Nov. 20 2025, Published 2:00 p.m. ET Former President Joe Biden has sparked dementia fears after he appeared “confused” at ex-Vice President Dick Cheney’s funeral in Washington, D.C., RadarOnline.com can reveal. Biden spent his 83rd birthday attending the prominent Republican’s funeral on Thursday, November 20. The ex-president, who is currently battling cancer, stiffly walked into the National Cathedral holding his wife Jill’s hand as she led him to their seats. Biden Spends 83rd Birthday at Dick Cheney’s Funeral Instead of following the former first lady down their row, Biden shuffled past her and greeted a row of guests seated behind them, including Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell and his wife, Elaine Chao. After exchanging handshakes and pleasantries, Biden returned to Jill and extended a hand to his former Vice President Kamala Harris, as former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, filed in next to him. Viewers took to social media to call out how disoriented Biden appeared before the service started. A critic on X remarked he looked “around like a lost, demented fool trying to figure out how to sit in his chair.” Others cruelly mocked Biden “might think it’s his funeral,” while others claimed he “didn’t know where he is.” “Am I in the casket, or do I sit here? – Joe Biden,” wrote an X user as another said, “Biden looks like he is about to clobber someone or smelling something?” Biden’s appearance at Cheney’s funeral comes amid his cancer battle. In May, he announced he had been diagnosed with “aggressive,” hormone-sensitive prostate cancer “with metastasis to the bone.” While he’s taken a step back from public life, Biden was spotted out to dinner in Arlington in early November. He slowly made his way inside the Italian restaurant as Secret Service agents surrounded him. Once again, social media users called out how “lost” the octogenarian appeared during the rare outing. “He looks absolutely lost,” one observer wrote at the time, as another echoed, “He is not sure where he is.” Biden Health Fears Ramp Up Since leaving office, Biden has been holed up at his Delaware home working on a book in-between cancer treatments. He’s said to have one or two aides and a few Secret Service members watching over him as he works with a ghostwriter on his memoir. In August, concerns for his health amid his cancer battle ramped up when he was seen in public with a large bandage on his head after undergoing Mohs surgery, a procedure to detect how deep skin cancer has spread. His spokesperson, Kelly Scully, attempted to downplay the procedure, which removed a potentially deadly malignant lesion and surrounding tissue. Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers and President Donald Trump have been hellbent on exposing Biden’s use of the “autopen,” claiming there was a “cover-up” among his staffers to conceal his cognitive decline.
https://radaronline.com/p/joe-biden-dementia-dick-cheney-funeral-confused-struggling-to-walk/
Category: politics
OpenAI board member Larry Summers resigns over Epstein ties
Earlier this week, Larry Summers, a board member of ChatGPT maker Open AI, announced that he’d be stepping back from his duties following the revelation that he corresponded over email with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Now, Summers is resigning amidst the controversy. Summers confirmed his exit from OpenAI in a statement to CNBC. “I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company, and look forward to following their progress,” he wrote. OpenAI also shared a statement, saying “We appreciate his many contributions and the perspective he brought to the Board.” Thousands of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein were released last week, including a series of emails sent by and to the convicted sex offender. According to Harvard University’s newspaper, The Crimson, Summers contacted Epstein for guidance as he pursued a romantic relationship with a mentee.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146892/openai-board-member-resignation-epstein
Trump, Polling, and the Fourth Wall – Liberty Nation News
A conundrum sits in the middle of President Donald Trump’s polling numbers. On the one hand, verifiable data show that both the economy and international trade with the United States are up, and that illegal border crossings and crime are down. On the other hand, the president’s approval ratings in each of the sectors are plummeting. Certainly, part of the paradox could come from media spin or poor messaging, but perhaps the real issue is that Trump has done something no other politician has done before: broken the fourth wall. Expectations and Experience To quote the renowned punk band The Jam, “the public gets what the public wants.” Over the years, electorates in almost all Western nations have created a relatively consistent model of what a politician is and can do. So when an unconventional candidate comes along, he or she may be described as shattering a “glass ceiling” – moving beyond the staid, steady, and unexpected. The glass ceiling was impervious to two major political stars in recent history. Hillary Clinton was immensely “qualified” to be president and yet was, to many, an entirely unlikable figure, and denigrating a significant chunk of the voting public as “deplorables” did her no favors. Similarly, former Vice President Kamala Harris was mostly held back from office because of her inability to communicate effectively