An Estimated 7.2 Million Illegal Migrants Have Entered The Country On President Biden’s Watch

7.2M illegals entered the US under Biden admin, an amount greater than population of 36 states – Yahoo/Fox News, 2024/02/20

Nearly 7.3 million migrants have illegally crossed the southwest border under President Biden’s watch, a number greater than the population of 36 individual states, a Fox News analysis finds.

That figure comes from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which has already reported 961,537 border encounters in the current fiscal year, which runs from October through September. If the current pace of illegal immigration does not slow down, fiscal year 2024 will break last year’s record of 2,475,669 southwest border encounters — a number that by itself exceeds the population of New Mexico, a border state.

…
“This unprecedented surge in illegal immigration isn’t an accident. It is the result of deliberate policy choices by the Biden administration,” said Eric Ruark, Director of Research for Numbers USA, a nonprofit that advocates for immigration restrictions.

…
Biden has called on Congress to pass new laws he claims would let him solve the border crisis. He endorsed a bipartisan deal in the Senate that included an “emergency border authority” to mandate Title 42-style expulsions of migrants when migration levels exceed 5,000 a day over a seven-day rolling average. It would have also limited the window for people to apply for asylum, provided immediate work permits for asylum seekers and funded a massive increase in staffing at the border and more immigration judges.

But conservatives tanked the deal in the Senate after House Republicans declared it a non-starter. They argued the bill would have normalized record-high levels of illegal immigration and said Biden currently has all the authority he needs to reenact Trump’s policies and secure the border.

Let’s be honest… this is an invasion. I assume this is being done for electoral purposes… sort of like a denial-of-service attack on a network server where the server is flooded with requests and normal operation is cut off.

Biden Administration Snubs Chase CEO Dimon After Stating Trump Was Right

White House vents at America’s top banker Jamie Dimon for backing MAGA: ‘No Oval Office invites’ – NY Post, 2024/02/09

Jamie Dimon, CEO of America’s largest bank JP Morgan Chase, has been iced out of the White House’s good graces after apparently endorsing Republican policies and calling Donald Trump “kind of right,” The Post has learned.

The self-identified Democrat has been labeled “MAGA curious” by White House insiders after telling Democrats to “respect” Trump’s supporters during an eyebrow-raising live TV interview at the Davos, Switzerland, World Economic Forum in January.

“If you look at, just take a step back, be honest. He’s kind of right about NATO. Kind of right about immigration. He grew the economy quite well… tax reform worked. He was right about some of China,” Dimon, 67, told CNBC’s Squawk Box.

Those comments were the death knell in what was already a tense relationship between Dimon and President Joe Biden sources told The Post — particularly after Dimon urged Democrats to support Haley in the GOP primary at the 2023 DealBook Summit in November.

This is where we are in today’s political discourse. It’s not about the best for America anymore. It’s my team versus your team. The divisive atmosphere continues to harm the country.

Department Of Energy Finds Large Reserve Of Lithium In California

World’s Largest Lithium Reserve Discovered Beneath California’s Salton Sea – Oilprice, 2023/12/28

The U.S. Department of Energy has made its second major lithium discovery this year, both of which promise to make the country self-sufficient in the critical battery metal for decades. The DoE has discovered a massive lithium deposit beneath California’s Salton Sea, holding an estimated 18 million tons of lithium.

According to the DoE, with expected technology advances, the Salton Sea region’s total resources could produce more than 3,400 kilotons of lithium, worth up to $540 billion and enough to support over 375 million batteries for electric vehicles (EV)—more than the total number of vehicles currently on U.S. roads.

…
The DoE has acknowledged that the United States currently has limited capabilities to extract, refine, and produce domestically sourced lithium. Indeed, the country typically imports nearly half of the lithium it consumes, almost all coming from Chile and Argentina.

For those pushing for electric vehicles, this is a good report. Hopefully it can be used domestically for the creation of jobs.

Can A President Unilaterally Close The Border?

The answer is yes when certain conditions are met. No laws need to be passed. It can be a matter of the President and the Department of Homeland Security. A short write-up was done by the Congressional Research Service back in 2019. I assume this is still valid unless and laws were changed since then.

Can the President Close the Border? Relevant Laws and Considerations – Congressional Research Service, 2019/04/12

Does the executive branch have authority to “close” the southern border?

