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Turkey Day? This Year, Millions Of Americans Can't Afford Traditional Holiday Meal

Turkey Day? This Year, Millions Of Americans Can't Afford Traditional Holiday Meal

Nearly half of Americans are trading turkey this Thanksgiving for cheaper options like chicken, according to a new report from Defend America Action. It’s just one example of how rising costs are putting a damper on the holiday.

The report was compiled at the behest of more than a dozen Democratic state legislators, who have personally witnessed their constituents cutting corners to make ends meet.

“While Trump and Republicans spend billions bailing out their allies and handing out tax breaks to billionaires, Americans are facing higher prices with fewer resources,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement. “Many Americans will find themselves clipping coupons, cutting costs, and waiting in long lines instead of settling in for a relaxing holiday with family and friends.”

The report found that 57 percent of Americans say that Thanksgiving trimmings are more expensive than last year. They’re not imagining it: turkey prices are up 24 percent, canned cranberries are up 45 percent, frozen peas are up 17 percent, cheddar cheese is up 6.6 percent, and the price of sweet potatoes rose by a staggering 37 percent.

Prices for wine, sugar, and whipped cream are all up as well.

The legislators are right to blame President Donald Trump’s inflationary policies. New tariffs on imported farm equipment, fertilizer, steel, and aluminum have increased production costs for many farmers, leading to higher prices in supermarkets.

Tariffs are essentially taxes on imported goods. The tax is paid by the importer, and the cost is often passed to the consumer. Trump claims he is using tariffs to pressure foreign governments into better trade deals.

The pain has been especially acute for turkey farmers. In March, Trump levied tariffs on animal feed imported from Canada and Mexico, which accounts for more than 60 percent of poultry farmers’ operating costs.

It’s been made worse by the administration’s sluggish response to an avian flu outbreak that has shrunk the American turkey inventory to its lowest level in 40 years.

While some Americans will be cooking chicken, one in ten say they won’t be serving any protein at all, choosing to serve only sides instead. Nearly a quarter plan on cutting portion sizes.

This data undercuts Trump’s claims that Thanksgiving will be more affordable this year. He has repeatedly cited a 25 percent price drop for Walmart’s pre-packaged Thanksgiving meals as proof that he’s bringing costs down. Not only is this an outlier, but Walmart’s offerings are also smaller and include less expensive items than in past years.

It’s not just grocery prices, either. Year-over-year travel costs are up as well, with airfare 3.2 percent more expensive than it was in 2024. The additional costs do not equal more luxury. Airports across the country are bracing for delays and cancellations as they continue to struggle with the fallout from Trump’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) staffing cuts and the recent government shutdown.

An estimated 31 million people are expected to fly between November 21 and December 1.

More than half of Americans, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs poll, rank grocery costs as a significant source of stress in their lives.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

Susan Collins

GOP Budget Hurts Her Maine Constituents, But Collins Is Still Taking A Victory Lap

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) touts her role in ending the government shutdown, even though the final bill did not include any of her legislative priorities.

Collins leads the Senate Appropriations Committee that crafted the continuing resolution (CR) to reopen the government. She is the only Senate Republican to endorse extending Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) subsidies and reining in President Donald Trump’s spending cuts, but the CR did not include these provisions, and Collins did not vote with Democrats who were pushing to add them.

“I was responsible for not only putting the bill together, but also managing it on the Senate floor,” Collins said in a November 18 radio interview. “Dealing with proposals to change it, negotiating not only with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, but also with the House of Representatives and the administration.”

The 43-day shutdown was the longest in American history. It began on October 1 when Democrats in Congress refused to back any funding bill that did not meet an array of demands, including the extension of Obamacare subsidies that help 65,000 of Collins' Maine constituents afford health care.

Democrats also demanded the Trump administration be blocked from withholding any funding that was already approved by Congress. Since January, the White House has rescinded billions in appropriated funds, including $323,000 to study rural health care access in Maine.

Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut told NOTUS that there was a bipartisan proposal to block future rescissions and that she personally lobbied Collins and others on the Appropriations Committee to include it in the CR. The proposal never saw the light of day.

The CR did, however, include a provision that would have allowed Senate Republicans to sue the Justice Department for $500,000 if their phone records were seized during the investigation of the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Roll Call reported that Collins personally added the provision at the behest of South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the Republican majority leader.

A bipartisan vote in the House stripped the provision from the final CR on November 19.

Collins is considered the most vulnerable Senate Republican facing reelection next year.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

These House Republicans Opposed Trump's Medicaid Cuts -- Until They Voted 'Yes'

These House Republicans Opposed Trump's Medicaid Cuts -- Until They Voted 'Yes'

Some of the most vulnerable House Republicans up for reelection next year took issue with provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) before ultimately supporting the law.

That’s especially tricky for Reps. Juan Ciscomani (AZ-07), Jen Kiggans (VA-02), Tom Kean Jr. (NJ-07), Mike Lawler (NY-17), and Young Kim (CA-40), all of whom have made bipartisanship central to their political brands.

A KFF tracking poll finds that 64 percent of voters have a negative view of OBBB, particularly its cuts to Medicaid. An estimated 15 million Americans are expected to lose health insurance by 2035 because of it.

