Unsurprisingly, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has called it. A professional historian by trade, Gingrich has put out his latest at gingrich360.com, with the headline: “President-Elect Trump: The De Facto President.” Among other things, the former speaker says this: I thought his second term would start on his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025 … It never occurred to me that President Trump’s fame, energy, and drive — and President Joe Biden’s collapse — would lead to a totally new model. The actuality is that President Trump has become the de facto President. De facto in Latin means “in reality or as a matter of fact.” When French President Emmanuel Macron greeted President Trump with the full honors of state during his recent trip to Paris, it was clear that the mantle of American power had shifted decisively to President Trump. When President Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Macron to discuss Ukraine, it was clear where the center of world power resided. The images of President Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni were a powerful contrast to Meloni’s recent meeting with President Biden, in which she had to go find him and lead him back to a group photo. Furthermore, Meloni is a conservative populist. She is solving illegal immigration and creating economic growth, in a manner similar to President Trump. Unsurprisingly, per usual, Gingrich has zeroed in exactly on what is going on in both Washington and the world at large. For reasons the American people are well familiar with — a declining mental state, his lame duck status, serious problems with the elites of his own party, not to mention stories out there that the president is going to have big trouble raising money to establish his own presidential library, it is apparent Joe Biden is president in name only. On the contrary, President-elect Donald Trump is dominating both the national and world stage. Traveling to Paris to commemorate the re-opening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, it was Trump who was sought out by the collection of world leaders who had gathered to honor the Cathedral’s renovation after a severe fire had done considerable damage to the centuries-old landmark. The host of the event, French President Emmanuel Macron, greeted Trump like a long-lost brother-in-arms, smiling broadly at the reunion of the two presidents of their old allied nations. Gingrich took note of this headline from a Politico story: “Biden shrinks from view ahead of Trump’s return to Washington: With 42 days left in office, Biden avoids unscripted moments or press questions.” Among other things Politico notes: Joe Biden is president of the United States for 42 more days. But within the Democratic Party, on Capitol Hill — and even within his own administration — it feels like he left the Oval Office weeks ago. Biden has effectively disappeared from the radar in the wake of Democrats’ bruising electoral loss. Since Nov. 5, he’s largely stuck to prepared remarks, avoided unscripted public appearances or press questions and opted to sit out the raging debate over Donald Trump’s victory, policy conversations in Congress and the Democratic Party’s future. Bad enough as all of that is, there was this from a former Biden White House official: “He’s been so cavalier and selfish about how he approaches the final weeks of the job.” In short, America and the world beyond are simultaneously breathing a sigh of relief that Trump is coming back while treating him as if he already were back as the duly sworn-in president. The one problem for all of this on the horizon is that, in fact, it is still Biden who wields the legal authority of the presidency until Jan. 20. And America’s rivals and adversaries on the world stage are watching. Doubtless calculating what they feel they can get away with in making mischief as long as Biden is legally in charge. Not good. Stay tuned. READ MORE from Jeffrey Lord: The Trump TikTok Post-Election Data The Borking of Pete Hegseth The Biden Corruption The post Newt Gingrich: Trump the De Facto President appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

President-elect Trump has made a series of cabinet nominations, ranging from excellent to questionable. One choice, in particular, is receiving much admiration from some Democrats while some Republicans fear the worst.  Trump’s announcement of Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer as the nominee to serve as secretary of labor is seen as a slight to conservatives and a favor to Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, who spoke at the RNC and lobbied for her to be nominated. Chavez-DeRemer is a one-term congresswoman who lost a close reelection in Oregon’s Democrat-leaning 5th district. The soon-to-be former congresswoman pitches herself as a centrist-leaning Republican with strong ties to union leadership, as her dad was a member of the Teamsters union. In Congress, she was one of just three Republicans to co-sponsor the PRO Act, which would do away with right-to-work laws and halt independent contracting similar to California’s state law. She was also one of only a few Republicans to co-sponsor the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, which, if enacted, would further strengthen