…
Little federal case law addresses these questions. Although recent media articles discuss at least four occasions when past presidents have restricted operations at ports of entry on the southern border, those executive measures apparently did not prompt legal challenges that required federal courts to assess the Executive’s authority for the measures. The measures taken on at least one of the occasions covered in the articles—the aftermath of President Kennedy’s assassination in 1963—may have constituted a full closure of ports of entry on the southern border for much of the afternoon and evening of November 22, 1963. On another occasion, President Reagan ordered the closure of nine ports of entry “for a matter of days” after the abduction of a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent in Mexico in 1985. On two other occasions—President Nixon’s “Operation Intercept” in 1969 and President George W. Bush’s post-9/11 measures—the restrictions consisted primarily of extensive inspections that brought border traffic to a standstill, according to the reports.

Federal statutes grant the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) general authority over operations to secure the border and specific authority to close temporarily “any . . . port of entry” when necessary to protect national interests. Other statutes give the President broad authority to suspend the entry of non U.S. citizens. Together, these statutes probably authorize a range of targeted executive measures to close a port of entry or to restrict operations at some ports, at least in some circumstances.

Lawsuits would likely accompany any attempt of a Republican president to close the border, but as mentioned above – it has been done four times in the past.

Biden Admin Extends Low Income Tax Credit for Electric Vehicle Chargers for Martha’s Vineyard Residents

Biden admin extends EV charger tax credit to ‘low-income’ Martha’s Vineyard – WPDE Florence, 2024/01/31

The Biden administration, in a push to make electric vehicles (EVs) more practical, is offering a tax credit for car chargers to a portion of Martha’s Vineyard by classifying it as a “low-income community.”

The sun-splashed Massachusetts island is known as a playground for wealthy elites, with median home prices in the area hovering around $1.5 million, according to Rocket Homes.

I’m sorry – is this tax cuts for the rich from Democrats ??? I’m shocked [NOT]

The tax cuts amount to 30% of the cost of the equipment. The tax is furnished through the Dept. of Energy, so I don’t believe there need to be a vote on this.

If you ever had a question about the high expense of EV ownership, the rich folk want tax credits to make ownership palatable.

…
IRS code specifies an area qualifies as low-income if it has a poverty rate of 20% or more. Areas with a median income below that of 80% of the nearest metropolitan area or state can also qualify. This allows affluent areas to still qualify as low-income as long as they are located in significantly richer areas.

These people can design any loophole they want into the tax codes.

This is why a flat tax (with 2 or 3 tiers) with no behavioral considerations should be adopted.

…
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda last week doubled down on his distaste for electric vehicles, claiming the push for such products should come from consumer demand rather than government preference.

Buy Toyota…

Travel Advisories Based On High Crime Given For Numerous Caribbean Islands

Americans Warned About Traveling to Multiple Caribbean Hotspots Ahead of Carnival, Spring Break – The Messenger, 2024/01/30

A travel advisory updated Friday urges Americans heading to the Bahamas to “exercise increased caution,” especially on New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama (Freeport) islands, where a majority of crime occurs.

“The U.S. Embassy in Nassau advises U.S. citizens to be aware that 18 murders have occurred in Nassau since the beginning of 2024,” officials said in a Jan. 24 security alert.

“Murders have occurred at all hours including in broad daylight on the streets. Retaliatory gang violence has been the primary motive in 2024 murders.”

…
An updated travel advisory for Jamaica released on Jan. 23 warns Americans to “reconsider travel” to the scenic island due to “crime and medical services.”

“Violent crimes, such as home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and homicides, are common. Sexual assaults occur frequently, including at all-inclusive resorts,” the advisory states.

…
Data from the Jamaica Constabulary Force published by The Gleaner shows 33 murders were recorded in the first 13 days of 2024, with the total rising to 65 as of Monday.

A similar travel advisory was also mentioned for Trinidad and Tobago.

John Kerry Swats Away Question On Carbon Footprint Hypocrisy

Biden climate czar John Kerry snaps when confronted about carbon footprint – Yahoo/Fox News, 2024/01/16

President Biden’s climate czar, John Kerry, gave a fiery response after he was confronted Tuesday by a reporter in Switzerland who asked about his carbon footprint.

“What’s the carbon footprint of these events every single year that you come here? Do you think it’s worth it — peasants paying for your crimes?” Avi Yemini, an Australian reporter with independent outlet Rebel News, asked Kerry who was walking on a street in Davos, Switzerland.

