Liberty & Prosperity Blog

Last week at the Minnesota State Legislature, a hearing was held on a bill that would prevent biological males from participating in female sports. Alpha News is reporting that "President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order that seeks to keep biological males out of female sports while his Department of Education announced a Title IX investigation into the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL)." The article continues, saying "At MSHSL’s request, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison issued a 'formal opinion' Thursday concluding that the league would be in violation of the state’s Human Rights Act were it to comply with the executive order." Saying that President Trump and Keith Ellison are divisive political figures is understatement. That said, this isn't a fair fight from a legal standpoint. President Trump has the superior argument because he's fighting for Title IX, the landmark legislation that established a platform for gir...

While the Agenda Media characterized Pete Hegseth as a controversial pick to be Secretary of Defense, the more accurate description would be nontraditional. For instance, this UPI article reports "Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth has ordered senior military and civilian Pentagon officials to cut 8% from the Defense budget over each of the next five years. Hegseth's memo issued Tuesday directed the five branches under his command to turn in budget-cutting proposals by Monday, two officials told The New York Times. The Washington Post also obtained the memo." That's either sloppy journalism or intentionally misleading reporting. It might be a little of both. According to this video report put out by Secretary Hegseth himself, the first 'cuts' aren't cuts. According to Hegseth, it's money that the Biden administration was spending on DEI and other nonlethal programs. The money will now be "repurposed" to make the U.S. military into a lethal fig...

Senate Republicans impressed people with their persistence in confirming President Trump's cabinet in a timely fashion. The minute that heavy lifting finished, though, Senate Republicans reverted to form by passing a reconciliation bill that doesn't cut spending or extend the Trump tax cuts. NPR is reporting "The Senate passed its budget resolution early on Friday, which acts as a framework to implement President Trump's legislative agenda. It would provide $175 billion for border security and $150 billion in military funding." The article continues, saying "The Senate's adoption is an early step in the process, which requires detailed work by committees to work out the details of spending, as well as of any offsets to help pay for the additional funds. The budget resolution is at odds with the House's approach, and both chambers ultimately have to be on the same page to get the legislation across the finish line." This is an abandonment of Pres...

The Kool-Aid must be flowing freely in the White House. First, President Trump insisted that President Zelenskyy had started the war with Russia and that it wasn't a winnable war. After that, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz jumped to Trump's defense, insisting that there's lots of ingratitude coming from President Zelenskyy. This time, VP JD Vance is peddling the administration storyline that "neither Europe, nor the Biden administration, nor the Ukrainians had any pathway to victory. This was true three years ago, it was true two years ago, it was true last year, and it is true today." This is a steaming pile of BS. Gen. Jack Keane disagrees with Vance , saying "Speaking on John Catsimatidis’ WABC morning programme on Sunday, Mr Keane said that 'there really is an opportunity here that none of us could’ve imagined for the Ukrainians actually to win' the war against Moscow, before quickly pivoting to an admonishment of the Biden administrati...

CBSNews is reporting that President Trump has endorsed the House GOP reconciliiation plan .CBS wrote "President Trump endorsed House Republicans' budget proposal that would enact trillions of dollars in spending reductions and tax cuts in a single bill, saying on Wednesday that he prefers that approach over the Senate's competing two-bill plan." That's a big deal because Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz (ain't that an odd couple) are pushing a competing reconciliation package that would tighten border security but wouldn't extend expiring Trump tax cuts. The article continues, saying "We need both Chambers to pass the House Budget to 'kickstart' the Reconciliation process, and move all of our priorities to the concept of, 'ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL,'" Mr. Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "It will, without question, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" The Senate now has its marching orders to fall into line. This fight is over for t...

While I'm officially impressed with what President Trump has accomplished in his first 30 days in office, I can't say that he's been totally honest in that time. this Truth Social post from President Trump definitely isn't the "Truth." In President Trump's posting on Truth Social, President Trump wrote "Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and “TRUMP,” will never be able to settle. The United States has spent $200 Billion Dollars more than Europe, and Europe’s money is guaranteed, while the United States will get nothing back. Why didn’t Sleepy Joe Biden demand Equalization, in that this War is far more important to Europe than it is to us — We have a big, beautiful Ocean as separation. On top of this, Zelenskyy admits that half of the money we sent him...

People reading this article's headline are probably questioning the title because everyone knows who Elon Musk is. That's true in the sense that he's got worldwide name recognition. After Sean Hannity's interview of Trump and Musk, which aired Tuesday night, I'd argue that people finally saw Elon's personality fully displayed. True Trump believers knew that Elon Musk sent Starlink communications units to Hurricane Helene-ravaged North Carolina. During Tuesday night's interview, they found out that Musk didn't charge the people or the government for those units. People also learned (from Pres. Trump) that those units saved lives by giving these North Carolinians a way to communicate their needs to the outside world. That was required because the B iden  FEMA department didn't respond to the area's needs. Early in Hannity's interview, Musk said "I think President Trump is a good man. He's been so unfairly attacked by the media. It'...

