A Round-Up of National and International Stories
News
Stories Compiled by Mike Hernandez
2/24/25
There are so many stories making up the mosaic of national/international news that we can’t cover them all every week. The biggest stories now seem to be: the Trump presidency, immigration (migrants and illegals), wars, weaponization of government (the deep state) against Trump and conservatives, our nation’s debt, massive inflation, climate change controversy and related expenses of government, industry attempting to address these issues, the Chinese threat, national security, abortion, Elon Musk’s DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) taxpayer cuts. Here are just a few:
Feb. 17: Gateway Pundit By Jim Hoft
Elon Musk’s DOGE Team Uncovers $21 Million Taxpayer-Funded Grant Allocated To “Voter Turnout in India” — India’s Ruling Party Responds
The United States Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), spearheaded by entrepreneur and billionaire Elon Musk, has axed a controversial $21 million taxpayer-funded grant that was designed to boost “voter turnout in India.” This allocation was merely a fragment of a staggering $486 million budget under the “Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening” initiative approved during the Biden regime.
But that wasn’t all. DOGE’s latest findings revealed that another $29 million had been designated for “strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh”, a country that recently witnessed significant political upheaval amid allegations of U.S. ‘deep state’ involvement in orchestrating the removal of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The revelation has ignited a political firestorm in India, where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) for what they called an attempt to manipulate India’s electoral process with foreign funding.
Feb. 17: Gateway Pundit By Jim Hoft
Elon Musk’s DOGE Team Uncovers Over 25 Million People Ages 100+ In Social Security Database, Some Older Than The Constitution
Elon Musk’s DOGE team has unearthed jaw-dropping irregularity from the U.S. Social Security database. The numbers are truly mind-boggling: over 25 million Americans registered aged 100 and older, with some purportedly older than the U.S. Constitution itself.
As of 2024, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that approximately 101,000 Americans are aged 100 and older, representing about 0.03% of the total U.S. population, according to the Pew Research Center.
Feb. 17: Fox News By Aubrie Spady
DOGE Puts DEI On Chopping Block With Termination Of Over $370M In Education Department Grants
In just 48 hours, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) slashed a whopping $370 million in taxpayer dollars being spent on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at the Department of Education. DOGE, the newly formed department led by Elon Musk to purge spending by the federal government, revealed in a post on X that they terminated 70 DEI training grants within the department. According to DOGE, the grants totaled $373 million.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/doge-dei-chopping-termination-370m-education-department-grants
Feb. 18: Breitbart By Neil Munro
Elon Musk: Democrats Use Taxpayer Funds To Encourage Illegal Migration
Democrats use taxpayer funds to attract millions of illegal immigrants, says Elon Musk, leader of the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“The REAL reason so many Democrats are upset about entitlements (social security, medical, etc.) fraud investigations is that they are using your taxpayer money as handouts to attract and retain ILLEGAL immigrants. Their future voters.” Musk tweeted on Feb 17, amid rising Democratic denunciation of his investigations into government waste and waste. “That’s what it’s all about,” he said, adding “Truth.”
Under President Joe Biden, Democrats spent at least $30 billion to import roughly nine million migrants, mostly via the southern border. That inflow of nine million southern migrants was in addition to the legal inflow of about one million migrants per year, plus the inflow of about one million blue-collar and white-collar contract workers, via a complex variety of half-hidden visa programs such as the H-1B, J-1, TN, H-2B, and H-2A programs.
Feb. 18: Breitbart By Mathew Boyle
Secretary Rollins: USDA Exploring ‘Federal Solution’ To Stopping China From Purchasing U.S. Farmland
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins told Breitbart News exclusively on Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration is exploring ways for the federal government to stop China from purchasing American farmland.
Rollins, in her first non-trade publication exclusive print interview, said that “no doubt” people are concerned about this and rightly want American farmland to be owned by Americans, not foreigners, especially those loyal to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Rollins said that Trump deserves major credit for re-orienting worldwide discussions and viewpoints about the threat of the CCP on the world stage, as he began exposing this in his first run for president back in 2016 and during his first administration and in the ensuing years since and now in the second administration has continued this focus.
Feb. 18: Western Journal By Jack Davis
DOGE Uncovers Budget Line Item Issue That Made $4.7 Trillion In Government Payments ‘Almost Impossible’ To Trace
It could be here. It could be there. It could be almost anywhere. So says the Department of Government Efficiency about almost $5 trillion in taxpayer money that has been spent on who-knows-what.
“The Treasury Access Symbol (TAS) is an identification code linking a Treasury payment to a budget line item (standard financial process). In the Federal Government, the TAS field was optional for — $4.7 Trillion in payments and was often left blank, making traceability almost impossible,” DOGE posted on X. “As of Saturday, this is now a required field, increasing insight into where money is actually going. Thanks to @USTreasury for the great work,” the post said.
Feb. 21: Breitbart By Hannah Knudsen
Rand Paul Explains What Must Be Done To Make DOGE Discoveries Stick
A rescission package is absolutely necessary to actually to end the waste uncovered by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said during an interview on Breitbart News Daily.
“We need to do what’s called a rescission package, meaning get rid of the spending right now. None of the spending has really been eliminated, so they’re finding the waste, they’re talking about it, and it’s the same thing I’ve been doing for a decade, but it has to be sent back,” Paul began, explaining that the administration should “bundle it all together.”
“When it comes back to Congress, it can be passed with a simple majority, Republicans only because we won’t get any Democrats. But then once we pass a bill getting rid of that spending, then the savings actually occurs,” he said. “Then the money goes back to the Treasury and [is] not spent. Right now, when they find waste, it’s still being spent. They’re temporary, delaying it or stopping it, but it hasn’t come back to the Treasury and won’t come back unless Congress votes on it. We can do this, but not enough people are talking about it,” he continued, contrasting this with impoundment, which he said will lead to countless legal battles.
