Month: April 2025

President Trump invites former Hamas hostages on the stage during his talk at the NRCC Dinner, April 2025.

President Trump spoke to the National Republican Congressional Conference Dinner on Tuesday night in Washington, DC.

The 45th and 47th president spoke at length about his courageous policy agenda. He also emphasized the need to protect and strengthen the Republican majority in the 2026 midterms.

During his speech, President Trump stopped speaking and invited three Israelis, including two former hostages of the Hamas terror group, to come on stage.

The three hostages, including American Keith Siegel and Aviva Siegel, thanked Trump for their release from their Hamas tormentors.

The hostages thanked Trump for his work in bringing them home to their families. They claimed Trump has rescued 33 Jewish hostages since he entered office.

Keith Siegel: Thank you. Thank you very much. President Trump. I’m here, and I’m alive. President Trump, you saved my life.

You saved the life of 33 hostages that because of your efforts and you’re setting the hostage crisis at the high priority of what you are doing among all of the enormous issues and things that you’re dealing with since you came into your position as President of the United States.

You set the hostage crisis at the highest priority. Got 33 of us home alive. We all owe our lives to you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And please, Please continue your tremendous efforts and your tremendous actions and your tremendous accomplishments. Continue, and we will get with your help, all of the remaining 59 hostages still in Gaza, back home. Thank you.

MUST WATCH: 3 RECENTLY RELEASED HOSTAGES JOIN PRESIDENT TRUMP ON STAGE AT NRCC PRESIDENT’S DINNER

“WE ARE HERE BECAUSE OF PRESIDENT @REALDONALDTRUMP!” pic.twitter.com/uny7ySZ2sM

— Real America’s Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) April 9, 2025

The post “President Trump, You Saved My Life!” — MUST-SEE: Jewish Hostages Thank Trump for Their Release from Hamas Savages (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent calls out China following its latest tariff increase on US goods. – screen grab

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joined Maria Bartiromo on FOX Business Network Wednesday morning after China added an 84% tariff on US goods entering the country. This matched President Trump’s tariffs earlier in the day.

President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs took effect earlier in the day on Wednesday. The Chicoms are standing firmly against Trump and his crippling tariffs.

Bessent and the Trump Administration are not backing down.

Secretary Bessent told Maria that delisting Chinese stocks from American exchanges is firmly “on the table.”

Such a move would trigger a wave of investor sell-offs and cut Chinese firms off from U.S. capital, likely forcing many to flee to markets like Hong Kong. It comes as the economic war between the U.S. and China intensifies, with Beijing firing back by slapping an 84% tariff on American goods.

China, unfazed, says it’s ready to handle “any and all uncertainties” in the escalating showdown.

In 2024, China imported $143 billion in goods from the US and the US imported $439 billion in goods from China.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent:  Maria, I think it’s unfortunate that the Chinese actually don’t want to come and negotiate because they are the worst offenders in the international trading system. They have the most imbalanced economy in the history of the modern world.

And I can tell you that this escalation is a loser for them, that they have some very smart economists, academicians, technocrats within their bureaucracy. And, they would be telling the leadership that we do not have the edge here. They are the surplus country, their exports to the US are five times our exports to China. So they can raise their tariffs, but so what?

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent isn’t backing down—he says delisting Chinese stocks from American exchanges is firmly “on the table.”

Such a move would trigger a wave of investor sell-offs and cut Chinese firms off from U.S. capital, likely forcing many to flee to markets… pic.twitter.com/OZH21dcn8F

— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) April 9, 2025

The post US Treasury Secretary Bessent Fires Back After China Adds 84% Tariff on US Goods Entering Country – Bessent Says US May Delist China Stocks on American Exchanges (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino / Los Angeles Police Department

A California youth soccer coach accused of murdering a 13-year-old boy has been revealed to be an illegal alien.

Law enforcement sources confirmed to Fox News that 43-year-old Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino, who is accused killed Oscar “Omar” Hernandez, who played on his soccer team, is a Salvadoran national living in the United States illegally.

No further details were provided about how and when he entered the United States.

“On that day, Omar Hernandez went up to Lancaster to see Mr. Garcia-Aquino,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman of the murder at a press conference.

“Two days later he was reported missing and nd on April 2, 2025 last week, his body was found in Oxnard off a road near Leo Carillo State Beach.”

“No parent should ever have to endure the unimaginable pain and sorrow of learning their child has been murdered.”

“Oscar simply boarded a train and little did he or his family know that he would never return.”

His office added that Garcia-Aquino would be charged with “one count of murder with the special circumstance allegation of murder during the commission or attempted commission of lewd acts with a child, making him eligible for the death penalty.”

NEW: 13-year-old Oscar “Omar” Hernandez was raped & murdered in Los Angeles last week.

Police have just arrested 43-year-old Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino, an illegal alien from El Salvador and believe there are more victims.

