Jerome R. Corsi's Blog, page 60

WATCH: Scott Jennings says this household name is true leader of the Democrat Party, and is not even a Dem!

Scott Jennings

CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings said Sunday on “State of the Union” that President Donald Trump is the true leader of the Democratic Party.

Democrats have projected confidence about winning back voters in the upcoming election despite struggling since 2024 to unite behind one message or leader. While discussing the party’s future direction, former DNC spokesperson Xochitl Hinojosa dismissed the idea that socialist NYC mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani would become the party’s standard-bearer, instead pointing to Democratic figures like Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego or New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. As host Jake Tapper noted Booker’s recent engagement, Jennings interjected, saying Democrats will, for the “foreseeable future,” be run by Trump.

“Well, I mean, for the foreseeable future, the person who’s running the Democratic Party now is going to be running it, and that’s Donald Trump. I mean, the only thing they know how to do is be against whatever he is for, and so there is no leader of the party except for Trump. The beating heart of the Democratic Party is, ‘If Trump is for it, we’re against it,’ and you throw a little socialism on the side. That’s basically how they’re — ” Jennings said before the Democratic panelists attempted to interject.

“All right, thanks,” Tapper quickly responded. “Let the record reflect that the two Democrats at the panel disagreed with what he had to say.”

In their latest pushback against Trump, Democrats have sided with members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua drug cartel after the president announced Tuesday that the U.S. military sank one of their vessels, killing 11 on board.

In an MSNBC interview Thursday, Independent Veterans of America founder Paul Rieckhoff called Trump’s decision “alarming,” “unprecedented” and “dangerous,” accusing him of trying to “overextend and abuse military power.” Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler also demanded Trump “face criminal charges,” saying he acted as “the judge, jury and executioner” in the strike against the terrorist group.

WATCH:

With the Democrats scrambling for a leader, the party’s voter registration numbers and approval ratings have significantly plummeted. According a New York Times report released on Aug. 20, between the 2020 and 2024 elections, Democrats lost an estimated 2.1 million voters across 30 states, alongside Washington, D.C. In comparison, Republicans added 2.4 million registered voters and gained more new voters than Democrats between 2024 and 2025.

While some Democratic lawmakers expressed confidence in flipping the House in the midterm election, a slew of recent polls show the party’s favorability has dropped significantly. According to a CNN poll conducted in March, the party hit only a 29% favorability rating, dropping a staggering 20 points since January 2021. Additionally, a Quinnipiac poll released in July showed only 19% of respondents approved of the Democrats’ congressional leadership.

Suggestions for who could lead the Democratic Party have varied, with some believing Mamdani could be the future of the party while others see California Gov. Gavin Newsom regaining traction.

An Emerson College poll released Aug. 29 showed Newsom leading a hypothetical 2028 Democratic presidential primary with 25% support, a 13-point jump from June. On Polymarket, a popular betting site, Newsom also leads with 35% odds of becoming the 2028 nominee, followed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 10% and Sen. Jon Ossoff at 6%.

With no official 2028 campaigns launched yet, Stephen A. Smith said Friday he believes Democratic Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania are the two best positioned to lead the party.

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Woke BLM Muslim and former illegal migrant on Boston City Council sentenced to prison for corruption

Tania Fernandes Anderson

Tania Fernandes Anderson, the woke BLM Muslim and former illegal alien on the Boston City Council was sentenced to prison on corruption charges on Friday.

As previously reported, Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, a Democrat and the first Muslim elected to the council, was arrested by FBI agents last December.

Tania Fernandes Anderson, who served as Vice Chair of the Post Audit Committee, which oversees government accountability, was arrested on six felony charges (five counts of wire fraud and one count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds) stemming from a kickback scheme.

“The charges stem from an alleged kickback scheme she orchestrated to obtain several thousand dollars in taxpayer money in exchange for bribes paid,” U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said at Friday’s press conference, according to NBC Boston.

According to the indictment, Fernandes Anderson allegedly awarded a $13,000 bonus to a staffer, identified as “Staff Member A,” who is also a relative, on the condition that the staffer return a significant portion of the bonus—approximately $7,000—directly to her.

Anderson allegedly finalized the cash transaction in a bathroom at City Hall, receiving $7,000 in kickbacks from Staff Member A, as detailed by text message evidence included in the indictment.

After pleading guilty to the charges in May, Tania Fernandes Anderson was sentenced to one month in prison.

CBS News reported:

Former Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson was sentenced to one month in prison on Friday after she pleaded guilty to public corruption charges.

