Father of Suspected Terrorist Who Gunned Down Israeli Embassy Staffers Was Guest of Democrat Lawmaker at Trump’s Joint Address to Congress

 American Greatness  

"Rodriguez was also a featured speaker at an emotional Democrat press conference on March 4. Flanked by Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and other Democrat lawmakers, Rodriguez appeared on the verge of tears as he decried the DOGE cuts." 

"The father of the suspected gunman in the murder of two Israeli Embassy staffers at the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday, was the honored guest of a far-left lawmaker at President Trump’s joint address to Congress back in March, the New York Post reported.

"Eric Rodriguez is an anti-Trump SEIU member who also spoke at a Democrat press conference ahead of Trump’s address.

"His son, accused killer Elias Rodriguez, 30, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder after allegedly gunning down Yaron Lischinsky, 28, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, who were about to become engaged.

" 'Eric Rodriguez was our guest during the President’s Joint Speech to Congress, but we don’t know his family,” a spokesperson for Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.) told the Post Thursday night.

"García in March had described Rodriguez as “an outspoken advocate against attacks on veterans’ services and the rights of unionized federal employees.”

"His mention of “attacks on veteran services” appeared to be a reference to the Department of Government Efficiency’s work eliminating of waste fraud and abuse from the system.

" 'Eric represents the very best of our community — someone who has served his country, continues to serve his fellow veterans and fights every day to protect the dignity of working people,” the congressman said in a statement on March 3. “His presence at the Joint Address is a powerful statement: we will not sit back while veterans and workers are treated as political pawns.”

"According to the Post, Rodriguez also appeared in a Service Employees International Union (SEIU) video that same day, speaking as an Iraq War vet and an employee with the Veterans Affairs Department." . . .

Democrat press and Congress, do you have any words of regret or encouragement for the below? 

‘Jimmy Kimmel Out Here Crying?!’ Scott Jennings Gets CNN Panel to Boil By Trashing ‘Political Activist’ Late-Night Hosts

"CNN’s Scott Jennings riled up a panel after he tore into late night comedians and they’re reaction to President-elect Donald Trump’s victory.

" On News Night with Abby Phillip, Jennings blasted Jimmy Kimmel for “crying” over the election and asked when liberal late night comedians would try to actually be funny again. 

"Jennings did praise HBO’s Bill Maher, saying the liberal comedian who often targets “woke” liberals “gets it.” 

“The rest of these people have become pathetic. I mean, they stopped being comedians and they started becoming political activists. I mean, Jimmy Kimmel out here crying? I mean, it’s pathetic. 

"And so my my question is, if you’re going to have a late night comedy show, at some point people might expect it to be funny and not just a constant political screed against one party, and I don’t I don’t know that this activism for four more years is sustainable if you’re going to market something as comedy, but the actual product is nothing more than sort of a low brow political activism,”

"Jennings said. “These people represent the way a lot of people feel, so it’d actually be interesting if the Trump folks could actually make us feel like, ‘we’re not going to take away your rights,’ and that doesn’t make sense, you think it doesn’t make sense a lot of people actually think that makes sense. 

"That’s the way a lot of people feel,” writer and podcaster Touré shot back.

 “That is their audience,” Phillip added. 

 “Is that their mission? To be activists and not comedians?” Jennings asked.

 “Well, sometimes the comedian does stop telling jokes and says serious things,” Touré said. "Jennings stuck to his point. “During the Biden years, there was nobody who provided more comedy fodder possible than Joe Biden,”

"Jennings said, igniting new outrage in the panel as Touré, Phillip, and others insisted President Joe Biden was made fun of while Jennings rejected this.

"Podcaster Josh Barro cut through the crosstalk to argue the biggest problem for comedians is that people are “a little bored” of Trump. 

" 'People might also want an escape,” Phillip said, adding that humor will not “go over too well” with this “new crowd,” citing Elon Musk’s criticism of Dana Carvey’s Saturday Night Live impression of him.

"Trump has said numerous times Musk will have a role in. his administration." . . .

The Israeli Tragedy and Douglas Murray’s Churchillian Voice

 The American Spectator  As the subtitle of Murray’s new book suggests, our response to the cult of death will determine the future not just of Israel but of civilization itself.

"And it’s a close thing here, too. For murder has come to our shores, sponsored by a treacherous academic culture of hatred and of politicians building careers on that hatred. It’s not hard to imagine Ross Barnett, the Talmadge's, and all those who got and kept power by the subjection of an entire race, smiling and applauding from their graves." 