Oscar’s mother is calling for the death penalty. pic.twitter.com/e0Xcj7FpbC

— Dapper Detective (@Dapper_Det) April 8, 2025

Prosecutors also filed felony charge against Garcia-Aquino for assault with intent to commit a sexual offense, stemming from an alleged February 2024 sexual assault of a 16-year-old boy in Palmdale.

BREAKING: Per multiple law enforcement sources, the Los Angeles area youth soccer coach charged yesterday w/ murdering one of his players, a 13-year-old boy, is an illegal alien from El Salvador. 43-year-old Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino has been charged w/ murder w/ a special… pic.twitter.com/Vbz4BfVqec

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) April 8, 2025

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna described the boy as a talented young soccer player who resided in San Fernando Valley.

Meanwhile, he said that Garcia-Aquino “was a youth travel soccer coach with the Hurricane Valley Boys Soccer Club in the Sylmar area working with different age divisions.”

Aside from entering the country unlawfully, he had no previous criminal history.

“We will continue to pursue justice and work tirelessly to ensure we bring closure to the victims and their families, while ensuring that such individuals face the full extent of the law,” Luna added.

The post California Soccer Coach Charged With Molestation and Murder of a 13-Year-Old Boy Unmasked as Illegal Alien appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

DoD Spokesman Sean Parnell schools Democrat thought leader Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

Department of Defense spokesman Sean Parnell responded with fire to Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), criticizing the recent firing of U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, appearing to confirm rumors that Chatfield was fired over her alleged refusal to hang portraits of President Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at her post as U.S. Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee in Brussels, Belgium.

Reuters was first to report Chatfield’s firing Monday night, but did not report a cause.

Tuesday morning, Human Events senior editor and former Navy officer Jack Posobiec reported without citing sources, “BREAKING: Per report, Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield refused to put up POTUS & SECDEF pictures in NATO HQ. Also held an “all hands” where she said “we will wait them out 4 years” She has been relieved of duty”

BREAKING: Per report, Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield refused to put up POTUS & SECDEF pictures in NATO HQ. Also held an “all hands” where she said “we will wait them out 4 years”

She has been relieved of duty

— Jack Poso (@JackPosobiec) April 8, 2025

Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, DOD photo, January 8, 2024.

On Tuesday morning, Parnell posted, “Secretary Hegseth has removed U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield from her position as U.S. representative to NATO’s military committee due to a loss of confidence in her ability to lead. The Defense Department is grateful for her many years of military service.”

Secretary Hegseth has removed U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield from her position as U.S. representative to NATO’s military committee due to a loss of confidence in her ability to lead. The Defense Department is grateful for her many years of military service.

— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellATSD) April 8, 2025

Parnell’s statement did not mention a failure to hang portraits of the new civilian leadership of the military that was rumored to be the cause of Chatfield’s dismissal.

Crockett posted Tuesday night in response to Parnell, “They fired Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield—not because she couldn’t do the job, but because she wouldn’t hang up pictures of Trump and Hegseth. This ain’t about merit—it’s about ego.”

They fired Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield—not because she couldn’t do the job, but because she wouldn’t hang up pictures of Trump and Hegseth. This ain’t about merit—it’s about ego. https://t.co/W20f4xotwB

— Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (@RepJasmine) April 9, 2025

While not directly confirming the portrait rumor, Parnell’s scathing response to Crockett all but confirmed it:

“Congresswoman, I realize this may be a foreign concept to you but here at the DoD if you disrespect the chain of command & don’t do your job, you will be replaced. Period.”

Congresswoman, I realize this may be a foreign concept to you but here at the DoD if you disrespect the chain of command & don’t do your job, you will be replaced.

Period. https://t.co/HrtUpI9Owc

— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellUSA) April 9, 2025

Chatfield’s Navy bio as of 2024:

Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield is a native of Garden Grove, California, and a 1987 graduate of Boston University with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and French Language and Literature. She received her commission through Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) in 1988 and earned her wings of gold in 1989. Chatfield was awarded the Navy’s Political/Military (Pol-Mil) Scholarship and attended the Kennedy School of Government, receiving a Master of Public Administration from Harvard Universityin 1997. In 2009, the University of San Diego conferred upon her a doctorate of education.

She was assigned to Helicopter Combat Support Squadrons (HC), serving in HC-1, HC-3, HC-5 and twice in HC-11 before making the move to the Helicopter Sea Combat (HSC) community.

Operationally, she flew the SH-3, CH-46D and MH-60S and deployed in helicopter detachments to the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf supporting carrier strike group and amphibious ready group operations.

Ashore, she participated in the Joint Staff/OSD Internship Program, augmenting the Joint Staff, Plans and Policy (J-5) Directorate, Central & Eastern European Branch; was assigned as deputy executive assistant to the chief of naval operations; was senior military assistant to the supreme allied commander Europe; and was the United States deputy military representative to the NATO Military Committee.

She served as assistant professor of political science at the United States Air Force Academy from 2001-2004.

