Category: Conservative Review
Trump Gives Marco Rubio Yet Another Job
‘I am appointing Miami native Secretary of State Marco Rubio’
’I don’t think that’s relevant’: American tennis star shuts down reporters fishing for anti-Trump answers
A 24-year-old professional tennis player reminded reporters that politics has nothing to do with her sport.
Amanda Anisimova, born in New Jersey to Russian immigrants, is the No.4-ranked player in the Women’s Tennis Association, just behind fellow American Coco Gauff.
‘I don’t think that’s relevant.’
After a straight-set victory in the second round of the Australian Open, the American spoke to members of the media in Melbourne, Australia.
Lodged between questions regarding her recent performance was an oddly political query about how it feels to be representing America.
“I’ve been asking a lot of the American players just how it feels to play under the American flag right now. And I’m curious how you feel,” a male reporter asked, using significant vocal fry.
Anisimova did not take the bait, replying, “I was born in America, so I’m always proud to represent my country. And yeah, a lot of us are doing really well, and it’s great to see a lot of, you know, great athletes on the women’s side, on the men’s side.”
Anisimova was likely referring to the current success her compatriots are having on the tour. Americans hold three of the top six positions in the women’s tennis rankings currently, with several more in the top 30.
“I feel like we’re all doing a great job representing ourselves,” Anisimova added.
However the reporter wasn’t ready to let the topic die just yet.
“Sorry. Um, just to clarify a little,” the man continued. “I mean, sort of in the context of the last year of everything that’s been happening in the U.S., does that complicate that feeling at all?”
Anisimova seemed to think the follow-up question was unworthy of an answer.
“I don’t think that’s relevant,” she said with a smirk.
Fans who watched the press conference on YouTube sided unanimously with the young star and pointed out that the press conference culminated with yet another political question. In fact, it was nearly identical to the first.
“America is a, you know, divided place at the moment, euphemistically,” another male reporter prefaced. “Do you ever find it difficult or distracting to play under the American flag at the moment?”
Anisimova again brushed the question off.
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Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images
“I mean, I’m not planning to, you know, switch my nationality or represent a different country. I was born there, so it’s not something that comes to my mind.”
Women’s tennis can be strangely political at times.
In fact, the WTA does not showcase the flag of its ranked players if they are from Russia. This includes world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva. Three more Russians in the top 50 do not have Russian flags on their official WTA profiles either.
The same does not apply to Ukrainian athletes, as No. 20 Marta Kostyuk and No. 28 Dayana Yastremska have their flag proudly next to their names.
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‘If they don’t …’ DHS doubles self-deport bonus — and warns those illegal aliens who don’t ‘take advantage of this gift’
As the Trump administration celebrates one year in office, the Department of Homeland Security made a big announcement for its CBP Home App program in a bid to keep the deportation numbers high.
In a Wednesday press release, DHS announced that it will be increasing the self-deportation stipend the American taxpayer has been paying illegal aliens to self-deport.
‘Illegal aliens should take advantage of this gift and self-deport because if they don’t, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return.’
The stipend will increase from $1,000 to $2,600. DHS’ offer also covers the airline ticket price and forgiveness of any civil fines or penalties for failing to leave the country.
“Since January 2025, 2.2 million illegal aliens have voluntarily self-deported and tens of thousands have used the CBP Home program. To celebrate one year of this administration, the U.S. taxpayer is generously increasing the incentive to leave voluntarily for those in this country illegally — offering a $2,600 exit bonus,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images
“Illegal aliens should take advantage of this gift and self-deport because if they don’t, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return,” Noem continued.
DHS explained in the press release that an enforced deportation costs a little over $18,000. With the new offer, the burden on the U.S. taxpayer for a voluntary self-deportation is substantially lessened, dropping to just over $5,000.
The department also claimed that the Trump administration finished its first year with over 675,000 deportations, though more specific breakdowns of the data have been difficult to obtain.
“Those illegal aliens who don’t take advantage of this special offer today have only one alternative: They will be arrested, deported, and they will never be able to return to the United States,” DHS said. “The smart and simple thing to do is to start planning your trip home through CBP Home today.”
