&nbsp;President Donald Trump&nbsp;on Tuesday said he did not want Somali immigrants in the U.S.

<p>&nbsp;President Donald Trump&nbsp;on Tuesday said he did not want Somali immigrants in the U.S.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> tells it like it is about ungrateful Somali refugees amid the Minnesota fraud scandal:<br><br>&quot;When they come from hell and they complain and do nothing but bitch — we don&#39;t want them in our country. Let &#39;em go back to where they came from and fix it.&quot; 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/fuaAKP8VsW">pic.twitter.com/fuaAKP8VsW</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1995933974171189565?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨 HOLY CRAP! President Trump calls Somalians and 3rd worlders &quot;GARBAGE&quot; who do &quot;nothing but B*TCH&quot;<br><br>&quot;We keep taking in GARBAGE to our country. Ilhan Omar is GARBAGE. Her friends are garbage...these people come from hell, complain, and do nothing but B*TCH.&quot;<br><br>&quot;WE DON&#39;T WANT &#39;EM!… <a href="https://t.co/TCIoEOFLoS">pic.twitter.com/TCIoEOFLoS</a></p>&mdash; Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1995934758073667785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥What President Trump said about Somali immigrants in the U.S.

House Speaker Mike Johnson lit the Capitol Christmas Tree on Tuesday evening.&nbsp;A fourth grade Nevada student who won an essay contest joined Johnson in lighting the tree.

This year's tree is a 53-foot red fir from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada.

The tree lights will be on each evening from dusk until 11 p.m. now through early January 2026.&nbsp;

<p>House Speaker Mike Johnson lit the Capitol Christmas Tree on Tuesday evening.&nbsp;A fourth grade Nevada student who won an essay contest joined Johnson in lighting the tree.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpeakerJohnson</a> (R-LA) lit the Capitol Christmas Tree on Tuesday evening.<br> <br>This year&#39;s tree is a 53-foot red fir from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada. <a href="https://t.co/HFd0n12YuS">pic.twitter.com/HFd0n12YuS</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1995994486623871294?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>This year's tree is a 53-foot red fir from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada.</p><p>The tree lights will be on each evening from dusk until 11 p.m. now through early January 2026.&nbsp;</p>

4th grader joins House speaker in lighting U.S. Capitol Christmas tree

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/LpRHm2TYhK">pic.twitter.com/LpRHm2TYhK</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1995955384201195680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump Makes an Announcement, Dec. 2, 2025 <a href="https://t.co/p39M5Ke4LV">https://t.co/p39M5Ke4LV</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1995945069031960820?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">$6.25 billion. 25 million children. $250 each.<br><br>Susan and I believe the smartest investment we can make is in children. That’s why we’re so excited to contribute $6.25 billion from our charitable funds to help 25 million children start building a strong financial foundation… <a href="https://t.co/4Bcv3RKp0q">pic.twitter.com/4Bcv3RKp0q</a></p>&mdash; Michael Dell 🇺🇸 (@MichaelDell) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelDell/status/1995835745806786973?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/FKL1oV3EGC">https://t.co/FKL1oV3EGC</a> <a href="https://t.co/YT9J2eA4XQ">pic.twitter.com/YT9J2eA4XQ</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1995946698129252834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/FKL1oV3EGC">https://t.co/FKL1oV3EGC</a><a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpAccounts?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TrumpAccounts</a> <a href="https://t.co/Wsym6SuigS">pic.twitter.com/Wsym6SuigS</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1995952304688955888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Dells donate $6 billion to fund ‘Trump Accounts’ for millions of kids

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1764640848301.png" alt="U.S. attack on an alleged drug boat Sept. 2-image from Department of War" />
                        <figcaption>U.S. attack on an alleged drug boat Sept. 2-image from Department of War</figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecWar</a>: &quot;This is called the fog of war. This is what you in the press don&#39;t understand. You sit in you air conditioned offices or up on Capitol hill, and you nit-pick and you plant fake stories...and then you want to throw out really irresponsible terms about American heroes.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/TNAUjTd4ag">pic.twitter.com/TNAUjTd4ag</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1995931807674773554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">For your Christmas wish list… <a href="https://t.co/pLXzg20SaL">pic.twitter.com/pLXzg20SaL</a></p>&mdash; Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth/status/1995291042346852861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Secretary Hegseth: &quot;We&#39;ve only just begun striking narco boats...We&#39;ve had a bit of a pause, because it&#39;s hard to find boats to strike right now.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/YwKbVuuHMy">pic.twitter.com/YwKbVuuHMy</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1995908101862486021?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump: &quot;As far as the attack is concerned, I still haven&#39;t gotten a lot of information because I rely on Pete...I didn&#39;t know about the second strike...&quot;<br><br>Secretary Hegseth on Admiral Bradley: &quot;It was the right call. We have his back.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/ClTUtAY7mb">pic.twitter.com/ClTUtAY7mb</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1995932265239425224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Hegseth defends, Trump distances himself from second boat strike

WASHINGTON&nbsp;– The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced today that it will refer all passengers who do not present an acceptable form of ID and still want to fly an option to pay a $45 fee to use a modernized alternative identity verification system, TSA Confirm.ID, to establish identity at security checkpoints beginning on February 1, 2026, according to a media release from the TSA.

Travelers will be able to pay $45 to use TSA Confirm.ID for a 10-day travel period. TSA urges travelers who do not have a REAL ID to schedule an appointment at their local DMV to update their ID as soon as possible.

All travelers without an acceptable ID, including those who present a non-REAL ID-compliant state driver’s license or ID, will be referred to the optional TSA Confirm.ID process for identity verification upon TSA check-in and prior to entering the security line. This process will differ airport to airport, and TSA is working with private industry to proactively offer online payment options prior to arrival at the airport.

The REAL ID law was signed more than 20 years ago, but previous presidential administrations failed to properly implement it. Under President Trump’s leadership, the law was finally implemented and enforced by Secretary Kristi Noem as of May 7, 2025.

Currently, more than 94% of passengers already use their REAL ID or other acceptable forms of identification.&nbsp;TSA expects increased wait times for passengers who do not provide an acceptable ID.

“Identity verification is essential to traveler safety, because it keeps terrorists, criminals, and illegal aliens out of the skies and other domestic transportation systems such as rail,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator for TSA Adam Stahl. “The vast majority of travelers present acceptable identification like REAL IDs and passports, but we must ensure everyone who flies is who they say they are. Beginning February 1, travelers who do not present an acceptable form of ID at our security checkpoints and still want to fly can pay a $45 fee and undergo the TSA Confirm.ID process. This fee ensures the cost to cover verification of an insufficient ID will come from the traveler, not the taxpayer. The security of the traveling public is our top priority, so we urge all travelers to get a REAL ID or other acceptable form of ID as soon as possible to avoid delays and potentially miss flights.”

TSA urges all travelers who do not have a REAL ID to pay the fee online before traveling. For passengers who arrive at the airport without paying the fee, information about how to pay for the TSA Confirm.ID option will be available at marked locations at or near the checkpoint in most airports. Travelers who undergo TSA Confirm.ID processing at an airport should expect delays. &nbsp;&nbsp;

TSA’s list of acceptable forms of ID can be found at&nbsp;<a href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.tsa.gov%2Ftravel%2Fsecurity-screening%2Fidentification/1/0101019adaed595c-96865191-bcc2-43a1-965f-d5ac642ae099-000000/OolXH2EJrqwNHp8pKwLnzpPoLnVSLa90uiGmDJ_m-Hs=433" target="_blank">TSA.gov/travel/security-screening/identification</a>.

For more information on REAL ID, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.tsa.gov%2Freal-id/2/0101019adaed595c-96865191-bcc2-43a1-965f-d5ac642ae099-000000/rlIgRwnDC3uSOyUcWNwGNdpedz0TxGUsS1KTWjAvEcY=433" target="_blank">TSA.gov/real-id</a>&nbsp;or text 275-872 (“AskTSA”) or&nbsp;<a href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fx.com%2FAskTSA/1/0101019adaed595c-96865191-bcc2-43a1-965f-d5ac642ae099-000000/XvKffNzS8IXJ4xe-y1peIboZCAJl7_cg6SQCb5jM5n8=433">@AskTSA</a>&nbsp;with questions.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1764636170272.png" alt="Real ID -photo KCI" />
                        <figcaption>Real ID -photo KCI</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON&nbsp;– The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced today that it will refer all passengers who do not present an acceptable form of ID and still want to fly an option to pay a $45 fee to use a modernized alternative identity verification system, TSA Confirm.ID, to establish identity at security checkpoints beginning on February 1, 2026, according to a media release from the TSA.</p><p>Travelers will be able to pay $45 to use TSA Confirm.ID for a 10-day travel period. TSA urges travelers who do not have a REAL ID to schedule an appointment at their local DMV to update their ID as soon as possible.</p><p>Acceptable forms of ID include:</p><ul>
                        <li><a href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.tsa.gov%2Freal-id/1/0101019adaed595c-96865191-bcc2-43a1-965f-d5ac642ae099-000000/WDYagsF_q2ZnJz9Pg_z9jbEWD0vyCJOgUmyJ0lY23lM=433">REAL ID</a>-compliant driver's licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent)</li><li>If you are not sure if your ID complies with REAL ID, check with your state Department of Motor Vehicles.</li><li>A temporary driver’s license is not an acceptable form of identification.</li><li>State-issued Enhanced Driver's License (EDL) or Enhanced ID (EID)</li><li><a href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Ftravel.state.gov%2Fcontent%2Ftravel%2Fen%2Fpassports.html/1/0101019adaed595c-96865191-bcc2-43a1-965f-d5ac642ae099-000000/DcixX7IgNLMrahll1IM8m7IKRalC57koKuBiR1HFe3s=433">U.S. passport</a></li><li><a href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Ftravel.state.gov%2Fcontent%2Ftravel%2Fen%2Fpassports%2Fneed-passport%2Fcard.html/1/0101019adaed595c-96865191-bcc2-43a1-965f-d5ac642ae099-000000/2rqVGIsFCRyG_7doKiIekytKvboeVp86mbnum1hsHRM=433">U.S. passport card</a></li><li>DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)</li><li>U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents</li><li>Permanent resident card</li><li>Border crossing card</li><li>An acceptable photo ID issued by a&nbsp;<a href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.federalregister.gov%2Fdocuments%2F2021%2F01%2F29%2F2021-01606%2Findian-entities-recognized-by-and-eligible-to-receive-services-from-the-united-states-bureau-of/1/0101019adaed595c-96865191-bcc2-43a1-965f-d5ac642ae099-000000/_tboMwFfofecM3DEMNqmD_nDIMATmi8_XCjI1NPoteo=433">federally recognized</a>&nbsp;Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs)</li><li>HSPD-12 PIV card</li><li>Foreign government-issued passport</li><li>Canadian provincial driver's license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card</li><li>Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)</li><li>U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)</li><li>U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential</li><li>Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)</li>
                    </ul><p>All travelers without an acceptable ID, including those who present a non-REAL ID-compliant state driver’s license or ID, will be referred to the optional TSA Confirm.ID process for identity verification upon TSA check-in and prior to entering the security line. This process will differ airport to airport, and TSA is working with private industry to proactively offer online payment options prior to arrival at the airport.</p><p>The REAL ID law was signed more than 20 years ago, but previous presidential administrations failed to properly implement it. Under President Trump’s leadership, the law was finally implemented and enforced by Secretary Kristi Noem as of May 7, 2025.</p><p>Currently, more than 94% of passengers already use their REAL ID or other acceptable forms of identification.&nbsp;TSA expects increased wait times for passengers who do not provide an acceptable ID.</p><p>“Identity verification is essential to traveler safety, because it keeps terrorists, criminals, and illegal aliens out of the skies and other domestic transportation systems such as rail,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator for TSA Adam Stahl. “The vast majority of travelers present acceptable identification like REAL IDs and passports, but we must ensure everyone who flies is who they say they are. Beginning February 1, travelers who do not present an acceptable form of ID at our security checkpoints and still want to fly can pay a $45 fee and undergo the TSA Confirm.ID process. This fee ensures the cost to cover verification of an insufficient ID will come from the traveler, not the taxpayer. The security of the traveling public is our top priority, so we urge all travelers to get a REAL ID or other acceptable form of ID as soon as possible to avoid delays and potentially miss flights.”</p><p>TSA urges all travelers who do not have a REAL ID to pay the fee online before traveling. For passengers who arrive at the airport without paying the fee, information about how to pay for the TSA Confirm.ID option will be available at marked locations at or near the checkpoint in most airports. Travelers who undergo TSA Confirm.ID processing at an airport should expect delays. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>TSA’s list of acceptable forms of ID can be found at&nbsp;<a href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.tsa.gov%2Ftravel%2Fsecurity-screening%2Fidentification/1/0101019adaed595c-96865191-bcc2-43a1-965f-d5ac642ae099-000000/OolXH2EJrqwNHp8pKwLnzpPoLnVSLa90uiGmDJ_m-Hs=433" target="_blank">TSA.gov/travel/security-screening/identification</a>.</p><p>For more information on REAL ID, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.tsa.gov%2Freal-id/2/0101019adaed595c-96865191-bcc2-43a1-965f-d5ac642ae099-000000/rlIgRwnDC3uSOyUcWNwGNdpedz0TxGUsS1KTWjAvEcY=433" target="_blank">TSA.gov/real-id</a>&nbsp;or text 275-872 (“AskTSA”) or&nbsp;<a href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fx.com%2FAskTSA/1/0101019adaed595c-96865191-bcc2-43a1-965f-d5ac642ae099-000000/XvKffNzS8IXJ4xe-y1peIboZCAJl7_cg6SQCb5jM5n8=433">@AskTSA</a>&nbsp;with questions.</p>

