Authored by Autumn Spredemann via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)

The recycled metals industry is growing domestically and internationally, in part fueled by the rapid expansion of construction and automotive manufacturing. Now, tariffs may be giving it a boost.

The U.S. market for scrap metal recycling registered a growth of 3.7 percent between 2017 and 2021. The global recycled metals market is expected to expand 6 percent from 2025 to 2034, according to an analysis by Precedence Research. It was valued at $2.8 billion in 2024.

Recently, industry insiders say U.S. recycled metals businesses haven’t experienced any direct impacts from new tariffs, but they’ve noticed changes in demand for various alloys.

On Feb. 10, President Donald Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on imports of aluminum and steel, raising that to 50 percent on June 3.

Recycled metals sourced from North America are not subject to the tariffs.

Some U.S. companies are now splitting their metal sourcing, Michael Schmied, a commodities expert and senior financial analyst at Kredite Schweiz, told The Epoch Times.

They’re using imported metals for the non-critical parts of their operations, but turning to domestic or recycled minerals for essential production because those alloys aren’t subject to import duties.

Buyers may be reluctant to pay higher prices on imported metals if recycled materials offer similar quality.

“That shift creates a baseline demand for recycled metals that didn’t exist before …. Businesses are treating domestic supply like insurance against future supply chain shocks,” Schmied said.

“I’ve noticed that the tariffs lifted prices at first, but the effect was mixed. Higher costs on imported steel nudged buyers to care more about quality and consistency, which let some recyclers pick up new orders,” he said.

Schmied said the tariffs also “raised equipment expenses and squeezed cash flow, so any upside came with extra risk.”

He said an example is metal shredder wear parts, which many in the industry import from China, and which are now subject to import duties.

“Overall, the [Trump] policy opened a door, but it also raised the stakes for everyone in the supply chain,” Schmied said.

Generally, when scrap metal is sorted and purified by a recycling company, the metal is melted down and recast—made into rolls, ingots, or sheets—depending on the type of metal and its intended purpose.

After this process, recycled metals can be sold to manufacturers for use in new products. This can be done with significantly less expense than mining new, unprocessed elements.

Jodie Brewster, senior vice president of Texas Metals & Recycling, told The Epoch Times her business hasn’t experienced any operational setbacks from Trump’s tariffs.

She said the scrap keeps coming in and the business is always able to find buyers—usually industrial manufacturers, known as “mills.”

One of the trends she has observed in recent months is a price increase for aluminum and a steep drop in the price of heavy metals, including steel.

“A truck’s worth [of aluminum] today would sell for like a dollar a pound. A year ago, that would’ve sold for 91 cents a pound,” Brewster said.

“I have active buyers who want aluminum, sometimes wanting more than we can provide.”

Dmitriy Cheban, a partner at Tennessee-based All Metal Recycling company, has witnessed a similar pattern with aluminum prices.

“All types of aluminum are wanted. You can make all kinds of stuff with it,” Cheban told The Epoch Times.

He said aluminum is the most profitable scrap metal his business takes in. He noted that part of that is due to the extreme versatility of the alloy, which is used in everything from cans to car parts, furniture, and even medical equipment.

Cheban said he can sell aluminum for between 50 cents and 90 cents a pound. Comparatively, steel is only going for about 7 cents a pound, he said.

“Other metal prices [going down], like steel, it’s from all the market uncertainty,” Cheban said.

Brewster has experienced the same with steel prices, seeing an overall drop in the demand for heavy metals in Texas mills.

The steel Brewster sells now is “shredder feed.”

Read the rest here…

Los Angeles has become ground zero in the showdown between far-left Mayor Karen Bass and the Trump administration over the removal of criminal illegal aliens. Bass—backed by a Democratic Party increasingly dominated by radical progressives and even open Marxists—has helped create a toxic and dangerous climate of defiance toward federal immigration enforcement, emboldening threats against federal agents, as evidenced by the color revolution against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Los Angeles last month. 

This is the same party that, under the Biden-Harris regime, enabled—or outright facilitated—the border invasion now being reversed through large-scale deportation outflows. The Trump administration is preparing to ramp up deportations to 3,000 per day, or roughly one million per year. And now, from judicial lawfare in courtrooms to color revolution-style riots in the streets, Democrats are enraged by Trump’s deportation drive—one set to shift into high speed following the recent passage of the Big Beautiful Bill, which allocates critical funding to the Department of Homeland Security. 

Mayor Bass’s defiance has been on full display… 

Karen Bass defiantly responds to today’s ICE operation in LA:

“Last I checked, I was elected to be mayor of the city. That did not include a federal takeover….So either you believe in democracy or you don’t.”