Fernandes Anderson ‘s one-month sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release and she was also ordered to pay back $13,000 in restitution. The prosecution had recommended one year and one day in prison.

“I actually don’t like being in the media,” said Fernandes Anderson, who spoke outside court following her sentencing. “It’s just too much and so can you please, I’m asking you for the love of god, stop talking about me? Just let the story go. It happened, I took responsibility.”

This article originally appeared on The Gateway Pundit.com.

WATCH: ABC News panelists throw fit over RFK Jr. daring to question medical establishment

Panelists on ABC’s “This Week” erupted Sunday after former Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus defended Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s attempt to “balance the benefits” of COVID-19 vaccines against their “admitted risks.”

Tensions flared Thursday during a Senate Finance Committee hearing as Democrats hammered Kennedy for criticizing agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and for questioning vaccine recommendations for children. With former Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie arguing Kennedy doesn’t belong in his role, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos chimed in, saying Trump “wants to brag about Operation Warp Speed” while “promoting a vaccine skeptic.”

“Well, on one hand, for sure, Operation Warp Speed was a marvel,” Priebus responded. “I think the president deserves a lot of credit for it. But he also had no time to think. They had to move forward at a record pace, and they did it. But where I disagree with Chris is I watched all three and a half hours of that hearing. I saw somebody different. I saw a decent, humble, caring guy. I think he’s trying to do the right thing.”

Christie fired back at Priebus, questioning his description of the HHS secretary as “humble.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is sworn in as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services at the White House, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (Official White House photo by Joyce Boghosian)

“Yeah, I think he is. And you know what?” Preibus asked. “He’s trying to balance the benefits of the COVID shot versus some of the admitted risks that the CDC has — ”

The panel erupted into crosstalk as members tried to speak over Priebus. The former RNC chair could be heard saying, “Okay, so you all know better,” before Christie jumped back in to call out Kennedy.

“I’m just gonna listen to what Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said for 20 years. For 20 years, he has been a vaccine denier. Now, what you’re seeing around the country is people like Ron DeSantis in Florida saying, let’s get rid of all vaccine mandates,” Christie said. “This would not be happening if Donald Trump had not put the greatest public health denier of the last 20 years in charge of it.”

In June, Kennedy led a sweeping shakeup at the CDC, firing 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and then-Director Susan Monarez later in August.

WATCH:

During Thursday’s hearing, Democrats pressed him on the ACIP overhaul and the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approvals of COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy pushed back, blasting the CDC’s “disastrous” pandemic response and its “nonsensical policies” like closing small businesses and masking children. At one point during the hearing, he accused Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren point-blank of taking major contributions from pharmaceutical companies after she accused him of taking away the COVID-19 vaccine.

The argument between Christie and Priebus continued, with Priebus stating that the COVID-19 vaccine doesn’t “have to be mandated.” Former DNC Chair Donna Brazile then jumped in, claiming Kennedy had cut “over half a billion dollars from these life-saving vaccines.”

“They can get the shot! They’re not taking away the shot,” Priebus said as Brazile continued to speak. “Certain groups of people in the United States actually don’t need to take the shot. Don’t you agree with that? So it doesn’t need to be mandated.”

With Brazile continuing to press her point about access to the COVID-19 vaccine, Priebus asked her what percentage of kids she believed actually received it. However, Stephanopoulos then joined in, pushing back on Priebus’ argument by saying Kennedy is “raising questions about vaccines across the board,” not just COVID-19.

“So we should dismiss any person on the face of the earth that has a question about vaccine mandates?” Priebus asked.

“If they’re scientists, we should listen to the scientists. Listen to the facts,” Brazile said.

The former RNC chairman noted that Brazile is “not a scientist,” as Christie asked Priebus if he believes Kennedy “is the best man to be leading public health.”

“It’s not my decision,” Priebus responded as Christie could be heard yelling over him “It’s the president’s decision .. I support his decision.”

Christie continued yelling over Priebus as he tried to make his point, calling Kennedy a “joke,” before the former RNC chairman responded that Christie doesn’t have the authority to decide who is the best fit for the position.

“I think he’s the best person,” Priebus said. “And I think that the president of the United States has the mandate that you don’t.”

Despite former President Joe Biden pledging in 2020 not to implement a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, he eventually imposed multiple mandates after taking office. With private companies following the federal requirements, many workers were forced to take the vaccine or risk losing their jobs. In 2021, former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s mandate for service members led to the discharge of over 8,000 who refused.

