Via The College Fix,

The California State University professor whom the California Faculty Association claimed was “kidnapped” by Immigration and Customs Enforcement has officially been indicted by a grand jury for assaulting federal officers.

In July, the CFA had alleged ICE tossed CSU Channel Islands professor Jonathan Caravello into an unmarked vehicle “without identifying themselves” or giving a reason for the arrest.

The night before the incident, Caravello had told the City of Camarillo Council that he was “patrolling the city streets following armed masked thugs trying to kidnap my [undocumented] neighbors.”

Caravello, who teaches math and philosophy and researches epistemology, rationality, and “transcendental arguments,” became involved with a protest against an ICE raid of the Glass House Farms marijuana facility.

Despite complaints by the CFA and the university that Caravello was “peacefully” demonstrating, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said the professor was arrested for throwing a tear gas canister at officers.

According to Fox News, after agents deployed tear gas to disperse a crowd that had begun throwing rocks at their vehicles, Caravello “ran up to one of the canisters and tried to kick it.”

He missed, however, and then ran after it and hurled it at the agents.

During his arrest, prosecutors said Caravello “continuously kicked his legs and refused to give agents his arms.”

This past Wednesday, Caravello officially was indicted under 18 USC 111, (allegedly) “assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees.” He was released on $15,000 bond and faces up to 20 years in prison.

In a statement, CSU Channel Islands said:

“We are aware of the recent indictment involving Jonathan Caravello. As this matter is currently before the courts, we will not be commenting on the details of the case. We respect the legal process and believe it is important to allow it to proceed without speculation. Our focus remains on our ongoing work and commitments to our students.”

It added that Caravello “is still employed and currently teaching at our campus.”

Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times,

President Donald Trump confirmed on Sept. 5 his top three candidates to succeed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell when his term ends in May next year.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said he is considering former Fed board member Kevin Warsh, current Fed board member Christopher Waller, and National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett for the role.

“You could say those are the top three,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office.

Trump added that he had initially considered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as a fourth finalist, but Bessent said he preferred to remain in his current role.

“I had him as a fourth,” he said of Bessent. “He told me ‘I’m not leaving.’”

Bessent, who is overseeing the search for Powell’s successor, said at the press conference that he was not interested in the job.

Trump has signaled he wants to appoint someone who is more inclined to lower interest rates, a point on which he has clashed with Powell.

The Trump administration has been at loggerheads with the Fed over interest rate cuts. Trump wanted the Fed to lower interest rates to bring down borrowing costs and spur growth, but the central bank has kept its benchmark policy rate unchanged at 4.25 to 4.50 percent for five consecutive meetings.

Powell has argued that the Fed should wait for more clarity on the economy’s trend before moving to cut rates, citing the impact of the administration’s policy changes.

Bessent, on Aug. 12, urged the central bank to slash interest rates by half a percentage point at its September policy meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), and follow up with a series of reductions to bring borrowing costs down by at least 150 basis points.

The push for lower rates comes as inflation appears substantially contained.

The headline Consumer Price Index rose 2.7 percent in July, in line with expectations, while core inflation ticked up to 3.1 percent.

Waller has supported lowering interest rates. The Fed governor said in April that he would favor cutting rates “sooner, and to a greater extent than I had previously thought.”

“With a rapidly slowing economy, even if inflation is running well above 2 percent, I expect the risk of recession would outweigh the risk of escalating inflation, especially if the effects of tariffs in raising inflation are expected to be short lived,” Waller said in his speech.

Hassett had agreed with Trump that the Fed has kept rates inappropriately high, while Warsh had previously called for a “regime change in the conduct of policy” at the central bank.

Long before Las Vegas emerged from the Nevada desert, gambling has ranked among America’s most enduring pastimes – and in the age of artificial intelligence, it stands poised for a technological transformation. A new crop of tech entrepreneurs is racing to develop the world’s first AI-powered gambling agents designed to help sports bettors generate substantial returns.

Take Szeder, founder of MonsterBet, is at the forefront with MonsterGPT, launched in early 2025. The tool uses web scrapers and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) to analyze real-time data and select bets on professional sports. “Some users, myself included, are hitting winners 56% to 60% of the time,” Szeder, a computer science graduate, told WIRED. Access runs $77 a month.

