Archer Aviation is set to serve as the official air taxi provider for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles—a high-profile partnership that has boosted the startup’s public visibility. However, skepticism mounts over whether Archer can deliver a fully operational flying taxi aircraft ahead of the Games.

Short seller Culper Research has released a scathing report on Archer Aviation, alleging that the startup has “systematically misled, deceived, or outright lied” investors about nearly every significant milestone tied to developing and testing its eVTOL aircraft, Midnight.

“Archer’s misrepresentations have grown increasingly brazen as it attempts to conceal a far more deep-seated, and – in the Company’s very own words – “potentially catastrophic” problem: Midnight’s sham transition flight and underlying instability. In our view, Archer’s continued promotion of near-term commercialization is not only premature, but reckless,” Culper wrote in the report.

Culper claimed Midnight was “nowhere close to flying,” and pointed out that Archer CEO Adam Goldstein has been more focused on running promotions, such as appearing on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show last Thursday. 

“Our sources suggest, however, Archer paid millions for the airtime, in addition to Fallon’s recent appearance at an Archer promotional event in NYC,” the short seller wrote, adding, “We reached out to Fallon’s agent who told us that we, too, could have Jimmy show up at our party (to say nothing of his appearance in a promotional video) for about $600,000, plus transportation.”

On Tuesday morning, Culper wrote on X, “We are short Archer Aviation – and we’re extending a $1 million wager to Jimmy Fallon, who has earned millions to promote Archer. Jimmy – if you truly believe in Archer, prove it.”

NEW: We are short Archer Aviation $ACHR – and we’re extending a $1 million wager to @jimmyfallon, who has earned millions to promote $ACHR. Jimmy – if you truly believe in Archer, prove it. Our offer, and our full report now available at https://t.co/4MDshx5BeT pic.twitter.com/9u3BA2eFf7

— Culper (@CulperResearch) May 20, 2025

Archer shares are down a little more than 1% in late afternoon trading on Tuesday. According to data from S3 Partners, about 17% of the company’s floating stock is short. 

Here is short activity in Archer shares via Bloomberg. 

Cathie Wood’s Ark Investment Management is among the startup’s top shareholders. 

It appears that Midnight is capable of flight—at least to some extent.

✅ Midnight has achieved transition flight!

Next steps…
💨 Continuing to expand Midnight’s speed and endurance flight envelope
🗺️ Execute commercial flight plans to demonstrate the aircraft’s operational readiness

Watch the full, uncut version of the transition flight here:… pic.twitter.com/NLh1yw9GR8

— Archer (@ArcherAviation) June 27, 2024

One has to wonder: will Cathie Wood step up to defend Archer against Culper’s damning allegations?

Authored by Chris Summers via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

In 2025, most people are inseparable from their laptops and smartphones. With that familiarity has come a wariness of the dangers of clicking on unsolicited emails, SMS, or WhatsApp messages.

But there is a growing menace called zero-click attacks, which have previously targeted only VIPs or the very wealthy because of their cost and sophistication.

A zero-click attack is a cyberattack that hacks a device without the user clicking anything. It can happen just by receiving a message, call, or file. The attacker uses hidden flaws in apps or systems to take control of the device, with no action needed from the user and the user remains unaware of the attack.

“Although public awareness has increased recently, these attacks have steadily evolved over many years, becoming more frequent as smartphones and connected devices proliferated,” Nathan House, CEO of StationX, a UK-based cybersecurity training platform, told The Epoch Times.

“The key vulnerability is in the software, rather than the type of device, meaning any connected device with exploitable weaknesses could potentially be targeted,” he said.

Aras Nazarovas, an information security researcher at Cybernews, told The Epoch Times why zero-click attacks usually target VIPs, rather than ordinary individuals.

“Since finding such zero-click exploits is difficult and expensive, most of the time such exploits are used to gain access to information from key figures, such as politicians or journalists in authoritarian regimes,” he said.

“They are often used in targeted campaigns. Using such exploits to steal money is rare.”

In June 2024, the BBC reported that social media platform TikTok had admitted that a “very limited” number of accounts, including those of media outlet CNN, had been compromised.

While ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, did not confirm the nature of the hack, cybersecurity companies such as Kaspersky and Assured Intelligence suggested it stemmed from a zero-click exploit.

“The part that requires high levels of sophistication is finding bugs that allow such attacks and writing exploits for these bugs,” Nazarovas said.

“It has been a billion-dollar market for years, selling zero-click exploits and exploit chains. Some gray/dark market exploit brokers often offer $500,000 to $1 million for such exploit chains for popular devices and apps.”

Nazarovas added that while ordinary users have been hit in the past by zero-click ‘drive-by’ attacks. These are attacks that emerge after the unintentional installation of malicious software onto a device, often without the user even realizing it. They have become more infrequent with the growing gray market for such exploits.

