Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters on Thursday that the Treasury Department is, in fact, making preparations to begin printing $250 bills with President Trump’s face on them, pending approval from Congress. 

This comes after a Washington Post report, claiming that Trump administration officials are pressuring the Treasury’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing to design a design a $250 featuring Trump’s portrait.

“Legislation that would allow Trump to appear on a $250 bill was introduced in Congress last year to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary but has languished,” the report notes. Still, the Washington Post asserts that U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach and adviser Mike Brown are behind the push to put Trump’s face on a bill.

British painter Iain Alexander designed the following mockup draft of the T Note for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing staff:

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent responded on Thursday, confirming to Fox’s Peter Doocy that the Treasury is preparing to start printing the designed currency in case the legislation passes.

Still, he said, “it’s all up on Capitol Hill” pending final approval.

WATCH:

Doocy: How long until we see your signature next to President Trump’s face on a $250 bill?

Bessent: Well, again, as Treasury Secretary, I have two mandates for US currency. At present, no living person can be on US currency, and the currency must say “In God We Trust.” So, right now, there is proposed legislation in front of the House and in front of the Senate to change the first requirement so that a living person, Donald J. Trump, could be on the $250 bill. So, it’s all in the hands of the uh, it’s all up on Capitol Hill. At Treasury, we prepare things in advance, so we have prepared in advance that if the legislation is passed. But we will stick to the law.

Bessent later shut down a reporter asking if he thinks it’s a good idea for Trump “to put his face on American currency.”

The Treasury Secretary corrected the reporter’s accusation, stating, “Again, the President doesn’t do it. The House and the Senate have to do it.”

WATCH:

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An illegal alien was arrested on Tuesday on charges related to driving under the influence and killing four young Americans in Oklahoma on Friday. 

Three teens and one 20-year-old were killed in the crash. They were identified as Kiercey Hickson, 20, Quincy Jones, 19, and 18-year-olds Haliegh Salazar and Brad Palmer.

A vigil was held for the victims near El Reno High School, where three of the victims had graduated, on Monday night. More than 200 people gathered to mourn, News9 reported.

Fox News reports that the alien, Michael Rosario-Cruz, was living in the US with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status in 2015 during the Obama administration, as well as a work authorization permit. Rosario Cruz was drinking in a local bar before he began driving westbound in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 40 in Canadian County, Oklahoma, authorities say. Empty beer bottles were also found in the car.

He did not have a prior criminal record at the time of the murders. Notably, the Trump Administration has said it is targeting “the worst of the worst,” illegal aliens who have criminal records. Many mass deportation advocates are critical of this approach, arguing that the government shouldn’t wait for illegal aliens to break additional laws before they’re deported.

Meanwhile, some so-called Republicans are pushing for amnesty through a work program that would allow people here illegally to stay.

“This murder took place with somebody who should never have been in this country … who was here illegally,” Oklahoma Department of Public Safety Tim Tipton said in a news conference.

Rosario-Cruz now faces deportation with an active ICE detainer request. “Our goal is that this person should never see freedom here again in the United States,” Tipton said.

The charges against the 27-year-old include four counts of second-degree murder, two counts of DUI causing great bodily injury, transporting an open container, possession of a firearm with an altered identification, carrying firearms while under the influence, and driving the wrong way on a one-way road.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol announced the arrest on Facebook:

On Sunday, Michael Rosario-Cruz was released from the hospital and booked into the Canadian County Jail by Oklahoma State Troopers on the following charges:

• Four counts of Second-Degree Murder
• Two counts of DUI Causing Great Bodily Injury
• Transporting an Open Container (TOC)
• Possession of a Firearm with an Altered Identification During the Commission of a Felony
• Carrying Firearms While Under the Influence
• Wrong Way on a One-Way Road

Early Friday morning, Rosario-Cruz was driving intoxicated westbound in the eastbound lanes of I-40 near Czech Hall Rd in Canadian County when he struck another vehicle head-on, killing all four occupants inside. The victims ranged in age from 18 to 20 years old.

