Another District Judge said that President Trump cannot use the Alien Enemies Act to deport Tren de Aragua. In a 36-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ruled that Trump cannot rely on the Alien Enemies Act to detain and deport members of the international gang because the gang’s presence was not an “invasion” […] The post A Judge Rules Trump Admin Can’t Use Alien Enemies Act to Deport TdA Terrorists appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller promised the “largest tax cut in history” on Thursday as pressure ramps up on the White House over tariffs. Miller touted legislation that lawmakers on Capitol Hill are currently negotiating, which is expected to make President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent. The White House official said during a press conference that the proposal would encourage companies to invest in the United States. “The relief for small businesses is going to come in the form of the largest tax cut in American history – a tax cut, by the way, that every single Democrat is planning to vote against,” Miller said. “They’re voting for a tax hike for every middle-class family of about $4000.” “Companies that invest in the United States will be able to deduct 100% of that cost from their tax liability. This will be the most pro-small business tax bill in American history,” he continued. “At the same time, this is what you have to understand about the plan, as they’re able to do that, as they’re able to reshore those supply chains, that also means they’ll pay no tariff. So, you’ll have the lowest tax environment and there’ll be no tariff because their production and supply chains will be in the United States.” On Wednesday, the stock market dropped after new data from the Department of Commerce showed that U.S. gross domestic product (GDP), a measure of the economy’s health, shrank 0.3% in the first quarter of 2025. The reduction in GDP came as Trump waged trade wars with China, Canada, and Mexico, and levied a flat 10% tariff across dozens of countries, with higher tariffs threatened. The tariffs sparked a surge in imports as companies rushed to get products to the United States before the tariffs took effect. The rise in imports significantly prevented a positive U.S. GDP. Wells Fargo economist Shannon Grein said that the topline GDP contraction makes the U.S. economy appear weaker than it is. “The headline decline overstates weakness because a lot of that was tariff-induced pull-forward,” Grein said. “Overall, I think that it was a relatively solid underlying report when it comes to demand.” The White House has played up the expectation of new trade deals soon to avoid tariffs on dozens of countries. An absence of trade deals in the future could shake investor confidence and push stock prices lower still.

Russia responded on Thursday to the United States striking a minerals agreement with Ukraine, mocking President Donald Trump and saying that Ukraine “is about to disappear.” The Trump administration lauded the deal as a significant step forward in pushing back against Russian aggression. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev responded, writing on Telegram, “Trump has finally pressured the Kiev regime to pay for US aid with mineral resources. Now, the country that is about to disappear will have to use its national wealth to pay for military supplies.” The United States and Ukraine finally agreed to the minerals deal on Wednesday after a months-long negotiation process that hit multiple roadblocks. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the “agreement signals clearly to Russian leadership that the Trump administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term.” Unlike the United States’ previous military aid for Ukraine, the minerals deal will ensure that Ukraine continues to receive military support while the United States will gain access to some of Ukraine’s vital natural resources in return. The agreement sets up an investment fund managed by the United States and Ukraine, which will allow the United States to collect revenue from Ukraine’s natural resources, The New York Times reported. The minerals agreement will also make the United States responsible for ensuring that countries “that have acted adversely to Ukraine in the conflict do not benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine.” The deal does not appear to prohibit Ukraine from seeking membership in the European Union, which was a major point for Kyiv during negotiations. Shortly after the deal was signed, Trump approved $50 million in military aid for Ukraine, the first military package for Ukraine that Trump has approved since taking office in January. The minerals agreement marks a major step for the Trump administration, which has been pushing hard for both Ukraine and Russia to come to terms on a peace deal to end the war.