and her cowardice in dealing with any media not in her camp. Their gender, perhaps common sensically, did not blind the electorate to their weaknesses. When Trump won the presidency in 2016, he was a wrecking ball to the known world of politics. When he won again in 2024, he became precision detonation. Why then do his approval ratings not match the enthusiasm level with which he was elected? Pulling Back the Curtain on Trump Steady, deliberative, and cool-headed are qualities that have been lauded in any politician’s campaign ads. Successful presidents are known for presenting clear and well-laid plans to satisfy the voters who look to them for steadfast and unwavering leadership. Trump, in this aspect as well as others, is notably different. What the public sees from the commander-in-chief is often the thought process involved. Instead of engaging in closed-door confabs or, God forbid, policy focus groups, the president tells the public directly where he is in his thinking – at the current time. In the theater world, breaking character and speaking directly to the audience is a bold move that fails more often than it succeeds; they don’t call it “breaking” the fourth wall without reason. And yet when done well, it creates something quite special. Consider Ferris Bueller’s interactions with the audience, or William Goldman’s immensely popular novel The Princess Bride, which acts as a book within a book. When Trump says he is considering military action against Venezuela’s government, this shouldn’t be understood as he has met with his generals and determined how best to strike – but rather that an incursion is one of a number of possibilities. Is such public revelation a prudent practice? Well, that depends on who has tickets to the opening night. Warnings and Wish Lists The American public hears Trump’s ideas come and go, as he provides unprecedented access to his thought processes. Certainly, such unfiltered openness and transparency is quite a difference from the previous administration, marked by an elusive president and befuddled communications from his team. Instead of operating in the traditional DC manner – through leaks and veiled ministerial policy hints – Trump has taken it upon himself to keep everyone guessing while inviting the American people along for the ride. But also looking on are the likes of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and other leaders both outside and inside the United States who seemingly never quite know how to deal with Trump. This president has made an art form of strategic ambiguity. Now that the political Fourth Wall has been broken, however, will such insights become the new expectation of a public so used to secrecy and top-down exposure?
https://www.libertynation.com/trump-polling-and-the-fourth-wall/
House votes overwhelmingly to force release of Epstein files, sending bill to Senate
WASHINGTON — The House voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill Tuesday to force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a remarkable display of approval for an effort that had struggled for months to overcome opposition from President Donald Trump and Republican leadership. When a small, bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a petition in July to maneuver around House Speaker Mike Johnson’s control of which bills reach the House floor, it appeared a longshot effort — especially as Trump urged his supporters to dismiss the matter as a “hoax.” But both Trump and Johnson failed in their efforts to prevent the vote. Now the president has bowed to the growing momentum behind the bill and even said he will sign it if it also passes the Senate. Moments after the House vote, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said his chamber will act swiftly on the bill. The bill passed the House 427-1, with the only no vote coming from Rep. Clay Higgins, a Louisiana Republican who is a fervent supporter of Trump. He said in a statement that he opposed the bill because it could release information on innocent people mentioned in the federal investigation. The decisive, bipartisan work in Congress Tuesday further showed the pressure mounting on lawmakers and the Trump administration to meet long-held demands that the Justice Department release its case files on Epstein, a well-connected financier who killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in 2019 on charges he sexually abused and trafficked underage girls. “These women have fought the most horrific fight that no woman should have to fight. And they did it by banding together and never giving up,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene as she stood with some of the abuse survivors outside the Capitol Tuesday morning. “That’s what we did by fighting so hard against the most powerful people in the world, even the president of the United States, in order to make this vote happen today,” added Greene, a Georgia Republican and longtime Trump loyalist. The bill’s passage would be a pivotal moment in a yearslong push by the survivors for accountability for Epstein’s abuse and reckoning over how law enforcement officials failed to act under multiple presidential administrations. A separate investigation conducted by the House Oversight Committee has released thousands of pages of emails and other documents from Epstein’s estate, showing his connections to global leaders, Wall Street powerbrokers, influential political figures and Trump himself. In the United