Stephen Miller was born on August 23, 1985, in Santa Monica, California, to Jewish parents Michael D. Miller, a real estate investor, and Miriam (née Glosser), a social worker and Columbia University graduate . His maternal ancestors, including Wolf Lieb Glotzer and his wife Bessie, emigrated from Antopol in the Russian Empire (present-day Belarus) to the United States in 1903, escaping anti-Jewish pogroms . They settled in New York, where they began building a life in America, reflecting the broader immigrant experience of resilience and adaptation .
On his paternal side, Miller’s family also came from the Pale of Settlement in the Russian Empire, now Belarus. His paternal ancestors, such as Nison Cheinman (later Max Miller), immigrated in the early 20th century, initially working in groceries and cigar rolling before achieving success in law and real estate in Los Angeles Both sides of his family experienced the challenges of immigration, including language barriers, poverty, and the threat of conscription or persecution, and they established themselves through entrepreneurship and community involvement .
Miller’s upbringing was in a politically liberal Jewish household, though he later adopted conservative ideologies during his youth and college years . His heritage is deeply rooted in the Ashkenazi Jewish tradition, shaped by the immigrant experience, and marked by values such as community, resilience, and hard work . This background contrasts with his later political positions, particularly on immigration, highlighting a complex interplay between personal heritage and ideological development.
July 22, 2026 8:41AM ET I had to add this article to show how screwed up the legislature is and Trumpelstilskin’s hold on them affects their work! MA
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with the press while walking with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), to the Senate Republican Steering Committee lunch at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 24, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has been forced to cast aside President Donald Trump’s “whims” amid a “formidable” dilemma facing Congressional Republicans this week, a week that serves as one of the party’s “last” chances to advance the White House’s agenda, Punchbowl News reported Wednesday.
Under the leadership of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), House Republicans are pushing to advance a reconciliation package that includes $60 billion for the Pentagon to help cover costs of the deeply unpopular U.S. war against Iran. The House will adjourn for a five-week recess on Thursday, giving House lawmakers a short window of opportunity to advance the legislation.
On Tuesday, however, Thune spoiled Johnson’s plans by declaring he “wouldn’t advance” the reconciliation package – scheduled for a House vote on Wednesday – until the Senate finds a path toward advancing a broader government funding bill for next fiscal year, Punchbowl News reported.
“Let’s be clear about how disastrous it would be to jam through a [continuing resolution] via reconciliation,” Punchbowl News’ report reads. “It means Democrats could force an unlimited number of amendment votes at a simple-majority threshold on pretty much any topic.”
“Thune is looking to protect his vulnerable senators from yet another vote-a-rama. As he finds himself increasingly at odds with Trump, Thune is looking out for his Senate majority – not Trump’s whims.”
Further complicating matters is the SAVE Act, Trump’s controversial voter ID bill. While the House has passed the SAVE Act multiple times, Thune has repeatedly stated that the bill lacks enough support to advance in the Senate.
“Senate Republicans are skeptical they can get any of the SAVE Act included in the reconciliation bill,” Punchbowl News’ report reads. “That will cause major problems with House Republicans.”
The report emphasizes the widening rift between two powerful GOP leaders.
“We’re seeing once again the massive gulf between Johnson and Thune,” it states. “The two top Republicans seem to have different motivations at the moment and are handling their jobs very differently.”
joseph Gedeon in Washington
Thu, June 18, 2026 at 10:36 AM CDT
3 min read
Donald Trump’s administration has quietly redirected $352m in federal funds designated for the Secret Service toward the president’s controversial White House ballroom project, despite repeated promises by Trump that the construction would be financed by private donations
The funds were drawn from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Trump’s signature tax legislation passed last summer on Republican-only votes. The law stipulates the money may only be spent on Secret Service personnel, training facilities, technology and related costs, not construction.
About $340.8m of the funding was placed into an account labeled “Procurement, Construction, and Improvements” on 12 June, according to the office of management and budget (OMB) database. Another account labeled “Operations and Support” was also approved the same day, adding another $10.75m to the budget.
Story by Christopher Luu • 3h • 2 min read Irish Star
President Donald Trump’s golf empire is expanding — at the expense of families having to move their loved ones’ remains. The Trump Organization’s latest golf project is set to cost $1.5 billion and is forcing communities in the Chau Ninh commune of the Hung Yen province near Hanoi to figure out how to remove remains from a local cemetery ahead of construction.
