by dap | Mar 15, 2025 | Fox News
The
to keep the government open was a remarkable example of the revolutionary movement through which we are living.
Traditionally, a continuing resolution requires a bipartisan agreement to get through the Senate.
Republican leaders meet with Democratic leaders to discuss it. And the continuing resolution becomes far more expensive – and gains a lot more ideological language.
After the 2024 election, many supposed experts said that President Donald Trump would have a hard time getting legislation through the extraordinarily narrow House Republican majority – or past the Senate’s 60-vote threshold.
The House Republicans have been in turmoil for a decade. Speaker John Boehner retired early in October 2015. His successor, Speaker Paul Ryan announced he would not run again in the middle of 2018. There was a 40-seat defeat in that mid-term election. Then Speaker Kevin McCarthy worked for four years to regrow a Republican majority, but a small, embittered faction simply made his speakership unsustainable. It took 15 ballots for McCarthy to win the Speakership. Then, he was forced out by the same embittered dissidents on Oct. 3, 2023.
Finally, Speaker Mike Johnson emerged as the consensus candidate for Speaker after three high-profile members failed to win 218 votes. Since Johnson had not been in leadership, it represented an enormous jump in responsibility. This led many to believe he would not be able to control the office, which had ultimately forced out Boehner, Ryan, and McCarthy.
Speaker Johnson has turned out to be far more successful – and a lot more strategic – than anyone expected. He also decided early that he could only be effective as President Trump’s ally.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune was a House veteran who has served 20 years in the Senate. At 64, he is a generation younger than former Leader Mitch McConnell. Thune has proven to be a good partner for President Trump and Speaker Johnson. The three have worked hard to get on the same page and to work together to get things done.
If you had told any so-called expert on Jan. 20 that Republicans could get a seven-month continuing resolution to keep the government open for the rest of the fiscal year through the House with only Republican votes, he or she probably would not have believed you. If you had then told them the bill would be difficult for Senate Democrats to undermine, they would have thought you were dreaming. Finally, if you told them that Speaker Johnson, President Trump, and Majority Leader Thune would out-maneuver the Democrats and give them no choice but to pass the continuing resolution or close the government, the experts would have dismissed you out of hand.
Yet, with help from Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, President Trump executed what would have been called in chess a fork.
A fork is a setting where your opponent has two chess pieces at risk. Both cannot be saved. The only choice is which one to sacrifice.
The continuing resolution coming out of the House was entirely Republican. It cut spending. It shifted spending from domestic policies Republicans opposed to into immigration enforcement and defense. More importantly, it rewrote current law to give President Trump and Elon Musk greater flexibility to cut spending and waste.
The Democrats were furious that they were being cut out of the process. They were desperate to defeat the Republican effort, so they could then offer to work with them and develop a much more liberal and anti-change bill.
When the Democrats failed to stop Speaker Johnson, they had only two choices. Both were painful.
They could all vote no. If the Senate Democrats did this, the Republicans would not be able to get past the filibuster, and so the government would shut down. In this case, standing up to President Trump might have been a political victory for their base. But it wouldn’t play well with the rest of the country.
Then the Democrats realized President Trump could cut more programs and reshape the bureaucracy even more under a shutdown scenario than he could if they passed the bill, which they thought already granted him too much power.
So, the choice for the Democrats became to pass a bill that gave President Trump more authority to cut government – or stop the bill and give him even more authority.
President Trump, Speaker Johnson, and Majority Leader Thune played this round brilliantly and won a huge victory.
They also proved that they could pass tax cuts, deregulation, and the other priorities on which President Trump and the Republicans campaigned on in 2024.
This was a big victory with huge implications for the future.
by dap | Mar 15, 2025 | Fox News
In 1994, the vows “for richer, for poorer” had a whole new meaning. My beautiful new bride was ready to risk it all with me to start our own business. We were just 45 days away from losing everything when we pawned off our wedding silver, sold what we had left, and founded Dunwoody Diamonds USA LLC.
It has been 30 years since we founded our
and fulfilled our American dream. My story is a success story, but I faced many challenges and took the risks that every small business owner is familiar with. There were times when we made millions only to lose millions, and at times we were simply just trying to keep the lights on. The past four years under Joe Biden were particularly challenging. Biden’s government overreach placed unnecessary strain on the viability and sustainability of small businesses, especially minority-owned businesses.
It’s already challenging enough for a
to keep its doors open while managing sales tax, property tax, payroll tax, occupational tax—the list goes on. But Joe Biden’s government overreach further strangled small businesses with escalated and redundant regulations. During the final months of Biden’s presidency, Joe Biden dealt America’s small business owners a final blow by attempting to implement the so-called “Corporate Transparency Act.” The law required tens of millions of businesses to complete newly created “Beneficial Ownership Information” (BOI) reports to the federal government or risk fines up to $591 a day, or even prison time. This was just another redundant regulation to stop small business from getting off the ground.