Not sure Karen understands how any of this works. pic.twitter.com/uxGNkgjpxE

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) July 7, 2025

Impeding federal agents is a crime and Karen Bass appears to be doing just that in this video…..by stopping ICE and Border agents from doing their job

No one’s above the law, including Democrats

Now lock her up pic.twitter.com/eSkH1CLsty

— @Chicago1Ray 🇺🇸 (@Chicago1Ray) July 7, 2025

Karen Bass is the most incompetent DEI btch I’ve ever seen. pic.twitter.com/IaPzLmuL8R

— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) July 7, 2025

With U.S. Border Patrol El Centro Sector Chief Gregory Bovino issuing a warning to the leftist mayor: “I don’t work for Karen Bass. The federal government doesn’t work for Karen Bass… She’d better get used to us, because this is going to be the new normal very soon.”

CBP Sector Chief Greg Bovino to Mayor Karen Bass:

“I don’t work for Karen Bass. The federal government doesn’t work for Karen Bass … She’d better get used to us now because this is gonna be normal very soon.”

Hero. pic.twitter.com/NG3euxUQUs

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) July 8, 2025

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller…  

White House Deputy Chief of Staff @StephenM: “There is an insurrectionist movement in the Democrat Party that is inspiring domestic terrorism against ICE.” pic.twitter.com/rwlV0wmYN9

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 8, 2025

Related:

• Gunman Ambushes Border Patrol Agents In Texas Amid Anti-ICE Rhetoric From Democrats

• “Get Your F**king Members In Order”: L.A. Official Calls For Mexican Gangs To Mobilize Against ICE Agents

• CNN Stunned As Majority Of Americans Back Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan

.  .  . 

One month after consumer credit unexpectedly jumped the most in 2025, when it spiked by $17.9 billion (since revised to $16.9 billion) in the month of April, moments ago the Fed released its monthly consumer credit report which showed that the yoyo action in credit-fueled consumer spending continued, and in May while total consumer credit rose a modest $5.1 billion, half of the $10.55 billion expected, it was all on the back of non-revolving credit (i.e., student and car loans). That’s because revolving (or credit card) debt slumped by $3.5 billion, the first drop in 2025, and the second biggest monthly decline since covid.

Starting with nonrevolving credit, the monthly change remained sturdy, with the total rising to a new record high of $3.749 trillion…

… although the composition is curious, with auto loans actually shrinking in Q1 by $8.5 billion to $1.555 trillion, while student loans – which for years had flatlined thanks to BIden’s repayment moratorium – soared by $27 billion in Q1 to a new record high just over $1.8 trillion, their biggest quarterly increase since the $34.1 billion spent on stuff lessons during the covid pandemic.

But, as noted above, it was revolving credit that was the standout in May and as shown below, credit card debt unexpectedly shrank by $3.5 billion to just under $1.299 trillion. 

Such sudden drops in credit card debt are always concerning and indicative of either a sharp reversal looming in the economy, or households who are stuffed with debt and no longer want – or can get – more credit for purchases. 

We expect to find out which is the right answer in the coming months. 

Authored by Matt Lamb via The College Fix,

A former teammate of William “Lia” Thomas praised the University of Pennsylvania for agreeing to keep men out of women’s locker rooms following negotiations with the Trump administration.

For the first time Monika Burzynska shared her frustrations with her alma mater for letting Lia Thomas, a male, undress and shower alongside female swimmers. Last week, the Trump administration unfroze hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds in exchange for the Ivy League university’s agreement to strip Thomas (pictured above) of his records he took from female swimmers.

The school also agreed to amend its policies to keep locker rooms and bathrooms single sex.

Burzynska shared her story recently with Fox News.

“When that season eventually began, and Thomas became a fixture in the women’s locker room, Burzynska often retreated to the corner of the room to change,” the news outlet reported.

“Other times, Burzynska timed exactly when she changed to coincide with when Thomas showered. Eventually, Burzynska opted to only change in the stalls or in the family locker across the hall.”

The head swimming coach largely ignored her concerns. While the coach called her concerns “valid” he also told her “Lia is changing in your locker room and there’s nothing you could do about it.”

The coach agreed it was “not fair” but asked Burzynska not to share her frustrations but only to talk to him.

The swimmer has a “a deep sense of peace and validation,” now that men won’t be allowed in female locker rooms.

