Jerome R. Corsi's Blog, page 34

‘Harmful interference’: Supreme Court opens door for Trump administration to deport Venezuelans

The Supreme Court on Friday, by a 6-3 majority, said the administration of President Donald Trump could move forward with deportation plans for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who previously had been protected under an order from Joe Biden.

And the justices got a scolding from their newest member in the process.

It was Ketanji Jackson who “rebuked” her colleagues for their “repeated, gratuitous, and harmful interference” in the issue of those people who are in the United States illegally.

Reports said her “biting dissent” conflicted with the reasoned conclusion by the majority that lifted the special protections Biden granted to hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Venezuela.

“I view today’s decision as yet another grave misuse of our emergency docket. This Court should have stayed its hand. Having opted instead to join the fray, the Court plainly misjudges the irreparable harm and balance-of-the-equities factors by privileging the bald assertion of unconstrained executive power over countless families’ pleas for the stability our Government has promised them,” she claimed.

“Because, respectfully, I cannot abide our repeated, gratuitous, and harmful interference with cases pending in the lower courts while lives hang in the balance, I dissent.” She was joined by fellow extremists Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor in the dissent.

Of course, such cases would not be coming before the Supreme Court on an emergency basis had not the previous administration created the extraordinary circumstances that are being challenged. And perhaps such emergency rulings might not be as many were not lower courts less filled with leftists and activists.

According to the Daily Caller New Foundation, the judges let Trump move ahead with ending special protected status for the Venezuelans.

Edward Chen, a judge appointed by Obama, ruled last month the Department of Homeland Security’s termination of Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelan nationals violated the law.

BREAKING: Supreme Court allows the Trump administration to revoke temporary legal status for up to 600,000 Venezuelan immigrants. https://t.co/he9AgLErAv

— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 3, 2025

BREAKING: In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court clears the way for the Trump admin to REVOKE Temporary Protected Status for 600K Venezuelans, paving the path for mass deportations! pic.twitter.com/RNiBMS9Qcq

— Timcast News (@TimcastNews) October 3, 2025

BREAKING: Supreme Court allows the Trump administration to revoke temporary legal status for up to 600,000 Venezuelan immigrants. https://t.co/he9AgLErAv

— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 3, 2025

It was in May when the high court lifted another lower court decision that prevented the DHS from removing TPS from Venezuelan migrants.

“So long as the district court’s order is in effect, the Secretary must permit over 300,000 Venezuelan nationals to remain in the country, notwithstanding her reasoned determination that doing so even temporarily is ‘contrary to the national interest,’” the Trump administration wrote in its September application.

A commentary at the Gateway Pundijt said, “Jackson fumed in her dissent.”

The report said the ruling means some of those losing TPS ultimately could be deported.

 

‘Incarceration is necessary’: Judge sentences would-be Kavanaugh assassin to over 8 years in prison

Brett Kavanaugh (Public domain photo via Wikimedia)

Greenbelt, Maryland — Nicholas Roske, who pleaded guilty to attempting to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, was sentenced on Friday to over eight years in prison.

Judge Deborah Boardman, a Biden appointee, said it is important to send a message to people who are considering harming judges over disagreements with their decisions, especially now when threats are at an “all time high.”

“[Roske’s] actions before her self-reporting of this crime were extremely serious, were properly prosecuted, and a significant sentence of incarceration is necessary to promote respect for the law,” she said. “Political violence, even unexecuted plans of political violence, must be prosecuted and punished.”

Roske’s 97 month sentence will be followed by a lifetime of supervised release.

On June 8, 2022, Roske was arrested with burglary tools and a firearm outside Kavanaugh’s Maryland home after placing a call to 911, telling the dispatcher he came from California to kill the justice and himself. A draft of the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe v. Wade had leaked just a month prior.

“I have been portrayed as a monster and this tragic mistake that I made will follow me for the rest of my life,” Roske told the judge, apologizing to Kavanaugh, to his family and “for contributing to the fear judges experience.”

On June 8, 2022, Roske was arrested with burglary tools and a firearm outside Kavanaugh’s Maryland home after placing a call to 911, telling the dispatcher he came from California to kill the justice and himself. A draft of the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe v. Wade had leaked just a month prior.

The government asked for a 30-year sentence to send “the unequivocal, clear, and strong message” that attempted violence against the judiciary and public officials will not be tolerated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Coreen Mao told the judge Roske posed a “very real threat to the justice’s life” and “to our constitution.”

Mao argued Roske only changed his course of action because law enforcement was present at Kavanaugh’s residence, highlighting how he spent a month acquiring supplies, conducting research and discussing the impact of an assassination on the Supreme Court with friends.

“[Y]eah but i could get at least one, which would change the votes for decades to come,” Roske told a friend in a May 2022 Discord message. “[A]nd I am shooting for 3.”

