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California Spent $11 Billion on Benefits for Illegal Immigrants
A City Journal investigation found California spent at least $11 billion last fiscal year on benefits for illegal immigrants, including health care, cash aid, college grants, rental help and phones. The state spends about $180 billion a year on welfare overall. Californiaâs Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants is closed to citizens. CalWORKs pays illegal immigrant parents for U.S.-born children. Newsom signed a 2025 law ending a Social Security number requirement for LifeLine phones. Federal law bars using federal dollars for illegal immigrants. California funds a parallel system with state money. Officials described the rules openly at welfare offices.
Editorâs Note: This places non-citizens above citizens at taxpayersâ expense.
đď¸ News & Politics
Thousands Protest Chinese Rule Outside Xi White House Dinner
Thousands of protesters gathered in Lafayette Park on Thursday as President Trump hosted a state dinner for Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Chants of âFree Hong Kong,â âKeep Taiwan Freeâ and âXi Jinping, Youâre Not Welcomeâ carried to the North Portico over the Marine Band. Tibetan, Uyghur and Hong Kong groups organized the rally. Some wore Winnie-the-Pooh costumes and struck an effigy of Xi. Pro-Beijing demonstrators also appeared and clashed at other sites. One Chinese dissident said police at home threaten family members over social media posts. The dinner went on with 134 guests while the noise continued outside.
Editorâs Note: So as the American Left embraces socialism and communism, those who have lived under it are forcefully protesting against its figurehead.
Leaked Assessment Says Chinese Intel Aided Iranâs Targeting
U.S. assessments circulating during Xi Jinpingâs Washington visit say Chinese groups shared satellite imagery and geospatial intelligence that helped Iran track ships in the Strait of Hormuz and hit U.S. bases with greater precision. Officials tied that imagery to a July missile strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan that killed three American troops. Customs records also show approximately 1,300 shipments of dual-use components from China to Iranâs defense ministry through June. Officials stopped short of saying Beijing directed the intelligence flow. China denied the claims and asked for proof.
SCOTUS Court Keeps Missouri on 2022 House Map for November
The US Supreme Court on Friday stayed an 8th Circuit order that would have put Missouriâs 2025 congressional map into the midterms. An unsigned opinion with no noted dissents said state law requires the 2022 lines, not the newer GOP-drawn plan, and that switching maps after voting started would create electoral chaos. The 2025 map, drawn mid-decade, was aimed at a 7-1 Republican edge. The Missouri Supreme Court had already held the plan cannot take effect until voters approve it in November. Absentee ballots under the 2022 map were already out. Gov. Mike Kehoe said the state would follow the ruling.
Senate Panel Grills Flockâs Nationwide AI Camera Web
US Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) opened a Wednesday Judiciary subcommittee hearing on Flock Safetyâs network of about 120,000 cameras in 49 states that log more than 20 billion images a month. He asked where the pictures go and whether the dragnet squares with the Constitution. CEOs from Flock, Axon, Motorola and Verkada declined to appear. Flock CEO Garrett Langley sent a letter instead. Witness Lindsey Isaacs said she spent 13 days in jail after a camera image wrongly tied her to a crash. US Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said the industry is refusing accountability and floated warrants and retention limits. Hawley said traditional plate readers are not the same as a searchable national cloud.
Norâeaster Floods Jersey Shore, New York as Power Cuts Spread
Nearly 30,000 New Jersey customers were without power Saturday morning as a strengthening norâeaster hit the East Coast. Outages clustered in Cumberland, Monmouth and Ocean counties. About 22,000 New York customers were also dark. Streets in Surf City were already underwater. Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for New York City, Long Island and Westchester. Gov. Mikie Sherrill did the same for parts of New Jersey. The National Weather Service warned of 60 mph gusts, high surf, and major coastal flooding around the harvest moon. Manasquan issued a voluntary evacuation. Flights and weekend events were canceled.
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ââ A Temporary Restraining Order Does Not Rewrite the First Amendment
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El-Sayed Signed 2012 Call to Purge Egyptâs Press
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed signed an Arabic statement in November 2012 backing Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi after the Muslim Brotherhood leader seized additional powers. The Al-Ahram Gate text, signed by 46 Egyptian-Americans, asked Morsi to âpurge the media and the police as soon as possible.â El-Sayed was then a Columbia medical student listed as Dr. Abdul Rahman El-Sayed of New York. In the months that followed, reporters were hauled into court for insulting Islam or the president. El-Sayed now criticizes President Trump for barring some outlets from the White House. The administration has designated the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization.
Dearborn, Michigan Sued Over Ramadan Displays Without Equal Holidays
Journalist and Dearborn resident Margot Cleveland sued the city and Mayor Abdullah Hammoud in federal court on Sept. 17. The American Freedom Law Center complaint says taxpayer money paid for Ramadan banners and a lighted crescent while officials ignored requests for Easter and Passover recognition. It cites about $1,500 for banners and $5,000 for a park display. Cleveland also alleges officials froze her out of meetings after she pressed the issue. The suit quotes Hammoud telling Pastor Ted Barham he was not welcome and that the city would celebrate if he left. Counsel David Yerushalmi said the client wants Christians and Jews treated as equal citizens.
Editorâs Note: There was no comment from the âcoexistâ crowd.
