The ‘Free Trade’ Tax on Americans
Posted By: 4250Luis, 5/16/2026 1:46:36 PM
Two recent news items have spurred the return of the tariff issue to the front burner of American politics. First (at the time of writing), President Trump will attend a summit with People’s Republic of China (PRC) President Xi Jinping in May. Second, U.S. Steel has announced plans to resume operations at its Gary, Indiana, tin mill. And, again, one will hear the Free Traders shrilly bemoaning how “tariffs are a tax on consumers.” If one were to honestly accept the Free Traders’ logic that a company passing off its costs of compliance with a federal statute and/or regulation on to consumers constitutes a “tax,”
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The FBI is offering a reward of up to $200,000 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of former U.S. counterintelligence agent Monica Elfriede Witt, a one-time Air Force intelligence specialist accused of defecting to Iran and providing classified information to the Iranian government.
The FBI Washington Field Office announced the renewed reward offer on Thursday, saying Witt remains at large after being charged in a 2019 federal espionage case. Witt, 47, served in the U.S. Air Force from 1997 to 2008 and later worked as a government contractor until 2010. During her military and contracting service, authorities said she had access to SECRET and TOP SECRET intelligence,
Finish the Job
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In 1979, 1999, 2009, 2017-2018, 2019, 2022, late 2025 and early 2026, the Iranian people rose up in massive nationwide protests against economic collapse, repression, and governance failures. Each time, the regime responded with ruthless massacres...
Millions of unarmed civilians, no matter how courageous, cannot easily overcome such force.
Iran's regime continues its anti-American posture, support for proxies, and internal repression. It does not seek to reform, it seeks rearmament and revenge. Regime change is therefore not optional; it is essential.
The ‘Free Trade’ Tax on Americans
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Two recent news items have spurred the return of the tariff issue to the front burner of American politics.
First (at the time of writing), President Trump will attend a summit with People’s Republic of China (PRC) President Xi Jinping in May.
Second, U.S. Steel has announced plans to resume operations at its Gary, Indiana, tin mill.
And, again, one will hear the Free Traders shrilly bemoaning how “tariffs are a tax on consumers.”
If one were to honestly accept the Free Traders’ logic that a company passing off its costs of compliance with a federal statute and/or regulation on to consumers constitutes a “tax,”
The US Coast Guard took out three narco-terrorist vessels carrying nearly $45.8 million worth of illicit narcotics near Colombia.
A Coast Guard sniper fired on the drug boats.
“US Coast Guard Southeast crews aboard CGC Tahoma and an embarked helicopter seized approximately 6,085 pounds of cocaine worth nearly $45.8 million Saturday after stopping three vessels off the coast of Colombia,” USCG said.
“The interdiction required disabling fire after warning shots proved ineffective,” they said.
A Spotify account listed under the name of Rama Duwaji, wife of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, contained curated musical playlists with anti-Israel and anti-police lyrics.
Olivia Reingold at The Free Press first reported on Thursday that Spotify playlists under an account with Duwaji’s name featured “anti-Israel anthems” and were created just after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack.
One playlist was called “hungry but sexy for Palestine,” and contained songs such as “Amrikkka” and “Intifada.” It also includes one called “Ana Bakrah Israel,” which, according to The Free Press, translates to “I Hate Israel.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday that he had a "good phone call" with President Donald Trump and that the two leaders agree on multiple issues, including that Iran "must come to the negotiating table now."
Trump and the chancellor have had a rocky relationship over the conflict in the Middle East, with Trump last month singling Merz out over his alleged support of Iran developing nuclear weapons.
The chancellor clarified in a post on Friday that he does not support Tehran developing nuclear capabilities.
dual-pronged investigative and regulatory pincer movement is moving to close on the nonprofits and "dark money" networks that have long anchored the American left’s political and cultural infrastructure.
From Congress to the Justice Department and the IRS, the Trump administration and allied lawmakers are examining the anonymity and tax-exempt status enjoyed by some of the most influential progressive organizations in the country.
The latest development came Thursday when the House Oversight Committee issued a subpoena to the Sixteen Thirty Fund, the massive non-profit hub managed by Arabella Advisors. The subpoena demands internal communications and financial records regarding a social media influencer operation known as the Chorus program.