"I let thoughts percolate and events develop before writing each week. This week, there were so many ideas coming forward that it was at first difficult to choose. But three things came together to point me in the direction that these words follow today.The first event was purchasing a new book. I had just heard Douglas Murray and Jordan Peterson talk for close to two hours about Murray’s new book, On Democracies and Death Cults, which I rushed to order.

"Murray is a Churchillian voice calling us to the defense of a civilization that is under deadly assault. We need Churchillian voices to rouse us from our opioid slumber.

"For Hitler and his gang were not cemented into place as the apotheosis of tyrannical evil. In his day, many in the West thought him onto something and that those who immediately opposed Nazism, such as Fiorello LaGuardia, and slightly later, Churchill, political opportunists engaged in dangerous warmongering. Even as the extent of Hitler’s aggressive malignancy became more apparent, Britain and France were loath to resist. Lord Halifax, whose political clout in Britain briefly rivaled Churchill’s, was looking to make a craven peace with Hitler even after Churchill had taken the reins in 1940. It was a very close thing.

"Around the world, many influential people pooh-poohed the danger he and his movement posed. So it was in America as well. Henry Ford sent the Nazis money when they were just getting started, and he accepted a gaudy medal from the German ambassador in July 1938, when Jews had already been evicted from professions, schools, and political rights, Dachau had been up and running for five years, the Rhineland had been reoccupied in violation of treaty, Hitler ended Austria’s independence, and Czechoslovakia was being threatened and was to be entirely swallowed up itself within a year. Even after Hitler had invaded Poland to start World War II, Charles Lindbergh, America’s darling after his pioneering trans-Atlantic solo flight, told Americans, “These wars in Europe are not wars in which our civilization is defending itself against some Asiatic intruder. There is no Genghis Khan nor Xerxes marching against our Western nations.”

"It is even more fashionable in today’s Europe and in woke America to embrace the cause of Hitler’s heirs in the Middle East. As pusillanimous as Chamberlain, and as casually disdainful of Jews, Britain, France, et al., have never missed a chance to oppose Israel’s efforts to end forever the existential threat everyone knows Hamas, Hezbollah, et al., pose to the Jewish state — and, as with Hitler, to Jews everywhere." . . .

"The students are revolting!" "I know but they're all we've got!" Tragic truth.

Comment to this post: "I always believed College was a place to learn, to grow intellectually, NOT a place to protest violently about issues that are not in the best interests of the country, of the people, not a place to practice hate, incite violence, and anti-semitism."

A textbook on American government: Ensuring ‘authentic federalism’ in America

"The ruling was an interpretation of the 10th Amendment of the United States, which speaks to the principle of federalism — that states retain all power that is not expressly given to the government in the constitution.  —Emilia Otte, Hartford Courant, 18 Mar. 2025

Stephen F. Gambescia, Stew Bolno 

"Authentic federalism—a descriptor not conventionally associated with federalism but inherently implied—occurs when all three levels of government recognize, respect, and responsibly act in the service of the people. In short, each governing entity should operate within its own lane."

"The Trump Administration’s major actions to scale down and refocus the work of federal agencies, while restoring power to states and localities, represent a healing return to the Founders’ goal of authentic federalism.

Federalism is a system of government in which power is divided between higher and lower levels of authority. In the U.S. system, we have a written constitution that delineates explicit powers for the federal government and reserved powers to the states, which the Framers deemed essential for granting the lower authorities broad powers to best serve the people.

James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay explained the structure for governing in The Federalist. It’s a three-part model developed to withstand the extremes of centralized tyranny and uncontrollable anarchy. Its purpose is to ensure a representative republic that respects individual liberty. The vertical element of this system creates effective and responsible roles for the national, state, and later local governments, with citizens providing a major check at each level." . . .

. . ."Despite the attention on national and state politics, local government often has the most direct impact on our daily lives. This phenomenon is based on a principle, often overlooked but present in the spirit of the U.S. Constitution: those closest to the people are best positioned to protect the health, safety, welfare, and morals of the community. Here, the importance of maintaining genuine respect for federalism is fundamental.

These are three examples of how federalism at the local level is historically manifested and why we should continue to support authentic federalism." . . .

Stephen F. Gambescia is professor and director of a Doctor of Health Science program at Drexel University.  Stew Bolno is an organizational effectiveness consultant in Philadelphia.

Federalism/ Cornell, Legal Information Institute:  "Federalism is a system of government in which the same territory is controlled by two levels of government. Generally, an overarching national government is responsible for broader governance of larger territorial areas, while the smaller subdivisions, states , and cities govern the issues of local concern.

