WASHINGTON – The Department of Treasury and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service announced Tuesday it has successfully implemented a new government payment verification process that prevents federal payments from being issued to deceased individuals.

The initiative is now fully underway and fulfills a key requirement of President Trump’s Executive Order 14249 and the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act, signed into law in February 2026.

To date, the enhanced screening has reviewed more than 885 million payments which total to approximately $2.77 trillion. 

The system identified more than 4,900 payments associated with deceased payees, which equal nearly $99 million. Those payments were returned to the originating federal agencies for review before any funds were disbursed.

These results build on the success of an earlier pilot program, in which the Department of the Treasury substantially expanded its ability to identify payments to deceased individuals and projected approximately $330 million in net benefits between 2024 and 2026. 

The Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act, signed in February 2026, made these protections permanent by granting the Treasury ongoing access to the Social Security Administration’s Full Death Master File, delivering a much stronger level of visibility and enforcement.

“Treasury has delivered on a key promise of President Trump’s mandate to stop improper payments and fraud before money leaves the Treasury, and strengthen the integrity of the federal payment system,” said Secretary Scott Bessent. “Together with Vice President Vance’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, this new safeguard addresses a longstanding vulnerability and helps ensure every dollar the federal government spends reaches its intended recipient. Treasury will continue efforts to modernize the federal payment system, strengthen safeguards against fraud and improper payments, and protect taxpayer dollars.”

Officials project that these efforts could ultimately prevent hundreds of millions in improper payments to deceased persons alone, with estimates around $330–350 million in net benefits across relevant programs. 

Potential savings across broader government programs, particularly in healthcare, could reach hundreds of billions.

These efforts build on the expanded use of Treasury’s Do Not Pay program and directly addresses vulnerabilities that emerged during the Biden administration. As Secretary Bessent highlighted on Mornings with Maria, the Biden-era HHS “got rid of about 50 or 60” fraud-monitoring positions, weakening oversight at a critical time. Once funds leave the Treasury, recovery becomes extremely difficult. 

The Trump administration’s clear and precise governance is playing out in real time. By securing and enacting legislation that grants permanent, full access to critical death data, the administration has moved decisively to eliminate improper payments. Without this targeted, proactive step, in creating and passing additional legislation, this would have remained yet another classic Washington tale of unchecked waste and bureaucratic failure.

Daniel Ortega has held Nicaragua under dictatorial control for nearly two decades. On July 19, 2026, the 80-year-old leader used a speech commemorating the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Sandinista Revolution, the Marxist uprising he helped lead with Cuban backing, to declare there will be no more elections, openly dropping any remaining pretense of democracy.

“There will be no more elections,” Ortega declared, railing against his longtime adversary, the United States. “Parties put in place by the Yankees, put in place by the Somoza regime, coming back to power, that story is over.” He repeated emphatically: “Never, never, never.”

Ortega voiced strong solidarity with the regimes in Cuba and Venezuela, fiercely criticizing any potential U.S. military intervention in Cuba while denouncing the United States and “the empires, because there are empires everywhere.”

Ortega announced that his government would work with the Sandinista-controlled National Assembly to erect a “wall” or “barrier” of laws “against the coup plotters and the traitors,” ensuring that no matter how much money “the Yankees give them,” opposition forces “will never be able to return to government.”

Ortega has been a central figure in Nicaraguan politics since the 1979 Sandinista Revolution, which he helped lead with Cuban backing.

Ortega’s Time in Power:

1979–1985:

Member of the Junta of National Reconstruction (coordinator from 1980) — immediately after the Sandinista Revolution victory

1985–1990:

President of Nicaragua (elected in 1984). Defeated in the 1990 election.

1990–2007:

In opposition / out of power

2007–present:

President (re-elected in 2011, 2016, and 2021), ruling continuously since January 2007

February 2025–present:

Co-President with his wife Rosario Murillo after constitutional changes that extended terms and entrenched family control.

