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Monday, August 11, 2025

DC Police Union chair supports Trump takeover

 The head of the DC Police Union praised President Trump’s temporary takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and deployment of National Guard troops as a “critical stopgap” amid “out of control” crime in the nation’s capital on Monday.

“We stand with the President in recognizing that Washington, D.C., cannot continue on this trajectory,” union Chair Gregg Pemberton said in a statement. “Crime is out of control, and our officers are stretched beyond their limits.”

“The federal intervention is a critical stopgap, but the MPD needs proper staffing and support to thrive,” he added.

According to recent estimates, MPD’s force is about 500 officers short of its 4,000-officer allotment and is at its lowest staffing level in decades.

Critics of Trump’s move have pointed to falling crime rates in the District to knock the president’s sweeping moves to bolster local crime-fighting efforts. But the police union, Trump and others have questioned the statistics that show decreases in violent crimes.

Pemberton, who has long been a critic of the D.C. City Council’s policies, accused council members of driving out “our best officers and hinder(ing) recruitment” with the passage of the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Act of 2020.

“No one on the Council has the courage to repeal this, or any of the other 26 sections that destroyed our police department,” the D.C. Police Union wrote on the social platform X on Thursday regarding the reform law’s COVID-19 provision that allow masks to be worn in public.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5446705-dc-police-union-praises-trump/

Nadler campaigns with Mamdani: ‘Trump is no friend to our city, and neither is Andrew Cuomo’

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) campaigned with New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday, slamming both President Trump and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 

“New York has always stood up to bullies and defended what’s right, even when it’s difficult, which is why we were so shocked to learn that Andrew Cuomo called Donald Trump for advice after the Democratic primary,” Nadler said at a press conference alongside Mamdani. “This betrayal shows exactly what we’re up against: politicians willing to legitimize our city’s greatest threat for their personal benefit. The truth is, Cuomo and Trump are very similar.”

“Both use their power to serve themselves and their wealthy donors, not the people. If it weren’t clear before, it should be now. Donald Trump is no friend to our city, and neither is Andrew Cuomo. This is why the choice for New York City’s next mayor is so critical,” he added.

Mamdani recently heavily criticized reported moves by Trump regarding the New York City mayoral race.

“Today we learned Andrew Cuomo is directly coordinating with Donald Trump, even as this President sends masked agents to rip our neighbors off the streets and guts the social services so many New Yorkers rely on,” Mamdani said in a Wednesday post on the social platform X.

“It’s disqualifying and a betrayal of our city,” he added.

The New York Times reported last week that eight sources said the president talked in private about stepping into the race in an attempt to stop Mamdani from winning the November election.

According to the Times, a Republican congressman and New York businessmen have been recently pressed by the president about which of Mamdani’s rivals they believe could win against the Democratic nominee.

Trump and Cuomo, who is also a candidate for New York City mayor, discussed the race in a phone call within the last few weeks, the Times also reported. 

During a press conference last week, Cuomo said he couldn’t “remember the last time I spoke to President Trump,” adding that he has “never spoken to him about the mayor’s race.”

The Hill has reached out to a spokesperson for Cuomo and the White House for comment.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5447219-nadler-campaigns-mamdani-trump-cuomo/

Barack Obama and the Predictable Coup

 


The most intriguing part of the storm surrounding Barack Obama’s involvement in the effort to remove Donald J. Trump from office is that some people still refuse to believe the allegations.  There are certain Americans who continue to deny any claims concerning Barack Obama’s negative impact on the country.

Perhaps it’s that grin and laid back attitude.  Or perhaps it’s his rhetorical skill set or his ability to croon Al Green tunes, or maybe it is just his knack for evoking racial remorse that causes half the nation to make excuses for Barack Obama’s troubling track record.  Whatever the reason, the Obama façade is in the process of crumbling, and many Americans are admitting that people don’t change unless they agree to recognize their issues.  Ergo, Barack Obama has not changed and will not change.

Surpassing even the opinions of the majority, for twenty years, the former president has displayed a level of smugness that suggests he believes he alone knows what is best for America.  His sense of superiority is unmistakable, and with that kind of confidence, it’s understandable that the former community organizer would feel justified in pursuing whatever goals he deems necessary to reform America’s core ideals.  Add to that his apparent self-importance and the disdain he’s shown toward things like our founding document, and toward grandmothers praying outside abortion facilities, and toward Donald Trump — and it all begins to make sense. 

