My friend Sam always says: “Information wants to be free.” By this, he means both without cost and readily available, free access to information. The newly introduced DOGE Department Of Government Efficiency has taken the most significant step in providing the average citizen with a minute-by-minute update on the financial condition of America. It’s impossible […] The post DOGE.Gov Looking Under the Hood Of Government Spending appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Southern California Edison disclosed that its equipment may have been “involved” in the Eaton and Hurst wildfires that tore through Southern California last month, as the Los Angeles Fire Department continues investigating. Southern California Edison (SCE), a subsidiary of Edison International, submitted two letters to the California Public Utilities Commission indicating its equipment might be linked to one, if not several, of the fires, according to The Wall Street Journal. Investigators with the Los Angeles Fire Department have suggested a possible connection to the Hurst fire, while the cause of the Eaton fire remains under review. “While we do not yet know what caused the Eaton wildfire, SCE is exploring every possibility in its investigation, including the possibility that SCE’s equipment was involved,” Edison Chief Executive Pedro Pizarro said. However, the company reported it hadn’t discovered typical signs of equipment failures, such as broken conductors, raising additional questions about what specifically triggered the damage. Meanwhile, fire department personnel have shared that their own examination into the Hurst fire prompted them to evaluate the condition of transmission lines and other potential ignition causes. While the possibility of a link to Southern California Edison’s equipment remains under review in both incidents, officials have noted that further investigation may stretch on for several months. Past wildfire cases in the region have proven complex, occasionally requiring extended collaboration between state regulators, legal teams, and the utilities themselves. As inquiries continue, Southern California Edison has said it will offer updates on its inspections and any findings that could help determine how these fires began.

Toby Keith’s daughter, Krystal Keith, shared a touching tribute to her dad with a series of family photos one year after the country singer died from stomach cancer on February 5, 2024. He was 62. In a post on Wednesday on Instagram, Krystal wrote about the kind of father the late country singer was to her and her siblings and the incredible grandfather he was to her kids. “It feels like yesterday we said goodbye and yet it somehow has also been the longest year without him,” Keith wrote. “I can’t help but find gratitude in all the time we had because we did all of life as a family unit.” “It’s hard to find a candid picture where he doesn’t have one of our babies in his arms,” she added. “He was their favorite, and they were his. Our littles miss their buddy big time but we all know we will see him again someday.” “Until then, he will watch over us and walk beside us,” Keith continued. “Every sunset (and he LOOOOVED his sunsets) is a reminder that he wants us to live our best life and do good in the world. So that’s exactly is what we will do.”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Krystal Keith (@krystalkeith) Her brother, Stelen Keith Covel, also shared a sweet post on the anniversary of his father’s death. “A whole year without my hero,” his son wrote. “Here’s to one day having more of these nights. Love you dad.” Last year, the “Red Solo Cup” hitmaker was inducted into the Country Hall of Fame, as previously reported. He died the day before he would’ve learned about his inclusion in the hall. Shortly after Keith’s death, the late singer broke a record and made history after beating out music giants like Kenny Rogers and Taylor Swift to dominate 90 percent of the top 10 songs on the Country Digital Song Sales chart at one time. After his death, the “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” hitmaker’s catalog of music filled the country charts. He is now the first artist ever to claim nine spaces in the top 10 songs on the Billboard chart, Billboard reported. Following Keith’s diagnosis in 2021, he talked about his incredible country singing career. “Just seeing how enormous the career I amassed over 30 years when they show the video,” he told People magazine at the time. “You know where you were when you wrote all those songs, you hear those numbers and you’re just like, you looked up one day and all of a sudden 30 years went by.” Related: Toby Keith Breaks Record On Music Chart Following His Death