House said zero-click exploits often seek out vulnerabilities in software and apps that are expensive to discover, which means the perpetrators are usually “nation-state actors or highly-funded groups.”

Expanded Spyware Markets

Although there have been recent innovations in AI that have made certain cyber crimes, such as voice-cloning or vishing, more prevalent, Nazarovas says there is no evidence yet that it has increased the risk from zero-click attacks.

House said people could use AI to “write zero-click exploit chains for people who would have otherwise lacked the time, experience, or knowledge to be able to discover and write such exploits.”

But, he said, the increase in zero-click attacks in recent years, “stems mainly from expanded spyware markets and greater availability of sophisticated exploits, rather than directly from AI-driven techniques.”

He said zero-click attacks have existed for more than a decade, the most infamous of which was the Pegasus spyware affair.

In July 2021, The Guardian and 16 other media outlets published a series of articles, alleging that foreign governments used the Israeli-based NSO Group’s Pegasus software to surveil at least 180 journalists and numerous other targets around the world.

Alleged targets of Pegasus surveillance included French President Emmanuel Macron, Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, and Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi, who was slain in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018.

In a statement at the time, NSO Group said, “As NSO has previously stated, our technology was not associated in any way with the heinous murder of Jamal Khashoggi.”

On May 6, a California jury awarded WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta, $444,719 in compensatory damages and $167.3 million in punitive damages, in a privacy case against NSO Group.

The WhatsApp complaint was focused on the Pegasus spyware, which, according to the lawsuit, was developed “to be remotely installed and enable the remote access and control of information—including calls, messages, and location—on mobile devices using the Android, iOS, and BlackBerry operating systems.”

“While ordinary users can occasionally become collateral targets, attackers generally reserve these costly exploits for individuals whose information is especially valuable or sensitive,” Nazarovas said.

According to Nazarovas, corporations offer hackers ‘bug bounties’ to incentivize them to find these exploits and report them to the company, rather than selling them to a broker who then sells them on to parties who use them illegally.

Read the rest here…

Submitted by QTR’s Fringe Finance

I’ve spent years warning about the economic dangers of policies that attempt to tax wealth before it’s realized, and now, like a slow-motion train wreck, we’re about to witness exactly why those warnings matter.

Australia’s new move to tax unrealized capital gains is one of the most reckless policy decisions I’ve ever seen — and keep in mind, I had front row seats to an “Inflation Reduction Act” that added more than $1 trillion in spending.

Taxing unrealized gains is equal parts outright f*cking mathematically insane and cut-and-dry authoritarian. And while I’m appalled by the policy itself, there’s a perverse part of me that’s almost glad it’s happening in Australia first—because the disastrous results will be on full display for the world to see.

Starting in July 2025, the Albanese government is set to debut its latest economic masterstroke: taxing imaginary money. That’s right—if you’ve got more than $3 million sitting in your superannuation, not only will you get slapped with a 30% tax, but it doesn’t even matter if you actually made any money.

Didn’t sell anything? Didn’t cash out? Never saw a cent? Tough luck—Big Brother took a peek at your account, saw some numbers went up, and decided you owe them a slice of your hypothetical success.

This isn’t just bending the rules of how taxation and private property works—it’s snapping them clean in half and using the pieces to beat your rights to death. For as long as economies have existed, the deal was simple: you sell an asset, you make a profit, and then you pay tax. You know, after you’ve actually made money. Because taxing cash that doesn’t exist yet is the kind of thing you expect from crackheads playing Monopoly, not national policy.

But here we are. Australia is now sprinting headfirst toward a future where you get billed for wealth that isn’t liquid, isn’t realized, and, if the market tanks tomorrow, might never even exist. It’s like being forced to pay income tax on the raise your boss almost gave you but didn’t, or footing the bill for the lottery jackpot on the billboard on the side of I-95 that you didn’t win.

The fallout is not rocket science. People will be forced to liquidate assets—probably the wrong ones, at the worst possible time—just to scrape together enough real money to cover taxes on their fake money. Don’t have the cash lying around to pay that bill? Sounds like a you problem. Better start liquidating. And this isn’t just stocks we’re talking about. Real estate? Private businesses? Long-term investments you hold precisely because they’re supposed to be safe and stable? All fair game in a fire sale.

But wait, it gets even better. That $3 million threshold? It’s not even indexed to inflation. So as the value of money inevitably erodes, more and more regular people will find themselves dragged into this mess. It’s like the $1,200 handpay rule in Atlantic City and Las Vegas: it was created in the 1800s when $1,200 was enough to buy a private island, but as the purchasing power of the dollar has eroded, the rule has been kept in place, with the recalibration serving as way to monitor more and more transactions.

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With these unrealized gains, today it’s “only the rich,” but tomorrow it’s anyone who happened to save diligently or saw their house value rise because some genius decided to inflate the housing market even more.