public sector unions by mandating collective bargaining among state and local government employers. It’s worth noting that she was not present at a vote when Republicans in Congress sought to spearhead a Biden administration Labor regulation that prevented the right of classification for independent contractors. Even though the union support did not help her win reelection to Congress, it is undoubtedly helping her win over Senate Democrats. Sen. John Fetterman praised the Congresswoman as an “incredibly strong, pro-labor choice.” In addition, liberal Sen. Elizabeth Warren released a statement tentatively supporting Chavez-DeRemer, saying, “It’s a big deal that one of the few Republican lawmakers who has endorsed the PRO Act could lead the Department of Labor. If Chavez-DeRemer commits as labor secretary to strengthen labor unions and promote worker power, she’s a strong candidate for the job.” Furthermore, progressive organizations are warming up to the potential of Lori Chavez DeRemer as secretary of labor. The AFL-CIO, a major labor union that endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, applauded her stance on labor matters but cautioned about how she might run the Department of Labor under a Trump administration.  The president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, a liberal Democrat, posted on X that the nomination of Chavez-DeRemer is “significant” and is encouraged that the incoming Trump administration will “respect collective bargaining and workers’ voices from Teamsters to teachers.” Similarly, the NEA (National Education Association) which regularly gives to Democrats and donated to Democrats this election cycle, raved about Chavez-DeRemer’s congressional votes in favor of public education and unionization. By the same measure that some Democrats are applauding, Republicans are expressing a bit of hesitation. Sen. Bill Cassidy will be chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, where Chavez-DeRemer needs to pass for confirmation, is troubled by her pro-union stances. “I will need to get a better understanding of her support for Democrat legislation in Congress that would strip Louisiana’s ability to be a right-to-work state and if that will be her position going forward,” said Cassidy. Likewise, Sen. Rand Paul, a libertarian-leaning Republican and a sponsor of National Right-to-Work, has stated, “I’m not excited about her opposition to right-to-work,” leaving his vote up in the air.  Other conservatives, such as Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, and Tammy McCutchen, former administrator for Labor’s Wage and Hour division under George W. Bush, have vocally disapproved of her nomination. The Competitive Enterprise Institute is on full attack, denouncing Chavez-DeRemer as “not qualified,” and the National Right to Work Committee is working with Republican senators to block her nomination. President-elect Trump won a mandate to restore the economy and defended the traditionally conservative right-to-work policy position while on the campaign trail. It’s true that the Teamsters members overwhelmingly supported him over Harris, but being pro-worker is not pro-union. Trump needs a labor secretary who will support his pro-business agenda and not undermine it. Lori Chavez-DeRemer either needs to be withdrawn as the secretary of labor nominee or swiftly rejected by every Republican in the Senate. READ MORE:  Americans Need Brendan Carr as FCC Chair to Rein in Big Tech We Live In the Age of Trump Don’t Mistake the Gaetz Nomination for a Misstep The post Lori Chavez-DeRemer Will Not ‘Work’ as Secretary of Labor appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has set out to “Trump-proof” California, but in one sense he’s too late. According to NBC News, 38.3 percent of Californians voted for Trump, by some accounts 40 percent, so as people across the country should know, Newsom’s crusade must involve something else. (RELATED: California Voters Reject ‘California Values’) President-elect Trump has placed entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked to slim down the bloated government. Californians can easily find state agencies that should be eliminated, such as the Coastal Commission. (RELATED: Restoring the California Dream) The unelected commissioners recently made news by opposing an increase in Musk’s SpaceX launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. This was due not to environmental concerns but Musk’s participation in the election. Newsom said “I’m with Elon,” but the commissioners, some appointed by the governor, are “friends of mine.” In 2022, the governor’s friends rejected a desalination plant that would have provided arid Orange County with 50 million gallons of fresh water a day. Commissioner Dayna Bochco, president of Steven Bochco Productions explained that “the ocean is under attack from climate change already.” A CCC commissioner since 2011, Bochco was reappointed last year. The Commission overrides scores of elected city and government officials, all fully capable of handling their own affairs, and runs roughshod over property rights. No governor, including Republicans George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, has attempted to eliminate the CCC, hardly the state’s only wasteful body. Before they reach