"Both the national government and the smaller political subdivisions have the power to make laws and both have a certain level of autonomy from each other.". . .

Federalism Is How Americans Have Historically Resolved Bitter Disputes 

. . ."American federalism also adds policy diversity as a key element contributing to significant cultural and geographic differences between regions, allowing states to fashion different policies regarding such vital matters as taxation, spending choices, land use, and other forms of social and economic regulation. This was why Supreme Court Associate Justice Louis Brandeis referred to the states as laboratories of democracy and experimentation in the New State Ice Co. case." . . .

Unbelievable: Springsteen Making a Cash Grab Over Insulting Overseas Rant on Trump Already Backfiring

RedState  

Remember that the (Dixie) Chicks' soaring career in country music never recovered from their rude statements about another GOP  president either, ' lo these many years later. 

"Last week, musician and unapologetic liberal lackey Bruce Springsteen unleashed an unhinged rant while performing overseas, as we previously wrote, filled with pathetic and hateful political posturing about the Reconciliation bill, bashing both President Donald Trump and Republicans, at a U.K. concert with the E Street Band on May 14. 

"RedState's Katie Jerkovich wrote that Springsteen "... used his time on stage in Manchester to slam the president as 'unfit' in what he called 'dangerous times,' according to a video on his website."

"In just one part of the three-part screed, the singer told the crowd, "In my home, the America I love, the America I've written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration."

"The president did not sit quietly, and others, including comedian and Fox News host Greg Gutfeld, also took part in eviscerating "The Boss" for his actions." . . .

Springsteen didn't learn from the Dixie Chicks.

Senate Votes to Overturn California’s Electric Vehicle Mandate in Major Blow to Climate Change Activists

 The Gateway Pundit

. . ."Shutting this down was the right thing to do. You can’t force consumers to buy certain kinds of products in this way. The public has to want to do it."…

Next will come a Democrat judge to block this..

"The Senate has voted to overturn the electric vehicle mandate in the state of California. This is going to cause some major anger and anxiety among the climate change activist community.

"The EV mandate was one of the last things Joe Biden signed before leaving office. You may recall a last minute push by Biden’s team to advance as much climate change related legislation as they could during his final weeks in office.

"The resolution to overturn the mandate passed along party lines with one Democrat senator voting for it as well.

"The Senate approved a resolution Thursday that would revoke California’s federal waiver allowing it and several other Democratic-led states to mandate electric vehicle sales, dealing a blow to activists’ efforts to push green energy and fight global warming.

"The resolution, introduced by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R., W.Va.) in April, passed in a bipartisan 51-44 vote Thursday morning. Just one Democrat, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (Mich.), voted in favor of the resolution alongside every Republican who voted. Five lawmakers were absent from the vote. 

“ 'The impact of California’s waiver would have been felt across the country, harming multiple sectors of our economy and costing hundreds of thousands of jobs in the process,” said Capito, who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee." . . .

UPDATE:  Newsom Furious, Vows Legal Fight After Senate Repeals EV Mandate Waiver 

. . ."This week, in a 51-44 vote, the Senate approved a resolution that would revoke California's federal waiver allowing it and several other Democratic-led states to mandate electric vehicle sales. Just one Democrat, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (Mich.), voted in favor of the resolution alongside every Republican who voted." 

On appointing federal judges: pray Republicans keep the house or we will get this:

How can we not conclude these judges are cut from the same cloth as those in the streets wearing Palestinian scarves and blaming Israel for attacking Gaza on Oct 7th, beheading infants and raping women? TD

Judges STRIKE DOWN every TRUMP order

Obama Judge Blocks DHS From Revoking Harvard’s Ability To Enroll Foreign Students 

. . ." The school had been rejecting compliance with the federal government, claiming it would not “relinquish its constitutional rights” and would maintain “freedom of thought.” The Department of Education revoked over $2 billion in grants from the school, and weeks later Education Secretary Linda McMahon told the institution not to seek federal grant money, as “none will be provided.” . . .

Judge Hannah Dugan Caught on Video but Wait…

"Looks like Dugan got caught with her claw in the cookie jar. But does that mean consequences? Moonbats like Demetria Brue, Dugan herself, and her supporter Monica Isham demonstrate the deterioration of the judiciary. She will be judged by one of her own."

