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Whistleblower Exposes Trump Goons’ Jaw-Dropping Social Security Plot The plan involved exploiting a database known as the “Death Master File.” A Trump administration whistleblower says officials plotted to declare 2.7 million living individuals dead to push immigrants out of the country. The scheme would have used the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) “Death Master File,” a database that flags the deceased, to wipe people off the financial grid, cutting off their pay, bank accounts, credit and benefits, the Washington Post reports. Tech broligarch Elon Musk, who spearheaded the Trump administration’s controversial cost-cutting DOGE initiative last year, had pushed to bend the agency’s records to President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda, the newspaper notes. The SSA had separately marked 6,100 immigrants as dead last year in an earlier, smaller push. Jeremiah Schofield, a career official at the SSA who helped run the agency’s IT modernization before leaving in October, said the plans crystallized on a single conference call last year. A DOGE official, he said, laid out the goal bluntly: pile on enough hardship that immigrants either fled the country or walked into a field office for help and got arrested. Schofield described it as “one of the most disappointing calls I’ve been in in my 25-year career,” and has now detailed the plan in a 49-page disclosure to the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, reviewed by the Post. The Department of Homeland Security allegedly handed the list of 2.7 million names over to SSA in late April 2025. Schofield pulled a sample of 25 to check it and found many were, in fact, alive. The group turned up U.S. citizens, green card holders, teens, and elderly people, including a widow receiving survivor benefits. He said he could not confirm the alleged links to crime or terrorism that the DHS had cited in its materials. The agency’s own attorneys had cautioned that wrongly listing the living as deceased risked breaking federal law. Schofield said he declined to take part. The SSA says the plan was never executed. A spokesperson said the agency “did not add a list of 2.7 million names to the Death Master File.” Three DOGE members—Antonio Gracias, Jon Koval and Payton Rehling—turned up at the agency’s Maryland headquarters that February and called themselves volunteers, Schofield said. Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Gracias, told the Post that his client knew nothing of the proposal to declare 2.7 million people deceased. Koval and Rehling did not reply to the Post. The effort traced to two April 2025 memos from then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to then-acting commissioner Leland Dudek. Dudek told the Post he had heard the legal warnings and rebranded the file by trading the label “death” for “ineligible”—“death is a state of ineligibility,” he reasoned. The disclosure has infuriated Senate Democrats. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts called it “an illegal attempt by DOGE to weaponize Social Security,” and Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal said the episode showed an administration intent on making people suffer, immigrants most of all. Both have now sent letters to the SSA and to the trio of ex-DOGE officials. A DHS spokeswoman did not address the plan but defended sharing data between agencies. White House spokeswoman Liz Huston sidestepped the questions, instead promoting a Trump tax break for seniors. “President Trump will always protect and strengthen Social Security,” Huston told the Daily Beast. “President Trump proudly delivered No Tax on Social Security for nearly every senior in America despite every single Democrat in Congress voting against it.” The administration acknowledged in court papers last month that it had revoked DOGE’s data access at the start of the year and would not be reinstating it. The Daily Beast contacted the DHS and the SSA for comment. “Under President Trump’s leadership, the government is finally doing what it should have all along—sharing information across the federal government to solve problems,” a DHS spokesman said. “Biden not only allowed millions of illegal aliens to flood into our country, but he lost them through incompetence and improper processing. “Information sharing across agencies is essential to identify who is in our country, including violent criminals, determine what public safety and terror threats may exist so we can neutralize them, and identify what public benefits these aliens are using at taxpayer expense.” The SSA did not immediately respond. https://www.thedailybeast.com/whistleblower-exposes-how-trump-admin-plotted-to-mark-27-million-living-social-security-recipients-as-dead/?