Defense attorneys highlighted how Roske did not go through with his actions. “It’s not who she is,” defense attorney Andrew Szekely said.

“What makes this case unique isn’t that he [Kavanaugh] was a prominent political figure, but that she [Roske] stopped,” Szekely said.

“Judges aren’t political,” Boardman interjected.

In a Sept. 19 filing, Roske’s attorneys first revealed he identifies as a woman, informing the judge they would “refer to her as Sophie and use female pronouns” moving forward.

During the proceedings, Boardman also identified Roske using female pronouns. She questioned whether prisons are properly equipped to treat mentally ill prisoners and probed how Roske would be treated as a “transgender woman.”

Roske’s sister, father and mother provided emotional testimony about his mental health and character. Other family members planned to attend but could not due to a medical emergency.

His mother described Roske’s long history of mental health issues, starting with a suicide attempt in 2015 and a seizure in 2016. During COVID-19, Roske’s mother said he cut them out of his treatment.

“We should have listened more,” he mother said. “She was frustrated with what was going on in the world, and we weren’t really a safe place for her to process that.”

In a letter to the judge, Roske said he did not tell his parents about his gender identity at the time “due to their conservative views.”

Roske’s sister highlighted their close relationship as siblings and shared “experiences finding our identities in the LGBTQ community.”

“Instead of being met with treatment after this crisis, Sophie has been met with punishment,” her sister said. “She made the right choice in a difficult moment, yet she is being penalized for it, which is not how I view justice.”

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

‘They are ready for a lasting PEACE’: Hamas agrees to release hostages, but ‘details’ still could break deal

Hamas terrorists

The chances that there soon will be a less violent Middle East rose on Friday, when Hamas apparently agreed to release hostages, dead and alive.

The movement from the terrorist organization that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, slaughtering some 1,200 Israelis and taking others hostage, came just hours after the White House set a deadline for a response to a peace proposal.

The Daily Signal said Hamas reportedly agreed to the hostage release and to give up power to a Palestinian body.

“Hamas has signaled it is ready to begin negotiations to determine the details of the deal,” the report said.

““Hamas says it has agreed to release all Israeli hostages and signaled its readiness to enter negotiations to work out the details. Don’t get too excited – it’s the ‘details’ that could be the dealbreaker,” author and pro-Israel activist Aviva Klompas wrote on X Friday.

“We will have PEACE in the Middle East one way or the other. The violence and bloodshed will stop. RELEASES THE HOSTAGES, ALL OF THEM, INCLUDING THE BODIES OF THOSE THAT ARE DEAD, NOW! An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C.… pic.twitter.com/TiIzOLFhE5

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 3, 2025

Behind the Scenes in the Oval Office: President Trump responds to Hamas’ acceptance of his Peace Plan.

Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/iw1fXIWyls

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) October 3, 2025

BREAKING: Hamas said it agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details https://t.co/vT609rlQxy pic.twitter.com/jclvmUbtT8

— Reuters (@Reuters) October 3, 2025

The Daily Caller News Foundation said Hamas’ agreement was tentative.

It assumes there is “Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support.”

The report said, “The agreement marks a major breakthrough in negotiations that have dragged on for years, but it remains unclear how Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will react to a partial agreement.”

Trump’s deadline had been set at 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time Sunday.

“If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas,” Trump wrote.

The report explained, “Palestinian residents have been chafing under Hamas leadership, begging the group to sign the peace deal to bring some semblance of stability and hope for the destitute region. Over 33,000 Palestinians have been displaced as a result of Israeli campaigns, while nearly one in four Gazans face famine as an average of eight mass casualty incidents occur daily, according to United Nations (UN) data.”

Trump’s plan is for release of hostages, control passing to an “international stabilization force,” withdrawal of Israel’s troops, creation of a security buffer between Gaza and Israel and more.

President Trump posted to his Truth Social account Friday evening a statement from Hamas:

Later Trump posted this statement about the developments:

“Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East.”

‘It would be great’: Trump floats handing out $2,000 tariff ‘rebates’ to all Americans

President Donald Trump said Thursday he is still considering issuing Americans rebates of up to $2,000 using revenue generated from tariffs on imported goods.

Since taking office, the Trump administration has levied sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs on foreign imports, as well as separate levies on key industries, including steel, aluminum, copper, and, most recently, pharmaceuticals. The federal government has collected $214.9 billion in tariffs this year, according to Fox Business, though Trump says the total could eventually surpass $1 trillion annually.

“We’re thinking maybe $1,000 to $2,000 — it would be great,” Trump told OANN, adding that it would be “almost like a dividend to the people of America.”

WATCH IN FULL: President Donald J. Trump’s interview on @OANN pic.twitter.com/4yth9A77HT

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 2, 2025

However, the president emphasized that his top priority remains paying down the nation’s mounting debt, which currently sits at $37 trillion according to the Department of the Treasury.

