As medical associations are reconsidering transgender “medicine” for minors, Democrats—even “moderate” ones like Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear—seem to be missing the memo.

Just a few days after a jury awarded $2 million in damages to a detransitioner woman who underwent surgery at 16, and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons subsequently recommended against surgeries for patients under 19, Beshear decided to double down on transgender “treatments” and tie the issue to his Christian faith.

Beshear said on “The View” Monday that “the most authentic thing” that “drives” him is his faith.

“My decisions are based on ‘we love our neighbors like ourselves’ and the parable that says everyone is our neighbor,” he explained. “When I vetoed one of the nastiest pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation that came through my state, I described it in those terms.”

“I said my faith tells me that all children are children of God and I didn’t want people picking on those things,” the governor said.

I find that position rather ironic.

Beshear is right on the basics: Jesus does teach us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and while not all children are children of God, they are made in his image. But when it comes to protecting children, he has the policy exactly wrong.

His policy isn’t about protecting children, it’s about making them vulnerable to the transgender agenda.

Beshear’s Veto

As the Democratic governor of a red state, Beshear has vetoed many bills, although the Legislature often overrides him.

During a speech last year, Beshear touted having vetoed 2023 Senate Bill 150, which he then called “the nastiest piece of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that this state had ever seen.” The Legislature overrode his veto, so the bill became law, protecting parental rights, preventing boys from entering girls’ restrooms in schools, and forbidding transgender medical interventions.

In his 2023 veto message, Beshear said the bill “allows too much government interference in personal healthcare issues,” that his “faith teaches [him] that all children are children of God and Senate Bill 150 will endanger the children of Kentucky.”

Yet he had no qualms about government interference in health care issues in 2024, when he signed an executive order forbidding “conversion therapy.” In defending that order, Beshear wrote, “as leaders and policymakers, we should be in the business of protecting our citizens and kids from harm, not subjecting them to discredited methods that jeopardize their health, wellbeing, and safety.”

His “conversion therapy” order involved a double standard: allowing therapists to encourage a minor toward LGBTQ identities, but preventing counseling in the other direction, assuming that any such counseling is harmful. While LGBTQ activist groups have claimed “conversion therapy” is dangerous, data shows that thoughts of suicide decrease after counseling.

The governor’s reasoning about protecting kids isn’t entirely baseless, however. He just applies the protection to the wrong issue.

How to Actually Protect Kids

The theory goes like this: “conversion therapy” is so dangerous for kids long term that they cannot consent to it until they turn 18. Therefore, the government should protect them.

I agree with Beshear that minors face a threat to their health from which they should be protected, because they cannot give informed consent. The problem is, Beshear’s executive order explicitly protected the counseling that encourages the truly dangerous practice.

Beshear’s order states that therapy “that assists an individual seeking to undergo a gender transition” does not count as “conversion therapy.”

Activists push minors along a child mutilation pipeline, which begins with the anodyne-sounding “social transition.” Even just using names and pronouns that align with a kid’s stated “gender identity” acts as a “powerful psychotherapeutic intervention that radically changes outcomes,” according to psychologist Dr. Stephen B. Levine.

This often leads kids to undergo increasingly intrusive “treatments” to alter their bodies. Pre-pubescent kids take “puberty blockers,” the same drugs authorities use to “chemically castrate” sex offenders. A Food and Drug Administration study found an “increased risk of [suicidal thoughts] and depression” among minors using these drugs.

During puberty, minors take cross-sex hormones, which can carry increased risks of infertility, diabetes, and cancer. Then, of course, came the most irreversible “treatment”—the surgical removal of otherwise healthy sex organs, rendering patients infertile and dependent on the medical industry to maintain their Frankensteinian facsimiles of the opposite sex’s organs.

America’s medical institutions, which rushed to embrace most of this insanity in recent years, have started moving in the opposite direction. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons recommended against surgery for patients under 19, and even the American Medical Association stated that it “generally” agreed. The society also cast doubt on hormone “treatments.”

This comes after the Department of Health and Human Services released a peer-reviewed study finding “extremely weak evidence” that these interventions have any beneficial effect for children, and that the risks for these interventions are becoming “increasingly undeniable.”

What Does Christianity Have to Do With It?