US air travelers without REAL IDs will soon be charged a hefty fee

Lawson told witness “If you talk, it’s your funeral”

<i>U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Iowa - December 1, 2025</i>

Two men with lengthy criminal histories were convicted by a jury on November 25, 2025, after a 11-day trial in federal court in Sioux City.

Floyd Clifford Coates, Jr., aka Cliff Coates, age 44, from St. Francis, Kansas, was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, Possession of Ammunition by a Felon and Drug User, Conspiracy to Conceal Objects with the Intent to Impair Their Availability for an Official Proceeding, and Concealing Objects with the Intent to Impair their Availability for an Official Proceeding. Coates was acquitted of other charges related to threats, and obstruction of justice.&nbsp;

Dennis Lawson, age 65, from Whiting, Iowa, was convicted of Using Threat of Physical Force Against Another with the Intent to Hinder, Delay, or Prevent the Communication to a Law Enforcement Officer and Judge of the United States of Information Relating to the Commission and Possible Commission of a Federal Offense. Lawson was acquitted of other charges relating to drugs, threats and obstruction.&nbsp;

The verdict was returned following about 2 hours of jury deliberations.

The evidence at trial showed that in Spring 2019, Coates was a member of a drug trafficking organization that funneled pounds of methamphetamine from Colorado to Strubel, Iowa, among other places, for redistribution, and that Coates possessed firearms to protect his illegal drug operation. Evidence also showed that on Easter weekend 2019, Coates had arranged a drug run to Kansas City, Missouri.

To execute the Easter weekend drug run, Coates had convinced an Iowa woman to drive from Sioux City, Iowa; meet him in Blair, Nebraska; and drive him to Kansas City, Missouri, and back. Coates decided to travel to Blair from Trenton, Nebraska, with another woman, 18-year-old Sunny Sramek. Coates and Sramek left Trenton in his wife’s white Ford Explorer to go on the trip. There is no evidence Ms. Sramek knew Coates was going to Kansas City; in fact, she told friends and family that she was going to be on a day trip to Omaha.&nbsp;

The pair made it to Blair, where Coates went into a home, but Ms. Sramek did not. Coates’s driver arrived from Sioux City and Coates said nothing of Ms. Sramek to the driver. As the driver and Coates left the home, the driver saw Ms. Sramek’s motionless body. The driver testified it looked as if Ms. Sramek had overdosed, and Coates said he had provided her methamphetamine. Coates cancelled his drug run to Kansas City and told his driver to go to the home of his brother-in-law Dennis Lawson near Whiting, Iowa, on the banks of the Missouri River. The driver testified that after they arrived at Lawson’s residence Lawson and Coates disappeared for a time, when they returned, Ms. Sramek’s body was gone. The driver also testified that she and Coates cleaned out the car, and that Lawson threatened her saying if she told anyone, “it would be her funeral.”

Later, Coates told confidants that Ms. Sramek had overdosed. He told other friends a more violent story. In both versions, however, he told people he had thrown Ms. Sramek’s body into the Missouri River to conceal evidence of his crimes. Coates was confident his efforts at concealing Ms. Sramek’s body would insulate him from accountability. He told one person “no body, no case” and asked another “you can’t get charged with murder if there is no body, can you?”

Coates’s confidence was misplaced. Law enforcement gathered a significant amount of physical evidence tying Coates to Ms. Sramek’s disappearance. Forensic analysis indicated Ms. Sramek’s DNA and a significant amount of blood were found in the white Ford Explorer. The forensic findings combined with other evidence provided the proof the jury used to convict Coates and Lawson.&nbsp;

“Sunny Sramek went missing more than six years ago,” said United States Attorney Leif Olson. “But the investigators’ dedication kept her case from going cold. Thanks to them, these two criminals now face judgment for Sunny’s disappearance. Those who believe they can escape justice through threats, cover-ups, or the passage of time will discover they are mistaken.”

“The convictions of Coates and Lawson represent years of tireless, unwavering efforts by a dedicated team of FBI personnel who never stopped looking for Sunny Sramek,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel. “Despite the defendants’ best efforts to conceal involvement in her disappearance, the FBI persisted in our mission to hold these subjects accountable for their actions. We hope these convictions bring some measure of solace to Sunny’s family. The FBI will always use every tool and technique in our arsenal to seek justice for the missing and attempts to hinder those efforts will be aggressively investigated.”

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Coates and Lawson remain in custody of the United States Marshal.

Coates faces a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment and five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

Lawson faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

&nbsp;The case was investigated by Hitchcock County, Nebraska, Sheriff’s Office; the Nebraska State Patrol; the Iowa Department of Public Safety—Division of Criminal Investigation; the Plymouth County, Iowa, Sheriff’s Office; the O’Brien County, Iowa, Sheriff’s Office; the Iowa Department of Natural Resources; the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner; the Goodland, Kansas, Police Department; and the&nbsp;<a></a>United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.&nbsp;

<p><i>For Immediate Release</i></p><h2>Lawson told witness “If you talk, it’s your funeral”</h2><p><i>U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Iowa - December 1, 2025</i></p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1764644350839.jpeg" alt="Sunny Sramek, of Trenton, Ne, has been missing since April 20 of 2019 when she was 18 years-old. Two men linked to the disappearance were found guilty on drug, gun and obstruction-related charges December 1, 2025. (Find Sunny Sramek Facebook Page)" />
                        <figcaption>Sunny Sramek, of Trenton, Ne, has been missing since April 20 of 2019 when she was 18 years-old. Two men linked to the disappearance were found guilty on drug, gun and obstruction-related charges December 1, 2025. (Find Sunny Sramek Facebook Page)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Two men with lengthy criminal histories were convicted by a jury on November 25, 2025, after a 11-day trial in federal court in Sioux City.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1764644790644.png" alt="Coates (Woodbury County Sheriff's Office)" />
                        <figcaption>Coates (Woodbury County Sheriff's Office)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Floyd Clifford Coates, Jr., aka Cliff Coates, age 44, from St. Francis, Kansas, was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, Possession of Ammunition by a Felon and Drug User, Conspiracy to Conceal Objects with the Intent to Impair Their Availability for an Official Proceeding, and Concealing Objects with the Intent to Impair their Availability for an Official Proceeding. Coates was acquitted of other charges related to threats, and obstruction of justice.&nbsp;</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1764645071823.png" alt="Lawson (Woodbury County Sheriff's Office)" />
                        <figcaption>Lawson (Woodbury County Sheriff's Office)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Dennis Lawson, age 65, from Whiting, Iowa, was convicted of Using Threat of Physical Force Against Another with the Intent to Hinder, Delay, or Prevent the Communication to a Law Enforcement Officer and Judge of the United States of Information Relating to the Commission and Possible Commission of a Federal Offense. Lawson was acquitted of other charges relating to drugs, threats and obstruction.&nbsp;</p><p>The verdict was returned following about 2 hours of jury deliberations.</p><p>The evidence at trial showed that in Spring 2019, Coates was a member of a drug trafficking organization that funneled pounds of methamphetamine from Colorado to Strubel, Iowa, among other places, for redistribution, and that Coates possessed firearms to protect his illegal drug operation. Evidence also showed that on Easter weekend 2019, Coates had arranged a drug run to Kansas City, Missouri.</p><p>To execute the Easter weekend drug run, Coates had convinced an Iowa woman to drive from Sioux City, Iowa; meet him in Blair, Nebraska; and drive him to Kansas City, Missouri, and back. Coates decided to travel to Blair from Trenton, Nebraska, with another woman, 18-year-old Sunny Sramek. Coates and Sramek left Trenton in his wife’s white Ford Explorer to go on the trip. There is no evidence Ms. Sramek knew Coates was going to Kansas City; in fact, she told friends and family that she was going to be on a day trip to Omaha.&nbsp;</p><p>The pair made it to Blair, where Coates went into a home, but Ms. Sramek did not. Coates’s driver arrived from Sioux City and Coates said nothing of Ms. Sramek to the driver. As the driver and Coates left the home, the driver saw Ms. Sramek’s motionless body. The driver testified it looked as if Ms. Sramek had overdosed, and Coates said he had provided her methamphetamine. Coates cancelled his drug run to Kansas City and told his driver to go to the home of his brother-in-law Dennis Lawson near Whiting, Iowa, on the banks of the Missouri River. The driver testified that after they arrived at Lawson’s residence Lawson and Coates disappeared for a time, when they returned, Ms. Sramek’s body was gone. The driver also testified that she and Coates cleaned out the car, and that Lawson threatened her saying if she told anyone, “it would be her funeral.”</p><p>Later, Coates told confidants that Ms. Sramek had overdosed. He told other friends a more violent story. In both versions, however, he told people he had thrown Ms. Sramek’s body into the Missouri River to conceal evidence of his crimes. Coates was confident his efforts at concealing Ms. Sramek’s body would insulate him from accountability. He told one person “no body, no case” and asked another “you can’t get charged with murder if there is no body, can you?”</p><p>Coates’s confidence was misplaced. Law enforcement gathered a significant amount of physical evidence tying Coates to Ms. Sramek’s disappearance. Forensic analysis indicated Ms. Sramek’s DNA and a significant amount of blood were found in the white Ford Explorer. The forensic findings combined with other evidence provided the proof the jury used to convict Coates and Lawson.&nbsp;</p><p>“Sunny Sramek went missing more than six years ago,” said United States Attorney Leif Olson. “But the investigators’ dedication kept her case from going cold. Thanks to them, these two criminals now face judgment for Sunny’s disappearance. Those who believe they can escape justice through threats, cover-ups, or the passage of time will discover they are mistaken.”</p><p>“The convictions of Coates and Lawson represent years of tireless, unwavering efforts by a dedicated team of FBI personnel who never stopped looking for Sunny Sramek,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel. “Despite the defendants’ best efforts to conceal involvement in her disappearance, the FBI persisted in our mission to hold these subjects accountable for their actions. We hope these convictions bring some measure of solace to Sunny’s family. The FBI will always use every tool and technique in our arsenal to seek justice for the missing and attempts to hinder those efforts will be aggressively investigated.”</p><p>Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Coates and Lawson remain in custody of the United States Marshal.</p><p>Coates faces a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment and five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.</p><p>Lawson faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.</p><p>&nbsp;The case was investigated by Hitchcock County, Nebraska, Sheriff’s Office; the Nebraska State Patrol; the Iowa Department of Public Safety—Division of Criminal Investigation; the Plymouth County, Iowa, Sheriff’s Office; the O’Brien County, Iowa, Sheriff’s Office; the Iowa Department of Natural Resources; the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner; the Goodland, Kansas, Police Department; and the&nbsp;<a></a>United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.&nbsp;</p>

