Hours after President Donald Trump pulled her nomination to become U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) reacted by saying it was about “stepping up as a team.” During an interview on Thursday evening, Stefanik pinned the decision on a “combination” of “the New York corruption” in the special election process and the House GOP’s narrow majority. “This is about stepping up as a team, and I am doing that as a leader to ensure that we can take hold of this mandate and deliver these historic results,” Stefanik said on Fox News. .@EliseStefanik displays PURE CLASS by stepping back from her UN Ambassador nomination to push President Trump’s agenda in Congress and serve her North Country constituents: "This is about stepping up as a team, and I’m doing that as a leader to ensure that we can take hold of… pic.twitter.com/uPq9g5gBMR — Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) March 28, 2025 Stefanik, who spoke with host and former Trump spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany, mentioned budget reconciliation legislation with which the GOP aims to fulfill Trump’s domestic agenda priorities. Although she testified in a confirmation hearing and advanced out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee back in January, Stefanik never got a final vote on the Senate floor. Her nomination got held up as New York Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul was reportedly expected to slow-walk a special election and the House GOP grappled with a slim majority. There are 218 Republicans and 213 Democrats in the House. Two special elections to fill GOP-won seats are set for next week in Florida. Two other vacancies are from Democrats who recently died. Earlier on Thursday, Trump announced on Truth Social that he asked Stefanik to remain in Congress to help him deliver his “America First Agenda” on tax cuts, border security, energy, and more. “With a very tight Majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat,” Trump said, adding that there are “others that can do a good job at the United Nations.” Also in his social media post, Trump mentioned that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was “thrilled” with the decision and he said Stefanik would “rejoin the House Leadership Team.” Stefanik previously served as House GOP Conference chair, a role now held by Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI). Johnson said he would invite Stefanik back to the leadership team, but did not specify a position. In her interview, Stefanik insisted there was “good news” because “the American people will be hearing a lot more from me” as she no longer has limitations associated with a pending confirmation. Stefanik also teased what comes next, saying she “looked forward to continuing to hold higher education accountable for their failures, as well as all of my work … in the national security space.”

Matt Stevens has passed away at 51 years old

'It was like insane'

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing federal agencies to take numerous actions intended “to protect the integrity of our election process.” His order is a well-designed, comprehensive plan that will ensure that the federal government assists the states in conducting “free, fair, and honest elections unmarred by fraud, errors, or suspicion.”  This has been long needed and is a reversal of the decades of indifference, neglect, or downright interference in the election process by the federal government, particularly by the Obama and Biden administrations. They took every opportunity to attack commonsense election reform efforts by the states, like voter ID requirements, and to stymie efforts to improve the maintenance of accurate voter registration rolls. Their overall goal, it seemed, was to make American elections as insecure, and therefore vulnerable to fraud, as possible.  Trump’s executive order, “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” directs a whirlwind of crucial activity harnessing the resources of multiple federal agencies such as the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security. Those directives include the following:  The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), which has statutory authority over the federal voter registration form, shall require proof of citizenship for anyone using the form to register. The EAC is barred from providing any federal grants to states that refuse to comply with this proof-of-citizenship requirement. The EAC, which promulgates voluntary voting system standards, must revise those standards to ensure “that voting systems should not use a ballot in which a vote is contained within a barcode or quick-response code,” something that makes it impossible for a voter to verify that a voting machine has correctly recorded the voter’s choices.  The EAC must also condition federal grants to states on their compliance with a provision in the Help America Vote Act that requires states to adopt “uniform and nondiscriminatory standards” that “define what constitutes a vote and what will be counted.” This law was passed by Congress shortly after the Florida election fiasco in the 2000 presidential election in which different counties in the state used different standards of what would be considered a legitimate vote. DOJ has not done enough to enforce this requirement, so this step is long overdue.  