As a Christian, I believe in loving my neighbor, and that entails protecting kids from experimental medical interventions. Minors cannot give informed consent to interventions that will likely leave them stunted, scarred, and infertile, and we should protect them from the sex-rejecting procedures euphemistically referred to as “gender-affirming care.”

Christianity also teaches that God made us male and female, and I can think of no worse form of “conversion therapy” than lying to a boy that he can become a girl or vice versa.

It is the exact opposite of compassion to gaslight children and drive them toward institutional medical self-harm.

It infuriates me to see Andy Beshear twist the Bible to endorse this cruel ideology. Luckily, the medical industry is seeing through the charade.

The post ‘Moderate’ Democrat Twists Christian Compassion to Defend Transgender ‘Treatments’ appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The Jeffrey Epstein files, fraud, and the Biden administration’s lawfare were among the topics that Attorney General Pam Bondi addressed during her testimony Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee.  

Here are four big takeaways from the hearing.  

1. ‘Should be Apologizing’ 

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., suggested investigations of Trump’s enemies were distracting the Justice Department from reviewing the files of Epstein, a well-connected convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019. 

He spoke for four minutes before asking a question.  

“The DOJ has failed to bring any of these perpetrators to justice,” Nadler said regarding the names in the Epstein files. “Instead, you have engaged in a relentless pursuit of Donald Trump’s perceived enemies. I want to focus on just one example.” 

He brought up a federal indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James alleging mortgage fraud; a case subsequently dismissed.  

“How many of Epstein’s coconspirators have you indicted? How many perpetrators are you even investigating?” Nadler asked.  

Bondi attempted to answer, but Nadler kept interrupting her. He eventually jumped to answer his own question, “zero.” 

“I’m not going to get in the gutter with these people,” Bondi said. 

Nadler noted a social media post by Trump complaining about the two impeachments and five indictments against him.  

Bondi, who was on the team of lawyers defending Trump in his first Senate impeachment trial in early 2020, noted she and Nadler–one of the House managers–were on opposite sides.  

“During impeachment, you said the president conspired and sought foreign interference in the 2016 election. [Former special counsel] Robert Mueller found no evidence,” Bondi said. “Have you apologized to President Trump? All of you who participated in those impeachment hearings against Donald Trump, you all should be apologizing. You sit here, and you attack the president, and I am not going to have it.” 

She followed that the Trump administration is in the process of releasing the Epstein files.  

“They are talking about Epstein today. This has been around since the Obama administration,” Bondi said. “This administration released over 3 million pages of documents. Over 3 million, and Donald Trump signed that law to release all of those documents. He is the most transparent president in the nation’s history.” 

Trump signed the bill that passed overwhelmingly in Congress. 

Later in the hearing, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, asked Bondi if more individuals involved with Epstein would be indicted. She responded, “We have several investigations pending.”

2. ‘You Have to be Quiet’ 

At several points, ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., told Bondi–the second woman to serve as U.S. attorney general–to stop talking. 

Raskin jumped into the exchange between Bondi and Nadler to say he warned Bondi not to “filibuster.” 

“I told you about that Attorney General, before we started,” Raskin said.   

Bondi defiantly replied, “You don’t tell me anything.” 

Later in the hearing, the two got in another exchange when Raskin said each member has only five minutes and accused Bondi of “going off on a wild goose chase, another tangent.” 

“If you do that, then we’re allowed to say we are reclaiming our time,” Raskin said. “At that point, you have to be quiet. You have no choice. You have to be quiet.” 

3. Fraud ‘Rampant Throughout the Country’ 

Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., asked Bondi about the investigation into the estimated $9 billion welfare fraud scandal in Minnesota.  

“Well, it’s not only rampant in Minnesota but also, throughout this country,” Bondi said. “Much of it is in California, as you know, and in other places. Yes, we are working on it actively. Our criminal fraud division has been working on it. We are expanding that.” 

Tiffany followed, “Why did federal law enforcement have to go to Minneapolis? Because of industrial scale fraud.”  

Tiffany, whose district is only about 20 miles from Minneapolis, added he asked Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, D-Wis., to open the books for a federal audit on food stamps and Medicaid. 

“Don’t you think it would be a good idea for every governor to do that at this point?” Tiffany asked. 

Bondi called it a “great idea.” 

4. ‘Failed Politician’ and ‘Hypocrite’ 

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a co-author of the bill that forced the release of the Epstein files, criticized the Justice Department for redacting the name of a potential perpetrator. Bondi said the name was added back within 40 minutes.  