Men Linked to the Disappearance of an 18-Year-Old Nebraska Woman Found Guilty of Drug, Gun, and Obstruction-Related Charges

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Donald J. Trump&#39;s Advanced Imaging Results: <br><br>&quot;His cardiovascular system shows excellent health... and confirms that he remains at excellent overall health.&quot; <br><br>— Capt Sean P. Barbabella, D.O.<br>Physician to the President <a href="https://t.co/WJxdZEBUFS">pic.twitter.com/WJxdZEBUFS</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1995569253748211743?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1764616418997.png" alt="<br>" />
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Read the report: President Trump shares his MRI results

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> nukes the Fake News on his MRI: &quot;It&#39;s perfect. It&#39;s like my phone call where I got impeached, it&#39;s absolutely perfect... It wasn&#39;t the brain because I took a cognitive test and I aced it. I got a perfect mark, which you would be incapable of doing.&quot; 😂🤣 <a href="https://t.co/gK6FLfkKr8">pic.twitter.com/gK6FLfkKr8</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1995270338826076313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Trump responds to Democrats’ demands to release his MRI results

WASHINGTON — Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s upcoming resignation from Congress set off a series of questions and misinformation about what health care and pension benefits lawmakers receive once they leave public service.&nbsp;

The system is a bit complex and determined by when a lawmaker entered Congress as well as how long they stayed. Members must serve at least five years, putting Greene just over the eligibility line&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2025/11/21/georgia-congresswoman-marjorie-taylor-greene-says-she-will-resign-in-january/" target="_blank">when she officially steps aside</a>&nbsp;in January.&nbsp;

Members of Congress elected after 1984 are covered under the Federal Employees’ Retirement System. The four House lawmakers and one senator elected before then may be under the Civil Service Retirement System, so their benefit may be calculated differently than that of their colleagues.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service explains in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/RL/PDF/RL30631/RL30631.39.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;about lawmakers’ retirement benefits that “pensions, like those of other federal employees, are financed through a combination of employee and employer contributions.”&nbsp;

“Under both CSRS and FERS, Members of Congress are eligible for a pension at the age of 62 if they have completed at least 5 years of service,” the report states. “Members are eligible for a pension at age 50 if they have completed 20 years of service, or at any age after completing 25 years of service. The amount of the pension depends on length of service (as measured in months) and the average of the highest three years of salary. By law, the starting amount of a Member’s retirement annuity may not exceed 80% of his or her final salary.”

All members also must pay into Social Security, and how much in taxes they pay and benefits they receive are the same as for all beneficiaries.

Members of Congress, except for leadership, are paid $174,000 a year.

Greene, who began her congressional career on Jan. 3, 2021, will be just over the five-year requirement when she formally resigns on Jan. 5.&nbsp;

Greene will receive about $8,700 in pension benefits per year for the rest of her life, after she turns 62. She is now 51.

Former U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who was first sworn in on June 2, 1987, after winning a special election, will receive considerably more in pension benefits given that she was a member for decades longer than Greene and had a higher salary during her time in leadership.&nbsp;

The National Taxpayers Union Foundation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ntu.org/foundation/detail/pelosi-to-exit-congress-with-one-of-the-largest-pensions-on-record" target="_blank">expects</a>&nbsp;Pelosi will receive an annual pension of $107,860 after she retires in January 2027.&nbsp;

Members of Congress who retire or resign are eligible to purchase health insurance from the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program as long as they had health insurance from the District of Columbia’s Affordable Care Act marketplace “for the five years of service immediately prior to retirement,” according to a different CRS&nbsp;<a href="https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R43194.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>.&nbsp;

While in Congress, lawmakers are eligible to have some of their health coverage offset by their employer — the federal government — as long as they purchase it through the D.C. marketplace, known as DC Health Link. Like others in the states, it was created by the Affordable Care Act.

As with group health insurance plans, the amount subsidized by the federal government depends on whether a lawmaker selects a health plan that covers themselves or themselves plus eligible family members.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1714577209426.png" alt="Photo courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>Photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By Jennifer Shutt</p><p>WASHINGTON — Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s upcoming resignation from Congress set off a series of questions and misinformation about what health care and pension benefits lawmakers receive once they leave public service.&nbsp;</p><p>The system is a bit complex and determined by when a lawmaker entered Congress as well as how long they stayed. Members must serve at least five years, putting Greene just over the eligibility line&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2025/11/21/georgia-congresswoman-marjorie-taylor-greene-says-she-will-resign-in-january/" target="_blank">when she officially steps aside</a>&nbsp;in January.&nbsp;</p><p>Members of Congress elected after 1984 are covered under the Federal Employees’ Retirement System. The four House lawmakers and one senator elected before then may be under the Civil Service Retirement System, so their benefit may be calculated differently than that of their colleagues.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service explains in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/RL/PDF/RL30631/RL30631.39.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;about lawmakers’ retirement benefits that “pensions, like those of other federal employees, are financed through a combination of employee and employer contributions.”&nbsp;</p><p>“Under both CSRS and FERS, Members of Congress are eligible for a pension at the age of 62 if they have completed at least 5 years of service,” the report states. “Members are eligible for a pension at age 50 if they have completed 20 years of service, or at any age after completing 25 years of service. The amount of the pension depends on length of service (as measured in months) and the average of the highest three years of salary. By law, the starting amount of a Member’s retirement annuity may not exceed 80% of his or her final salary.”</p><p>All members also must pay into Social Security, and how much in taxes they pay and benefits they receive are the same as for all beneficiaries.</p><p>Members of Congress, except for leadership, are paid $174,000 a year.</p><p>Greene, who began her congressional career on Jan. 3, 2021, will be just over the five-year requirement when she formally resigns on Jan. 5.&nbsp;</p><p>Greene will receive about $8,700 in pension benefits per year for the rest of her life, after she turns 62. She is now 51.</p><p>Former U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who was first sworn in on June 2, 1987, after winning a special election, will receive considerably more in pension benefits given that she was a member for decades longer than Greene and had a higher salary during her time in leadership.&nbsp;</p><p>The National Taxpayers Union Foundation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ntu.org/foundation/detail/pelosi-to-exit-congress-with-one-of-the-largest-pensions-on-record" target="_blank">expects</a>&nbsp;Pelosi will receive an annual pension of $107,860 after she retires in January 2027.&nbsp;</p><h2>Health insurance benefits</h2><p>Members of Congress who retire or resign are eligible to purchase health insurance from the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program as long as they had health insurance from the District of Columbia’s Affordable Care Act marketplace “for the five years of service immediately prior to retirement,” according to a different CRS&nbsp;<a href="https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R43194.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>While in Congress, lawmakers are eligible to have some of their health coverage offset by their employer — the federal government — as long as they purchase it through the D.C. marketplace, known as DC Health Link. Like others in the states, it was created by the Affordable Care Act.</p><p>As with group health insurance plans, the amount subsidized by the federal government depends on whether a lawmaker selects a health plan that covers themselves or themselves plus eligible family members.&nbsp;</p>

Rep. MTG's retirement launches speculation about congressional pensions

President Donald Trump said Friday he will try to reverse any law, pardon or still-in-effect executive order that former President Joe Biden signed with an autopen, though it wasn’t immediately clear how that would work or whether it would be legal.&nbsp;

Trump declared in&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115629010097815862" target="_blank">a social media post</a>&nbsp;that any documents Biden signed with the autopen are “hereby terminated, and of no further force or effect.”

“I am hereby cancelling all Executive Orders, and anything else that was not directly signed by Crooked Joe Biden, because the people who operated the Autopen did so illegally,” Trump alleged. “Joe Biden was not involved in the Autopen process and, if he says he was, he will be brought up on charges of perjury. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

The White House press office didn’t immediately respond to a request for the list of documents Trump believes he has the ability to rescind based on the manner they were signed.

States Newsroom also asked the Trump administration if officials believe the president would need to sign an executive order in order to implement his social media post.&nbsp;

Experts dismissed earlier autopen challenge&nbsp;

The post was similar to one&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/legal-experts-quash-trump-argument-biden-pardons-signed-autopen-are-void" target="_blank">Trump published in March</a>&nbsp;when he claimed any pardons Biden signed with the autopen were void, something legal experts said at the time was “absurd” and a “red herring.”

Trump brought up his frustration with autopen use again in June&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-opens-investigation-biden-autopen-use" target="_blank">when he ordered</a>&nbsp;the White House legal counsel and U.S. attorney general to investigate when and why Biden administration staff used an autopen.&nbsp;

Trump said during an Oval Office appearance at the time he hadn’t found any evidence Biden aides violated the law.

“No, but I’ve uncovered the human mind,” Trump said. “I was in a debate with the human mind and I didn’t think he knew what the hell he was doing. So it’s one of those things, one of those problems. We can’t ever allow that to happen to our country.”

Biden and spokespeople working for him have repeatedly said he knew what official documents were being signed in his name and rejected claims that White House staff used the autopen without his authorization or knowledge.&nbsp;

Biden released a statement in June following the Trump memorandum, saying the investigation “is nothing more than a distraction by Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans who are working to push disastrous legislation that would cut essential programs like Medicaid and raise costs on American families, all to pay for tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and big corporations.”

“Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations,” Biden wrote at the time. “Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.”

While presidents have regularly rescinded their predecessors executive orders, usually within their first few days or weeks in office, Congress would very likely need to act in order to alter or eliminate any laws that Biden signed with an autopen. Trump seeking to overturn a law, or part of a law, unilaterally would likely lead to a lawsuit over whether he holds that power.&nbsp;

It also wasn’t immediately clear what legal authority Trump believes he has as president to undo pardons if Biden used an autopen to sign the documents.&nbsp;

David Super, a constitutional and administrative law professor at Georgetown University, told States Newsroom in March that “the Constitution does not require signatures for pardons. It simply says the president has the power to pardon.”

“So if President Biden wanted to simply verbally tell someone they’re pardoned, he could do that. It wouldn’t have to be in writing at all,” he said. “Administratively, of course, we want things in writing. It makes things a lot simpler, but there’s no constitutional requirement.”