“Not only for me, but for all the girls on the team, for all the girls in the swim world and in the sport world. And I think this decision, it brought back – at least for me – a sense of fairness that had been lost,” Burzynska said. “Women’s records belong to women and that protecting the integrity of women’s sports still matters.”

She shared how she used to have compassion for individuals with gender dysphoria but the Thomas situation changed her view of transgender issues.

“I thought it must be terrible to feel like you’re trapped in the wrong body. Just be so out of touch with who you really are,” Burzynska told Fox News.

“You have these issues that are from afar and you never really quite think they’re going to touch you personally until you’re on a team with Lia Thomas and your locker is directly next to this biological male. And you would have never believed that you’d be facing this issue directly.

UPenn has agreed to right its wrongs, restore records to the rightful female athletes, and issue an apology to the women impacted by the man they allowed to compete as a woman.

Are pigs flying?

God bless @realDonaldTrump. pic.twitter.com/PZxcieyp7m

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) July 1, 2025

“And then when that happens, your views change where you still feel sorry for this person because they’re clearly so deeply lost. But then it turns into more, ‘OK, this is not fair,’”

She said UPenn is staunchly liberal and pro-LGBT, which conflicted with her conservative views.

“And so I was kind of ready to embrace that, that my views wouldn’t be welcomed because I’ve been conservative most of my life,” she said. “My beliefs are grounded in faith.”

Her testimony comports with what Paula Scanlan, another former UPenn swimmer, previously told Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire.

The decision to protect future female athletes from males who claim to be women has drawn praise from civil rights activists.

“UPenn has agreed to right its wrongs, restore records to the rightful female athletes, and issue an apology to the women impacted by the man they allowed to compete as a woman,” Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer, wrote on X.

Washington and Tehran continue their tit-for-tat he said/she said exchanges of statements and accusations, but at least they are not trading ballistic missile attacks at the moment.

Iran on Tuesday clarified that it has not requested talks with the United States over its nuclear program, as claimed by US President Donald Trump during his Monday night dinner hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “No request for a meeting has been made on our side to the American side,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei was quoted in Tasnim news agency as saying.

Trump had told reporters, “We have scheduled Iran talks. They want to talk. They want to work something out. They are very different now than they were two weeks ago.”

The US President appears to be trying to turn the ceasefire into a total ‘win’ over Iran’s nuclear program, after lingering questions on if the US bomber raids actually destroyed Tehran’s nuclear capability.

And there was this: “Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff – also present during the dinner – had even said the meeting could take place in the next week or so,” according to Al Jazeera.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has written that “we have good reason to have doubts about further dialogue.” Iran for understandable reasons fears that if it were to come to the negotiating table, it could simply get bombed again while thinking that the other side was dialoguing in good faith.

Below is a fuller explanation of where things stand by Middle East war correspondent Elijah Magnier:

Why the West Knows It Can’t Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Program — but the war was aiming to change the ruling system. The CIA and Mossad never actually intend to destroy Iran’s nuclear or missile programs — because they know they can’t. The deeper truth is this: the real target was the ruling system itself, and that effort has failed. Rafael Grossi, head of the IAEA, revealed he visited nuclear facilities 800 meters underground. No bomb in the U.S. arsenal can reach that depth — not even the GBU-57 bunker buster used by B-2 bombers, which barely penetrates 50–60 meters. The Pentagon wouldn’t bomb Esfahan because it knew the attack would fail. The damage to Fordow, at 100 meters deep, is very uncertain and the US knew it. Iran’s nuclear infrastructure was designed with this in mind.

Centrifuges are not vertically stacked like dominoes. They’re distributed, hardened, and concealed. Enriched uranium has been relocated across multiple undisclosed sites. After the strikes, the West isn’t even sure what was damaged and what survived. But the military campaign was only a small part of the plan. For twelve days, the U.S. and Israel launched a full-spectrum regime-change operation. Intelligence networks, spies and collaborators, embedded over decades — dormant cells, saboteurs, assassins, drone teams — were activated. Assassination plots, confusion campaigns, and targeted destabilisation efforts were unleashed across Iran. This wasn’t covert — it was orchestrated in plain view.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosted the Iranian crown prince, while media platforms in London and Washington amplified opposition figures. A coordinated information war was waged to fracture public trust, deepen unrest, and break the system from within. It failed. Despite the noise, the Islamic Republic withstood it. The leadership structure held firm. The nuclear program wasn’t crippled. The missile infrastructure remains intact. And the West, after unleashing decades of espionage and psychological warfare, was left with almost nothing to show. That’s why the CIA and Mossad don’t talk seriously about “destroying” Iran’s nuclear capacity anymore. Not because they don’t want to — but because they know they can’t. And their attempt to break the system from within has only proven just how durable that system really is.