Trump Wins Fight to Blow $125 Million on ‘Dumbest Thing Ever’ Republicans have given Trump a symbolic trophy. Republicans have handed President Trump a win in one of his more eyebrow-raising vanity projects, a push to rename the Pentagon that Democrats say will cost up to $125 million and accomplish absolutely nothing. The House Armed Services Committee voted along party lines to permanently rename the Department of Defense the Department of War, tucking the measure into the annual defense policy bill during a marathon late-night session. The move codifies an executive order Trump signed last fall, resurrecting a name the U.S. military bureaucracy last used in the 1940s. Representative Adam Smith, of Washington and the committee’s top Democrat, was forthright in his assessment of the effort. “One of the dumbest things that has been done by this administration,” he said. “It’s semantic nonsense at a time when we have a lot of substantive arguments.” The amendment was introduced by Republican Representative Ronny Jackson of Texas, a hard-line Trump ally, who framed the rebrand in soaring terms. “Restoring the name Department of War sends an unmistakable signal to the world,” Jackson said. “Deterrence only works when adversaries believe America is willing to fight and win to secure its interests.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has already taken to calling himself secretary of war, celebrated the vote on social media. “The Department of War will officially be restored soon,” he posted. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that a full renaming could run as high as $125 million—a number that landed badly with Democrats already furious over the bill’s $1 trillion overall price tag and what they described as a lack of meaningful guardrails around the nearly 100-day war with Iran. Democrat Representative Pat Ryan of New York, one of a dozen Democrats who voted against the broader bill, did not mince words. “It’s performative bulls--t,” he said. “I think ending on that performative note summed up the whole situation.” The broader National Defense Authorization Act—now carrying the renaming provision—cleared the committee in a bipartisan 44-12 vote, though the dozen Democratic no votes made it the panel’s most partisan such vote in years. The name change still faces a steep climb. The Pentagon’s legal name remains the Department of Defense until both chambers of Congress sign off, and the Senate—where Democratic votes are needed to advance most legislation—is expected to resist. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-wins-fight-to-blow-125-million-on-dumbest-thing-ever/? ps:So pathetic!!!!!

Rare Shell Seal Shows Moon Imagery in Israel Mother-of-pearl seal found at Iron Age Tel Hadid https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/rare-shell-seal-shows-moon-imagery-in-israel/?