This marks an explicit end to even the facade of electoral competition. The next elections had been theoretically scheduled for November 2027

This is not Ortega’s first assault on democratic processes. In 2021, he declared himself the winner with over 75% of the vote after jailing nearly every viable opposition presidential candidate months before the election, a vote widely condemned as illegitimate internationally.

The Ortega-Murillo regime has long been described as a dictatorship and has faced repeated U.S. and UN sanctions for repression, corruption, and human rights abuses.

Opposition figures in exile and analysts see the announcement as a sign of weakness and further entrenchment of a family dynasty, with Ortega appearing frail in his rare public appearance after 61 days out of sight.

“There will be no more elections here for them to try to seize the government and seize power,” Ortega said,  a clear admission that the ballot box will no longer serve even as a tool for the regime’s opponents.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio wasted no time in addressing the development. “The Trump Administration and the international community will not stand by as the Murillo-Ortega dictatorship deepens repression at home and manufactures instability that threatens U.S. national security. Ortega’s pledge to abolish elections in Nicaragua proves his cowardice and fear of the Nicaraguan people’s will.”

Senator Rand Paul says newly released federal documents are raising disturbing questions about whether the FBI blocked border officials from questioning a key figure connected to controversial coronavirus research in China.

Paul, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, says Customs and Border Protection flagged EcoHealth Alliance president Peter Daszak as an “extremely high person of interest” before he returned from China through New York’s JFK Airport in February 2021. According to the documents, CBP officials were prepared to question Daszak and search his electronic devices.

Their concerns reportedly included his long relationship with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, his role overseeing federal grants for bat-coronavirus research, and the agency’s belief that substantial funding supported gain-of-function research. But an internal email dated February 4, 2021, reportedly instructed CBP not to stop him because the FBI’s New York office had requested that he be allowed through.

As a result, Sen. Paul says the planned questioning and search never took place. That should concern every American. At the height of a global pandemic, federal officials had an opportunity to examine a man deeply connected to research at the center of the COVID-origin debate—and another federal agency allegedly shut it down. This was a cover-up.

The deep state wanted the official story to persist so they could blame it on President Trump in an attempt to railroad him, which eventually led to the election steal of 2020. The public deserves to know who made that decision, why it was made, and whether evidence was lost.

For years, so-called experts in Washington D.C. dismissed questions about a possible laboratory origin as misinformation. The real scandal is how aggressively federal agencies protected well-connected institutions from scrutiny. Congress should subpoena all of the officials involved, demand sworn testimony, and uncover who was responsible.

Those individuals must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Until COVID-era criminals are put behind bars, there will be nothing stopping them from unleashing another virus to cripple society and consolidate power for the globalist elites.

President Donald Trump is putting America first again—this time by confronting Canada over trade policies that unfairly target American workers and manufacturers. President Trump has ordered a 50 percent tariff on a wide range of Canadian imports, including wine, dairy products, cement, and even hockey sticks.

The duties will take effect 30 days after the proclamation was signed. The administration says Canada has also discriminated against American motor vehicles and auto parts by imposing special tariffs on U.S. products while treating goods from other countries more favorably.

In response, President Trump is using authority under the Tariff Act of 1930 to level the playing field. These tariffs will apply even to covered goods that would normally qualify under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. However, important imports such as energy, potash, certain fish, critical minerals, and products already subject to separate national-security tariffs will be exempt.

Under the Trump administration, America has rediscovered that foreign governments cannot be allowed to penalize American companies while enjoying unrestricted access to the U.S. market. The so-called “free trade” and “free market” consensus allowed our country to get hollowed out for decades. Under these heretical doctrines, Washington politicians accepted one-sided trade arrangements, destroyed the manufacturing base that created the middle class, and lost millions of jobs in the name of global cooperation.

We got poorer, and our enemies got richer. President Trump is sending a different message these days. He understands that access to American consumers is a privilege, not a right. Canada remains an important neighbor and ally, but friendship does not require surrendering American economic interests.

