAS: ‘THIS IS WHAT THEY CALL PERFECTO’ Trump added that some of the equipment will be on display on Thursday during an event. Qatar also signed an agreement with Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, alongside President Trump, to purchase 210 American-made Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 777X aircraft powered by GE Aerospace engines, according to the White House. The purchase is the largest 787 order in the American company’s history. “It’s the largest order of jets in the history of Boeing, that’s pretty good,” Trump said.  “It’s over $200 billion… Congratulations to Boeing. Get those planes out there!” .@POTUS in Qatar: "We're with you all the way." pic.twitter.com/coZWPkOnau — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 14, 2025 Trump’s warm reception in Qatar stands in contrast to the president’s previous June 2017 statements on the country, in which he had accused the nation of backing terrorism. HOW TRUMP AND RUBIO PUT AMERICA FIRST IN 100 DAYS “The nation of Qatar, unfortunately, has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level,” Trump said. Since Trump’s remarks, Qatar continues to fund terrorist groups, giving over $2 billion to the Hamas-run government in Gaza, according to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. For several years, Hamas also hosted the leadership of Hamas, though many left Qatar last year. Qatar, which hosts the significant United States Al Udeid Air Base, became a non-NATO ally to the United States under the Biden administration in 2022. Trump signed a $142 billion defense sales deal with Saudi Arabia that will provide Saudi Arabia with state-of-the-art war-fighting equipment and services from over a dozen American defense firms. “Underscoring our commitment to strengthening our defense and security partnership, the United States and Saudi Arabia signed the largest defense sales agreement in history—nearly $142 billion,” the White House said about the deal. HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST TRIP The deal is part of Saudi Arabia’s larger $600 billion investment commitment for the United States that was also announced on Tuesday. According to the White House, the defense sales will fall into five categories: air force advancement and space capabilities; air and missile defense; maritime and coastal security; border security and land forces modernization; and information and communication systems upgrades. The package will also include “extensive training and support to build the capacity of the Saudi armed forces, including enhancement of Saudi service academies and military medical services.” “This deal represents a significant investment in Saudi Arabia’s defense and regional security, built on American systems and training,” The White House added.

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of lawmakers is introducing a resolution to congratulate Pope Leo XIV on his “historic” election as the “first American pontiff,” The Daily Wire can first report. The cardinals’ decision to choose Pope Leo as the leader of the Catholic Church surprised many, given that there has never before been an American pope. But his selection has also proved surprisingly unitive as American leaders and lawmakers come together to celebrate the honor done to their country by an American sitting on the Chair of Peter. Led by Republican Blake Moore of Utah, the lawmakers will introduce the resolution Wednesday to honor and congratulate the pope. The resolution’s language will specifically celebrate Pope Leo as “the 267th pontiff of the Holy Roman Catholic Church” as well as “the first American pontiff,” recognizing the significance of his election for the many American Catholics and Christians. “I was thrilled to hear of Pope Leo XIV’s election to the Chair of St. Peter, and have felt a tremendous sense of national pride that an American now leads the Catholic Church,” Moore told The Daily Wire. “I pray the Lord blesses the Holy Father with the great wisdom and unyielding courage necessary to preach the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” The bipartisan group includes Democrat Thomas Suozzi of New York, who is the Democrat co-lead on the resolution, and Republicans Tom Barrett of Michigan, Ryan Zinke of Montana, Ann Wagner of Missouri, Michael McCaul of Texas, Rob Bresnahan, Jr. of Pennsylvania, Michael Rulli of Ohio, Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma, Lisa McClain of Michigan, John Rose of Tennessee, Brian Steil of Wisconsin, Mark Messmer of Indiana, Carolos Gimenez of Florida, Chris Smith of new Jersey, and French Hill of Arkansas. “Pope Leo XIV is the first American-born pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church, marking a historic milestone for American Catholics and faithful Catholics around the world,” the resolution states, describing Pope Leo’s family as “a patriotic American family” who raised the pope in the Catholic tradition in Dolton, Illinois, “a working-class suburb where faith, family, and service formed the foundation of his life.” Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost, addresses the crowd on the main central loggia balcony overlooking St Peter’s Square on May 08, 2025, in Vatican City, Vatican.  (Photo by Francesco Sforza – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images) The resolution praises the pope as embodying “a life committed to both intellectual and spiritual rigor” and a man who has lived out the Order of St. Augustine’s mission to be ‘‘of one mind and one heart on the way to God.” It also praises his work as a missionary and church leader in Peru, for his academic background and fluency in five languages, and his taking of the name Leo in honor of Pope Leo I (historically known as Leo the Great), “who championed Catholic social teaching and the dignity of work.” “Pope Leo XIV has exemplified the humility and courage of a true servant of Christ,” the resolution states, “not seeking worldly acclaim but bearing witness to the Gospel in places where it is often ridiculed or rejected, reminding the faithful that a lack of belief often coincides with ‘the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family, and so many other wounds that afflict our society.'” And finally, the resolution emphasizes the new pope’s declaration that ‘‘the credibility of the Church does not come from popularity, but from fidelity’,” stating that this was the pope calling on “clergy and laity alike not to shape the Church in the image of the world, but to be conformed to Christ through truth, chastity, self-sacrifice, and Eucharistic love.” “His first public words as pope from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica were ‘Peace be with all of you,’ setting the tone for a pontificate grounded in the unity, humility, and love of Christ, The Good Shepherd,” the resolution concludes.