With the COVID-19 vaccine still available, the FDA in May announced it would require more evidence to support the previous recommendation that Americans receive a yearly COVID-19 booster, even for healthy adults.

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‘This is my last warning!’ Trump issues final threat to Hamas to release hostages

(Official White House photo by Daniel Torok)

President Donald Trump on Sunday issued a “last warning” to the Islamic terror group Hamas which is continuing to hold hostages nearly two years after its onslaught against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

In a post on Truth Social, the president indicated: “Everyone wants the Hostages HOME. Everyone wants this War to end!

“The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well. I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting.

“This is my last warning, there will not be another one! Thank you for your attention to this matter. DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.”

Trump’s warning comes two days after the terrorists released a propaganda video of two of the Israeli hostages.

Today, Hamas released another propaganda video of two hostages, Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel.

Guy and Alon were brutally kidnapped on October 7 and have been held hostage for 700 days in unimaginable conditions.

This video is the latest reminder of the urgency of the… pic.twitter.com/ONyssPeZo5

— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) September 5, 2025

NBC News reported:

Hamas released a video on Friday of two Israeli hostages seized from a music festival in Israel in October 2023, and one said he was being held in Gaza City, where the Israeli military has launched a major offensive to wipe out the militant group.

Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel are two of 48 people still being held by Hamas in Gaza, with 20 thought to be still alive.

Palestinian militants took 251 hostages into the enclave after its cross-border attack on southern Israeli communities in 2023 that killed about 1,200 people, triggering the war. More than 64,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, local health authorities say, with much of the enclave laid in ruins and its residents facing a humanitarian crisis.

The video was edited and featured an exhausted-looking Gilboa-Dalal speaking for around three-and-a-half minutes. He is seen in a car for some of the video dated August 28. Reuters could not independently determine when the video was recorded.

Is the news we hear every day actually broadcasting messages from God? The answer is an absolute yes! Find out how!

Follow Joe on X @JoeKovacsNews

Ukraine war is drawing comparisons to World War I!

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, numerous commentators have drawn comparisons to the First World War. While many observers of today’s “modern, drone-saturated, battlefield” dismiss such analogies as outdated, some of the parallels are striking and deserve examination. Despite the differences in politics and technology, the current war is clearly one of attrition; just like World War One. Two historical touchpoints stand out: the Russian approach to warfare, and the experience of the Western Front in the final year of World War One.

Russia’s strategy today, probing the entire front line in search of weak points before committing forces, strongly resembles the Brusilov Offensive of 1916, one of the most successful operational campaigns of the First World War. The Russian military’s current tactics suggest continuity with the past. One suspects today’s Russian generals would feel quite at home in the headquarters of the Imperial Russian Army in Lutsk (today’s Western Ukraine) as it broke through Austro-Hungarian lines that year. Understanding how Moscow wages war, its strengths and weaknesses, requires serious study of past campaigns.

It is the Western Front of late 1918 that offers perhaps the most relevant historical analogy for Ukraine’s current predicament. As the eminent British historian David Stevenson noted in a recent seminar, “The 1918 Armistice did not come as part of any widely anticipated timeline, even among those closest to the conflict.” In fact, as late as the autumn of 1917, the British Cabinet was still debating the construction of new battleships, anticipating a war that might drag on beyond 1920.

Today, Russian attacks stretch across the entire front, much of it consisting of fortified urban and industrial terrain that in many ways resembles the trench systems of World War One. Ukrainian forces continue to adapt, shifting units via their extensive rail network to counter Russian penetrations and prevent a decisive breakthrough. This recalls the situation in mid-1918, when the German Army, exhausted and having failed in its Spring Offensive, nevertheless managed to prevent Allied breakthroughs by rapidly redeploying experienced units to threatened sectors. In both cases, we see a seasoned and entrenched military force holding vast territory. Tactical competence, however, may conceal strategic exhaustion. That is the danger now facing Ukraine. While frontline morale remains strong, civilian fatigue, manpower shortages, and economic strain driven by infrastructure damage are beginning to show.

The terrain of the Donbas is one of the few industrial regions in the world naturally suited for defense, comparable to the Ruhr Valley in Germany, the Katowice industrial zone in Poland, or even the manufacturing belt around Detroit. Just as the Germans used factories, rail lines, and dense towns in northern France to support their defensive efforts, Ukraine is leveraging the urban wreckage of Avdiivka, Chasiv Yar, Pokrovsk, and Kupiansk to blunt Russian advances. These areas provide formidable positions—but not indefinitely. Should Russian forces succeed in shifting the war westward onto the open Steppe, Ukrainian defenders could find themselves as exposed as the Germans were after the breach of the Hindenburg Line.