Ciscomani specifically took issue with the law’s health care cuts, writing in an April press release that he “cannot and will not vote for legislation that reduces Medicaid coverage for those who need it” and that he has an “unwavering commitment to preserving Medicaid benefits.” A month later, he voted for the bill anyway.

The Senate then made changes to the bill before sending it back to the House, at which point Ciscomani again took issue with the bill’s cuts to Medicaid.

“As Members of Congress who helped secure a Republican majority, we believe it is essential that the final reconciliation bill reflects the priorities of our constituents,” said a letter Ciscomani co-signed in June. “Most importantly, the critical need to protect Medicaid and the hospitals that serve our communities.”

Despite these objections, Ciscomani voted for the bill again a few weeks later.

The June 2025 letter was also signed by Kiggans, Lawler, and Kim, all of whom supported the bill with Medicaid cuts intact. Those same lawmakers, plus Kean, also expressed concern about OBBB’s rollback of clean energy tax credits implemented during the Biden administration.

Kiggans warned Republicans on the House’s tax writing committee that a wind farm being built off the coast of her Virginia Beach district would be imperiled if the rollbacks stayed in the law. Kean expressed concern that New Jerseyans could see higher utility bills because of the cuts.

Kean’s concern was echoed in another letter from June 2025 that Kean, Kiggans, Lawler, Kim, and Ciscomani all signed.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

New Jersey GOP Nominee Opposes Citizenship Policy That Made His Family American

New Jersey GOP Nominee Opposes Citizenship Policy That Made His Family American

New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli opposes birthright citizenship, even though his own ancestors benefited from it.

The 14th Amendment has long been understood to extend citizenship to all children born on U.S. soil, regardless of their parents’ nationality. President Donald Trump, however, issued an executive order challenging that interpretation, claiming the 1868 law only applied to the children of recently freed slaves.

Trump’s order is now before the Supreme Court. If birthright citizenship is eliminated, it will be a dramatic shift in domestic policy that could leave 11 million people born and raised in the United States vulnerable to deportation.

“Do I believe that someone should be able to just cross the border, give birth and have that baby be an American citizen?” Ciattarelli mused at a campaign event last month. “I don’t. That’s not what the intent was of the 14th Amendment.”

But a review of military and census records shows that Ciattarelli’s grandfather, Antonio, fathered at least two children in the United States before becoming a citizen.

Antonio wrote “no” on a World War I draft registration card from 1917 or 1918, asking whether he was a naturalized citizen or an alien. This was typical for Italian-born immigrants who had not yet begun the citizenship process but intended to.

The same card stated that Antonio had two children.

The 1920 census shows that Antonio had applied for citizenship but not yet been naturalized. It also states that he immigrated to the United States in 1908 and that his two children were born in 1914 and 1915, making them documented citizens.

By the time of the 1930 census, Antonio was a naturalized citizen and Ciattarelli’s father, Anthony, had been born. It’s not clear if Anthony was born before or after Antonio was naturalized.

Ciattarelli’s Democratic opponent, Mikie Sherrill, is a consponsor of the Born in the USA Act, which seeks to block Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

Crime Pays: Big Donors To New Jersey GOP Nominee Have Long Rapsheets

Crime Pays: Big Donors To New Jersey GOP Nominee Have Long Rapsheets

Jack Ciattarellli, Republican nominee for governor of New Jersey, has pledged to crack down on crime if elected, but his donor list is a rogues’ gallery of alleged mobsters and fraudsters.

Arguably Ciattarelli’s most infamous contributor is Louis Civello, Jr., the son of reported La Cosa Nostra member “Louie the Leg-Breaker.”

Civello owns a used car lot in Bridgeton that was named in a 2015 investigation into corruption at the state Motor Vehicle Commission. It was alleged that the lot was a front for tax evasion and money laundering and that Civello’s father was once on the lot’s payroll. It was also discovered that Civello shared a bank account with a convicted felon with mob ties, which he didn’t deny.

While state officials believe Civello is linked to organized crime, he has never been criminally charged. He gave $5,800 to Ciattarelli in June, the maximum allowed under state law.

Ciattarelli also received $5,800 from Joseph J. Fafone, who, like Civello, is the son of an alleged mobster, Joseph P. “Boca Joe” Fafone.

Fafone and his father were arrested in 2002 for running an illegal sports betting website. Fafone was put on probation, while his father served two years in prison. Federal prosecutors alleged that both men were associates of the Gambino crime family in New York.

Fafone and his father were prosecuted again in 2009 for operating another illegal gambling site. Prosecutors dropped charges against Boca Joe in exchange for a guilty plea from the younger Fafone, who was forced to pay about $2 million in fines.

Fafone gave $4,900 to Ciattarelli’s failed 2021 governor campaign as well.

Disgraced Newark police captain Anthony Buono also donated to Ciattarelli. In 2009, Buono and another officer were arrested on theft and conspiracy charges after they were caught illegally accessing an insurance fraud database and selling its private information to third parties.

Buono was sentenced to two years’ probation.

