Ohio State Senate Democratic Leader Nickie J. The post WATCH: Brandon Gill and Luke Rosiak Nearly Make Dem State Senator CRY Over “Hateful Rhetoric” During Testimony on Somali Fraud Scheme! – “I Was Almost Brought to Tears!” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
A House Agriculture Committee hearing erupted Thursday into a sharp clash between Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH), with Rollins sniping that Congress's behavior explains why "the American people don't like Congress" as Brown repeatedly cut off Rollins's attempts to dodge yes-or-no questions.Brown, the committee's vice-ranking member, came loaded with grim numbers. She pressed Rollins on whether she was aware that farm bankruptcies jumped 46 percent in 2025, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation — the second consecutive year of increases. Rollins began to deflect, noting the total number of farms, and Brown cut her off."Reclaiming my time. It's a yes or no," Brown said, pivoting immediately to the next data point: USDA estimates, she said, showed farm income fell roughly $25 billion following the implementation of tariffs, and a Farm Bureau survey finding six in 10 farmers say their financial situation is getting worse. Each time, Rollins tried to answer around the question. Each time, Brown moved on."These are facts, Secretary Rollins," Brown said. "If rising bankruptcies, falling farm income, and worsening financial conditions are a sign of a golden age, I'd hate to see what a downturn looks like."The exchange boiled over when Rollins repeatedly interrupted Brown's questioning and suggested the congresswoman was being uncivil. Brown fired back, telling Rollins she would "be dignified" when Rollins was dignified — because it was her time to speak — and invoked a point of order with the chairman.Rollins didn't back down. "This is why the American people don't like Congress," she said, then offered to have "a genteel conversation."Brown also hammered Rollins over the administration's handling of SNAP, challenging her to explain why she said roughly 4.5 million people had been removed from the food assistance program — driven, Brown argued, by eligibility changes under HR 1, the Republican reconciliation bill signed into law July 4, 2025 — should be considered good news while grocery prices remain high and food insecurity persists."Families and children are not leaving the SNAP program because they're doing better," Brown said."They are," Rollins replied.Brown closed with a broadside. "…Millions of Americans are going hungry, and you're saying it's a success story," she said, adding: "I really, really hope you can get your facts straight before January of next year."The hearing was held before the full House Agriculture Committee.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was repeatedly ordered to stop talking and struggled to answer basic questions about the farm economy Thursday during a tense House Agriculture Committee hearing that devolved into a shouting match.Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN), the committee's ranking member, came loaded with data — and used every second of her question time to expose what she called the administration's ignorance of its own record."Reclaiming my time means you stop talking," Craig snapped after Rollins repeatedly interrupted her. "That's what it means in this building."Craig opened by asking Rollins how many farms the U.S. lost last year. Rollins cited bankruptcy figures. Craig cut her off: the country lost 15,000 farms in 2025 — fourth- and fifth-generation operations wiped out, she said, "because of bad policy on the part of this administration."When Craig asked about total farmer losses, Rollins pushed back on the math. Craig was unimpressed."If this administration didn't have terrible policies, we would not need all that support for family farmers," she said, "because we would have export markets still left in China." Craig cited $28 billion in farmer losses — a figure the American Farm Bureau Federation has used to describe net crop returns after support payments for the 2025/26 crop year.Craig then demanded to know the current national average price of farm diesel. Rollins deflected to the Biden administration. Craig fired back."Joe Biden is no longer the president of the United States. Mr. Trump is. Your party controls Congress. You own these numbers." Farm diesel hit $5.41 a gallon in May — up 95% year over year, she noted, across "the entire year in which this administration was in power in the White House, the House, and the Senate."On fertilizer, Craig asked what share of farmers can't afford it this planting season. Rollins began breaking down fertilizer categories by region. "Oh, my God!" Craig cut in. "70% is the answer." A Farm Bureau survey of more than 5,700 farmers confirmed that figure.Rollins shot back: "Those are not the numbers. That's not correct."The hearing grew most heated over SNAP. Rollins disputed the program's official fraud rate, claiming states were self-reporting numbers the administration couldn't verify. Craig read the USDA's own data back to her."USDA's own data found 1.6%," Craig said. "I honestly don't think you understand the difference between error rates and fraud rates."Rollins accused Craig of grandstanding. "You're not asking questions for an answer. You're asking questions to make a political statement."Craig dismissed the charge and closed with a warning: "When you describe the farm economy as the 'golden age,' this administration needs to wake up and start understanding that family farmers are in need."