“Within 40 minutes of me catching you red-handed,” said Massie, a libertarian-leaning Republican who has clashed with Trump on issues.  

“Red handed, there was one redaction,” Bondi said laughing.  

Massie responded, “He was listed as a co-conspirator.” 

“He has Trump derangement syndrome,” Bondi said of Massie. “You’re a failed politician.” 

Bondi went on to add, “He’s a hypocrite because he voted against the ban that we were talking about on deepfake AI porn. One of only two people voted against it.” 

The post 4 Big Moments From Bondi’s House Judiciary Testimony appeared first on The Daily Signal.

WASHINGTON, Feb 11 (Reuters) – The U.S. government posted a $95 billion budget deficit in January, down $34 billion or 26% from a year earlier as revenue gains including customs duties outpaced growth in outlays, the Treasury Department said on Wednesday.

Adjusting for routine calendar shifts in benefit payments due to holidays, weekends and other factors in both years, the Treasury said the January deficit would have been $30 billion, a decline of $52 billion or 63% from January 2025.

January receipts totaled $560 billion, up $47 billion or 9% from a year earlier, while outlays totaled $655 billion, up $13 billion or 2%.

Through the first four months of the 2026 fiscal year that started October 1, the deficit fell to $697 billion, down $143 billion or 17% from the same period of fiscal 2025. Year-to-date receipts totaled $1.785 trillion, up $188 billion or 12% from the prior year period, while outlays reached $2.482 trillion, up $46 billion or 2%.

January receipts and outlays were records for the month, but the deficit was not a record, a Treasury official told reporters. Year-to-date receipts and outlays were also both records for the first four months of a fiscal year, but the deficit was not a record.

Helping to drive both January and year-to-date results were sharply higher net customs receipts due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs. These totaled $27.7 billion in January, about the same level as December and slightly below the $30 billion monthly pace late last year. Customs duties in January 2025, the month that Trump took office and well before his tariff announcements, totaled $7.3 billion.

Fiscal year-to-date net customs duties were $117.7 billion, up from $28.2 billion a year earlier.

Also cutting the deficit was a rare $12 billion decline in Treasury interest outlays on the public debt to $72 billion for January. The Treasury official said this stemmed from downward adjustments to payments on inflation-linked securities that were delayed by last year’s government shutdown and publication of consumer price index data.

Year-to-date Treasury debt interest totaled $426 billion, a record for the period, up $34 billion or 9%.

(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Andrea Ricci)

The post US January Budget Deficit Falls to $95 Billion as Revenue Gains Outpace Spending Growth appeared first on The Daily Signal.

James Van Der Beek, who was best known for his starring role on the hit television series “Dawson’s Creek,” died Wednesday. He was only 48 and had been diagnosed with […]

The post Breaking: Dawson's Creek Star James Van Der Beek Dead After Cancer Battle appeared first on The Western Journal.

I feel quite exasperated right now. Everyone knows that the economic numbers that federal bureaucrats in Washington are feeding us each month are fraudulent. It has been that way for a very long time. The employment numbers are a perfect example of this. Every month they give us a headline number that looks pretty good, and then months later they revise it much lower when nobody is paying attention. That is the game they want to play, and many of us understand that. But this latest stunt that they have pulled is absolutely astounding. More than a million U.S. jobs suddenly disappeared from the numbers, and they would like us to believe that this is perfectly normal.

How are we supposed to have any faith in the numbers that the BLS releases each month if they are off by this much?

As Zero Hedge has reported, nonfarm employment in the United States as of December 31st, 2025 was revised down from 159.546 million to 158.497 million…

Starting at the top, total US payrolls were revised dramatically lower starting with the Jan 2021 data and every month since, and net of the cumulative changes December 31, 2025 total nonfarm employment was revised lower by 1.029 million from 159.546 million to 158.497 million.

As expected, the bulk of the negative revisions took place in 2025, with negative revisions to 2024 amounting to -413K, 2023 was just -73K while 2021 and 2021 were revised modestly higher. 

Focusing on 2025, the negative revisions to both the year and previous years, meant that the change in total jobs for 2025 was revised from an already low +584,000 to a shockingly low +181,000. 

How can over a million jobs suddenly disappear?

Well, the truth is that they never actually existed in the first place.

It was all smoke and mirrors.

