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Saturday, May 3, 2025

AOC taunts Tom Homan after DOJ referral threat over deportations

 “Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dared border czar Tom Homan to haul her to court on Friday,  months after he threatened her with prosecution for trying to impede President Trump’s mass deportations.

“Tom Homan said he was going to refer me to DOJ because I’m using my free speech rights in order to advise people of their constitutional protections. To that I say: Come for me. Do I look like I care?” the Bronx and Queens Democrat told attendees at a jam-packed town hall in Jackson Heights, Queens. 

There’s “nothing illegal about it — and if they want to make it illegal, they can come take me,” she declared.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks during a town hall in District 14 on Friday, May 2, 2025, in Queens, NY.Michael Nagle

In February, AOC hosted a webinar and shared a “Know Your Rights” pamphlet with her more than 12 million followers on X to give illegal immigrants tips to evade the feds.

Homan told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” in an interview that month he had been “working with the Department of Justice and finding out” who was seeking to block deportations.

“Maybe AOC is going to be in trouble now,” he cautioned, noting that immigration authorities are looking out for those who “cross” the line into abetting illegal aliens unlawfully present in the US.

“Do Not Open Your Door,” the “AOC”-branded pamphlet advised about how to deal with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called out border czar Tom Homan after his threats to refer her to the Justice Department for her advice to migrants on avoiding deportation.Michael Nagle

“ICE cannot enter your home without a warrant signed by a judge,” it stated.

Immigrant Defense Project lawyer Genia Blaser added on the webinar: “ICE raids are political tactics, and they’re often intended to create fear.”

“We see how ICE often uses rhetoric to criminalize immigrants, to normalize their tactics and justify what they’re doing,” she added, describing encounters between migrants and ICE as “often very aggressive.”  

Homan criticized a webinar Ocasio-Cortez’s office hosted that advised migrants in her district about their rights if faced with deportation.Getty Images
“What she needs to do is read the statutes enacted by Congress… because it’s a crime to enter this country illegally,” Homan, Trump’s border czar, has said.Francis Chung – Pool via CNP / SplashNews.com

Those who joined the livestream were instructed to ask for warrants if the authorities came knocking and given details about various warrants used in removal proceedings.

“What she needs to do is read the statutes enacted by Congress,” Homan said in February, “because it’s a crime to enter this country illegally.”

“Not only that, but when you harbor and conceal and impede law enforcement, that’s a felony,” he added.

“I don’t even want to call them deportations. They are sanctioned kidnappings in many circumstances,” the congresswoman said at the event.Michael Nagle

“What she’s doing, she says she’s educating everybody on their constitutional rights, and we all know they’ve got constitutional rights, but what she’s really doing … she’s trying to teach them how to evade law enforcement.”

Ocasio-Cortez clapped back on X at the time: “Maybe he can learn to read. The Constitution would be a good place to start.”

AOC and other Dems have sounded the alarm about the deportations, with the New York pol referring to them as “state-sanctioned kidnappings” in her Friday town hall.

“I don’t even want to call them deportations. They are sanctioned kidnappings in many circumstances,” she said. “They do not have carte blanche to enter.”

Also during the town hall, a woman lashed out at the lefty congresswoman for not doing enough to halt the “genocide in Gaza,” eliciting boos the audience.Michael Nagle
“You’re a war criminal! War criminal! War criminal!” the attendee screeched as she was escorted out of the auditorium, adding, “Shame on you, I used to support you!”Michael Nagle

“If they do want to knock on your door, or knock on anyone’s door — including your workplace — you can tell them, ‘Show me a warrant. Show me a judicial warrant.’ And if they don’t show you a warrant, you can say they can come back with a warrant. You have the right to turn them away,” she noted.

Also during the town hall, a woman lashed out at the lefty congresswoman for not doing enough to halt the “genocide in Gaza,” eliciting boos the audience.

“You’re a war criminal! War criminal! War criminal!” the attendee screeched as she was escorted out of the auditorium, adding, “Shame on you, I used to support you!”

