Judges in Washington Push Back on Trump’s Reprieve of Jan. 6 Defendants
While dismissing cases, judges who have overseen the prosecutions made clear that the orders did nothing to change the reality of the attack on the Capitol.
Russia is turning Latin America against the U.S. with veiled propaganda
While the free world continues to sound the alarm about Russia’s influence in Europe, little attention has been paid to the damage Moscow is causing in America’s hemisphere.
Trump’s inauguration is a ratings bust
The ratings are in, and let’s just say they don’t look too good after Donald Trump’s second inauguration. In fact, his ratings are downright underwhelming compared to both his own 2017 inauguration and Joe Biden’s in 2021.
Trump’s inauguration rating dipped 27% from Biden’s 2021 viewership and 20% from his first inauguration in 2017, which must be devastating to the president, who loves to harp about his crowd sizes.
According to The Wrap, a combined total of 24.59 million viewers tuned in to cable and network news. Fox News, for obvious reasons, received the highest ratings, making up nearly half of the total viewership, with an average of 10.3 million viewers from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM ET.
CNN averaged 1.7 million viewers during the same period, MSNBC had 848,000 viewers, ABC had 4.7 million viewers, CBS had 4.1 million viewers, NBC had 4.4 million viewers, and there is no immediate information on audience ratings for streaming platforms.
That means that more people watched Beyonce’s Christmas halftime show than the 47th president’s inauguration.
Those numbers seem especially bleak when you consider the size of the U.S. population and the fact that a relatively modest 7.2% of U.S. residents watched Trump’s inauguration. But, hey, at least they didn’t have to witness the endless spectacle of Trump claiming record crowds, an ongoing theme from his first inauguration.
For those with short memories, Trump’s first term kicked off in 2017 with a bizarre and unprovoked obsession over his crowd size. During his first White House press conference, he directed his short-lived Press Secretary Sean Spicer to lie about how many people gathered at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., comparing his crowd to that of former President Barack Obama in 2009—who people can see in photos was clearly more prominent.
At least they didn’t miss much, other than Trump not putting his hand on the bible during his oath of office, an awkward air kiss with Melania, and an array of billionaire oligarchs front and center.
Whether it’s his polarizing presence, general apathy, despondency, or Trump fatigue, this dip in viewership suggests that the appetite for Trump’s theatrics might be waning—at least for now.
Trump to Declassify Files on JFK, RFK, MLK Assassinations
President Donald Trump is slated to declassify files and documents relating to the assassinations of famous Americans “in the coming days.”
In a speech shortly before his inauguration, Trump vowed transparency from his administration, pledging to declassify and release to the public information on the deaths of President John F. Kennedy, his brother and U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and activist Martin Luther King Jr.
The 47th president declared: “As a first step toward restoring transparency and accountability to government, we will also reverse the overclassification of government documents, and in the coming days, we are going to make public remaining records relating to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert Kennedy, as well as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other topics of great public interest. It’s all going to be released, Uncle Sam.”
Following the attempt on his life in July of last year, Trump promised that he would form a commission on assassination attempts, tasked with publishing documents related to John F. Kennedy’s death. The announcement came as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—whose uncle and father were both assassinated—endorsed Trump for president.
“Soon after I was—I can’t even believe I have to say this—nearly assassinated in Pennsylvania last month, Bobby called me to express his best wishes. He knows firsthand the risks incurred by leaders who stand up to the corrupt political establishment,” Trump stated.
He continued, “And when you stand up, you bring on some trouble for yourself, but you have to do what’s right. You have to do what’s right for the country. I’ll tell you, we are both in this to do what’s right for the country.”
President John F. Kennedy was notoriously assassinated on November 22, 1963, while riding through Dallas in a presidential motorcade. Robert F. Kennedy was slain at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has insisted that the CIA was involved in the assassination of his uncle.
“There is overwhelming evidence that the CIA was involved in his murder,” he said in a 2023 interview. “I think it’s beyond a reasonable doubt at this point.”
However, this is not the first time that Trump has promised to share information related to the Kennedy assassinations. During his first administration, Trump did release a number of documents related to JFK’s death but ultimately acceded to the advice of CIA and FBI officials who claimed that releasing more information to the public could pose a national security risk. CIA spokeswoman Nicole de Haay said at the time, in 2018, that the agency “narrowly redacted information in rare instances only to protect CIA assets, officers and their families as well as intelligence methods, operations and partnerships that remain critical to the security of our nation.”
In 1992, the U.S. Congress passed the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act, which stipulated that all records pertaining to the assassination must be made public within 25 years, or by October 26, 2017. According to the act, the president is given authority to keep certain records sealed past that date.