Despite his rhetoric about “We the people” and creating a “more perfect union,” Obama’s divisive policies have fostered the us-versus-them mentality that America now struggles with every day.  From Henry Gates to Trayvon Martin, throughout his political career, Obama seized every opportunity to deepen racial divides in a country that for over two centuries had worked together to address complex issues.

Obama is committed and has consistently shaped government policy to punish any group or belief system he despises.  In weaponized, politicized Obama circles, rest assured that the shadowy figure leading the anti-American crusade has always been the one at the top.  However, because of the racial tensions he escalated and his ability to manipulate the nation’s mindset with words, the man who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the “diplomatic accomplishment” of being half-black has, until now, been shielded from the scrutiny he deserved for his deceitfulness, corruption, ineptitude, and ruthlessness.

An unknown author once wrote, “A toxic person only changes his victims, never himself.”  Lying, reproving, spying, and stealing are common for someone who believes he is justified in doing anything to advance his agenda.  For Barack Obama, progress involves secretly promoting socialist Marxist ideas on Chicago’s South Side; infiltrating the U.S. Senate; occupying the Oval Office; and, if necessary, tampering with election results.

Barack Obama’s treatment of people has provided sporadic glimpses into the former president’s true nature toward those he considers adversaries.  To teach the defiant tough lessons and to drive home a message, Obama sent transgender people into the military and drag queens into women’s restrooms.  To influence gun control in the U.S., Obama allowed firearms to cross the border into cartels’ hands.  Obama even organized and instructed the IRS to review and deny tax-exempt status to applications that included political themes considered “anti-Obama” (whatever that means).  The man has the innate ability to be cruel, self-serving, and spiteful.  Just ask PutinNetanyahuSam Alito; and the bitter gun-toting, Bible-clinging, anti-immigrant, racist “tea baggers,” whom Obama had just a few days before making that statement accused of being domestic terrorists.

Having spent two decades trying to navigate the minefield of division and destruction he caused from day one, Obama still publicly criticizes anyone who dares to disagree with him.  The former president is proficient at manipulating an audience.  Whenever Obama discusses a controversial theme, it’s with an assertiveness that suggests no one on earth dares to differ in opinion.  Unpopular policies and sentiments are often presented as if there were a consensus among the majority.  In his farewell speech to the nation, clever as he is, Obama found a subtle way to diminish Trump by using his all-inclusive weapon of choice, personal pronouns, to warn Americans that after he leaves office, we “must guard against a weakening of the values that make us who we are.”

No, Obama, what needed to be addressed were the values that make you who you are!

Despite Barack’s graceful style when suggesting that his views are mainstream, they are not, and the 2016 election proved that.  To put America first, voters rejected Obama in 2016 and chose a candidate who promised a fundamental change that not only some Americans could believe in, but all Americans.  The 2016 election must have been a shock because, at the time, a confident Obama was riding high on his perceived achievements.  The former president fully expected a smooth transfer of power to a like-minded successor, Hillary Clinton.  The obstacle to that plan was Donald Trump, who unexpectedly emerged from Trump Tower with a plan to truly “Make America Great Again.”  Trump campaigned against and opposed every policy his predecessor had implemented.  That clearly didn’t sit well with the person tasked with transforming the world from what it is into what he felt it should be.

Throughout his life and, most certainly, throughout his political career, the former president has never shown any significant change or softened his rhetoric, nor has he expressed any remorse for fiascos like Benghazi or the death of a 16-year-old American citizen in Yemen, who died in a drone strike he ordered.  If detractors criticized him, he historically responded by doubling down on his position.  Ask him, and he’ll probably tell you that he still believes that babies born alive in botched abortions should be left to die without oxygen, warmth, or hydration.  The fact that Obama would likely reaffirm that belief makes his walking guns across the border, sending men into bathrooms with little girls, sending $1.7 billion in cash to the Iranians, and exchanging five Taliban prisoners for Bowe Bergdahl seem somewhat tame.