Kingdom, King Charles III stripped his disgraced brother Prince Andrew of his remaining titles and evicted him from his royal residence after pressure to act over his relationship with Epstein. The bill forces the release within 30 days of all files and communications related to Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his death in federal prison. It would allow the Justice Department to redact information about Epstein’s victims or continuing federal investigations, but not information due to “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.” Trump’s reversal on the Epstein files Trump has said he cut ties with Epstein years ago, but tried for months to move past the demands for disclosure. Still, many in the Republican base have continued to demand the release of the files. Adding to that pressure, survivors of Epstein’s abuse rallied outside the Capitol Tuesday morning. Bundled in jackets against the November chill and holding photos of themselves as teenagers, they recounted their stories of abuse. “We are exhausted from surviving the trauma and then surviving the politics that swirl around it,” said one of the survivors. Another, Jena-Lisa Jones, said she had voted for Trump and had a message for the president: “I beg you Donald Trump, please stop making this political.” The group of women also met with Johnson and rallied outside the Capitol in September, but have had to wait months for the vote. That’s because Johnson kept the House closed for legislative business for nearly two months and refused to swear-in Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona during the government shutdown. After winning a special election on Sept. 23, Grijalva had pledged to provide the crucial 218th vote to the petition for the Epstein files bill. But only after she was sworn into office last week could she sign her name to the discharge petition to give it majority support in the 435-member House. It quickly became obvious the bill would pass, and both Johnson and Trump began to fold. Trump on Sunday said Republicans should vote for the bill. Yet Greene told reporters that Trump’s decision to fight the bill had betrayed his Make America Great Again political movement. “Watching this turn into a fight has ripped MAGA apart,” she said. How Johnson is handling the bill Rather than waiting until next week for the discharge position to officially take effect, Johnson held the vote under a procedure that requires a two-thirds majority. But Johnson also spent a morning news conference listing off problems that he sees with the legislation. He argued that the bill could have unintended consequences by disclosing parts of federal investigations that are usually kept private, including information on victims. “This is a raw and obvious political exercise,” Johnson said. Still, he voted for the bill. “None of us want to go on record and in any way be accused of not being for maximum transparency,” he explained. Meanwhile, House Democrats celebrated the vote as a rare win. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries described it as “a complete and total surrender.” Senate plans to act quickly Even as the bill cleared his chamber, Johnson pressed for the Senate to amend the bill to protect the information of “victims and whistleblowers.” But Senate Majority Leader John Thune showed little interest in that notion, saying he doubted that “amending it is going to be in the cards.” Thune said he would quickly assess senators’ views on the bill to see if there were any objections. He said the bill could be brought forward in the Senate as soon as Tuesday evening and almost certainly by the end of the week. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer also indicated he would attempt to pass the bill Tuesday. “The American people have waited long enough,” he said. Meanwhile, the bipartisan pair who sponsored the bill, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., warned senators against doing anything that would “muck it up,” saying they would face the same public uproar that forced both Trump and Johnson to back down. “We’ve needlessly dragged this out for four months,” Massie said, adding that those raising problems with the bill “are afraid that people will be embarrassed. Well, that’s the whole point here.”
https://www.phillytrib.com/news/house-votes-overwhelmingly-to-force-release-of-epstein-files/article_470345c5-423f-4507-af2b-6da69f34926d.html
Ex-Terrorist Leader Goes On Fox News, Gives Wild Answer About 9/11
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa deflected responsibility for the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks during a Fox News interview on Monday. Nearly 3,000 people died across New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pa., during the 9/11 attacks, according to the Pew Research Center.
When asked directly on “Special Report with Bret Baier” if he regrets the attack, al-Sharaa distanced himself entirely from the event.
“I was only 19 years old, so I was a very young person, and I didn’t have any decision-making power at that time, and I don’t have anything to do with it,” al-Sharaa said. “And al-Qaeda was not present right then in my area. So you’re speaking to the wrong person about this subject.”
The Syrian leader then shifted the conversation.
**WATCH:** “We mourn for every civilian that got killed, and we know that people suffer from the war, especially civilians who pay the price, a hefty price for the war,” al-Sharaa said.