🎉 Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. In today's edition: Carolina's comeback, Longhorns repeat as softball champs, quarters come to soccer, Judge lands on IL, NBA mock draft, Ohtani breaking baseball (again), and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...   🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🥎 Longhorns go back-to-back: Texas beat Texas Tech, 4-1, on Thursday to complete the sweep and win its second straight softball national championship. It's the same result as last year, with the mighty Longhorns once again besting the Red Raiders' multimillion dollar roster full of superstar transfers. ⚾️ Judge lands on IL: In a brutal blow for the Yankees, Aaron Judge will be out for the foreseeable future after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his rib. The three-time MVP will be re-examined in 4-6 weeks, and "is expected to return at some point this season." 🎾 Last two standing: The women's French Open final is appropriately historic for this rollercoaster of a Grand Slam, with 19-year-old Mirra Andreeva — the first person born after 2004 to reach a major final — set to face 114th-ranked Maja Chwalińska, the second qualifier ever to reach a major final (Emma Raducanu, 2021 U.S. Open). 🏀 Trump at MSG: President Trump confirmed that he will attend at least one of next week's games at Madison Square Garden, which will make him the first sitting U.S. president to attend the NBA Finals. 🏀 Miles sets record: Lynx guard Olivia Miles set a WNBA rookie record with eight 3-pointers made in Thursday's win over the Valkyries. The ROY frontrunner put up a 28-4-7 line to lead first-place Minnesota (8-2) to its sixth straight win.   🏆 STANLEY CUP FINAL CANES STORM BACK TO EVEN SERIES (Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images) In Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Golden Knights stormed back to win. On Thursday, it was Carolina's turn to stage a series-shifting comeback. ICYMI: The Canes trailed 2-0 in the third period before scoring three goals in five minutes to revitalize the home crowd. A tip from Vegas' Mark Stone in the final seconds sent the game to overtime, where Seth Jarvis found the back of the net to play the hero and even the series. Final score: Hurricanes 4, Golden Knights 3 (OT). Controversial call: The Canes' third goal in regulation came on a power play in the final five minutes, after a challenge from Vegas head coach John Tortorella led to a delay of game penalty. The challenge was on a controversial no-goal call, with referees ruling that goaltender interference was enough to erase a Golden Knights goal. Historic start: The Hurricanes are the first team since the 1944 Canadiens to win a Cup Final game after trailing by multiple goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation. This is also the first Stanley Cup Final in history to be tied 1-1 with both teams having a multi-goal comeback win. Are you not entertained?! Tune back in on Saturday night for Game 3 in Las Vegas. Judging by how this series has gone so far, we should be in for another thriller.   ⚽️ PRESS PAUSE STARTS AND STOPS: GAME BREAKS COME TO SOCCER (Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images) If you watched soccer last weekend, you likely witnessed the growing familiarity of a previously foreign concept: hydration breaks. The new normal: A sport once known for its 45-minute halves, uninterrupted by commercial interests or talking heads, has buckled with increasing regularity to mid-half stoppages. Though first implemented as a weather-dependent protocol to spare players from extreme heat, the breaks have extended their reach further into a game typically resistant to change. Just last weekend: The Champions League Final featured cooling breaks in both halves, despite temperatures in Budapest sitting in the mid-70s at kickoff. Mauricio Pochettino used a first-half cooling break to create one of the year's great sports memes, gathering USMNT players around his MacBook for tactical instruction. Starts and stops: Regardless of weather conditions, every match in the