The U.S. gross national debt surpassed $33 trillion, a troubling benchmark as lawmakers show little interest in reining in spending, let alone a balanced budget. The milestone comes as Congress faces a deadline of Sept. 30 to pass another spending measure or face a federal government shutdown. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/america-in-focus/support
Prices spiked more than expected in August. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday released its Consumer Price Index, a key marker of inflation, which showed it rose 0.6% last month alone, the biggest spike this year. That spike was largely driven by an increase in the price of shelter and gasoline. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/america-in-focus/support
The federal archive agency that helped spark former President Donald Trump's first federal indictment has come under fire from Republicans after reporting showed the agency has embraced far-left diversity, equity and inclusion policies. Republicans blasted the National Archives and Records Administration after The Center Square reported that the agency’s latest 2022 DEI plan pledges to double down on equity training for employees. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ame...
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Tuesday opened a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. McCarthy directed a House Committee to open the inquiry, pointing to the mounting evidence that the president's son, Hunter Biden, and associates took millions of dollars from foreign interests and that President Biden knew about it. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/america-in-focus/support...
House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., pushed forward the investigation into President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, Wednesday by calling out a federal agency that may be withholding information. Comer put the spotlight on the National Archives and Records Administration, the federal recordkeeping agency that tipped off the Department of Justice when former President Donald Trump had allegedly held on to classified documents. Comer says NARA has held back certain information, ...
A new trio of House education bills would push back on Critical Race Theory and federal rules in local public schools, the latest in an ongoing battle led by Republicans to respond to curriculum and policy changes in education. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/america-in-focus/support
Recently released federal pricing analysis from the U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that food prices will continue to rise through 2024. The USDA pointed to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index released earlier this month, which showed consumer prices overall rose 3.2% in the previous twelve months. Food prices, though rose more quickly at 4.9% during the same time. Now, USDA says that increase will continue. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/sh...
Former President Donald Trump plead not guilty Thursday to charges he faces in Georgia that he worked to overturn the state’s 2020 election results, according to court filings. The Georgia indictment includes 41 charges against Trump and 18 of his alleged co-conspirators. Trump was processed in the local jail last week, and his mugshot quickly went viral online. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/america-in-focus/support...
The vast majority of Americans are concerned about the situation at the U.S. border, according to new polling. The Center Square Voters' Voice Poll, conducted in conjunction with Noble Predictive Insights, asked 2,500 registered voters, including 1,000 registered Democrats, 1,000 registered Republicans, and 500 independents: "How concerned are you about the situation at the border?" Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/america-in-focus/support...
Former President Donald Trump surrendered to Fulton County authorities Thursday on charges he tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Fulton County authorities charged Trump and 18 others, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former state Republican Party Chair David Shafer, as part of the effort. The Fulton County indictment of Trump is the fourth against the former president and the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nominatio...
Eight Republican candidates trailing former President Donald Trump in the polls vied for second place Wednesday in the first primary debate. The candidates traded barbs and one-liners in a high-stakes contest at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Each of the candidates touched on some of the nation's hot-button issues, including crime, abortion and climate change. Interruptions were widespread. Many candidates talked over their peers, at times making it difficult to hear what was said. But th...
House Oversight Committee James Comer, R-Ky., is pushing for President Joe Biden’s records from his time as Vice President to probe allegations that he worked with his son to bring in $20 million from overseas entities. Comer sent a letter to the the National Archives and Records Administration demanding unredacted records related to then-Vice President Biden’s meetings and communications with his family members, the latest step in the ongoing investigation into allegations that the Biden family...
Former President Donald Trump was indicted for the fourth time Monday night, this time on charges related to the 2020 election in Georgia. A Fulton County grand jury indicted the former president on 13 counts of attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, which narrowly went to President Joe Biden. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/america-in-focus/support...
Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron Desantis are virtually tied with President Joe Biden in theoretical head-to-head matchups heading into the 2024 presidential campaign, according to new polling data. The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll, conducted in conjunction with Noble Predictive Insights, found that in a faceoff, Trump has 41% support compared to Biden’s 44% support, while 15% remain unsure. DeSantis does slightly better, with 41% support to Biden’s 43% and 16% unsure. Supp...
U.S. House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., released financial documents he says backs up allegations that the Biden family and associates received more than $20 million in payments from foreign entities. Comer released the bank records Wednesday, the latest installment in a string of troubling evidence for President Joe Biden. Notably, the records raise the alleged income to the Biden family and associates to over $20 million and highlight alleged involvement from Russia and Kazakhstan. S...
