White House Envoy Meets Putin for Ukraine Peace Discussions

White House envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for more than four hours last Friday in St. Petersburg to discuss potential peace settlements in Ukraine. While Witkoff emerged with a clearer understanding of Putin's demands, he did not secure approval for the 30-day ceasefire plan that President Trump has been advocating—a proposal that Ukraine has reportedly signaled agreement to.

⚖️ Deportation Case Sparks Political Divide

The deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador has sparked significant debate after Salvadorian President Bukele confirmed he will not return Garcia to the U.S., despite a Supreme Court ruling that the Trump administration should "facilitate" his return. The Trump DOJ released a dossier alleging Garcia's MS-13 ties, including previous rulings from immigration courts that described him as "a verified member.” Garcia had been granted a "withholding of removal" order in 2019 to prevent his deportation based on his fear of persecution by MS-13’s rival gang Barrio-18, and questions remain about whether his deportation violated due process in spite of Trump's designation of MS-13 as a terrorist organization. Garcia's lawyers maintain he had attended yearly immigration check-ins “without fail and without incident” since receiving protective status, but as President Bukele told CNN, returning Garcia—now back in his home country where he faces criminal charges—to the U.S. would be “preposterous” as he is no longer under U.S. jurisdiction.

🧨 Texas Teen Murder Case Draws Controversy

Karmelo Anthony, a 17-year-old charged with first-degree murder for fatally stabbing high school football star Austin Metcalf during a dispute at a track meet, was released on a bond reduced to $250,000 due to alleged financial hardship. The judge's decision to slash the initial $1 million bond has sparked controversy, especially following reports that Anthony is living with his family in a $900,000 home in a gated community and has acquired a new car. A GiveSendGo fundraiser for Anthony's legal fees has raised over $450,000. The family has maintained that they have not used the funds to buy a home and have yet to receive any of the donations. Dominique Alexander, who has become the main spokesman for Karmelo Anthony and his family, has openly supported the Nation of Islam and its leader Louis Farrakhan, introducing further tensions and turning the potential trial into a referendum on race.

💰 DOGE Program Falls Short of Budget-Cutting Goals

Elon Musk indicated for the first time that his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is falling well short of its ambitious goals. Initially promising to reduce next year's federal budget by $1 trillion by September 30, Musk reported in a cabinet meeting that the group will likely save only about $150 billion—85% less than the original objective.

🏛️ Harvard Funding Frozen in Education Dispute

The Trump administration has frozen $2.2 billion in grants to Harvard University after the school rejected government demands that the university characterized as a violation of academic freedom. Demands focus on foreign donations, foreign students, and affiliations, and require Harvard to eliminate all DEI programs, audit academic departments to increase viewpoint diversity, reduce faculty and administrator influence, restrict student protests, report certain foreign students to federal authorities, cooperate with federal agencies, and implement governance reforms. The government claims that curtailing these programs is necessary to discourage anti-Semitism and to stop inflaming racial tensions. Harvard is reportedly the first university to refuse compliance with the administration's requirements, prompting threats from the administration regarding its tax-exempt status. The action is part of the White House's campaign against perceived “wokeness” in higher education. Yet even those sympathetic with the government’s goals question the way the administration is implementing its policies.

📊 CDC Study Shows Rising Autism Rates

A new CDC study reports that autism rates among American children continue to increase, with approximately 1 in 31 children (roughly 3%) now identified as autistic. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. noted the dramatic rise, stating that in his generation, “the rate of autism was 1 in 10,000.”

📺 Bill Maher Has Pleasant Meeting with President Trump

Entertainer Kid Rock successfully arranged for liberal comedian Bill Maher to dine at the White House with President Trump. Maher is noted for his deep criticism of the president. He said that although the meeting didn’t make him “MAGA”, it significantly changed his mind about the president. “Everything I’ve ever not liked about him was…absent.” He described the president as "gracious and measured” and “much more self-aware than he lets on in public,” while acknowledging that “it doesn't matter who he is at a private dinner with a comedian; it matters who he is on the world stage.” Maher remarked, “I voted for Clinton and Obama, but I would never feel comfortable talking to them the way I was able to talk with Donald Trump,” and concluded that “a crazy person doesn’t live in the White House. A person who plays a crazy person on TV a lot lives there.”

🎰 "The Joker" Beats Texas Lottery

A secretive gambling operation led by Zeljko Ranogajec, known as "The Joker," executed a plan to purchase nearly every possible combination in the Texas lottery. Tickets were $1 each, there were 25.8 million potential number combinations, and the jackpot was approaching $95 million. The scheme was possible because of a 2023 Texas law allowing online lottery ticket vendors to print tickets for their customers. And it worked: The outfit won $57 million. Reports indicate Ranogajec and his partners have won hundreds of millions using Wall Street-style analytics in betting opportunities worldwide.

🏺 Altar for Child Sacrifice Discovered in Guatemala

Archaeologists have discovered an ancient altar in the Guatemalan jungle that archeologists say was used for human sacrifices, particularly of children. Eyebrows raised, however, when CBS wrote an article quoting archaeologist María Belén Méndez, "We see how the issue of sacrifice exists … It was a practice; it's not that they were violent, it was their way of connecting with the celestial bodies." If rioting can be redefined as "peaceful protest" and human sacrifice as "nonviolent ritual," then reality itself can be reshaped to match one's preconceived views no matter how much those views conflict with the truth.

🛩️ Bernie Sanders’s Private Jet Usage Draws Criticism

Campaign expenditure reports revealed that self-proclaimed socialist Senator Bernie Sanders, one of the most active advocates for reduction in carbon emissions to combat climate change, spent $221,723 on private jet travel during the first quarter of 2025 while conducting his nationwide “Fighting Oligarchy Tour.” The payments began just days before the February launch of the tour, which focuses on criticizing billionaires and “oligarchs.” Studies show that private jet travel emits up to fourteen times more pollution than that of an equivalent commercial flight because of the efficiency of transporting many more passengers at a time. Sanders spent almost two million dollars on private flights during his failed 2020 presidential campaign. But to be fair, oligarchs fly 747s, not a humble Bombardier Challenger.