Massachusetts-based Rithmm offers its “AI-powered sports intelligence” for $30 monthly, while JuiceReel provides a free basic app, according to WIRED. Beyond traditional sports, Tom Fleetham, formerly of blockchain firm Zilliqa, built an AI named Ava for horse race predictions. “Her analysis was sharp,” he told the magazine, though placing bets was a hurdle.

The sports betting industry has skyrocketed since the Supreme Court overturned the federal betting ban in 2018, with mobile platforms like DraftKings and FanDuel fueling a multibillion-dollar market. Analysts project revenues could hit $14 billion by 2028. In 2023, ESPN partnered with PENN Entertainment to launch ESPN BET in 16 states. The $1.5 billion, 10-year deal, plus $500 million in stock warrants, included a mobile app, website, and retail locations, integrating odds across ESPN’s platforms.

Yet, the industry’s growth comes with warnings. Critics argue that AI-driven algorithms and aggressive marketing could exacerbate addiction and financial strain, pressing regulators and operators to prioritize social responsibility. States such as New York (which never met an industry they didn’t want to regulate), introduced rules last year aimed at shielding residents from potential risks associated with online gambling.

Under existing regulations, all gambling and sports betting advertisements were required to display problem gambling warnings and provide hotline numbers for individuals experiencing gambling addiction. The new law expands these requirements, according to the Times Union, specifying that mobile sports betting platforms must comply with the same regulatory standards governing other gambling establishments and venues.

“I want New Yorkers to be able to safely enjoy the activities they love while proceeding with caution when necessary,” New York Kathy Hochul said at the time. “New Yorkers will have easier access to the safety resources they need to better protect themselves from the grips of addiction.”

Authored by Savannah Hulsey Pointer via The Epoch Times,

The Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and federal partners have conducted more than 1,900 arrests since President Donald Trump federalized policing in the nation’s capital. 

FBI Director Kash Patel announced on Sept. 5 that, in addition to the total arrests, in just the days of Sept. 4–5, there were 26 arrests involving FBI personnel, five gun recoveries, and four drug seizures.

Trump federalized the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department on Aug. 11, ordering about 800 National Guard troops to assist with law enforcement.

“I’m announcing a historic action to rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor, and worse,“ Trump said at a White House press briefing at the time.

“This is Liberation Day in D.C., and we’re going to take our capital back.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi also lauded the federal cooperation by law enforcement, saying Department of Justice (DOJ) statistics show 73 total arrests for Sept. 4  alone. Bondi also said that since the federalization of policing in Washington, there have been 200 illegal guns taken off the streets. 

The same day, Patel also confirmed, in a post on X, the arrests of two suspects believed to have been involved in the murder of Capitol Hill intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym.

Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, an intern for Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kan.) and a University of Massachusetts student, was shot and killed on June 30. At the time, police believed he was an innocent bystander in the shooting, which injured two others.

Bondi said in a Sept. 5 post on X that if convicted, the two suspects will face “severe justice,” and that she hopes it provides “some measure of solace to his family.”

Patel thanked members of the Metropolitan Police Department and said, “We are delivering on President Trump’s promise to make DC safe again.”

The National Guard presence in Washington has surged to nearly 2,300 troops, and the Pentagon mobilized another 1,700 National Guard members across 19 states to bolster federal immigration enforcement.

A Joint Task Force–D.C spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement on Aug. 24 that troops had arrived in Washington from West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee for a total of 2,270 National Guard members.

Trump has voiced an interest in sending National Guard troops to other major cities, including New York and Chicago, to enforce a similar crackdown on crime in major metropolitan areas. 

Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced the largest seizure of fentanyl and meth precursors in U.S. history, at a Sept. 3 news conference in Houston.

Pirro spoke to reporters while standing in front of 1,300 barrels of chemicals, and asked those in attendance to “imagine bodies where those barrels are,” saying the work of law enforcement would save lives by keeping drugs such as fentanyl off the streets.

Pirro said it would take 24 18-wheelers to transport the seized chemicals to a storage facility.

At least one official in California has recommended that residents wear masks indoors due to an increase in COVID-19 in recent days.

Wastewater data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday show that California is seeing “very high” levels of the virus, while all states on the West Coast are either at “high” or “very high” levels.

As Jack Phillips reports for The Epoch Times, the top health official for Yolo County, located outside Sacramento, said in a statement last week that residents are advised to wear masks indoors. No mandate was issued.

“California is experiencing a summer COVID wave,” Aimee Sisson, the Yolo County health officer, said in the statement.

“Based on current wastewater levels of the virus that causes COVID-19, I recommend that everybody in West Sacramento wear a mask when they are around others in indoor public spaces.”

