Thursday, March 12, 2026
The reparations scam
How San Francisco quietly relaunched its scandalized free money for black residents program
San Francisco poured $60 million per year into the program with little apparent oversight or quality control. Nonprofits took advantage, reportedly spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on black-tie galas and salary increases. Other funding reportedly disappeared into a web of shell companies, raising fraud concerns.
Remember the attack on the USS Cole?
Trump says Iran was linked to the USS Cole attack: a federal judge also ruled Iran was complicit
Trump highlights a lesser-remembered but deadly pre-9/11 al-Qaeda terrorist attack in making his case against the Iranian regime. Federal courts appear to agree with him on the facts.
Federal appeals court hands Trump win, overrules judge who blocked deportations to third countries
Federal appeals court hands Trump win, overrules judge who blocked deportations to third countries
The ruling, which is still expected to be taken to the nation's highest court, comes just before Murphy's ruling was expected to take effect on Thursday.
Marxists destroy history to make the people more receptive to being controlled
Britain Considers Axing Churchill From Banknotes — Replacing Him With Beavers
The Obama Foundation Is Even More Corrupt Than You Thought
The Obama Foundation Is Even More Corrupt Than You Thought
The scandal-plagued Obama Presidential Center in Chicago already stirred up plenty of controversy. Now the money trail surrounding it raises even more uncomfortable questions about how former President Barack Obama’s inner circle is cashing in while taxpayers get screwed over.
New federal tax filings reveal the staggering salaries flowing through the Obama Foundation as construction of the $850 million Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park nears completion. The foundation will operate the massive 19.3-acre campus, which sits on publicly owned Chicago parkland. The project includes a museum, an athletic center, and a public library branch. It will not operate as a traditional presidential library overseen by the National Archives.
The land it sits on is a big part of the scheme. The Obama Foundation secured a 99-year agreement with the city, under which the foundation pays just $10 per year to use the plot. That deal alone costs Chicago tens of millions of dollars in potential value while handing over prime public property to a private nonprofit run by a former president.
With such a sweet deal in place, the foundation has been able to pay its officers inflated salaries, the most eye‑popping of which is paid to Valerie Jarrett, one of Obama’s closest political confidantes. Jarrett “earned” $740,000 in 2024 as CEO of the Obama Foundation. That salary easily outpaces the compensation paid to leaders at several other presidential foundations.
And she’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Six of the foundation’s 10 highest-paid executives previously held senior roles in the Obama administration or campaign. David Simas, Obama’s former White House political director, earned up to $626,000 annually while leading the foundation from 2017 through 2020. Adewale Adeyemo, another senior Obama official who later became deputy Treasury secretary under Joe Biden, earned about $540,000 as the foundation’s first president.
ICYMI: CNN Literally Tried to Cover for NYC ISIS Terrorists
The list keeps going. Anne Filipic, a former White House public engagement official, earned roughly $400,000 annually. Christina Tchen, former chief of staff to Michelle Obama, also pulled in roughly $400,000 a year. Michael Strautmanis, another Obama campaign and White House aide, earned more than $300,000 annually.
Compensation across the organization has ballooned. Salaries and benefits climbed from $18.5 million in 2018 to $43.7 million in 2024. Staffing expanded to 337 employees.
Illinois Republicans smell the stench of classic Chicago corruption.
"Illinois Democrats are truly living their best lives — making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to help design the ugliest building in Chicago," Illinois GOP Chairman Kathy Salvi said. Though, to be fair, it might be the ugliest building in the country. "Their jaw-dropping salaries prove that Illinois’ culture of corruption is alive and well as Barack Obama’s top allies rake in the cash.”
Despite the red flags that raise eyebrows among Republicans and charity watchdogs, the Obama Foundation insists its pay structure follows industry standards. In a statement to Fox News Digital, the organization claimed, "Executive salaries are based on competitive market rates for roles of the same level in similar institutions nationwide."
Yeah, and if you like your health plan, you can keep it, too.