So, if you’re sitting there thinking, “Well, that won’t affect me,” just wait. You might not be rich enough for the government’s shakedown yet, but thanks to inflation and asset bubbles, they’ll be at your door before you can say “unrealized gains.”

Back in 2024, I wrote about why taxing unrealized gains in the U.S. would be a catastrophic policy error. I warned that it would lead to forced sales, create liquidity crises, and punish anyone who dares to invest in volatile or long-term assets. Investors will avoid riskier assets that fluctuate in value because even a temporary increase could trigger a tax liability before they’ve seen any real return. This creates a chilling effect on investment in startups, innovation, and anything with a long payoff horizon.

It would also cause monstrous capital flight out of the U.S., as I’m guessing we’ll soon see in Australia.

Then there’s the bureaucratic nightmare of it all. Valuing assets for tax purposes every single year is an administrative quagmire. How do you accurately value a private business annually? How do you value collectibles, real estate, or other non-liquid assets in a way that’s fair and consistent? The government doesn’t have that kind of precision, and neither do most investors. What you end up with is a system riddled with errors, disputes, and compliance headaches for both taxpayers and the government.

Yet despite all these glaring problems, Australia is going through with it. And while I genuinely feel for the Australians who are about to suffer the consequences of this insanity, there’s also a silver lining. The rest of the world is watching. This is about to become the textbook case study in how not to run an economy. If you want to see what happens when a government taxes phantom wealth and forces people to pay cash they don’t have, just keep your eyes on Australia over the next few years.

My prediction? You’ll see a mass exodus of capital. People will restructure their investments, move funds offshore, and pull money out of productive sectors of the economy. You’ll see market volatility as investors dump assets to avoid future tax liabilities. You’ll watch the property market distort as people chase after tax shelters. And ultimately, you’ll see economic growth grind down under the weight of a policy that punishes investment and rewards government overreach.

In a strange way, I’m thankful this is happening—not because I support it, but because it will stand as a stark, irrefutable warning to every other country foolish enough to consider the same policy. The Australian government is about to run a live experiment in economic self-sabotage, and the results will be undeniable. In my opinion, after this plays out, no serious policymaker with a shred of economic literacy will be able to look at the forthcoming outcomes and still argue that taxing unrealized gains is anything but a disastrously stupid idea.

QTR’s Disclaimer: Please read my full legal disclaimer on my About page here. This post represents my opinions only. In addition, please understand I am an idiot and often get things wrong and lose money. I may own or transact in any names mentioned in this piece at any time without warning. Contributor posts and aggregated posts have been hand selected by me, have not been fact checked and are the opinions of their authors. They are either submitted to QTR by their author, reprinted under a Creative Commons license with my best effort to uphold what the license asks, or with the permission of the author.

This is not a recommendation to buy or sell any stocks or securities, just my opinions. I often lose money on positions I trade/invest in. I may add any name mentioned in this article and sell any name mentioned in this piece at any time, without further warning. None of this is a solicitation to buy or sell securities. I may or may not own names I write about and are watching. Sometimes I’m bullish without owning things, sometimes I’m bearish and do own things. Just assume my positions could be exactly the opposite of what you think they are just in case. If I’m long I could quickly be short and vice versa. I won’t update my positions. All positions can change immediately as soon as I publish this, with or without notice and at any point I can be long, short or neutral on any position. You are on your own. Do not make decisions based on my blog. I exist on the fringe. The publisher does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information provided in this page. These are not the opinions of any of my employers, partners, or associates. I did my best to be honest about my disclosures but can’t guarantee I am right; I write these posts after a couple beers sometimes. I edit after my posts are published because I’m impatient and lazy, so if you see a typo, check back in a half hour. Also, I just straight up get shit wrong a lot. I mention it twice because it’s that important.

Agricultural advocates and lawmakers are sounding the alarm this week, as section 41001 of the proposed Budget Reconciliation Act (the Big Beautiful Bill) contains language that would centralize local authority to the federal government regarding land use and land expropriation.

Property rights are under attack again.

A House Energy and Commerce proposal for the budget reconciliation bill would override state laws that protect landowners’ private property rights from being taken by Green New Deal carbon sequestration pipeline companies.

The proposal… https://t.co/FWKqiaVwbe pic.twitter.com/wakjgv3d4D

— Speaker Jon Hansen (@SpeakerHansen) May 14, 2025

Beginning under the Biden administration’s Federal Plan for Equitable Long-Term Recovery and Resilience (ELTRR), funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the USDA credit line, known as the Commodities Credit Corporation (CCC), were allocated to ideologically aligned Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). 

Using contract law, NGOs were then tasked with creating a carbon market and strategic buyout programs for federally funded public-private land acquisitions—entered into as an agreement structure with local municipalities—to facilitate the Green New Deal.  