Trump discussed his decision not to publish all files related to the Kennedy assassination in his appearance on the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast in November, on the eve of the election.
“I was met with … people that were well-meaning. [Former Secretary of State and CIA director] Mike Pompeo was one of them, he’s a good person. They called me [and] said, ‘Sir, we’d rather have you not,’” Trump recounted of his decision, adding that a “Martin Luther King file” also exists.
He continued, “So I said, ‘Well, we’ll close it for another time.’ But if I win, I’m just going to open them up.”
When asked why he did not declassify the remaining files during his first term but is open to doing so in his second, Trump replied, “People that are still living, there are people that are affected.”
He added, “I think it’s going to be just fine to open it. Let me put it that way, it’s going to be fine. I think it’s time. It’s a cleansing. … So, I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it immediately, almost immediately upon entering office.”
Although the CIA claimed during Trump’s first term that 99% of documents related to the Kennedy assassination had been declassified and released, Trump estimated on Rogan’s podcast that he only declassified 50% of the Kennedy files.
Originally published by The Washington Stand.
The post Trump to Declassify Files on JFK, RFK, MLK Assassinations appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Volo townhouse development to bring 133 units to village, enhancing it as a ‘destination’
Construction is ongoing on a 133-unit townhouse development in the village of Volo, transforming a property that had sat unused for two decades.
Volo Mayor Stephen Henley said the 27-acre development, on the northeast corner of Route 12 and Molidor Road, will be a boon for the area community and village when it is completed in roughly a year and a half. It slots in easily with the other nearby residential developments, and will boost the critical “daytime population and rooftops,” he said.
“We’ve got a shopping center down the hill,” Henley said. “There’s synergy that comes from that. Those people will shop, then you get sales tax.”
According to village documents, the Oaks of Volo property was annexed in 1998 as part of a larger 160-acre tract. In 2004, as other portions of the larger property were turned into residential developments, the north and southeast portions of the intersection were left for future commercial development that never came.
The new residential development splits the 133 units between 23 buildings — 10 of them two-stories-tall and 13 of them three-stories-tall — and includes a roughly quarter-acre park and three-acre woodland area with a walking path.
The projected equalized assessed value of Oaks of Volo at build-out is $13.3 million, which will generate $1 million annually in property taxes at the current tax rate, documents said.
The estimated population after completion is about 319 residents, including 48 school-age children, according to village documents.
Volo is a growing community, Henley said. Population-wise, Volo had the highest increase percentage out of any Lake County municipality in 2023.
It’s “a destination” in Lake County, he said, featuring nature preserves, the Volo Bog and other amenities. There were also healthy patches of land that could see development in the coming years.
“The developers know what they want,” Henley said. “The businesses know what they want. They’ll come.”
Biden kicks FBI in the teeth on the way out the door
On his way out the door, President Joe Biden delivered one final kick in the teeth to those who proudly served the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Hard Rock Cafe will close in River North
The Hard Rock Cafe will close its River North location March 29 after nearly four decades in business, the company confirmed.
“Hard Rock has enjoyed serving the Windy City community for nearly 40 years and playing a role in the city’s celebrated dining culture,” the cafe’s parent company, Hard Rock International, said in a statement. “We are so grateful to our incredible team members, community partners and fans for their support and memories all this time.”
The restaurant, at 63 W. Ontario St., opened in 1986 and is marked by a giant neon guitar sign and features rock memorabilia on its walls. In a review at the time, a Tribune writer described the cafe as “a family restaurant” serving up “good, honest, filling American fair,” including burgers and barbecued ribs.
“Definitely not a pick-up joint, this restaurant has a safe feeling that makes it comfortable for unescorted single women,” the Tribune reviewer wrote.
The closing of the restaurant that was once a popular tourist destination was first reported by Axios.
In a notification to the state as required by Illinois law, Hard Rock International reported 55 planned layoffs to begin at the end of March.
The company said Chicago employees who were laid off can apply to other positions with the company and that it would provide employees with “outplacement support and resources.”
Hard Rock said it has a total of 319 locations in more than 70 countries. Rockford and northern Indiana are among those locations.
New blaze in Los Angeles County, called the Hughes fire, spreads to more than 5,000 acres
A new wildfire broke out in Los Angeles County, California, Wednesday, called the Hughes fire that has already grown to more than 5,000 acres in size.
Biden’s outgoing letter to Trump: ‘May God bless you’
In the letter former President Biden wrote to President Trump, he wished him well during his second term and said, “may God bless you.”