upcoming World Cup will feature hydration breaks in each half, spanning exactly three minutes from whistle to whistle. Get ready to learn quarters, world! Poch’s laptop moment evokes the NBA's whiteboard, much to purists' chagrin. (Screenshot: TNT Sports) Cooling or commercials? FIFA will reportedly allow broadcasters to show commercials during the World Cup breaks, with some caveats, per The Athletic. For example: Ads can't start within 20 seconds of the referee's whistle, and they must end more than 30 seconds before the game restarts. As of two weeks ago, conversations between Fox and FIFA about the inclusion of advertisements were still ongoing. Between the lines: The break-creep also changes the tactical complexion of a match, giving teams an opportunity to huddle up and talk X's and O's. Managers once relied on an unreliable game of telephone to install new instructions mid-half. Now, they can adjust with great specificity as players congregate for water. Perhaps the most uncomfortable aspect of the breaks is the clock, which will continue running despite the firm three-minute period of inaction. The officials will add those minutes to the stoppage time at the end of each half. Bottom line: Just as NFL RedZone is no longer seven hours of commercial-free football, futbol is no longer enjoyed 45 minutes of uninterrupted action at a time. Inevitably, the gradual normalization of breaks will create opportunity for incremental advertising over time, further commercializing a sport whose fans are loath to witness the transition. This story was written by Dylan Dittrich, author of our upcoming Sports Business newsletter, which launches soon. Want in? Email dylan.dittrich@yahooinc.com with the subject line "I'm in."   🏀 CLASS OF 2026 NBA MOCK DRAFT 7.0 (Amy Monks/Yahoo Sports) With the NBA Finals upon us and the draft less than three weeks away (June 23-24), here's our latest two-round mock, courtesy of Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor. Top 10: Wizards: AJ Dybantsa (BYU) Jazz: Darryn Peterson (Kansas) Grizzlies: Cameron Boozer (Duke) Bulls: Caleb Wilson (North Carolina) Clippers: Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville) Nets: Nate Ament (Tennessee) Kings: Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas) Hawks: Keaton Wagler (Illinois) Mavericks: Brayden Burries (Arizona) Bucks: Kingston Flemings (Houston) Be sure to check out our 2026 NBA Draft Guide, which features full scouting reports for our top 60 prospects, player comparisons, and multiple big boards.   ⚾️ SHO-TIME OHTANI'S BREAKING BASEBALL (AGAIN) (Christian Petersen/Getty Images) Shohei Ohtani has already amassed 5.2 wins above replacement this season, which is more than all but 30 players had last year. As a reminder: There are still four months left in the season!!! As a hitter, he's shaken off a cold start (by his standards) to get back to his usual offensive prowess, batting .301/.420/.521 with 10 HR, 14 2B, 33 RBI and 41 R. His .420 OBP leads the NL and his .941 OPS ranks third. As a pitcher, he's 6-2 with a 0.74 ERA, which is the third-lowest through 10 starts of a season in MLB history. He's just two innings shy of qualifying for the ERA leaderboard, which he would otherwise top by nearly three-quarters of a run (Cristopher Sánchez, 1.46). Chasing the Babe: In 1923, Babe Ruth amassed a career-high 14.1 WAR, marking the only time in MLB history that someone eclipsed 13 WAR (per Baseball Reference). Ohtani's current pace? 13.6. Game on.   📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) 🏀 NBA Finals, Game 2 The New York Buzzsaws — er, Knicks — go for their 13th consecutive win tonight in San Antonio (8:30pm ET, ABC), where the Spurs will try to salvage a split at home before the series heads to the Big Apple. Flashback: This is the first time the Knicks have led in the NBA Finals since going up 3-2 on the Rockets on June 17, 1994 — the day of O.J. Simpson's infamous white Bronco chase. 