A new video series from small tech firm ParkerVision claims that big tech giant Qualcomm stole their patented groundbreaking technology before offshoring it to China — all while allegedly colluding with the Obama administration to get away with it. Part one of the four-part series, called “Against the Giants,” outlines how ParkerVision took Qualcomm to court in 2011, once they believed Qualcomm stole their patented chip. A unanimous jury verdict found Qualcomm guilty, but seven weeks later, the Obama-appointed judge decided to dismiss the entire case, citing “an insufficient evidentiary basis” over the alleged patent infringement. The shocking swing sparked ParkerVision to look further into the matter, allegedly finding collusion with the Obama administration. Outlined as one piece of evidence in the series, ParkerVision says the Obama DOJ and the executive office of the president visited the company’s website and viewed ParkerVision’s litigation against Qualcomm before Obama flew to California to raise money for the DNC at the Qualcomm CEO’s home. ParkerVision and Qualcomm are still enthralled in a legal battle to this day. “Big tech’s betrayal of America — unveiled,” the X account for “Against the Giants” reads. “Inside the untold story of how big tech giant Qualcomm ripped-off one of the most important patented innovations in American history and shipped it off to China with the help from the US government. Did the Obama Admin provide cover?” Big tech’s betrayal of America — unveiled. Inside the untold story of how big tech giant Qualcomm ripped-off one of the most important patented innovations in American history and shipped it off to China with the help from the US government. Did the Obama Admin provide cover? pic.twitter.com/bOvjq6Zv27 — Against the Giants (@Against_Giants) January 30, 2025 Since the video series has gained traction online, Qualcomm has filed a motion for “Against the Giants” social media to be shut down, ParkerVision says. “Qualcomm has filed a 28 page motion to the court to shut down our social media on the basis that we are infringing on their ‘Constitutional right to a fair trial,'” an update posted Wednesday reads. “Qualcomm asks for ‘immediate court intervention’ that would result in a court order removing our posts.” “ParkerVision will be responding to the court shortly with our opposition to Qualcomm’s motion,” the account added. UPDATE: Qualcomm has filed a 28 page motion to the court to shut down our social media on the basis that we are infringing on their “Constitutional right to a fair trial.” Qualcomm asks for “immediate court intervention” that would result in a court order removing our posts. https://t.co/9y26wpMKwl pic.twitter.com/JirXAcKAT1 — Against the Giants (@Against_Giants) February 5, 2025 “Right now, China is cleaning our clock, because we’ve allowed these companies to steal innovation, take it to China, and now the Chinese are now making their own products from those innovations and we are no longer building our innovation economy like we used to, and those chickens are coming home to roost,” Jeffrey Parker, CEO of ParkerVision, said. “We’re doing this because it’s the right thing to do,” Parker said of the ongoing litigation. “We’re fighting this so you don’t have to. We’re fighting this battle so that small innovators in America still have a future.”

A new poll shows large support among Americans for cutting reckless government spending and for Congress to pass a border bill before the April recess. The poll, sponsored by Tea Party Patriots Action and conducted by McLaughlin and Associates, was conducted on January 28 and consists of responses from 1,000 general election voters. The poll has a margin of error of 3.1%. In results that suggest broad support for Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts, about four out of five voters agreed that the U.S. government should “rein in Washington’s reckless borrowing and spending” to tamp down inflation, according to poll results obtained by The Daily Wire. Over 60% of respondents said that Congress should take action to secure the border before it breaks for a 17-day recess in April. “The American people want to shrink the size and scope of the federal government, and they want to rein in Washington’s reckless borrowing and spending. That’s exactly what Elon Musk and his colleagues at DOGE are doing,” Tea Party Patriots founder Jenny Beth Martin told The Daily Wire in a statement. “The poll we commissioned shows they’re doing exactly what the public wants — 79% of Americans want to ‘rein in Washington’s reckless borrowing and spending.’ This includes 69% of Independents and 65% of Democrats,” she said. Another strong majority of voters, 71%, support Congress taking up legislation to extend or make permanent the 2017 tax cuts of President Donald Trump’s first administration. Many of the provisions of the Tax Cuts And Jobs Act, one of the signature pieces of legislation from Trump’s first term, are scheduled to expire by the end of this year, effectively raising the tax burden on the average American. In a result that suggests confidence in the outcome of the past election, just over half of respondents, 50.3%, said that they believe they will be better off in four years than they are now. Under 40% said the opposite. “DOGE’s agenda is wildly popular across the political spectrum, and so is the rest of President Trump’s agenda,” Martin told The Daily Wire. “This is why he was elected in the first place. Our poll shows that congressional Republicans and the Trump Administration should move full steam ahead and ignore the whining and filibustering of Beltway elites.” One of Musk’s latest moves, to audit the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has garnered stiff opposition from Democrats who allege that Trump and Musk are endangering humanitarian programs funded by U.S. taxpayers. Musk’s investigation into USAID has revealed a slew of spending programs that the White House says run counter to Trump’s agenda, such as funding and exporting DEI and trans ideology projects to countries such as Serbia and Peru.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed on Thursday the Trump administration’s “tax priorities,” saying President Donald Trump will work with Congress to pass the largest middle-class tax cut in American history. Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Leavitt provided a list of Trump’s tax cut priorities after the president spoke to Republican lawmakers. The administration’s priorities include no tax on tips, no tax on seniors’ Social Security, no tax on overtime pay, a renewal of Trump’s 2017 middle-class tax cuts, an adjustment of the SALT cap, elimination of tax breaks for billionaire sports team owners, closure of the carried interest loophole, and tax cuts for products made in America. “This will be the largest tax cut in history for middle-class working Americans,” Leavitt said. “The president is committed to working with Congress to get this done.” Trump met privately with Republican leaders at the White House on Thursday to hash out a plan for tax cuts and spending, the Associated Press reported. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) initially committed to passing tax cuts in the House by the end of April, but as that deadline quickly approaches, lawmakers are debating a short-term solution for tax cuts. Senate Republicans appear to be prioritizing legislation on funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and other immigration issues before addressing tax cuts later this year, according to the AP. “We’re stuck in the mud,” Rep. Byron Donald (R-FL) told CNBC on Wednesday. “There’s a lot of, what do they call it, paralysis of analysis? And I think at this point, we need to just make a clear decision.” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said, “We have had conversations, including last night, about, do we do five-year tax policy? Do we do five-year policy for some, permanent/ten-year for others? I think we’re working on that. Those are the levers to pull to try to figure out the math.” Hardline conservatives, such as Roy, want the tax cuts to be coupled with plans to go after the national debt or keep a neutral deficit.