Chatfield was the 20th commanding officer of HC-5 and, upon its disestablishment, the first commanding officer of HSC-25, the Island Knights. She subsequently commanded a joint provincial reconstruction team in Farah Province, Afghanistan, in 2008, and was type wing commander of HSC Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet from 2011-2013. She commanded Joint Region Marianas from January 2017 to August 2019. Her most recent assignment was President of the Naval War College from August 2019 to June 2023.

Her personal awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Legion of Merit (two awards), Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal (three awards), Army Commendation Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy Achievement Medal and various unit awards.

Chatfield had been on a list of ‘woke’ senior military officers compiled by a conservative group, the American Accountability Foundation, seeking their dismissal that was address to Hegseth before he took office.

The group posted a response on Tuesday to news of Chatfield’s firing:

BREAKING: President Trump & @PeteHegseth just FIRED Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield.

Here’s a report on her priorities as a leader of the U.S. Navy:

“Just before the cake-cutting at the end of the Women’s Equality Day observance, Chatfield said she was pleased that the cake was decorated in purple, the color that represents a joint environment — many services working together.

“Our diversity is our strength,” she said, adding that the secrets are how to get the best out of each person and how to make sure that none of their talents is wasted. “Finding a way to be respectful of the differences is where our growth is.”

Chatfield summed up the importance of equal rights by quoting Slide 35 of the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute’s informational presentation on Women’s Equality Day:

Investing in gender equality and women’s empowerment can unlock human potential on a transformational scale.”

BREAKING: President Trump & @PeteHegseth just FIRED Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield.

Here’s a report on her priorities as a leader of the U.S. Navy:

“Just before the cake-cutting at the end of the Women’s Equality Day observance, Chatfield said she was pleased that the… pic.twitter.com/5ayYh2QskY

— American Accountability Foundation (@Theswampmonitor) April 8, 2025

The post DOD Spox Sean Parnell Drops Jasmine Crockett Over Post Criticizing the Firing of Admiral Shoshana Chatfield — Appears to Confirm Refusal to Hang Portraits of Trump and Hegseth appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

2019 CISM Military World Games Opening Ceremonies DVIDS

A damning new report from a long-buried Department of Defense report has just confirmed what The Gateway Pundit has been reporting for years: American service members who attended the 2019 World Military Games in Wuhan, China, exhibited COVID-19-like symptoms as early as October 2019—months before the Chinese Communist Party and the World Health Organization officially acknowledged the outbreak of the deadly virus.

According to documents obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, the report—completed in December 2022—was mandated by Congress to be publicly released by mid-2022 but was withheld by the Biden administration until it was quietly posted on a Defense Department website in late March 2025.

The report, mandated by Section 1068 of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2022, details the participation of 263 American athletes and staff, including 219 military personnel, in the Wuhan games held from October 18-27, 2019.

Out of this group, seven brave service members came down with mysterious symptoms eerily consistent with COVID-19 between October 18, 2019, and January 21, 2020.

While the DoD timidly notes that these symptoms “could have been caused by other respiratory infections,” the timing and location scream what conservatives have long suspected: the Chinese Communist Party unleashed this plague on the world far earlier than they’ve ever confessed, and our own government sat on the truth.

According to the report:

The number of Department of Defense facilities visited by team members after returning from Wuhan, China that experienced COVID-19 outbreaks during the first quarter of 2020, including in relation to the share of other Department of Defense facilities that experienced COVID-19 outbreaks through March 31, 2020.

Data surveillance reports from military treatment facilities indicate no statistically significant difference in COVID-19-like symptoms cases at installations with participating athletes when compared to installations without them. In addition, no significant increase in COVID-19-like signs and/or symptoms was documented for the dates of October 2019 through March 2020 as a result of U.S. Army separate surveillance testing.

Whether the Department tested members of the Armed Forces who traveled to Wuhan, China for the World Military Games for COVID-19 antibodies, and if so, what portion, if any, of those results were positive, and when such testing was conducted.

Service members were not tested for COVID-19 or antibodies due to their participation in the 2019 World Military Games, as testing was not available at this early stage of the pandemic.

Whether there are, or have been, any investigations, including whether under the auspices of an Inspector General, across the Department of Defense or the military departments into possible connections between United States athletes who traveled to Wuhan, China, and the outbreak of COVID-19.

DoD has not conducted or opened an investigation into connections between the outbreak of COVID-19 and the 2019 World Military Games.

Whether the Department has engaged with the militaries of allied or partner countries about illnesses surrounding the 2019 World Military Games, and if so, how many participating militaries have indicated to the Department that their athletes or staff may have contracted COVID-19-like symptoms during or immediately after the Games.

DoD has not engaged in any discussions with allied or partner militaries about illness associated with participation in the 2019 World Military Games.

The Gateway Pundit’s previous reporting

On July 21, 2021, Lawrence Sellin, Ph.D., broke an exclusive report on The Gateway Pundit from a Chinese source that the CCP intentionally released COVID-19 at the 2019 Military World Games in Wuhan.

According to the source, it was a test of the longer-term effects of that type of bioweapon because foreign visitors to the Games would carry it back to their own countries, and the consequences could be observed.