“It basically just says you’re not going to spend it. So, Congress tells you to spend it, and they say, here’s a billion dollars for an aircraft here, and you build it for $800 million because Elon is now in charge, so you save $200 billion but what happens is the money just sort of sits there, doesn’t necessarily go back to the Treasury,” Paul said.
Feb. 21: Fox News By Aubrey Spady
Cesars Palace, MLB Stadium, An Ice Cream Truck: DOGE Reveals How Schools Spent Billions In COVID-Relief Funds
Schools spent hundreds of billions of COVID-relief funds on expenses that had “little” impact on students, such as Las Vegas hotel rooms and the purchase of an ice cream truck, according to the Trump administration’s cost-cutting department. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk to purge wasteful government spending, revealed on Thursday that schools have spent nearly $200 billion in COVID-relief funds “with little oversight or impact on students.” Granite Public Schools in Utah spent their COVID-relief funds on $86,000 in hotel rooms at Caesars Palace, a ritzy Las Vegas casino, while Santa Ana Unified in California spent $393,000 to rent out a Major League Baseball stadium, according to a report by Parents Defending Education and shared by DOGE. The cost-cutting department also revealed that schools spent $60,000 of COVID-relief funds on swimming pool passes, while a California district used its funds to purchase an ice cream truck.
Feb. 21: Breitbart By Nick Gilbertson
Donald Trump Tells Democrat Maine Governor: Comply With Women’s Sports EO Or Lose Funding
President Donald Trump and Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) had a contentious exchange over her defiance of his executive order protecting women’s sports. Trump called out the Maine governor at the Governors Working Session at the White House on Friday for opposing the order that aimed to protect women’s sports. Trump said Thursday night as well that he will withhold federal funding from Maine unless it complies with the order.
A New York Times/Ipsos poll published in January found that almost 80 percent of Americans are against biological men competing in women’s sports, while just 18 percent support it.
Feb. 21: Breitbart By Kristina Wong
Trump Fires Gen. Charles ‘CQ’ Brown as Joint Chiefs Chairman, Who Pushed DEI in Air Force
President Donald Trump on Friday evening fired the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown, who was put in place by former President Joe Biden and pushed diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Air Force. Trump made the announcement on Truth Social: “I want to thank General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family.”
Brown’s first term as chairman was for a four-year term, through 2027. However, the president is free to replace the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — who serves as his top military adviser — whenever he wants. The firing represents a promise kept by Trump, who vowed to fire “woke generals.”
Feb. 21: Gateway Pundit By Jim Hoft
President Trump Tells US Governors: ‘For Safety And Security And For The Good Of Our Nation – You Should Move To Paper Ballots’
President Donald Trump delivered remarks to the National Governor’s Association on Friday night in Washington DC. According to The Hill, the assembled governors included Democratic Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Wes Moore of Maryland, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Jared Polis of Colorado, and Kathy Hochul of New York, as well as Republican Govs. Brian Kemp of Georgia, Mike DeWine of Ohio, Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas, Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Mike Braun of Indiana and Ron DeSantis. During his speech to the governors President Trump told the gathered leaders that they must switch to paper ballots and same-day voting.
Feb. 22: Gateway Hispanic By Rafael Santos Martin
Trump Hands Over Postal Service To Department Of Commerce
President Donald Trump is ready to deliver a monumental smackdown to the disastrous United States Postal Service (USPS), dissolving its leadership and merging it with the Department of Commerce. The USPS has been a bottomless pit, with losses exceeding $9.5 billion in the last fiscal year. A disaster that progressives have cheered while lining their pockets! Trump’s masterstroke is to bring the USPS under the wing of the Department of Commerce, led by magnate Howard Lutnick.
Feb. 23: Breitbart By Randy Clark
Trump Admin Seeks To Stop Migrants At Border Over Disease Concerns
Reports indicate the Trump administration plans to resume expulsions under the Centers for Disease Control’s Title 42 authority. The measure, first used by the Trump administration to combat COVID-19, allowed immigration officials to summarily expel migrants within minutes of an illegal entry to reduce the spread of the contagion. According to a CBS News report, internal government documents were reviewed that indicate the Trump administration is planning on reinstating the Public Health Service Act found in Title 42 to reduce the likelihood of introducing diseases like tuberculosis. The measure allows Border Patrol agents and other immigration officials to swiftly remove migrants who enter the United States illegally without allowing them to apply for asylum.
Feb. 23: Fox News By Greg Wehner
Trump Celebrates Conservative Party Win In Germany
President Donald Trump celebrated on Sunday after German conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz claimed victory in a national election, ousting Social Democrat incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
“LOOKS LIKE THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY IN GERMANY HAS WON THE VERY BIG AND HIGHLY ANTICIPATED ELECTION,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “MUCH LIKE THE USA, THE PEOPLE OF GERMANY GOT TIRED OF THE NO COMMON SENSE AGENDA, ESPECIALLY ON ENERGY AND IMMIGRATION, THAT HAS PREVAILED FOR SO MANY YEARS. “THIS IS A GREAT DAY FOR GERMANY, AND FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF A GENTLEMAN NAMED DONALD J. TRUMP,” he added. “CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL — MANY MORE VICTORIES TO FOLLOW!!!”
Germany’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) won Sunday’s national election, with the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) finishing a strong second, according to exit polls.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-celebrates-conservative-party-win-germany
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Michael Hernandez, from California is co-founder of the Citizens Journal—Ventura County’s online news service. He is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor. Mr. Hernandez can be contacted at
[email protected] and is editor of the weekly “Stories Speak Volumes.”