🏒 Stanley Cup Final, Game 3 The Hurricanes and Golden Knights are tied at one game apiece as the series heads to Las Vegas tomorrow night (8pm, ABC). Road warriors: Carolina has yet to lose on the road in these playoffs (6-0), and a victory tomorrow would make them just the fifth team in NHL history to win their first seven away games in a single postseason. 🎾 French Open The action concludes this weekend at Roland Garros, starting with No. 2 Alexander Zverev vs. No. 26 Jakub Menšík in today's first men's semifinal (8:30am, TNT/HBO Max) and No. 10 Flavio Cobolli vs. Matteo Arnaldi in the second (1pm). Tomorrow, it's No. 8 Mirra Andreeva vs. Maja Chwalińska in the women’s final (9am), followed by the men's final on Sunday (9am). First-time champs: No matter who wins, this year's French Open will be just the second Grand Slam in the last 20 years to crown a first-time major champion in both the men's and women's draws, the other being the 2021 U.S. Open (Daniil Medvedev and Emma Raducanu). ⛳️ U.S. Women's Open The LPGA's second major of the year continues at famed Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles (Fri-Sun, Peacock/USA/NBC), where 156 players are competing for a women's golf record $12.5 million purse. Leaderboard: American Jennifer Kupcho (-5) holds a one-stroke lead after the opening round. World No. 1 Nelly Korda and No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul both struggled, each shooting a two-over 73. ⚾️ NCAA Baseball Super Regionals The Sweet 16 gets underway today, as eight best-of-three series hosted by the higher seed will determine who advances to the College World Series. Four of the series start today, while the other four start tomorrow. Underdogs everywhere: How chaotic were the Regionals? Just two of the Supers are between seeded teams, with No. 3 Georgia hosting No. 14 Mississippi State (Sat. 11am, ESPN) and No. 6 Texas hosting No. 11 Oregon (Sat. 8pm, ESPN). The other six series: Cal Poly at No. 16 West Virginia, Little Rock at Troy, USC at No. 5 UNC, Ole Miss at No. 4 Auburn, Oklahoma at No. 15 Kansas and St. John's at No. 7 Alabama. More to watch: 🇺🇸 Friendlies: USMNT vs. Germany (Sat. 2:30pm, TBS); Brazil vs. USWNT (Sat. 5:30pm, TBS) … The men play their final World Cup tuneup in Chicago, while the women head to São Paulo for a two-game series. 🐎 Horse Racing: Belmont Stakes (Sat. 7:04pm, Fox) … The 158th Test of the Champion closes out the 2026 Triple Crown season. 🏎️ Formula 1: Monaco Grand Prix (Sun. 9am, Apple) … Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli goes for his fifth straight victory at the most prestigious event on the F1 calendar. 🏈 UFL Playoffs: DC Defenders at Orlando Storm (Sun. 3pm, ABC); Louisville Kings at St. Louis Battlehawks (Sun. 6pm, Fox) … Winners meet in next week's championship. ⛳️ PGA: The Memorial (Fri-Sun, ESPN+/Golf/CBS) … Four players are tied for the lead (-5) at Muirfield. ⚾️ MLB: Guardians at Rangers (Fri. 8pm, Apple); Royals at Twins (Fri. 8pm, Apple); Nationals at Diamondbacks (Sun. 3:15pm, Peacock); Giants at Cubs (Sun. 8:30pm, NBC) 🏀 WNBA: Wings at Sparks (Fri. 10pm, ION); Storm at Lynx (Sat. 1pm, ABC); Valkyries at Aces (Sat. 3pm, ABC); Fever at Liberty (Sat. 8pm, CBS) Plus: 🥍 PLL Week 4 in Charlotte (Fri-Sat, ESPN+); 🏁 NASCAR in Michigan (Sun. 3pm, Prime); IndyCar in St. Louis (Sun. 9pm, Fox); ⛳️ LIV Golf Andalucia (Fri-Sun, FS1); 🏈 IFL Week 13 (Sat-Sun, Yahoo Sports TV) Got plans this weekend? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city.   🐎 31 LENGTHS HORSE RACING TRIVIA (Bettmann Archive/Getty Images) With the 158th Belmont Stakes set for tomorrow, let's take a moment to flashback to the greatest race ever run. Question: What year did Secretariat complete his Triple Crown with a 31-length victory at the Belmont? A) 1981 1978 C) 1973 D) 1969 Answer at the bottom.   🏎️ START YOUR ENGINES YAHOO SPORTS x APPLE TV (Apple) This weekend's Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Monaco Grand Prix 2026 continues our season-long partnership with Apple TV for F1 coverage. Tune in: Today's practice sessions (7:30am/11am ET) and tomorrow's qualifying (10am) will both air for free on Yahoo Sports, while Sunday's race will stream on Apple TV, the new U.S. home of Formula 1.   Trivia answer: C) 1973