“That’s a stupid question,” Kerry responded.

“Nobody ever suggested that. Don’t make up stupid questions,” he said when asked a follow-up question about why his carbon footprint didn’t matter.

…
Yemini later said in a social media post that Kerry “found it difficult to justify his carbon footprint in attending the World Economic Forum each year in Davos.”

Yes… these are the questions with which they need to be confronted.

Congressional Hearing On The COVID Vaccine, Injuries, and DNA Fragments

Congress Warned About DNA Fragments in Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine – Epoch Times, 2023/11/13

Members of Congress on Nov. 13 were warned during a hearing about the DNA fragments that have been detected in the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. Robert Malone, who helped invent the messenger RNA (mRNA) technology that the companies used for the shot, was among the witnesses testifying to a hearing in Washington convened by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).

The vaccine includes a DNA sequence called Simian Virus 40 (SV40) that was not disclosed to at least some regulators. The sequence leaves behind residual DNA that could cause problems, Dr. Malone told the hearing.

…
Dr. Kimberly Biss, an obstetrician-gynecologist, told the hearing she was also worried about the impact of the vaccines on unborn children, given how miscarriages have risen among her patients.

The full hearing is below. I haven’t watched the entire hearing, but at around 22min, they show a chart of data from the FDA and CDC with the number of adverse events from various drugs since 1996. Then the video feed is lost for 10 minutes.

Hamas Spokesperson Handled Asylum Claims… Put On Leave For Pro-Hamas Social Media Posts

The U.S. Gov’t Hired A Pro-Hamas PLO Spokeswoman To Handle Asylum Claims – The Daily Wire, 2023/10/18

The U.S. immigration enforcement agency hired a former spokeswoman for the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and put her in a position to determine who gets to come into the country as an immigrant or “asylum seeker.” Now the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officer is repeatedly posting pictures of Hamas terrorists parachuting in with guns and writing, “F*** Israel and any Jew who supports Israel,” a Daily Wire investigation found.

Nejwa Ali worked in 2016 and 2017 as a public affairs officer for the Palestinian Delegation to the U.S., which according to its own website, served as the “PLO office in D.C.” That office was expelled from the country by the Trump administration, but Ali landed on her feet, according to a screenshot of her LinkedIn profile, securing a job at DHS as an “Asylum Officer,” where she was tasked with “applying immigration laws and regulations to asylum applications.”

This January, she moved over to being an Adjudication Officer for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS). People with that job, according to the agency, “analyze new or amended legislation and policy, prepare written reports of findings, and review and make determinations on cases for immigration benefits.”

Though Ali’s job at DHS included vetting people to make sure they were not a threat to the country before letting them in, it’s not clear that anyone from the agency vetted her. That her primary allegiance was to the Palestinians, not the United States, was evident from her social media profiles, where she posts as “Falastine Mi Amor.”

She wasn’t fired… she was placed on leave. She probably has a hand in the people here participating in these pro-Hamas rallies that have been taking place. Much more at the link.

Biden Administration Envoy To Iran Suspended For Supporting Iranian Spy Ring

High-Level Iranian Spy Ring Busted in Washington – Tablet Magazine, 2023/10/01

The Biden administration’s now-suspended Iran envoy Robert Malley helped to fund, support, and direct an Iranian intelligence operation designed to influence the United States and allied governments, according to a trove of purloined Iranian government emails.

…
Malley had helped to infiltrate an Iranian agent of influence named Ariane Tabatabai into some of the most sensitive positions in the U.S. government—first at the State Department and now the Pentagon, where she has been serving as chief of staff for the assistant secretary of defense for special operations, Christopher Maier.

…
The contents of the emails are damning, showing a group of Iranian American academics being recruited by the Iranian regime, meeting together in foreign countries to receive instructions from top regime officials, and pledging their personal loyalty to the regime. They also show how these operatives used their Iranian heritage and Western academic positions to influence U.S. policy toward Iran, first as outside “experts” and then from high-level U.S. government posts. Both inside and outside of government, the efforts of members of this circle were repeatedly supported and advanced by Malley, who served as the U.S. government’s chief interlocutor with Iran under both the Obama and the Biden administrations. Malley is also the former head of the International Crisis Group (ICG), which directly paid and credentialed several key members of the regime’s influence operation.

