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https://thehill.com/homenews/education/6035255-doj-investigates-william-mary-scholarships/

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched a civil rights investigation into the College of William & Mary over scholarships and student programs that the department alleges favor certain students based on race and ethnicity.

The department’s Civil Rights Division announced the investigation Monday, saying it will examine whether the Virginia-based public university is violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits schools receiving federal funding from discriminating based on race, color or national origin.

While William & Mary’s scholarship for first-year students that covers at least the full cost of in-state tuition is not for a specific race, the department claims the university gives “top consideration” to applicants with “diverse people and perspectives.”

In a letter to the university sent Monday, the department also highlighted several programs at William & Mary, including at its School of Education.

One was the Martha L. Muguira Fellowship, which it says prefers Hispanic or Latino women, while the Holmes Scholars Program provides mentorship and other opportunities aimed at developing “future education leaders of color.”

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https://kesq.com/news/crime/2026/08/14/man-arrested-after-allegedly-bringing-weapons-tactical-gear-on-school-property-in-twentynine-palms/

>TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) - A 29-year-old man was arrested on Thursday after allegedly being seen with a weapon and tactical gear at Twentynine Palms schools within a week span.

>The investigation started Wednesday just after 1:00 p.m. at the school, located along the 74300 block of Playa Vista Drive.

>According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, a concerned parent contacted School Resource Officer (SRO) Deputy A. Stumbo and reported seeing a man putting on tactical gear while on school campus. Deputies immediately initiated their investigation and reviewed school surveillance video.

>Police said the suspect was seen wearing a tactical-style ballistic vest, a law enforcement duty belt, baton, pepper spray, and a firearm.

>Authorities added that the investigation also revealed that the suspect was on campus at both Twentynine Palms Junior High School and Twentynine Palms Elementary School wearing the same equipment on Aug. 11.

Deputies coordinated with the Morongo Basin Station Detective Bureau and school officials to identify the suspect's residence and associated vehicles. Detectives authored a search warrant for his Twentynine Palms residence and obtained a warrant for his arrest.

On Thursday, just after Noon, prior to serving the search warrant, deputies were notified that the suspect returned to Twentynine Palms Junior High School and attempted to enter the campus while wearing similar tactical gear while armed.

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https://nypost.com/2026/08/18/us-news/trump-posts-map-labeling-strait-of-hormuz-new-us-territory-before-announcing-no-talks-with-iran-planned/

President Trump doubled down Tuesday on his claim to the Strait of Hormuz on behalf of America, posting a revised map of the area on social media that labeled the waterway “new US territory.”

Trump posted the image on his Truth Social site, before claiming in subsequent posts that the area had been cleared of Iranian mines and no further talks with the Islamic Republic were scheduled.

The president initially revealed the possibility of a permanent US presence in the strait during a Friday event on Long Island.

“After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated — pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” Trump said while stumping for Republican candidates in New York’s gubernatorial and congressional elections.

During the same event, the president insisted that ensuring Iran could never obtain a nuclear weapon was worth paying “a tiny little bit more for your gasoline,” adding: “I’ll never apologize. I did the right thing.”

>Trump made a rare request for the Supreme Court to reconsider his appeal, which the justices previously declined to hear.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/08/17/supreme-court-trump-appeal-e-jean-carroll/90981199007/

>WASHINGTON − The Supreme Court rejected for the second time an effort by President Donald Trump to avoid paying more than $5.6 million to writer E. Jean Carroll for sexually abusing and defaming her.

>The court on Aug. 17 declined to reconsider Trump’s appeal of a 2023 jury verdict in a civil suit brought by Carroll.

>Trump had to pay Carroll the $5 million judgment plus interest after the court first rejected his appeal on June 29.

>His lawyers fought the payment, arguing he deserved a chance to ask the Supreme Court to reconsider his request.

>It’s rare for litigants to ask for a second look and even rarer for the court to grant one.

>Trump’s lawyers said reconsideration was warranted because the case is connected to another appeal involving Carroll that they have asked the Supreme Court to hear.

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Remember when MAGA lied to your face when they said they wouldn't start more wars?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy5dzk0ryzdo

Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman - a US ally - if it "gets in the way" of his administration's own talks with Iran, Fox News reports.

The US and Oman have been negotiating separately with Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that is vital to the global economy. It has been largely closed for nearly six months during the US-Iran war.

A reporter for Fox said the US president made the threat to Oman while using an expletive during a phone interview.

Earlier in the day, Iranian officials said they were close to finalising a deal with Oman. Meanwhile, the future of talks between the US and Iran is unclear as a 60-day Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two sides is expiring.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump was asked by BBC News if he was seeking an extension to the MoU, to which he replied: "No."

