Wednesday, June 4. 2025

June 4, 2025

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

White House stands by tax bill after Musk calls it a 'disgusting abomination' . . . The White House defended the President Donald Trump-endorsed "big, beautiful bill" Tuesday after outgoing DOGE chief Elon Musk doubled down on his criticism, calling the legislation a "disgusting abomination." Musk, who has been openly critical of the proposed reconciliation bill, said Tuesday afternoon that he "just can't stand it anymore." "This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination," Musk added in a Tuesday afternoon post on X. "Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it." Fox News

It was never in the cards for egos the size of Trump's and Musk's to cohabit forever.

Musk warns excessive spending will plunge US 'into debt slavery'

Politics

MAGA civil war erupts as Trump allies begin to side with Elon Musk over 'big beautiful bill' . . . The civil war brewing inside MAGA continued to unravel on Tuesday as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene joined others to side with Elon Musk over President Trump's massive spending bill. Taylor Greene's opposition to the 'big, beautiful bill' came just hours after the former 'First Buddy' raged against the spending package that Trump is pushing GOP leadership to have on his desk by the fourth of July. GOP Congressman member Scott Perry - a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus - also slammed the bill on Tuesday. Daily Mail

House Budget Hawks Cheer DOGE Package

FBI files show targeting of Catholic groups was bigger than Biden-era officials acknowledged . . . The Biden-era FBI concealed the extent of its anti-Catholic operation, which then-FBI Director Christopher A. Wray told Congress was limited to a single 2023 memo, newly revealed bureau documents show. The FBI files were obtained by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley and shared first with The Washington Times. The files show that the agency was engaging in a bureauwide investigation of "Radical Traditionalist Catholics," but Mr. Wray and other top FBI officials characterized it as a one-off memo. Washington Times

Some of Trump's Biggest Inaugural Donors Benefit From Early Government Actions . . . The biggest contributor to President Trump's inauguration was chicken processor Pilgrim's Pride, which gave $5 million. In April, its Brazilian parent company, JBS, received government approval for a U.S. stock listing that it had long sought. The second largest donor was the cryptocurrency company Ripple, which gave about $4.9 million. In May it reached a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve a long-running lawsuit, sending its coin soaring. Wall Street Journal

Culture

We're Only 3 Days Into Pride Month, But Things Are Already Getting Weird and Wild . . . Qashington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser proclaimed the nation's capital the "gayest city in the world." On May 13, the Folger Shakespeare Library raised the curtain on a "racy" production of the playwright's "Twelfth Night," boasting of the show's "gender fluidity." The WorldPride website is advertising drag shows for adult audiences, including a "Drag Brunch with Mama Shirley Naytch" every day from May 18 to June 8. The annual Capital Pride Parade, redubbed the WorldPride Parade this year, will take place on June 7. Daily Signal

Pete Hegseth Orders Name of Gay Rights Leader Harvey Milk Removed from U.S. Navy Ship

Kennedy Center Sells Out Showings of 'The King of Kings' After Pride Month Events Were Canceled . . . The Kennedy Center began the month of June by debuting the Angel Studios hit film "The King of Kings," an animated movie that goes through the life of Jesus. It comes after a week's worth of events celebrating LGBTQ+ rights ahead the World Pride festival in Washington, D.C. were canceled. The Center held two showings of the film on June 1. Both sold out. Breitbart

White House: There Will Be No 'Pride' Proclamation

National Security

DOJ charges two Chinese nationals with smuggling 'potential agroterrorism' fungus into US . . . The Justice Department on Tuesday charged two Chinese researchers with attempting to smuggle a fungus dubbed "Fusarium graminearum," into the U.S. which it claimed scientific research "classifies as a potential agroterrorism weapon." The two researchers, identified as 33-year-old Yunqing Jian and 34-year-old Zunyong Liu, were allegedly receiving funding from the Chinese government for their research, and were allegedly citizens of the People's Republic of China. Just the News