Another felon boosting Ciattarelli is Richard Costabile, the former proprietor of Ironbound Floor Covering Inc. In 2006, Costabile pleaded guilty to bribing a Paterson school official with $6,000 in free flooring in exchange for work in the school district.

Costabile was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine.

Two more Ciattarelli donors have been accused of health care fraud.

Dr. Richard Lipsky of Westwood was a principal investor in Silver Lake Hospital in Newark, which provides long-term care. Last year, he was forced to pay $12 million to settle claims that the hospital knowingly overbilled Medicare so investors could pocket the proceeds.

William G. Burris was named in a state comptroller investigation alleging that four health care facilities he invested in were involved in a similar scheme. The facilities are at risk of losing Medicaid funding if Burris and other backers don’t divest. The matter is ongoing.

There are also white collar criminals boosting Ciattarelli. Jeffrery Citron of Hobe Beach, FL, gave $5,800 last year. Citron is best known as the former CEO of Vonage.

In 2003, when was a broker at the firm Heartland Securities Corp, Citron was ordered to pay the SEC $22.5 million in fines to settle securities fraud charges. It was one of the largest regulatory penalties in history at the time it was levied.

Citron’s wife gave $5,800 to Ciattarelli as well.

Another donor, Connecticut resident Robert O. Carr, was ordered to pay $250,000 in SEC fines for insider trading.

While most polls show Ciattarelli trailing his Democratic opponent, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Republican National Committee has invested heavily in the race. It is the most expensive governor’s race in New Jersey history.

Election Day is November 4.

Susan Collins

Susan Collins Says She Opposed GOP Budget -- Then Boasted That She Wrote It

In an unguarded moment, Maine Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) appeared to take credit for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) that will kick 40,000 Mainers off Medicaid.

Collins has campaigned on being one of only three Senate Republicans to oppose the bill, even though she played a pivotal role in shepherding it into law.

She was explaining in an October 6 radio interview why she opposes a government funding bill backed by Democrats when she lumped herself with other Republicans who supported OBBB and touted a provision of it that she wrote.

“I do want to bring up one other irony, and that is that the Democrats are proposing in their version of the continuing resolution to repeal a $50 billion fund to help rural hospitals,” Collins said. “And this was something that is near and dear to my heart, because I came up with the concept and authored this fund, which was included in the bill that we passed earlier this year.”

In addition to the Freudian slip, this statement is misleading.

Democrats’ continuing resolution would end the government shutdown, reverse OBBB’s cuts to Medicaid, and extend expiring Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) subsidies—all of which Collins claims to support.

The hospital fund is designed to offset a portion of the revenue rural health care providers will lose because of Medicaid cuts. If those cuts are reversed, the need for the fund is eliminated.

Even though Collins opposed OBBB on the Senate floor, she previously voted to advance the bill out of the Appropriations Committee, clearing the way for its passage. Rolling Stone reported that Collins cast this vote immediately after her PAC received a $2 million donation from New York billionaire Stephen A. Schwarzman.

A tracking poll from KFF finds that 64% of adults view OBBB unfavorably. About 85% of Mainers enrolled in Obamacare will see their health care premiums go up if the subsidies expire.

Collins is expected to seek a sixth term next year. A handful of Democrats have lined up to challenge her, including Maine Gov. Janet Mills, oysterman Graham Platner, and activist Jordan Wood.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

Lavish Spending On Cabinet Officials As Federal Workers And Troops Go Unpaid

Lavish Spending On Cabinet Officials As Federal Workers And Troops Go Unpaid

The government shutdown has not stopped President Donald Trump and his henchmen from spending cash on vanity projects, such as White House renovations and private planes.

About 1.4 million federal workers are not receiving paychecks because of the shutdown, and many have become Uber drivers and DoorDash deliverers to make ends meet.

“I’m driving Uber at night so I can feed my 15-year-old son,” Daniel Scharpenburg, a longtime IRS employee, told a federal worker roundtable in Kansas.

Scharpenburg shared his story days before bulldozers began demolishing portions of the White House to make way for a rococo ballroom that will cost an estimated $200 million. Trump has publicly fantasized about building such a structure since before he was president.

The demolition work signals another broken promise by Trump, who said in July that the new ballroom “won’t interfere with the current building.”

The ballroom is allegedly being funded by Trump himself and a cadre of corporate donors, like R.J. Reynolds and weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin. Because the project involves a national monument, these donors will receive a federal tax write-off for their contributions.

“We are 20 days into the Republican Shutdown,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) wrote on X. “Health care costs are skyrocketing and federal workers aren’t getting paid. What is Trump doing? Building his gold plated ballroom.”

Thousands of dollars have also been spent on gold adornments for the Oval Office and enormous banners featuring Trump’s face that now hang from some federal buildings.

Trump isn’t the only one benefitting from government largesse during the shutdown. It was reported last week that the Coast Guard spent $172 million on two Gulfstream private jets for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

The Coast Guard insists the jets are part of a necessary upgrade, but it has not explained why it spent more than double its initial estimate of $50 million to procure them. It is also not clear where the funding for the jets came from.

Noem has already been scrutinized for using government planes for personal travel and living rent-free in a residence typically reserved for the Coast Guard’s commandant. Noem maintains these measures are necessary to ensure her personal safety.