The Department of Homeland Security will (finally) open up its multiple databases, without charge, to state and local officials trying to check the citizenship status of registered voters. DHS is also directed to start reviewing state registration records itself (with the help of DOGE) to verify the citizenship of registered voters, something the agency has never done. Moreover, DHS must forward to the Attorney General and state and local election officials information on any alien who indicated on an immigration form that they registered or voted in an election (that question is contained on the form used to apply for naturalization). In other words, the Justice Department is supposed to finally start investigating and potentially prosecuting aliens who have illegally registered or voted, something it has rarely done.  The State Department is also ordered to open up its databases that contain information on aliens present in the country to state and local election officials, something State has never done.  The Justice Department is directed to enter into “information-sharing agreements” with states to obtain detailed information on “suspected violations of State and Federal election laws discovered by State officials.” This includes individuals who registered or voted despite being ineligible, or who voted multiple times; committed other election-related fraud; provided false information on voter registration forms; or “intimidated or threatened voters or election officials.” This directive is also long overdue. The Public Integrity Section of DOJ, which is responsible for prosecuting federal election crimes, has been lackadaisical, to say the least, in pursuing such cases.  There is an entire section on improving the security of voting systems. Amongst its requirements is having both DHS and DOJ work to “prevent all non-citizens from being involved in the administration” of elections, including “by accessing election equipment, ballots, or any other relevant materials” used in federal elections. DHS must also work with the EAC to “review and report on the security of all electronic systems used in the voter registration and voting process,” including when they are connected to the Internet, and assess the “risk” of “malicious software and unauthorized intrusions.” Given the type of cybersecurity attacks suffered daily by governments, businesses, and individuals, this is also a much-needed step.  DOJ is directed to take all necessary measures—which will mean litigation—against states that are not complying with the federal laws that set the national day for elections, which is the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. This action item is aimed at states like California that allow absentee ballots that come in after Election Day to be counted. The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals recently held that Mississippi’s law, which allows absentee ballots that come in up to five days after Election Day to be counted, violates those federal laws.  Finally, the Treasury Department is directed to work with the attorney general to enforce federal laws that “prevent foreign nationals from contributing or donating” money to candidates in U.S. elections, as well the ban on “lobbying by organizations or entities that have received any Federal funds.” That latter directive is particularly important because there are numerous so-called NGO’s – nongovernmental organizations – that receive federal grants that are constantly roaming the halls of Congress and government agencies lobbying members of Congress and bureaucrats in the federal swamp. DOJ has also neglected enforcing this ban for far too long.  The president says in the executive order that “elections must be honest and worthy of public trust.” It is the policy of his administration, he says, “to enforce Federal law and to protect our election process.”  Finally, we have a president who understands the role of the federal government in safeguarding our elections, while respecting the primary authority of states to administer their elections. It is about time that the federal government helped, rather than hindered, that work. Bravo, Mr. President. The post Trump Acts to Protect American Voters appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Start raising chickens for meat, and enjoy eating fresh poultry on your homestead. Raising backyard chickens has many benefits, chicken eggs and chicken meat are just some of them. You are reading Chapter 9 of our Homestead Handbook: Raising Backyard Chickens Chapter 9: Raising Chickens for Meat     Now this chapter is for my meat eaters. I think we all (or most of us) can appreciate a well-made chicken. Who would have thought meat could taste so much more incredible when they are made at home?  