“Number one, we’re paying down debt, because people have allowed the debt to go crazy,” Trump told OANN.

The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

The president’s rebate proposal comes as the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments in November over the legality of the administration’s Liberation Day tariffs. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in early September that the administration exceeded its authority to impose the levies under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, but allowed the levies to remain in place through Oct. 14.

Tariffs on commodities were implemented under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act and are not currently being challenged, as they adhere to longstanding precedent established by multiple prior administrations.

The president has previously floated the rebate idea, but any distribution would require congressional approval, leaving its feasibility uncertain in a divided Congress. Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri proposed the American Worker Rebate Act in July, which would provide tariff rebate checks of at least $600 per adult and child.

Trump said in late September that he would use tariff revenues to send cash aid to farmers, who he said are experiencing short-term pain before his new duties “kick in” to their benefit.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Suspect in synagogue attack, named ‘Jihad,’ had been investigated for alleged rape

Terror attack on Manchester synagogue

The suspect accused of ramming his vehicle into a synagogue in Manchester, England, this week, then stabbing several people before being shot down by police, has been identified as Jihad al-Shamie.

A report in the Guardian said the “synagogue terrorist” was on police bail for an alleged rape at the time.

Al-Shamie, 35, was born in Syria and reportedly had criminal convictions, although he was not being sought presently by counter-terrorism officers or MI5, the report said.

He “was shot dead by armed police after killing a Jewish man and seriously injuring several others when he attacked the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in north Manchester on Thursday,” the report said.

Manchester police also confirmed officers apparently shot – accidentally – one of the two victims killed in the attack when they opened fire on the attacker.

And investigators were reviewing whether Shamie was responsible for a death threat sent to a lawmaker in 2012, the report said.

The victims were identified as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66.

The report said Cravitz’ relatives described him as a “gentle giant, and a Muslim neighbor of Daulby described him as a “fantastic man.”

Rabbi Daniel Walker, leading worship at the time of the attack, confirmed the attacker shouted, “I’m going to get you” as he tried to force his way into the building.

“The Guardian has been told that Shamie was not known to counter-terrorism agencies and had not been referred to the anti-radicalization scheme Prevent but he had been prosecuted for criminal matters,” the report said.

The Guardian revealed Faraj al-Shamie, the alleged attacker’s father, called the violence “heinous” and said the family wished to “fully distance” themselves. However, it also was reported he had been online in praise of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack on Israeli civilians, in which some 1,200 were killed and hundreds more kidnapped.

Stephen Waston, the chief police constable in Greater Manchester, explained what apparently happened with the shooting.

“It is currently believed that the suspect, Jihad al-Shamie, was not in possession of a firearm and the only shots fired were from GMP’s authorized firearms officers as they worked to prevent the offender from entering the synagogue and causing further harm to our Jewish community. It follows therefore that subject to further forensic examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end …”

He added, “We have also been advised by medical professionals that one of the three victims currently receiving treatment in hospital has also suffered a gunshot wound, which is mercifully not life-threatening. It is believed that both victims were close together behind the synagogue door as worshippers acted bravely to prevent the attacker from gaining entry.”

WND reported when the violence happened that the attacker rammed his vehicle, then jumped out and started stabbing people.

Police said the attack was on Yom Kippur, a holy day in the Jewish calendar.

Video shared on social media appeared to show armed police officers pointing guns at a man on the ground as one screamed to onlookers: “Everybody else, get back. If you’re not involved, move back, get away… he has a bomb, go away.”

Aerial footage shows the aftermath of an attack at a synagogue in Manchester on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur.

Two people have been killed – and a suspect shot dead by police.https://t.co/KIzWO3Qof8 pic.twitter.com/Pr1n6qGejE

— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 2, 2025

The synagogue attack is a terror incident, police confirm.

There are 2 victims killed and 3 more in serious condition.

Attacker is dead. Two more arrests made.

— Kate Ferguson (@kateferguson4) October 2, 2025

Some online videos showed the suspect starting to get up, but falling back after another shot. And they showed a victim on the street in a poll of blood.

Unaccountable: The FBI’s strange refusal to fix key crime stat

Three years ago, RealClearInvestigations reported that the FBI was undercounting the number of armed civilians who had thwarted active shooters by a factor of three.

Even though the FBI acknowledged the issue at the time, it never corrected the error involving the politically fraught issue. In the years since, the problem has only gotten worse. Since RCI’s 2022 article, the FBI has acknowledged just three additional incidents of armed good Samaritans stopping active shooters from 2022 to 2024, and none in the last two years. In contrast, the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC), which I head, has documented 78 such cases over that same period – a 26-fold difference.