Historically, German, and Prussian military doctrine have always emphasized offense, particularly the swift counterattack while on the defensive. In 1918, as American forces began arriving in strength, the Germans relied heavily on interior rail lines to shift troops quickly and meet the threat. Rail hubs like Cambrai, Amiens, Maubeuge, Valenciennes, and Mézières, names now mostly forgotten, except for the numerous Allied and German War Cemeteries which today dot the landscape in mute testament to the past, were vital to this strategy.

Today, the Russians are applying similar pressure to Ukraine’s own logistical lifelines. Despite the technological changes of the past century, railroads remain essential for transporting heavy equipment, supplies, and troops. Though the locations are different, key Ukrainian cities now perform the same role for Kyiv as Cambrai and Amiens once did for the German Army. Kramatorsk, the main logistical hub in Donetsk Oblast; Pokrovsk, now essentially surrounded; Pavlohrad, linking Dnipro to the Donbas; and Dnipro itself, the critical node connecting eastern and southern Ukraine—all serve as lifelines. It is no surprise that Russian operations increasingly aim to sever them.

Unlike the Allies in 1918, who possessed only limited and primitive air power, Russia today wields an array of advanced long-range strike options. Drones, FAB bombs, conventional artillery, ballistic missiles, and state of the art hypersonic weapons are used to target Ukraine’s logistical centers, infrastructure, and air defense systems. The goal is to replicate the 1918-style isolation of the front line, cutting supply chains and restricting the redeployment of Ukrainian units. Once the key cities are taken or rendered unusable through constant shelling and FPV drone strikes, Ukrainian freedom of movement will deteriorate rapidly.

The fall of the small city of Amiens in early August 1918 triggered a chain reaction that ultimately ended the war. Amiens was the main hub through which the Germans supplied northern France. The Allies launched a surprise assault, forgoing artillery preparation and deploying 500 tanks alongside heavy air support. The German defense collapsed. Soon after, British and French forces targeted other critical rail nodes. By late September, the Allies had cut the Cambrai–Le Cateau line and advanced toward Aulnoye-Aymeries. Despite the primitive state of RAF bombing, its effectiveness contributed to collapsing German strategic mobility. As the official British history recorded, “The cutting of the Cambrai–Le Cateau line marked the moment when the German Army could no longer rely on internal lines to maneuver reserves. It was the first death knell of their strategic flexibility.”

General Ludendorff, recognizing the implications, warned the Kaiser, “We have nearly reached the limit of our powers of resistance. The war must be ended.” By October, the German Army faced two irrecoverable failures: it could no longer supply its troops, nor could it coordinate effective counterattacks. The war was essentially lost. Ludendorff, suffering from a physical and mental breakdown, ultimately urged the Kaiser to seek an armistice.

While modern Ukraine is not Imperial Germany (Germany had endured four years of naval blockade, for one), the parallels remain disturbing. In addition to Ukraine’s well-documented manpower shortfalls, the loss or isolation of critical cities in the Donbas could trigger a systemic collapse of its defensive posture. Ukrainian forces might be forced to abandon their prepared positions. Were President Zelensky to resign or be removed under domestic pressure, political fragmentation could deepen the crisis.

When Germany requested an armistice in November 1918, it still occupied most of Belgium and northern France. But it no longer had the capacity to hold what it claimed. History may not repeat itself, but policymakers today would be wise to revisit the final months of 1918. From the Western perspective, the priority must be to ensure that this war does not end suddenly, without political preparation, under conditions set by Moscow. As David Stevenson wrote in With Our Backs to the Wall, “The initial collapse at Amiens was more than a tactical failure; it revealed that the German Army could no longer sustain modern war.” Absent a peace settlement, Ukraine could reach a similar inflection point.

It is also worth recalling that Russian military thinking is deeply influenced by the past, and in particular, the Prussian theorist Carl von Clausewitz, who once wrote, “An army’s lines of communication are like the capillaries of the human body; if they are cut, the organism perishes.” Clausewitz served in the Tsarist Army during the Napoleonic Wars, and his concepts remain foundational in Russian doctrine. Although often overlooked by Western analysts, Russian planners continue to study military history carefully, seeking patterns and strategic insights they can apply today.