Carbon capture has captured Farm Credit, and could soon capture lands across America’s Heartland.

Amid a flurry of administrative rule changes, the Biden administration prioritized government-backed Farm Credit lending for rural utilities. Reallocating parts of the USDA’s Rural Development budget, the Biden administration attracted “eligible organizations” to “invest in renewable energy infrastructure and zero-emission systems,” to “significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Simultaneously, as part of the ELTRR’s “whole-of-government” approach; the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) exempted certain “Green Energy” infrastructure projects, such as solar and carbon capture from Environmental Impact Studies, while 45Q tax credits promised billions in government subsidies, and agencies eased land acquisition regulations for “Federally Assisted Programs.”

This coalescence created a proverbial gold rush. Suddenly, private equity firms like Blackrock and Vanguard quickly began backing projects for Carbon Sequestration infrastructure, such as the 2,500-mile C02 pipeline project spanning five states. 

Now, as Congress works to immediately halt IRA funding and reign-in the “whole-of-government,” state lawmakers and agricultural advocates warn the cure could exacerbate the disease.

According to Amanda Radke, a fifth-generation cattle rancher who has fought against giving private corporations eminent domain power in South Dakota, “this proposal would open the door for federal overreach and eminent domain abuse, especially with the $10 million price tag to fast-track these projects.”

“I’m deeply concerned that the current proposal for the budget reconciliation bill will grant centralized federal authority over the permitting of carbon dioxide pipelines,” Radke said. “This Green New Deal has held America hostage for far too long, and it’s time for Congress to cut ties with this boondoggle once and for all. Landowners across the nation are calling for Congress to cut wasteful spending, halt the subsidies of the IRA like the 45Q tax credit, and protect our private property rights.” 

S.D. landowners have also found a fierce advocate in Speaker of the House, Rep. Jon Hansen. Hansen, who is now running for Governor,  and running-mate Rep. Karla Lems, have led the charge to protect private property rights in the State of South Dakota. 

However, according to Hansen, these hard-won efforts could now be a moot point. 

“President Trump has made it very clear that he wants to end the Green New Deal scam. In spite of that, politicians in Washington are trying to sneak a provision deep in the budget bill that would override the hard-fought protections that we have put into place for farmers, ranchers, and land owners in South Dakota,” Hansen told ZeroHedge.

While GOP leadership has made quiet promises that the bill will be amended, an updated draft has yet to materialize prior to Wednesday’s vote. A fact that isn’t sitting well with Radke or Hansen.

“While we’ve been told this language would be cut on Wednesday morning, farmers and ranchers are waiting for reassurance from Congressional leaders that our land is, in fact, not for sale to the highest bidder,” Radke said. 

For Hansen, however, anything short of killing this section, will be considered an absolute failure.

“All members of Congress must reject this proposal,” Hansen said. “Anything short of killing the land grab proposal and totally defunding the 45Q tax credit is an absolute failure to deliver on ending the green new deal scam and a failure to defend our peoples’ constitutional rights.”

Update(1830ET): At a moment it has become very clear that Netanyahu could care less about ‘pressure’ from Western allies the US, UK, and Canada, there are breaking reports Tuesday evening that a preemptive Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear sites could be imminent. According to CNN:

The US has obtained new intelligence suggesting that Israel is making preparations to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, even as the Trump administration has been pursuing a diplomatic deal with Tehran, multiple US officials familiar with the latest intelligence told CNN.

Such a strike would be a brazen break with President Donald Trump, US officials said. It could also risk tipping off a broader regional conflict in the Middle East — something the US has sought to avoid since the war in Gaza inflamed tensions beginning in 2023.

The same report underscores that no ‘final decision’ has been made yet, and this is perhaps another ploy by the Israelis to show the West and the Mideast region that it means business, in the wake of “Israel’s 9/11” – the Oct.7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks. 

The late in the day headline resulted in an immediate spike in oil prices… 

* * *

The United Kingdom on Tuesday suspended its free-trade agreement negotiations with Israel over the growing Gaza crisis, and after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed disgust at newly expanded Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, also as famine threats at least 500,000 Palestinians.

Starmer described that he and his French and Canadian counterparts are “horrified” by the Netanyahu government’s escalation in Gaza. This also comes as international headlines and warnings grow more dire. For example Al Jazeera has the following new headline: “Starving Palestinians resort to eating animal feed, flour mixed with sand”.

“We repeat our demand for a ceasefire as the only way to free the hostages, we repeat our opposition to settlements in the West Bank, and we repeat our demand to massively scale up humanitarian assistance into Gaza,” Starmer told parliament.

A Monday joint statement by the UK, France and Canada had threatened sanctions on Israel. Britain further did slap targeted sanctions on Israeli settler groups and individuals. 