Because COVID-19 was designed for plausible deniability, infections could not be easily traced back to China and it could also be attributed to a natural origin.

The source explained that the subsequent outbreak in Wuhan was entirely unexpected. That is, there was no laboratory leak, but the unintended spread among the Chinese population of Wuhan of a virus for which they had underestimated its transmissibility.

Beijing learned about the silent spreading of COVID-19 by the beginning of December, but kept it quiet and allowed international flights from Wuhan to continue.

The source speculated about the COVID-19 test release and why the Wuhan outbreak was then leveraged by the Chinese Communist Party.

COVID-19 was meant to hit the United States, its allies, and the whole Western world because of China’s economic problems and the trade war being conducted by President Trump. The effects of a pandemic might cause Trump to lose the election.

If the U.S. military was disrupted by COVID-19, further pressure could be applied to Taiwan, perhaps even invasion, and the uprisings in Hong Kong could be suppressed under the guise of public health measures.

On September 22, 2021, The Gateway Pundit, citing a report in the Daily Mail, reported on a whistleblower and defector, Wei Jingsheng, alleging the COVID-19 virus was first spread at the China Military Games in 2019, two months before the global outbreak.

This appears to have been an intentional attack by the Chinese Communist Party.

The Daily Mail reported:

A whistleblower has sensationally claimed China deliberately spread Covid at a military tournament two months before the rest of the world knew about the deadly virus.

Ex-Chinese Communist Party insider Wei Jingsheng said The World Military Games in October 2019 could have acted as the virus’ first superspreader event.

The international tournament for military athletes was held in Wuhan – the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic – two months before China notified the World Health Organisation about its first cases.

The post Bombshell Report from Sec. of Defense Confirms Gateway Pundit Was Correct — Seven Americans Contracted COVID-19-Like Symptoms in Wuhan as Early as October 2019, Months Before the Official Pandemic Timeline appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Would-be Trump assassin tried to purchase a US Stinger missile from Ukraine to kill President Trump. Who was funding him?

On Tuesday, new court documents were released that reveal would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh was in talks to purchase a Stinger Missile to take out Trump here in the US.

A Stinger missile reportedly costs from $119,000 to $120,000.

A Stinger missile costs anywhere from $50,000 to $80,000 on the black market.

So, where did Ryan Routh get all of his funding?

The Gateway Pundit reported that the court documents reveal that Routh was communicating with someone he “believed to be a Ukrainian with access to military weapons.”

The Gateway Pundit questioned at the time, “It sounds like Routh was holding talks with a federal operative?”

And, Routh and his associate were talking about assassinating Trump in July 2024 in Pennsylvania!

Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate Trump in Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Crooks shot Trump in the head before snipers shot him dead.

From the DOJ report, via Headline USA:

So, who was running Ryan Routh?

And why was he not arrested in July if he was plotting to kill the former president in Pennsylvania and was attempting to purchase an illegal Stinger missile?

Holy smokes!

NEW: The DOJ alleged in a late-Monday motion that would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh ATTEMPTED TO BUY A ROCKET LAUNCHER FROM A UKRAINIAN ASSOCIATE weeks before his Sept. 15 attempt.

“I need equipment so that Trump cannot get elected,” Routh allegedly told his Ukrainian… pic.twitter.com/WiRuG2kDRg

— Headline USA (@HeadlineUSA) April 8, 2025

On Tuesday night, former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou answered these questions on Jesse Watters Primetime, and it was just as many of us suspected.

The feds were likely involved with Routh for many months. But they DID NOT stop him from planting himself in the bushes at a Trump Palm Beach course where he waited to kill the president.

The FBI needs to come clean.

Via Jesse Watters Primetime.

Jesse Watters: All right, John, let’s start with you. When Ruth thought he was talking to a Ukrainian arms dealer, the Justice Department says, What do you think that means?

John Kiriakou: That almost always means he was speaking with an FBI agent or with someone acting on behalf of the FBI. But the fact that he still got to the golf course in Florida, even though he was caught, the fact that he got there tells that someone was asleep at the switch.

Jesse Watters: If he was being monitored by the federal government, why would they let him get right to that hole with a rifle?

John Kiriakou: There’s absolutely no way to justify that. No way at all. If he was deemed to be an actual threat to the President, and clearly he was a threat, a long term ongoing threat, they should have scooped him up ages ago. It’s better to charge someone with conspiracy than to risk him actually carrying out an attack and assassinating the President of the United States.

Jesse Watters: Does the federal government usually lose track of crazy people who are trying to buy bazookas to kill the President?

John Kiriakou: I can only think of I… Harvey Oswald to tell you the truth, because this is never supposed to happen.

Why are we funding an organization that was working with the would-be assassin of President Trump.

The American public deserves more answers.