Since the US and Israel attacked Iran in February, Tehran has largely blocked the Strait of Hormuz - through which about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes. Reopening it has been a key point of discussion.

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https://www.kcbd.com/2026/08/15/texas-court-order-kicks-striking-federal-rules-silencers-certain-guns/

(AP) - A court order that struck down regulations on firearm suppressors and certain guns took effect Thursday after the U.S. Justice Department did not file an appeal before a seven-day deadline set by a federal judge in Texas.

The ruling allows people to purchase silencers, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns and certain other firearms without registration, while also removing an extra layer of background checks.

The order benefits parties that brought the lawsuit, including some dealers based outside northern Texas, but it is not a national injunction. Advocates say there are similar challenges in federal courts in other states. Separately, some states have their own prohibitions on silencers.

U.S. District Judge James Hendrix in Lubbock, Texas, said regulations in a 1930s-era law are unconstitutional. He said the rules must fall after the Republican-controlled Congress and President Donald Trump eliminated a $200 permit tax on the devices.

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https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/luigi-mangione-pleads-guilty-connection-his-murder-united-healthcare-ceo-brian

“Today, Luigi Mangione admitted to stalking and murdering Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street in broad daylight,” said U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald. “No grievance, political belief, or ideological cause can justify murder. With today’s guilty plea, Mangione is being held accountable for a heinous crime that claimed an innocent life and drew national attention. I commend the FBI, the NYPD, our law enforcement partners, and the dedicated prosecutors of this Office for their tireless work in securing this result.”

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Democratic Party committee advances resolution demanding ICE be abolished
https://www.baltimoresun.com/2026/08/14/democratic-party-committee-advances-resolution-demanding-ice-be-abolished/

At its summer meeting in Austin, Texas, this past week, the Democratic National Committee’s Resolutions Committee approved a resolution that calls for the abolition of ICE, an agency at the center of the Trump administration’s immigration law enforcement effort.

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https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/14/europe/jason-arday-cambridge-professor-dead-intl-latam-uk

Jason Arday, a former University of Cambridge professor, was found dead in London on Friday, just days after resigning over questions surrounding his career.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police told CNN that a 41-year old man was found unresponsive in Battersea in south London and was later pronounced dead at the scene. While the force did not name Arday, British media widely reported that he was the man found dead in Battersea in London.

Arday, a sociologist, was celebrated as the youngest ever Black professor at Cambridge until last month, when allegations of plagiarism in his academic work and questions surrounding claims about his athletic and fundraising accomplishments began to swirl in the media.

The university’s Vice-Chancellor Deborah Prentice said in a statement on Friday that the university was “desperately saddened to hear this tragic news.”

“Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time,” she added in the statement posted on X.

When Arday resigned in early August, he defended himself, saying his decision to step down “should not be interpreted as a loss of faith in scholarship.”

“Nor should it be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me’” he said. “It is simply the decision of someone who has reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure.”

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'UpsideDown.' GOP pressure builds on Trump to find path out of Iran war
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is under increasing pressure from members of his party to find a way out of the Iran war, with the midterms on the horizon and Republican voters souring on a conflict that he once predicted would last just a handful of weeks.

Republicans are airing their frustrations publicly and privately about what they see as muddled messaging coming out of the administration on a conflict that’s driven up prices for voters.

A growing number of prominent MAGA figures have urged Trump to end the conflict, saying there could be dire political consequences if it continues. Republican strategists have echoed those concerns, saying Iran is a major drag on the party heading into November.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/08/15/trump-iran-war-republicans-midterm-elections/91277119007/

Fly HIM to the moon
Let HIM play among the stars
And let HIM see what spring is like
On a-Jupiter and Mars
In other words, SEE YA LATER


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https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6030671-trump-says-strait-of-hormuz-us-territory/

>President Trump claimed during remarks on Long Island, N.Y., on Friday that he will make the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory, despite the fact that Oman and Iran share jurisdiction of the waterway.

>“Pretty soon, I will be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” Trump said during an address highlighting his administration’s efforts to combat crime in the U.S.

>Trump did not elaborate on how he would make the critical shipping lane a U.S. territory, considering the U.S. does not have jurisdiction over the waterway.

>The Strait of Hormuz is located between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Iran is on the strait’s north coast while Oman is on its south coast.

>Roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas flows through the shipping lane. The U.S. war with Iran and subsequent closure of the strait has led to a spike in energy prices across the globe.

>Trump has said since the conflict started roughly six months ago that the U.S. has controlled the strait. He deployed a U.S. naval blockade in the strait twice, claiming U.S. supremacy over the transit of oil exports from the region.