Later on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary David Lammy voiced agreement with Starmer, saying that Israel’s actions are “morally wrong” and “unjustifiable.” He also said of the fresh sanctions, “I have seen for myself the consequences of settler violence. The fear of its victims. The impunity of its perpetrators.”

In announcing the pause in free-trade agreement negotiations, Lammy further revealed that the Israeli ambassador had been summoned. Britain is reportedly demanding the full resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip.

Responding to shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel, Lammy told parliament:

I think the whole house should be able to utterly condemn the Israeli government’s denial of food to hungry children. It is wrong. It’s appalling.

Opposing the expansion of a war that has killed thousands of children is not rewarding Hamas. Opposing the displacement of 100,000s of civilians is not rewarding Hamas. On this side of the house, we are crystal clear that what is happening is morally wrong, unjustifiable, and it needs to stop.

Starting Friday the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced an expanded mobilization of troops for operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots’. Some two million Palestinians are expected to be forced into a “humanitarian zone” while most of the enclave is destroyed and flattened.

The policy somewhat contradicts Trump’s main messaging during last week’s Gulf tour, wherein he emphasized peace through deal-making, and not ‘chaos’ in the war-torn Middle East. 

This is probably the most pressure Israel has come under from its Western allies since Oct.7, 2023. As we previously reported, even Vice President JD Vance abruptly canceled a planned trip to Israel following the Netanyahu government’s declaration that it would ramp up operations to conquer all of Gaza.

Meanwhile the domestic policy fight within Israel has been ramping up too…

Yair Golan, an IDF major general and leader of Israel’s Democrats Party, said Monday that Israel is killing babies as a hobby:

“A sane country does not wage war against civilians, does not kill babies for a hobby, and does not set goals involving the expulsion of populations.” pic.twitter.com/NofvIAdNW9

— Dave DeCamp (@DecampDave) May 20, 2025

Axios had written that “The US official said Vance made the decision because he didn’t want his trip to suggest the Trump administration endorsed the Israeli decision to launch a massive operation at a time when the U.S. is pushing for a ceasefire and hostage deal.” 

Neither the US nor UK have every fully cut funding or arms transfers to Israel for any reason, and are unlikely to ever escalate to that point, no matter how tense relations become.

The optics are grim for far-left Maryland Governor Wes Moore. As the state grapples with a fiscal crisis (deficit explosion), a credit downgrade, illegal alien invasion, violent crime, the looming threat of resident and business flight, a potential tsunami of new taxes, and a worsening power crisis, Moore is facing a growing backlash from all Marylanders. His ability to lead is increasingly being questioned—and it’s becoming clear he’s far from presidential material.

Moore has managed to anger both sides of the political aisle. The latest outrage comes from within his own party after he vetoed a bill that would have established a state commission to study and recommend reparations for African Americans affected by slavery.

In a letter explaining his decision, Moore said it’s not the time for another study, emphasizing the need for direct action to address racial disparities such as the wealth gap, homeownership, education, and food insecurity.

“I will always protect and defend the full history of African Americans in our state and country,” Moore wrote in his letter, adding, “But in light of the many important studies that have taken place on this issue over nearly three decades, now is the time to focus on the work itself: Narrowing the racial wealth gap, expanding homeownership, uplifting entrepreneurs of color, and closing the foundational disparities that lead to inequality — from food insecurity to education.”

He continued: “We have moved in partnership with leaders across the state to uplift Black families and address racial disparities in our communities. That is the context in which I’ve made this difficult decision. Because while I appreciate the work that went into this legislation, I strongly believe now is not the time for another study. Now is the time for continued action that delivers results for the people we serve.”

Moore’s rationale—more likely crafted by his advisors—appears rooted in political optics. These far-left redistribution programs are so detached from capitalist principles and Western values that they risk being deeply unpopular, especially at a time when Maryland’s finances are unraveling after decades of Democratic overspending and an economy overly dependent on government funding.

We suspect Moore’s veto has also angered hardline Marxist Democrats in the state, who continue to push for socialist systems that redistribute wealth from the productive to the less productive. Under the current leadership of activist progressives, Maryland is on a death spiral—and it’s not us saying this—but some leaders of some of the largest companies that operate in the Baltimore area have told us this.

With Democrats furious over Moore’s veto of the reparations bill, the governor has now managed to infuriate both sides of the political aisle.

The Maryland Legislative Black Caucus was not pleased with Moore: 

“The state’s first black governor chose to block this historic legislation that would have moved the state toward directly repairing the harm of enslavement.”

Meanwhile, Maryland’s financial outlook continues to deteriorate, with a $3 billion budget shortfall looming—likely paving the way for new taxes and triggering yet another wave of resident flight.

It just keeps getting WORSE

Maryland has now LOST its prized AAA bond rating from Moody’s. Add that to the growing list of what Maryland has recently lost.