Those killed in the collision were:

Kiercey Hickson
Quincy Jones
Haliegh Salazar
Brad Palmer

Driving impaired is a reckless, life-changing decision. The loss of these young lives will have a lasting impact on countless family members, friends, and communities.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol remains committed to its role in the criminal justice process and will continue working diligently to see this case through

The post HORROR: Illegal Alien with DACA Status Kills 4 Young People in Wrong-Way DUI Crash appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of a UN Security Council session, openly thanking Beijing for its “permanent solidarity” against what the Cuban regime calls the “U.S. blockade” and “energy siege.”

Both officials pledged to strengthen their “strategic and multifaceted” partnership and advance toward a “Community with a Shared Future.”

The meeting comes at a particularly delicate moment for Cuba, as the Trump administration’s aggressive policies have pushed the regime to the brink of collapse. It also reflects a desperate embrace between two struggling authoritarian systems and highlights both the Cuban regime’s refusal to change and the renewed determination of the United States to support the island’s liberation.

Cuba’s Deepening Crisis: The Fruits of Socialism and China’s Lifeline

Cuba remains trapped in one of its worst economic and energy crises in decades. Prolonged blackouts, fuel and food shortages, and mass emigration stem largely from decades of centralized mismanagement, corruption, and military control of the economy through entities such as GAESA. The regime’s dependence on imported oil — once heavily supplied by Venezuela — has been severely disrupted.

China provides rhetorical support and limited material assistance, including past food aid, but it cannot reverse the structural failures of Cuban communism. Instead, Beijing props up the dictatorship to expand its influence in Latin America, counter U.S. power, and promote authoritarian governance as an alternative to democracy.

Trump’s Maximum Pressure Campaign: Sanctions, Oil Blockade, and the Path to Liberation

Since returning to the White House, President Donald Trump has pursued a clear strategy of maximum pressure. In January, he declared a national emergency regarding Cuba, citing its alliances with adversaries such as China, Russia, Iran, and terrorist groups. Key measures included cutting off Venezuelan oil supplies following U.S. actions against Maduro and authorizing tariffs on third countries supplying oil to Cuba, effectively creating an “energy blockade.”

This May, a new Executive Order was also issued imposing secondary sanctions on those supporting the regime’s repressive, energy, defense, and financial sectors.

These measures have intensified Cuba’s energy crisis, leading to nationwide blackouts and growing humanitarian strain.

The U.S. administration argues that these policies are not intended to punish the Cuban people, but rather to apply targeted pressure on the communist elite in order to force genuine reforms — or trigger the collapse of the system.

Trump and allies such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio have stated that Cuba is “ready to fall,” building on what they view as previous successes in Venezuela.

Critics on the left denounce these policies as aggression, while supporters — especially within the Cuban-American community — see them as long-overdue accountability.

The regime’s response has been to deepen its alliances with China and blame external forces instead of acknowledging its own internal failures.

A Real Threat to the Regime — and Hope for the People

The current U.S. strategy represents a significant escalation compared to previous administrations. By combining economic isolation with diplomatic outreach — including reported talks — the Trump administration seeks to create conditions for internal change without direct military intervention, although increased surveillance in the Caribbean continues to keep the regime on edge.

For the Cuban people, this pressure could prove decisive. History shows that socialist regimes rarely reform voluntarily; external pressure often exposes their fragility.

Millions of Cubans, both in exile and on the island, long for freedom, private enterprise, and democracy. The regime’s survival depends on foreign patrons such as China and on domestic repression. Breaking that cycle offers the best path toward prosperity.

The United States has historically stood with those who fled tyranny, and many Hispanics living across North and South America argue that true solidarity with the Cuban people means rejecting the “blockade” excuse and supporting policies that prioritize human rights, free markets, and accountability instead of enabling dictatorship.

As Trump’s pressure campaign intensifies, the window for a peaceful transition narrows — but so does the opportunity for a free Cuba grow.