A federal judge on Thursday delayed the deadline for government workers to accept a proposal to resign from the Trump administration as it seeks to slash the size of the federal bureaucracy. U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr. temporarily paused the expiration of the Trump administration’s offer for two million federal workers to quit with pay until September 30. The judge will hear arguments on Monday about the legality of the proposal, which was sent out by the Office of Personnel Management on January 28. The original deadline for the offer was February 6 and at least 60,000 workers have reportedly already taken up the offer. “We are grateful to the Judge for extending the deadline so more federal workers who refuse to show up to the office can take the Administration up on this very generous, once-in-a-lifetime offer,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in response to the decision. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) opposes the buyout and is looking to see it blocked, and the organization’s president, Everett Kelley, said he was “pleased” with the judge’s decision. “We are pleased the court temporarily paused this deadline while arguments are heard about the legality of the deferred resignation program. We continue to believe this program violates the law, and we will continue to aggressively defend our members’ rights,” he said. The January 28 message from OPM suggested that significant cuts were on the horizon and that it could not guarantee that everyone’s position would still be in place with incoming reforms. The message sent to the workers was titled “A Fork in the Road,” and discussed four major “pillars” around which the Trump administration planned to build the federal workforce. These pillars included working in an office, focusing on excellence, cutting the size of federal agencies, and increasing standards of conduct. “If you choose to remain in your current position, we thank you for your renewed focus on serving the American people to the best of your abilities and look forward to working together as part of an improved federal workforce,” the message said. “At this time, we cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position or agency but should your position be eliminated you will be treated with dignity and will be afforded the protections in place for such positions.” The Trump administration is looking to actively cut back the scope of the federal bureaucracy and slash wasteful spending and programs.

If you ask anyone from the East Coast about coffee, they’ll like to tell you that Dunkin’ is the best. Bostonians are exceptionally dedicated to their hometown brand. Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck are two of the most famous brothers from Beantown. And, they love their Dunkin’. Of course, the brothers jumped at the chance to star in a Super Bowl ad for Dunkin’ to help introduce a new deal while wearing some Dunkin’-inspired threads. The Affleck brothers consider themselves DunKings, and the latest offer they are helping tout is undoubtedly fit for royalty. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dunkin’ (@dunkin) According to Dunkin’, “Last year, we had The DunKings Iced Coffee and MUNCHKINS® Skewer, but this year, we’re going all in with a full meal. Even all-day breakfast deserves a little star power, so this meal comes in a limited-edition band-inspired box fit for a DunKing or DunQueen.” The DunKings $6 Meal Deal includes a sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich, crispy hash browns, and a medium hot or iced coffee. To add more flavor to the morning, Dunkin’ also introduced two new specialty coffees and brought back a fan-favorite refresher. This week, fans can try the new Vanilla Creme Cold Brew, which is  “layered with brown sugar syrup, a vanilla flavor shot and topped with sweet cold foam,” and the Toasted White Chocolate Coffee with “toasted white chocolate swirl and cream.” The company also announced that the Raspberry Watermelon Refresher is back on the menu. Ben Affleck Looks Good In Dunkin’ Gear The company dropped the merch on February 6, and it nearly sold out completely in the first few hours. Plenty of people run on Dunkin’ and want to run in a velour Juicy Couture Dunkin tracksuit. Dunkin’ dropped a teaser for their Super Bowl Ad starring Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck, and it’s pretty funny. The brothers argue, and Ben’s thick Boston accent comes out naturally as we learn why Boston is in Dunkin’. Fans shared their excitement for Ben Affleck and all things Dunkin’. One wrote, “Ben + Dunkin = pure entertainment and happiness. Looking forward to watching them this Sunday!” Another wrote, “making that Super Bowl content a meal, not a snack.” A fan joked, “Boston fashion week in onnnnn and you stahted it.” “The best thing since water,” another fan declared. This story’s featured image is by Tada Images via Shutterstock. The post Dunkin’ Brings Back Beloved Drink & Introduces Ben Affleck “DunKings” Treats! appeared first on InspireMore.

'a strong check on Tim Walz and his extreme liberal agenda'

'Countless criminals being released'