The discrepancy highlights systemic problems in the nation’s record-keeping regarding the politically potent issue of crime and safety. The refusal of many local jurisdictions, including Chicago, Maricopa County, Arizona, and New Orleans, to provide accurate crime data to the FBI has long made comparisons with many cities unreliable. The ongoing Justice Department investigation into whether Washington D.C. police falsified crime rates to create a “false illusion of safety” may provide more evidence to distrust the numbers that local authorities submit.

The FBI has the ability to set the record straight in at least some cases, providing a clearer view of remedies to crime. But its unwillingness to correct errors – or its efforts to fix them on the sly, as RCI reported last year – and improve its methodology raises more concerns. Its shortcomings regarding armed citizens thwarting active shooters illuminate many of these problems.

“It is understandable that the FBI or those they hire to compile cases might miss some,” said Carl Moody, a crime researcher at the College of William & Mary. “I don’t understand why the FBI never corrects overlooked or misidentified active shooting cases, even after researchers and the media point them out. I worry that we can’t trust the FBI with crime data.”

The FBI declined to comment.

The FBI defines active shooter incidents as those in which an individual kills or attempts to kill people in a public place, excluding shootings that are related to other criminal activity, such as robbery or fighting over drug turf. They include instances from one person being shot at and missed all the way up to a mass public shooting.

In 2022, the FBI reported that only 11 of the 252 active shooter incidents it identified for the period 2014-2021, or 4.4%, were stopped by an armed citizen. However, an analysis by my organization identified a total of 281 active shooter incidents during that same period and found that 41 of them – or 14.6% – were stopped by an armed citizen.

Academic articles dating back to 2015 have flagged similar problems, and even the researchers who collected data for the FBI admitted that “our data are imperfect.”

The FBI report compiled for the Biden administration for 2023 and 2024 contains worse errors. It asserts that armed civilians stopped none of the 72 active shooting cases it identified. The CPRC, by contrast, identified 121 active shooter cases – 45 of which were ultimately halted by armed civilians. Those incidents included eight cases that likely would have resulted in mass public shootings with four or more people murdered.

“There was a lady there. She heard the shots being fired, and one of them, I think it was her godchild, was involved,” a representative of the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office in West Virginia told Metro News.  “[S]he fired some rounds back at them, which stopped this melee of firepower and they actually took off.”

In another case in 2023, CNN reported that a concealed handgun permit holder shot a gunman after he had murdered one person, wounded three others, and pointed his weapon at bystanders at the Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, Texas.

Various factors explain this stark discrepancy in the data. Police departments do not keep separate records of active shooter incidents, which is at the heart of the problem. Crime researchers, including my organization, have to rely on media reports, which can be inaccurate, to identify and classify the incidents.

What’s more, the FBI does not compile its own list of cases but hires researchers at Texas State University who use Google searches to find news stories about these incidents. As a result, the potential for incomplete search results and difficult judgment calls by researchers means the FBI numbers are prone to error.

Between 2014 and 2024, FBI reports determined that armed citizens stopped 14 of 374 active shooter incidents its researchers identified – or 3.7% –  with zero defensive gun use cases occurring in the two most recent years. Using the FBI’s definitions, CPRC identified 561 active shooter incidents, with armed citizens stopping 202 of them – or 36%. In addition, CPRC found 31 other cases where civilians intervened before suspects fired their weapons – incidents CPRC excluded because they did not fit the FBI criteria, though they likely prevented shootings as well.

Most significantly, during that decade, the FBI overlooked 42 incidents where civilians likely prevented mass public shootings.

M. Hunter Martaindale, a research assistant professor at Texas State University, was shown CPRC’s entire list of cases. He objected to just two of the incidents the CPRC identified that the FBI had missed – without commenting on any others. Even then, the two cases differed from the included ones only in that they lacked defensive gun uses. Texas State University declined to respond to repeated requests for comment.

All the cases missed by the FBI are available here, along with links to the underlying sources, so that people can double-check whether any of those cases don’t fit the FBI’s definition.

The FBI compounds the problem by refusing to correct missing cases brought to its attention, including these high-profile ones:

In 2018, just months after the Parkland school shooting where 17 people were murdered, a gunman opened fire at a back-to-school event for children and their families at another Florida school. A concealed handgun permit holder quickly intervened and stopped the attack. More than 200 people, most of them children, were at the event. “This person stepped in and saved a lot of people’s lives,” said Titusville Police Sgt. William Amos. Unlike the earlier tragedy in Parkland, this incident ended without mass casualties – but national media outlets outside Florida ignored it.A week after the Pulse Nightclub massacre in Orlando in 2016 where 49 people were murdered, a 32-year-old man began shooting inside another nightclub. Because South Carolina law allowed concealed handguns in bars, a permit holder was able to respond. Before the attacker could fire on a fourth victim, the permit holder shot him in the leg. Police later discovered the attacker carried more than 100 rounds. A South Carolina sheriff credited the man with preventing further bloodshed.