To demonstrate just how contradictory Trump policy on the Middle East has been…

Fareed Zakaria and the Aspen Ideas Festival have a big laugh reminiscing about how Trump used to chastise “crazy John Bolton” for desperately wanting to bomb Iran — only for Trump to subsequently bomb Iran pic.twitter.com/We2thdFQDj

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) July 7, 2025

Despite White House optimism, it’s very unlikely that Iran will come to the nuclear negotiating table at this point. And if it does, there’s a very slim chance of actual progress. Iran has never backed off its insistence that it be allowed to enrich uranium as a matter of national sovereignty.

Authored by Jackson Richman via The Epoch Times,

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced on July 8 that the United States will be moving to ban Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland over national security concerns.

During a press conference with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and other top officials, Rollins said the Trump administration will work with states and use executive actions to ban ownership of U.S. agriculture by Chinese and nationals of other adversaries.

During a call with reporters on July 7, Rollins acknowledged there was no way for her agency to take back farmland owned by the Chinese and other foreign buyers.

“USDA is not in the role to be able to do that,” she said.

The national security action plan released by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and obtained by The Epoch Times states that, “Land owned by foreign nationals—particularly those from countries of concern…or other foreign adversaries—is a potential threat to national security and future economic prosperity. USDA will ensure transparency of foreign U.S. agricultural land ownership and pursue robust and overdue updates to data collection, reporting, and analysis.”

The USDA, according to the plan, will implement reforms such as creating an online filing system to require foreign entities to report their holdings and transactions in the U.S. agricultural marketplace.

It will also work alongside Congress and states to pass and implement laws to take “action to end the direct or indirect purchase or control of American farmland by nationals from countries of concern or other foreign adversaries.”

Additionally, the USDA will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Treasury Department to “ensure regular coordination” with the agriculture secretary related to reviews by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) when it comes to foreign transactions involving the agriculture sector, according to the plan.

Rollins announced that she will sit on CFIUS, a panel that reviews foreign purchases for national security risks, beginning July 8.

Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland has been a concern in both the agricultural and national security sectors.

A U.S. Government Accountability Office report in 2024 said that U.S. agencies were in the dark about Chinese ownership of American farmland.

“This report confirms one of our worst fears: that not only is the USDA unable to answer the question of who owns what land and where, but that there is no plan by the department to internally reverse this dangerous flaw that affects our supply chain and economy,” said Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) at the time.

In July 2024, the Biden administration took executive action to shutter Chinese majority-owned MineOne Partners Ltd. and its affiliates.

BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund has just crossed over 700,000 BTC in assets under management, far surpassing Michael Saylor’s stash at (Micro)Strategy…

“New milestone… iShares Bitcoin ETF now holds over 700,000 BTC,” Nate Geraci, president of NovaDius Wealth Management (formerly The ETF Store), said.

“*700,000* in 18 months. Ridiculous.”

ETF inflows continue to build…

In just 18 months, IBIT’s AUM topped $75 billion; an achievement that took GLD (the gold ETF) over 15 years to achieve…

As The Block reports, the combined assets held by all U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs are now at approximately 1.25 million BTC ($135 billion), according to CoinGlass data – nearly 6% of bitcoin’s total 21 million supply.

IBIT accounts for approximately 56% of that AUM alone – greater than Strategy’s 597,325 BTC ($65 billion) stack, for comparison.

Meanwhile, as CoinTelegraph reports, US Bitcoin exchange-traded funds, combined with Michael Saylor’s Strategy, the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, have purchased more Bitcoin than the supply generated by miners almost every month so far this year, according to Galaxy Research.

Strategy and the US Bitcoin ETFs have collectively bought Bitcoin worth $28.22 billion in 2025, while Bitcoin miners’ net new issuance has amounted to $7.85 billion during the same period.

As of June, the combined entities have bought more Bitcoin than the new supply being generated each month, except in February, when the combined entities sold Bitcoin worth $842 million.

All of which supports the trend higher in bitcoin along with global liquidity surging…

…and increased adoption, with US leading UK and EU…

Deutsche Bank’s recent survey shows younger, high-earning respondents continue to have the highest adoption.

Male consumers boast a higher adoption rate and believe they have a better understanding of crypto vs. female consumers.

But, despite regulatory breakthroughs, lack of understanding and high risk continue to rank as the top barriers for crypto usage.