– FBI Headquarters
– Washington Commanders
– IonQ’s quantum computing hub
– Six Flags America

What will be next?

— Chris Papst (@chrispapst) May 15, 2025

A large asset manager based in Baltimore told us earlier this year that they had advised clients to leave the state before the impending tax tsunami and to avoid purchasing Maryland municipal bonds due to the high risk of a credit downgrade.

And last week, Maryland’s financial credit profile deteriorated, for the first time in decades—after Moody’s downgraded the state’s creditworthiness to Aa1 from AAA.

Since 1973, Maryland has maintained a top-tier credit rating, long seen as a reflection of fiscal discipline and responsible governance. However, far-left Democrats in Annapolis have chosen to run deficits to fund their progressive pet projects. This credit downgrade puts Maryland on the disastrous pathway toward becoming “Illinois 2.0.”

“I think it’s disgraceful that we’re going to set up a reparations tax that might tax one race and give to another race all in the name of equity,” Matthew Morgan, a Republican delegate, said in April before voting against the bill.

Epoch Times noted, “Some lawmakers also took issue with the bill’s broad language, which gave the proposed commission wide discretion in defining eligibility. They warned that, in theory, this could extend benefits to millions of people across the United States or even the world, costing billions of dollars.”

Perhaps Moore should take some personal time—maybe at the upscale Caves Valley Golf Club, where sources say he is a member—and reflect on his state strategy while paying a round of golf. With crises piling up well before Trump’s second term began, Moore has yet to demonstrate strong leadership Maryland needs.

Authored by Braeden Sorbo via American Greatness,

The media has a new villain: fitness…

According to recent articles, engaging in physical exercise is now linked to right-wing extremism. 

The narrative suggests that lifting weights, building discipline, and taking responsibility for your body are somehow dangerous acts. The Guardian claims that getting in shape could turn you into a “right-wing jerk,” while TIME runs pieces on “the white supremacist origins of exercise.” MSNBC warns that during the pandemic, workout trends ended up leading to “extreme” ideologies.

Seriously? Can we just stop with the nonsense?

I’ll tell you the real reason fitness is under attack. It breeds autonomy. And autonomous men are a threat to systems built on dependence and compliance.

Allow me to be controversial: physical strength and mental resilience are connected. According to a 2022 study published in Frontiers in Psychology, individuals who maintain regular physical activity demonstrate significantly higher psychological resilience and lower levels of anxiety and depression. When you commit to training your body, you’re also training your mind. You’re learning delayed gratification. You’re becoming comfortable with discomfort. You’re developing the backbone to say no—to weak ideas, to bad leadership, to mob thinking. In other words, weak people are agreeable, which is exactly what the government wants.

Testosterone plays a central role in this. Individuals with higher levels of testosterone flowing through their bodies are more likely to question authority and even think for themselves. A 2015 review in Biological Psychiatry explained that testosterone influences areas of the brain involved in motivation, emotional regulation, and social behavior, helping men navigate challenges with clarity and confidence.

But wait, there’s more! Another study in PNAS (2019) directly debunked the myth that testosterone reduces empathy, showing no evidence that it impairs cognitive empathy at all. Translation: Higher testosterone doesn’t make you a bad person. It makes you sharper, more focused, and more prepared to lead.

So why the war on fitness? Because fit, strong, disciplined men are harder to control.

They don’t break down from online shaming. They don’t beg bureaucracies for handouts. They know how to fight—metaphorically and literally—and that makes them dangerous to anyone trying to neuter society. As Jordan Peterson once said, “A harmless man is not a good man. A good man is a very, very dangerous man who has it under voluntary control.”

When you’re physically able to defend yourself, you become dangerous—in the best way. The world thrives on intimidation. That’s why so many people—especially young women—go along with destructive ideas like abortion or men in women’s sports. Deep down, they know something’s off. But fear keeps them quiet. Now take a man who’s strong, capable, and confident—traits often earned through training—and you have someone who can’t be bullied into submission. He doesn’t fold under pressure. He doesn’t need the world’s approval because he knows he can stand on his own.

Without the ability to defend yourself, you stop forming your own opinions. You become agreeable out of survival instincts. Weakness breeds obedience. What’s been labeled as toxic is actually essential. Without strength, there is no freedom. And without testosterone, there is no original thought—just borrowed scripts and empty slogans. The stronger the body, the more stable the mind. The more you train your limits, the less likely you are to break under pressure.

Socially, the story is the same. Parenthood and family responsibility—things once considered pillars of adulthood—are now “conservative red flags.” But the data says otherwise. A 2022 study published in the National Library of Medicine found that becoming a parent consistently predicts a shift toward more conservative values across different cultures. Why? Because raising a child forces you to care about things that extend beyond yourself.

So yes—men who lift, who lead, who protect—are more likely to value tradition, reject chaos, and push back against cultural decay, and that’s a good thing.

