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Trump Puts Colombian President On Notice Over Drug Production: ‘Close Up These Killing Fields’
President Donald Trump put Colombian President Gustavo Petro on notice in an early Sunday morning announcement, calling on him to rein in drug production in his country and threatening to do it for him if he chose not do so on his own.
Trump lashed out at Petro via his Truth Social platform, saying that he planned to put a stop to all payments and subsidies that the United States gave to Colombia would be stopped if Petro — “a low-rated and unpopular leader” — didn’t comply with his wishes.
“President Gustavo Petro, of Colombia, is an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields, all over Colombia,” Trump posted. “It has become the biggest business in Colombia, by far, and Petro does nothing to stop it, despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America. AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLOMBIA.” Click here to read more.
Detroit’s Schools Watch-Dog Group Uncovers Fraud, Theft Within the District
DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – For nearly eight years, a Detroit Public Schools Community District administrator approved nearly $1 million in school funds to a former vendor without purchase orders, contracts, invoices or evidence that the district received the services it paid for.
The alleged scheme.
The school district administrator’s alleged scheme went on from June 2017 to August 2024; the administrator was fired and a criminal investigation is underway. That was just one of the examples of fraud within the district cited by Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) Office of Inspector General in its annual report that was recently released for the 2024-25 school year.
That’s not all. Other issues investigated by the Office of Inspector General in 2024-25 included:
A principal instructed clerical staff to misreport staff absences, including that of the principal, as regular hours that resulted in several staff receiving pay for 644 hours they did not work for an amount of $32,025. The investigation also found several students were falsely marked present resulting in improper attendance incentive payments totaling $1,800. The investigation is pending.
A teacher “read passages, guided responses, and otherwise influenced student performance” during online math and reading lessons offered by the district.
A former employee continued to receive pay from the district after resigning from the district. The employee received $38,895 in pay from the district after resigning. The district was able to recoup the funds. Click here to read more.
Trump administration works to lower grocery prices
President Donald Trump announced that his administration is actively working on a plan to lower the price of groceries, particularly the price of beef.
According to a survey from Axios, 47% of Americans believe groceries are becoming harder to afford. President Trumps announcement comes as the cost of beef continues to rise at a record high, with them now being up nearly 13% in the past year.
In January, ground beef was $7.11 per pound, and by August, the price had increased to nearly $8 per pound, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. President Trump hasn’t laid out exactly how he plans to lower grocery prices, but said he will “work his magic.”
Previous administrations, including Trump’s, have worked to lower gas prices by using strategic reserves to increase supply so demand could be met. However, there is no reserve for beef, ruling out the possibility of using that tool. When egg prices reached record highs earlier this year, the industry began importing eggs at a high rate.
Food bank braces for increased demand as SNAP aid faces disruption amidst shutdown
WILMINGTON, N.C. - The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina at Wilmington has already been experiencing months of increased demand.
“I’d say this comes very close to COVID or past major disasters,” said Director of Community Outreach Emily Kraft. “We have seen just an increase in need based on folks losing jobs, folks losing immigration status, and just losing access to a lot of the resources that were previously available to them that don’t exist anymore.”
Now, the federal government shutdown could make the situation worse.
Gov. Josh Stein’s office released a statement saying the state Department of Health and Human Services received a letter from the federal government indicating SNAP benefits could be disrupted in November if the government shutdown continues. Click here to read more.
LA skyscrapers for homeless could cost federal taxpayers over $1 billion
LOS ANGELES, CALIF - Federal taxpayers might be on the hook for more than $1 billion over the lifetime of three downtown Los Angeles skyscrapers designed to house the homeless, state records show.
State and city programs provide the funding and financial tools to construct the three towers. But federal Section 8 Housing vouchers will be used to repay the state and city and fund private developer fees and investor returns over the 55-year life of the buildings.
“Taxpayers are being forced to foot the bill for over $800,000 per unit for homeless housing,” said Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association Vice President of Communications Susan Shelley in an interview with The Center Square. “There should be an audit to determine if this is genuinely the best option to provide housing or if this is just making a lot of people rich off the taxpayers’ dime.”
These towers are projects of the Weingart Center Association, a homeless services nonprofit and major recipient of taxpayer funding, which was created by the Weingart Foundation. The Weingart Foundation describes itself as a “private grantmaking foundation advancing racial, social and economic justice in Southern California.” Click here to read more.