“I also recommend that people in the rest of Yolo County wear masks when they are around others indoors if they are 65 or older, have a weakened immune system, have an underlying medical condition that puts them at a greater risk of severe COVID-19, or spend time around people who fall into these categories.”

Sisson’s office also said in a news release issued by the county that “wearing a high-quality mask such as an N95, KN95, or KF94 that fits well continues to provide strong protection” before touting vaccines for the virus.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health told the Los Angeles Times, in an article published Sept. 3 that suggests multiple California officials have recommended masking, that it is also recommending people “consider wearing a well-fitted mask in crowded indoor spaces, including when traveling, and to stay at home if they feel sick.”

Multiple requests from The Epoch Times to the city health department have not been returned as of Friday.

In Canada, New Brunswick’s Horizon Health Network told The Epoch Times this week that it would mandate masks for certain clinical areas due to a rise in respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19. Several weeks ago, the government of Honduras announced it had reinstated a nationwide mask mandate in health care settings due to a rise in respiratory viruses.

Last year, multiple California counties implemented mandatory mask requirements in health care settings that lasted from November 2024 until the spring of this year, including counties in the San Francisco Bay Area. Some of the countywide mandates were meant only for employees, while one county required all visitors and patients to wear a mask.

An Epoch Times review suggests that no counties in the United States have recently issued mask mandates or are planning to issue mask mandates for the coming fall or winter months.

The Epoch Times contacted the California Department of Public Health for comment.

An update on the agency’s website posted in late June recommends that certain people wear masks or an N95 respirator variant, particularly if they suspect they were exposed to an infection or “are at a high-risk of becoming severely ill.”

It comes as California, Oregon, Washington state, and Hawaii formed a “West Coast Health Alliance” in response to decisions made by U.S. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including his shakeup of the CDC’s advisory panel.

Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times,

President Donald Trump said in a lengthy social media post that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has “done its job” on releasing information connected to deceased convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

“The now dying (after the DOJ gave thousands of pages of documents in full compliance with a very comprehensive and exacting Subpoena from Congress!) Epstein case was only brought back to life” in recent days for political purposes, not for the victims, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Sept. 5.

Trump added that the Justice Department “has done its job,“ and ”they have given everything requested of them“ in the Epstein case, adding that it’s time for Democrats who are making Epstein-related demands to ”end“ what he called the ”Epstein hoax.”

In the post, he also said that the chatter around Epstein is designed to serve as a “hoax” to gain political points and an attempt “to deflect and distract from the great success of a Republican President.”

Democrats and some Republicans in the House have called for disclosures related to the case, about six years after Epstein was charged with sex trafficking counts before he was found dead in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019. This week, lawmakers hosted a news conference with women who said they were victims of Epstein to call for more transparency.

On Tuesday, the House Oversight Committee, under Chair James Comer (R-Ky.), released a batch of Epstein-related files that it said it obtained from the DOJ in response to a subpoena for those records.

The records encompass 33,295 pages of material, which were uploaded onto Dropbox and Google Drive.

Speaking to reporters in the Capitol on Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said that the document disclosure “is the beginning and not the end” and that “we want to bring justice to every single person who is involved in the Epstein evils and the cover up thereof, but we also want to be equally certain we protect the innocent victims.”

The materials include videos that were captured outside of Epstein’s jail cell, footage from his Florida home, audio files between his former associate Ghislaine Maxwell and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche over the summer, and other documents.

Transcripts of the interview between Maxwell and Blanche were released last month.

Maxwell is currently serving out a 20-year prison term after she was convicted on charges in 2021 of conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors over the course of a decade.

In the news conference, the women who said they were Epstein’s victims called on members of Congress to pass a bill requiring the release of more documents related to the case.

“Survivors need protection, resources, and legal support. If this Congress is serious about justice, then let this moment also affirm your commitment to provide victims with the legal aid they need,” Anouska De Georgiou, a self-described Epstein victim, said at the press event earlier this week that had been organized by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

President Trump signed an Executive Order Friday officially changing name of the Department of Defense back to the Department of War.

The War Department previously existed for over a century and a half, from 1789 to 1947—and now thanks to Trump it’s back.

In the Oval Office, White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf explained the significance of the change, noting “From 1789 until 1947, our nation won some of its greatest military victories under the direction of a Secretary of War, operating within a Department of War.”