The Financial Times reports that some graves in the cemetery are now marked with large Xs, indicating that families have already removed the remains. The area is largely an agricultural community, and locals are being compensated with $2,660 payments. The resort is set to span 2,446 acres and displace 4,000 households.
“It’s painful,” Hoang Do, 72, told the Financial Times of the payment, which is equivalent to 70 million dong. “I’m outraged by the compensation price.” This comes as Trump took issue with one of JD Vance’s traits as 2028 doubts emerge.
“The grave of my great-grandparents has been there since 1967, before the establishment of this country [after the Vietnam War], so why should I move them?” another local, 50-year-old Hoang Anh Xa, shared. Hoang added that they have five family members in the graveyard that will have to be moved.
In addition to moving their family members to other facilities, Xa noted that the golf course will cause harm to the local community: “I won’t be able to find another job. We do not oppose the policy of the Party and the government. We just ask for one thing only, the land price has to be [higher].”
When the project was announced last year, Reuters reported that “farmers were being offered as little as $12 for 10 square feet of land.” Some residents were being offered even less, with one woman sharing that she was being offered the equivalent of $3,200 and rice in exchange for selling her farm.
Trump’s son, Eric, called the new resort “the envy of all of Asia and of the entire world.” During a trip to Vietnam in 2025, a joint statement between the Trump Organization and real estate firm Kinhbac City shared that they “will focus on developing 5-star hotels, championship-style golf courses, and luxurious residential estates and unparalleled amenities in Vietnam.”
Visit Irish Star
Nicole Charky-Chami
April 29, 2026 3:02PM ET
‘Stop! Stop!’ Hegseth accused of ‘lying’ about Iran war in fiery hearing clash
Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) delivered a stern comment to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth amid a fiery line of questioning on Thursday during the
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth got in a fiery exchange during a congressional hearing on Wednesday with a lawmaker who accused him of lying about the number of military service members injured since the Iran war started.
Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY), a West Point graduate and Iraq war combat veteran, spoke to Hegseth at the House Armed Services Committee hearing about the wounded soldiers and what they described from the attack on March 1 at Port Shuaiba in Kuwait that left six Americans dead and more than 30 wounded.
“Before the war started, there was clear intelligence that was high on Iran’s target list,” Ryan said. “Internal analysis that said the site was indefensible from aerial attack and should not be used. Yet you sent our soldiers from 103rd sustainment command there anyway. Is that true or false? True or false? Straightforward question.”
Hegseth got defensive with Ryan over the question.
“Are you going to give me a chance to answer or just play ‘gotcha?'” Hegseth said.
Ryan continued and pressed Hegseth to respond to him.
“Let’s talk about what defenses they had prior to the attack,” Ryan said. “Officers on the ground knew our troops were vulnerable. In fact, they requested additional force protection. Did they receive it?”
Hegseth said the soldiers did have additional security resources — Ryan said they did not.
“In fact, when asked to describe the base’s defense, one survivor who’s come forward from the unit said, ‘I mean, I would put it in the none category from a drone defense capability. None,'” Ryan said.
“So let’s be clear. No counter-drone capabilities, no counter-rocket systems, no counter-mortar or counter-artillery, not even the basic overhead protection that you and I had 20 years ago in Iraq. And now six of our soldiers are dead,” Ryan said. “The next day, you downplayed the attack. You said it was a squirter that squeaked through fortified defenses. But since then, thankfully, brave survivors have come forward to set the record straight. One of our surviving soldiers told CBS, ‘painting a picture that one squeaked through is a falsehood.’ Another said the unit was, ‘unprepared to provide any defense for itself. It was not a fortified position.’ Another survivor said the building’s protection was about as weak as one gets. Secretary Hegseth, that is obviously in direct contradiction to what you said from the Pentagon podium the next day. So are you saying that these soldiers, our soldiers who survived this horrific attack, are lying?”
Hegseth claimed the Pentagon had set a “maximum defensive posture,” and Ryan pushed back, interjecting.
“Can I speak or are you just going to monologue falsehoods all over the place?” Hegseth aid.
“It’s not a falsehood,” Ryan said.
The two got into a heated back-and-forth over the questions.
“I’m reclaiming my time,” Ryan said. “Stop! Stop! I’m reclaiming my time on the behalf of these survivors.”
“Just because you yelled doesn’t make you right,” Hegseth quipped.
Ryan demanded Hegseth to resign — just as he had said a year ago.