There's no disputing that Dan Wolgamott is a loyal Democrat. He's so loyal that he's willing to put out an update like this . Check out this world-class spin in the opening paragraphs of his update: I’m happy to share that we just wrapped up our first week of committee hearings in the Minnesota House - thanks to the bipartisan power-sharing agreement my DFL colleagues and I were able to secure! I’m as frustrated as you that it took this long, especially since the deal House Republicans agreed to is largely the same as the offer we made before session began in January, but all’s well that ends well, and it’s time to turn the page on the last few weeks and work together to deliver bipartisan results for Minnesotans. That's world-class spin! The power-sharing agreement that's now in place is different than the initial one proposed makes Lisa Demuth the Speaker for the next 2 years. The other major difference is the creation of the new Fraud Prevention and State Agency ...

I'm getting sick of listening to Lindsey Graham preach the gospel of 2 reconciliation bills that would extend the Trump tax cuts, finish building Trump's wall, return the U.S. to energy dominance, build refineries and pipelines and increase the size of ICE, the DEA and the Border Patrol. While he chairs the Senate Budget Committee, a quite powerful committee, that doesn't make him God on budget matters. President Trump's wishes will ultimately trump Sen. Graham's bill. Ultimately, this fight will come down to either a bill that extends the Trump tax cuts, funds finishing Trump's border wall, cuts spending and funds Tom Homan's deportations or Graham's bill. If Graham's bill is the only option, it'll likely finish the House GOP majority for the rest of the Trump administration. Yesterday, Kevvin Cramer insisted that the only reason the House bill was moving was because Graham had kick-started things with his 2-step approach: That's a steaming ...

In a stinging defeat to federal public employee unions, Judge George O'Toole said federal employees unions that they lacked standing to bring their challenge "and that his court does not have jurisdiction to hear their complaint." According to the report, "The judge lifted his pause on the buyouts that he first issued last week and denied the plaintiffs' request for an injunction, allowing the Trump administration to move forward with the buyouts. 'As of 7:00 PM tonight, the program is now closed,' McLaurine Pinover, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, said in a statement. 'There is no longer any doubt: the Deferred Resignation Program was both legal and a valuable option for federal employees.'" In the unions' statement, "Everett Kelley, national president of AFGE, the largest federal employees union, representing about 800,000 workers, said 'Today's ruling is a setback in the fight for dignity and fa...

Tuesday night was a jubilant night for the Trump administration's national security/hostage negotiating teams. President Trump promised Marc Fogel's 95-year-old mother that he'd get her son home if he got elected. Thanks to behind-the-scenes negotiations by Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Fogel is back on U.S. soil this morning . The Hill is reporting "The Trump administration announced Tuesday it has negotiated the release of Marc Fogel, an American schoolteacher who has been detained in Russia on drug charges since his arrest in 2021. National security adviser Mike Waltz said in a statement Tuesday that special envoy Steve Witkoff was leaving Russian airspace with Fogel after negotiating an exchange with Russia, though he did not provide any details on whether the U.S. or an ally had released someone in return." It's appalling that the Biden administration was too weak to get him out in 4 years. Fogel was taken into custod...

The House DFL finally returned to work Thursday but it came with a heavy price tag. While the House DFL played hooky, pressure built up on the DFL. Apparently, getting paid for not working wore on voters' nerves. In the end, the DFL had to surrender to the MN GOP. In the end, the DFL said yes to Lisa Demuth as Minnesota's first black female speaker for the entire 2-year session. While that's a major concession by the DFL, it wasn't their biggest concession. MPR reports that " Republicans will succeed in establishing a new fraud prevention committee and will keep the majority on that committee for the two-year term. The panel will have a wide berth to look into oversight of programs by the administration of Gov. Tim Walz. But it won’t be able to subpoena witnesses or materials without the support of at least one committee DFLer." Further, this new committee will have a 5-3 GOP majority for the entire 2-year session. Tom Hauser's report on the negotiations...

Raymond Lopez isn't willing to back away from his fight with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. Despite Johnson's political affiliation with the Democrat Party, Lopez, who is also a Democrat, isn't willing to stop criticizing Johnson. Fox News is reporting that multiple aldermen don't think that Mayor Brandon Johnson is listening to his constituents. For instance, Raymond Lopez said "He’s not concerned about African-Americans, he’s not concerned about Latinos, and he’s absolutely not concerned about undocumented Mexicans who will bear the brunt of his actions. He is playing the game of chicken with their lives, and it's disgusting." Johnson has lost African-Americans in droves even though he's black himself. That's why it'll take divine intervention to save his re-election. Alderman Brian Hopkins told Fox News Digital "Why wouldn't we allow them to be deported, especially if they're guilty of the crimes that they're accused of? He...