Jonathan Turley: A Judge of Her Peers? Judge Dugan Assigned a Judge Previously Rebuked for Political Comments  "Five years ago, I wrote about a federal judge who, in my view, had discarded any resemblance of judicial restraint and judgment in a public screed against Republicans, Donald Trump, and the Supreme Court. The Wisconsin judge represented the final death of irony: a jurist who failed to see the conflict in lashing out at what he called judicial bias in a political diatribe that would have made MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell blush.

"His name is Lynn Adelman.

"I was wrong in 2020. Irony is very much alive.

"This week, a judge was randomly selected to preside at the trial of Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan. A critic of Trump’s immigration policies, Dugan is accused of obstructing federal law enforcement and facilitating the escape of an unlawful immigrant.

"The judge assigned to the Dugan case? You guessed it. Lynn Adelman, 85.

"A judge is expected to come to a case like this one without the burden of his own baggage. Judge Adelman is carrying more baggage than Amtrak in Wisconsin." . . .

After Biden’s Out of Office, Public Learns of More Decline

Debra J. Saunders: It is hard to see anything decent about Biden clinging to power. 

His pet phrase, “on my word as a Biden,” has become a national joke. 

"Almost everything the Democrats and big media told the country about the vaunted character of former President Joe Biden is collapsing.

"Biden framed his run for the White House in 2020 as “a fight for the soul of the nation.” A smitten chattering class was all on board.

Never gets old.

"In October 2020, New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote, “Joe Biden is the personification of decency, and if he wins he’ll do his best to restore our standards of behavior.”

"In 2025, it’s hard to see anything decent about Biden clinging to power, even as his mental faculties faded. (RELATED: The Cancerous Lies of the Corporate Joe Biden)

"Gray Lady columnist Jennifer Senior in 2020 wrote a column on then-President Donald Trump headlined, “The President Has Made Selfishness Our National Credo.” Who looks selfish now?

"Following the release of the book Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, by Alex Thompson and Jake Tapper, comes the news that Biden has an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.

"According to Team Biden, the former president’s last screening for prostate cancer occurred in 2014.

" 'I think these people who really suspended their lives to work on the 2024 campaign for an extended period of time, really want to know when he was diagnosed, what he knew and how responsible former President Biden was being with his health,” the New York Times’ Lisa Lerer noted on Tuesday’s The Daily podcast.

"Biden also avoided cognitive testing during his term in office.

"His pet phrase, “on my word as a Biden,” has become a national joke." . . .

A president without shame, a party without spine, a media without integrity, and a cancer in the bones of American institutions — brought to you by the folks who said they would make it all go away. Whatever made them think Joe Biden could deliver that?

Dark Angel Politics.

UPDATE: WaPo Columnist Accuses Jill Biden of 'Elder Abuse' Over Biden's 2024 Campaign Push 

. . . “I blame Jill Biden for this. Jill Biden is his wife. And if Jill Biden had stood up and gone to him and said, ‘Joe, you can’t do it’… He wouldn’t have run,” Quinn said. “She clearly was in favor of his running, and I just think it was a terrible disservice to the country.”  . . .

 

Texas lawmakers approve permanent daylight saving time, but federal approval still needed

 Joe Kelley KRLD 

"Governor Greg Abbott has urged federal lawmakers to act, citing strong public backing for the shift. Until then, Texans will continue adjusting their clocks every spring and fall, waiting for Washington to weigh in."

Riding into the sunset, which comes later now in Texas.

"Texas lawmakers have voted to make daylight saving time permanent, eliminating the twice-yearly clock changes and ensuring longer evenings year-round. The bill passed the state legislature with strong bipartisan support, reflecting widespread frustration over the outdated system.

"However, the change cannot take effect without Congressional approval due to the federal Uniform Time Act of 1966, which mandates national time transitions. Texas joins 18 other states that have passed similar measures, adding momentum to efforts to end seasonal clock adjustments nationwide.

"Supporters argue that permanent daylight saving time would boost businesses, public safety, and mental health by offering more daylight for outdoor activities and evening commerce. Critics, however, note concerns over sleep cycles and school schedules, with some favoring permanent standard time instead.

"Governor Greg Abbott has urged federal lawmakers to act, citing strong public backing for the shift. Until then, Texans will continue adjusting their clocks every spring and fall, waiting for Washington to weigh in." . . .

US Pardon Attorney Announces Investigation of Biden Pardons

Biden’s Dementia Was Obvious Before 2020 Election The Media And His Staff Had To Know    Well, anyway....