From the start, Barack Obama’s “Yes We Can” mantra was more “Yes, I can do and say whatever I want.”  And based on the shocking revelations surrounding the 2016, 2024, and very possibly the 2020 elections, that’s exactly what he’s been doing all along.  That’s why, for those of us who see who and what he is, Barack Obama being the central figure in a bloodless coup against Donald Trump is not all that far-fetched.

Jeannie hosts a blog at www.jeannieology.us.

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/08/barack_obama_and_the_predictable_coup.html

Merck KGaA Plans $4 Billion Bond Sale to Fund SpringWorks Therapeutics Acquisition

 


Merck KGaA, a German maker of drugs and electronics, is looking to sell around $4 billion of US investment-grade bonds to help fund its acquisition of SpringWorks Therapeutics Inc., according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The deal would be split into as many as four parts, maturing in three, five, seven and 10 years, some of the people said, asking not to be identified because the details are private. Proceeds from the bond sale will be used to refinance the temporary debt put in place for the $3.9 billion acquisition of SpringWorks, a maker of biopharmaceuticals, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-11/merck-kgaa-is-said-to-plan-4-billion-bond-sale-to-fund-purchase

Intel jumps as Trump calls meet with CEO Lip-Bu Tan 'interesting,' signals more talks ahead

 Intel (INTC) stock jumped Monday as CEO Lip-Bu Tan met with President Trump, who had called for Tan's resignation last week.

After the meeting, Trump posted to Truth Social saying that he had met with Tan along with Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. "The meeting was a very interesting one," the president wrote, adding, "His success and rise is an amazing story."

Trump said Tan and his cabinet will "spend time together" and "bring suggestions" to him in the next week, without specifying on the topics to be discussed.

Intel stock rose 3.5% on Monday during the day as reports circulated about the meeting. After Trump's post landed Monday evening, Intel continued to rise about 2.3% in after-hours trading.

Trump said Tan and his cabinet will "spend time together" and "bring suggestions" to him in the next week, without specifying on the topics to be discussed.

Intel stock rose 3.5% on Monday during the day as reports circulated about the meeting. After Trump's post landed Monday evening, Intel continued to rise about 2.3% in after-hours trading.

Tan was named Intel's CEO in March, taking over after his predecessor Pat Gelsinger was ousted by the board last year. The company struggled to stem losses in its manufacturing business, regain market share in its legacy computer chip segment, and develop an AI strategy.

Investors cheered Tan's appointment, with the stock rising as much as 15% after the news. Wall Street analysts, as well as several current and former executives and employees, saw Tan as the best possibility to succeed in turning around the troubled company.

Intel’s gain Monday puts shares of the company up nearly 4% this year, lagging chipmakers such as Nvidia (NVDA) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), which have added roughly 36% and 47% in 2025, respectively. Intel stock’s uptick this year follows a 60% drop in 2024.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/intel-stock-jumps-after-trump-calls-meeting-with-ceo-lip-bu-tan-interesting-signals-more-talks-ahead-145853670.html

Texas Target shooting leaves 3 dead, several others hurt, including child

 Three people were killed and several others, including a child, were injured in a shooting at a Target in central Texas late Monday afternoon, officials said.

A suspect was detained following the bloodshed at a Target north of Austin, according to police.

Officials told KVUE that between three and five victims were shot, including a child – who is not among the dead.

At least three people were killed in a shooting at an Austin, Texas Target store on Monday.AP
A child was among the injured on Monday.AP

The Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services told Fox 7 that it was treating four patients involved in the shooting.

The unknown suspect has been detained.AP

The suspect was described as a white man wearing khaki shorts and a Hawaiian or floral shirt.

This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates.

https://nypost.com/2025/08/11/us-news/texas-target-shooting-leaves-2-dead-several-others-hurt-including-child/

Canada Lumber Aid Inflames US Subsidy Claims, Industry Says

 


The US lumber industry says new financial support pledged by Canada to domestic forestry companies risks deepening the neighbors’ long-running trade dispute, and may result in yet more import taxes.

Last week Prime Minister Mark Carney promised as much as C$1.2 billion ($870 million) in loan guarantees, grants and contributions for Canadian sawmills to pursue product development and market diversification — in response to what he said were unjustified US import taxes.