President Donald Trump hosted al-Sharaa at the White House on Monday, welcoming the former al-Qaeda member who once fought U.S. forces in Iraq and served time in Abu Ghraib prison. The U.S. government removed al-Sharaa from its terror list just days before his meeting with Trump, according to CBS News.
Al-Sharaa, who led a rebel coalition that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024 while heading the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has since recast himself as a pro-Western reformer. Legacy media outlets have described his government as “moderate” compared to Assad’s rule.
*(RELATED: Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa Shoots Hoops With US Military Officials Ahead Of White House Visit)*
The visit marks the first time a Syrian head of state has entered the White House since Syria gained independence in 1946, NPR reported. Trump, during a speech in Saudi Arabia, said in May that he would lift U.S. sanctions on Syria.
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https://dailycaller.com/2025/11/11/ahmed-al-sharaa-fox-news-911/
Supreme Court weighing Mississippi mail-in ballot case that could have major impact on Illinois voting laws
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments in a Mississippi case that could have a major impact on Illinois’ efforts to promote voting by mail. The high court is expected to decide whether ballots cast and postmarked on or before Election Day in a general election can be counted if received afterward.
The combined suit, brought by the Republican National Committee and the Libertarian Party and supported by the conservative law group Judicial Watch, asks the Supreme Court to uphold a 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision. That ruling stated that ballots must be received by Election Day in November to be counted.
Under Illinois law, mail-in ballots postmarked or certified on or before Election Day can be counted by local election authorities up to 14 days after the election. Similarly, a 2020 Mississippi law, enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowed mail-in ballots to be counted within five business days following Election Day.
The Supreme Court’s decision could have wide-ranging effects in Illinois and as many as 27 other states, along with the District of Columbia, where local and state laws allow the counting of ballots received after Election Day. Illinois filed a brief supporting the existing Mississippi law.
Judicial Watch is also behind a similar effort to restrict post-Election Day vote counting in a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of veteran downstate Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost of Murphysboro. However, federal courts in Chicago dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that Bost lacked standing. The Supreme Court has already heard oral arguments regarding standing but has not yet issued a ruling.
The Mississippi case ruling could come as early as July 2024, just months before the critical midterm elections that will decide control of Congress. Historically, Democrats have been better organized in early voting and vote-by-mail campaigns. In contrast, former President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged voters to cast ballots only on Election Day, falsely claiming that mail-in ballots are prone to fraud.
Illinois has taken several steps to expand voting access, including mail-in voting. The state recently allowed voters to request that local election authorities send them mail ballots permanently. During the 2020 COVID-19 general election in Illinois, one-third of the nearly 6.1 million ballots cast were by mail. In 2022, mail ballots accounted for nearly 18% of the 4.1 million votes cast. Last year, nearly 1 in 5 of the 5.7 million ballots cast were mail-in ballots.
In the 2022 general election, over 110,000 ballots were returned and counted during the 14-day post-election period, including 3,252 overseas military votes. In last year’s general election, more than 99,000 ballots arrived and were counted after Election Day, including nearly 1,000 military ballots.
At the heart of the case is the October 25, 2024, ruling by a panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The panel asserted that the federal statute establishing a uniform day for federal elections—and the U.S. Constitution’s Elections Clause—require that all ballots be both “cast by voters and received by state officials” by the end of Election Day.
The appeals court ruled that the term “election” includes both the casting and receipt of ballots, with an election considered complete only when all ballots have been received. It stated, “Text, precedent, and historical practice confirm this ‘day for the election’ is the day by which ballots must be both cast by voters and received by state officials.” The court added that a ballot is considered “cast” only when the state takes custody of it, not when a voter fills it out.
Reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision to hear the case, Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, called the lawsuit “a multipronged effort by Trump and Republicans to restrict vote-by-mail and early voting.”
“Voting by mail and voting early are safe, secure, and empower more eligible voters to participate in our elections. That is a good thing for our democracy,” Martin said in a statement. “The DNC will fight like hell in this case for the rights of Mississippians and every other citizen to make sure their voices are heard and their votes are counted.”
On the other side, Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, said the Supreme Court “now has an opportunity to reaffirm that ‘Election Day’ means what it says under federal law.”