“We are deeply concerned about your judgment, leadership priorities, and responsibility as a steward of taxpayer dollars,” Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee wrote in a letter to Noem, requesting more details on the private jet expenditure.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has also spent $51 million of taxpayer funds on a series of television ads this year thanking Trump for “securing the border” and defending ICE’s brutal deportation campaign.

Eyebrows were also raised by an announcement that the U.S. government would spend $20 billion on a currency swap with Argentina to help the nation’s fledgling economy.

This could all become a problem for Republicans. Many Americans, not just federal workers, are struggling with the rising costs of groceries and housing. Lavish spending by the White House risks making them look out of touch with those concerns.

It is likely to get worse when tax credits that help 22 million Americans afford health insurance plans expire at the end of this month. In Georgia, home to one of next year’s most competitive Senate races, some health care premiums are expected to quadruple as a result.

Democrats have made extending these subsidies a condition of reopening the government.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

Nevada Governor Who Voted By Mail Three Times Wants To Abolish Mail Ballots

Nevada Governor Who Voted By Mail Three Times Wants To Abolish Mail Ballots

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo signaled he would back a push to abolish mail-in voting, despite having voted by mail multiple times himself.

President Donald Trump teased last month that he would soon sign an executive order creating a national voter ID law and eliminating most mail-in ballots. It’s not clear if such an order would be enforceable, as states generally set their own voting rules and protocols.

Nevada is one of eight states with “universal mail-in voting,” where every registered voter is sent a ballot. Lombardo criticized this practice when the Nevada Independent asked if he would back Trump’s plan.

“I would, of course, support President Trump’s efforts to end universal mail-in voting,” Lombardo said in a written response. He did not respond to a follow-up question asking whether he opposes all forms of mail-in voting.

According to public records from the Clark County Election Department, Lombardo voted by mail three times in the last five years: the 2024 presidential primary, the 2024 down ballot primary, and the 2020 presidential election.

Ironically, eliminating mail-in ballots would likely hurt Lombardo and other Republicans. In 2024, nearly half of Nevada voters in rural areas, which heavily favored Trump, voted by mail.

This is not the first time Lombardo has indulged Trump’s election meddling. In 2022, he cast doubt on the validity of the 2020 election, but stopped short of endorsing Trump’s voter fraud conspiracies. Last year, Lombardo’s PAC supported a prominent election denier.

Lombardo won the 2022 election for governor by fewer than 15,500 votes. He is running for a second term next year. His likely Democratic opponent is state Attorney General Aaron Ford.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

John Reid

Uh-Oh! Virginia Candidate's Blog Shared Content From Nazi Porn Accounts

A pornographic blog linked to Virginia lieutenant governor candidate John Reid shared content from accounts that fetishized Nazism and sexual violence.

The Republican candidate has denied ownership of the blog, which was hosted on Tumblr under the name JRDeux, the same handle he uses on Instagram and TikTok. Other news outlets have reported on the existence of the blog, but not its racist content or disturbing imagery.

Tumblr lets users upload and share different types of media. All of JRDeux’s posts were images reposted from other accounts. To find and share this content, JRDeux would have had to either follow the accounts that posted it, search for related material, or encounter it through Tumblr’s algorithmic recommendations.

Reid said the blog is part of a coordinated effort to smear him for being a gay Republican, even though its posts date back to 2014—before he was a political candidate and was mostly known as a local news broadcaster and media consultant.

The blog was deleted shortly after it was first reported on, but we were able to recover several posts using the Internet Archive. Please note that this article contains slurs that may be offensive to some readers.

In October 2015, JRDeux shared an image of a male college student in underwear from the user obedientn*ggerdc. That account’s bio described the user as a “subservient n*gger who knows his place in society” and included a solicitation for “superior white men” near Washington, D.C., to contact them via email.

Obedientn*ggerdc posted multiple images of shirtless men with white supremacist tattoos, including a close-up of a muscular chest emblazoned with a swastika and captioned, “fucking nice WP ink M88.” WP is an acronym for “white power,” and M88 is a neo-Nazi code phrase for “Heil Hitler.”

Other posts from this user were captioned with homophobic slurs and repeatedly referred to white men as “SSirs,” likely a reference to the Nazi Schutzstaffel, known as the SS. Another post praised the attractiveness of prominent GOP politicians it described as “conservative alpha males,” including Sens. John Thune and Todd Young.

The underwear photo was the only post JRDeux shared from obedientniggerdc.

Another post from obedientniggerdc showed a nude man being pinned down and choked, his face contorted in agony. JRDeux shared similar content from other users, including one image of a man in bondage gear using a necktie to asphyxiate someone and another of a bald man forcing someone’s face into his armpit.

Both of these images were reposted from the user slaveandy, whose profile described themselves as a “filthy faggot.” Many of the posts from this user were extremely graphic, showing men being forced to eat from dog bowls, locked in cages, or having their genitals mutilated. One depicted a man’s anus spread with a speculum and used as an ashtray.

Top state Republicans believe JRDeux is Reid. The Tumblr surfaced as part of a party assessment of candidate vulnerabilities conducted last spring. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin urged Reid to withdraw from the race because of the blog but did not divulge the specific content that prompted his call.