In 2024, when conservative freelance reporter John Stossel asked the FBI how complete its data was, the Bureau admitted: “[Our data is] not intended to explore all active shooting incidents but rather to provide a baseline understanding . . .” Yet the FBI never includes that qualification in its reports or press releases.

“As an academic who relies upon the FBI for accurate reports on crime, I am disappointed by the many errors found in their crime data, particularly on their active shooting data,” said Gary Mauser, an emeritus professor at Simon Fraser University in Canada who has extensively studied gun control and defensive gun uses.

The FBI’s active shooting reports never indicate whether the attacks occur in gun-free zones. “When places post gun-free zone signs, law-abiding citizens obey those rules and can’t stop attacks in those areas,” explains Professor Moody.

Surveys reveal that criminologists and economists rank the same four policies as the most effective for stopping mass public shootings: eliminating gun-free zones, relaxing federal regulations on company-imposed gun-free zones, allowing K-12 teachers to carry concealed handguns, and allowing military personnel to carry on bases.

The corrected active shooting data between 2014 and 2024 undermines the argument for gun-free zones in particular. The data reveal that citizens stopped 178 out of 339 potential or actual mass shootings where it was possible to identify that guns were allowed in the area. So 52.5% of attacks were stopped by people legally carrying concealed handguns. In 2024, that rate had risen to 62.5%.

These corrected numbers show why it’s no accident that 92% of mass public shootings occur in gun-free zones, where civilians cannot legally carry firearms, and they highlight how the FBI’s reports leave out critical information.

The Annunciation Catholic School shooter in Minneapolis in August made this point explicit in his manifesto: “I recently heard a rumor that James Holmes, the Aurora theater shooter, may have chosen venues that were ‘gun-free zones.’ I would probably aim the same way. . . . Holmes wanted to make sure his victims would be unarmed. That’s why I and many others like schools so much. At least for me, I am focused on them. Adam Lanza is my reason.” (Lanza carried out the Sandy Hook Elementary School attack in Newtown, Conn.) This shooter even explained why he avoided attacking during morning drop-off or afternoon pick-up, when parents with concealed-carry permits might be present.

The 2023 Nashville Covenant School shooter made a similar calculation. She admitted she rejected another target because it had too much security. “There was another location that was mentioned, but because of a threat assessment by the suspect of too much security, they decided not to,” Nashville Police Chief John Drake explained. Covenant had no armed staff to fight back.

The Buffalo, N.Y., supermarket attacker in 2022 echoed the same logic in his manifesto: “Areas where CCW permits are outlawed or prohibited may be good areas of attack.” Many other killers have used almost identical words, with other cases going all the way back to Columbine, where the murderers expressed their opposition to potential victims being able to carry permitted concealed handguns.

These attackers may be deranged, but they are not stupid. They are almost all suicidal and plan to die, but they know that the more people they kill, the more media coverage they’ll get. That’s why they choose targets where no one can fight back.

The news media, federal lawmakers, and courts frequently rely on the FBI’s active shooting reports. News media articles rely on the FBI data to argue that guns are rarely used to stop these attacks. Headlines illustrate this framing: “Rare in U.S. for an active shooter to be stopped by bystander” (Associated Press); “Rampage in Indiana a rare instance of armed civilian ending mass shooting” (Washington Post); and “After Indiana mall shooting, one hero but no lasting solution to gun violence” (New York Times).

Some states recently loosened or removed restrictions on gun-free zones and expanded the ability of teachers to carry firearms in schools. For example, Wyoming in 2025 abolished most of its gun-free zones in public buildings, state legislative sessions, and other governmental meetings, and public airports outside of those areas restricted by federal law. A number of states – such as Idaho, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming – adopted statutes that explicitly exempt school employees from bans on firearms on K-12 grounds, subject to permitting, training, and approval by local authorities. Utah, New Hampshire, Wyoming, and parts of Oregon allow any teacher with a concealed handgun permit to carry on school property.

After reviewing the missing data shown in this RCI report, Professor David Mustard, a distinguished professor at the University of Georgia who researches extensively on crime, was blunt in his conclusion: “The federal government must improve its records related to self-defensive uses of firearms – especially in active shootings. Because academics, media, and policymakers depend on their data, it is essential that the FBI collect and compile the data consistently and accurately.”

This article was originally published by RealClearInvestigations and made available via RealClearWire.

‘Fight, fight, fight!’ U.S. treasurer reveals Trump dollar that could be part of nation’s 250th anniversary

In yet another finger in the eye of liberals, U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach has suggested creating a $1 coin carrying the image of President Donald Trump to celebrate next year’s 250th anniversary of the nation.

No fake news here. These first drafts honoring America’s 250th Birthday and @POTUS are real.

Looking forward to sharing more soon, once the obstructionist shutdown of the United States government is over. https://t.co/c6HChM6ijG

— U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach (@TreasurerBeach) October 3, 2025

The “first drafts” were released online, and more details are to be coming soon.