David Horowitz died on Tuesday at the age of 86. I knew David really, really well. I used to work at the David Horowitz Freedom Center. Truth Revolt, which was a precursor to The Daily Wire, began at the David Horowitz Freedom Center. I knew David for more than a decade before that. He was truly a formative person in the modern conservative movement, a person who spoke the truth no matter the cost. David started off as a radical communist. He wrote a book in 1996 titled “Radical Son: A Generational Odyssey.” In it, he talks about how his parents were communists and that he was a “Red Diaper Baby.” He began his career as a far-Left writer for Ramparts magazine. He turned to the Right when his friend was allegedly killed by the Black Panthers. Then, basically all of his old friends disowned him and decided he was “untouchable.” David then turned into one of the most effective conservative activists of his generation. He used to call the David Horowitz Freedom Center a “battle tank” rather than a think tank. Pretty much everybody who’s anybody in modern conservatism had some initial connection with David Horowitz. I met Charlie Kirk, for example, at a David Horowitz Freedom Center event back when Charlie was maybe 18- or 19- years old and was first getting started with TPUSA. And that remains true for a huge number of people who got their start in the conservative movement in the 1990s and 2000s. His books are worth reading. He was really an amazing writer, a terrific speaker, and a strong voice. There are many videos of him online that are really worth watching. Here is just one, for example:   Horowitz: Will you condemn Hamas here and now?  Radical Student: I’m sorry, what?  Horowitz: Will you condemn Hamas? Will you condemn Hamas as a terrorist and genocidal organization?  Radical Student: Are you asking me to put myself on a cross? Horowitz: So you won’t. I actually have had this experience many times. You didn’t read the pamphlet because the pamphlet is chapter and verse. The main connection is that the MSA is part of the Muslim Brotherhood network, as revealed in the document. Radical Student: I don’t think you understood what I meant by that. I meant if I say something, I’m sure that I will be arrested for reasons of Homeland Security. So if you could please just answer my question. Horowitz: If you condemn Hamas, Homeland Security will arrest you? Radical Student: If I support Hamas — because your question forces me to condemn Hamas — if I support Hamas, I look really bad. Horowitz: Well, if you don’t condemn Hamas, obviously you support it. Case closed. I’ve had this experience at UC Santa Barbara, where there were 50 members of the Muslim Students Association sitting right in the rows there. And throughout my hour talk, I kept asking them, “Will you condemn Hezbollah and Hamas?” And none of them would. And then when the question period came, the president of the Muslim Students Association was the first person to ask questions. I said, “You know, before you start, will you condemn Hezbollah?” And he said, “Well, that question is too complicated for a yes or no answer.” So I said, “Okay, I’ll put it to you this way. I’m a Jew. The head of Hezbollah has said that he hopes that we will gather in Israel so he doesn’t have to hunt us down globally — for it or against it? Radical Student: For it. Horowitz: Thank you. Thank you for coming and showing everybody what’s here. David was extremely clear in his approach to the world. He understood the morality of many of our foreign adversaries. He was an advocate for Americanism and American strength and security. And he will very much be missed.

“Harry Potter” actors are making their position on the trans debate clear in the wake of the historic Supreme Court of the United Kingdom ruling that the definition of a woman is determined by biological sex. Several celebrities from “Harry Potter” projects both past and present signed an open letter declaring their belief that the ruling was wrong. Eddie Redmayne, star of the spin-off prequel franchise “Fantastic Beasts,” signed the letter, as did Paapa Essiedu, who will portray Severus Snape in the upcoming “Harry Potter” television adaptation from HBO. Katie Leung, an actress from the original films, also added her name to the document, per The Times of London. “We the undersigned film and television professionals stand in solidarity with the trans, nonbinary and intersex communities who have been impacted by the Supreme Court ruling on April 16,” the open letter says. “We believe the ruling undermines the lived reality and threatens the safety of trans, non-binary and intersex people living in the UK,” it said. “Film and television are powerful tools for empathy and education, and we believe passionately in the ability of the screen to change hearts and minds. This is our opportunity to be on the right side of history.” Redmayne, Essiedu, Leung and more than 2,000 other individuals added their names to the letter. Other celebrity signatories include “The Last of Us” star Bella Ramsey, “The Brutalist” actor and Taylor Swift’s ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, and “Bridgerton” actress Nicola Coughlan. Meanwhile, Rowling, who has been openly critical of the radical trans agenda for years, has been celebrating the Supreme Court ruling as a great victory. “Think I might be having a cigar later,” Rowling shared on X April 16 after the ruling was handed down. I love it when a plan comes together.#SupremeCourt #WomensRights pic.twitter.com/agOkWmhPgb — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 16, 2025 “It took three extraordinary, tenacious Scottish women with an army behind them to get this case heard by the Supreme Court and, in winning, they’ve protected the rights of women and girls across the UK,” the billionaire “Harry Potter” author wrote in a follow-up later. “I’m so proud to know you.” Leftist fans and trans activists were furious that Rowling would be involved in the upcoming TV adaptation, but HBO released a statement last fall confirming she would be involved despite the backlash. “We are proud to once again tell the story of Harry Potter — the heartwarming books that speak to power of friendship, resolve and acceptance,” the statement said. “J.K. Rowling has a right to express her personal views. We will remain focused on the development of the new series, which will only benefit from her involvement.”