When another country discriminates against U.S. products, the answer should be firm, immediate, and proportional. These tariffs are designed to defend American manufacturing, demand fair treatment, and remind trading partners that the era of America being taken advantage of is over.

The culture war has found a potent new battleground on screens across America. Two recent successes — the raw vigilante thriller Citizen Vigilante and Angel Studios’ inspiring Young Washington — are proving definitively that conservative-leaning stories can draw huge crowds and turn serious profits. They prove audiences hunger to see the conservative perspective illustrated through the medium of cinema when it is done well. As Hollywood doubles down on ideological-driven woke flops, these films are charting a path that bypasses the old gatekeepers entirely.

Citizen Vigilante arrived with a great deal of controversy. Attempts to ban or bury it only supercharged demand, creating the classic Streisand effect on steroids. When Elon Musk posted about it on X, the film went nuclear. Its politically incorrect messaging takes the vigilante archetype from classics like Death Wish and Falling Down and pushes it further into territory most studios fear to enter.

The story delivers a satisfying message of cathartic justice in a world where the system too often coddles criminals at the expense of innocent, vulnerable people who are put directly in harm’s way as a direct result. Audiences are not just watching — they are cheering and sympathizing with the protagonist. The film is making real money, and the director has already stated that a sequel is in the works. This is no fluke. It is evidence that the public yearns for unapologetic, law-and-order content that emboldens the viewer into taking a stand against the filth that is overtaking Western Civilization.

What Citizen Vigilante achieves with gritty edge, Young Washington matches with broad, family-friendly appeal. Angel Studios’ latest release became their biggest hit since Sound of Freedom, the grassroots phenomenon that exposed child trafficking and became a nationwide phenomenon through word of mouth. Young Washington brings the early life of George Washington to vivid life, making the virtues of courage, duty, and vision emotionally resonant instead of stories from a dry textbook.

The studio is already moving forward with the sequel 1776, dramatizing the founding of America in a way that can reach viewers who will never wade through dense histories or sit through documentaries. While it does not push the envelope like Citizen Vigilante, its mass appeal is its superpower. It draws families, moderates, churchgoers, and demographics that edgier content might miss. Together the two films demonstrate proven reach across the spectrum. Artists and investors are taking notice. This niche is poised to grow exponentially.

Hollywood is slowly but surely losing the war. Its woke blockbusters continue to crash in flames. The recent Supergirl debacle is only the latest example of studios pouring hundreds of millions into preachy, agenda-driven projects that audiences reject. Story takes a backseat to diversity mandates, gender swaps, and anti-Western revisionism. The financial bleeding cannot continue indefinitely. Executives will eventually stop greenlighting ideological disasters. When they inevitably retreat, a void opens — and that void is already being filled with independent films carrying strong right-leaning messages that do not need massive marketing budgets to achieve widespread success.

This new wave does not need Hollywood’s permission or its distribution system. Citizen Vigilante thrived by spreading through social media and direct audience engagement. The emerging media ecosystem creates multiple resilient pathways that conservatives can now exploit at scale.

Financing has been democratized. Creators no longer have to beg studio executives who demand political conformity. A strong pitch or teaser posted on X can generate crowdfunding from thousands of supporters who want the story told. Hit films take the risk out of the investment, attracting sources of private capital from investors who see both returns and cultural purpose. Production quality rises as budgets grow, pulling in talent tired of Hollywood’s cancel culture, moral sewer and creative straitjackets.

Distribution is now simultaneous and borderless. A film can launch on niche streaming platforms built for conservative audiences, appear for digital purchase or rental on creator-owned sites, and generate explosive organic reach through clips on X, Rumble, and other open platforms. International audiences discover it instantly without waiting for theatrical windows or foreign censors. The core audience of conservatives will reward content creators with their money and encourage others of like mind to do so as well.