Much more detail at the link… This is probably the tip of the iceberg.

Chinese Companies Involved In Fentanyl Trafficking Sanctioned By Treasury Dept

US Sanctions Chinese Companies for Involvement in Fentanyl Crisis – Newsweek, 2023/10/04

The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday sanctioned 28 persons and entities for their alleged involvement in a China-based trafficking network that helped fuel the worst drug crisis in the history of the United States.

…
The drug ring produced and distributed tons of precursors used to manufacture methamphetamines, ecstasy and fentanyl, the substance at the core of the opioid crisis that killed a record 109,680 Americans last year, according to the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

…
The flow of fentanyl—50 times more powerful than heroin—from China into the United States, either directly or indirectly, has been a sticking point in Washington’s relationship with Beijing in recent years. Both President Joe Biden’s Democrats as well as their Republican challengers have vowed to crack down on the drug trade.

…
Currently, Mexico’s cartels are responsible for trafficking the majority of fentanyl that winds up in the United States. They manufacture the drug using precursor chemicals from China that are not subject to international controls.

Not sure why it so long to do this. Over 100,000 dead because of this drug. If the dead resulted from dropping a bomb or some other military or terrorist action, it would be a totally different response. We still need to close the borders.

TSA Has Intercepted Over 5,000 Firearms At Airport Checkpoints in 2023

TSA stopped over 1,800 firearms at airport checkpoints nationwide during the third quarter of 2023; expects to surpass last year’s record of 6,542 firearm interceptions by the end of the year – Transportation Security Administration, 2023/10/02

During the first three quarters of 2023, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) intercepted 5,072 firearms at airport security checkpoints, and at the current rate, the agency will surpass last year’s record 6,542 firearms prevented from getting onboard aircraft.

In the third quarter, which ended Sept. 30, Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) stopped 1,820 firearms at checkpoints. The total represents an average 19.8 firearms per day at TSA checkpoints of which more than 94% were loaded.

“Passengers may travel with a firearm, but it must be in their checked baggage,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “Firearms are only permitted in checked baggage, unloaded in a locked hard-sided case and must be declared to the airline when checking the bag at the ticket counter. Firearms are prohibited at security checkpoints, in the secure area of an airport or in the passenger cabin of an aircraft even if a passenger has a concealed carry permit or is in a constitutional carry jurisdiction.”

As much of a nuisance that TSA is, people are so crazy and short-tempered these days that I support their efforts (as long as they don’t abuse their authority).

Defense Department Looking At Removing Reconciliation Monument In Arlington Cemetery

Removing the Reconciliation Monument From Arlington Cemetery – Front Page Magazine, 2023/09/12

A fundamental reason to halt the monument’s removal is found in its 1914 unveiling proclamation by President Woodrow Wilson who said, “the monument represented the best of America—a spirit of reconciliation, democracy, freedom, heroism and patriotism.”

Two contemporary strategic reasons to oppose removal is that such an act validates the communist agenda to erase Americans’ connection with their virtuous history, and destroy the American military fighting capability.

That radical agenda was accelerated by Covid lockdowns of 2020 and the death of George Floyd. That’s when urban rampages swept through the country, with unprecedented property destruction, orchestrated by Antifa—a far-left coalition of cells of violent anarchists—and the Marxist-led Black Lives Matter. Targets for destruction then shifted to American heritage monuments—first, the statues of Columbus, who discovered and opened the Americas, and then came the toppling of Confederate leaders.

…
That today’s U.S. Military leadership would participate in undoing that, and preside over taking down one of the greatest American heritage monuments, and reopen the wounds of the past on settled matters is sick—and aligned with the communist agenda to use race warfare to divide and destroy America. The Arlington Reconciliation Monument is in fact a time capsule carrying valuable historical lessons from the past. Those lessons include showing us how former foes in a war over interpretations of the Constitution and States’ Rights settled their differences on the battlefield, then worked through the difficulties of Reconstruction, and finally found magnanimity to reconcile and erect memorials commemorating what was noble and good.

The Department of Defense under Secretary Lloyd Austin continues steps toward removing the monument from Arlington. One of those necessary steps was holding a public meeting on August 23, 2023, to assess the environmental impact of removal. In that four-hour zoom meeting over 100 citizens from diverse states thoughtfully expressed their disapproval and revulsion of the memorial’s removal.

The article details the great history of the monument and its importance to America and is a good read.