students in the classroom, Californians’ tax dollars must trickle down through multiple layers of bureaucratic sediment. These include the 58 county offices of education, which serve as “support systems for their local school districts and as liaisons for the state.” Like the local districts, the county offices employ superintendents, who absorb huge amounts of taxpayer dollars. According to Transparent California, Los Angeles County Office of Education Superintendent Debra Duardo bags an annual pay package of $508,402, more than the president of the United States and more than double Newsom’s $201,553. Deputy County Superintendent Maria Martinez Poulin pulls down $343,887, and “education officer” Maricela Ramirez is not far behind at $340,458. In the Sacramento County office, Superintendent David Gordon draws a total pay of $447,287 and Deputy Superintendent Masami Herota gets $324,921. This is for services that could easily be performed by the local school districts, whose non-teaching officials are also overpaid. For example, the Ontario-Montclair school district pays Superintendent Phillip Hammond a stunning $743,596, empowered by a “series of opaque perks” that make Hammond the state’s highest-paid administrator. Chief business official Phillip Hillman bags a not-too-shabby $350,619. Bureaucratic bloat is also evident in the state’s tax system. The Franchise Tax Board (FTB), the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA), and the State Board of Equalization (SBE) are all responsible for the collection of taxes in some form. So is California’s Employment Development Department (EDD) “one of the largest tax collection agencies in the nation,” collecting more than $81 billion in payroll taxes in 2018-19 alone. How this revenue is spent is another matter. Under the supervision of Julie Su, California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) boss, the EDD was responsible for $30 billion in unemployment fraud, with convicts and out-of-state fraudsters alike cashing in. Despite that record, Su was the Biden–Harris administration’s choice for Labor secretary, never confirmed by the Senate but still in power at this writing. If Californians believed that four tax agencies are too many it would be hard to blame them. In a similar style, eliminating the costly county offices of education could help more tax dollars to reach students in the classroom. Over in Washington, the federal Department of Education was a payoff to the teacher unions that supported Jimmy Carter for president in 1976. As the 1983 A Nation at Risk report confirmed, the new department did nothing to improve student achievement. Musk and Ramaswamy have a strong case to eliminate the department, one of many expensive and counterproductive bureaucracies. Nothing of the sort is going on in California, and people across the nation should not be fooled. Newsom’s push to “Trump-proof” California is an effort to reform-proof the state that needs reform the most. Lloyd Billingsley is a policy fellow at the Independent Institute in Oakland, Calif. READ MORE from Lloyd Billingsley: The Golden State Unleashes the Anonymous Snoop Dogs University of California at Planned Parenthood Oh Say Can UC? The post Californians Could Seriously Benefit From DOGE in ‘Trump-Proofed’ California appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

from The Conservative Treehouse: One of the least understood aspects of congressional oversight is the elite group of elected politicians who are charged with congressional oversight over all intelligence activity. This highly important oversight group is called the Intelligence Community “Gang of Eight”. A position within the Gang of Eight comes as a result of […]

by Dr. Joseph Mercola, Mercola: Story at-a-glance Vitamin D deficiency disrupts thymus function and immune tolerance, triggering autoimmune diseases by allowing self-reactive T cells to escape into the bloodstream Vitamin D enhances both innate and adaptive immunity by boosting antimicrobial peptides, suppressing inflammatory responses and promoting regulatory T cells that maintain immune balance Beyond immune […]

The “Car Sized Drones over New Jersey” story is NOT going away… In fact, it’s only getting stranger by the day. I originally brought you this report one week ago: “Mainstream Media” Reporting “Car-sized Drones” In The Skies For Weeks In New Jersey; FBI Involved Since then, I've held off on bringing any updates because it was becoming increasingly stranger by the day. But now I've gathered enough information that I want to bring you an update on where we currently stand. Let me start off by explaining the key part in all of this that really has my attention the most, and that is the fact that everyone seems completely uninterested in, or incapable of, really getting to the bottom of this. In every other instance, the Feds swoop in and take control, but not here. No, the best they can do here is just make the occasional statement but then say they're letting local law enforcement handle it. Oh really? Since when has that ever happened? Never? I'll show you what I mean in just a minute. The other thing that really has my interest piqued is that no one is flat out denying it or saying they're just airplanes, like has traditionally happened in all of history. Why