Ashley Murray contributed to this report.&nbsp;

<p>By Jennifer Shutt</p><p>President Donald Trump said Friday he will try to reverse any law, pardon or still-in-effect executive order that former President Joe Biden signed with an autopen, though it wasn’t immediately clear how that would work or whether it would be legal.&nbsp;</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;I am hereby cancelling all Executive Orders, and anything else that was not directly signed by Crooked Joe Biden, because the people who operated the Autopen did so illegally.&quot; - President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/D5mzIl1Cai">pic.twitter.com/D5mzIl1Cai</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1994494769566028142?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Trump declared in&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115629010097815862" target="_blank">a social media post</a>&nbsp;that any documents Biden signed with the autopen are “hereby terminated, and of no further force or effect.”</p><p>“I am hereby cancelling all Executive Orders, and anything else that was not directly signed by Crooked Joe Biden, because the people who operated the Autopen did so illegally,” Trump alleged. “Joe Biden was not involved in the Autopen process and, if he says he was, he will be brought up on charges of perjury. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”</p><p>The White House press office didn’t immediately respond to a request for the list of documents Trump believes he has the ability to rescind based on the manner they were signed.</p><p>States Newsroom also asked the Trump administration if officials believe the president would need to sign an executive order in order to implement his social media post.&nbsp;</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1749205481205.png" alt="White House image" />
                        <figcaption>White House image</figcaption>
                    </figure><h2>Experts dismissed earlier autopen challenge&nbsp;</h2><p>The post was similar to one&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/legal-experts-quash-trump-argument-biden-pardons-signed-autopen-are-void" target="_blank">Trump published in March</a>&nbsp;when he claimed any pardons Biden signed with the autopen were void, something legal experts said at the time was “absurd” and a “red herring.”</p><p>Trump brought up his frustration with autopen use again in June&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-opens-investigation-biden-autopen-use" target="_blank">when he ordered</a>&nbsp;the White House legal counsel and U.S. attorney general to investigate when and why Biden administration staff used an autopen.&nbsp;</p><p>Trump said during an Oval Office appearance at the time he hadn’t found any evidence Biden aides violated the law.</p><p>“No, but I’ve uncovered the human mind,” Trump said. “I was in a debate with the human mind and I didn’t think he knew what the hell he was doing. So it’s one of those things, one of those problems. We can’t ever allow that to happen to our country.”</p><p>Biden and spokespeople working for him have repeatedly said he knew what official documents were being signed in his name and rejected claims that White House staff used the autopen without his authorization or knowledge.&nbsp;</p><p>Biden released a statement in June following the Trump memorandum, saying the investigation “is nothing more than a distraction by Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans who are working to push disastrous legislation that would cut essential programs like Medicaid and raise costs on American families, all to pay for tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and big corporations.”</p><p>“Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations,” Biden wrote at the time. “Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.”</p><p>While presidents have regularly rescinded their predecessors executive orders, usually within their first few days or weeks in office, Congress would very likely need to act in order to alter or eliminate any laws that Biden signed with an autopen. Trump seeking to overturn a law, or part of a law, unilaterally would likely lead to a lawsuit over whether he holds that power.&nbsp;</p><h2>Trump doesn’t cite legal authority</h2><p>It also wasn’t immediately clear what legal authority Trump believes he has as president to undo pardons if Biden used an autopen to sign the documents.&nbsp;</p><p>David Super, a constitutional and administrative law professor at Georgetown University, told States Newsroom in March that “the Constitution does not require signatures for pardons. It simply says the president has the power to pardon.”</p><p>“So if President Biden wanted to simply verbally tell someone they’re pardoned, he could do that. It wouldn’t have to be in writing at all,” he said. “Administratively, of course, we want things in writing. It makes things a lot simpler, but there’s no constitutional requirement.”</p><p>Ashley Murray contributed to this report.&nbsp;</p>

Trump social media post claims to void Biden orders

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1764331131237.png" alt="President Trump spoke about immigration to reporters after he announced National Guardsmen Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia has died on Thanksgiving night-image from White House video" />
                        <figcaption>President Trump spoke about immigration to reporters after he announced National Guardsmen Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia has died on Thanksgiving night-image from White House video</figcaption>
                    </figure><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1764331840667.png" alt="<br>" />
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                    </figure>

Trump: U.S. to ‘pause migration from Third World Countries’ after DC shooting

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> announces that U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom of Summersville, West Virginia, one of the National Guardsmen savagely attacked yesterday in Washington, D.C., has just passed away.<br><br>May God be with her family 🙏 <a href="https://t.co/BEbAOxmJme">pic.twitter.com/BEbAOxmJme</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1994189513929761268?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1764267373071.png" alt="Specialist Sarah Beckstrom-photo Department of Justice" />
                        <figcaption>Specialist Sarah Beckstrom-photo Department of Justice</figcaption>
                    </figure>

Trump: Sarah Beckstrom, National Guard soldier shot in DC, has died

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia,&nbsp;identified the guard members at a news conference as Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24. Both remained hospitalized in critical condition.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1764267409790.png" alt="Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe -photo Department of Justice" />
                        <figcaption>Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe -photo Department of Justice</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia,&nbsp;identified the guard members at a news conference as Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24. Both remained hospitalized in critical condition.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1764267373071.png" alt="Specialist Sarah Beckstrom-photo Department of Justice" />
                        <figcaption>Specialist Sarah Beckstrom-photo Department of Justice</figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro (<a href="https://twitter.com/USAttyPirro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USAttyPirro</a>): &quot;Two uniform guardsmen were ambushed in a brazen and targeted attack. A lone gunman opened fire without provocation, ambush style...&quot;<br><br>FBI Director Kash Patel (<a href="https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBIDirectorKash</a>): &quot;It is an ongoing investigation of terrorism.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Ob9qwSEcNH">pic.twitter.com/Ob9qwSEcNH</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1994060975905857664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥DOJ releases names of National Guard soldiers shot near White House

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump delivers remarks on the horrific attack on the Great National Guard Warriors <a href="https://t.co/xDxRzJENU0">https://t.co/xDxRzJENU0</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1993865712583180642?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;My great fellow Americans, earlier today on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday, two members of the National Guard serving in Washington, D.C. were shot at point blank range in a monstrous, ambush-style attack just steps away from the White House... This heinous assault… <a href="https://t.co/3nmv426LRq">pic.twitter.com/3nmv426LRq</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1993868356538057112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DHSgov</a> is confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan... He was flown in by the Biden Administration in September 2021 on those infamous flights... His status was extended under legislation signed by President Biden.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/rMCQe6CMIo">pic.twitter.com/rMCQe6CMIo</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1993869422717456872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;Tonight, I can announce that I have directed the <a href="https://twitter.com/DeptofWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeptofWar</a> to mobilize an additional 500 troops to help protect our capital city... and we will bring the perpetrator of this barbaric attack to swift and certain justice.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/4G7bj6s9Zg">pic.twitter.com/4G7bj6s9Zg</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1993870051082998158?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden, and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/jAPGBP5HH2">pic.twitter.com/jAPGBP5HH2</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1993870729293746180?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DHSgov</a> is confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan... He was flown in by the Biden Administration in September 2021 on those infamous flights... His status was extended under legislation signed by President Biden.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/rMCQe6CMIo">pic.twitter.com/rMCQe6CMIo</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1993869422717456872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥President Trump's remarks on the attack on National Guard soldiers

By:<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/author/ccoyne/">Caity Coyne</a><br><a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/">West Virginia Watch</a>

Two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot while on deployment in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, according to a statement from Gov. Patrick Morrisey.

In a news briefing around 4:45 p.m., FBI director Kash Patel said the two victims were “in critical condition.”

That announcement came after previous conflicting reports from Morrisey regarding their status.

Morrisey initially&nbsp;posted on social media&nbsp;at 3:33 p.m. that one of the victims was dead and another sent to the hospital following the shooting. He then announced at 3:42 p.m. that both members of the West Virginia National Guard were dead.

In a third post at 4:04 p.m., however, Morrisey said he was receiving “conflicting reports” about the condition of the West Virginia National Guard members.

“… [The state] will provide additional updates once we receive more complete information,” Morrisey continued.

The shooting<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/11/26/repub/breaking-two-national-guard-members-shot-in-washington-d-c-officials-confirm/">&nbsp;took place blocks&nbsp;</a>from the White House around 2:15 p.m. According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/DCPoliceDept/status/1993767333979168981?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet" target="_blank">Washington Metropolitan Police Department</a>, the scene was secure and one suspect was in custody at 2:58 p.m.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a news briefing that the incident was “a targeted shooting” perpetrated by one person.

“What we know … is that this is a targeted shooting — one individual who appeared to target these Guardsmen,” Bowser said. “That individual has been taken into custody.”

President Donald Trump was in Florida on Wednesday but was briefed on the shooting, White House officials said. In social media posts, Trump said the perpetrator was an “animal” and was “also severely wounded” in the incident. Regardless, he continued, the shooter will “pay a very steep price.”

“God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement,” Trump said. “These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!”

The shooting comes less than a week after a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/20/national-guard-washington-dc-00663137" target="_blank">federal judge ruled</a>&nbsp;that the deployment of National Guard troops from several states to Washington, D.C. at the request of Trump was illegal. The Trump administration was given until Dec. 11 to pull troops out or file an appeal to the ruling.&nbsp;

Morrisey&nbsp;<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/08/18/morrisey-orders-national-guard-to-dc-in-support-of-trump-takeover-dems-say-its-political-theater/">announced in August</a>&nbsp;that he would be sending 300-400 members of the West Virginia National Guard to Washington D.C. after Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/restoring-law-and-order-in-the-district-of-columbia/" target="_blank">declared</a>&nbsp;a “public safety emergency” in the nation’s capital. That declaration&nbsp;<a href="http://cnn.com/2025/09/10/politics/washington-dc-trump-crime-emergency-end" target="_blank">ended in September</a>, but troops have remained in the district.

<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/briefs/west-virginia-national-guard-deployment-to-dc-could-last-through-november/">In late September</a>, a spokesperson for the state’s National Guard said members could remain in D.C. through November.

Earlier this year, the West Virginia Citizen Action Group&nbsp;<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/CAG-suit-2025.pdf">filed a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;against Morrisey and the West Virginia National Guard regarding West Virginia troops being deployed to D.C. CAG was&nbsp;<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/08/21/aclu-files-lawsuit-over-wv-national-guard-deployment-to-dc/">represented by</a>&nbsp;the West Virginia arm of the American Civil Liberties Union.

The ACLU attorneys&nbsp;<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/10/24/judge-more-information-needed-regarding-legality-of-wv-national-guard-deployment-in-d-c/">argued</a>&nbsp;that the deployment by Morrisey was unlawful and an abuse of state powers that allow the governor to activate National Guard troops for matters outside of the state only under limited circumstances. They said the ongoing deployment was causing real and irreparable harm to people in West Virginia.

Attorneys for the state of West Virginia countered that CAG, the plaintiff, was not facing any real or clear harm from the deployment. The only parties who could claim to be “directly harmed” due to the National Guard deployment, the state argued, are residents of D.C. or members of the Guard themselves.

Attorneys with the ACLU were asking the court for a temporary injunction that would have seen all West Virginia National Guard members deployed to D.C. sent home.

On Nov. 10, Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Richard Lindsay sided with the state of West Virginia and&nbsp;<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/11/10/judge-rules-wv-national-guards-deployment-in-d-c-is-lawful-dismisses-case-without-prejudice/">dismissed the case,</a>&nbsp;meaning troops remained in D.C.

