News From Around the Web
#10 Trump Appoints Paul Dabbar, and Hung Cao to Positions Within Administration - Elizabeth Pritchett for Fox News, George, Rapid Response 47/Donald J. Trump, and Mario Nawfal on X
President Donald Trump filled two more roles within his administration late Thursday by announcing who will be serving as deputy secretary of commerce and undersecretary of the Navy. Trump selected former Virginia congressional candidate Hung Cao to serve as the next undersecretary of the Navy and former undersecretary of energy for science Paul Dabbar to serve as deputy secretary of commerce. The president congratulated both men, who are Navy veterans and graduates of the United States Naval Academy, in separate Truth Social posts Thursday night...
#9 The Importance of Vagus Nerve Health - Tracy Beanz and Michelle Edwards for The HighWire, UncoverDC, Jack, Dr. Eric Berg, and Shayla on X
In the remarkable human body, the vagal nerves, also known as the vagus nerve, act as a conduit, carrying signals between your brain, heart, and digestive system. As the longest nerve in the body, the vagus nerve serves as a switchboard, taking many calls simultaneously while connecting the brain to various organs, including the gut, heart, and lungs. While sending signals in both ways between your gut and brain, the vagus nerve also controls a wide range of involuntary functions, from digestion and breathing to heart rate, the immune system, relaxation, and even reflexes like coughing. Until recently, there has been a crucial gap in direct evidence related to the role of the vagus nerve in gut microbiome and brain communication, but new research confirms that this transmission occurs through the vagus nerve...#8 Ex-White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Says Biden Forced Out of Race by Democratic ‘Firing Squad’ - Elise A. Spenner- for The Harvard Crimson, Alex Thompson, Collin Rugg/Stop Socialist Tyranny and Victory Girls Blog on X
Former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre lambasted Democratic leadership for attacking Joe Biden like a “firing squad” at a Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics forum Wednesday, saying the party should have united behind the former president. “I have never seen anything like that,” she said. “It was truly, truly unfortunate. And I think it hurt us more than folks realized to have done that.” Jean-Pierre attended a discussion with spring IOP fellow Brittany Shepherd and Anoushka Chander ’25 — her first public event since leaving the White House in January...
#7 Mexico Sends Major Drug Capos to US as Trump Tariff Threat Looms - Reuters, Tom Homan Boarder Czar Commentary, Amuse/Nick Sortor, Mila Joy, and Dan Scavino on X
Mexico on Thursday handed over major figures in the country's criminal underworld to U.S. authorities, part of a surprise extradition of nearly 30 jailed convicts or others accused of ties to violent drug cartels. Some are aging gang leaders who reigned over international trafficking rings decades ago focused on cocaine and heroin. Others are much younger leaders engaged in moving large quantities of deadly fentanyl into the U.S. more recently...#6 Hundreds of NOAA Employees Laid off in Latest Cuts to Federal Workforce - Jordan Freiman and Tracy J. Wholf for CBS News, Al Roker, Roger, Some Blue Wolf, Coffee Bean Logic, and American Weather Geek on X
Hundreds of staffers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, were laid off Thursday as the Trump administration and its newly-created Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, continue slashing the federal workforce. A congressional source told CBS News that the layoffs affected 880 NOAA employees. An administration official told CBS News that about 5% of the agency's staff was let go, and nobody who was deemed critical to NOAA's responsibilities, such as National Weather Service meteorologists, was affected. A source at the National Weather Service disputed this, however, telling CBS News that some meteorologists were included in the cuts... A federal judge in San Francisco on Thursday found that the mass firings of probationary employees were likely unlawful, granting some temporary relief to a coalition of labor unions and organizations that have sued to stop the Trump administration’s massive trimming of the federal workforce. The ruling puts one of the most comprehensive pauses on President Donald Trump’s administration's attempts to carry out mass firings across federal agencies... It’s been almost nine months since a seemingly mild-mannered 20-year-old attempted to assassinate then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at a rally in Butler. And we still have no good reason why. Sources told The Post the FBI has obstructed efforts to solve the mystery of why Thomas Matthew Crooks, who left no manifesto, did what he did. It’s left local law enforcement as well as Crooks’ former friends, classmates and teachers frustrated. Those who may know Crooks’ parents, Matthew and Mary, have refused all interviews and remain in their small, three-bedroom home here, sealed off from the world like hermits. Neighbors say they only leave the house at 3 am to buy groceries... Illinois taxpayers paid out $1.6 billion for healthcare programs for illegal immigrants since 2020, well above the spending projections estimated by Democrat Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration, per a new state audit released this week at the request of GOP legislators. The audit also found that, in many cases, state money was spent on people who were actually U.S. citizens or otherwise eligible for federal programs. "This audit shows that the governor, that the program was rampant in overspending. It spent well in excess of 200% more than what was estimated in budgets and in appropriations," state Senate Republican leader John Curran told Fox News Digital in an interview... A much-ballyhooed release of documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case devolved into anger and disappointment Thursday, with conservative figures and even Attorney General Pam Bondi alleging FBI agents were hiding the full case files. Epstein, a New York City financier whose social circle included presidents and other rich and powerful figures, died by suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019 after he was charged with running a sex trafficking ring involving minors. His case has long been an obsession of those who are convinced that the names of prominent figures involved in his sex trafficking network have been kept secret. Conspiracy theorists have also speculated without real evidence that Epstein didn’t die by suicide but was in fact killed in his jail cell to prevent names from leaking out...
#5 Judge Halts Mass Firings of Federal Workers at Some Agencies - Katelyn Polantz for CNN, Scott MacFarlane, OpIndia.com, and ABC Action News on X
#4 Would-Be Trump Assassin Thomas Crooks May Have Had Accomplice, Data Show, as Investigators Say FBI Is Suppressing Info - Dana Kennedy for New York Post, Wall Street Apes, US Homeland Security News, johnny maga, JB Thinkin, and Insurrection Barbie on X
#3 Blue State Governor’s ‘Gross Mismanagement’ Cost Taxpayers $1.6b for Illegal Immigrant Healthcare: Audit - Jamie Joseph for Fox News, Johnny Midnight, Adam Niemerg, Ms. Muck Raker and ILSenate GOP on X
#2 Hyped Release of ‘Epstein Files’ Sparks Anger and Disappointment - NBC News, AF Post, Kylie Jane Kremer, Wall Street Mav, Proud Elephant, Timcast News, and Jim Ferguson on X
#1 House Judiciary GOP Account Posts ‘Rickroll’ Instead of Epstein Files Link, Sparking Backlash - Austin Williams for Fox 9, Maze Love, AF Post, Natalie Winters, TizzyEnt, TheQuartering, Shipwreck, Wall Street Apes, and Robby Starbuck on X
The official X account for the House Judiciary GOP is facing criticism after it posted a false link claiming to provide access to the newly released Epstein files—only for users to find themselves "Rickrolled" with Rick Astley’s "Never Gonna Give You Up" music video. The post, which featured "#BREAKING: EPSTEIN FILES RELEASED" alongside the misleading link, was quickly flagged by community notes on X. Users pointed out that the link did not contain the Epstein files but instead redirected to the 1987 hit song...
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tissues...
Cemetery Picnic: A Viral Moment of Love and Loss