For this reason, it is essential that NATO planners develop a better understanding of how their adversaries think. They must be prepared for the possibility that Ukraine could face a collapse similar to that of the German Army in 1918, or based on the today’s modern weaponry, an even faster collapse. History does not predict the future, but rigorous study of the past improves our ability to anticipate and influence future events. August/September 1918 may offer the clearest warning for what could lie ahead in this conflict. NATO should heed this warning and strive to ensure that Ukraine does not meet the same fate as Germany 107 years before.

John Beckner is the CEO of a UK aerospace company involved in maritime intelligence and ISR systems and data.

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

Defense and national security spending potential source of DOGE savings

Sailors perform preflight inspections on an F/A-18F Super Hornet on the flight deck of the USS Nimitz while underway in the Pacific Ocean, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Hannah Kantner)

Elon Musk may have departed the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, weeks ago, but the Tesla and SpaceX innovator’s radical government reform initiative still has much work to do to achieve its laudable and long overdue cost-cutting mission to create $2 trillion in savings for the American people.

Government bureaucracies, many full of redundancy, some entirely unnecessary, have been dismantled to truly end the era of Big Government for good. However, despite early progress, the defense and national security arenas remain huge sources of potential savings – opportunities still largely unexplored. In particular, the black boxes that are the budgets of the U.S. intelligence agencies have, from an outsider’s perspective, faced only modest personnel reduction targets while billions in contract dollars remain unexamined.

The Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Security Agency, and the Defense Intelligence Agency, just to name a few, have for years expanded beyond their core missions, adopting social and organizational initiatives that take their eyes off the ball of keeping America safer with the best people and information in the world.

To be sure, there have been early successes.

In May, Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the review of nearly all unclassified proposals before contracts are awarded, taking a critical first step in ordering the termination of IT contracts with Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Deloitte worth more than $5.1 billion.

The intelligence community should follow the DoD’s lead and implement a similar framework within its procurement process. Elon Musk himself echoed this need, declaring during his March 2025 visit to the NSA’s Fort Meade headquarters in Maryland that the NSA “needs an overhaul.”

The agency, which focuses on digital and signals intelligence, has demonstrated progress, underscoring an ability to make smart moves, including steps to root out the liberal, deep state agenda.

Earlier this year, NSA whistleblowers blew the lid on “obscene, pornographic, and sexually explicit” chats between their colleagues. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard responded with clarity and conviction, announcing that over 100 people “from across the intelligence community that contributed to and participated in what is really just an egregious violation of trust.”

While culture is critical, the dollars and cents of agency contracts are what will get the Trump Administration to DOGE’s $2 trillion goal.

DOGE has proven itself capable of this effort by terminating $900 million in Department of Education contracts, shrinking and folding USAID operations back into the State Department, and implementing leadership changes at FEMA. A similar focus on intelligence community contracts could yield comparable savings while strengthening our core and impressive national security capabilities.

A few of NSA’s recent contracting decisions invite a fresh look from DOGE.

Over $16 billion in major contracts, including one codenamed “WildandStormy,” a controversial $10 billion cloud computing deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS), beg for procurement improvements that could yield significant cost reductions. In July 2021, the NSA awarded the contract to AWS, facing an immediate protest by Microsoft. Despite the Government Accountability Office (GAO) siding with Microsoft and determining that the NSA had shown unreasonable bias toward AWS, the NSA re-awarded the same contract to AWS.

The NSA ignoring oversight in procurement practices doesn’t stop there, with the WildandStormy case just one example of systemic procurement malfeasance. In February of this year, weeks after DOGE’s launch, the NSA, incredulously, booted the successful LucidLobster contract incumbent, Mission Essential Group, for not charging taxpayers enough, even though they have been doing the same work for over a decade. The procurement concerns surrounding LucidLobster goes deeper than the government actively deciding to spend more money when a lower-cost option is available.

Court filings alleged that NSA personnel shared confidential bidding and other non-public information with another bidder over the course of four years, even allowing the aspiring contractor to help craft the scope of work. Despite investigations and findings of misconduct by the NSA Office of Inspector General, the agency marched on.The agency’s challenge to course-correct procurement shortcomings requires just the sort of external intervention that DOGE’s team can provide. The question is, can the leaner, post-Elon team at DOGE continue to make the kind of impact our system needs to get to that $2 trillion savings target? The NSA’s procurement challenges are just one glimpse into a symptom of the broader bureaucratic rot that only external oversight can cure. America deserves nothing less than complete transparency and fiscal responsibility from its intelligence agencies.

Matt Mowers is a former diplomat, senior White House advisor at the U.S. Department of State, and senior official on the 2016 Trump presidential campaign.