Biden’s BOI reporting requirements applied to almost 33 million businesses, and missing the deadline could result in a penalty of nearly $600 per day or criminal fines of up to $10,000. Already devastated by Bidenomics, many business owners couldn’t afford to fork over thousands in cash for missing deadlines on redundant fees. The American Dream seemed bleak with Biden’s overreach and regulations.
Small business owners—just one more fee away from closing down—were anxiously awaiting
return to office. And on Day One, President Trump began to deliver on his promise to put America First, revive the backbone of America’s economy, and eliminate business-killing regulations.
President Trump is using his executive authority to quickly restore optimism to small business owners. Under President Trump’s directive, the Treasury announced the suspension of the Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) requirement, meaning no fines or penalties associated with Biden’s business-killing regulation will be enforced.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said it best: this is a
for small business owners across the country. President Trump is going line by line to ensure every pointless and burdensome regulation is reversed. Instead of burdening America’s small businesses with BOI reporting, the Treasury will consider rules that will only pay additional attention to foreign reporting companies. Protecting small businesses, not punishing them. Suspending this reporting requirement was a victory for small businesses across the country, but there are many more victories to come in the next four years.
In President Trump’s memorable address to Congress, he reaffirmed his commitment to defend and empower America’s small businesses. Since taking office, President Trump signed an executive order requiring federal agencies to cut 10 existing regulations for every new regulation created.
President Trump also reversed the enormous over-expansion of the IRS that took place under the Biden administration to target small businesses and rescinded every one of the Biden administration’s job-killing, pro-China, anti-American energy regulations that cripple small businesses.
For
, Biden’s energy regulations were set to make the basic costs of keeping the doors open even more expensive. If left untouched, businesses would have spent $1,100 more on air conditioners, $2,800 more on gas heaters, and $140 more on light bulbs. President Trump immediately directed his Energy Department to stop those burdensome regulations from going into effect.
President Trump’s promise to enact reciprocal tariffs is leveling the playing field for American companies and bringing historic investment and jobs to the United States. The February jobs report revealed 10,000 manufacturing jobs were created last month alone. The private sector is now driving job growth, creating over 150,000 new jobs.
As one of the world’s most accomplished business tycoons, President Trump knows exactly what it takes to Make America Wealthy Again. President Trump is not only a great friend of mine, but a great friend for small businesses. His powerful and compelling vision for America is one that gets government out of the way, unleashes the American spirit, and renews the American Dream.
by dap | Mar 15, 2025 | Fox News
The Daily Mail just profiled a few of the 6,100 Americans — “rich and famous” elites — who fled the U.S. and applied for U.K. citizenship, terrified of the ghost stories they told themselves about
to the White House.
they’re bolting for New Zealand and the U.K., a 26% jump from 2023 and a record high in two decades. It’s a tale of effete panic — proof, they say, that Trump’s America is unlivable. Except it’s not proof — it’s cosplay, and the data proves it’s a fantasy that only a handful of spoiled brats can afford to indulge.
Someone once remarked that the “British and Americans are two people separated by a common language.” Yet, one might suspect that those who uprooted to move to Notting Hill in London are one people with their neighbors, united by their contempt for common sense.
The Census Bureau’s 2023 State-to-State Migration Flows report tells the real story. California lost 268,052 residents net — 690,127 moved out to other states, while 422,075 moved in — another year of bleeding talent and taxpayers. Texas gained 133,372 — 611,942 arrivals and 478,570 departures — with 93,970 Californians picking the Lone Star State as their top destination. That’s 15 times the 6,100 “Dashers” who abandoned the nation.
New York is no better: 481,544 moved out to other states, 302,835 moved in, a net loss of 178,709. Where’d they go? Florida, the top spot, took in 71,906 New Yorkers, while gaining 126,008 net — 636,933 arrivals and 510,925 departures.
Blue states are emptying, red states are thriving.
Jobs back this up. California saw its private sector jobs grow by an anemic 0.8% in 2024. New York was a shade stronger at 1.4% growth in private payrolls. Texas smoked both of its big blue state rivals with 2.1% job growth — 52% higher than New York and a whopping 156% higher than California.
California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom is likely thrilled to be terming out next year so that he can put some distance between the smoking remains of California’s economy and his expected run for president.
On the other hand, Texas, the epitome of red state Trump America, is a magnet for workers and businesses. People don’t flee opportunity — they chase it.
clutching their passports while millions move to Trump-friendly states, not away.
Trump’s net job approval tells another tale: it’s been positive on RealClearPolitics since the inauguration, with nearly half the country in his corner. If he’s such a nightmare, why are only 6,100 out of 340 million — 0.0018% — plotting an international escape?