Dana Williamson, former chief of staff to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, pleaded guilty Thursday morning in federal court to three felony charges: conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, subscribing to a false tax return, and making false statements to a federal agent. As part of the plea bargain, the remaining 20 counts against her will be dismissed without prejudice at the time of sentencing, and can be reinstated if the agreement is voided or if Williamson violates/withdraws the plea agreement. Court documents reveal that between February 2022 and September 2024, Williamson and multiple co-conspirators, including then-HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra's chief of staff, Sean McCluskie,—
President Trump wrapped up his whirlwind three-day trip to China after tea and lunch with Xi Jinping early Friday morning, Eastern time.
The commander-in-chief and his Chinese counterpart discussed a wide range of pressing issues over the course of the historic summit, aimed at shoring up relations between Washington and Beijing and opening up the communist country to American businesses.
Here are the top takeaways from Trump’s trip. 1. Taiwan remains a flashpoint
Xi raised the issue of Taiwan with Trump right out of the gate, but the president has thus far refused to budge on changing the long-standing US policy toward the self-governing,
In presenting the May revision of his final budget as governor, Gavin Newsom proposed ways to fix California’s $35 billion multi-year budget deficit.
The likely presidential hopeful’s attempt to solve the state’s budget woes depends on estimated general fund revenue sources from personal income taxes, corporate taxes, and sales and use taxes. The Democratic governor projected the revenues would run $16.5 billion higher than what his initial budget projected in January. That budget initially proposed revenue numbers that left the general fund with $232.3 billion. The new budget puts the revenue total at $248.8 billion.
Fetterman says Trump Iran comment was
clipped to make it seem like he does not
care about Americans 5 replies
clipped to make it seem like he does not
care about Americans 5 replies
Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman indirectly accused the media Wednesday night of inaccurately clipping President Donald Trump's comment on Iran's nuclear capabilities versus concerns regarding its impact on the American economy.
The senator defended the president's comments during an appearance on Fox News' Hannity, clarifying that Trump was more focused on keeping Americans safe by refusing to let Iran get nuclear weapons than how much the conflict was costing taxpayers.
“He said something that got clipped … saying, ‘I’m not thinking about [the] American people financially,’ but what he really was saying — he did say, is, ‘I’m really thinking that we can’t ever let Iran [build] a bomb,’” Fetterman said.
Citing concerns that access to financial services incentivizes illegal immigration and could aid terrorism, Rep. Keith Self, R‑Texas, introduced legislation Thursday that would bar illegal aliens from the U.S. banking system by requiring banks to collect customers’ citizenship or immigration status.
“Access to America’s financial system is reserved for those who respect our laws—not for illegal aliens who break them,” Self told The Daily Signal. “Those who enter illegally should not be rewarded with taxpayer‑backed banking services. This legislation draws a hard line: If you are here illegally, you will not have access to our financial system.”
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A Canadian doctor has suggested that babies with severe deformities could be euthanized under the country's controversial assisted suicide laws.
Quebec College of Physicians member Louis Roy has been condemned by a lobbying group after a comment he made during a 2022 parliamentary committee resurfaced.
Roy previously said that under current Canadian law, assisted suicide could be considered for infants up to one year old with severe ailments.
Brandan Tran, Director of Public Affairs and Outreach for political lobby group Campaign Life Coalition, has condemned this comment.
'These are not concerns from the fringes, but statements from a member of a provincial medical college, recommendations before parliament,
Federal employees accuse USDA secretary
of 'Christian proselytizing' in holiday
emails to staff 18 replies
of 'Christian proselytizing' in holiday
emails to staff 18 replies
Federal employees are suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Secretary Brooke Rollins, accusing the Trump official of "Christian proselytizing" after she sent department emails on Christmas and Easter with religious messages. The complaint, brought by the National Federation of Federal Employees and seven USDA employees, accuses Rollins of "sending increasingly proselytizing communications to the entire USDA workforce, promoting her own preferred brand of Christian beliefs and theology to the captive audience of employees that report to her," since becoming head of the government agency in February 2025.
In the complaint, the plaintiffs say Rollins sent emails to all USDA employees on national and religious holidays, most overtly on Easter
Unsurprisingly, Democrats are willing to eliminate black-majority congressional districts through redistricting in order to gain more political power, a new poll finds. Democrat politicians and pundits have long claimed that any proposed shift away from race-based gerrymandering is racist, repeatedly weaponizing the issue to smear Republicans.
The Politico poll, conducted in the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent decision on the Voting Rights Act, shows “a lot of Democrats are willing to sacrifice Black voting power to beat the GOP.” At face value, respondents — who were Kamala Harris voters — said discriminatory gerrymandering —
One of Our Congresscritters Is Missing
18 replies
Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) missed the last 43 House votes and hasn't been seen for a month — that's maybe not the most disturbing part of the story.