Apparently, House DFL legislators think they don't need to work to get paid. This Minnesota Reformer article reports that "House Republicans on Thursday filed a lawsuit with the Minnesota Supreme Court to compel boycotting Democratic-Farmer-Labor House members back to the Capitol by fining them. House Democrats have been deliberately staying away from the Capitol for more than two weeks, since Jan. 14, in an effort to deny Republicans quorum and control of the chamber." This started when the DFL had a retired judge swear in the DFL legislators in a secret, private ceremony. Further, the DFL did this to avoid the Jan. 14th swearing in on the opening day of the session swearing in. Had they shown up for the opening day swearing in, there would've been a quorum. The DFL couldn't have that! Minnesota's Constitution ARTICLE III DISTRIBUTION OF THE POWERS OF GOVERNMENT Section 1. Division of powers. The powers of government shall be divided into three distinct dep...

Sunday marked Secretary of State Marco Rubio's first visit to Panama since being sworn in as Secretary of State. It was a successful visit because " Panama's president vowed Sunday to end a key development deal with China after meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and after complaints from President Donald Trump that the Latin American country had ceded control over its critical shipping canal to Beijing." Make no mistake about this. This is a defeat for the Chinese Communist Party, aka CCP. China wanted to influence Panama through its Belt And Road Initiative. Fox is reporting that "José Raúl Mulino, Panama's president, said his nation's sovereignty over the 51-mile waterway, which connects the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, will remain unchanged. But he said he would not renew a 2017 memorandum of understanding to join China’s Belt and Road global development initiative and that Panama would instead look to work more closely with the U.S....

A pause has been hit in the tariff threat against Mexico. Just minutes ago, President Trump announced that he had "paused for a month a new 25% tariff on goods entering the United States from Mexico after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to immediately send 10,000 soldiers to her country’s border to prevent trafficking of fentanyl and other drugs." President Trump insisted on getting protections for Americans against the scourge of fentanyl. With this agreement now in the process of getting implemented, a pause is definitely in order. According to CNBC's article, "The announcement of the pause came two days after Trump slapped 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, as well as a 10% tariff on goods imported from China. Trump said there will be negotiations on tariffs between Mexican officials and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick." The article continues with this informat...

Ric Grenell, President Trump's special envoy to Central America, South America and Latin America, was given the assignment to secure an agreement with Venezuelan dictator Nicholas Maduro in which Maduro would agree to accept repatriation flights of TdA cartel members back from the U.S. Tom Homan, Trump's border czar, is rounding up lots of TdA members already and he's running out of space to hold them. Thanks to Grenell's efforts, that won't be a problem anymore. Not only did Maduro agree to accept these thugs back to Venezuela. Maduro also agreed to pay for the flights of TdA members back to Venezuela. The deal gets even better, though. Maduro also released 6 U.S. hostages being held in Venezuela . The thing is that the media didn't report that these hostages had been taken. Further, the Biden administration didn't announce the taking of these hostages. Finally, this wasn't on people's radar screen when this trip was scheduled. The Reuters article o...

Based on this Politico article , it's painfully obvious that new DNC Chairman Ken Martin is planning on moving the DNC further to the left. In this article , which I wrote yesterday, I highlighted some of the far-left Minnesota progressives behind Martin on stage for his victory speech. Behind Martin were Keith Ellison, Minnesota's scofflaw AG, Peggy Flanagan, Tim Walz's Lt. Gov., and Squad member Ilhan Omar. Had Walz been there, the stage might've collapsed to its left. Politico reports "For two months as he campaigned for Democratic National Committee chair, Ken Martin worked methodically through a call sheet of the committee’s 448 members, sometimes on the phone for as long as an hour, even two hours, at a time, often until 10 p.m." It continues, adding "But it was another side of Martin, what one DNC member, granted anonymity to speak candidly, called his ability to be a "knife-fighter", that Democrats and their new chair himself on Saturday...

Minnesota will need to elect a new chairman for the DFL. That's because Ken Martin, currently the DFL state party chair, won a first ballot victory to become the new incoming DNC Chairman. To win the chairmanship, the candidate needed to win the support of 214.5 delegates. "Martin secured 246.5 votes of the total 428 members who voted in person and by proxy. Runner-up Ben Wikler, chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, received 134.5 votes, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley received 44 votes and four people abstained. Faiz Shakir received two votes, Jason Paul received one vote and there were no votes for Nate Snyder, Quintessa Hathaway or Marianne Williamson." As a Minnesotan, it was easy to spot the DFL flavor to the Martin campaign. Standing behind Martin were Minnesota AG Keith Ellison, Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. In short, the Martin 'Campaign' is filled with far-left lunatics. They've done well in urban areas b...