Wednesday, March 5, 2025

March 5, 2025

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

Trump says American dream 'bigger and better than before' . . . President Trump on Tuesday declared that Americans are regaining their confidence and the American dream is now "unstoppable" in an address before a joint session of Congress that was marked by interruptions from Democrats. "America's momentum is back. Our spirit is back. Our pride is back. Our confidence is back," Mr. Trump said in his first address to Congress since returning to office six weeks ago. "The American Dream is surging – bigger and better than ever before. The American Dream is unstoppable and our country is on the verge of a comeback the likes of which the world has never witnessed and perhaps will never witness again," he said. Washington Times

Ten takeaways from Trump's address to Congress

13 Winners and Losers From Trump's Address to Congress

Politics

Trans Mice And Arab 'Sesame Street': Trump Goes Through Laundry List Of Absurd Spending DOGE Found . . . "Twenty-two billion dollars from HHS to provide free housing and cars for illegal aliens," the president explained. "Forty-five million dollars for diversity, equity, and inclusion scholarships in Burma." "Eight million dollars to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho, which nobody's ever heard of," he added. "Sixty million dollars for indigenous people and Afro-Colombian empowerment in Central America. Eight million dollars to make mice transgender. This is real." Daily Wire

Trump introduced Musk, whose DOGE dug up the waste, to a standing ovation from Republicans.

Trump taunts Elizabeth Warren over Ukraine stance during speech: 'Pocahontas says yes' . . . President Trump brutally needled Sen. Elizabeth Warren, belittling the Massachusetts Democrat with his favorite nickname for her –"Pocahontas" — during his address to the joint session of Congress Tuesday night. The taunt came after Trump mocked Democrats for wanting to keep supporting Ukraine with military aid in its war with Russia over the next five years, which prompted Warren (D-Mass.) to clap. She kept doing so even as the president ridiculed her. New York Post

Teen cancer survivor appointed as Secret Service agent by Donald Trump

Democrat Leaders Refuse to Escort President Trump into the Chamber . . . Democrats refused to escort President Donald Trump into the chamber ahead of the joint session of Congress in a form of protest. According to reports, Democrat leaders outright refused to join the escort committee despite being asked by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to do so. A spokesperson for Democrat Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) essentially confirmed this was a sign of protest, telling CNN's Manu Raju, "It speaks for itself." Breitbart

Who are the election deniers now?

Elissa Slotkin slams Trump on economy, foreign policy in Democrat response to presidential address . . . Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin delivered the Democrat response to President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, where she criticized the president on his approach to the economy and foreign policy. Slotkin, a former CIA analyst and former congresswoman, was announced as the designated speaker last week, in part because of her ability to win a Senate seat in a battleground state that Trump won in 2024. The senator defeated former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers in November. Just the News

What the Democrats refused to stand for during Trump's speech

DOGE slashes entire government agency with average salary of $131,000 a year to just ONE staff member . . . Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency completely eviscerated an entire government agency, leaving it with just one Trump-appointed employee. DOGE announced on Tuesday that the Inter-American Foundation has been slashed in accordance with an executive order the president signed last month deeming it 'unnecessary.' The only employee left at the agency now is Peter Marocco, who previously presided over the Trump administration's gutting of the foreign aid programs at USAID. Daily Mail

Republicans Told to Scrap Town Halls After Avalanche of Protests . . Republicans have been advised to scrap town halls after an avalanche of explosive protests rocked the party following cuts by President Donald Trump's administration. Constituents have berated GOP lawmakers over cuts made by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a newly formed agency focused on slashing federal spending. On Monday, Trump dismissed the town hall uproar as the work of "paid 'troublemakers.'" Many Republican leaders echoed this. Newsweek

Culture

Idaho and Wyoming Designate Millions for Expanding School Choice . . . Support for greater educational freedom is moving west as lawmakers in Idaho and Wyoming increase funding for school choice, including designating funding for pre-K education. Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed a $50 million Parental Choice Tax Credit program into law Thursday aimed at expanding schooling options in the state. Meanwhile, the Wyoming State Legislature passed a universal school choice bill that now sits on the Republican governor's desk awaiting his signature. Daily Signal

National Security

Trump Announces Capture Of ISIS Terrorist Behind Abbey Gate Bombing . . . President Donald Trump announced during his Tuesday night address to Congress that the United States had apprehended a terrorist behind the 2021 attack that killed 13 American service members during a bombing at the Abbey Gate in Afghanistan. Trump said that ISIS-operative Mohammad Sharifullah had been detained and would soon face the "swift sword of American justice." Sharifullah is suspected to have planned the bombing that killed 13 American soldiers and 170 Afghan nationals as the Biden administration withdrew from Afghanistan. Daily Wire

International

Trump welcomes Ukraine's willingness to sign minerals deal, talk peace . . . U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he appreciated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's willingness to sign a minerals deal with the United States and come to the negotiating table under his leadership to bring a lasting peace closer in Kyiv's war with Russia. Trump said in an address to the U.S. Congress that Zelenskiy made the declaration in a letter to him earlier in the day. Zelenskiy posted on X earlier that Ukraine was ready to sign the deal and talk peace and called a contentious Oval Office meeting last week after which it was put on hold "regrettable." Reuters

Money

Trump's trade war draws swift retaliation with new tariffs from Mexico, Canada and China . . . Just after midnight, Trump imposed 25% taxes, or tariffs, on Mexican and Canadian imports, though he limited the levy to 10% on Canadian energy. Trump also doubled the tariff he slapped last month on Chinese products to 20%. Beijing retaliated with tariffs of up to 15% on a wide array of U.S. farm exports. It also expanded the number of U.S. companies subject to export controls and other restrictions by about two dozen. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country would plaster tariffs on over $100 billion (U.S. dollars) of American goods over the course of 21 days. Associated Press