The result of your meat depends on how well you took care of your chicken and kept it clean. No joke, as little as a few weeks you can be putting plenty of chicken in your freezer and be satisfied that all the work you put in was worth it.   9.1 – Maintaining Your Meat Breeds   For people who are keen on raising chickens for meat, there are two avenues you can choose. You can go with the choice of producing a commercially made breed, the Cornish Cross, or if you are an old fashioned kind of person you can raise a heavy or dual purpose bird. Raising a Cornish cross is beneficial in itself because they already love to do what you are raising them for – to eat. It is a nice advantage that they already have such a hearty appetite so that they can grow fast and tender. However, their greatest advantage is also their greatest downfall; they are the worst couch potatoes you’ll ever see. If they aren’t busy stuffing themselves, it seems that all they want to do is sit around and wait until they get sick. There will be rare occasions they realize how boring this is and start practicing bad habits, like picking at one another. The old fashioned heavy or dual purpose breeds are sturdier compared to commercially grown breeds like the Cornish cross, but their growth rate is slower. Compared to the 6 weeks it takes for hybrid breeds to reach five pounds, this purebred needs about another month to get there. Utility breeds take even longer and take around two months. The utility and heavy birds however have something the hybrids don’t possess. They mature and grow uniformly which gives more flexibility when determining with you will use them while the hybrids don’t.  The hybrids also should be butchered once they hit boiler size. If they grow more than that they can contract bone pain and heart failure. A purebred chicken is lower in fat, tastier and has firmer texture over a hybrid bird. They also have more dark meat and more of a ‘chicken flavor’ because of the longer time it took to grow. This doesn’t mean that non-hybrids lack in taste, they are mighty delicious. I find any meat good as long as someone knows how to cook and spice it right.     Here are a few basic classes of hybrid/non-hybrid meat you can consider:   Rock-Cornish hen: A mix of Plymouth Rock and Cornish chicken. They weigh about 1-2 pounds when they reach maturity. They consist of more white than dark meat and are usually cooking as for single serving. Fryer/Broiler: These are young chicken (male or female) about seven weeks old. They have soft, pliable skin and is tender enough for any meal. They weigh between 2-5 pounds and many cook it at BBQ’s Roaster: A male or female bird that is around 3-5 months old and weighs about 6 pounds. They also have soft, pliable and smooth skin but their breasts are not as flexible as the broiler. Capon: Male chicken that are around 4-8 months and weigh anywhere from 5-9 pounds. They are said to have the highest percentage of white meat compare to any chick and is dubbed most flavorful. Poussin: These are baby chicken at 3-4 weeks of age and weight about a pound. They have a mild taste and contain a small percentage of fat. People cook them to make a single serving. Stewing (baking) chicken: A female chicken. They are around ten months of age, around a year old and weigh between 4-7 pounds. As the name states, they are the best in stews or for baking for moist cooking as they have less flexible breasts and are less tender.     The breed you decide you want to raise may determine how you will choose to manage them. The three types of management are indoor confinement, pasture confinement, and range feeding. Indoor confinement is a preference for chicken breeders but it is liked by small chicken owners as well if they have little land to raise bird meet. With this method chicken often use a litter and owners feed them everything they eat – the scraps I mean. Less land and time to care for your birds is needed. If you have little land and plan to raise your meet chicken indoors, you should make sure their housing temperature stays between 65-85 degrees Fahrenheit. You can achieve this by using a heater or keeping your birds huddled together, so they provide each other warmth. You could also keep them warm by keeping them near controlled lighting. It is beneficial compared to artificial light because they tend to be more active. By giving them access to a nice window or doorway to see the natural light and activity going on, they will enjoy it. As they are in confinement, and there isn’t much to do, they easily get bored, so artificial light is secondary to me. Make sure you remember their light hours (at least ten each day). When it is nighttime, provide them with dim light so that they can see their feeders. If you raise your meat birds as chicks (0-2 weeks), the minimum space requirement is half a square foot). The space requirement goes up as they age; one square foot at 2-8 weeks of age and about 3 square feet eight weeks and beyond. A rapid growth rate can cause your chicken to develop weak legs so provide roosts for them. The birds may get injuries or blisters due to wet litters or housing made of wood, wire, or complete concrete. You can prevent these complications by giving them a soft area or bed and maintaining the litter by keeping it dry.   Pasture confinement also involves keeping your chicken within a building, a portable one and can be moved daily without issue. These are often seen in on ranges but can be done on just about any sized land. One positive thing about pasture confinement is that there is a noticeable decrease in food expenses. As its mobile, you can send your birds out to scavenger in a good area. However, you will need to have great pasture to move it every day. When you are moving your shelter the first few times with the chicken in it, they may be unwilling to move along with the shelter. They’ll possibly pile up and get injured in the process until they learn to walk as you move. You may be tempted to add a floor wire to help them out, but it they are better off without it and may get harmed more in the process.   