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The GOP can’t ‘wield’ the administrative state without being corrupted by it
Many Americans have watched Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy “The Lord of the Rings.” And many have read J.R.R. Tolkien’s books. Some can quote whole passages and trace Tolkien’s deliberate references to the life of Christ and the horror of modern war.
Maybe House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) live in that camp. If not, they should.
The Republicans’ plan cannot be ‘use federal power while we have it, then trust the next guys.’
A crucial scene comes early in the saga. The council debates what to do with the One Ring, the ultimate source of power. Boromir makes an understandable, dangerous suggestion — a perfect expression of fallen man’s temptation: “Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him.”
Aragorn stops him with two sentences rooted in humility and truth: “You cannot wield it. None of us can.”
That is the lesson Republicans must learn now, while they still hold majorities.
Dismantle the machine, don’t borrow it
Many supporters of President Trump want Congress to act boldly. They also want something more important: They want Republicans to roll back the reach and scope of the federal government while they can. If the GOP refuses, Democrats will inherit the same machinery and use it without restraint. Not someday. Soon.
If you think I exaggerate by calling Democrats the enemy or warning that we are doomed, consider a recent message from the second-highest-ranking elected congressional Democrat in the country, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Jeffries posted a video of White House adviser Stephen Miller on X.com and wrote: “Donald Trump will leave office long before the five-year statute of limitations expires. You are hereby put on notice.”
Jeffries did not allege a crime. He did not explain what Miller did wrong. He did not argue facts or law. He issued a threat: We will punish you later because we can.
That is what Republicans keep forgetting. The federal government’s power does not idle in neutral. It exists to be used. If it remains in place, someone will use it — and progressives have already shown what they want to do with it.
Which raises the central point: Nobody can safely wield that power. Not congressional Republicans. Not any administration. The correct move is not to grab the weapon and promise better behavior. The correct move is to destroy the weapon.
Fraud stories shine a bright light
Start with something as basic as fraud.
Look at the unraveling of the Somali day-care scandal in Minnesota and the billions of stolen tax dollars. That story grew so large that it helped end Minnesota Democrat Gov. Tim Walz’s re-election ambitions. Yet the government did not uncover it.
Not the Government Accountability Office. Not the Congressional Budget Office. Not the Office of Management and Budget. Not House or Senate oversight committees. Not the IRS. Not the Small Business Administration. Not the armies of full-time staffers inside federal agencies reporting up to inspectors general whose job description exists for this very purpose.
All that government power — and it did nothing.
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mathisworks via iStock/Getty Images
The scandal came to light because of the tenacity of a 23-year-old guy with a camera. If the federal machine can miss fraud on that scale, imagine what else it misses.
Fraud saturates the system. Estimates run as high as $500 billion — roughly 7% of the $6.8 trillion federal budget. That budget still reflects COVID-era spending levels. In 2019, Washington spent $4.45 trillion. Why did we never return to pre-COVID levels?
Because money is power. And like Boromir, too many people convince themselves they can wield it.
Ethics are not enough
Energy policy shows the same temptation in real time.
My nonprofit organization, Power the Future, sent another letter to House and Senate oversight committees and to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging investigations into Biden’s energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm. In the final days of the Biden administration, Granholm awarded $100 billion in green-energy grants — more than the previous 15 years combined. Many recipients had previously supported her political campaigns.
Green money poured out of Washington through the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act, which allocated $60 billion for “environmental justice” — a phrase so deliberately amorphous that it has no fixed meaning. Team Biden spent $1 trillion “going green,” a statistic Vice President Kamala Harris bragged about during her lone 2024 debate with Donald Trump.
That entire structure still stands.
Nothing prevents the current energy secretary, Chris Wright, from spending billions on his favorite projects except his ethics. I believe Wright has ethics in abundance. We should feel grateful. But one man’s ethics do not qualify as a system of government.
The next secretary could be worse than Granholm. If the power remains, someone will use it.
RELATED: Nuke the filibuster or brace for the next impeachment campaign
Viktoriia Melnyk via iStock/Getty Images
Empty the arsenal
Just as in Tolkien’s masterpiece, our enemies do not wait quietly. They scheme. They train. They amass armies of lawyers, activists, operatives, and bureaucrats. They build institutional pipelines that outlast elections. They do not go home after losing once. They plan the return.