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten warned Democrats not to get too far out over their skis in celebrating President Donald Trump’s recent lower poll numbers, noting that he was still beating them handily on most issues. Enten spoke with host Sara Sidner on Thursday morning — on the heels of former Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech at San Francisco’s Emerge America gala — and among the questions they discussed was whether or not Americans believed Trump was doing a better job as president than Harris would have. WATCH: “These numbers should be a major wake-up call for Democrats.” Even now, Trump still does well when matched against Democrats. -Trump 45%-Harris 43% on who’d be doing a better job as president -Trump 40% to Dems in Congress’ 32% on who can better deal with the main U.S. problems pic.twitter.com/P5Fg4KdLqG — (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) May 1, 2025 Enten explained that even though Trump has seen a drop-off in his approval numbers — especially since he rolled out widespread tariffs in early April — his numbers are still higher than those of the Democrats who continue to attack him. “It’s not just about regretting that vote. It’s literally saying who would be doing the better job right now? And Trump continues to score a higher percentage of the vote than Kamala Harris,” Enten said, sharing data from a CNN poll that showed 45% saying Trump was doing a better job as president than Harris (at 43%) would have. “This looks a heck of a lot like the election result. We have just seen this in poll after poll after poll, despite the fact that Trump’s favorable ratings aren’t too hot to trot when he’s matched up against who he was matched up in 2024. He still, across the polls, scores a higher percentage than Kamala Harris,” he said. “The bottom line is when you look at Donald Trump in a vacuum, it’s one thing, but when you actually match him up against folks in the real world, all of a sudden his numbers look considerably better. And when you match him up against his main competition at this point, Democrats in Congress, he is more trusted on the main problems facing the United States right now,” Enten continued, noting that a recent ABC/Ipsos/Washington Post poll had Trump at 40% with Democrats in Congress at 32%. “In fact, it’s not even close. It’s an eight point advantage, which in politics, well, that’s a wide ocean.” He then issued a warning to Democrats who thought Trump’s low poll numbers meant they would have an easy road in 2026 or even 2028, adding, “If Democrats think that at this particular point, just because Donald Trump is unpopular, that they’re going to run away with it like a Heisman trophy winner, that is not necessarily the case. These numbers should be a major wake up call for Democrats. Despite Donald Trump’s unpopularity in the polls. When you actually go up against him and you put Democrats’ names against him, when you put Republicans as a whole up against him, Republicans and Donald Trump do considerably better. And that is why Democrats, in fact, cannot count their chickens just yet because those eggs have not cracked at this particular moment.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) gave a real world example of exactly what Enten was saying during a recent press conference, where he crowed about just how low Trump’s approval numbers were for his first 100 days. CNN reporter Manu Raju pushed back, pointing out that Schumer himself had the lowest approval rating in Congress with just 17% — a fact that Schumer quickly brushed aside, saying, “Polls come and go.” Same Presser: Schumer: “Trump has the lowest 100 day approval rating since they started polling.” 2 Minutes later. Manu Raju: “There’s a poll out today that has your approval rating lower than any other Congressional leader at 17 percent.” Schumer: “Polls come and go.” pic.twitter.com/aMNc0Su667 — Carmine Sabia (@CarmineSabia) April 30, 2025

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Wednesday called for the United States to stop funding gain-of-function research at biolabs around the world. Gabbard made the comments during an interview with podcast host Megyn Kelly, as they discussed the likelihood that the United States directly funded the research that led to the creation of COVID-19 and the state of the ongoing probe into the lab leak that released the virus. It is now widely accepted by American officials that a lab leak stemming from gain-of-function research triggered the 2020 pandemic. “The reason why this is so important is not just what has happened in the past, it’s because this gain-of-function is happening in biolabs around the world,” Gabbard said, pointing to her previous warnings about U.S.-funded biolabs in Ukraine. “In order to prevent another COVID-like pandemic or another major health incident that could effect us in the world, we have to end this gain-of-function research and provide the evidence that shows exactly why and how it’s in our best interests, the American people’s best interest, to bring an end to it,” she added. Gain-of-function research is a process in which scientists genetically alter an organism to study how it responds under specific conditions. It can involve increasing transmissibility, virulence, and other characteristics of a pathogen. Gabbard did not specifically name which American-funded labs she said were performing gain-of-function research. Gabbard told Kelly that she still had an intelligence team working with National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya and Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to investigate direct links between U.S.-funded gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China, and the pandemic. Kelly asked when the public could expect to find out the “exact experiment” that led to COVID. Gabbard replied that her team was working on it with Bhattacharya and would release the information “hopefully very soon.” Based on the increasing consensus that the lab leak was the cause, Gabbard said she was not surprised that Dr. Anthony Fauci had been pardoned preemptively as President Joe Biden left office. “Is it any wonder that he sought a preemptive pardon for anything during a certain period of time by President Biden before he left office?” she said. In May 2021, Fauci said that the NIH “has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.” However, later evidence from the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic determined that the EcoHealth Alliance used NIH dollars to fund gain-of-function research in Wuhan. EcoHealth is currently under investigation by the Justice Department and has been barred from receiving any further federal grant dollars. Gabbard said that much of the research her team has conducted can be found at COVID.gov, where the Trump administration has compiled a page explaining how the coronavirus is believed to have originated in a Chinese lab. In addition to the COVID investigation, Gabbard said that her team was looking at other instances of the United States funding “dangerous” gain-of-function research that “in many examples has resulted in either a pandemic or some other major health crisis.”