What needs to be understood is the entire campaign to remove statues is not about race. It’s about removing anything positive about America. Racial politics is merely the vehicle being used. If you hear anyone call this a confederate monument, it’s a lie. It was proclaimed in 1914 by President Woodrow Wilson who said, “the monument represented the best of America—a spirit of reconciliation, democracy, freedom, heroism and patriotism.”

There is no racial issue with this statue, yet personnel at the top levels of the government are taking up their time to remove it. People need to pushback politely, legally, and firmly.

DHS Loses Track Of 177,000 Illegal Migrants

DHS has lost track of 177,000 migrants inside the U.S. – NBC News, 2023/09/11

The internal watchdog for the Department of Homeland Security found the agency has a limited ability to track migrants once they are released inside the United States, noting that during a 17-month period 177,000 address records for new arrivals were either blank or contained nonexistent or nonresidential locations.

More than 1 million migrants were released inside the U.S. pending their immigration hearings from March 2021 to August 2022, according to a new report from the DHS Office of Inspector General. Of those migrants’ records, more than 54,000 were blank, while the rest were either invalid or not legitimate residential locations.

Some of the locations that were used more than 50 times during a six-month period included a restaurant in Maryland, a bus station in Georgia, a car dealership in New Jersey and a church in Illinois.

…
In response to the inspector general’s report and recommendations, DHS said it had no need to implement a program to validate addresses on migrant intake forms. “The burden is on the noncitizen to provide a valid address,” the report said in summarizing DHS’ response.

What kind of law enforcement agency depends on offenders to turn themselves in? Answer – it is not operating as a law enforcement agency – so who cares.

IRS Announces Increasing Scrutiny Of High Income Earners And The Use Of Artificial Intelligence

IRS announces sweeping effort to restore fairness to tax system with Inflation Reduction Act funding; new compliance efforts focused on increasing scrutiny on high-income, partnerships, corporations and promoters abusing tax rules on the books – Internal Revenue Service, 2023/09/08

Capitalizing on Inflation Reduction Act funding and following a top-to-bottom review of enforcement efforts, the Internal Revenue Service announced today the start of a sweeping, historic effort to restore fairness in tax compliance by shifting more attention onto high-income earners, partnerships, large corporations and promoters abusing the nation’s tax laws.

The effort, building off work following last August’s IRA funding, will center on adding more attention on wealthy, partnerships and other high earners that have seen sharp drops in audit rates for these taxpayer segments during the past decade. The changes will be driven with the help of improved technology as well as Artificial Intelligence that will help IRS compliance teams better detect tax cheating, identify emerging compliance threats and improve case selection tools to avoid burdening taxpayers with needless “no-change” audits.

…
“This new compliance push makes good on the promise of the Inflation Reduction Act to ensure the IRS holds our wealthiest filers accountable to pay the full amount of what they owe,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. “The years of underfunding that predated the Inflation Reduction Act led to the lowest audit rate of wealthy filers in our history. I am committed to reversing this trend, making sure that new funding will mean more effective compliance efforts on the wealthy, while middle- and low-income filers will continue to see no change in historically low pre-IRA audit rates for years to come.”

…
The complex structures and tax issues present in large partnerships require a focused approach to best identify the highest risk issues and apply resources accordingly. In 2021, the IRS launched the first stage of its Large Partnership Compliance (LPC) program with examinations of some of the largest and most complex partnership returns in the filing population. The IRS is now expanding the LPC program to additional large partnerships. With the help of AI, the selection of these returns is the result of groundbreaking collaboration among experts in data science and tax enforcement, who have been working side-by-side to apply cutting-edge machine learning technology to identify potential compliance risk in the areas of partnership tax, general income tax and accounting, and international tax in a taxpayer segment that historically has been subject to limited examination coverage.

The tax system is a joke to me. Loopholes are created to be used for the advantage of certain people. If you are in the right crowd, you won’t be subjected to IRS harassment. The code could be simplified immensely to the point the enforcement could be reduced and one’s tax status could be easily monitored.  But then no one would have special privileges.

Lawsuit Forces FDA To Publicly Admit Ivermectin Is Optionable Treatment For COVID

Doctors Can Prescribe Ivermectin for COVID-19: FDA Lawyer – The Epoch Times, 2023/08/10

Doctors are free to prescribe ivermectin to treat COVID-19, a lawyer representing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said this week.