AOC responded to the outburst with: “I more than welcome people who disagree, or are super pissed off at me for any issue to come, but we have some ground rules here.”Michael Nagle

“I more than welcome people who disagree, or are super pissed off at me for any issue to come, but we have some ground rules here,” AOC responded.

“Please wait for the Q&A because we don’t want to deprive all of our neighbors of the ability to have information and hearing them to respond to it,” she added. “We need to be able to have this conversation.”

Ocasio-Cortez apologized to her constituents for voting “present” on US funding to Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system — but since then hasn’t batted an eye when voting down resolutions condemning Hamas terrorists and massive tranches of military aid to the Jewish state.

https://nypost.com/2025/05/03/us-news/aoc-taunts-tom-homan-after-doj-referral-threat-over-deportations/

We Don't Need Executive Order To Bar Illegals From Social Security But Government That Obeys The Law

 by Maureen Steele via American Greatness,

In what universe does it make sense that the President of the United States has to sign an executive order to stop illegal aliens from receiving Social Security benefits? That’s not just an absurd headline—it’s a tragic indictment of how far this nation has strayed from the rule of law, common sense, and constitutional integrity.

Let’s get one thing straight: illegal immigrants are already barred from receiving Social Security benefits. Full stop. It’s enshrined in federal law, constitutional precedent, and the very fabric of what it means to be a sovereign nation. Yet here we are, once again watching a president step in with a pen to “reaffirm” what is already carved into stone.

Under Section 1611 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. § 1382c), individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States are categorically ineligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) explicitly excludes most non-citizens from federal means-tested public benefits. And let’s not forget 8 U.S.C. § 1611, which states unequivocally, “Notwithstanding any other provision of law…an alien who is not a qualified alien…is not eligible for any Federal public benefit.”

Translation: They’re already prohibited.

So why does Trump need to sign an executive order? 

Because we are no longer a nation governed by laws—we are a nation governed by selective enforcement, political cowardice, and bureaucratic betrayal.

While illegals exploit the system through loopholes crafted by activist judges and globalist legislators, hardworking Americans who’ve paid into Social Security their entire lives are being told the well is running dry. They’re mocked with headlines about “entitlement reform” and threatened with benefit cuts, while watching their tax dollars fund services for people who have no legal right to be here.

Let me say this plainly: illegal aliens should not be here. That’s the real issue—not whether they’re tapping into Social Security.

The fact that we have to publicly debate whether to let foreign nationals steal from a system built by and for American workers is the very definition of national rot.

And let’s talk about Social Security itself. 

The system is broken—not because of American retirees, but because of government theft, mismanagement, and legislative sleight of hand. 

Congress has raided the trust fund, spent it on everything from foreign wars to gender studies in Pakistan, and now pretends it’s our fault there’s a shortfall. The average American would be better off putting that 6.2% payroll tax into a private investment fund and watching it grow rather than letting corrupt bureaucrats bleed it out into the black hole of government waste.

You know what would truly protect Social Security? Not just an executive order. Mass deportations. A sealed border. A total shutdown of the welfare pipeline that flows to non-citizens, non-contributors, and non-patriots. 

That would protect American seniors. That would honor the American worker.

And to those who think we need “more laws” to fix this—stop it. We don’t need more laws. We need courage. We need leaders who enforce the laws already on the books. Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution guarantees every state in this union a republican form of government and protection against invasion. What do you call millions of illegal crossings per year if not an invasion?

This is not about compassion. 

It’s about justice, sovereignty, and survival. 

A nation that can’t tell the difference between a citizen and a foreign intruder isn’t a nation—it’s a playground for parasites.

President Trump’s order may make a splash. It may draw cheers. But let’s not lose sight of the bigger truth: the law is already clear. The Constitution already speaks. The betrayal is not in what’s being signed but in what’s being ignored.