This is creating a competitive marketplace where audience connection, not ideological approval, determines survival. One breakout success funds infrastructure that builds the next. Citizen Vigilante has shown the potential to unlock every lever — crowdfunding, viral distribution, diversified monetization, and talent migration. It functions as a secret weapon for changing hearts and minds because viewers do not merely consume; they absorb messages of accountability, resilience, and ordered liberty that shape attitudes long after the credits roll.

Iconic journalist Andrew Breitbart saw the battlefield clearly. “Politics is downstream from culture,” he warned. For decades conservatives focused on elections and policy while the left captured the commanding heights of entertainment and used them to shift norms. That imbalance is ending. New frontiers are opening in the culture war. Hollywood’s inability to produce compelling stories without subordinating them to Marxist dogma has left a vacuum. Conservatives are seizing the opportunity and effectively filling it.

The era of the Harvey Weinstein-style perverted Hollywood gatekeeper with the casting coach controlling the entertainment industry is coming to an end. There are limitless ways to consume content, stretching from a phone screen to a family living room to a packed grassroots screening. The dam is starting to break. The successes of Citizen Vigilante and Young Washington are the first substantial cracks in the facade. They prove the audience exists, the economics work, and the infrastructure is assembling. The stories conservatives tell from this point forward will not just entertain — they will help reclaim the culture that ultimately shapes the nation. The frontier is open, now we chart forward.

The loss of American military personnel at the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran is a national tragedy that demands more than solemn words, lowered flags, and carefully scripted statements from Washington, D.C.. Two American service members were killed while defending a United States position in Jordan from an Iranian missile and drone attack. Another American was initially reported missing, while four wounded service members were treated and returned to duty. Elsewhere, an American service member was killed in northern Iraq while handling unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian attack drone. Their courage, sacrifice, and devotion to duty must never be reduced to another statistic in a conflict reported by television commentators who have never heard a shot fired in anger.

The names of the fallen were initially withheld until their families could be properly notified. That is not bureaucratic secrecy. It is a final act of decency toward mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, children, and siblings whose lives have been shattered by a knock at the door. Before the American public learns the names of the dead, their families deserve the dignity of hearing the news privately and directly from representatives of the nation their loved ones served.

Our prayers are with every one of those families. We also pray for the missing, for the injured, for those who rushed toward danger to save their comrades, and for every American presently serving within range of Iranian missiles, drones, and terrorist proxies. They are not abstractions on a Pentagon map. They are our sons and daughters, our neighbors, our fellow citizens, and the guardians standing between the American people and a revolutionary regime that has spent nearly half a century exporting violence.

President Donald J. Trump now faces the grave responsibility that comes with command. He must respond decisively, proportionately, and intelligently, not because war is desirable, but because weakness invites more war. The surest way to encourage Tehran to kill additional Americans is to convince its rulers that American deaths can be absorbed without meaningful consequences. Deterrence survives only when an adversary believes that crossing a clearly drawn line will bring swift and unbearable costs.

The United States military has already conducted retaliatory strikes against Iranian military targets following the deadly attack in Jordan. Those operations were intended to punish the forces responsible and diminish Iran’s capacity to launch additional attacks. They reportedly targeted military and logistical infrastructure in southern Iran and around the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian regime must understand a simple truth. American blood is not cheap. It cannot be spilled as part of some cynical calculation by clerics hiding in fortified compounds while young conscripts, foreign proxies, and ordinary civilians absorb the consequences of their ambitions. Iran’s rulers cannot launch missiles at American positions, attack commercial shipping, threaten neighboring countries, and then retreat behind diplomatic double talk when the United States responds.

For decades, Tehran perfected a cowardly method of warfare. It armed militias, financed terrorists, supplied drones, trained insurgents, and ordered attacks through intermediaries while denying direct responsibility. When Americans were killed, Iranian officials would pretend that some supposedly independent group had acted on its own. This arrangement allowed Tehran to light fires across the Middle East while insisting that its hands were clean.