Social media immediately turned sarcastic, with one commenter promising, “I cannot wait to pay liberals with these.”

Reports described one side shows a profile of Trump, and the reverse shows him raising a fist in front of an American flag, with the words “fight, fight, fight” circling.

Normally, presidents only are memorialized on U.S. coinage after their deaths.

From 2007 and 2016, the U.S. mint produced four different coins each year honoring deceased presidents, and then in 2020 it added a coin honoring the late George H.W. Bush.

However, Congress already has authorized the Mint to issue new $1 coins “with designs emblematic of the United States semiquincentennial.”

That means, if the Trump coins become reality, he would be the first living president so honored.

Details already released did not reveal whether such coins would be put generally into circulation, where dollar coins have not fared well, or be largely for collectors.

The Treasury statement explained, “Despite the radical left’s forced shutdown of our government, the facts are clear: Under the historic leadership of President Donald J. Trump, our nation is entering its 250th anniversary stronger, more prosperous, and better than ever before. While a final $1 dollar coin design has not yet been selected to commemorate the United States’ semiquincentennial, this first draft reflects well the enduring spirit of our country and democracy, even in the face of immense obstacles.”

Libs right now…. pic.twitter.com/dHWDNQRqVc

— Jimmy ₿ (@Jimmybthetruth) October 3, 2025

Other comments included, “Epic” and “cool.” Also, “I voted for this” and “I need a whole bunch of these!”

‘It’s hard to tell’: How strong is the case against James Comey?

Former FBI Director James Comey testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 30, 2020 (Video screenshot)

Minimal details are included in former FBI director James Comey’s indictment, but it doesn’t necessarily signal a lack of evidence.

Though prosecutors face legitimate challenges to securing a conviction, some legal experts have cautioned that it is too early to really assess the strength of the government’s indictment, which charged Comey with two counts for allegedly obstructing a congressional proceeding and making a false statement to Congress during his September 2020 testimony about the Trump-Russia probe.

“The government does not have to disclose at this stage of the proceeding what evidence it has gathered that Comey was intentionally lying,” Empower Oversight founder Jason Foster told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “But, he issued broad denials under oath that he never authorized any leaks. The government only has to prove that he authorized one to disprove that claim as false.”

“Without more detail about what new evidence the FBI may have discovered in the last eight months it’s hard to tell how strong a case they have,” Foster said.

The false statement charge likely stems from a question Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz asked in 2020, where Comey stood by his 2017 claim that he did not authorize a leak related to the Trump or Clinton investigation.

Comey admitted in 2017 to asking Columbia University Professor of Law Daniel C. Richman to leak the contents of at least one memo he wrote about a meeting with Trump to The New York Times.

“Just because the public reading the indictment doesn’t have all its questions answered — without access to the discovery — does not mean the indictment is defective,” defense attorney and former federal prosecutor Bill Shipley wrote on X.

“My considered view is that this is a ‘placeholder’ indictment to save these Counts from being barred by the Statute of Limitations,” Shipley wrote. “I think there is more coming, and this Counts will be rolled into a Superseding Indictment.”

John Yoo, a former DOJ official during the George W. Bush administration, told the DCNF it’s “hard to know” if a superseding indictment is coming.

“The indictment is very short; DOJ might submit one with more detail,” he said.

Comey’s attorney Patrick Fitzgerald did not respond to a request for comment.

From 2020, @SenTedCruz questions former FBI Director James Comey during Senate Judiciary Cmte. hearing.

Full video here: https://t.co/cNFZEOWXzf pic.twitter.com/2L3uDTumW3

— CSPAN (@cspan) September 26, 2025

Potential Players

“At the time of Comey’s alleged false statements and obstruction, my colleagues and I had active investigations,” Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley said in a statement Sept. 25. “If the facts and the evidence support the finding that Comey lied to Congress and obstructed our work, he ought to be held accountable.”

The indictment does not specify which leak Comey lied about or name any individuals involved.

However, several reports indicate “Person 1” in the indictment is Hillary Clinton and “Person 3” is Richman, who frequently communicated with the media on Comey’s behalf. Prosecutors subpoenaed Richman as part of the probe, ABC News reported Sept. 17.

The indictment relates to the “Arctic Haze” investigation about classified information that appeared in four 2017 newspaper articles, CNN reported Sept. 25 citing an “informed source.”

The FBI released internal memos related to the “Arctic Haze” investigation in August, which described how Comey “instructed the FBI to hire Richman as a Special Government Employee” and give him “a Top Secret clearance.”

“FBI records indicated Richman was hired to work on ‘Going Dark’ matters,” the documents state. “The investigation revealed Comey also hired Richman so Comey could discuss sensitive matters, including classified information, with someone outside of the FBI’s regular leadership. Comey also used Richman as a liaison to the media.”