The number of terror suspects captured trying to enter the U.S. illegally has soared since President Joe Biden took office. But with more than 1 million unidentified foreign nationals evading apprehension after entering the U.S., the potential that at least some are on the international terrorist watch list poses a potential major threat to national security and raises the chances of terror attacks, observers warn. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/america-in-focus/su...
Newly released federal inflation data shows that producer prices rose more than expected. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its Producer Price Index, a key indicator of inflation, which showed producer prices rose 0.3% in July and 0.8% over the last 12 months, higher than expected. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/america-in-focus/support
One of the top international credit rating agencies has downgraded the United States government’s credit rating from the highest level of AAA down one tier to AA+, a serious economic signpost as U.S. debt continues to soar and deficits remain elevated. Fitch Ratings made the decision, pointing to the U.S. government’s high national debt and deficits as well as an “erosion of governance.” Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/america-in-focus/support...
The House Oversight Committee released a transcript Thursday of its meeting with Devon Archer, a long-time Hunter Biden associate who alleges President Joe Biden joined phone conversations with Hunter’s business associates several times. The Archer testimony made headlines earlier this week, and now the transcript gives more details into what new evidence the committee has in its investigation. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/america-in-focus/support...
Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Thursday afternoon to all charges related to his role in protesting the 2020 election results. Trump was indicted for the third time this week. According to the latest indictment, Trump faces four federal charges related to his contesting the 2020 election and connection to the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol building. The indictment charges include conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States, ...
Federal COVID-era vaccine policies hurt U.S. service members, according to witnesses testifying at a House Oversight Hearing Thursday examining the mandates. The Pentagon announced in January of this year that it would lift its COVID vaccine mandate but not before the vast majority of U.S. service members already were forced into vaccination. Those who refused were usually denied their exemption request and often discharged. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/america-i...
Leaders of major metros around the U.S. have pushed for more progressive immigration policies in recent years by declaring themselves safe havens for illegal immigrants. Now, however, as the realities of the financial and social impacts of those policies sink in, some local leaders are thinking twice. Millions of illegal immigrants have flowed across the southern border since President Joe Biden took office, with many seeking haven in self-proclaimed "sanctuary cities." Support this podcast: htt...
Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to tax-related charges after a highly unusual court hearing where his previously established plea deal fell apart. Biden’s plea deal, which was expected to be finalized Wednesday, was undone in court after last minute disagreements over whether Biden faces further charges in the future for other alleged crimes still under investigation. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/america-in-focus/support...
Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before Congress Thursday about government censorship of Americans, especially related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Reporting has shown that the federal government has worked with companies like Facebook and Twitter to have posts removed on a range of topics, including COVID-19 and the vaccine. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/america-in-focus/support...
Former President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social Tuesday that Special Counsel Jack Smith informed him he is the target of a criminal probe related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. This update, which has not yet been confirmed by the U.S. Department of Justice, is the latest in a series of legal challenges for the former president. Trump released a lengthy statement on his social media site of choice laying out what he says was told to him. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/p...
President Joe Biden and his son Hunter "coerced" a several-million-dollar bribe from Burisma Holdings to protect the company and get a Ukrainian executive prosecutor investigating Burisma fired, a long-awaited FBI document made public Thursday alleges. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/america-in-focus/support
President Joe Biden’s pick to chair the Joint Chiefs of Staff faced questions from lawmakers Tuesday over his history of backing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies. Chief of Staff of the Air Force Charles Q. Brown testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday as the next step in his nomination process. The expected questions about Ukraine and munitions were accompanied by a less common line of questioning: how DEI has infiltrated the military and might be hurting recruitment...
FBI Director Christopher Wray faced questions from Republicans lawmakers Wednesday over the federal law enforcement agency’s alleged bias against conservatives and Republicans. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, kicked off the hearing by blasting the FBI, laying out several instances of alleged bias, including the FBI’s role in cautioning social media companies to censor certain COVID-19 viewpoints as well as the Hunter Biden laptop story weeks before the presidential electio...
U.S. Senate Republicans launched a video on Wednesday claiming that President Joe Biden has “created the largest child trafficking ring in U.S. history.” The video quotes Republican senators at hearings expressing concern about the extraordinary number of unaccompanied minors being trafficked to and through the U.S. southern border. In one clip, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, says “Biden does not care about the 300,000 plus unaccompanied children that have been placed with sponsors since he bec...
Cancelling hundreds of billions of dollars in student loan debt cannot be done by President Joe Biden and his administration, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday. In a 6-3 opinion, the court said Biden’s administration did not have the authority to unilaterally cancel student loan debt, blocking the president’s plan to cancel $10,000 per borrower. Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented in the case known as Biden v. Nebraska . Support this podcast: https://podca...