It is clear that the Cuban people deserve better than perpetual dependence on Beijing or Havana’s failed model. Their liberation would send a powerful message across Latin America: socialism fails, freedom endures.

Read more:

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Newly-released police bodycam footage shows the moment a disabled woman flashed her arm stump after a cop accused her of texting with her “right hand.”

A Palm Beach County officer pulled over Kathleen Thomas, 36, for distracted driving earlier this year.

The officer told Thomas that he pulled her over for “holding the phone with your right hand” while she was driving on North Dixie Highway.

Thomas immediately showed the officer her handless arm and flashed her stump.

“So I’m obviously not. So you wanna just call this a day?” Thomas said to the stunned officer.

The officer did not back down from his claims.

“I don’t want to call it a day. You had a hand up,” the officer said.

The officer continued to humiliate Thomas and asked her to put a “hand to God” to promise she wasn’t texting with her right hand.

“Hand to God,” Thomas said as she held up her stump.

“The other hand to God,” the officer said.

The officer issued Thomas a citation; however, the citation was later dismissed after Thomas challenged it in court.

WATCH:

The post Police Bodycam Footage Shows Moment Disabled Woman Flashes Arm Stump After Cop Accuses Her of Texting with Her “Right Hand” (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

A federal judge on Thursday handed President Donald Trump and election integrity advocates a major victory after rejecting Democrats’ desperate attempt to block Trump’s executive order aimed at tightening mail-in voting rules and strengthening citizenship verification for federal elections.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump-appointed jurist who clearly actually reads the Constitution, slapped down a multi-headed monster of lawsuits filed by the Democratic National Committee, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and far-left activist groups like the NAACP, Common Cause, and the League of United Latin American Citizens.

The Democrats and their mainstream media allies have been throwing a collective temper tantrum ever since President Trump signed the March 31 Executive Order.

The directive tackles the massive vulnerabilities in our election systems by utilizing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) to build comprehensive state citizenship lists. It also instructs the U.S. Postal Service to ensure mail-in ballots are only delivered to verified, eligible adult citizens.

The order further directs the Attorney General to prioritize prosecutions of anyone sending ballots to ineligible voters and allows for the withholding of federal funds from non-compliant states.

To any sane American, ensuring only citizens vote is common sense. But to the radical left, verifying citizenship is an “unconstitutional nightmare.”

They ran crying to the courts, begging for an immediate preliminary injunction to stop the order before the upcoming midterm elections.

Judge Nichols wasn’t having any of it. In a scathing 26-page opinion, the judge ruled that the Democrats failed to show they have any standing or have suffered a single shred of actual harm.

“Given that the Executive Order does not command Plaintiffs to do anything, and that no agency has yet acted pursuant to the Order in a way that could harm Plaintiffs, they have not suffered any harm at present,” Nichols wrote in his opinion.

The court repeatedly emphasized that the executive order merely directs agencies to begin lawful processes and does not itself remove voters, alter ballots, or force states to take any immediate action.

Nichols also noted that the order explicitly requires all actions to comply with existing federal laws, including the Privacy Act and other legal protections.

The ruling is particularly embarrassing for Democrat organizations that attempted to argue the mere possibility of future voter roll checks constituted “irreparable harm.”

Judge Nichols dismantled many of their arguments, writing that their claims relied on a “highly attenuated chain of possibilities” and speculative fears about what states or federal agencies might do in the future.

The court further rejected claims that organizations had standing simply because they chose to divert resources toward political activism and voter education campaigns in response to Trump’s order.

Citing Supreme Court precedent, Nichols explained that activist groups “cannot manufacture standing merely by inflicting harm on themselves based on their fears of hypothetical future harm.”

The decision marks another significant legal win for President Trump as Democrats continue their nationwide campaign against election security measures.

Read the ruling below:

Skip to PDF content

The post HUGE WIN FOR ELECTION INTEGRITY: Federal Judge SMASHES Desperate Democrat Lawsuit from DNC, Schumer, and Jeffries — Clears Way for Citizenship Checks on Mail-In Ballots appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.