We don’t need more executive orders. We need a government that does its damn job.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/we-dont-need-executive-order-bar-illegals-social-security-we-need-government-obeys-law

Wildfires dent Berkshire's profit; cash soars to $347.7 billion

  Warren Buffett’s company reported just over one-third of last year’s profit Saturday morning just as thousands of Berkshire Hathaway shareholders streamed into an Omaha arena to listen to the revered investor answer questions.

The profit numbers were weighed down by a major drop in the value of its investments and $860 million in insurance losses related to policies that its insurance companies wrote before the devastating Southern California wildfires.

Berkshire said it earned $4.6 billion, or $3,200 per Class A share, in the first quarter. That’s down from $12.7 billion, or $8,825 per Class A share, last year.

But Buffett has long recommended that investors pay more attention to Berkshire’s operating earnings because those exclude the value of its investments, which can vary widely from quarter to quarter. Berkshire must include the value of its investments in its bottom line numbers even though it hasn’t sold most of them.

By that measure, Berkshire’s earnings were still down 14% at $9.6 billion, or $6,703.41 per A share. Last year, the conglomerate reported operating earnings of $11.2 billion, or $7,796.47 per Class A share.

The analysts surveyed by FactSet Research predicted Berkshire would report operating earnings of $7,076.90 per Class A share.

But Buffett’s comments will be the main attraction Saturday. Investors will be looking for him to explain why Berkshire is now sitting on $347.7 billion cash as of the end of the first quarter, up from $334.2 billion at the end of the year. The growing cash pile is a reminder that Buffett hasn’t found any investments at attractive prices lately, but the report doesn’t show whether he bought anything in April when the market dropped after President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement.

Many of Berkshire’s myriad businesses like BNSF railroad and its assortment of manufacturing and retail businesses tend to follow the economy. Berkshire said Saturday that its future results may be affected by geopolitical events and trade policy, but it’s impossible to predict what will happen.

“The pace of changes in these events, including international trade policies and tariffs, has accelerated in 2025. Considerable uncertainty remains as to the ultimate outcome of these events,” Berkshire said in the report.

But during the quarter, earnings improved at BNSF and Berkshire’s utility division while the manufacturing and retail businesses held steady. The main area where operating profits fell was in insurance underwriting, weighed down by the wildfire losses.

Geico’s underwriting profits were actually up at $2.2 billion from last year’s $1.9 billion. The results at reinsurance and primary insurance groups dragged down the insurance results.

But Berkshire managers — just like every CEO — are worrying about the potential impact of tariffs on their business. Dairy Queen CEO Troy Bader said their restaurants should be able to weather the trade war OK even thought they have thousands of locations in China because most of its ingredients are sourced locally.

But the tariffs are a greater concern to other Berkshire businesses like Brooks Running, which makes all of its shoes in Vietnam and Indonesia. Brooks CEO Dan Sheridan said his company will likely have to raise its prices because of the tariffs, but he is still waiting to see exactly which tariffs go into effect.

Edward Jones analyst Kyle Sanders said the results appear solid outside of the wildfire losses, but Berkshire continued to be a net seller of stocks by unloading $1.5 billion more than it bought during the quarter. That contributed to the growing cash pile that’s more than double where it was a year ago as Buffett has largely stayed on the sidelines while selling off much of Berkshire’s Apple stake.

But Buffett still praised Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is attending the Berkshire shareholders meeting, for all the money he has made Berkshire.

Berkshire Hathaway owns dozens of companies, including Geico, BNSF railroad, a collection of massive utilities and an assortment of retail and manufacturing businesses including well-known brands like See’s Candy. It also holds a massive stock portfolio.

https://apnews.com/article/berkshire-hathaway-warren-buffett-shareholders-annual-meeting-c48c85fc5e1aa24f5dd64b271e57ab2e

PM of Yemen's internationally recognised government resigns

 The prime minister of Yemen ’s internationally recognized government said Saturday he was resigning and cited political struggles, in a decision underscoring the fragility of the anti-Houthi alliance in the Arab world’s most impoverished country.