Watch the video below:

The post Another Fed Op? Former CIA Officer Says Ryan Routh Was Almost Certainly Speaking with FBI Agent Before Attempted Trump Assassination — There is NO WAY to Justify Him Getting on Golf Course with Rifle appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

From left to right: Ashe Epp (@AsheInAmerica), Col. Shawn Smith (@ShawnSmith1776), and Holly Kasun (@Cholly)

 

In July 2024, The Gateway Pundit reported on an epic victory in a Colorado federal court against a conglomerate of non-governmental ‘civil-rights’ organizations that manufactured a case against three grassroots citizens.  In CO, MT, WY State Area Conference of the NAACP v Shawn Smith et al, Defendants Ashe Epp, Holly Kasun, and Colonel Shawn Smith defeated the NAACP, Mi Familia Vota, and the League of Women Voters in a crushing directed verdict from Judge Charlotte Sweeney, a Biden appointee and the first female openly-LGBT judge west of the Mississippi.

A directed verdict means that once Plaintiffs rested their case, the judge decided that their case, and the defense’s argument, was insufficient and that they could not prevail on the merits of the case.

117
Three “get out the vote” NGOs sued us to stop us from canvassing to check the government’s work on turnout.

Gee, I wonder why NGOs would commit & suborn perjury to stop us from canvassing? https://t.co/H4OVuO13Mp

— Ashe in America (@AsheinAmerica) April 6, 2025

The lawsuit was targeted at an informal group, USEIP, that decided to canvass voters in different counties to ask them questions about the 2020 Presidential Election, such as what method they used to vote and whether people identified on the public voting rolls actually lived at the address.  The results, conservatively showed an 8% discrepancy between what was reported and what those canvassed told USEIP about their voting history.

The case was made-for-Primetime television.  It involved redacted documents from the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office that actually covered up exculpatory evidence, only discovered by a freedom of information request from another government entity party to the emails.  It involved the “racist undertones” of invoking the KKK Act against the Defendants.  And what crime drama would be complete without the “gasp” moment from a witness?  The trial had that moment when the Plaintiffs sole non-party witness testified that she didn’t know who defendants were and was coached by counsel to identify the Defendants as those who canvassed her home.

David vs. Goliath – an NAACP Faction Faces Off Against Grassroots Canvassers in an Election Case Few Know About

Kasun, Epp, and Col. Smith have decided to file an appeal challenging the lower courts ruling that denied the Defendants compensation for legal fees following the frivolous trial. 

According to a press release from the plaintiffs, the Defendants claimed they were “going door-to-door, armed, threatening, intimidating and targeting minority voters.”  Yet, as mentioned, their only non-party witness “admitted on the stand that plaintiffs’ counsel urged her to state defendants intimidated her in a sworn affidavit; despite counsel knowing the claim was false, months prior.”

Under a 1978 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Christiansburg Garment Co. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Court ruled that defendants involved in cases based on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 could only recover attorney’s fees if the plaintiff’s claim was frivolous, unreasonable, or groundless.

These three are fighting to level the playing field in Civil Rights cases while the leftist NGO machine is spinning up cases rapidly.

NGOs currently have no downside to bringing them, and most defendants are pressured to settle their case rather than face the financial burden of fighting the claims.  Help change that by supporting this appeal and helping to overturn this abusive precedent.  Visit here to help them in this fight.  Every penny raised will go towards lawyers in the battle, who are 7-0 against Marc Elias and the ‘Machine.’

 

From a press release regarding the appeal:

Under the Christiansburg Standard, a decades-old legal precedent, prevailing defendants like us are barred from recovering legal fees from plaintiffs—here, three well-funded NGOs—unless the case is deemed “frivolous.” The prevailing defendants argue this standard is an unjust shield, enabling NGOs to wage lawfare without consequence, and it must be overturned.

The outrageousness of the case exposes a systemic abuse: NGOs, often bankrolled by donations and taxpayer dollars through USAID, use lawsuits not just to push agendas but to generate press and fundraise, “attorneys’ fees are often a major source of revenue for nonprofit litigators.” According to an NYU Review of Law & Social Change article that was admitted into evidence. The piece then explains the advantage of recovering damages via the KKK Act and the added press benefit of being able to smear defendants with “the stigma of conspiracy and it’s association with the KKK’s legacy of politicized racism.”

Public outrage has surged as recent revelations show millions in USAID funds flowing to NGOs, only for them to turn around and sue Americans—risk-free, thanks to Christiansburg. The appeal seeks to level the legal playing field, demanding plaintiff NGOs face the same financial accountability as defendants when they lose.

The urgency is undeniable. With USAID funding slashed, NGOs are scrambling for new revenue streams. Lawfare—suing citizens and organizations for press to solicit donations—is an obvious pivot. If Christiansburg stands, this “lawfare-for-funding” tactic will only escalate, threatening countless defendants with unchecked, risk-free litigation.

Representing Smith, Kasun and Epp from Gregor, Wynne, Arney PLLC is Michael J. Wynne and Cameron Powell. With a remarkable 7-0 winning record against Marc Elias, plaintiffs are confident in their appeal.