Republicans need to plan as well — and their plan cannot be “use federal power while we have it, then trust the next guys.”
One party will not hold Washington forever. When conservatives lose power, they should make sure the left inherits a reduced federal government: weaker, narrower, stripped of the patronage systems and enforcement tools that now function as political weapons.
That is why it is incumbent upon congressional Republicans to do everything in their power — everything — to destroy the Ring.
America’s founders envisioned a weak federal government for this reason. In America’s 250th year, Congress should act like it understands the danger of concentrated power. If Republicans keep the machinery intact, they will regret it. If the Ring finds its next master, it will not spare the people who once held it.
Google’s new motto: Don’t be Christian
Google once had an informal motto: “Don’t be evil.” How about be ideologically driven? Opaque? Arbitrary?
Google sells itself as online Switzerland — a neutral search engine that doesn’t tilt one way or the other. That neutrality vanishes fast when you search for something its algorithm doesn’t like. Suddenly the thing you want becomes strangely hard to find unless you already know exactly where it lives. If you don’t, good luck.
You can’t fix what you’re not allowed to understand.
And good luck advertising it, too — if Google disapproves.
Most people still think of Google as a search engine. That’s outdated. Google is the 900-pound gorilla of online advertising through Google Ads. It has vacuumed up so much of the market that anyone who wants to advertise online usually has to go through Google’s pipeline, under Google’s terms, with Google acting as judge and jury.
This isn’t the print era, when advertisers bought space from newspapers and magazines directly, publication by publication. Today, a huge share of the ad economy runs through a single gatekeeper.
Some might call that a monopoly. Monopolies become even more dangerous when they turn ideological.
Google — and it is far from alone — leans hard left. It dislikes conservative and Christian content, and it has learned how to suppress it without leaving fingerprints. It buries the content in search rankings so that almost no one sees it unless they already know where to look. It throttles monetization. It blocks ads with vague warnings and “policy” language designed to end the conversation.
Google and TikTok now appear to be doing the same thing to faith-based content.
Have you heard of TruPlay? Probably not. That’s the point.
TruPlay is an entertainment app that offers faith-based games and videos for kids. It’s explicitly family-friendly — no sexual themes, no violence, no garbage disguised as “content.” Parents want that. Millions of them. There’s a market for wholesome screen time, and there’s money to be made providing it.
But according to the American Center for Law and Justice, Google has refused to do business with TruPlay for ideological reasons. The ACLJ says Google rejected TruPlay’s efforts to launch advertising campaigns, citing “religious belief in personalized advertising.”
Read that again. Google flagged religious belief as the problem.
The ACLJ says TruPlay tried to comply, filing appeals and revising its ad content repeatedly, only to receive the same rejection notices no matter what changes it made. The ads weren’t inflammatory. They were straightforward: “Turn Game Time into God Time,” “Christian Games for Kids,” “Safe Bible Games for Kids.”
Google’s policy supposedly prohibits “selecting an audience based on sensitive information, such as health information or religious beliefs.” But TruPlay wasn’t targeting a religious audience or harvesting private data. It was advertising Christian kids’ content to the general public.
Google’s response wasn’t “you’re targeting.” It was “your content is too sensitive to advertise.”
That’s the move. “Sensitive” once meant porn, violence, or content not suitable for children. Now it means “Christian games for kids.”
TikTok, the ACLJ says, applied the same logic with even less transparency. The platform allegedly suspended TruPlay’s advertising account over unspecified “repeated violations,” without explaining what those violations were. The ACLJ says one rejected ad contained the word “church.” Another issue allegedly involved an App Store preview image showing Jesus on the cross — not in the ad itself, but in the app’s images. The ACLJ claims TikTok barred advertising anyway.
RELATED: Google’s new plan: To learn everything about you from your online shopping
Photo by Idrees MOHAMMED/AFP via Getty Images
You can’t fix what you’re not allowed to understand. That’s the point of opacity. You don’t get a rule you can follow. You get a verdict.