Let’s take a look at the January numbers.  We are being told that the U.S. added 130,000 jobs in January…

The Labor Department on Wednesday reported that employers added 130,000 jobs in January. That figure was above the expectations of economists polled by LSEG, who estimated the economy would add 70,000 jobs.

The unemployment rate was 4.3%, slightly lower than economists’ expectations of 4.4%.

But the “unadjusted” figure for January was actually a loss of 2.6 million jobs…

There is another reason why today’s report will be revised away: while the seasonally adjusted change was a stronger than expected 130K, the unadjusted was a negative 2.649 million. That means that the entire delta in today’s “surprise beat” was due to seasonal adjustments.

Isn’t that fun?

Everyone is running around talking about the “130,000 jobs” the U.S. added last month, knowing that the “adjusted” number will almost certainly be revised down multiple times later on.

But the “unadjusted” number shows that the U.S. economy lost 2.6 million jobs in January.

Yes, mass layoffs really are happening all over the nation.

In January, the number of job cut announcements was the highest that we have seen for that month since 2009.

And even though 2.6 million jobs were actually lost last month, the government is telling us that 130,000 were gained.

What a joke.

Meanwhile, more bad news about the housing market continues to roll in.

In January 2026, the number of foreclosure filings in the United States was 32 percent higher than it was in January 2025…

With the number of Americans losing their homes to banks rising for an eleventh straight month, it’s clear the housing crisis is getting worse rather than better. US foreclosure activity jumped again in January 2026, with a total of 40,534 properties facing foreclosure filings – a 32 percent increase from the same time last year. Foreclosure filings cover every stage of the process, from the moment a lender issues a legal warning to the point a home is formally seized after missed mortgage payments.

It is starting to feel like 2008 all over again.

We are off to such a bad start in 2026, and this comes on the heels of a year in which foreclosure filings were 14 percent higher than the previous year…

The bleak start to 2026 follows an already brutal 2025, when 367,460 US properties faced foreclosure filings – up 14 percent from the year before, according to a previus report from ATTOM.

Foreclosures are clearly trending in the wrong direction.

And the outlook for the months ahead is not promising at all, because mortgage delinquencies among low-income households have been steadily increasing…

90-day delinquency rates have skyrocketed among borrowers in the lowest-income ZIP codes, rising to 3% in the fourth quarter from 0.5% in 2021.

We are now at the highest level that we have seen in about a decade.

At the same time, electricity bills are rising to unprecedented heights.

Some are complaining that their monthly electricity bills now exceed $800, and others are complaining that their electricity bills now exceed $1,000…

On Reddit, one user in the r/homeowners group shared that their electric bill in Pittsburgh topped $800. Others weighed in with their experiences, and suggested making modifications to save money.

“Everyone needs to take quicker showers, don’t leave hot water run, and turn the heat down to 68 and wear clothes and warm pajamas and use blankets at night,” one comment advised.

On TikTok, user MamaSelena shared that her January electric bill in Ohio was $1,013, cutting into her grocery budget. She contacted local representatives in hopes they would advocate for lower costs, and encouraged others to do the same.

It is easy to tell people that they should just move to a state where the cost of living is lower.

Well, Alabama has a very low cost of living, but even some residents of that state are now facing electricity bills that are close to $1,000…

Alabama Power customer Miessha Reed is one of many customers who has seen a jump in their electric bills.

Reed said her monthly bill during last year’s summer months ranged between $300 to $400, but she can’t say the same about her latest power bill.

“It did a rapid increase. June was like $674, July was like $777, and I got an August bill for $963,” said Reed.

Soaring heating and cooling costs are one of the primary reasons why power bills are rising so much.

In fact, it is being projected that the average U.S. household will spend $995 just on heating their homes this winter…

A new report this week estimates that U.S. households could spend an average of $995 on home heating alone from mid-November to March, which is $84 more than they spent last winter.

The report is from the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association (NEADA), a policy organization that represents state governments seeking federal funds for low-income home energy programs. It predicts that heating costs will rise by an average of 9.2% over the next three months.

Of course it isn’t just power bills that are going up.

Just about everything is steadily becoming more expensive, but the bureaucrats in Washington would like us to believe that the inflation rate is in the low single digits.

Give me a break.

If a major conflict with Iran erupts in the Middle East, our power bills will experience another huge spike.