You can donate to help in this crucial case to add protections for victims of NGO lawfare under the guise of “civil rights” by donating to givesendgo.com/StopNGOLawfare

The post NGO Lawfare: This US Court of Appeals Case Has the Potential to Overturn a Crucial 1978 SCOTUS Precedent Protecting Against Weaponized Lawfare appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

We will hear a lot more about President Donald Trump the dealmaker in the coming days as the tariff wars continue and some kind of talks with Iran begin. That’s pretty central to Trump’s self-image, and it is a big part of what will determine his success or failure in his second term.

But Trump the risk-taker is the bigger story right now. It is somewhat ironic that before the tariffs and the stock market dominated the headlines, the main Trump-related controversy was whether he intended to seek an unconstitutional third term. Whatever he says when reporters ask him about 2028, nearly all his behavior points in the opposite direction.

Trump is spending, not hoarding, political capital. He is taking risks with the stock market that he would have never taken in his first term, when he actually was planning on a second term, absent the pandemic. Very little of what Trump is doing on tariffs, immigration, spending via DOGE, and executive orders on a host of issues suggests that he is expecting to be able to accomplish much past the midterm elections, much less anything later than that.

To that end, Trump isn’t counting on Republicans maintaining control of the House more than 18 months from now or perhaps even staying unified for many weeks longer. Trump is biting off an awful lot and nearly all of official Washington believes it is more than he can chew.

When Steve Sailer wrote 20 years ago about the new “risk-taking conservatism,” he was referring to the policies of George W. Bush’s administration: invading foreign countries and alienating their populations while at the same time inviting them to immigrate to the United States in large numbers; partially privatizing Social Security by investing a portion of payroll tax receipts in the stock market on what turned out to be the eve of a major financial meltdown; a doubling down on globalism in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Trump’s entry into national politics and leadership of the Republican Party marked a reversal of nearly every one of these policies. Yet he has hardly been risk-averse in either his first term or, especially, his second. The entire lesson of his political career has been that fortune favors the bold. He has regularly made Houdini-like death-defying escapes from seemingly insurmountable crises, some of them traps laid by his enemies, many others partially or entirely of his own creation.

“It’s the only chance our country will have to reset the table. I could have come in and had an easy term,” Trump said at the White House earlier this week. “But no other president would be willing to do what I am doing or even go through it.”

Trump wants to make deals with Iran, with Russia and Ukraine, on Israel and Gaza, with dozens of countries seeking relief from his tariffs. But he is also taking significant risks on almost every one of these fronts.

One of the reasons Trump had more success with international dealmaking than with domestic legislative deals during his first term is that he understands them as transactions but often has a blind spot for matters of principle. His stronger political position has paradoxically helped him do better with congressional Republicans this time around, though reconciliation will be a big test, but this tendency has cropped up at times in his diplomacy, too.

For example, Trump genuinely believes if given a better option few Palestinians would willingly wish to remain in war-torn Gaza. But that misreads at least one of the dynamics that has made Middle East peace so elusive for decades. Where Trump in his first term encouraged a sort of pan-nationalism, especially in the West, he’s often had the opposite effect this time around, almost singlehandedly sparking a Liberal revival in Canada.

Closer to home, Trump gets annoyed with his party’s surviving establishment RINOs and romantic ideologues alike because he sees both as obstacles to getting things done. But some of them have genuine principled disagreements, and many in the second camp would like to be his most reliable supporters. 

Trump is now testing the political will of all his allies, foreign and domestic. The end result could be delivering on his America First campaign promises as never before and likely transforming the Republican Party for years to come. Or we could be looking at something closer to the total opposite of that outcome.

The post Trump the Gambler appeared first on The American Conservative.

Credit: The White House

President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariff package has officially gone into effect today, delivering a powerful blow to nations that have long exploited unfair trade practices at the expense of U.S. jobs.

Last Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced the implementation of a 10% baseline tariff on all imports, effective April 5, 2025.  This decisive action aims to correct decades of unfair trade practices that have disadvantaged American workers and industries.

Trump said from the White House Rose Garden:

“For too long, other nations have taken advantage of our open markets while imposing barriers to our products. Those days are over.

American steel workers, auto workers, farmers and skilled craftsmen. We have a lot of them here with us today. They really suffered, gravely. They watched in anguish as foreign leaders have stolen our jobs, foreign cheaters have ransacked our factories, and foreign scavengers have torn apart our once beautiful American dream. We had an American dream that you don’t hear so much about. You did four years ago, and you are now. But you don’t too often.

Now it’s our turn to prosper, and in so doing, use trillions and trillions of dollars to reduce our taxes and pay down our national debt.

And it will all happen very quickly. With today’s action, we are finally going to be able to make America great again, greater than ever before or. Jobs and factories will come roaring back into our country and you see it happening already. We will supercharge our domestic industrial base.

For nations that treat us badly, we will calculate the combined rate of all their tariffs, nonmonetary barriers and other forms of cheating. And because we are being very kind, we will charge them approximately half of what they are and have been charging us. So the tariffs will be not a full reciprocal. I could have done that. Yes. But it would have been tough for a lot of countries.