“I’m not playing games,” Ryan said. “I want to finish. With one more quote from a survivor of the attack and this on the record. Telling the truth is important and we’re not going to learn from these mistakes if we pretend these mistakes didn’t happen, Secretary Hegseth, those soldiers told the truth. Those soldiers are braver than you are. They are asking for accountability. They deserve accountability. And I’m asking for the same, starting with you.”
Gerren Keith Gaynor
Fri, March 27, 2026 at 2:20 PM CDT
As President Trump hails his administration’s efforts to support farmers amid rising costs, Black farmers facing foreclosure continue to get the cold shoulder.
President Donald Trump welcomed hundreds of farmers to the White House on Friday, in what the administration touted as a celebration of agriculture and American farm producers. On the South Lawn, decorated with a massive, obviously Trump-inspired gold tractor, the president hailed the event as the “single largest gathering of American farmers that the White House has ever seen.”
Noticeably missing from the crowd of farmers at the White House were the nation’s Black farmers, who have been repeatedly shut out of meetings and dialogue with the Trump administration, which has simultaneously eliminated several programs intended to address decades-long disparities impacting marginalized farmers at a time when many are facing foreclosures amid continued high costs in farm production, mortgages, and property taxes.
“I certainly asked to be a part of it,” says John Boyd, founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association, which represents tens of thousands of Black farmers.
The longtime activist and farmer, who has repeatedly tried to advocate on behalf of Black farmers with the Department of Agriculture and the White House, tells TheGrio he has heard “nothing from this administration.”
“For them not to invite us, they’re really saying, ‘We don’t want you to be a part of this administration at all,’” says Boyd, who told TheGrio that a White House official had previously told him that the administration was “doing away” with farmers of color and DEI. The official told Boyd that farmers being prioritized “happen to be white,” emphasizing, “This is not about race.”
Upon learning about the farmers’ event, Boyd reached out to a Trump official at the White House Office of Public Liaison; however, Boyd’s inquiry to join the event went unanswered. A spokesperson for the White House did not immediately respond to TheGrio’s request for comment.
National Black Farmers Association, USDA payments, theGrio.com
President Trump praised what he described as his administration’s many accomplishments on behalf of farmers, even as input prices for land, machinery, seeds, pesticides, and fertilizers have risen. The president’s war is also driving up fuel costs, which are impacting farmers. Trump pointed to last year’s $12 billion aid announcement to farmers amid the financial firestorm created by his global tariffs, and the elimination of federal estate taxes, even though USDA’s own data shows that only about 0.3% of farm estates are subject to federal estate tax. Trump also announced that the Small Business Administration will issue a new loan program for farmers.
“My first year back in the White House, farm income has soared by 20%,” Trump falsely stated (USDA forecasts income in 2026 will decline). “The American farmers, ranchers, growers and producers, once again have a true friend and champion in the Oval Office.”
Despite the president’s remarks, Boyd says the Trump administration and its anti-DEI policies have been less than friendly to Black farmers. Cultural and systemic barriers largely shut out Black farmers from much of the USDA resources, in addition to the termination of grants and debt relief that was intended to help dig them out of financial ruin.
Boyd tells TheGrio he has turned to the Congressional Black Caucus for help; as many as 190 of his members are facing foreclosures on their farms.
“The White House don’t want us, but these congressional districts have companies in them that represent some of these [agriculture] companies. Let’s bring them to the table and see what they can do to help us with these farmers,” he says.
As for being shut out of Friday’s White House convening of American farmers, Boyd said of President Trump, “[He] says that he’s not racist, but this shows racist tendencies right in your face.”
Where are the White Farmers in the Farming Brotherhood?
’
Published: Mar. 26, 2026, 5:00 a.m.
By Brian Linder | blinder@pennlive.com
Professional wrestling legend and former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura appeared on Piers Morgan this week and went after Donald Trump again.That’s not uncommon for Ventura, but one of the bits from the interview making headlines is an accusation that he made about the assassination attempt on Trump’s life that took place in Butler, Pennsylvania during the 2024 Presidential Election.
While the two were discussing Trump, Morgan said, “To be fair to Trump, when he got shot, he got back up and said, ‘Fight, fight, fight!’”
“Oh yeah, right, right, right,” Ventura replied. “You ever hear of a blade job?”
A “blade job” is a term used in professional wrestling for when the performers actually cut themselves out of view of the audience so that they bleed during the match.
“You think it was fake?” Morgan replied.
“I don’t know,” Ventura replied. “Where’s his scar today?”