On Tuesday night, President Trump issued a very ominous warning to Iran…

The President on Tuesday night said he is considering ordering a second aircraft carrier strike group to position itself outside Iran.

US diplomats and Iranian officials met last Friday in Oman to discuss ending the ayatollah’s nuclear program. This is the first time the two countries have engaged diplomatic talks since the 12-day war with Israel in June.

‘Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,’ Trump told Axios.

I have been warning about a final showdown with Iran for a very long time.

Once the missiles start flying, nothing will ever be the same again.

But for the moment, much of the population continues to believe that everything will work out just fine somehow.

There is nothing wrong with being optimistic, but right now our economy is crumbling all around us and there are very dark clouds on the horizon.

Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written nine other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

The post Breaking Point: A Million Jobs Suddenly Disappear, Foreclosures Rise 32 Percent, And Some Americans Are Now Facing $1,000 Power Bills appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

Only six percent of U.S. adults say they have a “great deal of confidence in journalists to act in the public’s best interests.”

The post Nolte: Only Six Percent Have Great Confidence Journalists Act in Public’s Best Interest appeared first on Breitbart.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick spoke during a Breitbart News policy event about a "genius move" to hire the Post Office to do the Census.

The post Exclusive – Secretary Lutnick: Post Office to Conduct Census in ‘Genius Move’ to Save Billions appeared first on Breitbart.

WASHINGTON, Feb 11 (Reuters) — U.S. job growth unexpectedly accelerated in January and the unemployment rate fell to 4.3%, signs of labor market stability that could give the Federal Reserve room to keep interest rates unchanged for some time while policymakers monitor inflation.

But the largest increase in payrolls in 13 months reported by the Labor Department on Wednesday likely exaggerates the labor market’s health, as revisions showed the economy added only 181,000 jobs in 2025 instead of the previously estimated 584,000.

President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade and immigration policies continued to cast a shadow on the labor market, economists said, cautioning against viewing the surge in payrolls in January as marking a material shift in conditions. 

Job Growth Focused in Health Care, Social Services

They noted that other indicators, including job openings, pointed to a tepid labor market, adding that job growth remained concentrated in the health care and social services industries, which accounted for nearly all the rise in employment.

“The only jobs being filled in January are in health care and social assistance, along with some nonresidential specialty trade contractors probably related to AI facilities, all of which do not guarantee the economy’s future success,” said Christopher Rupkey, chief economist at FWDBONDS. “If you are looking for a job … you are unlikely to find anything to apply for in today’s report.” 

Nonfarm payrolls increased by 130,000 jobs last month after a downwardly revised 48,000 rise in December, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics said. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast payrolls advancing by 70,000 jobs. Estimates ranged from a loss of 10,000 jobs to a gain of 135,000 positions.

The BLS said frigid temperatures and snowstorms that slammed large parts of the country had not affected the establishment survey, from which payrolls are calculated.

The employment report, initially due last Friday, was delayed by the three-day shutdown of the federal government.

Health care employment increased 82,000, the most since July 2020, spread across ambulatory health care services, hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities. The job gains were well above the monthly average of 33,000 in 2025, leading some economists to conclude that January’s increase was a fluke. Social assistance payrolls increased 42,000. 

Construction added 33,000 jobs, driven by the hiring of nonresidential specialty trade contractors, attributed by some economists to data centers needed to power artificial intelligence. Construction was virtually flat in 2025. Professional and business services payrolls rose 34,000.

“I am skeptical that the degree of vigor seen in these data will be consistently repeated going forward, but this release should slam the door shut on the narrative that the labor market is on the cusp of falling apart,” said Stephen Stanley, chief U.S. economist at Santander U.S. Capital Markets.    

Manufacturing employment rebounded slightly but has lost more than 80,000 jobs since Trump returned to the White House. Trump has defended tariffs on imported goods as necessary to revive factories.

There were minor job gains in the retail, utilities as well as the leisure and hospitality sectors. The financial sector shed another 22,000 jobs. Job losses were recorded in the transportation and warehousing, information as well as mining and logging industries.

Federal government employment contracted by an additional 34,000 positions as some employees who accepted a deferred resignation offer in 2025 came off payrolls. Federal employment is down by 327,000 since peaking in October 2024.

Employment Gains are Concentrated in Few Industries

The share of industries reporting growth increased to 55.0% from 54.2% in December. Labor market softness was underscored by annual payrolls benchmark revisions, which showed 862,000 fewer jobs were created in the 12 months through March 2025 than previously estimated. 