Comey and Richman discussed classified intelligence in January 2017 that later was reported in a NYT story, according to the FBI documents. Richman spoke with a Times reporter shortly after the meeting with Comey, but told Arctic Haze investigators he did not know who gave the reporter the classified information.

“What particularly incensed Capitol Hill oversight committees at the time was that NYT reporter Michael Schmidt got those memos from Comey through his cutout, Richman,” Foster, who was formerly chief investigative counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee, told the DCNF.

“But, I and my colleagues who had an actual constitutional oversight role to play, had to go to a SCIF at FBI headquarters to review those very same memos,” he continued. “It showed an utter lack of respect by the FBI for the constitutional role of its oversight committee in Congress, and raises obvious questions about how Comey could legally tell his friend to give them to the NYT given that they contained classified information.”

A 2019 Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report found Comey set a “dangerous example for the over 35,000 current FBI employees” by leaking memos relating to his interactions with President Donald Trump.

“By not safeguarding sensitive information obtained during the course of his FBI employment, and by using it to create public pressure for official action, Comey set a dangerous example for the over 35,000 current FBI employees — and the many thousands more former FBI employees — who similarly have access to or knowledge of non-public information,” the report found.

‘Hard To Prove’

“It may be the case that Comey lied to Congress, but it will be hard to prove,” Yoo told the DCNF, noting he would not have brought the charges. “It depends on whether the jury believes Comey or his subordinates, who appears to believe that Comey had authorized the leaking of confidential law enforcement information.”

Days before the indictment, Erik Siebert resigned as head of the U.S. attorney’s office in the Eastern District of Virginia after Trump called for his removal. Prosecutors in the office reportedly drafted a memo for Lindsey Halligan, who Trump selected to replace Siebert, indicating there was no probable cause to secure an indictment, which anonymous sources leaked to ABC News.

Halligan received little support as she took up the case

Yoo emphasized Trump is within his rights to try, noting that “the President is the only officer charged by the Constitution with enforcing federal law.”

“Everyone who works in DOJ is his assistant in that endeavor,” he said. “Trump has the right to order DOJ to bring charges. They might be rejected by a jury or even the courts, but he has the power to decide whom to investigate and prosecute and to remove those who don’t carry out his orders. If the prosecution ultimately fails, or represents a poor use of resources, that will be Trump’s responsibility and the public can hold him accountable.”

While the jury will be drawn from Alexandria, Virginia, rather than Washington, D.C., George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said the “odds still favor Comey.”

“Perjury or false statements can be challenging to prove, particularly when vague or nuanced language is used,” Turley wrote in a column Friday. “This is neither vague nor nuanced. Comey repeatedly swore that he never asked anyone at the FBI to leak information. That is either true or it is not.”

Comey’s arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 9.

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‘A big freaking mistake’: Feds confirm investigation into arrest of reporter Nick Sortor at Portland ICE protest

President Donald Trump holds a press conference with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room on Friday, June 27, 2025. (Official White House photo by Molly Riley)

Nicholas Sortor, an independent, on-the-street reporter who has become famous for his documentation of anti-government actions across America, has announced that the Department of Justice has assured him of an investigation into his arrest by Portland police late Thursday.

BREAKING: Attorney General Pam Bondi has ORDERED a full investigation, led by Asst. AG Harmeet Dhillon, of the Portland Police Bureau, following my wrongful arrest last night, Bondi confirmed to me.

FAFO, @PortlandPolice.@AGPamBondi personally called me to deliver this… pic.twitter.com/DBdp9vl5Ka

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 3, 2025

The Washington Examiner said the conservative influencer was arrested late Thursday, then released several hours later, early Friday.

He was accused by local police of “second-degree disorderly conduct” while he was documenting violent protests near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Oregon‘s largest city.

Other reports from the scene at the time said Sortor was defending himself from a woman who attacked him.

“Sortor, a 27-year-old resident of Washington, D.C., was arrested alongside two Oregon residents, according to a press release from the city’s police department. All three people were booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on the same misdemeanor charge,” the Examiner reported.

But later Sortor confirmed the review of his “wrongful arrest” will be conducted by Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon.

He said Attorney General Pam Bondi called him personally with the news.

“The Trump DOJ WILL NOT allow Portland Police to continue to do the bidding of Antifa,” he wrote on X, telling Portland police to “f*** around and find out.”

The report said he explained he was recording footage of federal agents macing protesters when he was surrounded and assaulted, forced to defend himself.

“Nick says he swung back and missed, then disengaged and walked over to a group of Portland PD. He says he was then shocked to be arrested by them, and he sat in the back of a police cruiser while officers figured out what to charge him with,” a witness reportd.

Protests in Portland were triggered by the deployment of National Guard troops to crack down on rampant crime there.

The Gateway Pundit commented, “The woman who attacked him was not arrested.”