Authored by Cully Stimson & Hans von Spakovsky via The Epoch Times,

Attention, all parents and college students worried about the ever-rising cost of college tuition. The Department of Justice has finally—after three decades—started enforcing the federal law that prohibits states from offering in-state tuition to illegal aliens unless they also offer in-state tuition to everyone else—including all citizen students from out of state.

The law it’s enforcing has existed since 1996, when Congress passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act.

Buried inside that huge law was Section 505, codified at 8 U.S.C. § 1623, which prohibits state colleges and universities from providing in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens “on the basis of residence within the State” unless the same in-state rates are offered to all citizens of the United States.

In English, that means that states that offer in-state tuition to illegal aliens also have to offer in-state tuition to everyone. That means you!

Section 505 is still the law of the land—as we wrote back in 2011.

But the problem is that the law did not include a private right of action, meaning everyday individuals could not sue and win. Only the U.S. government, through the Department of Justice, could sue states and universities to enforce the plain language of the law.

So, the law sat like a Caryatid for over three decades, staring out into space, standing tall, but supporting nothing except higher tuition costs for American citizens who have been subsidizing the tuition of illegal aliens.

That was true until recently.

Earlier this month, we wrote about how under the leadership of Attorney General Pam Bondi, the DOJ successfully sued Texas for offering in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens while charging non-Texan American students higher rates. Texas waved the white flag immediately and settled the case by entering into a consent decree to correct the illegal practice.

High off its easy win, the department has embarked on a state-by-state crusade, filing complaints against Kentucky on June 17 and Minnesota on June 25 for the same blatant violation of federal law. Both states offer in-state tuition to illegal aliens while demanding higher out-of-state tuition from American citizens who reside elsewhere.

These price differences aren’t trivial.

According to one figure, the average cost of in-state tuition and fees at a public four-year college in Kentucky is $11,299. That’s only 3.71 percent higher than the national average for a public college. But the average cost of out-of-state tuition and fees at a public four-year college in Kentucky is $26,640, more than twice as much.

Let’s look at Minnesota. According to the same source, Gov. Tim Walz‘s favorite constituents—illegal aliens who attend a four-year public college—only pay in-state tuition and fees of $12,873. An out-of-state American citizen dreaming of college in the Gopher State can expect more than double that price: an average of $26,719.

Think about it this way: an illegal alien from Mexico or Somalia living in Minnesota gets a better deal at a Minnesota state four-year college than a straight-A student from Michigan or Wisconsin, unless, of course, the out-of-state student gets a scholarship or a tuition discount.

How is that fair? It’s not.

Where We Want Bondi to Go Next

While the recent lawsuits against Minnesota and Kentucky are a great start, other states are also actively violating federal law by offering in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens while not offering the same to out-of-state students. The scofflaws are Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Nebraska, New Mexico, Kansas, Illinois, Florida, Colorado, Virginia, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York.

All these should be addressed—but here are Heritage’s top three picks for the DOJ to target next.

Maryland

Gov. Wes Moore’s state makes the short list of states the DOJ should haul into court. Maryland’s universities have favored illegal aliens since 2011, when the state passed a law allowing them to pay in-state tuition for community colleges.

The Maryland DREAM Act, enacted in 2012, spells out the requirements for in-state tuition for illegals. Here are just a few of the requirements:

• Attend a Maryland public or private high school for at least one year; or

• Graduate from a Maryland high school or receive a Maryland high school diploma or equivalent diploma, like a GED; or

• File Maryland income tax returns for the last three years.

Regardless of these Maryland-specific requirements, the act still violates federal laws because Maryland does not give in-state tuition to residents of other states.

Annual in-state tuition and fees for a public four-year university in Maryland average $10,041. The price for a Virginia citizen resident—who can easily drive across the Potomac River to get to Maryland—is a whopping $26,721.

For many families, the difference between tuition of $10k per year versus $26k per year is the difference between attending college and not attending college.

How many illegal aliens are enrolled in higher education in Maryland? A stunning 11,675.

If every illegal alien student enrolled in a public college of higher education in the state of Maryland pays in-state tuition (which they don’t, as many get tuition breaks on top of in-state tuition), then the taxpayers of Maryland and the out-of-state students pick up the slack, which amounts to roughly $194,739,000.

In a state that faces a $3 billion budget gap and spends almost $6 billion on higher education, that’s a significant subsidy.

Colorado

This rocky mountain state, as beautiful as it is, has some ugly numbers when it comes to giving tuition benefits to illegal aliens in violation of Section 505.