not just ignore it or say they're just airplanes? Because apparently they can't do that for some reason. Instead, we have the literal Pentagon getting involved and making a statement denying that there is a "mothership" launching drones: UPDATE: Pentagon says there is no mothership, which makes me believe there is one. ?https://t.co/EIqVhJ1Is7 — Melissa Hallman (@dotconnectinga) December 11, 2024 Why deny a mothership? Why not just deny the whole thing? Because apparently they can't. THAT is strange! Why not just blame it on weather balloons or airplanes or military craft? Isn't that what they've done for decadaes? But they're not doing that here. Interesting.... But I'm just getting started. Here is local Mayor Sam Morris saying he has a video of these UAP's going back and forth like in Pong: Mayor Sam Morris of Mine Hill NJ says he has a video of a "stationary drone" UAP with 4 more objects around it going back and forth in a "scanning pattern". "Like Pong" "Back and Forth". #UAP #UFO pic.twitter.com/hiWymkekcC — JasetheAce (@AkaJasetheAce) December 10, 2024 Folks, understand this is no longer "conspiracy theory".... This is not just Noah writing a crazy article.... This is real. The Pentagon is involved. Local Mayors are confirming it with eye-witness testimony. Here is ANOTHER local Mayor saying he's witnessed it too and can't wrap his head around it: Mayor Mathew Murello witnesses mysterious drones/probable UAPs flying over his house.Says it's difficult to wrap heads around this & small time drone operators can't do this sophisticated flying for such extended time.49 sightings reported last night alone#Ufotwitter #UAPX pic.twitter.com/9QeAEwbJtK — Avi M (@AvirupM42) December 10, 2024 Homeland Security has not idea what's going on and doesn't seem all that interested in figuring it out: Mayor of New Jersey met ALL day with leaders of Homeland Security about the UFO…and still has no idea what’s going on. Months into this thing. #notdrones pic.twitter.com/wnGqM1HRvu — Jordan Crowder (@digijordan) December 9, 2024 In fact, it's not just those two Mayors, it's now up to 20 Mayors who have all said they've seen it and they demand action: New Jersey Mayors demand action on drones! 20 Mayors from drone impacted areas wrote a letter to New Jersey Governer Murphy asking for a full investigation and new measures to stop the drones. #ufotwitter pic.twitter.com/m5o2dqL7Gv — Red Panda Koala (@RedPandaKoala) December 9, 2024 Next we go to Congress.... This is literally Congressman Jeff Van Drew going on Fox News and saying there is indeed an Iranian Mothership off the coast launching these things: What we’ve uncovered is alarming—drones flying in from the direction of the ocean, possibly linked to a missing Iranian mothership. This is a national security crisis we cannot ignore. Bring them down now. pic.twitter.com/YicWkcoJR1 — Congressman Jeff Van Drew (@Congressman_JVD) December 11, 2024 Think it's all fake? I've been warning you for years. It looks like it's finally here. The Pentagon. 20 Local Mayors. A US Congressman. They're all saying it's real. Here is local eye-witness testimony saying he flew his own drone up in the air towards the UAPs and it immediately lost power and died, despite having a full charge: “I put my drone up in the air and went towards it. I had full battery life. Three minutes into the flight I lost control of the drone and my drone started going down. Dead battery.” New Jersey man tries intercepting mystery drone with his fully charged drone then his battery… pic.twitter.com/2NdvylgHHA — Red Panda Koala (@RedPandaKoala) December 11, 2024 That's local Fox5 TV folks! Then we have this....the drones reportedly operate on frequencies that cannot be detected: UPDATE: Drones in New Jersey DHS says the drones are operating on frequencies that cannot be detected.. What the hell does that even mean? At what point can we shoot them down? I’m always curious as to what Trump says about these kinds of things… and surprisingly, neither… pic.twitter.com/HpBYIYOHH9 — MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) December 12, 2024 To be totally clear, that is the ASSOCIATED PRESS reporting that! Here's more, from the Associated Press: The White House said Thursday that a review of the reported sightings shows that many of them are actually manned aircraft being flown lawfully. White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said there were no reported sightings in any restricted airspace. He said the U.S. Coast Guard has not uncovered any foreign involvement from coastal vessels. “We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus,” Kirby said, echoing statements from the Pentagon and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. In a joint statement issued Thursday afternoon, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said they and their federal partners, in close coordination with the New Jersey State Police, “continue to deploy personnel and technology to investigate this situation and confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings.” The agencies said they have not corroborated any of the reported sightings with electronic detection, and that reviews of available images appear to show many of the reported drones are actually manned