For decades, the United States slashed trade barriers on other countries, while those nations placed massive tariffs on our products and created outrageous non-monetary barriers to decimate our industries.

And in many cases, the non-monetary barriers were worse than the monetary ones. They manipulated their currencies, subsidized their exports, stole our intellectual property, imposed exorbitant taxes to disadvantage our products, adopted unfair rules and technical standards, and created filthy pollution havens.

From 1789 to 1913, we were a tariff-backed nation. And the United States was proportionately the wealthiest it has ever been.

So wealthy, in fact, that in the 1880s they established a commission to decide what they were going to do with the vast sums of money they were collecting. We were collecting so much money so fast, we didn’t know what to do with it. Isn’t that a nice problem to have?

And my answer is very simple. If they complain, if you want your tariff rate to be zero, then you build your product right here in America. Because there is no tariff. If you build your plant, your product in America. And we’ve seen companies coming in like we’ve never seen before.”

On April 9, 2025, additional reciprocal tariffs are applied to countries with significant trade surpluses, calculated based on their trade practices and deficits with the U.S.

The rates were calculated using a formula: (Trade deficit ÷ Exports to the U.S.) × 0.5, which disproportionately affects nations with large trade surpluses relative to their exports.

Below is the list of countries affected via X user @unusual_whales:

Reciprocal Tariff Level: 104%

China (cumulative rate combining existing 20%, a 34% reciprocal tariff, and an additional 50% escalation in response to Chinese retaliation). This applies to most Chinese exports to the U.S.