“Counting ballots received after Election Day not only violates federal law but encourages voter fraud and undermines voter confidence,” Fitton said.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/11/supreme-court-mail-in-voting-illinois/
Senate approves bill to end the shutdown, sending it to the House
**Senate Passes Bill to Reopen Government, Move Closer to Ending Longest Shutdown in History**
WASHINGTON — The Senate passed crucial legislation Monday to reopen the federal government, marking a significant step toward ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history. This move came as a small group of Democrats joined with Republicans to secure enough votes, despite facing strong criticism from within their own party.
**Shutdown Nears End, House Vote Awaits**
The 41-day shutdown may last a few more days, as House members prepare to return from a lengthy recess to vote on the bill. President Donald Trump expressed support for the legislation, stating Monday, “we’re going to be opening up our country very quickly.”
The Senate ended a grueling six-week stalemate with a 60-40 vote. The deadlock centered on Democrats’ demands for negotiations to extend health care tax credits set to expire on January 1. While Republicans did not formally agree to those talks, five moderate Democrats eventually sided with them as the shutdown’s effects intensified—federal food aid halted, airport delays worsened, and hundreds of thousands of federal workers went without pay.
House Speaker Mike Johnson urged lawmakers to return to Washington “right now” to tackle the shutdown, citing ongoing travel delays. “We have to do this as quickly as possible,” Johnson said.
**How the Stalemate Ended**
After weeks of negotiation, a trio of former governors—New Hampshire Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, along with Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine—brokered a deal. They agreed to advance three bipartisan spending bills and extend funding for the remainder of the government through late January.
As part of the compromise, Republicans pledged to hold a vote on health care subsidies by mid-December, though the outcome is not guaranteed. “This was the option on the table,” Shaheen said, after repeated Republican refusals. She added that the promise of a future vote “gives us an opportunity to continue to address [health care] going forward.”
The legislation also reverses mass federal worker firings that occurred under the Trump administration during the shutdown’s onset in October. It protects federal workers from future layoffs through January and ensures all are paid retroactively.
**Key Votes and Party Reactions**
Alongside Shaheen, King, and Hassan, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia—home to many federal workers—voted in favor. They were joined by Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, and Nevada Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen.
Most Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, voted against the deal. While 10-12 Democratic senators participated in negotiations, ultimately only five switched their votes—precisely the number Republicans needed. King, Cortez Masto, and Fetterman had been consistent in voting to reopen the government since the shutdown began.
**Democratic Debate: “A Mistake”?**
Schumer faced criticism from his own party, recalling backlash from March when he voted to prevent a shutdown. After a lengthy caucus meeting, he said he could not “in good faith” support the bill but remained committed to fighting for health care. “We will not give up the fight,” Schumer insisted, noting that Democrats have “sounded the alarm” on the health care issue.
Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont called the concession a “horrific mistake.” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) agreed, saying constituents wanted Democrats to “hold firm.”
The Congressional Progressive Caucus also voiced opposition. Texas Rep. Greg Casar labeled the deal a “betrayal” for not addressing health care costs, which many Americans hoped Democrats would fight for.
However, some Democrats supported Schumer’s leadership. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, critical of Schumer earlier in the year, praised him on Monday and expressed support for his approach throughout the shutdown. “The American people know we are on the right side of this fight,” Jeffries said, referencing recent election results.
**Health Care Debate Looms**
It remains uncertain whether Democrats and Republicans can agree on extending health care subsidies before the promised December Senate vote. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has not committed to bringing the measure to the House floor, stating only that Republicans support reforming the “unaffordable care act.”
Some Republicans are open to extending COVID-19-era tax credits to prevent premium spikes for millions but want limits on eligibility, such as new income caps—an idea some Democrats have signaled willingness to consider. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) said she supports extending the tax credits, combined with additional changes.
On the other hand, President Trump and some Republicans have rekindled their calls to overhaul or repeal the legislation entirely. In a preview of the looming fight, the Senate defeated an amendment to extend the subsidies for a year by a 47-53 party-line vote on Monday. The vote was held as part of a separate bipartisan agreement to expedite the shutdown-ending bill’s passage.