Free ranging is like pasture confinement, but chicken are allowed to go back and forth between the shelters anytime they please. The increase in exercise makes the meat firmer, flavorful and darker. However, because they move out and about often, it does take longer for them to meet your ideal goal weight. Less labor is needed here as the shelters are not moved as often compared to pasture confinement. It is still more legwork compared to in indoor confinement as you still need to move it.   If you plan to start raising them as chicks, understand that they require more protein in their diet. As they age the protein requirements lessen, but the carbohydrate intake is increased. It is more money to buy protein or carbohydrates so progressively changing the ratio to less protein will save you money. Depending on your method of management, the food requirements your bird needs varies. A confined hybrid, for example, can eat about two pounds of food for every pound they put on. Purebreds can potentially eat twice that.   Space Requirements: Age Space required 0-2 weeks 1 inch 3-6 weeks 2 inches 7-12 weeks 3 inches 12+ 4 inches   9.2 – Butchering, Cleaning and Storing Your Chicken   Your management style can determine the time it takes to grow your. Of course, rates also depend on the breed of chicken you choose. You can access several factors that will mark a chickens quality and readiness for butchering. Feathering is important for those who plan to pluck a bird over skinning it. The best time to butcher the bird would be when you see the feathers have matured, and you see no broken feathers or pinfeathers that are visible. Fleshing is when you examine their flesh, namely the legs, breasts, and thighs. The finish is the best type of flavor you can get from your chicken with a layer of fat under the skin. To look for the finish, you need to open the chickens breast feather and skin. If you see a yellow or cream like color, it is good. If you see a blue or red color instead, there is not enough fat. You can also visually access their readiness by looking at the shape of your bird. A rectangular shape shows it’s ready for butchering. A triangular shape means that the chicken still needs to grow.   When it is time to butcher the birds, you need to confine them the night before and give them good water supply, but no feed. The reason you do not want to provide them with food because you want their intestines to empty which reduce contamination when you butcher them. The water is needed, so they do not get dehydrated. When you are ready to move them to a waiting area, it is best to do it at night while they are not as active and to reduce the amount of struggling. Place either a metal or slat floored coop. Killing them is the hardest and most gruesome part of the job because of the involuntary reflex that goes on. They continue to flap and twitch their body for a few minutes even when they are already dead. While this happens, blood is also very likely to be splattering around. You should set up a killing place away from your other chicken. Somewhere that will also be an easy cleanup place and will not easily attract insects and predators. Keep a trashcan next to you or something similar beside you so, you do not lazily drop parts on the floor. You want to kill your chicken as swiftly and humanely possible by using one of the three methods.   You can use an ax – Most people who think about the process of killing a bird is to lay it down on a flat surface and dismember the head. Using an ax to kill a bird is not one of the best methods because the spinal cord, windpipe, and jugular vein gets severed which tenses its feathers. Blood will end up traveling to the lung that will contaminate your meat. Using your hand (foot) – This is a good method in regards to the time it takes to kill them. Once you properly dislocate their neck, they are gone instantly. You should have the chicken upside down for this with one of your hands grasping their legs. With your free hand, you firmly grab their head while your thumb is on their comb, and your pinky is beneath their beak. You should move the head backward and pull it slowly until you hear a snap. It is ideal to remain holding them until their jerking is over.  If you experience any complications doing it with your hand, you can do it using your feet. You still want to hold their legs and place its neck towards the floor. Find a broom, rake or a stick and place the center of it at the birds’ neck. Position your feet on either side of your material and pull them upward. Using a knife – If you are killing several chickens at a time, using a sharp blade will allow you to work swiftly. Hold its beak with one hand and with your knife in your other hand, cut two inches behind the chickens jaw to sever the jugular vein. Once you have killed the bird, you can move on to several picking methods that one can accomplish in four ways. Hand-picking involves pulling the feathers by hand. You want to use rubber finger tips or a rubberized knit to do the job quicker. Wax picking follows after hand picking and cleans up the bird more by using hot wax, allowing it to cool and then peeling it off. Machine picking is a time saver and pretty much does the job for you and you simply hold the bird. They don’t come cheap of course but for those still interested in it know that plucking can be done in as little as 30 seconds. Custom picking is no longer common but if you can’t imagine killing your chicken you can go to a local butcher who can do it for you and clean it up.   