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

Parental rights groups excoriate teachers union bosses for boycotting Target instead of helping kids

(Photo by Joe Kovacs)

Parental rights advocates and conservative groups are outraged that one of the nation’s largest teachers’ unions is rallying against retail giant Target for scaling back its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs instead of focusing on educating children.

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten and Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) President Stacy Davis Gates, are publicly rallying against Target for retreating from its divisive DEI goals amid declining sales. The unions are calling on the retailer to recommit to its DEI principles, make “a multimillion-dollar investment into 23 Black-owned banks,” fulfill “its $2 billion pledge to the Black business community” and establish “10 retail training centers at historically Black colleges and universities.”

“To the detriment of American kids, Randi Weingarten has spent years pushing activist curricula and radical ideology into classrooms under the guise of ‘education,’” Alleigh Marré, executive director of American Parents Coalition (APC), said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “As the devastating learning loss suffered during the pandemic continues to plague students, Weingarten is more concerned with the hiring practices of retail stores and spends her time calling for boycotts against those that scale back DEI schemes. Her priorities couldn’t be more misplaced.”

Weingarten stated the union “rarely engage[s] in this type of action, but we’re doing so here because Target betrayed promises to communities of color throughout the United States.” However, a recent report from Defending Education (DE) found that AFT has funneled millions of dollars in membership dues toward political activism, including to organizations such as the Trevor Project, an organization that supports “affirming” gender-confused children.

“The AFT seems to be very involved in every issue EXCEPT for educating America’s children,” Nicole Neily, president of DE, told the DCNF. “With members’ dues being allocated to pet political projects and leadership’s decision to spend its finite bandwidth tilting at windmills like DEI-related boycotts, it’s little wonder that members are leaving the union en masse.”

AFT and CTU did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

Target was previously one of the biggest corporate supporters of DEI, promising racial quotas in its workforce and unveiling a 2023 “Pride Collection” in stores featuring themed clothing for children and babies. Like many other companies, Target backtracked after intense backlash and losing billions in market value.

“The same fringe left-wing activists who pushed CRT and ESG continue to try and derail efforts to restore normalcy to corporate America,” Will Hild, executive director of Consumers’ Research, told the DCNF. “Now the teachers’ union is after Target because the company got rid of their discriminatory policies.”

“Instead of recognizing that companies must serve all customers fairly, these activists are waging politically motivated boycotts against companies who refuse to push their woke agenda. These political hijackings of our institutions should never be tolerated again and Target deserves immense credit for standing firm and rejecting the far-left madness,” Hild said.

“Parents are fed up with the politicization of schools and should look no further than Teachers Union leadership to understand the root of the problem,” Marré continued. “It’s time for activists like Randi Weingarten to stop pushing propaganda and start focusing on what kids actually need: a strong, foundational education.”

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Left’s litigators, federal union launch new alliance to protect ‘Deep State’

Left-leaning organizations launched a partnership to provide legal support and advice to “deep state” employees ousted during President Donald Trump’s second term.

The new initiative, called the You Are Not Alone Project, is comprised of three organizations: Democracy Forward’s Civil Service Strong, the American Federation of Government Employees, and the Partnership for Public Service.

The pilot program, launched in July for State Department employees, has since expanded across federal agencies. The pilot program included helping ousted bureaucrats access free legal representation through Rise Up, also known as the Federal Workers Legal Defense Network, which is another coalition of left-leaning groups that includes the three member organizations of You Are Not Alone.

The pilot also gave former bureaucrats instructions for making appeals to the Merit Systems Protection Board and for filing complaints through the Office of Special Counsel.

Democracy Forward, a litigation and advocacy group, is chaired by veteran Democrat election lawyer Marc Elias, known for pushing the Russia-Donald Trump collusion conspiracy theory while working for the Hillary Clinton 2016 campaign.

Rob Shriver, the managing director of the Civil Service Strong program at Democracy Forward, is a former acting director of the federal Office of Personnel Management under President Joe Biden.

“Federal employees serve our nation with dedication and integrity. As we litigate multiple cases where the workforce has been unlawfully targeted, we want to make sure that people know they are not alone as they face the threat of job loss,” said Shriver in a public statement. “The You Are Not Alone Project is about more than resources—it’s about solidarity, dignity, and ensuring public servants have the tools they need to protect their rights and move forward.”

An article in The Atlantic on Tuesday referred to Democracy Forward as the “single largest source of Trump’s legal troubles.”

The American Federation of Government Employees is the nation’s largest federal employee union, which has a political action committee that contributes heavily to Democrat political candidates. In the 2024 election cycle, the union’s political action committee made 95.4% of its donations to Democrat candidates, according to Open Secrets.

