Wednesday, August 13, 2025

August 13, 2025

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

National Guard hits D.C.; federal takeover already nets dozens of arrests, encampment clearings . . . National Guard troops put boots on the ground in the nation's capital Tuesday as the White House shared the first batch of federal arrests and warned the city's homeless that they could face jail time amid President Trump's takeover of the District's policing. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said nearly 850 federal agents began patrolling the city Monday evening and took 23 people into custody on homicide, gun, drug, drunken-driving and fare evasion charges. Washington Times

DC mayor calls for residents to fight back against 'authoritarian push' . . . The mayor of Washington DC called Trump's federal takeover of the city an 'authoritarian push' as National Guard troops flooded the capital. Bowser was asked how faith groups could help support the community when she urged residents to protect the city. She responded: 'This is a time when the community needs to jump in. To protect our city, to protect our autonomy, to protect our home rule. Daily Mail

Politics

Ken Paxton Seeks To Put Democrat Beto O'Rourke 'Behind Bars' Over Fundraising For AWOL Dems . . . Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Tuesday that he is seeking the arrest of Democrat Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke over O'Rourke's alleged violation of a court order requiring him to stop fundraising for the AWOL Texas Democrats. Paxton accused O'Rourke of "blatantly" violating a temporary restraining order "by continuing to fundraise and pay for the personal expenses of runaway Democrat legislators." Daily Wire

Beto would love to go to jail. Badly needed publicity. He loses every election and had become a forgotten man.

Cuomo Denies Mamdani Accusation of Having Had Connection to Epstein . . . "In June, The New York Times uncovered that Cuomo had worked with his longtime friend Andrew Farkas on a luxury marina project in Puerto Rico. Farkas' previous partner on luxury marinas in the Caribbean? Jeffrey Epstein," Mamdani says. "That's the thing about Andrew Cuomo. Once you think you've found out about all of his scandals, you find out about another," he adds. Daily Signal

Poll shows Mamdani still way out in front

Veterans Affairs Hails Historic Caseload Processing Achievement . . . President Donald Trump's Department of Veterans Affairs processed more disability benefits compensation and pension ratings claims in a single year than ever before, The Daily Signal has learned. Since Trump's inauguration, the backlog of veterans waiting for benefits has dropped by more than 37%, after rising 24% during the Biden administration. Daily Signal

Ashley Biden files for divorce

Culture

Multigender bathroom: Parents Outraged Over Virginia High School's New Layout . . . When students return to Christiansburg High School for classes on Wednesday, they'll find at least one large "open plan" gender-neutral and multiple-stall bathroom. Parents are raising the alarm. "I would have been mortified at that age," Alecia Vaught, 49, who has two grandchildren at the southwestern Virginia school, told The Daily Signal about the bathroom situation. The Daily Signal

UK speech police could break Wikipedia, keep punishing Christian expression: critics . . . The United Kingdom's speech regulation is drawing alarm on both sides of the pond for its potential and actual effects on shared knowledge and conscience rights at home and abroad. The U.K. High Court knocked down a challenge to the Online Safety Act by the U.S.-based Wikimedia Foundation, which operates Wikipedia, on the grounds that it must wait for the Office of Communications to actually subject Wikipedia to "Category 1," which would strip the anonymity underlying its volunteer model for creating and editing entries. Just the News

Trump DOJ reaches agreement barring race-based admissions at West Point, Air Force Academy . . . The Justice Department announced a settlement Tuesday promising that the Military Academy at West Point and the Air Force Academy will stop using race-based admissions preferences and instead select students "exclusively on merit." Government officials said the settlement is part of President Trump's effort to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion policies across the government. Washington Times

Parents Don't Have 'Deeply Rooted' Right To Trans Their Kids, Appeals Courts Find . . . A federal appeals court found Tuesday that banning child sex changes does not violate parents' rights, days after another court came to the same conclusion. The full Eight Circuit Court of Appeals reversed an injunction blocking Arkansas' ban on sex changes procedures for minors Tuesday in an 8-2 decision. Oklahoma's ban was likewise upheld by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals on Aug. 6. Daily Caller