Trump shrugged off the revisions and focused on the January job growth surge, writing on social media that “We are again the strongest Country in the World, and should therefore be paying the LOWEST INTEREST RATE, by far.”

Though traders are still betting the U.S. central bank will next reduce its policy rate in June, they see an almost 40% chance it will not move then, up from about 25% before the data.

The Fed last month left its benchmark overnight interest rate in the 3.50%-3.75% range.    

Stocks on Wall Street were trading lower. The dollar gained versus a basket of currencies. U.S. Treasury yields rose.

“It appears the labor market is closer to stabilization than rapid deterioration,” said Sarah House, a senior economist at Wells Fargo. “Today’s data suggest another rate cut under Chair (Jerome) Powell is increasingly unlikely.”

Economists believe the economy needs to create about 50,000 jobs per month or even less to keep up with growth in the working-age population. About 387,000 people entered the labor force last month. They were more than absorbed by a 528,000 jump in household employment, pushing the jobless rate down.

Fewer people were working part-time for economic reasons and the ranks of those experiencing long-term unemployment declined.

(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Andrea Ricci, Chizu Nomiyama, Rod Nickel)

The post US Job Growth Surges in January appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Boomer Esiason is not happy with the U.S. Olympics athletes who are dissing America as they compete in the games in Italy this year.

The post Boomer Esiason Shreds Athletes Who Aren’t ‘Happy to Represent America’: ‘Just Do Your Sport and Play for Our Country’ appeared first on Breitbart.

In the aftermath of a Canadian mass shooting that left at least nine people dead and 25 wounded, police have been vigilant in not misgendering the 18-year-old transgender shooter who […]

The post Canadian Police Refer to Reported Trans Mass Child Killer as a 'Gunperson' appeared first on The Western Journal.

President Donald Trump held a “very good” closed-door meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, to discuss Iran, but acknowledged no definitive decision was reached on how the United States will proceed toward the Islamic Republic.

The “tremendous relationship between our two Countries continues,” Trump wrote on Truth Social after the meeting Wednesday afternoon.

“There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated. If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be,” Trump said.

“Last time Iran decided that they were better off not making a Deal, and they were hit with Midnight Hammer — that did not work well for them,” Trump said, referring to the strikes the U.S. carried out against Iran’s nuclear facilities in June.

“Hopefully this time they will be more reasonable and responsible,” Trump continued.

The president said he and Netanyahu also discussed Gaza and the “Region in general. There is truly PEACE in the Middle East.”

Ahead of his meeting with Trump, Netanyahu also met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, former Trump advisor Jared Kushner, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.

For about a month, Trump has been threatening action against the Iranian regime if a deal is not reached on its nuclear program. The threats follow reports of the regime killing thousands of its own citizens during protests against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has ruled Iran under Sharia law since 1989.

Trump has moved a significant number of military resources into the Middle East since the start of the year, including the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. As recently as Tuesday, Trump told Axios he may send a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region if negotiations with Iran fail.

The Iranians “want to make a deal,” Trump recently said during an interview with Fox Business, adding any deal must be a “good” one and include “no nuclear weapons, no missiles, no this, no that, all the different things that you want.”

Trump admitted he does not know if the current regime would adhere to the terms of a nuclear deal with the U.S.

The U.S., under Trump’s direction, struck three key nuclear facilities in June. If a deal can’t be reached, Trump has indicated the U.S. will consider action to “take out more” of the regime’s nuclear program.

While Trump says Iran wants to reach a deal, the regime maintains some of Trump’s requests are not up for negotiation.

“The Islamic Republic’s missile capabilities are non-negotiable,” Ali Shamkhani, an advisor to the regime, said Wednesday, Reuters reports. Iran has expressed a willingness to negotiate on the nation’s nuclear program, but nothing else.

Oman mediated nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran last week. After the talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran “only discusses its nuclear issue … We do not discuss any other issue with the U.S.,” according to Reuters.

The post Trump Indicates All Options on Table With Iran After Netanyahu Meeting appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Attorney General Pam Bondi told Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) on Wednesday that the Trump administration is committed to working with Congress to end warrantless surveillance of Americans.

The post Pam Bondi: Trump Admin to Work with Congress to Protect Privacy While Ensuring National Security appeared first on Breitbart.