<i>This is a developing story and more will be reported as information becomes available.</i>

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1764191421017.png" alt="Photo courtesy WTTG" />
                        <figcaption>Photo courtesy WTTG</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/author/ccoyne/">Caity Coyne</a><br><a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/">West Virginia Watch</a></p><p>Two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot while on deployment in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, according to a statement from Gov. Patrick Morrisey.</p><p>In a news briefing around 4:45 p.m., FBI director Kash Patel said the two victims were “in critical condition.”</p><p>That announcement came after previous conflicting reports from Morrisey regarding their status.</p><p>Morrisey initially&nbsp;posted on social media&nbsp;at 3:33 p.m. that one of the victims was dead and another sent to the hospital following the shooting. He then announced at 3:42 p.m. that both members of the West Virginia National Guard were dead.</p><p>In a third post at 4:04 p.m., however, Morrisey said he was receiving “conflicting reports” about the condition of the West Virginia National Guard members.</p><p>“… [The state] will provide additional updates once we receive more complete information,” Morrisey continued.</p><p>The shooting<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/11/26/repub/breaking-two-national-guard-members-shot-in-washington-d-c-officials-confirm/">&nbsp;took place blocks&nbsp;</a>from the White House around 2:15 p.m. According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/DCPoliceDept/status/1993767333979168981?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet" target="_blank">Washington Metropolitan Police Department</a>, the scene was secure and one suspect was in custody at 2:58 p.m.</p><p>D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a news briefing that the incident was “a targeted shooting” perpetrated by one person.</p><p>“What we know … is that this is a targeted shooting — one individual who appeared to target these Guardsmen,” Bowser said. “That individual has been taken into custody.”</p><p>President Donald Trump was in Florida on Wednesday but was briefed on the shooting, White House officials said. In social media posts, Trump said the perpetrator was an “animal” and was “also severely wounded” in the incident. Regardless, he continued, the shooter will “pay a very steep price.”</p><p>“God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement,” Trump said. “These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!”</p><p>The shooting comes less than a week after a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/20/national-guard-washington-dc-00663137" target="_blank">federal judge ruled</a>&nbsp;that the deployment of National Guard troops from several states to Washington, D.C. at the request of Trump was illegal. The Trump administration was given until Dec. 11 to pull troops out or file an appeal to the ruling.&nbsp;</p><p>Morrisey&nbsp;<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/08/18/morrisey-orders-national-guard-to-dc-in-support-of-trump-takeover-dems-say-its-political-theater/">announced in August</a>&nbsp;that he would be sending 300-400 members of the West Virginia National Guard to Washington D.C. after Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/restoring-law-and-order-in-the-district-of-columbia/" target="_blank">declared</a>&nbsp;a “public safety emergency” in the nation’s capital. That declaration&nbsp;<a href="http://cnn.com/2025/09/10/politics/washington-dc-trump-crime-emergency-end" target="_blank">ended in September</a>, but troops have remained in the district.</p><p><a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/briefs/west-virginia-national-guard-deployment-to-dc-could-last-through-november/">In late September</a>, a spokesperson for the state’s National Guard said members could remain in D.C. through November.</p><p>Earlier this year, the West Virginia Citizen Action Group&nbsp;<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/CAG-suit-2025.pdf">filed a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;against Morrisey and the West Virginia National Guard regarding West Virginia troops being deployed to D.C. CAG was&nbsp;<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/08/21/aclu-files-lawsuit-over-wv-national-guard-deployment-to-dc/">represented by</a>&nbsp;the West Virginia arm of the American Civil Liberties Union.</p><p>The ACLU attorneys&nbsp;<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/10/24/judge-more-information-needed-regarding-legality-of-wv-national-guard-deployment-in-d-c/">argued</a>&nbsp;that the deployment by Morrisey was unlawful and an abuse of state powers that allow the governor to activate National Guard troops for matters outside of the state only under limited circumstances. They said the ongoing deployment was causing real and irreparable harm to people in West Virginia.</p><p>Attorneys for the state of West Virginia countered that CAG, the plaintiff, was not facing any real or clear harm from the deployment. The only parties who could claim to be “directly harmed” due to the National Guard deployment, the state argued, are residents of D.C. or members of the Guard themselves.</p><p>Attorneys with the ACLU were asking the court for a temporary injunction that would have seen all West Virginia National Guard members deployed to D.C. sent home.</p><p>On Nov. 10, Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Richard Lindsay sided with the state of West Virginia and&nbsp;<a href="https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/11/10/judge-rules-wv-national-guards-deployment-in-d-c-is-lawful-dismisses-case-without-prejudice/">dismissed the case,</a>&nbsp;meaning troops remained in D.C.</p><p><i>This is a developing story and more will be reported as information becomes available.</i></p>

Two members of WV National Guard shot in Washington, D.C., Governor says

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>

WASHINGTON — Democratic members of Congress who released a video in mid-November telling members of the military that they are not required to follow illegal orders announced Tuesday the Federal Bureau of Investigation has asked to speak with them about the matter.&nbsp;

Four House members, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin wrote the inquiry will not deter them from publicly stating their concerns about the Trump administration.&nbsp;

“Last night, the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division appeared to open an inquiry into me in response to a video President Trump did not like,” Slotkin wrote in a statement published on social media.&nbsp;

“The President directing the FBI to target us is exactly why we made this video in the first place,” Slotkin added. “He believes in weaponizing the federal government against his perceived enemies and does not believe laws apply to him or his Cabinet. He uses legal harassment as an intimidation tactic to scare people out of speaking up.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Kelly’s office said it had “received this inquiry via the Sergeant at Arms.”&nbsp; The House members said the FBI has contacted the House Sergeant at Arms office requesting interviews.

“Senator Kelly won’t be silenced by President Trump and Secretary Hegseth’s attempt to intimidate him and keep him from doing his job as a U.S. Senator,” the spokesperson said.&nbsp;

Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania and Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire separately issued a joint statement alleging that “Trump is using the FBI as a tool to intimidate and harass Members of Congress.”

“No amount of intimidation or harassment will ever stop us from doing our jobs and honoring our Constitution,” they wrote. “We swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. That oath lasts a lifetime, and we intend to keep it. We will not be bullied. We will never give up the ship.”

President Donald Trump after learning of the video&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-accuses-6-democratic-lawmakers-seditious-behavior-punishable-death" target="_blank">posted on social media</a>&nbsp;that he believed the statement from six Democratic lawmakers represented “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH.”

Those six lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SenatorSlotkin/status/1990774492356902948" target="_blank">posted a video</a>&nbsp;on social media on Nov. 18 telling members of the military and intelligence community that they “can” and “must refuse illegal orders.”

“No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution. We know this is hard and that it’s a difficult time to be a public servant,” they said. “But whether you’re serving in the CIA, in the Army, or Navy, or the Air Force, your vigilance is critical.”

The Defense Department&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/pentagon-investigates-arizona-sen-mark-kelly-after-he-appears-video-blasted-trump" target="_blank">announced</a>&nbsp;Monday that it was looking into “serious allegations of misconduct” against Kelly, a former Navy captain and NASA astronaut, for his participation in the video.&nbsp;

The statement said defense officials may recall Kelly “to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures.”&nbsp;

Kelly wrote in a statement responding to the investigation that he had “given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.”

“If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work,” Kelly wrote.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/DeptofWar/status/1993436056008507865/photo/1" target="_blank">posted on social media</a>&nbsp;Tuesday that he wants the Secretary of the Navy to brief him “on the outcome of your review by no later than December 10, 2025.”

Members of Congress’ official actions are generally protected under&nbsp;<a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S6-C1-3-1/ALDE_00013300/" target="_blank">the speech and debate clause</a>&nbsp;of the Constitution.&nbsp;

A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R45043?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22speech+and+debate+clause%22%7D&amp;s=4&amp;r=4" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service states the judiciary’s “immunity principle protects Members from ‘intimidation by the executive’ or a ‘hostile judiciary’ by prohibiting both the executive and judicial powers from being used to improperly influence or harass legislators.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1764102122289.png" alt=" Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin -image from the controversial video" />
                        <figcaption> Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin -image from the controversial video</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a></p><p>WASHINGTON — Democratic members of Congress who released a video in mid-November telling members of the military that they are not required to follow illegal orders announced Tuesday the Federal Bureau of Investigation has asked to speak with them about the matter.&nbsp;</p><p>Four House members, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin wrote the inquiry will not deter them from publicly stating their concerns about the Trump administration.&nbsp;</p><p>“Last night, the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division appeared to open an inquiry into me in response to a video President Trump did not like,” Slotkin wrote in a statement published on social media.&nbsp;</p><p>“The President directing the FBI to target us is exactly why we made this video in the first place,” Slotkin added. “He believes in weaponizing the federal government against his perceived enemies and does not believe laws apply to him or his Cabinet. He uses legal harassment as an intimidation tactic to scare people out of speaking up.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Kelly’s office said it had “received this inquiry via the Sergeant at Arms.”&nbsp; The House members said the FBI has contacted the House Sergeant at Arms office requesting interviews.</p><p>“Senator Kelly won’t be silenced by President Trump and Secretary Hegseth’s attempt to intimidate him and keep him from doing his job as a U.S. Senator,” the spokesperson said.&nbsp;</p><p>Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania and Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire separately issued a joint statement alleging that “Trump is using the FBI as a tool to intimidate and harass Members of Congress.”</p><p>“No amount of intimidation or harassment will ever stop us from doing our jobs and honoring our Constitution,” they wrote. “We swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. That oath lasts a lifetime, and we intend to keep it. We will not be bullied. We will never give up the ship.”</p><p>President Donald Trump after learning of the video&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-accuses-6-democratic-lawmakers-seditious-behavior-punishable-death" target="_blank">posted on social media</a>&nbsp;that he believed the statement from six Democratic lawmakers represented “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH.”</p><p>The FBI declined to comment.&nbsp;</p><h2>Illegal orders</h2><p>Those six lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SenatorSlotkin/status/1990774492356902948" target="_blank">posted a video</a>&nbsp;on social media on Nov. 18 telling members of the military and intelligence community that they “can” and “must refuse illegal orders.”</p><p>“No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution. We know this is hard and that it’s a difficult time to be a public servant,” they said. “But whether you’re serving in the CIA, in the Army, or Navy, or the Air Force, your vigilance is critical.”</p><p>The Defense Department&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/pentagon-investigates-arizona-sen-mark-kelly-after-he-appears-video-blasted-trump" target="_blank">announced</a>&nbsp;Monday that it was looking into “serious allegations of misconduct” against Kelly, a former Navy captain and NASA astronaut, for his participation in the video.&nbsp;</p><p>The statement said defense officials may recall Kelly “to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures.”&nbsp;</p><p>Kelly wrote in a statement responding to the investigation that he had “given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.”</p><p>“If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work,” Kelly wrote.</p><h2>Hegseth asks for briefing</h2><p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/DeptofWar/status/1993436056008507865/photo/1" target="_blank">posted on social media</a>&nbsp;Tuesday that he wants the Secretary of the Navy to brief him “on the outcome of your review by no later than December 10, 2025.”</p><p>Members of Congress’ official actions are generally protected under&nbsp;<a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S6-C1-3-1/ALDE_00013300/" target="_blank">the speech and debate clause</a>&nbsp;of the Constitution.&nbsp;</p><p>A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R45043?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22speech+and+debate+clause%22%7D&amp;s=4&amp;r=4" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service states the judiciary’s “immunity principle protects Members from ‘intimidation by the executive’ or a ‘hostile judiciary’ by prohibiting both the executive and judicial powers from being used to improperly influence or harass legislators.”</p>

Dems threatened by Trump over video say they’re now being probed by the FBI

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Gobble &amp; Waddle living their best life. <br><br>🇺🇸 Don’t miss the Presidential Turkey Pardon — 12 PM EST! <a href="https://t.co/YwCtCdn3Mz">pic.twitter.com/YwCtCdn3Mz</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1993353700434199001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;The turkeys being pardoned today go by the names Gobble and Waddle. When I first saw their pictures... I was going to call them Chuck and Nancy — but then I realized I wouldn&#39;t be pardoning them. I would never pardon those two people.&quot; 🤣 <a href="https://t.co/XuhIbTGUbI">pic.twitter.com/XuhIbTGUbI</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1993368386395685351?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;We thank God for his many blessings and the great success that this country has seen in a short period of time. We draw strength from the love of family and friends, and we express our undying gratitude for the men in the women of the United States armed forces.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/uULjzeAqER">pic.twitter.com/uULjzeAqER</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1993371788097593447?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;Gobble, I just want to tell you this — very important — you are hereby unconditionally pardoned!&quot;<br><br>🤣🦃 <a href="https://t.co/WmjvScCf6K">pic.twitter.com/WmjvScCf6K</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1993371733865160937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;These are two of the largest Turkey’s ever presented to an American president—over 50 pounds each... despite their size, <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a> has formally certified that these are the first ever MAHA turkeys.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/H5kW4yM1Rn">pic.twitter.com/H5kW4yM1Rn</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1993368718655570036?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: President Trump says an investigation has shown Biden used an autopen for last year&#39;s turkey pardon.<br><br>&quot;I determined that last year&#39;s turkey pardons are totally invalid, as are the pardons of about every other person that was pardoned other than Where&#39;s Hunter.&quot; 🤣🤣 <a href="https://t.co/tZBfHwJKq6">pic.twitter.com/tZBfHwJKq6</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1993368344100323390?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Not much holiday cheer as President pardons Thanksgiving Turkeys

WASHINGTON, D.C.&nbsp;– U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy&nbsp; launched a new civility campaign titled&nbsp;“The Golden Age of Travel Starts with You.”