The eight-term incumbent is probably best known for her collection of hats — usually sparkly ones — is 83 years old, and so it's natural to fear the worst. Wilson's last recorded House vote was on April 17, and House reporter Jaime Dupree noted on BlueSky Wednesday that she "missed all 10 votes on Wednesday in the House," bringing the total to 43 consecutive missed votes over the last four weeks.
A congresscritter disappearing is bad enough, but when her staff
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis commutes sentence
of ex-Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, to
be freed in June 17 replies
of ex-Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, to
be freed in June 17 replies
Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis commuted the sentence of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters on Friday, shortening her nearly nine-year prison sentence related to the 2020 election.
Peters was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2024 but an appeals court ruled last month that she needs to be resentenced after part of the sentence punished Peters for her protected speech regarding fraud claims in the 2020 election.
Polis denied that the commutation was an attempt to appease President Donald Trump, instead highlighting that Peters was a first-time nonviolent offender who was given an "unusually harsh sentence."
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger may have inadvertently given opponents of the state's soon-to-be-enacted "assault firearm" ban some legal ammunition to use in their fight to get the new law declared unconstitutional.
Spanberger released a statement explaining her rationale for signing the gun and magazine ban bill into law, and while most of it is the same eye-rolling nonsense we've heard from anti-gunners for decades, there was one line that's pretty intriguing.
The redistricting battle being fought across the nation has caused a sea change, and now, it's having a notable effect in Tennessee.
We saw Democratic lawmakers melting down a week ago over the changes, with state Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) getting into a disturbing exchange with a state trooper. The redistricting redrew a black majority district, the 9th district, which is currently represented by Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen (TN-09). Cohen is not black. He's held the seat for 19 years, since 2007. He's had black Republicans run against him. (X) Now it looks like Cohen is giving up the ghost. He announced that he wouldn't be running again.
Cohen said
Trump Floats Venezuela as ‘51st State’
14 replies
President Donald Trump posted a graphic on Truth Social on Tuesday, May 12, showing Venezuela’s outline filled with the American flag and the words “51st State” above it.
The post came one day after Fox News’s John Roberts wrote on X: “Just got off the phone with @realDonaldTrump … he told me he is seriously considering a move to make Venezuela the 51st state…”
Trump’s post follows months of major developments in U.S.-Venezuela relations after the January 3 arrest of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, by U.S. forces in Caracas in a law enforcement operation authorized by Trump.
Schools use copyright laws to deny parents'
access to 'intrusive' surveys; One mom
wants to stop it 14 replies
access to 'intrusive' surveys; One mom
wants to stop it 14 replies
The Supreme Court reaffirmed parental rights in public schools and access to federal courts this year, reinstating a permanent injunction against California's so-called gender secrecy policies that hide students' gender identity from their parents and authorizing pro-life pregnancy centers to sue New Jersey in federal court to stop speech-chilling subpoenas.
Now a Kentucky mother is asking the high court to resolve a related jurisdictional issue that could not only gut the right to know what their children are experiencing in public schools, but give all public entities a convenient path to deny public records requests.
A 19-year-old former member of the Michigan Army National Guard has been charged with planning a horrific mass shooting attack on a major U.S. military facility right here in Michigan, all in the name of ISIS.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said of Melvindale, Michigan was arrested on May 13, 2025 — the very day he planned to carry out the attack — after launching a drone near the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) facility at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Michigan.
Three candidates lead the Los Angeles mayoral race: former reality television star Spencer Pratt, incumbent Karen Bass, and Los Angeles city Councilwoman Nithya Raman.
Pratt says he’ll free Angelenos from the “open air drug zombies” who “commit multiple felonies every single day,” simply by enforcing the law. Bass wants to give those zombies new teeth.
“How many people who are unhoused that you meet have no teeth at all? They don’t have teeth, why? Because meth rots your teeth. You can’t succeed without teeth. So, there needs to be comprehensive healthcare provided to people,”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced this week that April marked twelve consecutive months of zero releases of illegal aliens apprehended by Border Patrol at the southwest border with Mexico into the United States — a milestone officials say reflects the most secure border in American history under President Donald Trump. DHS reports a 94 percent drop in illegal border apprehensions compared to the Biden era, with daily crossings now lower than what agents encountered in a single hour at the height of the 2023 crisis.
Twelve straight months of ZERO releases at the border. Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, we are delivering the most secure border in American history,”