What makes this even more revealing is the economic angle. This isn’t Google or TikTok avoiding ads that risk scaring off customers. TruPlay offers the kind of content parents actively want. Platforms should want that money. Instead, they appear willing to lose revenue just to suppress anything overtly Christian and family-friendly.
The ACLJ has sent a letter to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, urging an investigation into what it calls “systemic discrimination” against Christian content creators and advertisers — part of a broader pattern of viewpoint-based censorship.
Google and TikTok will respond with the standard defense: We’re private companies. We can do what we want.
Fine. But stop pretending you’re Switzerland. If you present yourself as a neutral platform open to all, while quietly functioning as a political gatekeeper, you don’t get to hide behind the language of neutrality when people notice the double standard.
You can’t have it both ways. Either you’re Switzerland — or you’re not.
Google and TikTok are not. It’s time to treat them accordingly.
Democrats want to impeach Trump — but John James and Michigan can stop them, new ad says
Rep. John James, a Michigan Republican running for governor, has launched a new ad tying the fate of Trump’s second term and the America First agenda to James’ home state of Michigan.
On Thursday, James released an ad titled “Impeached,” claiming that Michigan, with its open U.S. Senate seat and four competitive House races, is “ground zero” in the fight to keep Congress under Republican control.
Recent polling indicates that James holds a commanding lead in the Republican primary and a slight edge in the general election in November.
The ad suggests that if Congress falls into the hands of the Democrats after the 2026 midterms, Trump will be “impeached” and his “Cabinet dragged before hearings led by AOC and Rashida Tlaib,” referring to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Tlaib (D-Mich.).
In the ad, James, currently a Michigan congressman who has “backed President Trump every time,” makes the pitch to MAGA Michiganders that his election to be their next governor is vital to protecting Trump and his ability to continue implementing his policies: “If you care about President Trump, you must stand up for John James.”
In a press release given to Blaze News, James’ spokeswoman Hannah Osantowske stated: “This ad makes the stakes unmistakable. If Republicans lose Michigan, Democrats will move to impeach President Trump and grind the America First agenda to a halt. John James is the conservative fighter who can win — and who Michigan families can trust to hold the line.”
As of Thursday morning, Trump has made no endorsement in the Michigan gubernatorial Republican primary, though he previously endorsed James’ Senate and congressional campaigns and even referred to the Iraq War Army aviation officer as “legendary.”
Osantowske told Blaze News that James is “committed to earning” Trump’s endorsement once again. “John James is a proven winner. President Trump likes winners, and he remembers those who’ve been loyal,” she added.
Recent polling indicates that James holds a commanding lead in the Republican primary and a slight edge in a hypothetical three-way matchup against Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Democrat-leaning independent Mike Duggan in the general election in November.
The RealClearPolitics average currently has James ahead by 3.5 points.
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‘Absurd fraud’: Former Hochul minion declares NYC’s only GOP-held congressional seat unconstitutional
Democrats, ever desperate for one-party control, filed a lawsuit in October claiming that New York City’s only Republican-held congressional district was unconstitutionally drawn because it allegedly “dilutes black and Latino voting strength.”
The Staten Island plaintiffs, represented by the Washington, D.C.-based Elias Law Group, demanded that the map — which was approved by the Democrat-controlled state legislature and Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) in 2024 — be redrawn such that it’d be virtually impossible for Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis to defend her district.
‘This entire exercise is a cynical attempt to enact an illegal partisan gerrymander under the guise of a voting rights case.’
Jeffrey Pearlman, a justice on the New York Supreme Court who was not only appointed by Hochul but previously served as her lawyer and chief of staff, delivered the plaintiffs a win on Wednesday, claiming that the configuration of New York State’s 11th congressional district is unconstitutional.
“It is clear to the Court that the current district lines of CD-11 are a contributing factor in the lack of representation for minority voters,” wrote Hochul’s former chief of staff.
While the Democratic plaintiffs proposed new gerrymandered district lines for the Hochul judge to adopt, he noted that the New York state Constitution leaves it to the legislature to correct the law’s legal infirmities in the event that a congressional map is invalidated by a court.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.). Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images.
Accordingly he ordered the New York Independent Redistricting Commission to draw a new map by Feb. 6.