The Centennial State advertises a somewhat reasonable average in-state tuition of $9,798 for four-year public colleges. Expensive, yes, but justifiable in exchange for the scenic views and the University of Colorado system. The picturesque mountains get a bit harder to justify at $32,476, the average annual price for out-of-state students.

Colorado has tweaked their state law with respect to how a resident illegal alien can qualify for in-state tuition. The latest revision to Colorado’s law came in 2022 with the passage of HB22-1155, which “remove[d] several barriers that prevented thousands of undocumented high school students from qualifying for in-state tuition rates and in-state financial aid.”

Under the new law, a resident illegal alien qualifies for in-state tuition and in-state financial aid if:

• He attended a Colorado high school for at least a year, or

• Graduated from a Colorado high school.

The student is not timebound as to when he or she must attend college, but he or she must be physically present in Colorado for one year before attending. How those strictures are verified or enforced is anyone’s guess.

The new law means that a California student whose family moved to Colorado the day after his high school graduation will pay 231 percent more than an illegal alien from El Salvador or Mexico who graduated from a Colorado high school after sneaking into the country.

Illinois

Home of the Windy City, deep blue Illinois and Gov. JB Pritzker are next on our DOJ lawsuit list.

With annual average tuition and fees at a four-year public college at $14,921, Illinoisans take a bigger hit than in-state applicants in other states looking to stay local. The state has the sixth most expensive public school tuition rate in the country.

But anyone else in the nation wanting to go to the Prairie State for college also better start saving early, as the out-of-state tuition and fees for a four-year public college average $30,027 a year.

Illinois’s higher education system actively educates 27,672 illegal alien students. With a difference of about $15k between in- and out-of-state tuition, this population costs the state a whopping $418,013,232.

Let’s put these numbers into perspective.

In 1911, it cost $250,000 to build Wrigley Field. Adjusting for inflation, this would be the equivalent to about $7.85 million in 2024.

You could build 53 Wrigley Fields, rent out the stadiums on opening day, buy everyone in the stadiums a hot dog, and still have money left over with the amount the state subsidizes illegal aliens yearly via in-state college tuition.

In 2003, Illinois Public Act 093-0007 gave eligible illegal alien students access to in-state tuition. Signed by Pritzker last August, the newest legislation made some changes to existing law, but for all intents and purposes, it remains just as illegal. Both make it impossible for anyone other than an in-state citizen or an illegal alien to receive discounted tuition.

The number of requirements imposed on in-state individuals to qualify for in-state tuition doesn’t matter. The only way a state law that offers in-state tuition for resident illegal aliens can comply with Section 505 is if the law offers in-state tuition rates for all students from any state.

Section 505 Is Not Anti-Immigrant

Let’s make one thing clear. Section 505 is not anti-immigration—nor is it designed by the alt-right to keep the illegal aliens in our country hopelessly uneducated.

The statute does not prohibit universities from offering in-state tuition to illegal aliens. If a state wants to do that at its public colleges and universities, it is free to do so. Section 505 only mandates that when billing for tuition, states treat out-of-state U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents the same as illegal aliens.

States that offer in-state tuition (or make financial aid or scholarships available) to illegal aliens take finite resources away from other students, both in-state and out-of-state. That forces the state’s taxpayers—and the parents of U.S. citizen students from other states—to cover the difference.

Every family who has sent a child to college knows what it feels like to pay for tuition. As costs go up and up, seemingly for no reason, families are understandably frustrated. And when the reason is that they’re subsidizing the college education of illegal aliens, this goes from frustrating to infuriating.

The DOJ’s lawsuits are a step in the right direction to enforce existing federal law and hopefully bring a touch of sanity to the college tuition racket.

That’s a matter of fundamental fairness to American citizens. It’s about time!

Reprinted by permission from The Daily Signal, a publication of The Heritage Foundation.

Is President Trump ‘weaponizing’ copper?

Just over two months ago, we noted that drastic tightening of the Chinese copper markets and since then, copper stocks in China have continued to dwindle as stocks of copper at COMEX (US) have soared…

With COMEX copper stocks now at seven year highs while Chinese stocks are at multi-year lows…

With that as background, President Trump said Tuesday that he plans to set a 50 percent tariff on copper imports, as part of a set of looming sectoral tariffs, while also indicating he could offer pharmaceutical manufacturers at least a year before implementing levies on their foreign-made products.

Trump told reporters during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday he was still planning tariffs on select industries, including drugs, semiconductors, and metals.

“I believe the tariff on copper we’re going to make it 50%,” Trump said when asked by a reporter what the rate on those products would be.