Meat Is Back at Eleven Madison Park, After Four Vegan Years . . . Eleven Madison Park, the elegant, internationally acclaimed Manhattan restaurant whose climate-minded move to an all-vegan menu four and a half years ago was hailed as both brilliant and baffling, is bringing back meat. Its chef, Daniel Humm, said in an interview that he wanted to draw more diners to the restaurant, both for financial reasons and as an act of hospitality. New York Times

Who wants to go out to eat, spend tons of money, and get vegetables with a side of vegetables?

National Security

Mexico to extradite 26 top cartel leaders to US in Trump administration deal . . . Abigael González Valencia, a leader of the "Los Cuinis," cartel, which is aligned with the notorious Jalisco New Generation cartel (CJNG) and Roberto Salazar, who is accused of participating in the 2008 killing of a Los Angeles sheriff's deputy, are among those being handed over to the U.S. The cartel figures were scheduled to fly to the U.S. on Tuesday. "Today is the latest example of the Trump administration's historic efforts to dismantle cartels and foreign terrorist organizations," Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News Digital. Fox News

Money

Companies Are Pouring Billions Into A.I. It Has Yet to Pay Off . . . According to recent research from McKinsey & Company, nearly eight in 10 companies have reported using generative A.I., but just as many have reported "no significant bottom-line impact."A.I. technology has prompted an expectation that everything from back-office accounting to customer service will be revolutionized. But the payoff for businesses outside the tech sector is lagging behind, plagued by issues including an irritating tendency by chatbots to make stuff up. New York Times

You should also know

Cincinnati leaders 'demanding prosecution' of White man in viral street fight . . . Cincinnati community leaders are demanding charges against a white man seen on video slapping a Black man during a downtown brawl, which led to violence and multiple arrests. Ohio State Rep. Cecil Thomas, of Cincinnati, led a discussion at New Prospect Baptist Church in Roselawn on Monday with concerns over Cincinnati's handling of the investigation into a violent downtown clash. Thomas said in a statement that the Black community "deserves answers" as the investigation enters its third week. WLWT

Survival rates for most deadly cancers making little progress, experts warn . . . The number of people surviving cancer has improved hugely in the past 50 years, but experts warn progress has been uneven with some cancers with the worst survival rates falling further behind. A London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine study said there had been little improvement in those affecting the oesophagus, stomach and lungs - and less than 5% survive pancreatic cancer for 10 years. BBC

US postal worker stole cards and checks from mail to fund lavish lifestyle, tropical vacations she flaunted online . . . A California postal worker allegedly stole credit cards, debit cards and checks to fuel a lavish lifestyle that included luxurious tropical vacations and Rolex watches that she flaunted on social media. Mary Ann Magdamit, 31, a former letter carrier at the Torrance Main Post Office, admitted Monday to stealing mail containing checks, personal identifying information, and debit and credit cards from her job between 2022 and July 2025. She would then activate the cards online and use them to make costly purchases. New York Post

A UFC fight at the White House? Dana White says it's happening as part of deal with Paramount . . . "It's absolutely going to happen," White told The Associated Press. "Think about that, the 250th birthday of the United States of America, the UFC will be on the White House south lawn live on CBS." Trump said last month he wanted to stage a UFC match on the White House grounds with upwards of 20,000 spectators to celebrate 250 years of American independence. Associated Press

Guilty Pleasures

DC police chief ripped for 'mind blowing' response to basic policing question: 'Yikes' . . . Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith is facing backlash and mockery on social media after she appeared to not understand a question from the media about the department's "chain of command" amid President Donald Trump's recent federalization of the department. "Can you tell us what the chain of command is now?" a reporter was heard asking Smith during a press conference Tuesday morning. "What does that mean?" the police chief responded. Fox News

She doesn't even know what a chain of command is. Well, that's why she's no longer at the top of it.

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