But Joe's right; look what he accomplished during his Presidency:

US Pardon Attorney Ed Martin Announces Investigation of Biden Pardons

1. . . .“We’re going to bring everyone that we believe was involved in any role in the use of the autopen. We’re going to invite them to come in for a transcribed interview," Comer said when making the announcement.
2. "If they won’t, then they will receive a subpoena, and they will have a full-blown deposition.
3. “We want to find out who was actually making the decisions in the White House during the last nine months of the Biden administration when he was clearly in mental decline,” he continued, referring to Biden's lack of mental acuity that has been recently substantiated by leaked audio with special counsel Robert Hur from October 2023.

The Week That Derailed Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency  When Joe Biden left office in January, he sought to follow the template set by his predecessors for a post-presidency: Raise funds for a library, deliver a memoir and hit the speaking circuit.

Instead, he has been derailed by a battle to salvage his tarnished legacy—and an urgent fight against stage-4 prostate cancer that kills most men within five years. A stream of new books detailing the extent of his decline while in office and the efforts to conceal it has spawned a fresh round of recriminations over the 82-year-old’s presidency. The twists have turned the final chapter in Biden’s half-century of public life into a solemn and diminished period that stands to further erode his standing in history.

Some major donors have been reluctant to give money to his presidential library, and some allies privately worry it will not open during his lifetime, according to several donors and Biden allies. Biden’s speaking fees, which can range from $300,000 to $500,000, are below what former President Barack Obama commands, according to people familiar with the arrangements. So far, few organizations have been willing to pay for Biden.

Making matters more difficult, Biden faces pressure that other past presidents didn’t. He aims to quickly amass an inheritance for his grandchildren, according to people familiar with his finances. His son Hunter, with five* children, has struggled to find a professional footing and another son, Beau, died in 2015, leaving prongs of the family for whom the Bidens have taken on some financial responsibility." . . .

*Wait...shouldn't that be six?

I found real intellectual diversity far away from elite colleges; No performative outrage, no ideological litmus tests or demands for conformity.

 Campus Reform . . ."Instead, it was what higher education used to be about: curious students engaged in thoughtful dialogue.

"This stands in stark contrast to what we are witnessing on many university campuses. At Columbia University, anti-Israel activists distributed a vandalism guide that encourages students to use sledgehammers to “cause quite a bit of damage.”. . .

"A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to participate in a roundtable discussion, at my New York college, hosted by the African American Student Union (AASU). What I witnessed wasn’t the dogmatism that we’ve come to expect in some academic circles. There was nothing staged. No performative outrage, no ideological litmus tests or demands for conformity. Instead, it was what higher education used to be about: curious students engaged in thoughtful dialogue. They were eager to listen, learn, and challenge their own assumptions.

"The specific topic of our roundtable discussion focused on President Trump and his current administration. While most of the students in attendance didn’t support the current President at the ballot box, and some expressed clear reservations about some of his policies, they also displayed an honesty that is increasingly rare on college campuses – a willingness to admit what they didn’t know and an openness to consider different perspectives. 

"The range of issues discussed was wide-reaching. As the discussion unfolded, some students expressed concern over the Trump tariffs, but acknowledged they didn’t fully understand tariffs and the economic strategy behind them. Others focused more on immigration policies, and while some believed the President was too heavy handed, others respectfully disagreed. However, they all acknowledged the complexities of illegal immigration. Instead of defaulting to slogans or partisan talking points, these students genuinely sought to understand the broader implications of public policy decisions." . . .

Nicholas Giordano is a professor of Political Science, the host of The P.A.S. Report Podcast, and a fellow at Campus Reform’s Higher Education Fellowship. 

More from Professor Giordiano:Congress must dismantle the Department of Education  "It should not be difficult to state the obvious, the Department of Education has had over 40 years to prove its worth – and it has failed.

"We can no longer afford to support an education system that fails students year after year. It’s time for Congress to do its job and dismantle the Department of Education if we want to stop wasting tax dollars and pursue meaningful education reform.

"Since 2000, the Department of Education’s annual discretionary budget has skyrocketed from $34.7 billion tax dollars to $82.4 billion. Yet, what have students and taxpayers gotten in return for this 137% increase?

"Despite the massive increases in education spending, Americans are left with a negative return on investment. Student proficiency levels remain at historic lows as they cannot read or write at grade level, and half of college freshman have to take at least one remedial course for content they should have already mastered. 

"These failures extend beyond the classroom. They are reflected on the global stage and serve as a national embarrassment. American students to lag behind their global peers  and two-thirds of American universities have seen their positions drop in global rankings.

"But the problem transcends the Department of Education’s own statistics . . ."