“Explicit social media content like this is a distraction,” Youngkin told reporters on April 29. “It’s a distraction for campaigns, and it’s a distraction from people paying attention to the most important issues.”

Reid has refused to leave the race and maintains the blog is not his.

While Reid identifies as a gay Republican, he has also taken several anti-LGBTQ positions. He is a vocal opponent of trans rights and signaling he would not cast a tie-breaking vote to protect same-sex marriage in Virginia.

Equality Virginia, the state’s largest gay rights organization, endorsed Reid’s Democratic opponent, state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi.

“It’s imperative that we keep that forward momentum this November by supporting pro-equality candidates willing to defend Virginia against outrageous federal overreach,” said Narissa Rahaman, the organization’s executive director.

Speculation about Reid owning the blog risks undermining his pledge to combat antisemitism, a centerpiece of his campaign platform.

A Reid campaign spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News.

Michael Whatley

GOP's North Carolina Senate Pick Backed By Election Denier, Alleged Spouse Abuser

Republican Michael Whatley is turning to election deniers and alleged domestic abusers to help raise money for his U.S. Senate campaign in North Carolina.

According to an invitation posted on Instagram, Whatley will headline a September 25 fundraiser in Pinehurst, NC, co-hosted by Mike Hardin, the District Attorney of Moore and Hoke Counties who has been accused of emotionally and physically terrorizing his estranged wife.

Victoria Hardin said in May 2024 court filings that her husband pushed her to the ground and bruised her arm a few weeks after she asked him for a divorce. She also alleged that he hacked into her password-protected electronic devices, impersonated her in text messages, and withdrew $173,000 from their joint bank account without consent.

“Ms. Hardin had hoped that the parties would be able to resolve the legal matters arising from their separation privately and cooperatively,” Victoria Hardin’s attorney told the news outlet The Assembly. “Unfortunately, that was not possible. The pleadings and motions Ms. Hardin filed speak for themselves.”

Mike Hardin denies all of the allegations.

Another co-host of the fundraiser is Cleta Mitchell, an attorney who advised President Donald Trump on his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Mitchell reportedly participated in a phone call in which Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” 11,780 ballots that would change the election results in that state.

In 2021, Mitchell was forced to resign from her law firm because of the call. The call was central to a criminal indictment brought against Trump in August 2023.

Whatley served as chairman of the Republican National Committee from March 2024 to August of this year. It is widely believed that Trump handpicked Whatley for that role because of his willingness to embrace election fraud conspiracies.

“Regardless of how these lawsuits come out around the country with the presidential race, we do know that there was massive fraud that took place,” Whatley said in a November 2020 radio interview. “We know that it took place in places like Milwaukee and Detroit and Philadelphia.”

The fundraiser will also feature Republican Rep. Richard Hudson, who currently serves as chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Both Hudson and Whatley have come under fire for supporting odious figures in the past, most notably failed gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson, who has a long record of racist and misogynistic remarks.

Tickets for the fundraiser range in price from $250 to $14,000.

Whatley’s likely Democratic opponent is former Gov. Roy Cooper. An Emerson poll from August found Cooper leading Whatley 47 percent to 41 percent with 12 percent undecided. It is expected to be one of the most expensive U.S. Senate races ever.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News.

Jimmy Kimmel

House Democrats Vow Investigation Of Kimmel Firing

California Rep. Robert Garcia says he’s launching an investigation into the Trump administration and ABC over the firing of late show host Jimmy Kimmel.

Kimmel was ousted by the network Wednesday night, reportedly because of a joke that identified far-right activist Charlie Kirk’s assassin as a MAGA acolyte. But Kimmel’s long-running feud with President Donald Trump and pending business deals requiring federal approval have fueled speculation the firing was actually driven by censorship and bribery.

“Every American has a duty to stand up for our First Amendment values,” Garcia, who co-chairs the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement. “We will not be silent as our freedoms are threatened by corrupt schemes and threats. Anyone who is complicit will need to answer to us.”

Since Kirk’s killing, Republicans have been targeting virtually anyone on the left who makes disparaging remarks about Kirk or his legacy. Trump and other Republicans have repeatedly blamed Democrats for Kirk’s death, even though the killer’s motives are still unknown.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the government would rescind visas for anyone who “celebrates” Kirk’s death, and Trump adviser Stephen Miller said “leftist organizations” that “contributed” to Kirk’s murder would be investigated by the Justice Department.

Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy told NPR on Tuesday that he believes there are darker motivations behind these efforts.

“They’re readying what may be a dizzying, high-volume attack on the president’s political opponents,” Murphy said. “They’re essentially exploiting the death of Charlie Kirk to try to eliminate those who oppose the president’s agenda.”

Kimmel has been an outspoken critic of Trump and his policies, often using humor to ridicule the president. Trump has called for Kimmel to be fired on several occasions.

Some local ABC affiliates said they would preempt Kimmel’s program because of his joke. FCC Chair Brendan Carr, who was appointed by Trump, publicly urged other local stations to follow suit, implying their broadcast licenses could be in jeopardy if they don’t. This appears to have inspired ABC to remove Kimmel from the network entirely.