“FDA explicitly recognizes that doctors do have the authority to prescribe ivermectin to treat COVID,” Ashley Cheung Honold, a Department of Justice lawyer representing the FDA, said during oral arguments on Aug. 8 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.

The government is defending the FDA’s repeated exhortations to people to not take ivermectin for COVID-19, including a post that said “Stop it.”

…
“FDA made these statements in response to multiple reports of consumers being hospitalized, after self medicating with ivermectin intended for horses, which is available for purchase over the counter without the need for prescription,” Ms. Honold said.

A version of the drug for animals is available, but ivermectin is approved by the FDA for human use against diseases caused by parasites.

The case was brought by three doctors that claim the FDA harmed their business from the Tweet shown below. The question is – is the term “Stop it” a directive.  The Tweet is accompanied with an article highlighting the supposed dangers of Ivermectin.

You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it. https://t.co/TWb75xYEY4

— U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) August 21, 2021

Document Reveals U.S. State Department Pressured Pakistan To Remove Leader

Secret Pakistan Cable Documents U.S. Pressure To Remove Imran Khan – The Intercept, 2023/08/09

THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT encouraged the Pakistani government in a March 7, 2022, meeting to remove Imran Khan as prime minister over his neutrality on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to a classified Pakistani government document obtained by The Intercept.

The meeting, between the Pakistani ambassador to the United States and two State Department officials, has been the subject of intense scrutiny, controversy, and speculation in Pakistan over the past year and a half, as supporters of Khan and his military and civilian opponents jockeyed for power. The political struggle escalated on August 5 when Khan was sentenced to three years in prison on corruption charges and taken into custody for the second time since his ouster. Khan’s defenders dismiss the charges as baseless. The sentence also blocks Khan, Pakistan’s most popular politician, from contesting elections expected in Pakistan later this year.

…
In addition to his other legal problems, Khan himself has continued to be targeted over the handling of the secret cable by the new government. Late last month, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that Khan would be prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act in connection with the cable. “Khan has hatched a conspiracy against the state’s interests and a case will be initiated against him on behalf of the state for the violation of the Official Secrets Act by exposing a confidential cipher communication from a diplomatic mission,” Sanaullah said.

Very extensive write up at the link. That last paragraph sounds so familiar with what’s going on with Trump.

Also mentioned in the article is how the Pakistani military removed Khan from power and they were rewarded with defense contracts from the U.S. Here’s more from the author of the article.

Incandescent Light Bulb Now Banned By The Biden Administration

Biden admin begins enforcing nationwide lightbulb bans, igniting backlash from GOP: ‘Liberal fantasies’ – Fox News, 2023/08/01

The Biden administration will begin enforcing a nationwide ban on various types of popular light bulbs Tuesday as part of its aggressive energy efficiency agenda.

Under the Department of Energy’s (DOE) regulations, manufacturers and retailers will be prohibited from selling incandescent and similar halogen light bulbs which represent a sizable share of current light bulb supplies. Instead, manufacturers and retailers must sell light-emitting diode, or LED, alternatives or risk substantial federal penalties.

…
In April 2022, months after first proposing the rulemaking, the DOE finalized regulations prohibiting certain light bulbs over their low energy efficiency levels. According to the DOE announcement, the regulations are projected to save consumers an estimated $3 billion per year on utility bills and cut carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over the next three decades.

…
The DOE’s rule in April 2022, meanwhile, reversed a Trump administration rule that sought to protect incandescent light bulbs and allow consumers to choose which products they want to purchase. Former President Donald Trump was also personally opposed to LED light bulb adoption, remarking in 2019 that they are often more expensive, not good and make him “look orange.”

If you read thru the article other appliances such as gas stoves, clothes washers, refrigerators, dishwashers, water heaters, air conditioners, consumer furnaces, pool pumps, battery chargers, ceiling fans and dehumidifiers are on the Dept. of Energy’s target list. All this for what is a climate hoax in my opinion. Elections have consequences.

Instant Payment Service Launched By Federal Reserve

Fed launches new instant payment service that lets you send, receive money in seconds – NY Post, 2023/07/20

The Federal Reserve has launched a long-awaited service which will aim to modernize the country’s payment system by eventually allowing everyday Americans to send and receive funds in seconds, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the central bank announced on Thursday.