aircraft. “There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space,” according to the statement. The drones appear to avoid detection by traditional methods such as helicopter and radio, according to a state lawmaker briefed Wednesday by the Department of Homeland Security. The number of sightings has increased in recent days, though officials say many of the objects seen may have been planes rather than drones. It’s also possible that a single drone has been reported more than once. The worry stems partly from the flying objects initially being spotted near the Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military research and manufacturing facility, and over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster. In a post on the social media platform X, Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia described the drones as up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) in diameter and sometimes traveling with their lights switched off. Drones are legal in New Jersey for recreational and commercial use but are subject to local and Federal Aviation Administration regulations and flight restrictions. Operators must be FAA certified. Most, but not all, of the drones spotted in New Jersey appeared to be larger than those typically used by hobbyists. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said he was frustrated by the lack of transparency, saying it could help spread fear and misinformation. “We should know what’s going on over our skies,” he said Thursday. John Duesler, president of the Pennsylvania Drone Association, said witnesses may be confused about what they are seeing, especially in the dark, and noted it’s hard to know the size of the drones or how close they might be. “There are certainly big drones, such as agricultural drones, but typically they are not the type you see flying around in urban or suburban spaces,” Duesler said Thursday. Want more? Why not get the Dept. of Homeland Security involved! They issued a statement today: Today, the @FBI and DHS jointly issued a statement on reported drone sightings in New Jersey pic.twitter.com/kzbmTzjvkr — Homeland Security (@DHSgov) December 12, 2024 If that's hard to read, here's a Full Transcript: Joint DHS/FBI Statement on Reports of Drones in New Jersey We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus. The FBI, DHS and our federal partners, in close coordination with the New Jersey State Police, continue to deploy personnel and technology to investigate this situation and confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings. Historically, we have experienced cases of mistaken identity, where reported drones are, in fact, manned aircraft or facilities. We are supporting local law enforcement in New Jersey with numerous detection methods but have not corroborated any of the reported visual sightings with electronic detection. To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully. There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space. We take seriously the threat that can be posed by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), which is why law enforcement and other agencies continue to support New Jersey and investigate the reports. To be clear, they have uncovered no such malicious activity or intent at this stage. While there is no known malicious activity occurring in New Jersey, the reported sightings there do, however, highlight the insufficiency of current authorities. Since when is that how we operate? The Feds are just "not worried"? We have no idea what these things are but they're confident it's not a threat? You kidding me with this? I'm sorry, but NO ONE is buying that! Definitely not my man Shawn Farash: So you have no clue what they drones are or where they came from, but you can definitively tell us what they AREN'T? Nobody is buying the BS anymore — Shawn Farash (@Shawn_Farash) December 12, 2024 So let's recap. We don't know what they are.... But we do know it's not a Mothership and it's not US Military. And we're not worried at all about it, for some unknown reason. The Feds also don't really care to get involved, and they're just letting State and Local handle it (unprecedented). And State and Local have no idea what to do and keep asking for help from the Feds, who refuse to get involved but just like Alfred E. Newman are not at all worried about it. Hello?! Is anyone buying this? I'm going end with two videos from the "Backyard Professor" who has been absolutely nailing this story. First this: And then this: Ok there you go folks.... We know that these things are real, we have no idea what they are, the Feds act like they don't care, no one believes that, and we still have no answers.  And for some reason, they're not just taking the easy way out of saying it's weather balloons or airplanes. So what are they? I think we'll know soon..... More here: DRONE UPDATE: New Conflicting Info, NJ State Police VS John Kirby & Biden’s White House (Somebody is Lying) If you want my take, it's that I think you need to very quickly study up on the Nephilim and Genesis 6:4 because it's all about to play out before your very eyes.... I've been writing and warning about it for years now, and suddenly it doesn't sound crazy at all. Not anymore. Read this and get ready: EXPLAINED: Nephilim, Watchers, Elohim, Angels, Demons and UFOs