Many of these local stations are owned by Nexstar, which is currently pursuing a $6.2 billion merger with rival company Tenga. The merger will require approval from the FCC.

A similar drama unfolded in July, when CBS fired Stephen Colbert, another Trump critic, just days after Carr met with Skydance Media executives, who were seeking to acquire CBS’s parent company, Paramount. The deal was approved the following week.

“There’s going to be a Democratic majority in just over a year,” said Rep. Eric Swalwell, another Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. “To the FCC chairperson and anyone involved in these dirty deals: get a lawyer and save your records because you’re going to be in this room answering questions.”

Kimmel has yet to release a public statement on his ouster.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News.

No Lie: Wes Moore Indeed Earned A Bronze Star For Afghan Heroism

No Lie: Wes Moore Indeed Earned A Bronze Star For Afghan Heroism

A false claim that Maryland Gov. Wes Moore never earned a Bronze Star for his military service in Afghanistan is being repeated by far-right pundits and media.

It has been alleged that Moore lied about receiving the honor on a 2006 application for a White House fellowship and has since failed to correct media reports that repeated the claim.

But there’s nothing to correct. At the time he submitted the application, Moore had been told by his commanding officer, Lt. Gen. Michael Fenzel, that he had been approved to receive the honor. The medal itself was not awarded until December 2024 because of a paperwork delay—a common occurrence in the military.

“I don’t know how many times since I’ve retired that I’ve [had] people come to me trying to get an award that they told me that they had been recommended for that they never got,” General Stanley McChrystal told the New York Times last year.

The Bronze Star is awarded for heroism in combat zones. Moore joined the Army in 2004 after receiving a master’s degree from Oxford. He was deployed to Afghanistan from 2005 to 2006 with the 82nd Airborne Division.

Fenzel personally recommended that Moore receive the honor and was not aware of the delay until it became a source of controversy. Fenzel ensured that the paperwork was corrected.

“Moore was tireless in his efforts to engage villages and tribal leaders to receive the most relevant and important messages associated with reconstruction, development, and stabilization,” Fenzel said at the belated award ceremony. “Through innumerable trips outside the wire and into Afghan communities, Wes Moore consistently demonstrated courage and skill in [a] wartime environment.”

An officer evaluation report from Moore’s time in the military described him as “a top 1% officer” and “the best lieutenant I’ve encountered during Operation Enduring Freedom.”

Moore told the New York Times that he never personally inquired about the award because he felt it would be disrespectful.

“You don’t do that,” he said. “I’m not going in and asking, ‘Well, what about this award or that award?’ I’m grateful that I’m home.”

Moore received other military honors, including the Combat Action Badge, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and the Parachutist Badge.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News.

Nevada's GOP Governor Kills IVF Bill, Underlining Trump Deception

Nevada's GOP Governor Kills IVF Bill, Underlining Trump Deception

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo killed a bill protecting access to in vitro fertilization (IVF), seemingly to appease radical anti-abortion groups.

Republicans pledged in their 2024 campaign platform to protect IVF following backlash to an Alabama Supreme Court decision that briefly banned the procedure. Lombardo’s move shows the hold anti-abortion activists still have over his party.

“After vetoing IVF protections for Nevadans, Joe Lombardo continues to cater to radical anti-abortion extremists and chip away at reproductive freedoms,” said Kate Sosland, spokesperson for the Nevada Democratic Party. “His anti-choice beliefs are clear.”

Senate Bill 217 would have established a state right to reproductive treatments, including IVF and intrauterine insemination. It also would have required insurers, including Medicaid, to cover such procedures.

The bill passed the Nevada Senate with bipartisan support but received no Republican votes in the state Assembly. Lombardo vetoed it on June 12.

The veto came less than 72 hours after a coalition of anti-abortion groups sent a letter urging Lombardo to oppose the legislation. The letter was signed by representatives of the Family Research Council and Moms for Liberty, both of which the Southern Poverty Law Center recognizes as hate groups.

Another signatory was Jesus Marquez, co-founder of the American Christian Caucus (ACC), a group that claims to promote “conservative Christian values in Nevada.” Lombardo is closely aligned with the ACC and invited the group to events at the governor’s mansion in 2024 and 2025.

When Senate Bill 217 was being debated, Marquez posted a video to Instagram indicating that he had met with Lombardo about opposing certain bills being considered by the legislature.

“After a good couple of days here in Carson City, now we’re heading back to Las Vegas,” Marquez said. “We had some great, great meetings and a couple of good events with the Governor, which was an awesome experience. Remember, the ACC is working to mobilize churches and to run or oppose bad bills, there are plenty of them.”

An earlier Instagram post by the ACC said the group was working to “defend” Lombardo’s veto power.

The ACC has stirred controversy with more incendiary social media posts, including a 2019 post claiming COVID-19 was a “hoax” and a 2023 post that said “democracy is tyranny.”

“Gov. Lombardo had the opportunity to make Nevada the first state in the country to provide Medicaid coverage for comprehensive fertility care, including IVF treatment,” said Denise Lopez of Reproductive Freedom for All of Nevada. “Instead, he chose to cater to his MAGA extremist allies, and Nevadans will pay the price.”