…
FedNow is launching with 41 banks and 15 service providers certified to use the service, including community banks and large lenders like JPMorgan Chase, Bank of New York Mellon, and US Bancorp, but the Fed plans to onboard more banks and credit unions this year.

The Fed said on Thursday in a statement that 35 banks and credit unions were currently utilizing the service, as well as the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Fiscal Service.

…
Unlike peer-to-peer payments services like Venmo or PayPal, which act as intermediaries between banks, payments made via FedNow will settle directly in central bank accounts.

The federal government obviously has tons of money to create these new services. When there is a call to cut spending, the typical responses concern helping the poor and paying out social security. However, efforts like this are what needs to be cut. These are things that should be done in the private sector.

It seems to me that the effort is for the federal government to control the flow of money as much as possible.

DHS Admits Many Illegal Aliens Have Vanished

Vanishing act: DHS admits that 40% of catch-and-release migrants disappeared – Washington Times, 2023/07/18

Immigration and Customs Enforcement failed to deliver immigration court summonses to more than 80% of illegal immigrants caught and released under the Biden administration’s “parole” program just before the end of the Title 42 pandemic border policy, according to statistics that the government submitted to a federal judge.

The migrants were released on “parole” and given 60 days to check in with ICE.

More than 40% of the migrants never checked in at all.

…
The migrants were among those caught in the days leading up to the May 11 termination of the Title 42 pandemic border expulsion authority. Expecting an overwhelming rush at the border, the Border Patrol announced that it would use “parole” to catch and release people rather than fully processing them and issuing court summonses.

The 2,572 in question were processed for parole before Title 42 ended but weren’t released until after the expiration.

…
ICE said that of the 2,572 released, 1,507 checked in by July 10, which was the deadline. A check-in could include showing up in person, logging into the online system or sending a letter.

Of the 1,507, just 464 were issued a notice to appear.

That means 2,108 people — 82% of the catch-and-release population — still haven’t been entered into the immigration court docket.

What do you do when people responsible for law and order – don’t do law and order? Elections have consequences.

Enough Fentanyl To Kill The Population Of Chicago

Border Patrol Agents Seized Enough Fentanyl in Single Weekend to Kill Entire Population of Chicago – Washington Free Beacon, 2023/05/08

$3.6 million worth of cocaine. Nearly a million dollars worth of heroin. And enough fentanyl to kill 2.75 million people—more than the entire population of Chicago.

That’s what law enforcement seized on the southern border over the weekend, as hundreds of thousands of immigrants gather in Mexico to prepare to flood the United States this week.

…
Although the Biden administration routinely touts the amount of fentanyl law enforcement seizes, the number of lethal overdoses in the United States is at a record high. Experts believe the amount of narcotics caught traveling through the southern border represents a small fraction of what ultimately makes it into the nation’s interior.

In the past 72 hours from May 8th, here’s the list.

• 26,382 Apprehensions
• 7,399 Approx. Gotaways
• 164 lbs. Marijuana
• 83 lbs. Meth
• 66 lbs. Cocaine
• 11 lbs. Fentanyl
• 5 lbs. Heroin
• $12,200 Siezed
• 1 Firearm
• 3 Sex Offenders
• 1 Wanted Felon
• 1 Gang Member

The Biden Administration Adds Last Minute Restriction To Ramp Up Border Deportations

I usually don’t do news that is the huge story that everyone else is convering. But what the Biden Administration has done at the last minute in this whole Title 42, border fiasco has me shaking my head. It’s going to be a mess – and it’s a mess that they want to happen.

U.S. finalizes asylum restriction to ramp up border deportations once Title 42 lapses – CBS News, 2023/05/10

The Biden administration has finalized a sweeping restriction on asylum that it plans to use to ramp up swift deportations of migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border after the Title 42 pandemic-era emergency policy sunsets on Thursday, according to internal documents obtained by CBS News.

Hundreds of U.S. asylum officers were trained on how to enforce the restriction on Tuesday and the regulation was published on Wednesday, less than 48 hours before Title 42 is set to expire.

They already knew they were going to do this at the last minute because they had trained people how to enforce these regulations.

…
The regulation, which is expected to be challenged in federal court, will be a dramatic shift in asylum policy, disqualifying migrants from U.S. protection if they fail to request refugee status in another country, such as Mexico, on their journey to the southern border.