The campaign, according to a statement from the agency, is intended to jumpstart a nationwide conversation around how we can all restore courtesy and class to air travel. This won’t just make the travel experience better for the flying public – it will ensure the safety of passengers, gate workers, flight attendants, and pilots.&nbsp;

It’s not just your imagination – the data backs up the feeling that travel has become more unruly.&nbsp;

Secretary Duffy posed a few key questions every flyer should ask themselves this holiday season to help Americans reach their destinations as quickly, efficiently and comfortably as possible: &nbsp;

There’s no question we’ve lost sight of what makes travel fun – the excitement, the relaxation, the cordial conversations. Americans already feel divided and stressed. We can all do our part to bring back civility, manners, and common sense. When we can unite around shared values, we can feel more connected as a country.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<p>WASHINGTON, D.C.&nbsp;– U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy&nbsp; launched a new civility campaign titled&nbsp;“The Golden Age of Travel Starts with You.”</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Our civility campaign is all about asking ourselves — how can we all inject a little more kindness into travel this holiday season?<br><br>Ushering in the return to the Golden Age of travel… and it starts with all of us🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/a8IpGBgIC4">pic.twitter.com/a8IpGBgIC4</a></p>&mdash; Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/1993082015562772963?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The campaign, according to a statement from the agency, is intended to jumpstart a nationwide conversation around how we can all restore courtesy and class to air travel. This won’t just make the travel experience better for the flying public – it will ensure the safety of passengers, gate workers, flight attendants, and pilots.&nbsp;</p><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5UUOD-sa5As?si=Fe3kUnj9BYXF97Q0&amp;start=6" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><p>It’s not just your imagination – the data backs up the feeling that travel has become more unruly.&nbsp;</p><ul>
                        <li>Since 2019, the FAA has seen a&nbsp;400% increase of in-flight outbursts—ranging from disruptive behavior to outright violence  &nbsp;</li><li>13,800 unruly passenger incidents since 2021&nbsp;</li><li>Unruly passenger reports rose 6x between 2020 and 2021&nbsp;</li><li>1 in 5 flight attendants experienced physical incidents in 2021&nbsp;</li><li>2024 saw&nbsp;double the number of unruly passenger events compared with 2019&nbsp;</li>
                    </ul><p>Secretary Duffy posed a few key questions every flyer should ask themselves this holiday season to help Americans reach their destinations as quickly, efficiently and comfortably as possible: &nbsp;</p><ol>
                        <li>Are you helping a pregnant woman or the elderly with placing their bags in the overhead bin?</li><li>Are you dressing with respect?</li><li>Are you keeping control of your children and helping them through the airport?</li><li>Are you saying thank you to your flight attendants?</li><li>Are you saying please and thank you in general?</li>
                    </ol><p>There’s no question we’ve lost sight of what makes travel fun – the excitement, the relaxation, the cordial conversations. Americans already feel divided and stressed. We can all do our part to bring back civility, manners, and common sense. When we can unite around shared values, we can feel more connected as a country.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

🎥DOT Secretary: Stop wearing pajamas on airplanes

WASHINGTON&nbsp; — First lady&nbsp;Melania Trump&nbsp;on Monday welcomed this year’s official White House Christmas tree to the White House.

<p>WASHINGTON&nbsp; — First lady&nbsp;Melania Trump&nbsp;on Monday welcomed this year’s official White House Christmas tree to the White House.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">First Lady Melania Trump receives the 2025 White House Christmas Tree 🌲 <a href="https://t.co/exxZAN5Qf6">pic.twitter.com/exxZAN5Qf6</a></p>&mdash; Office of the First Lady (@FirstLadyOffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/FirstLadyOffice/status/1993045306116866403?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“It will be beautiful! We are going to plan, and it’s starting today” <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a> ❤️🎄 <a href="https://t.co/bfAMYzQjSQ">pic.twitter.com/bfAMYzQjSQ</a></p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1993006026782826922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">First Lady Melania Trump (<a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a>) receives White House Christmas Tree. <a href="https://t.co/jGFkc8IJH8">pic.twitter.com/jGFkc8IJH8</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1993005187934347329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“It will be beautiful! We are going to plan, and it’s starting today” <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a> ❤️🎄 <a href="https://t.co/bfAMYzQjSQ">pic.twitter.com/bfAMYzQjSQ</a></p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1993006026782826922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥First lady welcomes Christmas tree to the White House

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">Jacob Fischler</a>-

A senior federal judge dismissed charges Monday against two public officials with long-running public disputes with President Donald Trump, saying the controversial appointment of the president’s former personal attorney as a prosecutor doomed the cases.

Senior U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, whom former President Bill Clinton appointed to the bench in South Carolina, wrote in a Monday order that Attorney General Pam Bondi did not have the authority to make Lindsey Halligan the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.&nbsp;

The judge said the deadline for an interim appointee to that position had lapsed.

Because that process was invalid, the prosecutions against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both of whom had investigated or prosecuted Trump, must be dropped, Currie&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136.213.0_1.pdf" target="_blank">wrote</a>.

Currie dismissed the indictments without prejudice, meaning they could be revived. But at least in Comey’s case, in which charges were brought on the eve of the statute of limitations expiring, that appeared unlikely.

U.S. attorneys are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, but the attorney general can appoint someone on an interim basis for 120 days. After that, the judges in the district are responsible for appointing an interim prosecutor.

“Ms. Halligan was not appointed in a manner consistent with this framework,” Currie wrote.

Bondi appointed Erik Siebert as the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in January, while his confirmation was pending in the Senate. After 120 days, the judges in the district allowed him to continue.

Siebert resigned in September, reportedly under pressure from Trump and Bondi to bring charges against Comey. Bondi then named Halligan, at the time a White House aide who had also worked for Trump in a private capacity, as the interim U.S. attorney.&nbsp;

But Bondi could not do that because, after 120 days, the responsibility for naming an interim U.S. attorney fell to the district court judges, Currie wrote.

“The 120-day clock began running with Mr. Siebert’s appointment on Jan. 21, 2025,” she wrote. “When that clock expired on May 21, 2025, so too did the Attorney General’s appointment authority. Consequently, I conclude that the Attorney General’s attempt to install Ms. Halligan as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was invalid and that Ms. Halligan has been unlawfully serving in that role.”

Halligan, after gaining office in September, quickly secured a two-count indictment against the former FBI chief from a grand jury in Alexandria. Comey was accused of lying to Congress about whether he had authorized a press leak of information related to an FBI investigation of Russian actors’ involvement in Trump’s first presidential campaign.&nbsp;

However, U.S. District Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/judge-cites-profound-investigative-missteps-court-case-against-james-comey" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;last week that issues with evidence, testimony and statements to the grand jury in the case outweighed the usual heavily guarded secrecy of proceedings. He said “profound investigative missteps” could result in the dismissal of Comey’s indictment.

Comey has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/former-fbi-director-comey-pleads-not-guilty-criminal-charges-demanded-trump" target="_blank">pleaded</a>&nbsp;not guilty.

James won a civil case against Trump related to business fraud, though a state appeals court later overturned the sentence as overly punitive.

Trump has publicly blasted James and Comey as using the mechanisms of legal proceedings to persecute him.&nbsp;

In an extraordinary public message to Bondi just before Halligan replaced Siebert, Trump complained that the prosecutions against both were not developing faster.

The Justice Department did not respond to a message seeking comment Monday.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758848907803.png" alt="Image from former FBI Director James Comey's  Instagram" />
                        <figcaption>Image from former FBI Director James Comey's  Instagram</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">Jacob Fischler</a>-</p><p>A senior federal judge dismissed charges Monday against two public officials with long-running public disputes with President Donald Trump, saying the controversial appointment of the president’s former personal attorney as a prosecutor doomed the cases.</p><p>Senior U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, whom former President Bill Clinton appointed to the bench in South Carolina, wrote in a Monday order that Attorney General Pam Bondi did not have the authority to make Lindsey Halligan the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.&nbsp;</p><p>The judge said the deadline for an interim appointee to that position had lapsed.</p><p>Because that process was invalid, the prosecutions against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both of whom had investigated or prosecuted Trump, must be dropped, Currie&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136.213.0_1.pdf" target="_blank">wrote</a>.</p><p>Currie dismissed the indictments without prejudice, meaning they could be revived. But at least in Comey’s case, in which charges were brought on the eve of the statute of limitations expiring, that appeared unlikely.</p><h2>120-day clock</h2><p>U.S. attorneys are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, but the attorney general can appoint someone on an interim basis for 120 days. After that, the judges in the district are responsible for appointing an interim prosecutor.</p><p>“Ms. Halligan was not appointed in a manner consistent with this framework,” Currie wrote.</p><p>Bondi appointed Erik Siebert as the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in January, while his confirmation was pending in the Senate. After 120 days, the judges in the district allowed him to continue.</p><p>Siebert resigned in September, reportedly under pressure from Trump and Bondi to bring charges against Comey. Bondi then named Halligan, at the time a White House aide who had also worked for Trump in a private capacity, as the interim U.S. attorney.&nbsp;</p><p>But Bondi could not do that because, after 120 days, the responsibility for naming an interim U.S. attorney fell to the district court judges, Currie wrote.</p><p>“The 120-day clock began running with Mr. Siebert’s appointment on Jan. 21, 2025,” she wrote. “When that clock expired on May 21, 2025, so too did the Attorney General’s appointment authority. Consequently, I conclude that the Attorney General’s attempt to install Ms. Halligan as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was invalid and that Ms. Halligan has been unlawfully serving in that role.”</p><h2>Quick indictment</h2><p>Halligan, after gaining office in September, quickly secured a two-count indictment against the former FBI chief from a grand jury in Alexandria. Comey was accused of lying to Congress about whether he had authorized a press leak of information related to an FBI investigation of Russian actors’ involvement in Trump’s first presidential campaign.&nbsp;</p><p>However, U.S. District Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/judge-cites-profound-investigative-missteps-court-case-against-james-comey" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;last week that issues with evidence, testimony and statements to the grand jury in the case outweighed the usual heavily guarded secrecy of proceedings. He said “profound investigative missteps” could result in the dismissal of Comey’s indictment.</p><p>Comey has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/former-fbi-director-comey-pleads-not-guilty-criminal-charges-demanded-trump" target="_blank">pleaded</a>&nbsp;not guilty.</p><p>James won a civil case against Trump related to business fraud, though a state appeals court later overturned the sentence as overly punitive.</p><p>Trump has publicly blasted James and Comey as using the mechanisms of legal proceedings to persecute him.&nbsp;</p><p>In an extraordinary public message to Bondi just before Halligan replaced Siebert, Trump complained that the prosecutions against both were not developing faster.</p><p>The Justice Department did not respond to a message seeking comment Monday.</p>

Judge drops James Comey and Letitia James charges, saying prosecutor served ‘unlawfully’

Charles Herbster, who lost to Gov. Jim Pillen in 2022, says Pillen’s ‘shortcomings make it hard to say no,’ will decide closer to new year

<i>By Juan Salinas II | Nebraska Examiner</i><br>

LINCOLN — The Republican primary race for Nebraska governor is already heating up, and it might soon get serious.&nbsp;

Trump donor and multi-state agribusinessman Charles Herbster has made more pointed statements about Gov. Jim Pillen in recent weeks on social media.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Herbster’s posts have shifted in tone from talking about national politics and President Donald Trump, with some references to state politics, to more direct criticism of Pillen as he continues mulling a 2026 rematch bid for governor.