If being physically fit, masculine, and protective lands you on a government watchlist, maybe it’s the government that should be watched. If being strong, loyal, and self-reliant makes you “right-wing,” maybe being right-wing just means you haven’t lost your mind.

The gym isn’t just about vanity and lifting big things. It’s about whether you can defend your home when the need arises. It’s about your son learning to lead, not obey. It’s about your daughter growing up knowing someone strong has her back.

So if working out makes you a right-wing extremist, then we need more gyms.

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will not approve COVID-19 vaccines for many Americans absent trial data showing that the benefits outweigh the risks, top agency officials said on May 20.

“Moving forward, the FDA will adopt the following Covid-19 vaccination regulatory framework: On the basis of immunogenicity—proof that a vaccine can generate antibody titers in people—the FDA anticipates that it will be able to make favorable benefit–risk findings for adults over the age of 65 years and for all persons above the age of 6 months with one or more risk factors that put them at high risk for severe Covid-19 outcomes,” such as asthma or cancer, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and Dr. Vinay Prasad, head of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, wrote in a New England Journal of Medicine article.

“For all healthy persons—those with no risk factors for severe Covid-19—between the ages of 6 months and 64 years, the FDA anticipates the need for randomized, controlled trial data evaluating clinical outcomes before Biologics License Applications can be granted.”

Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax, which have received licenses for their COVID-19 vaccines, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Several medical groups that have commented on FDA steps concerning COVID-19 vaccines, such as the American Academy of Family Physicians, did not return inquiries.

The FDA in 2024, in its most recent action concerning the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, approved updated versions for most Americans and extended emergency authorization for others, despite there being no trial data available for those formulations.

The regulatory agency on May 16 approved Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine for the first time. The approval was for adults aged 65 and up. The agency said that people aged 12 to 64 could receive a Novavax shot, but only if they have one of the conditions that puts them at higher risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes.

An earlier version of Novavax’s shot was tested in a randomized, controlled trial in 2021.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommends that people aged 6 months and older receive one of the latest COVID-19 vaccines, but just 13 percent of children and 23 percent of adults have followed that recommendation.

Makary and Prasad noted that a number of other countries, such as Australia and Germany, only recommend COVID-19 vaccines to certain populations.

“While all other high-income nations confine vaccine recommendations to older adults (typically those older than 65 years of age), or those at high risk for severe Covid-19, the United States has adopted a one-size-fits-all regulatory framework and has granted broad marketing authorization to all Americans over the age of 6 months,” they wrote on Tuesday. “The U.S. policy has sometimes been justified by arguing that the American people are not sophisticated enough to understand age- and risk-based recommendations. We reject this view.”

The officials said that while the quick development of COVID-19 vaccines was a scientific and medical achievement, the benefit of repeated dosing—some people have received at least six doses—is unclear.

The trials of the vaccines should measure prevention of symptomatic COVID-19, with secondary endpoints including severe COVID-19, hospitalization, and death, according to Makary and Prasad, who said that the trials should include participants who contracted COVID-19 within the past year, and they should follow participants for at least six months “to ensure that early booster gains persist.” The control group could receive a saline placebo, the officials said.

“Ultimately, these studies alone can provide reassurance that the American repeat-boosters in-perpetuity strategy is evidence-based,” they wrote.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently pledged to require placebo-controlled trials for new vaccines.

Makary and Prasad planned to talk about the policy update at 1 p.m. on Tuesday.

This is a developing story that will be updated.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) showed ‘photos of her naked body’ during a House Oversight meeting on Tuesday as the latest twist in her crusade against voyeurism.

Mace was engaged to Charleston-based software entrepreneur, Patrick Bryant. After purchasing two properties together, their relationship ended abruptly in 2021 after Mace reportedly discovered Bryant on a dating app.

Mace would later claim in a February speech on the House floor that in November 2023, she discovered a digital cache of over 10,000 videos and photos on Bryant’s phone, depicting rape, nonconsensual photos, and videos of women and underage girls, including herself. 

She recounted finding a video of herself naked, unaware she was being filmed, and alleged that Bryant recorded her without consent – and claims that Bryant and several other men conspired to commit sexual exploitation, voyeurism, and assault targeting multiple women, including minors, for over two decades.

She also says she found evidence of an app storing files from a hidden camera – with one alone containing 10,633 videos.

Rape, Drugging and Sex Trafficking

Mace alleged that in 2022, while at a property co-owned by Bryant and another accused man, she consumed two vodka sodas, blacked out, and was raped, though she could not confirm if Bryant was the perpetrator – but that Bryant and his associates drugged her and other women, suggesting the incidents might have been filmed or sold on the dark web.

She also accused the men of sex trafficking, alleging they paid each other to abuse women, which she described as a “premeditated, calculated exploitation.”