The rule also represents a major pivot by President Biden, a Democrat who campaigned on restoring access to the U.S. asylum system after numerous Trump administration rules made it more difficult for migrants to secure refuge on American soil. In fact, the regulation published Wednesday resembles a Trump-era policy struck down in federal court that Mr. Biden decried in 2020.

Basically if people just left their country for America without filing the proper papers in their home country, they will be deported, and banned for 5 years in entering the country. It almost seems like they want a reaction from these people trying to enter the country. Or they want to create a crisis… another crisis.

All normal people can do is monitor the created chaos from this administration. I also suggest prayer To God through Jesus Christ.

Biden Administration Proposes Rule To Cut Water and Energy Use In Dishwashers

Biden Energy Dept. releases proposed rule to slash water use and energy consumption in dishwashers – Washington Times, 2023/05/06

The Department of Energy on Friday quietly released proposed efficiency rules for dishwashers that would reduce water use by more than one-third for some standard-sized machines and slash energy use by 27%.

The proposed standards mark the most significant energy crackdown on dishwashers in a decade and come as the appliance manufacturing industry is struggling to comply with a plethora of Biden administration rules aimed at boosting energy efficiency and cutting carbon emissions.

…
Under the proposed rule, which would take effect three years after it is finalized, dishwashers would have to reduce water use to 3.2 gallons per cycle. Federal law currently allows dishwashers to use up to 5 gallons per cycle and those models face the steepest cuts in water and energy use. They would be eliminated from the market unless redesigned for reduced water levels.

Manufacturers would also be required to cut energy use in standard dishwashers from 307-kilowatt hours annually to 223 yearly kilowatt hours.

…
Some manufacturers have warned the new standards impacting the trio of appliances will lead to reduced performance and much higher prices. It could also lead appliance manufacturers to move production outside of the U.S., where labor is cheaper.

Manufacturers have also warned reducing water and power in appliances has become increasingly difficult without impacting performance, or in the case of dishwashers, reducing how effectively they clean and dry dishes.

This is another example of how over-regulation can be used to destroy businesses and jobs and negatively effect consumers. There is a hearing on these proposed regulations on June 8 and there will be an opportunity for public comment online and in writing.

CDC Investigators Become Ill While Probing The East Palestine Train Wreck

CDC team falls sick probing Ohio train derailment – BBC, 2023/04/03

Authorities say seven US health investigators fell ill while probing the impact of the 3 February train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the investigator’s symptoms included nausea and headaches.

Locals in East Palestine have reported similar illnesses.

The train was carrying vinyl chloride and other potentially hazardous substances.

…
In the wake of the derailment, state and federal officials repeatedly sought to reassure East Palestine residents that local air and water supplies were safe. Residents, however, reported headaches, nausea, burning eyes and sore throats, sparking fears that their long-term health could be impacted.

Environmental officials have said that nearly 45,000 animals died as a result of the toxic train crash, although all were aquatic species.

That’s unfortunate… maybe poetic justice, but unfortunate.

Biden Administration Projects Oil Will Be Strong Through 2050

US oil production will remain at ‘historically high volumes’ through 2050: New government report – Yahoo Finance, 2023/03/16

Despite his campaign rhetoric of ending fossil fuels, President Biden acknowledged in his recent State of the Union address that “we’re going to need oil for at least another decade.”

But a new report released Thursday by an independent agency of Biden’s own government projects it will even be much much longer than that.

In fact, the 2023 Annual Energy Outlook from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) finds that U.S. oil production may even increase between now and 2050 even as clean energy sources like wind and solar power increase dramatically as well.

The analysts say that U.S. demand for oil and gas is likely to remain remarkably steady for decades and “we expect U.S. production to remain at historically high volumes as exports of finished products grow,” said Angelina LaRose, EIA Assistant Administrator for Energy Analysis, during a session Thursday around the release of the report.

…
The U.S. currently produces about 20 million barrels of oil per day. Looking to 2050, the EIA analysts see the possibility of one “high oil and gas supply” scenario where that number jumps to around 30 million barrels per day in 2050. Production stays steady or goes down slightly in other models but in every case that the analysts modeled, the U.S. will remain a net exporter of petroleum products and natural gas through 2050.

…
In the EV space, for example, EIA analysts project that clean cars will only make up less than 20% of the overall automobile market in 2050.

So – at the same time they are pushing renewables and encouraging people to go electric and wind energy, they know oil will be around for decades. What do you do with this?