The Partnership for Public Service is somewhat of an outlier in that trio. The organization has often steered clear of advocacy and has publicly focused on government efficiency and even accountability through governmental procedures. Though during Trump’s second term, the organization has been critical of the administration for cutting the size of the federal workforce.

The three groups only announced the You Are Not Alone Project for all federal agencies late last week. However, the alliance established the pilot program in July for former State Department employees after the department issued layoff notices to more than 1,300 people as part of a Trump administration reorganization. The reorganization is expected to result in about 3,000 total departures when those leaving voluntarily are also included, according to the American Federation of Government Employees.

A union spokesperson referred The Daily Signal to a news release explaining the pilot program. The Partnership for Public Service referred questions on legal matters to Democracy Forward. A Democracy Forward spokesperson did not reply to inquiries from The Daily Signal.

Although he opposes the unionization of federal employees, such partnerships would be a legitimate union function, said Michael Watson, research director at the Capital Research Center, an investigative think tank that monitors nonprofits.

“While I stand by my long-standing view that government worker unions should not exist … as announced, the plan seems like the sort of thing labor unions, if they are going to exist, should do,” Watson told The Daily Signal. “Obviously, it is more partisan-political than that, as the Elias ties indicate, but providing support to members affected by layoffs is not the worst thing labor unions do.”

He added that he is not “hugely surprised” by the Partnership for Public Service joining the coalition.

“It is obviously aligned with progressives,” Watson said. “While it’s not as openly partisan as Mr. Elias or as functionally partisan as the union, it sees itself as defending public servants.”

“Our union won’t stand by while these patriotic citizens are cast aside,” American Federation of Government Employees President Everett Kelley said in a public statement.

The federal employees need support now more than ever, said Jenny Mattingley, vice president for government affairs at the Partnership for Public Service. “It’s important that federal employees have trusted places to go for accurate, plain-language resources to help them navigate this time of stress and uncertainty.”

[Editor’s note: This story originally was published by The Daily Signal.]

California school is actually a baseball stadium

Topline: The State of California sent school funding to a minor-league baseball stadium as part of a potentially illegal scheme by a charter school district, according to a June 24 report from the California State Auditor.

Key facts: Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools is a nonprofit that runs more than 50 schools for students aged 22 or older, but it can still access K-12 funding because of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act — a federal law meant to help job seekers improve their qualifications.

The district has come under fire since 2019 for “attendance discrepancies, conflicts of interest, and excessive spending,” according to the audit report, and it has now been confirmed that it was never eligible for the $180.5 million of state funding it received in 2022 and 2023.

Students in California schools must spend at least 80% of their time in the classroom — not learning online — but auditors found the charter schools’ students “typically” are only in-person two to three hours per day. The rest of the charter school’s six-hour day is “optional,” and “nearly all” students did not stick around. Some students were “leaving immediately after signing in for attendance, and teachers did not attempt to enforce any attendance requirement,” the audit found.

The Highlands charter school received $3.5 million by illegally and “intentionally” inflating its attendance numbers, according to the audit. Charter schools are funded based on how often their students are present in school, so Highlands removed some student absences from their records to increase their funding, the state auditor alleges.

The Twin Rivers Unified School District is responsible for overseeing the charter schools, but officials visited “only a handful” of school locations, even though they are required by state law to visit each one annually. Highlands was also not required to get approval from Twin Rivers before opening new schools.

Officials finally hired a contractor to visit 32 of the schools in 2024, who found that one of them was actually a “professional baseball stadium with no classes or students.”

Highlands officials explained they were no longer leasing the baseball stadium but were locked into monthly payments totaling $33,000 through April 2026. School officials were receiving VIP tickets to games through a sponsorship arrangement, according to the audit.

The audit is presumably referencing Bryant Park, home of the minor-league Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers in Marysville, which in 2023 agreed to let Highlands use the park for three years in exchange for help with repainting, electrical wiring and more.

The school district’s other “wasteful spending” included $1,630 for a one-night hotel stay for one employee, almost $2 million for a three-day professional development conference, $80,000 for seven employees to attend a conference in Maui and $2,600 for an employee to attend a technology conference in Paris run by their mother’s company.

One of the school’s directors hired his wife as a “mentor” for the district for $3,000 and told auditors he “was not aware this was a violation.” The school also spent $146,650 on beanies, scarves and other winter gifts for students, including $8,750 of “holiday blankets” purchased from one of the director’s spouses.