Bryant, a co-founder of the software firm Code/+/Trust and former chairman of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, categorically denied all allegations.

“I categorically deny these allegations. I take this matter seriously and will cooperate fully with any necessary legal processes to clear my name,” he told the Associated Press, calling Mace’s accusations “devastatingly harmful” and an attempt to further her political career.

‘Today I will show my naked body’

Which brings us to today – when Mace posted on X; “Today I will show my naked body on one of the videos predator and rapist Patrick Bryant took of me and many other women. Mace made the statement one hour after she posted: “In my Oversight hearing today I’m going to expose predator and rapist Patrick Bryant for the monster he is. With evidence. Naked bodies. Legs spread apart. Upskirt photos. The kinds of things he would film and photograph women without their knowledge, permission or consent.”

Real men guard a woman’s privacy; predators harvest it.

In my Oversight hearing today I’m going to expose predator and rapist Patrick Bryant for the monster he is. With evidence. Naked bodies. Legs spread apart. Upskirt photos. The kinds of things he would film and photograph… pic.twitter.com/12yh1wqTIv

— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) May 20, 2025

People waited with anticipation…

Look at Nancy Mace’s fuckin’ beefers and tell me you don’t want to see her naked, shitlord. pic.twitter.com/gSdXYONGwz

— The Most Antisemitic Man in the World (@mostantisemitic) May 20, 2025

* * *

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Me and the boys getting ready to watch Nancy Mace present her ample receipts on C-SPAN — pic.twitter.com/AwgKlHPqG8

— JK Johnny (@_JohnnyJones) May 20, 2025

Needless to say, it was a huge letdown. 

Nancy Mace seems to bait-and-switch us all by releasing a blurry still from a video of her allegedly “nude,” rather than a clear image of her voluptuous tits.

Follow: @NewsBarron pic.twitter.com/cjqNdLjiCN

— News Barron (@NewsBarron) May 20, 2025

Mace was ridiculed far and wide…

Americans: can you please lower taxes and deport illegals?

Nancy Mace: https://t.co/QEJVEoB9Lp pic.twitter.com/wA3LGExjJF

— Rock (@TheCensoredRock) May 20, 2025

Personally, I think Nancy Mace should go to jail for this bate-and-switch. https://t.co/8n7qu3JQVs pic.twitter.com/QGPbpJ295y

— BasilianThought (@BasilianThought) May 20, 2025

Nancy “nothing burger” Mace strikes again. pic.twitter.com/vhQaqFvvzV

— Yukon Cornelius (@Project_Yukon) May 20, 2025

Click here for boob redemption…

Authored by Darlene McCormick Sanchez via The Epoch Times,

In what could be a game changer for the Trump administration’s deportation efforts, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for California’s Central District and federal partners launched a program to “neutralize California’s sanctuary state policy.”

Operation Guardian Angel, announced by federal officials on May 19, will file complaints and arrest warrants to allow federal authorities to take as many defendants as possible into custody from county jails, according to a Department of Justice press release.

“Under the Trump administration, we will not allow sanctuary jurisdictions to stand in the way of keeping the American People safe,” U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, who launched the test program, posted on X.

One of President Donald Trump’s main campaign promises for a second term was the mass deportation of millions who came into the country illegally during the Biden administration.

If a person who has been deported reenters the country illegally, that’s a felony under Title 8 law, said Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles.

California’s state law—Senate Bill 54—prevents county sheriff’s departments and local law enforcement from honoring an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer.

“Even if they want to turn them over, they can’t,” McEvoy told The Epoch Times.

Operation Guardian Angel gets around the law through federal arrest warrants, which McEvoy said leave the counties no choice but to hand the targeted illegal immigrants over.

Essayli stated in the press release that “the worst criminal aliens in state custody are frequently released into the community” because California’s sanctuary state policies block cooperation with federal law enforcement.

“These laws effectively render federal immigration detainers meaningless. The days of giving criminal illegal aliens a free pass are over,” he stated.

“While California may be presently disregarding detainers, it cannot ignore federal arrest warrants.”

The program, which began May 10, has resulted in the arrest of 13 defendants as of May 15 in California. The Operation Guardian Angel task force is made up of ICE, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The California federal district is home to the counties of Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles County. An estimated 1.5 million illegal immigrants reside in the district, including gang members, the press release said, adding that California’s protection of criminal illegal aliens makes residents less safe.

The release noted that in February 2025, José Cristian Saravia-Sánchez, 30, of Mexico, shot and killed an Inglewood man who tried to stop him from stealing a catalytic converter, which garnered national attention.

He was an illegal immigrant who had been convicted of vehicle theft, removed from the United States in 2013, and arrested 11 times between June 2022 and August 2024, according to the release. However, local law enforcement was prevented by state law from complying with an immigration detainer request, the release stated.

The office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Epoch Times by publication time.