After you plucked its feathers, the next job is to remove the tendons that you can do with a knife for a pair of shears. When you complete that, turn the bird over and cut the oil gland on the tail off.  If you didn’t remove the head yet, now would be a good time. You should cut open the abdomen to remove the guts and the organs. You can choose to eat the organs and clean them for storage of you’d like or dispose of them. In most local areas, it is not allowed to dump waste in dumpsters or landfills. You should bury it in a spot away from water sources or compost it. On average a chicken will yield 20-30% waste.         er you have cut and cleaned your chicken, you are ready to store it. If you decide to put your meat in the fridge, it will stay for up to five days while the temperature is at 29-34 degrees Fahrenheit.  If you want it to last longer, you could can or freeze your meat within 72 hours. Freezing is the best option as it preserves your meat the longest and stunts growth of bacteria. However, it does not completely stop its growth, so clean practice is always good to have.   When you are storing your meat in the freezer you want pack it properly:   Using a vacuum pump along with plastic bags that provide airtight sealing Placing your chicken in Cyrovac bags (this bag shrinks when exposed to boiling liquids Do a double wrap method by wrapping your meat in plastic then following up with either aluminum foil or watch butcher paper Label each chicken with dates so you use the oldest first. Alternatively you can freeze cooked chicken for quick meals, these still will last you months in the freezer. When you do want to use your chicken after you froze it, you can thaw it out in the fridge where it takes about a day. You could also thaw it out in cold water where the chicken thaws in 2-3 hours or in a microwave oven where the chicken thaws in minutes. You never want to leave your meat out to thaw on the counter at room temperature because the outer layer of the chicken may begin to spoil while the inside is still cold.     That concludes our final chapter – Chapter 9: Raising Chickens for Meat from our Homestead Handbook: Raising Backyard Chickens. << Click Here to Go Back to the Table of Contents     Check out our other Homestead Handbook: How to Grow All The Food You Need In Your Own Backyard

A maintenance worker discovered a cat cradling her kittens in a building. Within hours, things turned around for them. SunnyCatz 4 LifeLaura, a volunteer with Catz 4 Life (a volunteer-based rescue), was contacted about a feline family found in an abandoned apartment building.While performing routine checks, a maintenance worker unexpectedly discovered a cat cradling her kittens inside the building. Laura, hearing the news, dropped everything and hurried to help them."The maintenance person showed her where the kittens were," Aimee, president of Catz 4 Life, shared with Love Meow. Breeze, Stormy, Rain, and SnowCatz 4 Life"There was no evidence of food, and Sunny (the mom cat) was really skinny. But her babies were plump and healthy, so she was doing a good job taking care of them."Sunny showed no fear and even allowed Laura to gently scoop up her kittens into a carrier. Aimee and her team quickly arranged a foster home with Carol, who stepped in to assist. Catz 4 LifeIt takes a village to save a family. In just a few hours, Sunny and her kittens were secure with a dedicated foster mom catering to their every need. "It was in the middle of a cold snap, so we were so thankful they were safe and warm and being fed and cared for.""Sunny had been purring and making biscuits the entire 45-minute car ride. I could hear her purring before we opened the carrier," Carol told Love Meow. Catz 4 LifeAfter exploring her new space, Sunny walked up to her foster mom and gently kneaded her leg as if offering a quiet thank you. "She knew that she and her babies were safe.""I quickly learned that Sunny purrs and makes biscuits all the time. She is so loving and a very gentle cat with the sweetest spirit." Catz 4 Life"Sunny is very affectionate and wants to be wherever you are, preferably right by your side making her biscuits. Like most new moms, she is very protective of her babies, and the minute one of them cries, she is there to check on them."While nestling with her kittens, she stretches her paws in the air and fills the room with soothing purrs. Catz 4 Life"One thing I noticed about Sunny that is different from other momma cats I have fostered—she will love on and talk to each kitten one by one, even when she isn't giving them a bath, so this little girl loves her babies."She is delighted to have a big window where she can watch little critters and neighbors during her breaks. Catz 4 LifeWhile three siblings opened their eyes wide to take in the world, Breeze "decided" to wait. Just as the foster family grew concerned and consulted their vet, as if she heard them, her eyes began to crack open that very afternoon.The kittens have grown by leaps and bounds since arriving in foster care, reaching milestone after milestone. BreezeCatz 4 LifeThough Breeze was the last to open her eyes, she's become quite the adventurer, waddling around with her pointy tail and fluffy charm. The kittens are now starting to learn to play and stir up a bit of mischief.Soon, they will be bouncing around the room, keeping their mom on her toes. StormyCatz 4 LifeThanks to the kindness of the finder and many volunteers, this beautiful family is thriving in comfort and warmth. When the kittens are big enough to spread their wings, Sunny will find a forever home where she'll be cherished endlessly. Catz 4 LifeShare this story with your friends. More on Sunny, her kittens, and Catz 4 Life on Instagram and Facebook. Thanks to Carol @the_m_kitten_squad.Related story: Cat Found Curled Up in Leaves Overnight Comes Up to Person Who Calls Out to Her, Changing Her Life Forever