U.S. District Court Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ruled on Thursday that President Donald Trump and his administration could not use the Alien Enemies Act to uphold the deportations of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador. Rodriguez stated that the Act — first enacted in 1798 — did not apply unless the United States was facing an “armed, organized attack,” and argued that the influx of illegal alien gang members and terrorists did not meet that particular qualification. “The Proclamation exceeds the scope of the statute and, as a result, is unlawful. [Administration officials] do not possess the lawful authority under the AEA, and based on the Proclamation, to detain Venezuelan aliens, transfer them within the United States, or remove them from the country,” he wrote in his decision. The Trump administration argued that Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua, a “designated Foreign Terrorist Organization[,] . . . is perpetrating, attempting, and threatening an invasion or predatory incursion against the territory of the United States,” and based on that, “all Venezuelan citizens 14 years of age or older who are members of TdA, are within the United States, and are not actually naturalized or lawful permanent residents of the United States are liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as Alien Enemies.” Rodriguez disagreed, however, but he did leave room for recourse: he also noted in his ruling that once the court determined the definition of “invasion” or “incursion,” the administration would be free to present any evidence they believed showed such and “invasion” or “incursion” had, in fact, occurred. Some issues that Petitioners raise present a political question beyond judicial review. Once a court defines the parameters of what conduct constitutes an “invasion” or “predatory incursion” for purposes of the AEA, the court leaves to the Executive Branch the determination of whether such conduct has been perpetrated, attempted, or threatened. For example, a court may decide that one aspect of “invasion” and “predatory incursion” requires physical entry into the United States. In other words, a court may conclude that no invasion or predatory incursion has occurred or has been threatened if the alleged conduct does not involve the entry of individuals into the country. The court having determined the meaning of these terms, it is left to the Executive Branch to determine whether a foreign nation or government has threatened or perpetrated activity that includes such an entry. As to this decision, the court may not delve into whether the Executive Branch possesses sufficient support for its conclusion, or whether the court agrees with the Executive Branch’s determinations.

Growing up with a disability can be challenging. This is true, in part, because of a lack of accommodations. For parents, however, there’s a fear that their kids will be treated poorly by their peers. But thanks to a wholesome experience one mom had recently, she’s feeling very hopeful about her son’s future. It all started when Mom got a call from one of her former high school teachers. This teacher’s biology class recently began a discussion on genetics. Knowing that this mom has a kid with genetic deletion syndrome, she was hoping Mom would be open to visiting her class. That way, she could talk about her own experience. Mom was happy to do so, and she brought little Sully with her. Any nervousness she may have felt melted away the moment these sweet high school students responded to her presentation. See what they did in the video below! @amasbury161822 I’d like to keep him little forever but if he turns out like one of these kids, letting him grow up won’t be so bad #geneselectorsully #contiguousgenedeletionsyndrome #otofaciocervicalsyndrome #shippensburghighschool ♬ Where Is The Love? – The Black Eyed Peas “I’d like to keep him little forever,” Mom admits in the caption of her post, “but if he turns out like one of these kids, letting him grow up won’t be so bad.” As soon as Mom was done talking, these high school students were eager to get to know Sully better. So, they sat in a circle around him, allowing him to play however he wanted. In turn, they gave him the very best reactions. You can really tell how much Sully is loving the attention and love! Sweet High School Students Have the Most Wholesome Response to a Mom’s Biology Presentation “When people say the youth is ruined, I’ll show them this,” someone shares in reply to this heartwarming video, another person asking, “Kids just want to be kids. Why does the world push them to grow up so fast?” “I feel like some people forget that high schoolers are still children themselves… and they showed that with how they treated and played with your kiddo,” a third person points out. “I bet they talk about that day for a long time and always remember your little one.” You can find the source of this story’s featured image here! The post Woman Gives Presentation To High School Biology Class, But What The Students Do After Will Bring Tears To Your Eyes appeared first on InspireMore.