Lombardo is running for reelection in 2026 with the backing of President Donald Trump, who said on the campaign trail last year that he supported requiring insurance companies to cover IVF. Trump has taken no action on the issue since being elected.

Lombardo’s likely Democratic opponent is Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford. The Cook Political Report, which analyzes upcoming elections, currently ranks the race as a “toss-up.”

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

Congressional Budget Office

CBO Report: Trump's Big Ugly Bill Robs The Poor To Grease The Rich

House Republicans are using their August recess to promote the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but a new report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) suggests things are far bleaker than they say.

The report projects that the poorest 10% of Americans will lose about $1,200 a year under the law, while the wealthiest 10% will gain roughly $13,600 a year.

In other words, the law is a massive transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich.

“Republicans are adding trillions to the debt, raising costs on struggling families, and kicking millions off their health care—all to enrich billionaires,” Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) wrote on X. “It’s Robin Hood in reverse.”

The loss of wealth for poorer Americans is primarily driven by cuts to Medicaid, which 89 million people depend on for health insurance, and SNAP, which provides food assistance to nearly 42 million people.

The CBO previously estimated that 13.7 million people would lose health insurance because of the law’s cuts to Medicaid and changes to Obamacare subsidies. The new report digs into the effect of SNAP cuts, which are expected to leave 2.4 million people ineligible for the program.

“The recently passed budget reconciliation bill has shifted additional SNAP costs onto states, forcing agencies to scramble to implement complex and harmful provisions,” Crystal FitzSimons, president of the Food Research & Action Center, said in a statement. “States cannot afford the red tape, costly system upgrades, and staff training that these restrictions require.”

The gains for wealthy Americans are largely the result of tax cuts that are funded through cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and other federal programs. While most Americans will receive some form of a tax cut under the law, the vast majority of cuts—66%—will benefit households earning more than $500,000 a year.

Polling suggests that the law is largely out of step with what most Americans want. A KFF poll found that 64% of voters have an unfavorable view of it. A Pew poll from March found that 55% of Americans support raising taxes for the wealthy, not cutting them.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed the House and Senate with only Republican votes. It was signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News.

Resignation Shuts Down Campaign Finance Watchdog (Which Is Fine With Trump)

Resignation Shuts Down Campaign Finance Watchdog (Which Is Fine With Trump)

The Federal Election Commissions (FEC) became inoperable on Wednesday, and President Donald Trump seemingly has no plans to revive it.

Republican Commissioner Allen Dickerson stepped down from the FEC on April 30. His departure leaves the commission without the quorum needed to convene and conduct basic business, including the enforcement of campaign finance laws.

Trump controversially fired Democratic commissioner Ellen Weintraub in February. Both seats will remain vacant until Trump appoints successors who are then confirmed by the Senate. The White House has given no indication that nominations are forthcoming.

The FEC typically has six commissioners but only requires four to operate. There are now only three after Dickerson’s exit.

The FEC’s main function is to ensure that money is spent legally and fairly in U.S. elections. Federal campaigns, PACs, and parties must file quarterly reports with the FEC that show how much money they’ve raised, who their donors are, and what they’ve spent.

Without a quorum, the commission is unable to rule on investigation outcomes, impose penalties on violators, or provide guidance on how to comply with campaign finance laws.

Alix Fraser, vice president of advocacy for the campaign reform organization Issue One, told NOTUS that the lack of quorum will inevitably lead to corruption.

“The FEC is supposed to be the nation’s top campaign finance referee,” Fraser said. “The loss of a quorum at the FEC is more than a bureaucratic hiccup — it’s the refs walking off the field at a moment when robust scrutiny of money in politics is needed more than ever.”

The last time the FEC lacked a quorum was during Trump’s first term.

In August 2019, the FEC was inoperable for nine months following the resignation of Matthew Petersen. Less than two months later, the FEC shut down again for five months when Caroline Hunter resigned.

The two near-consecutive shutdowns created a backlog of work for future commissioners.

In May 2024, Trump was found guilty of violating campaign finance laws when he arranged a hush money payment to a porn star during his 2016 campaign. Judge Juan Merchan granted Trump an unconditional discharge after he won the 2024 presidential election.

Trump was accused last year of violating campaign finance law again when he used campaign donations to pay his legal fees.

A White House spokesperson did not respond to questions for this story.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News.

Police Unions Enraged By Trump's January 6 Pardons As Republicans Defend Them

Police Unions Enraged By Trump's January 6 Pardons As Republicans Defend Them

House Republicans are at odds with the nation’s two largest public safety unions over President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon violent rioters who assaulted police officers.

Trump granted clemency on Jan. 21 to all 1,500 rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Capitol police officers were beaten and tased during the attack. Some were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) issued a joint statement shortly after Trump announced the pardons.

“Crimes against law enforcement are not just attacks on individuals or public safety — they are attacks on society and undermine the rule of law,” the statement said. “Allowing those convicted of these crimes to be released early diminishes accountability and devalues the sacrifices made by courageous law enforcement officers and their families.”