As the legislation moves to the House and the debate over health care subsidies continues, federal workers and millions of affected Americans await the shutdown’s final resolution.
https://www.phillytrib.com/news/senate-approves-bill-to-end-the-shutdown-sending-it-to-the-house/article_f64433df-b7b0-47f4-a9ed-6c6c2a6406fc.html
Are American workers being replaced? Inside the H-1B visa controversy
**Understanding the Controversy Surrounding H-1B Visas**
Following months of controversy, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation in September decrying the systemic abuse of the H-1B visa program. He argued that the program is fueling the “large-scale replacement of American workers” and has “undermined both our economic and national security.”
To address this, Trump instituted a $100,000 fee for companies seeking to obtain an H-1B visa, a move that has been widely criticized by business leaders, especially in the tech industry. The debate over the program has split both the American public and the GOP, with one side asserting that visa holders are poaching American jobs, while the other emphasizes the program’s importance to U.S. competitiveness.
So, what exactly are H-1B visas, and why have they become such a political flashpoint?
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### What is an H-1B Visa?
An H-1B visa is a non-immigrant work visa that allows U.S. companies to hire highly-skilled foreign workers in specialty occupations. These visas are issued for an initial period of three years and can be extended up to six years.
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the visas are meant for individuals of “exceptional merit and ability.” To qualify, candidates must have at least a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
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### Which Industries Use H-1B Visas Most?
By far, the tech industry is the largest user of H-1B visas, accounting for roughly 60 to 70 percent of all new applications in recent years. Other prominent sectors include consulting and professional services, engineering and manufacturing, healthcare and medical research, and higher education.
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### How Many Foreign Workers Hold These Visas?
There is no official figure for the number of people currently holding H-1B visas. However, there is a yearly cap of 65,000 visas, with an additional 20,000 reserved for individuals holding master’s degrees or higher.
Most universities and non-profit research organizations are exempt from this cap, which further increases the number of people approved each year. The Pew Research Center estimated that about 400,000 H-1B visa applications were approved last year under the Biden administration.
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### Where Do Visa Holders Come From?
Nearly three out of every four — 73 percent — of H-1B visa holders come from India, according to Pew. China ranks second, with 12 percent, while the remaining 15 percent come from various other countries, none exceeding a 2 percent share.
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### Who Is Against H-1B Visas?
Criticism of the H-1B visa program comes from both sides of the political aisle, including former President Trump and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Critics contend that the program has strayed from its original purpose — attracting top global talent — and is now being exploited by employers to import cheaper foreign labor, suppress wages, and displace American workers.
In response, Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) reintroduced bipartisan legislation in September aimed at reforming the program, closing loopholes, protecting American workers, and preventing outsourcing of jobs.
On the state level, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis issued guidelines in October to combat what he called a university loophole. He directed the Florida Board of Governors to require universities to prioritize American graduates and curb the practice of “importing foreign workers on H-1B visas instead of hiring Americans.”
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### Who Supports H-1B Visas?
On the other side, many prominent figures argue that the program is essential for maintaining U.S. competitiveness. Elon Musk, for example, has publicly supported the H-1B program, stating, “The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla, and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B.”
Musk also acknowledged that “the program is broken and needs major reform,” proposing to raise the minimum salary threshold and introduce yearly costs for maintaining H-1B status to make overseas hiring more expensive compared to domestic hiring.
Business leaders assert that the H-1B program is crucial for competing with countries like China, which recently launched its own talent visa program called the K-visa. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also supports the H-1B program.
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### Are Visa Holders Taking American Jobs?
On September 19, President Trump issued a proclamation titled “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers,” claiming that the H-1B visa program is being “deliberately exploited to replace, rather than supplement, American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labor.”
He argued that this abuse artificially suppresses wages, disadvantages American workers in the labor market, and complicates efforts to attract and retain the highest-skilled subset of temporary workers — with the most significant impact in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields.
Trump stated that the large-scale replacement of American workers through systemic abuse of the program has undermined both economic and national security.
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### New Rules and Fees
To curb abuses, Trump imposed a $100,000 fee on companies applying for H-1B visas, effective September 21, 2025, with the restriction set to expire one year later. His administration has also been directed to initiate rulemaking prioritizing high-skilled and high-paid applicants.
Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to narrow the definition of “specialty occupation,” increase worksite compliance inspections, and require employers to submit applications directly, aiming to prevent companies from contracting out H-1B workers to other firms.
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### What’s Next?
The debate over H-1B visas is far from over. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s new $100,000 fee, arguing that it would make the program prohibitively expensive for many U.S. employers, particularly small and midsize businesses.
The lawsuit claims the fee is unlawful as it overrides provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which require visa-related fees to be based on the government’s costs to process them.
As the political and economic battles continue, the future of the H-1B visa program remains uncertain, but its impact on the American workforce and technological innovation will continue to be a critical issue.
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*Stay tuned for further updates on the evolving H-1B visa policy.*
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/american-workers-being-replaced-inside-h-1b-visa-controversy
Duffy warns air travel will slow to ‘a trickle’ during holiday season if govt. shutdown persists
**OAN Staff | Blake Wolf**
*2:17 PM Sunday, November 9, 2025*
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned that air travel will slow to “a trickle” as Thanksgiving approaches, due to the ongoing government shutdown negatively impacting the availability of air traffic controllers.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has notified airlines to reduce flights by 6% starting Tuesday, with a further reduction to 10% on November 14th if the shutdown continues.
“We are seeing signs of stress in the system, so we are proactively reducing the number of flights to make sure the American people continue to fly safely,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said earlier this week.
Duffy also warned that flight reductions could increase to as much as 20% if the shutdown remains unresolved, which would significantly affect the public’s ability to travel during the holidays.
“It’s only going to get worse,” Duffy added, highlighting the growing concerns among travelers.
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https://www.oann.com/newsroom/duffy-warns-air-travel-will-slow-to-a-trickle-during-holiday-season-if-govt-shutdown-persists/
Good Riddance, Andrew Cuomo
**Blunt Analysis at Cuomo’s Election Night Party**
*By Christian Britschgi | May 11, 2025 | Reason*
At former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s election night party, independent journalist Michael Tracey captured a candid moment that reflected the frustrations of some of Cuomo’s supporters. In a video recorded at the event, one supporter bluntly told Curtis Sliwa, “Hey Curtis, you’re a fucking scumbag like I said all along. You split the fucking vote.”
This unnamed “Cuomosexual” was not alone in expressing such sentiments. Former Republican Congressman and pardoned fraudster George Santos voiced similar criticisms, highlighting the divisive nature of the election.
Throughout both the primary and general elections, Cuomo appeared unable to move beyond a simple strategy: pointing at his opponents and questioning his supporters’ willingness to vote for them. His campaign seemed to hinge on the idea that “all he had to do to win was point at the other candidates and say, ‘You’re really going to vote for them?’”
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### Reactions from the Community
Comments posted on Free Republic reflect a spectrum of opinions regarding Cuomo’s political future:
– **TBP**: “BUH BYE. But do you really think he will just go away?”
– **rottndog**: “He’s not done. Even with his horrible political record, RATS let him run for Mayor. They did nothing to stop him, even after he got beat in the RAT primary. There are other offices in NY that an arrogant, murdering asshole can run for.”
– **mass55th**: “Good riddance to Cuomo the Moloch worshiper. Anyone with family in a NY nursing home in 2020, he was the angel of death, a monster at the door.”
– **captmar-vell**: “We need one last act to get rid of the Cuomos for good. That bridge named after Mario Cuomo, by Andrew Cuomo, needs to get back its original name. Naming a bridge or anything after a non-deserving liberal is Un-American. Andrew was one of the worst governors in American history, and there should be no long-lasting legacy acts by him.”
– **adorno**: “The Tappan Zee Bridge. I went to high school in the shadow of the Tappan Zee.”
– **TBP**: “Decent people cannot fathom the amoral cruelty of the Democrat cult.”
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### Closing Thoughts
The political landscape in New York remains turbulent, with Cuomo’s legacy and influence continuing to provoke strong feelings on all sides.
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*Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management.*
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*Topics: Culture/Society, Government, Politics/Elections, US: New York*
*Keywords: Cuomo, Mamdani, New York*
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4351659/posts