St. Pete Council OKs study to review costs, benefits of owning its own utilities Responding to the frustrations expressed by local residents, the St. Petersburg City Council has taken a major step towards potentially jettisoning its longtime relationship with Duke Energy Florida and creating its own city-run electric utility. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/06/05/st-pete-council-oks-study-to-review-costs-benefits-of-owning-its-own-utilities/? She’s out: Democratic Rep. Lindsay Cross says she will not run for re-election This is a developing story. St. Petersburg Democratic House Rep. Lindsay Cross stunned political observers Thursday when she announced she will not run for re-election. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/06/04/shes-out-democratic-rep-lindsay-cross-says-she-will-not-run-for-re-election/? Shevrin Jones files to succeed Frederica Wilson in CD-24 Former state Senator Shevrin Jones is running to succeed eight-term U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson in Congressional District 24, according to paperwork filed Thursday morning. https://floridaphoenix.com/briefs/shevrin-jones-files-to-succeed-frederica-wilson-in-cd-24/?

Crime Spree of Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioters Revealed as Worse Than Known One in 16 of the rioters whom the president freed has since been arrested, charged, or convicted of other crimes. At least 97 of the more than 1,500 Capitol rioters pardoned by President Donald Trump have since been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of crimes unrelated to Jan. 6. The figure, published Thursday by the independent legal outlet Lawfare, is nearly triple the largest prior tally and amounts to nearly one in 16 of the insurrectionists swept up in the clemency order Trump, 79, signed on his first day back in office. The crimes “run the gamut,” Lawfare reports, from low-grade offenses such as trespassing and drug paraphernalia to grand larceny, stalking, plots to kill politicians and police, and fraud against the government. At least 14 pardonees have been charged with sex crimes or offenses tied to child sexual abuse material. At least six have faced domestic violence charges. At least 20 have been hit with DUI or public intoxication charges. Most damning, five of those Trump freed were arrested over conduct that happened at least partly after their release. That means the clemency order may have actively enabled their alleged crimes. One of the five, Lawfare reported, is Andrew Paul Johnson, 45, a Florida handyman freed by the pardon in 2025. A Hernando County jury convicted him in February of five charges, including the molestation of two children, and he was sentenced to life in prison in March. Police said he tried to silence one victim by promising to share restitution money he expected from the Trump administration over his Jan. 6 case. Another, as PunchUp exclusively revealed last month, is Christopher Quaglin, 40. The violent Proud Boys member was sentenced to 12 years after he committed some of the most heinous crimes on Jan. 6, but served only four before Trump pardoned him. As our sister Substack reported on May 29, the electrician from North Brunswick, New Jersey, who currently lives in Florida, has been arrested twice in the past three months alone—including in May, when he allegedly fought with officers who arrested him for disorderly conduct. The new count dwarfs earlier figures. The New York Times editorial board counted 39 reoffenders in March. The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington identified 33 in December 2025, a figure echoed by a report from the Democratic staff of the House Judiciary Committee. Tracking the pardonees is difficult because, unlike parolees, they face no monitoring or reporting requirements, Lawfare noted. The job has been made harder by the Justice Department’s deletion of Jan. 6 defendant records, which Lawfare has worked to restore. Trump signed the sweeping proclamation hours after his second inauguration, with no pardon attorney review and no victim notification, undoing what had been the largest federal investigation in U.S. history. The findings come weeks after the administration floated a $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to compensate those it says were politically targeted. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche would not rule out letting pardoned rioters who assaulted police claim payouts, per CNBC, though the DOJ is now backing off the plan amid Republican pushback. One case shows the pardons cutting the other way, too. Andrew Taake, 37, a Houston man, had pleaded guilty to soliciting what he believed was a 15-year-old girl for sex—a charge that predated the riot. He escaped a sentence by drawing on prison-time “credit” banked while detained for bear-spraying a police officer at the Capitol, a conviction Trump then erased, the Daily Beast revealed last November. He didn’t reoffend after walking free—but the clemency still spared him punishment for a separate child sex crime. “President Trump has exercised his constitutional authority to issue pardons and commutations for a variety of individuals, including those who have been victims of Biden’s weaponized justice system,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the Daily Beast, before pivoting to an attack on former President Joe Biden’s clemency decisions. “The White House has a rigorous pardon review process which includes the White House Counsel, the Department of Justice, and ultimately the President as the final decider. And the only pardons anyone should be critical of are from President Autopen, who pardoned and commuted sentences of violent criminals including child killers and mass murderers—and that’s not to mention the proactive pardons he ‘signed’ for his family members like Hunter on his way out the door.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-jan-6-pardon-crime-spree-revealed-as-even-worse-than-known/?