The IACP and FOP combined represent more than 410,000 law enforcement professionals. The FOP endorsed Trump’s 2024 campaign.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), meanwhile, defended Trump’s decision.

“We believe in redemption, we believe in second chances,” Johnson said. “You could argue that those people didn’t pay that heavy penalty, having been incarcerated and all of that. That’s up to you. But the president made a decision. We move forward. There are better days ahead of us.”

Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) told ABC News that voters wanted Trump to pardon the rioters.

“[Trump] did exactly what he campaigned on,” Emmer said. “He said what he was going to do when elected and he was elected by an overwhelming group of Americans. Seventy-seven million Americans gave Donald Trump a mandate.”

Republican Policy Committee Chair Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK) voiced a similar sentiment.

“Only in politics do you get criticized for doing the things that you say you’re going to do,” Hern said. “That's what President Trump ran on — that he was going to pardon many if not all of the January 6 people that were convicted.”

Some of the pardoned rioters have committed other crimes.

Andrew Taake of Texas was convicted of assaulting Capitol police officers with a metal whip and bear spray. He is currently wanted by Harris County police for sexually soliciting a minor online.

David Daneil of North Carolina was convicted of using a barricade to trample a police officer. He was charged with producing and possessing child pornography in October 2024.

Emily Hernandez of Missouri was charged with stealing federal property during the riot. She was arrested last month for killing someone while driving drunk.

An AP-NORC poll from January found that only 20 percent of voters supported pardoning the rioters.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News.

Grift Alert! Trump Appointees Pushed Scam Supplements

Grift Alert! Trump Appointees Pushed Scam Supplements

President-elect Donald Trump has sold Trump-branded vodka, steaks, bottled water, sneakers, neckties, and bibles. Now, he’s stacking his cabinet with folks who have hawked similarly chintzy and bizarre products.

On December 1, Trump said he would appoint MAGA loyalist Kash Patel to lead the FBI. Patel is a former federal prosecutor who worked in the Department of Defense during Trump’s first term.

In the last four years, Patel has tried to cash in on his proximity to Trump with Based Apparel, a clothing line that sells tees and sweatshirts emblazoned with pro-Trump words and images. The company’s logo is a skull with a Trump-esque haircut.

One item sold by Based Apparel is a red t-shirt printed with the words “Protect Our People” and a map of the United States. “Tired of seeing your hard earned money go overseas?” the product description asks, “Support your fellow Americans by purchasing a Protect Our People t-shirt.”

In a social media post, menswear critic Derek Guy pointed out that the t-shirts are sourced from Central America and Haiti.

Matthew Whittaker, Trump’s pick for Ambassador to NATO, also served in Trump’s first term as acting Attorney General. Prior to entering politics, Whittaker was involved in several business ventures, including a stint on the advisory board of World Patent Marketing, a Florida-based company that sought out investors for prospective products.

In 2014, Whittaker’s name appeared on promotional materials for a toilet that the company was marketing to “well-endowed men.”

“The average male genitalia is between 5’ and 6’,” the firm’s press release said, “However, this invention is designed for those of us who measure longer than that.”

World Patent Marketing also promoted cryptocurrency for time travelers. In 2022, the company was ordered to pay $26 million to the federal government for committing fraud.

Trump nominated Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a physician and Fox News personality, to be Surgeon General on Nov. 23. Nesheiwat’s sister is married to Florida Rep. Mike Waltz who Trump has tapped to be his national security adviser.

Nesheiwat’s name and image appears on a line of vitamins from the company B+C Boost. The company’s website features several quotes from Nesheiwat endorsing the products. Text at the bottom of the site warns, “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.”

A 30-day supply of B+C Boost’s supplements costs $26.99.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, another physician turned TV personality, is Trump’s pick to oversee Medicare and Medicaid. Like Nesheiwat, Oz has endorsed dubious health and medical products.

Usana Health Sciences, a Utah-based seller of supplements and skin care products, was a sponsor of Oz’s daytime talk show. Oz frequently touted the supposed benefits of the company’s products in segments that blurred the line between medical advice and advertisement. The company also made large donations to Oz’s charity.

More recently, Oz has been accused of violating the Federal Trade Commission’s influencer marketing rules. Oz has posted several videos on social media promoting herbal supplements sold by the online marketplace iHerb without disclosing that he is a stakeholder in the company. The FTC has not confirmed if the matter is being investigated.

If confirmed, Oz’s boss will likely be Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who Trump has nominated to run the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy is a former lawyer and the founder of the environmental group Waterkeeper Alliance (formerly Riverkeeper Alliance).

In 1999, Kennedy launched a line of bottled water that was intended to support Waterkeeper Alliance’s work. The New Republic reports that Kennedy’s bottled water included fluoride. He now says removing fluoride from drinking water is one of his top priorities.

Sebastian Gorka, a far-right commentator, served in Trump’s first term as a national security adviser and will return to that job in January. In 2019, Gorka appeared in a series of ads for a fish oil supplement that he claimed cured his chronic back pain.

Gorka’s name appeared on screen in the ads as “Dr. Sebastian Groka.” His doctorate is in political science, not medicine.

Since winning the 2024 presidential election, Trump has rolled out several new Trump-branded products, including cologne and acoustic guitars.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News.