Days ahead of the ruling, Malliotakis told “The Point with Marcia Kramer” that the Democratic campaign to redraw the map was “ludicrous” and “an insult to the people of Staten Island and Southern Brooklyn, who had a Democrat, by the way, Max Rose, who represented them, and they fired this individual.”
“So they had a choice here between a Republican and a Democrat, and they decided they didn’t want the Democrat representing them anymore,” continued Malliotakis. “And here comes this Washington firm saying they don’t care about the will of the voter. They’re going to set it up so a Republican can never win and it’ll always be one-party rule.”
Aria Branch, a partner at the D.C.-based Elias Law Group, claimed that the decision was “a victory for every voter in New York’s 11th Congressional District who has been denied an equal voice.”
Hochul also lauded her former underling’s decision.
“The New York State Constitution guarantees the principles of fair representation, and New Yorkers in every community deserve these protections,” stated Hochul. “The court’s decision underscores the importance of these constitutional principles and directs the congressional map be redrawn by the New York Independent Redistricting Commission so impacted communities are fully represented and have a voice in our democracy.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) characterized the apparent effort to disenfranchise Republican voters in New York City as “the first step towards ensuring communities of interest remain intact from Staten Island to Lower Manhattan.”
Rep. Mike Lawler (R) rejected Jeffries’ framing, suggesting the Hochul judge’s order amounted to an “absurd fraud” perpetrated against those “New Yorkers who demanded independent redistricting and overwhelmingly rejected partisan gerrymandering.”
Ed Cox, chairman of the New York Republican Party, similarly condemned the ruling.
“This was a partisan ruling made by a partisan judge in a case brought by a notoriously partisan attorney,” stated Cox. “Kathy Hochul and Albany Democrats did not alter this district when they had a chance in 2024. This entire exercise is a cynical attempt to enact an illegal partisan gerrymander under the guise of a voting rights case.”
The district Hochul’s former underling deemed unconstitutional has been represented by Malliotakis since 2021, when she beat her Democratic opponent in a landslide, 63.8% to 35.8%.
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Homeless man allegedly choked 13-year-old at school bus stop until Good Samaritan beat his face with a toolbox
A homeless Florida man allegedly attacking a teenager was beaten in the face with a toolbox by a Good Samaritan before police arrived and took him into custody.
Christopher Steven Schwable, 36, of Pierson was restrained by bystanders when he choked and beat a 13-year-old at a school bus stop in DeLand on Tuesday morning.
The man had been in jail for just over three weeks on charges of indecent exposure and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Police said they responded to a call about a possible stabbing at the intersection of Clear Lake Dr. and North Spring Garden Ave. when they saw Schwable being held down by another man.
The man said that he hit Schwable with his toolbox after driving by the bus stop and seeing him attacking the child. He said that the man threatened him with a knife, so he hit him twice.
Schwable had a head injury and was bleeding.
Police bodycam footage showed their interaction with the boy, who said that Schwable had pulled out a knife, grabbed him, and hit him. Two witnesses corroborated the boy’s account, according to police.
In addition to the witnesses’ corroboration, police said they found a green-and-black folding knife in the man’s pocket and confiscated it as evidence.
WOFL-TV reported that Schwable had been released from jail on Jan. 13, just a week before the alleged attack on the teenager. The man had been in jail for just over three weeks on charges of indecent exposure and possession of drug paraphernalia. WOFL said that those charges were dropped by prosecutors, according to court documents.
Police said those charges were not related to the bus stop incident.
Schwable’s booking photo appeared to show a large wound on the right side of his face.
Schwable was charged with aggravated child abuse and aggravated assault.
A spokesperson with Volusia County schools confirmed that the boy was a seventh-grade student at Southwestern Middle School.
Officials also confirmed that Schwable was currently homeless.
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‘NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW’: Comer Calls Out Clintons After Bill and Hill Ignore Epstein Subpoenas [WATCH]
![‘NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW’: Comer Calls Out Clintons After Bill and Hill Ignore Epstein Subpoenas [WATCH]](https://hannity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2257430118-300x200.jpg "House Oversight Committee Votes On Holding Bill Clinton In Contempt Of Congress")
During Wednesday’s House Oversight Committee hearing, chair Rep.