WATCH: President Trump signs an Executive Order officially renaming the Department of Defense back to the Department of War.

The War Department existed for 158 years, from 1789 to 1947—and now it’s back.

In the Oval Office, White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf explained the… pic.twitter.com/xgjw24Gtw9

— Overton (@overton_news) September 5, 2025

“Today, with this executive order, you will authorize the current Secretary of Defense, in the current Department of Defense, to once again embrace this great lineage,” Scharf added.

In signing the order, Trump remarked “I think that’s a big one!”

Workers were later seen removing “Defense” lettering to be replaced with “War”:

🚨 JUST IN: The Departnent of War rebrand is in FULL FORCE.

Workers have been spotted making the changes official. pic.twitter.com/SAoOgUT7Ul

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 5, 2025

Secretary of Defense, (Now War) Pete Hegseth commented that the name change is about restoring a “warrior” mentality.

Hegseth added that it concerns “Restoring victory and clarity as an end state,” and “Restoring intentionality to the use of force.”

NEW: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says the name change back to the Department of War is about restoring the WARRIOR ETHOS.

“Restoring victory and clarity as an end state.”

“Restoring intentionality to the use of force.”

“So at your direction, Mr. President, the War Department… pic.twitter.com/Yp1V8lTPc3

— Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) September 5, 2025

“So at your direction, Mr. President, the War Department will fight decisively, not endless conflicts,” Hegseth urged, adding “We’re going to go on offense not just on defense. Maximum lethality. Not tepid legality.”

“Violent effect, not politically correct. We’re going to raise up warriors, not just defenders,” Hegseth further remarked.

“America first, peace through strength, brought to you by the War Department… We’re back,” he concluded.

*  *  *

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

Federal Bureau of Investigation agents seized three computers, two iPhones, and multiple documents from the Bethesda, Maryland, home of former Trump national security advisor John Bolton on August 22, according to a report released Friday. The raid is part of an ongoing investigation into whether the infamous war hawk mishandled classified documents, including allegations he emailed sensitive files to family members via a private server.

The New York Post reported new details about the raid:

In addition to the high-tech hardware, agents confiscated two USB drives, a hard drive, four boxes of “printed daily activities,” “typed documents in folders labeled ‘Trump I – IV’” and a white binder labeled “statements and reflections to allied strikes,” according to an inventory made public Thursday.

The warrant also revealed that Bolton is being looked at for allegedly violating two sections of the Espionage Act of 1917 forbidding unauthorized possession or removal of national defense information, and another law preventing hoarding of classified files.

The investigation, which intensified under the Biden administration, also centers on personal emails allegedly obtained by a foreign government’s spy agency, according to people familiar with the matter cited by the New York Times. The emails reportedly contained classified information Bolton sent to close associates while gathering material for his 2020 memoir, “The Room Where It Happened.” The FBI’s search of Bolton’s home aimed to determine if he possessed materials that could verify the authenticity of the compromised emails.

During the Trump administration, the Justice Department initiated a criminal probe into whether Bolton mishandled classified material in his book. The administration also sued to delay the memoir’s publication. Although the book was released, a federal judge, Royce Lamberth, concluded that “Defendant Bolton likely jeopardized national security by disclosing classified information in violation of his nondisclosure agreement obligations.” However, Judge Lamberth declined to block distribution, noting, “the horse is already out of the barn,” as excerpts had been published and 200,000 copies had shipped.

The Times sources indicated that the information allegedly obtained by the foreign spy agency was not included in Bolton’s book. The investigation into Bolton reportedly stalled under Biden for reasons that remain unclear.

An FBI agent, speaking to the Post, criticized the pause, telling the newspaper, “The [Biden administration] had probable cause to know that he had taken material that was detrimental to the national security of the United States, and they made no effort to retrieve it.”

The agent added, “That was a friendly administration to [Bolton]. They kept bashing [Trump] the entire time for ‘weaponizing law enforcement,’ and they – by politically stopping a righteous investigation – are the ones who weaponized law enforcement.”

Bolton, who has not been charged or arrested, denies any wrongdoing. If convicted on all potential charges, he could face up to 25 years in prison.

Authored by Jackson Richman via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration cannot withhold billions of dollars in foreign assistance approved by Congress, including aid that the White House recently said it would not spend.

The Trump administration must release $11.5 billion in foreign aid that is set to expire at the end of the month, said U.S. District Judge Amir Ali in a Sept. 3 decision.