Thursday's Final Word

Hard-left hysteric and Yale professor Jason Stanley is fleeing to Canada and tax-funded television is on it. Amanpour & Co. trumpeted that night’s guest, Yale professor Jason Stanley, absconding the US in the subject line of the show’s promotional email: "EXCLUSIVE: 'How Fascism Works' Author Jason Stanley Plans to Leave the U.S.” Host Christiane Amanpour: Trump's America has started to challenge and redefine academic freedom, and our next guest is sounding the alarm. Yale professor Jason Stanley is the author of Erasing History -- How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future….How new teaching guidelines are stoking a culture of fear and why he is taking drastic measures as a result. Interviewer Michel Martin, who is also an NPR morning host, sympathetically drew out Stanley’s crazed interpretation of Trump’s educational policy, which he terms “educational authoritarianism.” Jason Stanley: That means that he is creating a culture of fear in universities, they already have done this in states like Florida creating culture of fear in K- 12 education. But authoritarianism requires a culture of fear. It requires a feeling like the state is always looking over your shoulder, feeling like there are vague rules that you can be punished for and your fellow citizens have been empowered to report you…. Martin: What sparked your latest piece for The Guardian was this Dear Colleague letter that the Department of Education issued, the Office of Civil Rights issued on February 14th, it was a letter to American educational institutions and it essentially reinterpreted federal civil rights law. Let me read a little bit, it says that “educational institutions have indoctrinated students with the false premise that the United States is built upon systemic and structural racism and advanced discriminatory policies and practices and proponents of these discriminatory practices and attempt to further justify them, particularly during the last four years, under the banner of diversity, equity, and inclusion, DEI, smuggling racial stereotypes and explicit race consciousness into everyday training, programming and discipline.”… Stanley: [Department of Education head] Linda McMahon's final mission statement of the Department of Education, she mentions patriotic education as the goal here to impose on K-12 and universities. The problem here is that the United States is founded and built upon systematic racism and inclusion. It’s part of our founding documents that we wanted to take more indigenous land. So slavery, the United States is built on slavery, there is no factual argument about that…. Martin’s follow-ups were the mildest possible challenges. Martin: ....conservatives would say that progressives or non-conservatives, whatever you want to say, are just mad because they are offering an alternative ideology. That they're just replacing one ideology with another. I think that their argument is that elections have consequences and they get to do that. What do you say to that? Stanley: There's no such thing, in a democracy, the state cannot impose a required patriotic ideology.... When Martin brought up Columbia University being punished by the Trump administration for fostering an atmosphere of anti-Semitism against Jewish students and admitted “the reality of it is, there are a lot of Jewish students at Columbia that did feel threatened and demeaned by these demonstrations,” Stanley changed the subject to the supposed threatening environment for Arabs at Columbia. His hostile interpretation of the Trump administration trying to protect Jewish students on campus was truly warped. Stanley: What are the most toxic anti-Semitic tropes? Jews control the institutions. This is absolutely reinforcing this. Any young American is going to think, remember what happened when they took down the world's greatest university system on behalf of Jewish safety? This will go down in history books. The history of this era will say that Jewish people were the sledgehammer for fascism…. Asked by Martin why Columbia was going along with the Trump diktats, Stanley called some Columbia employees “traitors to their own institutions” and that “Columbia is completely bending to an authoritarian regime,” before dropping his bombshell: “I'm seeing this everywhere and it is one reason that I am probably leaving the United States for Toronto.” Martin: Really? I was going to ask, what are your thoughts about your own course here? So you feel strongly enough about this that you're going to leave the country? Stanley elaborated that “I’m leaving because the political climate for the universities and political climate for freedom looks grim in this country. We face a fascist regime.” He also talked of “mass incarceration” and “violent policing” in America as a concern given his two black sons. Host Amanpour wrapped up Stanley’s insane segment with gush and self-importantly including journalists like herself as among the potential victims of Trump’s fascism: “And what a robust defense, and especially the notion that for all of our professions, an attack on one is an attack on all.”