Prime Minister Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak announced the decision in a post on social media, attaching a resignation letter directed to Rashad al-Alimi, head of the ruling presidential council. The internationally recognized government is based in the southern city of Aden.

Bin Mubarak, named prime minister in February 2024, said he was resigning because he was unable to take “necessary decisions to reform the state institution, and execute the necessary Cabinet reshuffle.”

There was no immediate comment from the presidential council.

Yemen has been embroiled in civil war since 2014, when Iranian-backed Houthi rebels seized the capital of Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognized government into exile in Saudi Arabia.

A Saudi-led coalition intervened months later and has been battling the rebels since 2015 to try and restore the internationally recognized government to power. The war has turned into a stalemated proxy conflict.

The seven-member presidential council was appointed in 2022 with the aim of unifying the anti-Houthi block, but has since been divided into two main blocs.

One is loyal to council member Aydarous al-Zubaidi, who chairs the secessionist Southern Transitional Council, an umbrella group of heavily armed militias propped up by the United Arab Emirates since 2015.

The second is loyal to Saudi Arabia and includes al-Alimi and Sheikh Sultan al-Aradah, the powerful governor of energy-rich Marib province.

Bin Mubarak’s resignation came as the United States has increased its attacks on the Houthis in Yemen. The U.S. military has launched nearly daily strikes in Houthi-held areas since March 15, when President Donald Trump ordered a new, expanded campaign against the rebels.

The war has devastated Yemen and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters. More than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, have been killed.

https://apnews.com/article/yemen-war-houthis-396ff367cfd3dd1866c5042f1abc882b

OPEC+ agrees another accelerated oil output hike for June

 OPEC+ has agreed to accelerate oil production hikes for a second consecutive month, raising output in June by 411,000 barrels per day, the group said on Saturday, despite falling prices and expectations of weaker demand.

Following an online meeting lasting just over an hour, the producer group announced the supply increase, saying the fundamentals of the oil market were healthy and inventories were low.

Oil prices fell to a four-year low in April below $60 per barrel after OPEC+ announced a bigger-than-expected production boost for May, and as U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs raised concerns of global economic weakness.

OPEC+ sources have said Saudi Arabia is pushing OPEC+ to accelerate the unwinding of earlier output cuts to punish fellow members Iraq and Kazakhstan for poor compliance with their production quotas.

The hikes also follow calls from Trump on OPEC+ to raise output. Trump will visit Saudi Arabia later in May.

In December, eight OPEC+ countries that have been implementing the group's most recent output cut of 2.2 million bpd agreed to gradually phase it out in monthly increases of about 138,000 bpd from April 2025.

The June increase from the eight will take the total combined hike for April, May and June to 960,000 bpd, representing a 44% unwinding of the 2.2 million bpd cut, according to Reuters calculations.

Brent crude futures lost more than 1% on Friday to $61.29 a barrel as traders braced for more oil from OPEC+.

Oil prices will fall on Monday due to the OPEC+ news amid trade tensions and concerns about economic growth, said UBS's analyst Giovanni Staunovo.

"We continue to call this a 'managed' unwind of cuts and not a fight for market share”, he said.

Reuters reported this week that officials from Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of OPEC+, have briefed allies and industry officials that they are unwilling to prop up oil markets with further supply cuts.

"Compliance again appears to be the key focus, with Kazakhstan and Iraq continuing to miss their compensation targets, alongside Russia to a lesser extent," said Helima Croft of RBC Capital Markets.

Kazakhstan defied OPEC+ this month when its energy minister said he will prioritise national interests over those of the OPEC+ group when deciding on oil production levels. Kazakhstan's April oil output exceeded its OPEC+ quota despite a 3% fall.

OPEC+, which includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies such as Russia, is still cutting output by almost 5 million bpd and many of the cuts are due to remain in place until the end of 2026. The group plans to hold a full ministerial meeting on May 28.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/opec-agrees-another-accelerated-oil-output-hike-for-june/ar-AA1E6lgn