The Jolly Donald View in browser The U.S. Navy was born to fight piracy. After the Revolutionary War, the United States maintained no standing fleet, but attacks by the Barbary pirates—corsairs based in North Africa who preyed on American merchant ships and took sailors ransom—drove Congress to reestablish a navy in the 1790s. In 1801, Thomas Jefferson dispatched ships to the Mediterranean to fight the pirates, and the successful war that followed proved a template for American interventions for centuries: The U.S. showed it was willing to use military force to defend American commercial interests and to punish bad international actors. Trump has already rejected much of this vision of American foreign policy, a point he demonstrated vividly last month by approvingly likening the U.S. Navy to pirates while describing an interdiction in the Persian Gulf. “We took over the cargo, took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business. Who would have thought we were doing that?” the president said in West Palm Beach, Florida. “We’re like pirates.” Perhaps a man as enthralled by gold as Trump was bound to find a natural affinity with pirates. In fact, the Trump administration is taking a buccaneering attitude around the globe—not just in the actions in the Middle East that Trump described. The U.S. continues to blow up boats, including one yesterday, in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean without any due process or basis in law. And in Washington, a prominent senator has proposed that the U.S. government commission privateers—basically, government-licensed pirates—to battle narco-traffickers. Since the start, the strikes have been a lawless operation. Few legal experts believe there is any justification for them. The Trump administration claims that those targeted are drug smugglers but has presented no evidence for this. Surely, some of them are, though reliable reporting suggests that others are not. Even if the administration had evidence of drug smuggling, that is not the same thing as a conviction; and even if these people had a conviction, federal law does not establish capital punishment for drug trafficking. The attacks received lots of attention when they began, much of it negative, and a few outlets (especially those based overseas) have stayed focused on covering them. But the attention of the public and, especially, Congress has moved on: There are flailing wars and cartoonish corruption going on. Meanwhile, the strikes have actually accelerated. Like the pirates of the golden age, the U.S. military is functioning as an unseen menace, dealing death with no warning or recourse. More than 200 people have been killed in the strikes, but as The New York Times reported a few days ago, the campaign has made no dent in the cocaine trade to the United States. Senator Mike Lee would rather this work be done by private individuals. The Utahn introduced a bill in December that would authorize the president to issue letters of marque, a tool by which the government licenses private individuals to attack foreign interests by seizing ships, as a way of taking on drug traffickers. The Constitution does specifically grant Congress the power to issue letters of marque, though they were effectively abolished by an international treaty in 1856. The wisdom of encouraging private Americans to get into armed battles with cartels is certainly debatable, and the Senate has not advanced the bill. In the absence of privateers, Trump seems to enjoy the idea of the U.S. military acting as outlaws on the seas. During his protracted attempt to figure out what he wants and what he can get out of the war in Iran, Trump announced a full blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. As Lawfare’s Todd Huntley writes, a full blockade would be a violation of international law, though that’s not actually what the U.S. is doing. (One sometimes gets the sense that Trump uses maximalist language without knowing or caring what it means, simply because it sounds cool to him; he also futilely called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”) No one disputes that the Iranian government is acting illegally in the strait. Under international law, the Strait of Hormuz is open to navigation, but Iran has mined the strait and allowed only certain vessels to pass through it, attacking others. The question is what the United States can do in response. (Complicating the matter is the fact that Iran closed the strait after Trump launched a war that is dubious under international law and unauthorized by Congress.) The traditional—and responsible—role for the United States, in the lineage of fighting the Barbary pirates, would be to defend the international norm of free navigation and push to reopen the strait. Trump has been willing to mouth these words. Visiting China last month, he said he raised the issue with Xi Jinping, but Trump did not make it a major focus and received no commitments from Xi. What seems to really excite Trump is not freedom of navigation but financial gain. As his remarks in West Palm Beach indicated, Trump is taken with the idea of seizing ships and selling their cargoes. He had the same impulse with oil tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, which the U.S. seized this winter. The problem is that, as with many of Trump’s past schemes to make money, this one is a mess in practice. As The New York Times reported in March, maintaining just one seized oil tanker had cost $47 million. Perversely, Trump’s war in Iran has driven up the price of oil, so the cargo on board is more valuable. Still, seizing ships doesn’t seem like a very effective way to fill the Treasury’s coffers, and embracing freebooting carries risks besides financial ones. Free and peaceful navigation have enabled the prosperity of the United States and much of the world. No child, or reader of Robert Louis Stevenson, can deny the allure of pirates, but the marauders are rarely the good guys in the story. Related: 20 U.S. boat strikes in three months Trump’s logic for blockading the blockaders