Starting this month, Herbster has criticized Pillen for not listening to the business community, for not selling the state aggressively enough to business leaders elsewhere and for resisting voter-approved medical cannabis, the legalization of which Herbster now&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wowt.com/video/2025/11/12/herbster-reverses-position-medical-cannabis/" target="_blank">says should be respected</a>.&nbsp;

“Our governor should be the state’s leading salesman,” Herbster wrote&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/cwherbster/status/1985424695341301966?s=46&amp;t=B4v5xSml401BbJ1-tGAokQ" target="_blank">one post</a>. “To say we should not focus on attracting new businesses is beyond reckless — it is not leadership.”

In another&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/cwherbster/status/1988321270757241199?s=46&amp;t=B4v5xSml401BbJ1-tGAokQ" target="_blank">social media post</a>, Herbster said, “Governor Jim Pillen has done everything he can to delay and dismantle the voter-enacted medical cannabis statutes.”

Herbster also has started reviving his 2022 campaign staple of saying he wants to “Make Nebraska Great Again” and sounds more and more like someone running for governor.&nbsp;

Asked this week whether his statements should be read as telegraphing a 2026 bid, he told the Examiner, “Governor Pillen’s shortcomings make it hard to say no.” Herbster said his decision on whether to run would come closer to the new year.&nbsp;

“We are not on a path to success,” Herbster said. “Our governor seems stubbornly convinced he alone has all the answers and continues to double down on failure. He can tout some social-issue wins — which I wholeheartedly support — but Nebraskans are worried about the economy.”

If Herbster gets in, 2026 would be a rematch between the two candidates who received the most votes in the 2022 GOP gubernatorial primary. That race included former State Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha, who is now running for the open seat in Nebraska’s Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District. Lindstrom finished third in that 2022 GOP primary.&nbsp;

Pillen cruised to general election victory against then-Democratic State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue.&nbsp;

That 2022 contest was one of the most expensive gubernatorial races in Nebraska history,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/06/nebraskas-costliest-governors-race-left-wild-numbers-in-its-wake/">with&nbsp;$29 million flowing into it</a>. Herbster largely self-funded his campaign, while Pillen raised large sums and also benefitted from outside help by then-Gov. Pete Ricketts.

Herbster during that 2022 primary earned the endorsement of President Donald Trump, while Pillen was backed by Ricketts. Pillen appointed Ricketts to the U.S. Senate shortly after becoming governor. Ricketts, R-Neb., won a special election in November to serve out the final two years of former GOP U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse’s term. Ricketts is currently in a heated race against former Omaha labor leader Dan Osborn, a registered nonpartisan.&nbsp;

Herbster spent weeks of that campaign denying the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/14/gop-state-senator-seven-other-women-say-charles-herbster-groped-them-he-denies-allegations/">allegations of eight women</a>&nbsp;who alleged in a 2022 Nebraska Examiner article that Herbster had groped them. All eight accounts were&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/19/three-people-speak-on-the-record-to-confirm-allegations-of-groping-by-charles-herbster/">corroborated either by witnesses</a>&nbsp;or people the women told what happened immediately afterward. But the reasons for his loss were&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/13/where-herbster-stumbled-and-how-pillen-won-nebraskas-gop-gubernatorial-primary/">more complex than the national political narrative</a>.

Several GOP operatives have expected Pillen to draw at least one primary challenger, partly because of national and local polling numbers that indicate he could be vulnerable. Among the criticisms they and others have said he is likely to face are about increased state spending, the effectiveness of state investments in property tax relief and his tax and budget proposals.

But Pillen is an incumbent, and Nebraska rarely changes horses midstream. The last incumbent Republican to lose the Governor’s Mansion was Gov. Kay Orr, who lost to Democrat Ben Nelson in 1990. Pillen had more than $3 million in cash on hand last year, state campaign finance reports show. Many expect him to raise more than $10 million.&nbsp;

The governor&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/05/29/nebraska-gov-jim-pillen-announces-reelection-bid-amid-herbster-speculation/">announced his reelection bid in May</a>. His campaign video focused on controversies familiar to those who followed his 2022 campaign, including support for tougher immigration enforcement and other culture-war issues. Pillen, in&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/06/02/nebraska-governor-brags-about-historically-conservative-budget-wins/">his end of session speech to state lawmakers</a>, touted the passage of bills that limit high school and college sports participation to students’ sex at birth, banning lab-grown meat and lowering income tax rates.

Herbster said Nebraskans are with Pillen on some of those issues, but he said more needs to be done about core issues that have long been central for statewide campaigns — particularly job creation and reducing property taxes.&nbsp;

People, Herbster said, are “worried about property taxes.” He said “they’re worried about making ends meet.”

Pillen’s campaign declined to comment Friday on Herbster’s potential bid.

Pillen, whose family owns a major hog operation based in Columbus, has prioritized property tax relief, including investing $1 billion into a state effort to fund more of special education costs and a baseline amount of state aid to K-12 schools.

The governor said last week that he wants to address property taxes again soon. But state lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/11/19/nebraskas-projected-budget-deficit-grows-to-471-million-ahead-of-2026-legislative-session/">face a larger projected deficit</a>&nbsp;this upcoming session than the one senators just filled this spring.

Nebraska Democrats have hinted at an announcement of a gubernatorial candidate as early as this week.&nbsp;Some Democratic political observers have speculated that a state senator might run.&nbsp;Others have made noise about a possible third-party or nonpartisan candidate.

Republicans outnumber Democrats in Nebraska by roughly 2-to-1, with about 22% registered either nonpartisan or with a third party. The GOP primary for governor is May 12. The general election is&nbsp;Nov. 3.

<h2>Charles Herbster, who lost to Gov. Jim Pillen in 2022, says Pillen’s ‘shortcomings make it hard to say no,’ will decide closer to new year</h2><p><i>By Juan Salinas II | Nebraska Examiner</i><br></p><figure>
                        <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_4142-1536x1024.jpg" alt="&nbsp;Nebraska reporters cover Gov. Jim Pillen’s press conference at the Governor’s Mansion on April 28, 2025. Pillen is running for reelection. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)" />
                        <figcaption>&nbsp;Nebraska reporters cover Gov. Jim Pillen’s press conference at the Governor’s Mansion on April 28, 2025. Pillen is running for reelection. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>LINCOLN — The Republican primary race for Nebraska governor is already heating up, and it might soon get serious.&nbsp;</p><p>Trump donor and multi-state agribusinessman Charles Herbster has made more pointed statements about Gov. Jim Pillen in recent weeks on social media.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Herbster’s posts have shifted in tone from talking about national politics and President Donald Trump, with some references to state politics, to more direct criticism of Pillen as he continues mulling a 2026 rematch bid for governor.</p><p>Starting this month, Herbster has criticized Pillen for not listening to the business community, for not selling the state aggressively enough to business leaders elsewhere and for resisting voter-approved medical cannabis, the legalization of which Herbster now&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wowt.com/video/2025/11/12/herbster-reverses-position-medical-cannabis/" target="_blank">says should be respected</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>“Our governor should be the state’s leading salesman,” Herbster wrote&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/cwherbster/status/1985424695341301966?s=46&amp;t=B4v5xSml401BbJ1-tGAokQ" target="_blank">one post</a>. “To say we should not focus on attracting new businesses is beyond reckless — it is not leadership.”</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/IMG_2249-300x225.jpg" alt="Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster greets people who were leaving after his weather-cancelled rally with former President Donald Trump in Greenwood, Nebraska. It was delayed until Sunday. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)" />
                        <figcaption>Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster greets people who were leaving after his weather-cancelled rally with former President Donald Trump in Greenwood, Nebraska. It was delayed until Sunday. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>In another&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/cwherbster/status/1988321270757241199?s=46&amp;t=B4v5xSml401BbJ1-tGAokQ" target="_blank">social media post</a>, Herbster said, “Governor Jim Pillen has done everything he can to delay and dismantle the voter-enacted medical cannabis statutes.”</p><p>Herbster also has started reviving his 2022 campaign staple of saying he wants to “Make Nebraska Great Again” and sounds more and more like someone running for governor.&nbsp;</p><p>Asked this week whether his statements should be read as telegraphing a 2026 bid, he told the Examiner, “Governor Pillen’s shortcomings make it hard to say no.” Herbster said his decision on whether to run would come closer to the new year.&nbsp;</p><p>“We are not on a path to success,” Herbster said. “Our governor seems stubbornly convinced he alone has all the answers and continues to double down on failure. He can tout some social-issue wins — which I wholeheartedly support — but Nebraskans are worried about the economy.”</p><p>If Herbster gets in, 2026 would be a rematch between the two candidates who received the most votes in the 2022 GOP gubernatorial primary. That race included former State Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha, who is now running for the open seat in Nebraska’s Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District. Lindstrom finished third in that 2022 GOP primary.&nbsp;</p><p>Pillen cruised to general election victory against then-Democratic State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue.&nbsp;</p><p>That 2022 contest was one of the most expensive gubernatorial races in Nebraska history,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/06/nebraskas-costliest-governors-race-left-wild-numbers-in-its-wake/">with&nbsp;$29 million flowing into it</a>. Herbster largely self-funded his campaign, while Pillen raised large sums and also benefitted from outside help by then-Gov. Pete Ricketts.</p><p>Herbster during that 2022 primary earned the endorsement of President Donald Trump, while Pillen was backed by Ricketts. Pillen appointed Ricketts to the U.S. Senate shortly after becoming governor. Ricketts, R-Neb., won a special election in November to serve out the final two years of former GOP U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse’s term. Ricketts is currently in a heated race against former Omaha labor leader Dan Osborn, a registered nonpartisan.&nbsp;</p><p>Herbster spent weeks of that campaign denying the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/14/gop-state-senator-seven-other-women-say-charles-herbster-groped-them-he-denies-allegations/">allegations of eight women</a>&nbsp;who alleged in a 2022 Nebraska Examiner article that Herbster had groped them. All eight accounts were&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/19/three-people-speak-on-the-record-to-confirm-allegations-of-groping-by-charles-herbster/">corroborated either by witnesses</a>&nbsp;or people the women told what happened immediately afterward. But the reasons for his loss were&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/13/where-herbster-stumbled-and-how-pillen-won-nebraskas-gop-gubernatorial-primary/">more complex than the national political narrative</a>.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_1430-300x200.jpg" alt="Nebraska Gov Jim Pillen at a Nebraska football game at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 4, 2025. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)" />
                        <figcaption>Nebraska Gov Jim Pillen at a Nebraska football game at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 4, 2025. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Several GOP operatives have expected Pillen to draw at least one primary challenger, partly because of national and local polling numbers that indicate he could be vulnerable. Among the criticisms they and others have said he is likely to face are about increased state spending, the effectiveness of state investments in property tax relief and his tax and budget proposals.</p><p>But Pillen is an incumbent, and Nebraska rarely changes horses midstream. The last incumbent Republican to lose the Governor’s Mansion was Gov. Kay Orr, who lost to Democrat Ben Nelson in 1990. Pillen had more than $3 million in cash on hand last year, state campaign finance reports show. Many expect him to raise more than $10 million.&nbsp;</p><p>The governor&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/05/29/nebraska-gov-jim-pillen-announces-reelection-bid-amid-herbster-speculation/">announced his reelection bid in May</a>. His campaign video focused on controversies familiar to those who followed his 2022 campaign, including support for tougher immigration enforcement and other culture-war issues. Pillen, in&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/06/02/nebraska-governor-brags-about-historically-conservative-budget-wins/">his end of session speech to state lawmakers</a>, touted the passage of bills that limit high school and college sports participation to students’ sex at birth, banning lab-grown meat and lowering income tax rates.</p><p>Herbster said Nebraskans are with Pillen on some of those issues, but he said more needs to be done about core issues that have long been central for statewide campaigns — particularly job creation and reducing property taxes.&nbsp;</p><p>People, Herbster said, are “worried about property taxes.” He said “they’re worried about making ends meet.”</p><p>Pillen’s campaign declined to comment Friday on Herbster’s potential bid.</p><p>Pillen, whose family owns a major hog operation based in Columbus, has prioritized property tax relief, including investing $1 billion into a state effort to fund more of special education costs and a baseline amount of state aid to K-12 schools.</p><p>The governor said last week that he wants to address property taxes again soon. But state lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/11/19/nebraskas-projected-budget-deficit-grows-to-471-million-ahead-of-2026-legislative-session/">face a larger projected deficit</a>&nbsp;this upcoming session than the one senators just filled this spring.</p><p>Nebraska Democrats have hinted at an announcement of a gubernatorial candidate as early as this week.&nbsp;Some Democratic political observers have speculated that a state senator might run.&nbsp;Others have made noise about a possible third-party or nonpartisan candidate.</p><p>Republicans outnumber Democrats in Nebraska by roughly 2-to-1, with about 22% registered either nonpartisan or with a third party. The GOP primary for governor is May 12. The general election is&nbsp;Nov. 3.</p>