The foundation also argued that its salaries actually trail those in the private sector. According to the report, the foundation “pointed to compensation levels at major philanthropic institutions, where leaders at the Rockefeller and Mellon foundations earned more than $1.4 million in 2023, and the Ford and MacArthur foundations each reported CEO compensation of roughly $1.29 million, according to public filings.”
However, here’s what the foundation left out:
Those organizations operate with multibillion-dollar endowments, money that earns enough interest each year to cover operating costs. The Ford Foundation reports assets of roughly $16 billion, while the Mellon and MacArthur foundations each report assets exceeding $8 billion.
The Obama Foundation reported more than $1.1 billion in total assets at the end of 2024, though much of that reflects construction-related assets and restricted funds tied to the presidential center rather than a traditional invested endowment.
The Obama Foundation pledged to establish a $470 million endowment, though public filings show approximately $1 million deposited to date, according to a Fox News Digital investigation.
Obama spent eight years in the White House under a cloud of multiple scandals and rampant corruption. The media and his allies largely gave him a pass, and so it’s hardly surprising that corruption has carried over to the Obama Foundation. If the Obama Presidential Center is supposed to preserve his legacy, it’s doing exactly that — including the corruption.
The Obama Foundation doesn’t just reflect Obama’s legacy of corruption — it exposes how his inner circle still cashes in while taxpayers eat the losses. We’ve been calling out that corruption for years while the mainstream turns a blind eye to it. Join PJ Media VIP with promo code FIGHT for 60% off, support our work, and help keep us alive. Don’t wait — back fearless conservative journalism today.
Fighting the drug cartels
Ecuador and U.S. Seize $70 Million Worth of Drugs in Joint Sea Bust
Ecuador’s Defense Ministry on Tuesday announced that, with the help of the United States, Ecuadorian Armed Forces officials seized 1.9 tons of presumptively U.S.-bound suspected drugs at sea.
The Ministry detailed in an official statement that the drug bust was carried out by Ecuadorian officials in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard and the support of naval intelligence, noting that the action was part of the South American country’s cooperation agreements to combat transnational crime at sea with allied nations such as the United States. The seized illicit cargo is valued at approximately $40 million at U.S. markets and $70 million in Europe, according to the Ministry.
Two Ecuadorian nationals identified as “Víctor V” and “Jonathan V.” were arrested in the operation. The individuals, the seized cargo, and other pieces of evidence will be delivered by the U.S. Coast Guard to an Ecuadorian Navy coast guard unit in Ecuadorian waters over the next few days, and will be kept under strict chain of custody.
“This intervention highlights the effectiveness of international cooperation and the firm and ongoing response of the Armed Forces, which are committed to the security and protection of national maritime areas, as well as to the well-being and peace of mind of Ecuadorian families,” the statement read.
The operation, the Ministry further detailed, was executed within the framework of the Ecuadorian government’s “Total Offensive,” a security initiative launched in January by the administration of President Daniel Noboa against criminal organizations and drug trafficking groups operating in Ecuador.
Ecuador and U.S. Seize $70 Million Worth of Drugs in Joint Sea Bust
Ecuador’s Defense Ministry on Tuesday announced that, with the help of the United States, Ecuadorian Armed Forces officials seized 1.9 tons of presumptively U.S.-bound suspected drugs at sea.
The Ministry detailed in an official statement that the drug bust was carried out by Ecuadorian officials in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard and the support of naval intelligence, noting that the action was part of the South American country’s cooperation agreements to combat transnational crime at sea with allied nations such as the United States. The seized illicit cargo is valued at approximately $40 million at U.S. markets and $70 million in Europe, according to the Ministry.
Two Ecuadorian nationals identified as “Víctor V” and “Jonathan V.” were arrested in the operation. The individuals, the seized cargo, and other pieces of evidence will be delivered by the U.S. Coast Guard to an Ecuadorian Navy coast guard unit in Ecuadorian waters over the next few days, and will be kept under strict chain of custody.
“This intervention highlights the effectiveness of international cooperation and the firm and ongoing response of the Armed Forces, which are committed to the security and protection of national maritime areas, as well as to the well-being and peace of mind of Ecuadorian families,” the statement read.