The one on sin last week was very good, and the class was 'somewhat familiar' with....😊

Well, you also have the lies that Satan puts out there. Some try to hold on to their sin or claim that repentance has no place in salvation, that you can believe in Jesus as “Savior” but never repent of your sin. That you can be saved even if you continue in bondage to sin and iniquity just as it was before you became a Christian, that no change is needed. But thats not true as we see... Matthew 4:17 King James Version (KJV) 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. Matthew 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Mark 2:17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Luke 5:32 King James Version (KJV) 32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Jesus even repeated it for emphasis in describing to the people: Luke 13:1-6 King James Version (KJV) 1 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Jesus told his disciples to proclaim “repentance and remission of sins” in his name to all the nations. Luke 24:47 King James Version (KJV) 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. When the apostles preached in Acts, they called people to repent of their sins in order to be forgiven: Acts 2:38 King James Version (KJV) 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 3:19 King James Version (KJV) 19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Acts 5:30-31 King James Version (KJV) 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. Scripture is clear, repentance is absolutely necessary in order to be saved. Only those truly repent and turn to Christ and His righteousness in their lives, and away from their sin, will be saved on the last day.

I've really been enjoying this Quarters Lessons!!

"Where law ends, tyranny begins." — William Pitt The post The Weaponization of Faith: Cultural Anxiety and the Russian Trap appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

Men love darkness rather than light.

Michael Peabody, Esq. / ReligiousLiberty.TV ReligiousLiberty.TV launched on June 1, 2008. On June 1, 2026, it turns 18. Old enough to vote. Old enough to enlist. Old enough, at last,… The post The Church Outlived Rome's Plagues. It Almost Didn't Outlive the Webcam. appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

There is a particular kind of stupidity that only flourishes inside a professional sports franchise, where the money is too big and the men are too comfortable, and it always… The post Nationals Fire Executive for Blackballing Catholic Pitcher Trevor Williams appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

The Intermediate Court of Appeals of West Virginia affirmed a lower court order blocking a former minister’s lawsuit. Amber B. Elmore sued Mount Vernon Baptist Church for wrongful termination and… The post West Virginia Appellate Court Blocks Retaliation Lawsuit Filed By Fired Children’s Minister appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

“To the gestating parent who carried me and the non-gestating parent who, per the record, contributed, on this the festival of obligatory affection…” Link to Bill S 9316 (6/2/2026) https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S9316… The post NY Bill Changing Moms and Dads to Gestating and Non-Gestating Parents Goes to Gov's Desk appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

We are about to enter Supreme Court decision season, the stretch of late June when the rulings that will shape religious liberty for a generation come down in rapid succession,… The post The Tree, the Choice and the Court appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

This morning, somewhere in America, a woman walked into a building of her own choosing, knelt where she wanted to kneel, and prayed to the God she believes in. No… The post Eighteen Years, and the Doors Are Still Open appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

For millions of Americans, the feeling that their faith is under siege is not a mere political talking point. It is a visceral, lived experience. We look out at our… The post The Weaponization of Faith: Cultural Anxiety and the Russian Trap appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

The Department of Defense has reduced its list of recognized religious affiliation codes from more than 200 down to 31. A memo signed by Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel… The post The Pentagon Just Cut 180 Faiths. The Real Story Is Who Gets to Decide. appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

What to know about the deal between Israel and Lebanon extending their shaky ceasefire The U.S.-brokered agreement was announced days after Israeli forces made their deepest incursion into Lebanon in over 25 years. Read more. Why this matters: Lebanon has become a major sticking point in attempts to extend the separate ceasefire in the Iran war. The deal attempts to separate the conflicts. It has several contentious points, including the creation of “pilot” security zones inside Lebanon from which the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group that Israel has been fighting would be banned. There’s also a stipulation about the group’s eventual disbanding. The militant group was not officially involved in the talks. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Hezbollah rejects latest ceasefire agreement Lebanese Americans open their wallets and hearts as war rages back home There are supposed to be ceasefires across the Middle East, but the fighting is worsening