Some say the Central Intelligence Agency is the world’s leading cause of “coincidences.” This might be another one. Just as the government released thousands of JFK assassination files, I — a former CIA officer turned whistleblower — was suddenly blocked from posting reform proposals on social media. The experience showed just how powerful X has become in the fight against deep-state corruption. Americans want their country back from those who have taken control. I post regularly on X, sharing updates on CIA activity and government corruption. My account has 125,000 followers and delivers unfiltered information without paid promotion. After 17 years in the CIA, including high-level assignments across multiple global stations, I know how the agency operates — and how often it violates the U.S. Constitution without consequence. Since I began publicly exposing CIA corruption in 2010, I have created documents and posted videos about CIA misconduct. My computer crashes frequently — twice in the past four months — destroying all my data. Even my backup account on Carbonite failed to save this information. Recently, “someone” accessed my primary computer through the router and specifically targeted and corrupted only the files and videos related to the CIA, rendering them inaccessible. My account on X has been a quick and protected way to get this information to Americans. In my book, “Twilight of the Shadow Government: How Transparency Will Kill the Deep State,” written with my courageous co-author Kent Heckenlively, we reveal the CIA’s criminal and unconstitutional operations for everyone to see. “Light dispels darkness,” as so many have observed. In the book, Kent and I lay out 12 steps that must be taken to reform the CIA. Two weeks ago, on my X account, I spelled out 13 additional radical steps to reform the CIA and end its tyranny of secrecy once and for all. I posted each step back-to-back. These reforms are lethal to the CIA’s control over all three branches of our elected government — and the fear of reprisal against anyone who challenges its power. Maybe it was the 13th step that annoyed the agency the most: “Legally indict and charge CIA officials who engage in a criminal conspiracy to silence whistleblowers, block information from Congress, or violate U.S. and constitutional law.” It just wouldn’t be the same old CIA any more if they couldn’t lie to Congress or our duly elected president. The day after I posted the 13 steps, I received a warning from X stating I had violated its guidelines and was being suspended for multiple copyright violations. I was unable to log in and access my account. Four attempts to appeal the suspension resulted in a boilerplate response instructing me to log in to my account for further information. Of course, I was unable to log in to do so. What’s more, I could not follow any other X users or post comments on their pages. It was an endless loop of blockages. This occurred just as 80,000 pages of JFK assassination documents were released — a critical moment. I had prepared evidentiary posts indicating the CIA was involved in the murder of President John F. Kennedy. My position as a CIA officer who had worked in all four agency directorates — as well as being the only one to publicly challenge the state secrets privilege and publish a book about the history of the CIA without the agency's approval — made me unique among commentators. Finally, I contacted my dear friend Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who has reached the same conclusion regarding the CIA's culpability in the murder of his uncle — spelling out what had just happened. Since he is extremely busy with his new Cabinet post at Health and Human Services, I was unsure whether I would receive an answer. Within a matter of hours, I received a text back from Bobby. He advised me that he had passed my text to James Musk — Elon’s cousin and an X executive. James responded immediately. After researching the matter, James advised me that X had not suspended @kevin_shipp. Some entity — perhaps the CIA? — had created a fraudulent @kevin_shipp account, which caused an override of the true account and sent me a fictitious X community guidelines violation along with multiple copyright violation claims on the 13 steps to CIA reform. James uncovered this malicious attack in just under two hours. Following his guidance on how to regain access to the real account, @kevin_shipp was back up, and all 13 steps were there and open for comments. What a relief to see my first post go live again — just one word: “Test.” My co-author quickly shared the story on X, paying to boost the post. It reached 1.6 million people. The experience showed just how powerful X has become in the fight against deep-state corruption. Americans want their country back from those who have taken control. Watching Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and James Musk respond so swiftly and boldly to a targeted attack on my account was inspiring and reassuring. That night, I slept peacefully, knowing I wasn’t alone in standing up for our republic. This fight isn’t mine alone — it belongs to all of us. And with people like Kennedy and Musk stepping up, we’re finally pushing back.

The Department of Justice has established a task force aimed at cutting through red tape that reduces business opportunities.