Hey @PortlandPolice: you made a big freaking mistake.

You PROVED what we’ve all been saying for years: you’re CORRUPT and CONTROLLED by vioIent Antifa thugs who terrorize the streets

You thought arresting me would make me shut up and go away. You couldn’t have been more wrong.… pic.twitter.com/Dz8oJ3V8NP

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 3, 2025

BREAKING: In response to my wrongful arrest in Portland, President Trump has ORDERED his staff to review federal aid to be CUT in the city, per Karoline Leavitt

“We will NOT fund states that allow anarchy!”

This arrest is going to cost Portland leftists DEARLY! pic.twitter.com/ESpB7BwfDV

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 3, 2025

Reminder….

The Antifa thug that punched journalist Katie Daviscourt in the face was not arrested by Portland PD but Journalist Nick Sortor was arrested by Portland PD.

We have a major problem in Portland. pic.twitter.com/sTN49lzvpf

— C3 (@C_3C_3) October 3, 2025

Mostly peaceful: Reporter cuffed when attacked by a protester at Portland’s ICE building

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‘Act before it’s too late!’ Democrats furiously fundraise while blaming Trump, GOP for shutdown

Michelle Obama

Leading Democrats are fundraising off of the government shutdown — and blaming Republicans and President Donald Trump for it — despite voting against keeping government operations running, according to emails reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Senate Democrats sparked a government shutdown on Wednesday after rejecting a clean, bipartisan extension of government funding. Democratic lawmakers and top Democratic spending groups have sent a flurry of fundraising emails with donation links attached since the shutdown began despite the funding lapse jeopardizing active-duty service member pay, disaster relief funding and Americans’ access to certain healthcare services.

The House Majority PAC, a top Democratic outside spending group involved in House races, sent out a fundraising email on Wednesday featuring an image of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, with text that reads “Republicans’ shutdown continues, and Barack and Michelle Obama speak up!” The email also states that “one of the most powerful and respected Democratic couples in HISTORY have stood up and called on every American to act before it’s too late!”

“That’s why House Majority PAC is uniting a HISTORIC wave of support to show Trump and Republicans that Democrats will make their government shutdown BACKFIRE!,” according to the email. “So top Democrats have agreed to 600% MATCH every donation to help us do it!”

A fundraising email penned by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Wednesday attacked the president for posting an altered-video of the minority leader donning a sombrero.

“He [Trump] just posted a racist and bigoted attack against me in a desperate attempt to distract from the Republican shutdown,” the email read. “When extremists fan the flames of hostility, you better believe I’ll respond.”

“I’m asking 786 supporters to step up and prove Democrats stand united,” the email continued. “Will you rush $15 before midnight to hand Donald Trump and his MAGA allies a stunning rebuke?”

Jeffries notably declined to say on Wednesday whether he would withhold a paycheck during the government shutdown.

Vulnerable House Democrats who are expected to field competitive GOP challengers during the midterms have also blasted out fundraising missives during the shutdown.

Democratic Nevada Rep. Steven Horsford argued Wednesday in a fundraising email that Republicans were responsible for the shutdown despite the Nevada Democrat voting against funding the government.

“Together, we can hold Republicans accountable and demand a government that works for the people,” Horsford wrote. “Thank you for being in this fight.”

Similarly, Democratic Ohio Rep. Marcy Kaptur wrote Wednesday in an email requesting donations that she and her Democratic colleagues in Congress have “been in Washington all week, doing our job: working to keep our government open and fighting to protect affordable healthcare for families in Northwest Ohio and across the country,” while Republicans “literally walked out.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson adjourned the House following nearly every House Democrat, including Kaptur, opposing a bipartisan spending bill to fund the government on Sept. 19.

Democratic candidates running for House seats in 2026 have also recently sent fundraising appeals attacking Republicans over the shutdown.

“Today, Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress have shut down the federal government, and we will all pay the price,” Democratic New Hampshire House candidate Stefany Shaheen reportedly wrote in a fundraising email obtained by the NHJournal.

Shaheen is running in a contested primary to succeed Democratic New Hampshire Rep. Chris Pappas, who is vying to replace Shaheen’s mother, Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, in the Senate.

Shaheen did not disclose that her mother has voted against a House-passed bipartisan bill to fund the government three times. The retiring senator is expected to vote on the measure for a fourth time on Friday.

The DCNF also reviewed fundraising emails sent by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Emilia Sykes of Ohio and Eugene Vindman of Virginia.

Johnson told the DCNF in an interview Thursday that House Democrats have lost further credibility after voting to shut down the government and then immediately insisting that they are serious about reopening the government.

“Their whole existence is framed around messaging, no matter how false or misleading,” Johnson said. “The House Democrats are simply not being taken seriously by anyone at this point.”

Jeffries, Horsford and Kaptur did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment. Stefany Shaheen did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.