That fiction has now collapsed. Iran is not merely encouraging attacks from the shadows. It has launched missiles and drones against American forces and threatened the maritime arteries through which much of the world’s energy supply travels. Iranian attacks have also endangered Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries that want commerce and stability rather than revolutionary chaos. Reports indicate that Iran has attacked commercial vessels and threatened vital infrastructure throughout the Gulf region.

This is not simply a quarrel between Washington and Tehran. It is a confrontation between an international order based on sovereign nations and open commerce, and a regime that uses disruption as an instrument of power. Iran’s rulers understand that they cannot defeat the United States in a conventional war. Their strategy is therefore to make the region so dangerous, expensive, and unstable that Americans lose patience and withdraw.

President Trump must not permit that strategy to succeed. He has never embraced the globalist fantasy of invading countries, occupying capitals, and attempting to manufacture Western democracies at gunpoint. He has also never subscribed to the equally dangerous fantasy that America can ignore attacks against its own forces and expect its enemies to become peaceful out of gratitude.

There is a profound difference between reckless nation building and decisive retaliation. One traps the United States in endless occupations with vague objectives. The other protects American lives by destroying the weapons, command centers, launch sites, naval assets, and military infrastructure used to attack them.

Trump’s doctrine has always been peace through strength. That doctrine does not require the permanent occupation of Iran. It does not require sacrificing thousands of American lives in an attempt to govern a country of nearly ninety million people. It requires making unmistakably clear that any attack upon Americans will result in the destruction of assets the Iranian regime values far more than it values the lives of its expendable proxies.

The Strait of Hormuz is central to this struggle. It is not some remote strip of water with no connection to the daily lives of Americans. It is one of the world’s most important energy corridors. When Iran threatens shipping there, insurance costs rise, oil markets react, transportation becomes more expensive, and American families eventually pay more for gasoline, groceries, electricity, and manufactured goods.

An attack on commercial navigation is therefore an attack on the economic security of working people around the world. Tehran knows this. Its threats against the strait are designed to use the global economy as a hostage. Iran hopes frightened governments will pressure the United States into accepting aggression rather than endure higher energy prices.

President Trump must reverse that calculation. The cost of closing or threatening the Strait of Hormuz must fall upon the Iranian military establishment, not upon American motorists. The United States possesses overwhelming naval and air power. It should use that superiority to protect navigation, neutralize missile batteries, destroy drone facilities, and ensure that no revolutionary regime can impose an economic blockade upon the free world.

At the same time, the President should leave open a clear path to deescalation. Iran can stop attacking American forces. It can stop targeting ships. It can stop threatening neighboring countries. It can abandon its nuclear ambitions and end its sponsorship of terrorist organizations. The choice belongs to Tehran.

Diplomacy without strength is merely pleading. Strength without a political objective can become destruction for its own sake. President Trump understands that successful statecraft requires both. He can impose devastating military consequences while making clear that the United States seeks neither Iranian territory nor an endless war.

The purpose of American retaliation must be precise. Protect our troops. Preserve freedom of navigation. Destroy the capability used to attack us. Prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Restore deterrence. Then bring our forces home when the mission has been accomplished.

The American people are compassionate, but they are not weak. They do not seek war, but neither will they accept the murder of their service members as the unavoidable cost of doing business in the Middle East. Every President is ultimately judged by whether he protected the lives, honor, and security of the nation entrusted to him.

The fallen Americans in Jordan and Iraq gave everything their country asked of them. Their sacrifice imposes a solemn obligation upon those who command. Their deaths must not be exploited to justify an undefined war, but they must never be ignored in the name of political convenience.

President Trump must now send Tehran a message so clear that no interpreter, diplomat, or propagandist can distort it. The United States desires peace. The United States will accept an honorable settlement. The United States will not occupy Iran. But when Iran kills Americans, the response will be swift, overwhelming, and unforgettable.

American blood is not cheap. Under Donald Trump, those who spill it will learn the price.