Has 2026 GOP primary for Nebraska governor already started?

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/author/jacob-fischler/">Jacob Fischler</a><br><a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’ call for a close reexamination of the 42 million people who receive federal food aid has befuddled advocates and lawmakers, coming mere days after recipients began to see benefits that had been stalled during the government shutdown.

Details remain scant a week after Rollins during an interview on the right-wing Newsmax network first publicly broached the startling idea that every beneficiary would have to reapply for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, often called food stamps.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, asked for an explanation, referenced existing requirements and suggested more changes in SNAP rules could be in store.

“Secretary Rollins wants to ensure the fraud, waste, and incessant abuse of SNAP ends,” a USDA spokesperson wrote Wednesday. “Rates of fraud were only previously assumed, and President Trump is doing something about it. Using standard recertification processes for households is a part of that work. As well as ongoing analysis of state data, further regulatory work, and improved collaboration with states.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761944916334.png" alt="Post photo" />
                        <figcaption>Post photo</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/author/jacob-fischler/">Jacob Fischler</a><br><a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a></p><p>U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’ call for a close reexamination of the 42 million people who receive federal food aid has befuddled advocates and lawmakers, coming mere days after recipients began to see benefits that had been stalled during the government shutdown.</p><p>Details remain scant a week after Rollins during an interview on the right-wing Newsmax network first publicly broached the startling idea that every beneficiary would have to reapply for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, often called food stamps.</p><p>The U.S. Department of Agriculture, asked for an explanation, referenced existing requirements and suggested more changes in SNAP rules could be in store.</p><p>“Secretary Rollins wants to ensure the fraud, waste, and incessant abuse of SNAP ends,” a USDA spokesperson wrote Wednesday. “Rates of fraud were only previously assumed, and President Trump is doing something about it. Using standard recertification processes for households is a part of that work. As well as ongoing analysis of state data, further regulatory work, and improved collaboration with states.”</p><p>The 2008 law governing SNAP leaves states responsible for administration. Part of that role includes periodically making sure that the low-income people in the program meet the qualifications for inclusion, but the law allows states to determine how often that occurs.</p><p>“It’s not clear what she would be proposing that is different from what is already happening,” said Katie Bergh, a senior policy analyst for food assistance at the left-leaning think tank Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.</p><p>One interpretation of Rollins’ comments is that she would remove all 42 million individuals from SNAP’s rolls and ask them to resubmit applications. Bergh said that would lead to people losing money they need for groceries. About 40% of those enrolled in SNAP are children.</p><p>“If she’s suggesting that they’re going to somehow redo that process for more than 40 million people who already demonstrated their eligibility and who already have to periodically recertify their eligibility, that would be pretty duplicative and would likely create pretty significant paperwork backlogs that would cause people who are eligible to lose the food assistance that they need,” Bergh said.</p><p>Administration critics have suggested that, while the comments are unlikely to lead to policy changes, they introduce even more confusion for a program that was used as a political token during the record government shutdown that ended this month.&nbsp;</p><p>Making people reapply would underscore the Trump administration’s opposition to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/key-statistics-and-research" target="_blank">nearly $100 billion program</a>, which accounts for 70% of federal nutrition assistance.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/research/snap/characteristics-fy23" target="_blank">USDA says</a>&nbsp;the average SNAP household in fiscal 2023 received a monthly benefit of $332, or $177 a person based on the average SNAP household size of 1.9 people.</p><p>“Secretary Rollins and the Trump administration have cut food assistance for 42 million Americans multiple times this year,” U.S. House Agriculture ranking member Angie Craig said in a Wednesday statement to States Newsroom. “Now, they’ve once again shown that they do not understand the program.”</p><h2>What did Rollins say?</h2><p>In the Nov. 13 interview on Newsmax, Rollins said SNAP was beset by widespread fraud, citing data that 29 mostly Republican-run states submitted to the department. Acquiring data from the 21 other states would give the department a way to wholly remake the program, she said.</p><p>“Can you imagine when we get our hands on the blue state data, what we’re going to find?” she said. “It’s going to give us a platform and a trajectory to fundamentally rebuild this program, have everyone reapply for their benefit, make sure that everyone that’s taking a taxpayer-funded benefit through SNAP or food stamps that they literally are vulnerable, and they can’t survive without it. And that’s the next step here.”</p><p>In an interview Monday on Fox News, host Maria Bartiromo asked Rollins about the move to have recipients “reapply.”</p><p>“Business as usual is over,” Rollins answered in part. “The status quo is no more. We know that the SNAP program is rife with fraud.”</p><p>She added that guarding against fraud would help those the program is meant to serve.</p><p>The comments touched off widespread confusion about what specifically Rollins meant.&nbsp;</p><p>Asked about the initiative during a Thursday press conference, Craig, a Minnesota Democrat, said she was unclear about how it would work and predicted that Rollins would take credit in the future for the existing low rate of fraud.</p><p>“We’re hearing off the record that, you know, maybe people don’t know what the hell they’re talking about,” she said. “In fact, I think they’re trying to take credit for the already very strict standards and the actual low fraud rate in the SNAP program … So we can find no real plan there. Not even sure there’s concepts of a plan there.”</p><p>In response to a States Newsroom request this week for details about the initiative, USDA provided the statement that did not answer how the department would proceed or under what authority, but said Rollins was seeking to reduce fraud in the program.</p><p>Spokespeople did not respond to follow-up questions, or a request to respond to Craig’s remarks Thursday.</p><h2>Low fraud rate</h2><p>Program experts say fraud is not a widespread problem for SNAP.</p><p>An April&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF10860#_Ref509241731" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service found that retailers illegally trafficked about 1.6% of SNAP benefits from fiscal 2015 to 2017.</p><p>Fraud by households applying for SNAP, which appear to be the main target of Rollins’ proposal, is even lower.&nbsp;</p><p>According to a USDA&nbsp;<a href="https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/snap-sar-fy23.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>, about 26,000 applications were referred for an administrative review or prosecution on suspicion of fraud. That number accounts for about 0.1% of the 22.7 million households enrolled in the program, according to the Pew Research Center.</p><p>“Long-standing data sources indicate that intentional fraud by participants is rare,” Bergh said.</p><p>At Thursday’s press conference, Craig called Rollins’ comments “bullsh*t” and “propaganda.”</p><p>“Secretary Rollins goes on TV and talks about all the fraud,” she said. “This most effective anti-hunger program in our history has a fraud rate of 1.6%. It’s actually one of the most effective, well-run programs in the country … The bullsh*t this administration is peddling is egregious.”</p><h2>More targeted reforms</h2><p>Even experts who advocate for reforms to SNAP say eligibility fraud is not a major issue.</p><p>Romina Boccia, director of budget and entitlement policy at the libertarian Cato Institute, said high-net-worth individuals can receive SNAP benefits, but aren’t committing fraud by doing so.</p><p>“Some of the issues with SNAP … aren’t because of fraud or abuse, but they are because of bad program rules,” said Boccia.</p><p>Boccia also cited an “incentive misalignment” inherent in the state-federal program. States have little incentive to control payments because the federal government funds the program, she said.</p><p>Forcing all beneficiaries to reapply would likely reduce the cost of the program by reducing the number of its beneficiaries, including by forcing out higher earners who may not consider the benefits they don’t actually need to be worth the onerous reapplication process, Boccia said.&nbsp;</p><p>But it would also result in a percentage of low earners dropping off the program, as well as many who would be affected by the administrative backlog that would come with processing tens of millions of new applications, she said.&nbsp;</p><h2>Shutdown, the big beautiful bill, and confusion</h2><p>Bergh said Rollins’ comments “add insult to injury” because they come after congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump signed a major tax cuts and spending law that is expected to shrink federal SNAP spending by $187 billion over 10 years. The law added work requirements for many SNAP recipients and shifted some costs to states.</p><p>That was followed by the six-week shutdown that saw&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/shutdown-tug-war-over-snap-benefits-timeline" target="_blank">a dizzying back-and-forth</a>&nbsp;over whether November SNAP benefits would be paid.</p><p>“There has been huge amounts of chaos and confusion and disruption for both states and participants in recent weeks, largely due to the shutdown, but also because simultaneously, the administration has required states to implement many of the reconciliation bill’s SNAP cuts,” Bergh said.</p><p>Craig, in her statement, also said Rollins’ comments would hurt the people who need the program.</p><p>“I am astounded by the secretary’s careless disregard for the hungry seniors and children who can afford to eat because of this program,” she said.</p><p>Sara Naomi Bleich, a public health policy professor at Harvard University, said in a phone interview the confusion from Rollins’ comments compounded hardships produced by the Republican reconciliation law, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.</p><p>“Big picture with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is that there’s basically this tidal wave coming to families that have low income,” Bleich, who worked at USDA during the Obama and Biden administrations, said. “They’re going to lose Medicaid. They’re going to lose SNAP. There could be collateral impacts on the school meals. This is going to be a really hard time for families to navigate.”</p>