Morgan then referenced Pennsylvania native Corey Comperatore who was in the crowd that day and was killed during the assassination attempt.
“Somebody died literally sitting behind him,” Morgan replied.
“I don’t know,” Ventura said. “You know, come on Piers. You’re gonna tell me this guy is a big hero now? That’s what you are going to tell me?”
“I thought that day he was,” Morgan replied. “That day he was.”
“Really?” Ventura said. “Really?”
Morgan stated again that Trump was a hero on that day.
“Then he accomplished what he wanted out of you guys,” Ventura said smiling.
“No, I think you can be heroic on one day, and you can be less heroic on others,” Morgan said. “But, if you ask me was he heroic when he got shot, he was.”
“Sure, yeah, yeah, you’re right,” Ventura said. “You know what I feel bad about it? Was that if he’d have joined us in Vietnam we might have won, huh?
“Why did he run and hide, when he could have joined us and led us to victory?”
Morgan replied that he didn’t think anything could have changed the United States’ fortunes in Vietnam.
“Yeah, probably not considering he called us all suckers, didn’t he?” Ventura replied.
There is no evidence the assassination attempt on Trump was staged.
“On that tragic day in Butler, Pennsylvania, we tragically lost an American hero, Corey Comperatore, who selflessly laid down his life to protect those around him,” the White House said in a statement. “President Trump will never forget Corey and his beautiful family.
“On that dark day, God spared President Trump’s life by a miraculous millimeter,” the statement continued. “President Trump is standing stronger than ever as he continues to ‘fight, fight, fight’ for the American people. Only a fool would believe otherwise.”
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Ventura is not the only person to question the circumstances around the assassination attempt, with some MAGA-leaning content creators on social media also entering the discussion of late. In fact, the rumors prompted a response from White House communications director Steven Cheung earlier this month.
Cheung shared an X post stating that the assassination attempt was not staged.
“For those of us who were there with POTUS at Butler,” he wrote, “anyone saying it was staged truly needs to have their heads checked out because they have no sense of reality.”
There is nothing I can add to this blather put out by Speaker Johnson aka Spkr. Milquetoast. I have reduced my news intake as it at once depressing, anger inciting and informative. I miss the days when one could look at any channel, any daily newsprint and get a reasonable idea of what is happening in the nation and the wider world. Now the advent podcasts, online apps and one-sided news on the tube have brought me to scour the news feed from the few sources I allow into my life just to get a “fair” idea of what the facts are. The pitch by Johnson below gives me the “ick”.
House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered a contentious pitch to voters Tuesday at President Donald Trump’s Florida resort, calling it “foolish” to vote against Republican candidates in November. This comes as an NBC News poll shows Democrats well-positioned to retake the House, with some Republicans fearing Senate losses too. Even Sen. Rand Paul predicted “disastrous” midterm results for the GOP. Johnson framed the election as a contest “between normal and crazy,” claiming the Republican majority has “defied expectation and historical trends,” while governing. Speaking at the Trump National Doral Miami, where membership costs $50,000 initiation plus $1,000 monthly dues, Johnson attacked Democrats as “Marxists, open socialists, the far-left insurgent politicians,” pushing the party “over the edge,” and leaving America behind. He vowed Republicans would defy historical odds again.
If indeed the Presidents party prevails in the midterms we can be assured of a modern day civil war which will allow the current clown to continue running the circus. I can only state again: cut through the fog of bull shit and vote for folks who are as honest as we can get in the political sphere. Keep in mind if it sounds like BS, it quite possibly is!
Democrats Won 3 Special Elections in PA and Maine While Trump Ranted at State
of the Union
As President Donald Trump delivered a combave State of the Union address in
Washington, Democrats were celebrating a trio of election victories in
Pennsylvania and Maine — wins they say signal momentum heading into
November’s midterms.
In Pennsylvania, Democrats successfully defended two key state House seats in
special elections, preserving their majority in the chamber. Meanwhile, in Maine,
the party held onto a completive state House district, denying Republicans a
pickup opportunity.
According to Newsweek reporting, Ana Tiburcio and Jennifer Mazzocco were
elected to represent Pennsylvania’s 22nd and 42nd House districts, respectively.
Mazzocco secured a commanding victory in Allegheny County, winning more than
80 percent of the vote — dramatically expanding the margin compared to her
predecessor’s performance in 2024. The wins maintain Democrats’ narrow 102–
98 edge in the Pennsylvania House, a margin that allows Gov. Josh Shapiro to
continue advancing his legislative agenda
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