Reciprocal Tariff Level: 50–59%

Lesotho – 50

Reciprocal Tariff Level: 40–49%

Cambodia – 49

Laos – 48

Madagascar – 47

Vietnam – 46

Myanmar – 44

Sri Lanka – 44

Falkland Islands – 41

Syria – 41

Mauritius – 40

Reciprocal Tariff Level: 30–39%

Iraq – 39

Guyana – 38

Bangladesh – 37

Botswana – 37

Liechtenstein – 37

Serbia – 37

Thailand – 36

Bosnia and Herzegovina – 35

North Macedonia – 33

Angola – 32

Fiji – 32

Indonesia – 32

Taiwan – 32

Libya – 31

Moldova – 31

Switzerland – 31

Algeria – 30

Nauru – 30

South Africa – 30

Reciprocal Tariff Level: 20–29%

Pakistan – 29

Tunisia – 28

Kazakhstan – 27

India – 26

South Korea – 25

Brunei – 24

Japan – 24

Malaysia – 24

Vanuatu – 22

Côte d’Ivoire – 21

Namibia – 21

European Union (27 countries) – 20

Jordan – 20

Nicaragua – 18

Zimbabwe – 18

Israel – 17

Malawi – 17

Philippines – 17

Zambia – 17

Mozambique – 16

Norway – 15

Venezuela – 15

Nigeria – 14

Chad – 13

Equatorial Guinea – 13

Cameroon – 11

Democratic Republic of the Congo – 11

10% baseline tariff

Africa

Benin – 10

Burundi – 10

Cabo Verde – 10

Central African Republic – 10

Comoros – 10

Djibouti – 10

Egypt – 10

Eritrea – 10

Eswatini – 10

Ethiopia – 10

Gabon – 10

Gambia – 10

Ghana – 10

Guinea – 10

Guinea-Bissau – 10

Kenya – 10

Liberia – 10

Mali – 10

Mauritania – 10

Mayotte – 10

Morocco – 10

Niger – 10

Réunion – 10

Rwanda – 10

São Tomé and Príncipe – 10

Senegal – 10

Sierra Leone – 10

South Sudan – 10

Sudan – 10

Tanzania – 10

Togo – 10

Uganda – 10

North America & Central America

Anguilla – 10

Antigua and Barbuda – 10

Bahamas – 10

Barbados – 10

Belize – 10

Bermuda – 10

Cayman Islands – 10

Costa Rica – 10

Dominica – 10

Dominican Republic – 10

El Salvador – 10

Grenada – 10

Guatemala – 10

Haiti – 10

Honduras – 10

Jamaica – 10

Martinique – 10

Montserrat – 10

Panama – 10

Saint Kitts and Nevis – 10

Saint Lucia – 10

Saint Pierre and Miquelon – 10

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – 10

Trinidad and Tobago – 10

Turks and Caicos Islands – 10

South America

Argentina – 10

Bolivia – 10

Brazil – 10

Chile – 10

Colombia – 10

Ecuador – 10

French Guiana – 10

Paraguay – 10

Peru – 10

Suriname – 10

Uruguay – 10

Asia

Afghanistan – 10

Armenia – 10

Azerbaijan – 10

Bahrain – 10

Bhutan – 10

Georgia – 10

Iran – 10

Kuwait – 10

Kyrgyzstan – 10

Lebanon – 10

Maldives – 10

Mongolia – 10

Nepal – 10

Oman – 10

Qatar – 10

Saudi Arabia – 10

Singapore – 10

Tajikistan – 10

Timor-Leste – 10

Turkey – 10

Turkmenistan – 10

United Arab Emirates – 10

Uzbekistan – 10

Yemen – 10

Europe

Albania – 10

Andorra – 10

Gibraltar – 10

Iceland – 10

Kosovo – 10

Monaco – 10

Montenegro – 10

San Marino – 10

United Kingdom – 10

Oceania

Australia – 10

Christmas Island – 10

Cocos (Keeling) Islands – 10

Cook Islands – 10

Kiribati – 10

Marshall Islands – 10

Micronesia – 10

New Zealand – 10

Norfolk Island – 10

Papua New Guinea – 10

Samoa – 10

Solomon Islands – 10

Tokelau – 10

Tonga – 10

Tuvalu – 10

Other / Territories

British Indian Ocean Territory – 10

French Polynesia – 10

Heard and McDonald Islands – 10

Saint Helena – 10

Svalbard and Jan Mayen – 10

Sint Maarten – 10

Curaçao – 10

The post Trump’s Latest Worldwide Reciprocal Tariff Officially Takes Effect — Here are the Countries Affected appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced that he will run against RINO Senator John Corbyn in 2026.

Paxton, a favorite among the MAGA grassroots, unveiled his campaign website on Tuesday afternoon before discussing his run with Fox News host Laura Ingraham.

“It’s definitely time for a change in Texas,” Paxton said during the interview.

“We have another great U.S. Senator, Ted Cruz, and it’s time we have another great senator that will actually stand up and fight for Republican values, fight for the values of the people of Texas and also support Donald Trump in the areas that he’s focused on in a very significant way,” he continued.

It’s official. I’m running for U.S. Senate to fight for President Trump’s agenda and take a sledgehammer to the D.C. establishment.

Together, let’s send John Cornyn packing: https://t.co/rQl0P2UnWU pic.twitter.com/1KIajC0JhN

— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) April 8, 2025

He later released a statement in which he said that he would prioritize the America First agenda.

“I’m running for U.S. Senate to fight for President Trump’s agenda and take a sledgehammer to the D.C. establishment,” Paxton said in the statement.

“John Cornyn has been in Washington for over two decades, and he has turned his back on President Trump and the America First agenda time after time.”

“I’m a battle-tested Attorney General and conservative warrior who’s secured major victories against the establishment, the corrupt Biden Administration, and woke corporations,” he continued.

”Now, I’m ready to take that same toughness to the U.S. Senate.”

As attorney general, Paxton repeatedly sued the Biden administration and led the way in exposing Democratic voter fraud and the disastrous nature of the previous administration’s policy of allowing millions of illegal aliens to enter the country through Texas.

Cornyn, meanwhile, responded by calling Paxton a “fraud” and made various unsubstantiated allegations about his past conduct, while also touting his own voting record.

His team wrote on X:

During his first term John Cornyn voted with President Trump more than 95% of current Senators, securing the votes for his biggest accomplishments as his Whip.

Democrats are trying to destroy President Trump, and he and Texas need a battle-tested conservative who knows how to protect his agenda in the Senate and won’t be outsmarted by Chuck Schumer.  Ken Paxton is a fraud.

He talks tough on crime and then lets crooked progressive Lina Hidalgo off the hook. He says his impeachment trial was a sham but he didn’t contest the facts in legal filings which will cost the state millions.

He says he’s anti-woke but he funnels millions of taxpayer dollars to lawyers who celebrate DEI.

And Ken claims to be a man of faith but uses fake Uber accounts to meet his girlfriend and deceive his family.

This will be a spirited campaign and we assure Texans they will have a real choice when this race is over.

During his first term John Cornyn voted with President Trump more than 95% of current Senators, securing the votes for his biggest accomplishments as his Whip. Democrats are trying to destroy President Trump, and he and Texas need a battle-tested conservative who knows how to…

— Team Cornyn (@TeamCornyn) April 8, 2025

Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader John Thune all but confirmed that the Republican leadership would lobby President Trump to endorse Cornyn over Paxton.

“I’m hoping that in the end, he can,” Thune told CNN when asked about the idea of Trump endorsing Cornyn.

“Obviously we’re supporting Senator Cornyn,” he continued. “He’s done a great job for Texas and for the country. And we need him back.”

A recent poll found that Paxton is leading Cornyn by 53 percent to 28 percent in a hypothetical match-up, with the gap widening further in the case of an informed ballot.

Senate Leader John Thune and Establishment Republicans Are Lobbying President Trump to Endorse RINO Senator John Cornyn Over MAGA Favorite Ken Paxton in Texas

The two men shared a deep animosity for each other after Cornyn backed efforts by Democrats and establishment Republicans to impeach Paxton over trumped-up securities fraud charges.

He was eventually acquitted of all charges.

The post Texas AG Ken Paxton Announces Senate Run Against RINO John Cornyn and The Gloves Are Already Off appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.