“As I take leave of his sacred office I wish you and your family all the best in the next four years,” Biden wrote. “The American people – and people around the world – look to this house for steadiness in the inevitable storms of history, and my prayer is that in the coming years will be a time of prosperity, peace, and grace for our nation.”
“May God bless you and guide you as He has blessed and guided our beloved country since our founding,” the letter concluded.
Biden departed office after his first and only term on Monday. Trump was sworn in for the second time and returned to the White House.
In the Resolute Desk upon his arrival was the letter, signed by Biden and dated Monday.
Trump said it was a “very nice letter” and “a little bit of an inspirational type of letter.”
The president discovered the letter when taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office on Monday evening. He held up the envelope with a “47” on it to mark Trump’s second term.
The two presidents appeared to have a friendly conversation and relationship amid the transition of power, despite the name-calling and tumultuous history between them.
Trump took a few shots at Biden in his inaugural address but largely remained respectful of the outgoing president.
The letter was obtained by NewsNation, which like The Hill is owned by Nexstar.
Of Notoriety: Munster Chamber of Commerce celebrating a century, citizenship award
The town of Munster was incorporated as a community in 1907.
But the history of the landscape and earlier settlers dates back even further.
It started with a small inn and tavern at the corner of Ridge Road and Colombia Avenue around 1845, operated by Allan and Julia Watkins Brass. The couple knew weary travelers made their way to Chicago along Ridge Road and needed a resting place and hot meal as a welcome respite from their journey.
It was first a simple structure originally operated as a small one-room tavern, built around 1837 by David Gibson. In 1845, the Brasses moved from New York and purchased the property to build the new, larger two-story inn on the south side of Ridge Road, branding the existing gathering area already popular with customers as “The Brass Tavern.” The couple credited their brisk business and the frequency of traffic on Ridge Road to the neighboring Dutch farmers who attracted truck drivers delivering produce, especially onions and seed onions, plucked from the fields and farms across the Illinois state line and “taken to the city.”
Today, the pub and bar area located off the lobby of The Center for Visual and Performing Arts, 1040 Ridge Road in Munster across Columbia Avenue and Kaske Homestead, is named The Brass Tavern in honor of the early roots in sipping success.
A robust business is the planted seed of future success for any new community. In 1925, the Munster Chamber of Commerce was born as a way to unite and support both existing businesses and new establishments.
This weekend, the Munster Chamber of Commerce is celebrating its 100th anniversary at the organization’s annual dinner and dance gala held in the main ballroom of The Center for Visual and Performing Arts. As a longtime journalist, I’ve written about Munster since my college days at Valparaiso University, including when I wrote about the opening of “the new Center for Visual and Performing Arts” ready to be unveiled in 1989.
My faith and ongoing interest in community history and preservation tied to my journalism credit are among the reasons I’m pleased and honored to be recognized as the 2025 “Citizen of the Year” by the Town of Munster and the Munster Chamber of Commerce.
Whether it’s my writing features, columns and stories to educate, inform or just inspire recollections and nostalgia, or it’s my marketing director duties at The Center for Visual and Performing Arts when welcoming dining and theater guests to escape to our beautiful world of art, music, fine dining and entertainment, I’m grateful for a role that encourages smiles and fond memories.
Each year, the Munster Chamber of Commerce dreams up a clever theme and imaginative décor idea for the annual gala. In the past, themes have included the 1920s era of “The Great Gatsby,” “City of Lights” Paris, and New York’s disco destinations of the 1970s Studio 54.
Once before, in January 2017, I found myself accepting an award at this same gala event. It was the annual community “beautification” award plaque and it was presented to The Center for Visual and Performing Arts for the recent addition of the new Woodside Terrace outside patio adjacent to the ballroom. My supervisor, the late Mylinda Cane, asked me to attend and accept the award.
In 1989, philanthropist and real estate visionary Don Powers was named “Citizen of the Year,” and one of my arts advocate mentors and predecessors at the CVPA, John Mybeck, was bestowed that same honor in 2006, and couple Cal and Cathy Bellamy received the honor in 2003.
In recent years, Pat Popa (2020), Wendy Mis (2021), Damian Rico (2022) and Brad Hemingway (2023) have accepted the same distinction.
For 2025 recognition, Sherry Sink of Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service has been named “volunteer of the year.”
Gourmet Goddess entrepreneur Katie Sannito is the current president of the Munster Chamber of Commerce. For more information about Saturday’s event or the Munster Chamber of Commerce, call 219-836-5549 or visit www.munsterchamber.org.
Philip Potempa is a journalist, published author and the director of marketing at Theatre at the Center. He can be reached at pmpotempa@powershealth.org.