The operation, the Ministry further detailed, was executed within the framework of the Ecuadorian government’s “Total Offensive,” a security initiative launched in January by the administration of President Daniel Noboa against criminal organizations and drug trafficking groups operating in Ecuador.
Tuesday’s announcement of the successful Ecuador-U.S. joint drug bust at sea comes roughly a week after the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced the start of joint military operations in Ecuador against narco-terrorist groups, which SOUTHCOM described as a “powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism” while sharing unclassified footage of one such operation.
“Together, we are taking decisive action to confront narco-terrorists who have long inflicted terror, violence, and corruption on citizens throughout the hemisphere,” SOUTHCOM said in a statement last week.
“In March, we will conduct joint operations with our allies in the region, including the United States. The safety of Ecuadorians is our priority, and we will fight to bring peace to every corner of the country,” President Noboa said in a March 2 social media post.
Speaking at a security and anti-mafia forum in Quito hours after SOUTHCOM’s announcement last week, Henry Delgado, head of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces of Ecuador, stated that the joint U.S.-Ecuador military maneuvers will be carried out for an “indefinite period” in light of Ecuador’s long-standing security issues. The official reportedly urged Ecuadorian citizens to stay away from areas where criminal groups are carrying out illegal mining activities, and stressed, “It is preferable that [citizens] stay away because the Armed Forces will act decisively in each of these illegal sectors.”
President Daniel Noboa was among the 12 Latin American and Caribbean heads of state invited by President Donald Trump to form part of the “Shield of the Americas,” a regional security initiative led by the United States in the fight against drug cartels, illegal and mass migration, and stopping foreign malign influence throughout the region.
Noboa, describing the United States’s army as the most powerful in the world, told Univision on Tuesday that Ecuador’s Armed Forces want to work alongside U.S. forces, noting that it is not U.S. “interventionism” that American forces operate in the country, as it is a joint collaboration between both countries.
“We have reached an agreement, we are very clear on that, we have provided all the necessary facilities because we know we need them and because the threat is great, regional, but it is very clear and well established that they cannot work independently but only with the Armed Forces of Ecuador,” Noboa said.
Noboa reportedly questioned Mexico and Colombia’s absence from the Shield of the Americas initiative during the Univision interview, and claimed that both countries “do not want to resolve” the problem of drug trafficking in Latin America. The two countries were among those not invited by Trump to participate in the event. Noboa said that, unlike past attempts the Trump-led Summit represented the “first government in many years to show concern for the situation in the region.”
“They [Mexico and Colombia] don’t want to solve the problem for some reason. I’m not jumping to conclusions, nor am I going to give a specific reason, but I don’t see the point,” Noboa reportedly said.
On Monday, President Noboa detailed to Ecuador’s Radio Sucre that the Trump-led Summit addressed security subjects of concern for Ecuador such as drug trafficking, illegal mining, and money laundering. He emphasized that Shield of the Americas does not have an ideological nature attached to it, as it is a security alliance, unlike regional ideological groups such as the leftist Sao Paulo Forum.
“It is an alliance against drug trafficking, terrorism, illegal mining, and political corruption as well,” Noboa said.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
Why greedy socialists fail
Ex-Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz ditches Seattle for Miami as Dems move to impose ‘millionaires’ tax’
Former Starbucks owner and CEO Howard Schultz says he is leaving Seattle for Miami after 44 years in the java giant’s home state of Washington — as Dems there have been pushing for a so-called “millionaires’ tax.”
He has paid about $44 million for a 5,500-square-foot penthouse at the Surf Club, Four Seasons Private Residences in Surfside, Fla., the Wall Street Journal reported.
The move comes as Washington lawmakers are moving ahead with a plan to impose a 9.9% tax on household income over $1 million starting in 2029. The measure was headed for the state Senate this week after passing the House on Tuesday.
Schultz — who once mulled running for president as an independent — made no mention of the proposed tax in a LinkedIn post announcing his move, though he nodded to the overall business climate.
“It is our hope that Washington will remain a place for business and entrepreneurship to thrive, creating essential opportunity for those in Seattle and the surrounding areas,” he wrote.
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