Tlaib Fraudulently Says ICE Killed Driver. DHS Says He Fled and Crashed
US Rep. Rashida Tlaib (DS-MI) said ICE killed Mario David Coronado Juarez after an unmarked-car pursuit in Grand Rapids caused a fatal crash. DHS said officers tried to stop a vehicle registered to a different illegal alien with alcohol-related driving offenses and a Guatemala warrant. The driver fled at high speed. Officers broke off the stop for public safety. They later found the car about a half-mile away after it hit a tree and caught fire. Officials estimated the speed at over 100 mph. The driver was Coronado Juarez, not the registered owner. He had been removed in 2021 and reentered illegally. Officers tried to put out the fire. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) ordered a state police review.
Editorâs Note: Imagine that, a Democratic Socialist lying to the American peopleâŚ
Arlington Prosecutor Shifts DUI Charges to Protect DACA Status
Arlington Commonwealthâs Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti told the House Judiciary Committee her office has a DUI policy used only for DACA recipients. She said a DUI is a significant misdemeanor that can block DACA renewal. The policy aims to keep status while holding defendants accountable. She said it has been used fewer than 10 times. Prosecutors sometimes revoke bond, impose jail time, then make a âlateral shiftâ to another first-degree misdemeanor. An office memo told lawyers to disclose DACA status early so a defendant is not deported for driving drunk. The committee released the July deposition transcript and a report on Arlington sanctuary policies.
Editorâs Note: Unconstitutional at its core because it treats individuals differently under the law for the same offense.
Spanish Official Says Traffickers Threw Crying Toddler Into Atlantic
Lanzarote emergency chief Enrique Espinosa said traffickers threw a crying two-year-old boy into the Atlantic during a crossing to the Canary Islands because the noise annoyed them. He said the child was with his mother. Spanish National Police have not announced an arrest in the toddlerâs death. Espinosa spoke after discussing a Sept. 16 boat that reached Arrecife with 65 survivors and three bodies. A woman on that vessel reported a sexual assault. Police arrested three men ages 21, 25 and 30. Officials said more than 450 migrants were rescued off Lanzarote in recent days, and more than a dozen people are believed to have died on the route.
ON THIS DAY IN 1918:
During World War I, American forces under General John J. Pershing launched the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France. Involving over 1.2 million American soldiers, it remains the largest and deadliest battle in U.S. military history and played a decisive role in ending the war.
đ International
Trump Rejects Iranâs Seven-Day Hormuz Ceasefire Offer
President Trump told reporters on the White House lawn Saturday he is rejecting Iranâs proposal for a seven-day ceasefire that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He said Tehran wants the waterway opened immediately because it is losing badly and needs oil revenue. He claimed the United States has total control of the strait and that 29 ships passed last night. He did not deny a question about resuming strikes after the midterms. U.S. officials said he has told aides he expects bombing to resume after November. Iranâs foreign minister said the strait could reopen in seven days if Washington meets conditions set out in a prior memorandum. Trump has demanded complete dismantling of Iranâs nuclear program first.
Syria Trucks Qatari Gasoline Into Iraq After Hormuz Shutdown
Syria has started moving imported gasoline overland from the Baniyas refinery into Iraq as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted. About 32,800 metric tons arrived on the tanker Avanti and were loaded onto trucks. Official Tareq Shallash said 77 tankers have left for the Iraqi border and more cargoes are coming. The fuel is not Syrian-produced or from domestic stock. Qatarâs UCC Holding supplies it under a transit contract with Syriaâs state oil company. Iraqâs oil ministry confirmed SOMO signed with the Qatari firm for improved gasoline via Baniyas. Officials said the route could later carry crude and other products. Baghdad has pledged to keep building land alternatives even if Hormuz reopens.
Editorâs Note: The longer Iran plays games with the Strait, the more the world will find workarounds, making Iran inconsequential.
Mecca Pact Chiefs Meet in Riyadh After Houthi Strikes
The military chiefs of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan met in Riyadh on Friday after Houthi attacks on the kingdom. They reviewed threats, condemned strikes near Mecca and on civilian and economic sites, and discussed intelligence sharing and capability integration under last monthâs Mecca Joint Defence Agreement. That pact treats an attack on one member as an attack on all. Foreign ministers from the three countries had set the talks on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. Houthis have targeted Saudi oil infrastructure and seized more of Yemenâs Red Sea coast. Pakistani officials have said attacks on the kingdom could trigger the pact.
Dutch Court Holds Syrian-Born Suspect After Parking-Lot Gang Rape
A Rotterdam court kept a 23-year-old Syrian-born suspect in custody after a Sept. 23 hearing in a May 2025 gang rape of an 18-year-old woman from a group home in Sliedrecht. Prosecutors say she accepted a ride to a train station, was taken to two parking lots, and raped by as many as 10 men. Six suspects, ages 20 to 23, have been arrested, including the lead suspectâs brother and cousin. Police say she was beaten and the assault was filmed. The lead suspect said she got in the car willingly. Judges cited images and statements in holding him. Geert Wilders said the Netherlands also has Islamic grooming gangs and called for the perpetrators and their families to be removed.
UKâs Burnham Launches Centre to Police Untrue Narratives
Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the U.N. General Assembly he is creating a National Centre for Information Defence to detect, attribute and disrupt what he called hostile information attacks. He blamed Russian agencies for bots, fake sites and forged branding of 28 British organizations, including universities and the BBC. He said the Kremlin spends about ÂŁ1.3 billion a year manipulating information and that Britain had given too much ground to a narrative of decline. The unit will sit first in the Office for the Prime Minister and Cabinet and work with intelligence agencies, police and social media firms. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said it will not police domestic dissent. Nigel Farage called it a Ministry of Truth.