Auditors also reviewed 30 teachers’ credentials and found 27 of them were not qualified for the classes they were teaching, including five who had no teaching license at all.

Highlands Charter Schools’ Executive Officer Murdock Smith made $347,479 in 2023, tax returns show.

Summary: California taxpayers need much stronger oversight of the Highlands school district, and it may be on the way. On July 7, the district’s entire board either resigned or agreed to resign once their replacement is found, according to ABC10, whose years of reporting led to the state audit.

The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com

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

Rural Health Fund should prioritize preserving rural hospital care

When Congress established a new Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) as part of its budget reconciliation package, the intent was clear: Stop rural hospitals from closing.

The $50 billion fund – to be distributed over the next five years – was a key concession to secure the votes of senators who worried Medicaid payment cuts included in the legislation would shutter rural hospitals in their states. To participate, states must submit a rural health transformation plan to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) this year. Half of the funding will be distributed evenly among participating states; the rest will be up to CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz’s discretion.

In a fact sheet, Senate Finance Committee leaders described the program as a way to “give rural hospitals the tools to stabilize their finances in the short term and offer states the opportunity to create a long-term plan.” The committee also noted that “the RHTP can serve as a bridge to shore up rural hospitals and prevent gaps in care.”

Pennsylvania has an opportunity through the RHTP to help protect the stability of rural hospitals so they can continue to serve their communities – a major priority for Gov. Josh Shapiro and bipartisan leaders in the General Assembly. But only if we focus on the right investments.

I’ve written previously about the significant challenges rural hospitals face and the critical role they play in our commonwealth’s economic future. To be clear, the RHTP is not a silver bullet that will save rural hospitals. The short-term funding will not erase the permanent Medicaid payment cut – estimated at more than $1 billion to Pennsylvania rural hospitals over the next decade – or offset the significant rise in uncompensated care that’s expected as rural residents lose health care coverage. And to truly change the trajectory for Pennsylvania’s rural hospitals, we must address the structural challenges that threaten their stability. Foremost among those stressors is that one of rural hospitals’ largest payors, Medicaid, reimburses them only 74 cents on the dollar for care (an amount that will decrease as cuts take effect and costs rise).

But what the RHTP can – and should – be is an opportunity to invest now in steps that will help rural hospitals weather these challenges. The fund provides an upfront infusion of funding that, if targeted correctly, can help rural hospitals transform care and improve their ability to serve their communities in the long term.

Some key considerations for policymakers as work begins to shape Pennsylvania’s transformation plan:

Rural hospitals cannot care for our communities without a robust and highly trained workforce of doctors, nurses, and allied health care professionals. RHTP investments can supercharge initiatives to develop, attract, and keep providers in our rural communities.Targeted financial support will help rural hospitals take action now to improve their future stability. Infrastructure improvements to modernize facilities and implement technology that supports innovations like telehealth and virtual nursing will help hospitals transform care delivery and streamline operations.Investments through the RHTP will only be successful in transforming rural health care if they’re combined with the necessary regulatory flexibility and updates that empower rural hospitals to innovate. While work is ongoing to overhaul Pennsylvania’s hospital licensure regulations in their entirety for the first time since at least the 1980s, the commonwealth can remove some barriers now so rural hospitals can safely adapt to meet their communities’ needs.

Rural hospitals serve a crucial role in Pennsylvania’s rural health care continuum. In communities where other care settings are limited, hospitals are access points, not just for emergency and inpatient services, but also primary and preventative care. They treat stroke patients, offer diagnostic testing, and host appointments for patients to manage diabetes all under one roof. They’re regional hubs for maternal care and behavioral health services.

Beyond health care, rural hospitals are often the top job creators and economic anchors in their communities. They enable vibrant communities where people want to live and where businesses can grow.

With so much at stake for our rural communities, policymakers must prioritize investments through the RHTP that keep rural hospitals intact and protect the vital role they play.

At the federal level, we need CMS to ensure its guidance to states on the RHTP aligns with Congress’ intent: That the program provide critical bridge funding to help rural hospitals keep their doors open as they make changes to improve their resilience.

At the state level, we need leaders to focus the commonwealth’s plan to do just that. When funding for the RHTP runs out in five years, rural hospitals will still need to shoulder permanent payment cuts. We must ensure the program promotes their future sustainability through short-term investments and resist the temptation to build new initiatives that will only be successful with ongoing support.

We have an opportunity to take meaningful steps towards supporting the health and competitiveness of our rural communities. Pennsylvania’s hospital community stands ready to partner with our state and federal leaders to seize it.

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