This week, far-right figures from around the world have gathered in Russia for an economic forum nicknamed “Putin’s Davos.” Among the attendees is Rodney Mims Cook Jr., the commissioner tasked with overseeing President Donald Trump’s highly contested White House ballroom project. While Cook has gotten much attention from Russian media as he’s shown off Trump’s ballroom, there seems to be some confusion within the U.S. government as to what he’s doing there, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying he is “unaware” of an American delegation to the event while Cook himself claims he was sent by Trump and urged to go by the State Department, which Rubio oversees. “According to Russian media, Trump's ballroom commissioner, Rodney Mims Cook, told Russian press that Trump and the State Department permitted him to travel to Russia for the economic forum in St Petersburg,” reports Olga Lautman, senior Russian intelligence expert at the Center for European Policy Analysis. “He also said the [State Dept.] thought his travel to Russia was a good idea.”Said Cook to Russian media, "The President and the State Department allowed me to come over to say hello and see what could come out of this in the long term. … The President's allowing me to come over could open up new avenues. This is purely an observation to see where this might lead.”Cook’s assertion is interesting in the context of a statement from Rubio, who said he was “unaware” that a U.S. delegation was at the forum. Rubio oversees the State Department and works closely with Trump, raising questions about the daylight between his and Cook’s claims. According to Financial Times Moscow Bureau chief Max Seddon, Cook “is an ardent Russophile. He has been involved in restoring medieval Russian churches for decades. His own house in Georgia is designed in the Russian style. He says he is friends with many senior Russian elite figures. He seems absolutely thrilled to be there.”Said government affairs expert Alex Goldenberg, Senior Fellow at the Rutgers Miller Center, “The Kremlin courts the people it assesses as useful for widening America’s divisions, the specific issue is incidental. They’ll stoke whatever fracture is available.” Interestingly enough, Goldenberg was speaking about Candace Owens, a far-right influencer and former Trump ally who is also appearing at the event. “Moscow extended the platform and that tells you how they see her, as someone whose reach can be turned into division or political capital. The Soviets had a term for Western sympathizers like Candace Owens. It translates roughly to useful idiot.”“Maybe that’s why Trump’s ballroom commissioner is in St Petersburg,” suggested Lautman, pointing to recent news that funding for the president’s controversial ballroom had just been scrapped.Cook and Owens aren’t the only figures from Trump’s orbit to attend. Also there is the Trump-supporting actor Steven Seagal, an ardent fan of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who spoke at the event of a Hollywood that has been taken over by “one mafia that is controlling all of the movies,” as well as the misogynist manosphere influencers Andrew and Christian Tate, who face numerous charges in Romania and the UK.As these and other attendees gathered in St. Petersburg, the skies above were thick with smoke from a Ukrainian drone attack.
The Treasury secretary has so far demurred, citing ongoing litigation and attorney-client privilege
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins will testify before a House panel on Thursday morning on USDA‘s domestic priorities and President Trump’s fiscal 2027 budget request. The White House is seeking $20.8 billion in discretionary budget authority for USDA in 2027, a $4.9 billion decrease from 2026. The hearing comes as many U.S.…
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will testify before the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday morning about President Trump’s fiscal 2027 budget request and priorities for the department as affordability and inflation concerns rise amid the ongoing Iran war. The hearing comes a day after Bessent faced questions in the Senate. The Treasury chief was…
There was a moment, a few weeks ago, when I thought the Dems might win the Senate in 2026. They still might-anything is possible-but the mood has changed in two of the more juicy races, in Maine and Texas. Both feature vulnerable Republicans, dowdy Susan Collins in Maine and the phenomenally dreadful-morally and politically-Ken Paxton in Texas. They might be easy pickings if the Democratic Party were a sentient political entity, but no-the candidates Dems offer are defective and downright weird.