That effort is separate from Trump’s other effort to announce new country-specific tariff rates, which would not apply to products hit under his Section 232 efforts.

Copper futures in New York surged as much as 17% after Trump’s comments, the largest intraday gain in data going back to at least 1988…

…pushing the US price for the metal to a new record high… 

Trump had directed the Commerce Secretary in late February to open an investigation into foreign copper imports under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion act and submit a report within 270 days.

The act gives the president broad authority to impose restrictions on national security grounds.

So, with Chinese stocks dwindling and US stocks soaring, ‘tariff-ing’ Copper right now is interesting in its timing…

The US won’t be able to produce any more copper to offset the shortfall – it takes years to set up a copper mine, though there’s plenty in the ground.

US copper smelters though have struggled to compete with lower-cost smelters in China.

Copper is vital for housing, electronics and cars, both EV and conventional ICE vehicles. 

…remember, there’s no coincidences in Washington.

President Donald Trump and AG Pam Bondi completely punted over a question over Jeffrey Epstein during Tuesday’s televised cabinet meeting. 

Reporter: “Your memo and release yesterday on Jeffrey Epstein – it left some lingering mysteries. I guess one is whether he ever worked for an American or foreign intelligence agency. The former labor secretary, who was Miami US Attorney Alex Acosta – he allegedly said he did work for an intelligence agency. So can you resolve whether or not he did…”

To which Trump responded : “Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?!? This guy’s been talked about for years. You’re asking – we have Texas, we have this, we have all of the things that… And are people still talking about this guy? This creep? That is unbelievable. Do you want to waste the time? I mean, I can’t believe you’re asking a question about Epstein at a time like this when we’re having some of the greatest success and also tragedy with what happened… it just seems like a desecration. 

🚨 BREAKING: President Trump GOES OFF on reporter for asking about Jeffrey Epstein, Pam Bondi says the child p*rn Epstein files can NOT be released, ever.

TRUMP: “Are you still talking about – Jeffrey EPSTEIN? … We have Texas, this, all of the things…are people still talking… pic.twitter.com/SsNWZHkd4Y

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 8, 2025

I can believe it.

— Michael Flynn Jr (@realmflynnJR) July 8, 2025

Then Bondi jumped in – saying “First, to back up on that. In February, I did an interview on Fox and it’s been getting a lot of attention because I was asked a question about the client list. And my response was ‘it’s sitting on my desk to be reviewed,’ meaning the file – along with the JFK, MLK files as well. That’s what I meant by that. Also to the tens of thousands of video – they turned out to be child porn downloaded by that disgusting Jeffrey Epstein. Child porn is what they were. Never gonna be released. Never gonna see the light of day. To him being an agent; I have no knowledge of that. We can get back to you on that.” 

So, children being violated by whom?

Was there someone else in those tapes besides children? https://t.co/7bEx10OfOM

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) July 8, 2025

And when can we expect ‘phase II’? 

Liam Cosgrove (@Cosgrove_IV) of @ZeroHedge makes his White House debut, asks about the Clinton Body Count and whether Phase 2 of the Epstein files will include info about Israel:

“You’ve released Phase I of the Epstein files. What was missing was any connection of his ties to… pic.twitter.com/zhAwpEIsHk

— The Washington Observer (@WashObserver) May 19, 2025

It’s as if a magician accidentally sawed his assistant in half for real, blood spilling everywhere as she bleeds out, and then you hear “It’s all part of the show, folks.” 

pic.twitter.com/2BDJx6a6gX

— Doochebag (@no_one_quits) July 8, 2025

How many videos was he in?

— The Sentinel (@sentinelpatrol) July 8, 2025

Trump looks bad here…very bad

— RubyTubee (@rubytubee) July 8, 2025

*  *  *

Authored by Michael Snyder via TheMostImportantNews.com,

I literally feel sick right now.  After waiting for years for the truth about Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation to come out, and after months of being promised that stunning new information would be released soon, now we are being told to forget the entire thing.  The people that were brought in to run the Justice Department and the FBI were supposed to restore faith in the system, but instead they are destroying it.  Nobody that can think rationally is buying the lies that we are being fed.  

Apparently we are supposed to believe that Jeffrey Epstein didn’t have a client list, he never blackmailed anyone, and he was solely responsible for his own death…

A Justice Department and FBI review of the investigation related to disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein found that there was no “client list” or evidence that he blackmailed prominent figures, according to a memo detailing the findings.

The review also concluded that Epstein died by suicide while in custody at a Manhattan correctional facility in August 2019. Epstein was facing federal sex trafficking charges, and his death was subsequently investigated by the Justice Department’s internal watchdog and the FBI.

