Greene County Democrat

Tag: California Gov. Gavin Newsom

  • Newswire : Epstein pressure mounts as Trump turns to Nigeria strikes

    Map of Africa, highlighting Nigeria

    By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

    As questions mounted over the heavily redacted release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and new material placing President Donald Trump closer to the late sex trafficker than previously acknowledged, the White House shifted abruptly to a familiar tactic. The president turned outward, announcing U.S. military strikes in Nigeria and framing the action as a defense of Christianity, while critics said the move functioned as a political diversion that again placed Black people and Black nations in the crosshairs.
    Trump claimed the United States carried out “powerful and deadly” strikes against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria, accusing them of “slaughtering” Christians. The announcement arrived as Trump faced renewed scrutiny over Epstein records that include photographs, internal Justice Department emails, and flight data that raise questions about the administration’s handling of disclosures mandated by Congress.
    “The United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding a Christmas message that included, “MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”
    The Pentagon released video showing at least one projectile launched from a U.S. warship, though officials did not specify the precise target. U.S. Africa Command later said the strikes were conducted “in coordination with Nigerian authorities” in Sokoto State. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth thanked Nigeria for its cooperation, even as Trump publicly criticized Nigerian leaders.
    Nigerian officials rejected the religious framing. Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar told the BBC the strike was a joint operation against terrorists and “has nothing to do with a particular religion.” Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reiterated that position in a Christmas Eve post, writing that Nigeria remains committed to protecting Christians, Muslims, and all citizens and opposing religious persecution.
    Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with roughly 240 million people, has faced years of violence from extremist groups, criminal gangs, and insurgents that have killed people across religious lines. Just days before Trump’s statement, a blast at a mosque in northeastern Nigeria killed five people and injured dozens.
    Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom mocked the Justice Department’s release with a video highlighting extensive redactions and past footage of Trump with Epstein. The clip included a headline noting the DOJ’s defense of removing a Trump photograph from the records.
    Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia said the administration failed to comply with the law governing the release. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the disclosure incomplete and misleading, pointing to pages entirely blacked out. Rep. Ro Khanna, who co-authored the Epstein Files Transparency Act, said the release failed both the spirit and letter of the law, while Rep. Thomas Massie said it “grossly fails to comply.”
    The documents do not place former President Barack Obama in the Epstein files and contain no evidence tying him to Epstein. They also do not reveal wrongdoing by Hillary Clinton. Former President Bill Clinton appears in social photographs, though reporting notes no indication of misconduct and Clinton has denied any.
    By contrast, the release includes material that places Trump in closer proximity to Epstein than the administration has publicly acknowledged, including a photograph of Epstein holding a novelty check bearing Trump’s signature and internal emails referencing Trump’s travel on Epstein’s jet. The Justice Department has offered no explanation for why those materials were released while others remain obscured.
    Critics argue the timing of the Nigeria strikes fits a long-established pattern. For decades, Trump has faced allegations of racial discrimination, from the 1973 Justice Department lawsuit over housing practices to his 1989 newspaper ads calling for the death penalty during the Central Park Five case, a stance he revived during the 2024 presidential debate.
    In recent months, Trump has attacked diversity initiatives, defended Confederate symbols, and advanced policies that disproportionately affected Black communities, including mass deportations and federal workforce cuts that heavily impacted Black women. Commentators have noted the administration’s willingness to portray itself as a defender of Christianity and Western identity while stoking grievance politics at home.
    As Nigeria faces new travel restrictions and renewed placement on U.S. religious freedom watchlists, Nigerian leaders continue to reject Trump’s depiction of their country. Tinubu said earlier this fall that labeling Nigeria as religiously intolerant “does not reflect our national reality.”
    “I stand committed to doing everything within my power to enshrine religious freedom in Nigeria and to protect Christians, Muslims, and all Nigerians from violence,” Tinubu wrote.

  • Newswire : U. S. Supreme Court allows Texas to use racially gerrymandered map for 2026 Midterms 

    Texas legislator holding redistricting map

    By Joe Jurado, NewsOne


    In news that can be filed under “disappointing, but not surprising,” the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling allowing Texas to use its recently redistricted map in the 2026 midterms. 
    According to CBS News, the ruling came after a panel of federal judges struck down the map last month. In the original ruling, the judges found the map unconstitutional, believing it was racially gerrymandered. In an unsigned order, the Supreme Court said it “has repeatedly emphasized that lower federal courts should ordinarily not alter the election rules on the eve of an election,” and the district court “violated that rule here.” 
    “The District Court improperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign, causing much confusion and upsetting the delicate federal-state balance in elections,” the order continued.
    So the Supreme Court’s logic boils down to “it doesn’t matter if it’s wrong, they already did it, so just accept it.” 
    Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan pushed back against the ruling in a written dissent. “The court issued a 160-page opinion recounting in detail its factual findings. Yet this Court reverses that judgment based on its perusal, over a holiday weekend, of a cold paper record.” Kagan wrote. “We are a higher court than the District Court, but we are not a better one when it comes to making such a fact-based decision,” she added. 
    “We won! Texas is officially—and legally—more red,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement celebrating the ruling. “The new congressional districts better align our representation in Washington D.C. with the values of our state,” Abbott added. “This is a victory for Texas voters, for common sense, and for the U.S. Constitution.”
    Texas Democrats were far less celebratory of the ruling, and for good reason. Over the summer, Texas Democrats used every measure at their disposal to block the Texas redistricting effort. They filibustered, fled the state to break quorum, and their efforts even resulted in state Rep. Nicole Collier being held as a political prisoner on the House floor.  
     “The Supreme Court failed Texas voters today, and they failed American democracy. This is what the end of the Voting Rights Act looks like: courts that won’t protect minority communities even when the evidence is staring them in the face,” Texas state House Democratic Leader Rep. Gene Wu said in a statement. 
    The Texas map triggered a nationwide redistricting battle. In July, Abbott called a special session focused on redistricting at the request of President Donald Trump. The GOP controls the House by a narrow margin, with Democrats only needing a net gain of three seats to flip control during next year’s midterms. The Texas state legislature eventually passed a map that added five new districts that favor Republicans. 
    While the Supreme Court is allowing Texas to utilize its redistricted map, the gains made within it have largely been neutralized by California’s redistricting effort. California Gov. Gavin Newsom was the first Democratic leader to throw a counterpunch when he announced the “Election Rigging Response Act “in August. That move triggered a special election last month focused solely on Prop 50, which transfers control of the state’s congressional maps from an independent redistricting committee to the state legislature through the end of the decade. California voters overwhelmingly approved the measure, and Newsom intends to implement a map that directly cancels out the gains made in Texas. 
    Virginia’s Democrat-led General Assembly also announced a surprise redistricting effort last month that aims to create two to three more seats in the House, with Chicago and Maryland also considering redrawing their maps. 
    So while the Supreme Court’s ruling undeniably hurts Democratic voters in Texas, the electoral math for flipping control of the House is still reasonably close.