These “Dashers” aren’t fleeing reality; they’re living a delusion. Maybe they think Trump’s coming for their tax cuts—the same cuts that fattened their wallets in his first term. Maybe they’ve bought the media’s “fascism” hype, despite four years of Trump leaving their caviar untouched and their free speech rights strengthened.
Whatever it is, it’s not the America the rest of us see. The “Dashers” can’t square this with their dystopian script, so they jet overseas while millions vote with moving vans and U-Hauls, migrating from blue to red states, chasing freedom and jobs, not fleeing Trump.
The “Donald Dashers” are a loud minority playing refugee dress-up from a tyranny that doesn’t exist. A boutique rebellion that will end in a whimper.
by dap | Mar 15, 2025 | Fox News
This week’s media cause célèbre is
, the leader of a New York City protest group calling itself Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD). The network newscasts displayed no interest in this group’s public statements and couldn’t connect their messaging with their protest leader.
On October 9, 2024,
reported CUAD marked the anniversary of Hamas slaughtering over 1,200 Israeli civilians by distributing a newspaper with a headline that used Hamas’s name for the mass murder: “One Year Since Al-Aqsa Flood, Revolution Until Victory.” The group posted an essay calling the attack a “moral, military and political victory” and quoting Ismail Haniyeh, the assassinated former political leader of Hamas.
This is pro-Hamas. It should not be whitewashed as “pro-Palestinian.” But this is what the broadcast networks do. The documented facts that CUAD supports Hamas are downplayed as mere Trump talking points.
On ABC’s “World News Tonight,” reporter Aaron Katersky summarized: “The feds say Khalil was detained in support of President Trump’s executive orders
and because he led activities aligned with Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. Khalil’s lawyers call it open repression of student activism and political speech.”
This is exactly what leftists complain about as “normalizing” extremism when covering Trump. Now, Trump states the fact that Khalil is pro-Hamas, and Khalil’s lawyers rebut with “open repression of political speech.” But it’s not just speech. It’s taking over academic buildings and obstructing Jewish students from going to class, and so on.
Some broke into editorializing. On “
,” correspondent Lilia Luciano pontificated: “Today was a cold day….it was a cold day because you could feel the chill in the air which really matched the chill in terms of freedom of expression.” Luciano claimed the pro-Khalil people feared “repercussions” over their speech, but obviously the lawyers have no fear.
It was common to note Khalil has an American wife who is pregnant. On “NBC Nightly News,” reporter Emilie Ikeda opened with this: “Tonight, anger spilling onto New York City sidewalks after federal immigration agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil, who his lawyer says is a legal permanent resident with a green card. Khalil recently finished a master’s [degree] at Columbia and helped lead pro-Palestinian protests on campus. His lawyer adding, he was detained on Saturday in front of his wife, a U.S. citizen who is eight months pregnant.”
NBC couldn’t even observe that Khalil’s supporters in the streets are radical leftists. These networks can never locate anyone who’s an “extremist” or a “radical” on the “far left.” That’s probably because they agree with them, or at least ally themselves with them against the horror they find in Team Trump.
Ikeda also related that Khalil told the AP the allegations against him are mostly “social media posts that I had nothing to do with.” They’re playing this as guilt by association. A recent video post on X captures Khalil openly justifying Hamas terrorism: “We’ve tried armed resistance, which is legitimate under international law, but Israel calls it terrorism.”
PBS was the worst.
A NewsBusters study of 28 protest stories of “PBS News Hour” coverage in the spring of 2024 found there were 29 uses of “pro-Palestinian” labels and precisely zero uses of “pro-Hamas.”
Only two stories mentioned the
, and only one mentioned the “From The River to the Sea” chant threatening ethnic cleansing. None mentioned the call for violent “intifada” against the Jewish state. Canary Mission reports on October 12, 2023, Khalil led a rally at Columbia where activists chanted “From the river to the sea,” by which Hamas means ending Israel and the “Zionist project.”
This same pattern repeated as the
took Khalil into custody and planned to deport him.
On X, PBS claimed “Officials have offered no evidence that Khalil broke any laws while at Columbia.” On air, PBS host William Brangham read from a Trump message on Truth Social that Khalil is “a radical foreign pro-Hamas student” engaging in “‘pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.’ Now, as I said, the administration has not provided any details alleging that he has said or done any of those things. We simply at this point do not know.”
“PBS News Hour” insists in pop-ups on their website they are “trusted news.” They tell everyone they offer “fact-based” news, but in this case they couldn’t locate easily found facts on this extremist. Instead, they touted the leftist pro-Khalil protests inside Trump Tower.
None of these networks are holding Hamas accountable for still holding an American hostage (and four American hostages who are dead). They don’t remind viewers Hamas killed the Bibas children they took hostage, a toddler and a baby. They can’t recall Hamas raped and tortured women and then often killed them. Instead, the only monsters in their rhetorical flourishes are
.