The Justice Department and FBI said in their memo that video footage reviewed by bureau investigators — and made available to the public — confirmed that Epstein was locked in his cell and nobody entered tiers of the unit where he was housed at the time of his death.

The Justice Department and the FBI are now facing an unprecedented credibility problem, because millions of us simply do not believe them.

After everything that has happened, the American people deserve some answers.  The following are 12 important questions that all Americans should be asking about the shameful attempt to cover up the truth about Jeffrey Epstein.

#1 Why were Jeffery Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell arrested and charged with operating an enormous sex trafficking ring that supposedly involved thousands of clients if no such clients ever existed?  As Robby Starbuck has pointed out, apparently we are supposed to believe that all of the powerful men that visited Epstein’s island were “just there to catch some waves and relax”…

#2 Why did U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi tell Fox News in February that Epstein’s client list was “sitting on my desk right now to review” if no such client list ever existed?…

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday said the Jeffrey Epstein client list is “sitting on my desk right now” and she is reviewing the JFK and MLK files as well after President Donald Trump’s earlier directives.

“It’s sitting on my desk right now to review,” Bondi told ‘America Reports’ host John Roberts on Friday. “That’s been a directive by President Trump.”

#3 What was in the “thousands of documents” related to the Epstein case that were suddenly discovered in February?…

Attorney General Pam Bondi has been made aware of “thousands of documents” related to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein that were previously not disclosed to her office, she said in a letter on Thursday.

#4 When Bondi claimed that the Epstein flight logs would “make you sick” in March, what did she mean by that?…

Attorney general Pam Bondi released hundreds of pages of information connected to Epstein in March, promising it would disclose “a lot of names” and flight logs that would “make you sick”.

#5 In May, Bondi confessed that there were “tens of thousands of videos” related to the Epstein investigation.  What was in those videos?…

She said in May that the FBI was reviewing “tens of thousands of videos” of Epstein “with children or child porn.” Bondi’s comments and the delay in releasing the next batch of documents have tapped into suspicions that damaging details about Epstein or other prominent figures remain hidden.

#6 Other than Jeffery Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, why hasn’t anyone else that was involved in the sex trafficking operation ever been arrested?…

#7 The memo that was released on Sunday night says that there will be “no further disclosure” in this case.  Does this mean that the Trump administration’s search for the truth ends here?…

In a memo published by Axios Sunday night, the DOJ and FBI jointly stated that the Epstein files did not include a client list, or evidence of additional perpetrators — and that there will be “no further disclosure” of information on the case.

“This systematic review revealed no incriminating ‘client list,’” The memo said. “There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.”

#8 The memo also states that there is no “evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties”.  Does this mean that none of the men that were having sex with underage girls will ever be brought to justice?…

Investigators found “no incriminating ‘client list’ ” of Epstein’s, “no credible evidence … that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals,” and no “evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties,” the memo adds.

#9 On the night that Epstein died, why were there so many strange “coincidences”?…

The jail had been told Epstein should have a cellmate, and that a guard must check on him every 30 minutes.

But on the night he died, his cellmate was transferred and not replaced and he was not checked on as often as required.

Two guards fell asleep at their desks – and later falsified their records.

Meanwhile, two cameras in front of Epstein’s cell malfunctioned that night – while another’s footage was “unusable”.

#10 Hours of video footage from outside Epstein’s cell on the night that he died has been released.  Did they think that we wouldn’t notice that a full minute has been cut out of that video footage?…

But now we can confirm that an entire minute was cut from the DOJ video that was released last night. Why? What are they hiding?

If you follow the full video you can see for yourself that the video is cut off at 11:59:00.

The video feed then restarts exactly at 12:00:00.

Where is the missing video?

#11 During the time that Elon Musk had unprecedented access to the government’s computer systems, did he learn some startling truths about the Epstein investigation?  If so, will he reveal what he knows now that he has started his own political party?

#12 Why was this memo about the Epstein case released to the public late on Sunday night on the 4th of July weekend?  Were they hoping that it would make as little news as possible?

I am so upset.

The victims of Epstein’s sex trafficking operation are never going to get any justice.

And all of the very sick men that committed unspeakable crimes are never going to be held accountable.

A line has been crossed that will never be able to be uncrossed.

How are we supposed to have faith in our federal law enforcement agencies after this?

They are lying to our faces and they are convinced that they are totally getting away with it.

There are some moments in history that are so horrifying that they will never be forgotten.

This is one of those moments.

*  * *

Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.