>Iran has pushed back on Trump’s claims that the U.S. controls the waterway. In a post on the social platform X on Wednesday, Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority said that whoever owns it does “not change the reality: the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and will not be reopened until Iran’s conditions are accepted.”

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Ruh Roh, Republicans scrambling after modern voters declare they're going to look at voting records, issues when pricking candidates

https://www.npr.org/2026/08/13/nx-s1-5929406/nevada-economy-socialism-focus-groups

Some swing voters might not be quick to reject socialist political candidates.

NPR observed two online focus groups of Nevada voters on Tuesday night, and 10 of the 12 participants said they wouldn't automatically think negatively of a politician who identifies with the left-wing ideology. The voters, who supported Joe Biden in 2020 and then cast ballots for Donald Trump in 2024, had a mix of political affiliations — six self-described independents, four Republicans and two Democrats.

"I don't just take one thing and then label or judge somebody just for that," said Jasmine, a 33-year-old independent voter. (The participants agreed to take part in the focus groups on the condition that their last names would not be used.) "I need to just get to know them completely before I make a judgment or a decision on who I'm going to vote for."

Melody, a 37-year-old independent, added: "I wouldn't immediately think bad of someone. I would want to talk a little bit more about it with them because … to me, they're at least trying to think of a solution where everybody has rights and everybody has food, everybody has a house, everybody has a job. They're at least looking for something like that for everyone."

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Internet dumbfounded over resurfaced Abdul El-Sayed ‘Blue’s Clues’ spoof: ‘Can’t be real’
https://nypost.com/2026/08/13/us-news/internet-dumbfounded-over-resurfaced-abdul-el-sayed-blues-clues-spoof-cant-be-real/

Democrats are officially over. Officially cringe commie/tranny boomer shit.
https://x.com/LoomerUnleashed/status/2070509786618048971

WASHINGTON — Maybe he needs more time in the thinking chair.

A resurfaced video of Michigan Senate Democratic hopeful Dr. Abdul El-Sayed spoofing “Blue’s Clues” and dancing to the 1990s-era children’s show took the internet by storm, with many questioning how it could even be real.

Back in June, El-Sayed’s campaign team pushed out the clip of him jubilantly cosplaying as a “Blue’s Clues” host, dancing, singing about wagging his tail, and then getting a letter with the show’s famous animated background behind him.

But the video had largely fallen under the radar until this week, when conservative netizens rediscovered the “creepy” footage.

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Liggeral BTFO'd as Kennedy Center board creates ‘Trump Plaza’ and plans to add prez’s name back to building
https://nypost.com/2026/08/13/us-news/kennedy-center-board-creates-trump-plaza-and-plans-to-add-prezs-name-back-to-building/

WASHINGTON — The Kennedy Center’s board moved Thursday to rename the area around the iconic performing arts center the “President Donald J. Trump Plaza” and to add Trump’s name back onto the building’s facade — after a federal judge ordered its removal.

Trump’s allies on the board pushed through the changes during a meeting that lasted more than two hours, after Democrats including Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty objected to Trump’s plans to renovate and rebrand the aging facility.

Trump, who chairs the board, participated virtually in part of the meeting and pushed back on criticism of his plans to pour $250 million into refreshing the center, which opened in 1971. The refresh will require the main building’s closure for about two years.

In a twist, the board’s latest plan calls for Trump’s name to appear beneath the longtime signage on the cavernous main hall, to read: “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump.”

The board voted last December to rebrand it as the “Trump Kennedy Center,” but the change was nixed by US District Judge Christopher Cooper, who ordered the current president’s name removed because it lacked congressional ratification.

No experience necessary.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/faa-hires-2000-gamers-to-be-air-traffic-controllers/ar-AA29RNKK

Regardless of your age, chances are you know at least one person in your life who loves video games, and a recent campaign by the U.S. Department of Transportation shows that those skills might be useful at your nearest airport.

In April 2026, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a new campaign aimed at hiring the “next generation of air traffic controllers,” citing an increased focus on skills often synonymous with frequent gaming, such as increased problem-solving skills and multitasking abilities.

That strategy appears to have paid off.

In a social media post made Sunday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the campaign has broken multiple hiring records for the FAA, including most candidates hired in a single year, with more than 2,000.

“In April, we launched a NEW CAMPAIGN to recruit video gamers as air traffic controllers — and supercharged the entire hiring process to get the BEST & BRIGHTEST in faster. The results are HISTORIC,” Duffy said.

The secretary also highlighted that this campaign featured “the most streamlined hiring process,” adding that more than 2,000 “best & brightest” candidates are in the hiring pipeline.

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