Army smashes 2025 recruiting goal; 61,000 future soldiers enlisted so far this fiscal year . . . The Army has exceeded its fiscal 2025 recruiting goal with four months to spare, with 61,000 future soldiers signing up and average per-day enlistments up over last year by more than 50%, officials announced Tuesday. The massive surge in recruiting is a major win for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has focused heavily on rolling back woke military policies that he said were hurting recruiting and military readiness and otherwise negatively affecting America's armed forces. Washington Times

When you lower the chance that they will share quarters with a transvestite, young Americans inclined to defend this country are more likely to sign up

Wife and 5 Children of Boulder Attack Suspect in Federal Custody . . . Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations have arrested the family of the lead suspect in the Boulder, Colorado, attack, according to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Mohamed Soliman's "despicable actions will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, but we're also investigating to what extent his family knew about this horrific attack, if they had any knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it," Noem said. Daily Signal

At a Glance: 10 Illegal Aliens Who Committed Violent Crimes in US

Columbia protester had direct link to Hamas' deadly al-Qassam Brigades militant group: DOJ . . . A "Jew-hater" who protested against Israel on Columbia University's campus and contemplated setting a student on fire allegedly had a direct link to Hamas' deadly al-Qassam Brigades militant group, The Post can reveal. Tarek Bazrouk — awaiting trial after being indicted on three federal hate crimes against Jewish people — was "a member of a chat group that received regular updates from Abu Obeida," the official spokesperson for the brigades, according to allegations in federal documents. New York Post

International

WaPo Retracts Unverified Hamas Smear Of Israel . . . The Washington Post admitted to significant errors in its reporting on Israel and Gaza on Tuesday, deleting a social media post and correcting an article that unfairly maligned Israel's military. The newspaper admitted to its fault in another social media post explaining that an article from Sunday fell short of the Post's "fairness standards." The reporting covered a disputed incident outside a Gaza aid center in which the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry accused Israel of gunning down civilians. The Israel Defense Forces have denied the claim. Daily Wire

Money

Trump's 50% steel tariffs begin . . . U.S. tariffs entered the spotlight once again in Europe on Wednesday as U.S. President Donald Trump's 50% levy on steel and aluminum imports to the U.S. came into effect. Announced last week and signed by Trump on Tuesday, the order doubles tariffs from 25% to 50% on all metals imports to the U.S., with the president stating that the move will protect the U.S. steel industry amid a flood of cheaper foreign steel imports and weaker global demand. CNBC

You should also know

'All Jewish Americans are questioning their security' after violent antisemitic attacks . . . The Boulder attack occurred just weeks after a suspect shot and killed a couple outside the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington, DC. They were later identified as employees of the Israeli embassy who had been attending an event at the museum. In April, the official residence of Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro was set on fire, just hours after the Jewish lawmaker celebrated the first night of Passover. BBC

Sisters who vanished while visiting homeless dad found dead as cops hunt for father . . . The three young sisters who vanished while visiting their troubled and homeless father have been found dead, police confirmed Tuesday — as they continued hunting the dad for their kidnapping and murders. The bodies of the Decker sisters — Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 — were found late Monday close to their father's truck near a campground in Wenatchee, where SWAT teams and even a Homeland Security helicopter had frantically searched the area. New York Post

Guilty Pleasures

Trump Admin Eyes Using Loan Office Biden Revived for Green Energy To Back $44 Billion Gas Pipeline . . . The Trump administration is considering leveraging the federal loan office the Biden administration used to fund dozens of green energy projects to kickstart a behemoth $44 billion pipeline project that would transport natural gas across Alaska. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Monday that his agency may issue a federal loan guarantee for the project. Biden officials in the loan office dished out 53 green energy loans worth more than $100 billion for electric vehicle, solar panel, wind turbine, and green hydrogen projects. Washington Free Beacon

Maybe we can consider turning the EPA into the Department of Fossil Fuels.

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