“There is not a plausible interpretation of the statutes that would justify the billions of dollars they plan to withhold,” Ali wrote in his ruling.

“To be clear, no one disputes that Defendants have significant discretion in how to spend the funds at issue, and the Court is not directing Defendants to make payments to any particular recipients. But Defendants do not have any discretion as to whether to spend the funds.”

The Trump administration last week requested that Congress rescind $4.9 billion in foreign aid. The $11.5 billion figure includes the $4.9 billion.

In accordance with the Impoundment Control Act, a rescission is when the White House requests Congress to reverse government funding that has been appropriated by Congress. Typically, it must be approved within 45 days of the request being sent to Congress, or else the money must be spent.

Given that this request was made within 45 days of the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, the cancellation could take effect without Congress approving it. This maneuver is known as a pocket rescission.

Ali wrote that the funding is to be spent since Congress appropriated it.

“It is undisputed the relevant appropriations acts have been valid law from the time they were enacted to today. For almost all that period, Defendants did not even dispute that the laws were mandatory and required them to spend the funds,” he wrote. “The President never asked Congress to rescind the funds at issue even though he successfully sought rescission of analogous funds in May 2025.”

The Trump administration filed a notice of appeal on Sept. 4.

“President Trump has the executive authority to ensure that all foreign aid is accountable to taxpayers and aligns with the America First priorities people voted for,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement.

Republicans and Democrats have criticized the pocket rescission.

“With the Trump Administration’s attempt of the so-called ’pocket rescission,’ it is clear that Republicans are prioritizing chaos over governing, partisanship over partnership, and their own power over the American people,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a Sept. 2 letter.

“Republicans should not accept Russ Vought’s brazen attempt to usurp their own power,” Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said in an Aug. 29 statement, referring to the director of the Office of Management and Budget.

“No president has a line item veto—and certainly not a retroactive line item veto.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) called the pocket rescission “unlawful.”

“Congress alone bears the constitutional responsibility for funding our government, and any effort to claw back resources outside of the appropriations process undermines that responsibility,” she wrote on X.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

On Friday, for the second time in just two days, a Venezuelan F-16 jet flew near a US warship in the southern Caribbean. At least eight American navel vessels have been deployed off the Latin American country which possesses the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves.

President Trump the same day warned that if Venezuelan jets fly over US naval ships and “put us in a dangerous position, they’ll be shot down.”

CBS late Friday cited Pentagon officials who said a Venezuelan plane flew over the US destroyer “Jason Dunham” for the second time.

Some observers have begun to question the circumstances behind the prior US strike on a “drug-carrying vessel from Venezuela” operated allegedly by a drug trafficking gang, which killed all eleven people on board. Assuming they weren’t military, it could be classified as an extrajudicial killing in international waters, with no warning issued or attempt at intercept.

The Commander-in-Chief has put US forces deployed there on a war footing, it appears:

When asked by reporters in the Oval Office on Friday what would happen if Venezuelan jets flew over US vessels again, Trump said Venezuela would be in “trouble”.

Trump told his general, standing beside him, that he could do anything he wanted if the situation escalated.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has responded by rejecting the state-linked narcotrafficking allegations, and explained that current problems and differences between the nations do not justify a “military conflict”.

Maduro continued, “Venezuela has always been willing to talk, to engage in dialogue, but we demand respect.”

Watch: Trump issues his new warning:

NOW – Trump instructs General Caine to shoot down Venezuelan jets if they approach U.S. naval ships dangerously. pic.twitter.com/g0gDfVHkB2

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) September 5, 2025

Shooting down a Venezuelan jet would constitute an act of war, but Trump would likely not immediately go beyond that – unless there was further retaliation from Caracas. However, there remains the likely possibility that Trump could be pursuing a regime change policy, in continuation of some statements from his first term. On this, CNN writes:

Asked by a reporter on Friday if he would like to see regime change in Venezuela, Trump said, “We’re not talking about that.”

He went to say, “But we are talking about the fact that [Venezuela] had an election, which was a very strange election, to put it mildly.”

CNN further claims, “President Donald Trump is weighing a multitude of options for carrying out military strikes against drug cartels operating in Venezuela, including potentially hitting targets inside the country as part of a broader strategy aimed at weakening leader Nicolas Maduro, according to multiple sources briefed on the administration’s plans.”

Like the other many conflicts and unchecked adventurism in foreign lands, Congress appears to be missing in action, with the exceptions of Kentucky’s Rand Paul and Thomas Massie.