Decorated combat veteran Army Captain Sam Brown (ret.), a 41-year-old, West Point graduate nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the National Cemetery Administration as Veteran Affairs Undersecretary of Memorial Affairs, was reportedly blocked in confirmation by Democrat Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
According to a post to X by VA Secretary Doug Collins, Brown is being blocked by Blumenthal and Gallego “to score cheap political points.” He commented, “Awful behavior, senators.”
— VA Secretary Doug Collins (@SecVetAffairs) May 19, 2025
Rather than offering an explanation for his blocking Brown, Gallego lobbed an ad hominem attack at Collins writing, “VA Collins only cares about disabled Veterans that are his political appointees. He is going to arbitrarily fire thousands of Veterans from the VA. Awful behavior Secretary.”
Similarly, Sen. Blumenthal accused Collins of attempting to distract the American people in his own post to X. He wrote, “Stop seeking to distract. Republicans can bring these nominees to the floor for a full debate & vote whenever they choose. Americans & veterans deserve transparency & accountability around your political nominees & your concealed plans to cut 83,000 VA employees.”
Blumenthal and Gallego appear to be referring to an alleged leaked memo released by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) which refers to VA staffing reductions driven by Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Workforce Optimization Initiative. While the VA has shared data with NPR showing that 11,273 agency employees nationwide have applied for deferred resignation, the department stated that staff cuts will not affect veterans’ health care with Collins accusing Democrats of fearmongering during a senate hearing on May 6th.
“I will not let you sit here and scare my veterans and scare my employees, because no one has discussed firing doctors or firing nurses,” Collins told Blumenthal. “We’ve always said that we’re going to keep frontline health care.”
Answering questions from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), he said, “We have been emphatic that we will not be cutting benefits and health care, only improving them.”
Reacting to the news, Brown released a statement via social media thanking VA Secretary Collins saying, “I’ve served our nation once with honor. I’ve been nominated by President Trump to do it again. Unfortunately there are Democrat Senators who want to block my service to the great USA, our beloved veterans, and their families.”
I’ve served our nation once with honor.
I’ve been nominated by President Trump to do it again.
Unfortunately there are Democrat Senators who want to block my service to the great USA, our beloved veterans, and their families.
In a dramatic reversal of policy from the days of the Biden administration, the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE), under Secretary Linda McMahon and President Donald Trump, rescinded a $37 million fine against Grand Canyon University with prejudice Friday. The decision scraps the largest fine ever levied against a university by the USDOE.
As previously reported by AZ Free News, Grand Canyon University launched an appeal challenging the enormous fine and allegations of advertising false degree costs. The university was supported by the Goldwater Institute, which launched its own lawsuit in February after the USDOE failed to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request to gain clarity on the fine against GCU.
U.S. Department of Education rescinds record fine, with prejudice, against GCU https://t.co/RmS8ZMBPb7
In a statement following the decision, GCU President Brian Mueller described the dismissal as welcome, but unsurprising news.
“The facts clearly support our contention that we were wrongly accused of misleading our Doctoral students and we appreciate the recognition that those accusations were without merit,” he said. “GCU is a leader in innovation, transparency and best practices in higher education and we look forward to working cooperatively with the Department in the future – just as we have with all regulatory agencies.”
The USDOE dismissed the case in its entirety with neither findings, fines, liabilities, nor penalties of any variety. According to GCU, the USDOE, “confirmed it has not established that GCU violated any Title IV requirements, including the claim that GCU ‘substantially misrepresented’ the cost of its doctoral programs that was alleged by ED officials under the Biden Administration. The Dismissal stated unequivocally that ‘there are no findings against GCU, or any of its employees, officers, agents, or contractors, and no fine is imposed.’”
In a statement the University said, “The proposed fine action was, by far, the largest the Department of Education had ever levied against a university. GCU filed an appeal to ED’s Office of Hearings and Appeals, maintaining that the unsubstantiated accusations were gross mischaracterizations based on isolated, out-of-context statements from certain enrollment documents and that, in fact, GCU students receive robust information about the time, cost and credits needed to complete a doctoral degree throughout their enrollment and onboarding process. Moreover, GCU maintains that its disclosures surrounding continuation courses, which are common in higher education doctoral programs, provide more information than is legally required or that other universities typically provide. As such, GCU has consistently insisted that it would contest any fine amount – even $1, let alone $37.7 million.”
🚨BIG🚨
This March, Congressman Hamadeh joined the entire Arizona congressional delegation in defending Grand Canyon University against attacks from the Biden administration.
— Office of Congressman Abe Hamadeh (@RepAbeHamadeh) May 17, 2025
In a post to X, Arizona Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ08) praised the dismissal writing, “The record-breaking fine imposed on Grand Canyon University (@gcu) was just one of many attacks by the Biden Administration on Christian organizations. Congressman Hamadeh applauds the Trump Administration’s decision to rescind the fine with prejudice.”
The record-breaking fine imposed on Grand Canyon University (@gcu) was just one of many attacks by the Biden Administration on Christian organizations.
Congressman Hamadeh applauds the Trump Administration’s decision to rescind the fine with prejudice. https://t.co/9rW7Z0x0P9
— Office of Congressman Abe Hamadeh (@RepAbeHamadeh) May 19, 2025
Congressman Andy Biggs made a similar post saying, “I’ve urged investigation into the outrageous fine since the moment it was handed down by the radical Biden-Harris regime. Thank you @POTUS and @EDSecMcMahon for working to ensure that the weaponization of government against @GCU isn’t allowed to stand!”
I’ve urged investigation into the outrageous fine since the moment it was handed down by the radical Biden-Harris regime.
Tom George, a Republican Committeeman for Legislative District 29, lost his El Mirage home in a devastating house fire on May 10th, according to friends and colleagues, leaving the single-father and his young son without a home.
AZ Free News was alerted to the tragedy on Tuesday by LD29 GOP Chair Lisa Everett, who said via email, “He’s a great man. He is a precinct committeeman in my LD. He’s one of the hardest working men I’ve ever seen.”
A GoFundMe has been created to benefit George and his son managed by his colleague Eric Miller who wrote in a post to Facebook:
“Please help Tom George rebuild after a devastating house fire. Tom lost everything when his home burned down on May 10th. A dedicated father and selfless community volunteer in El Mirage, AZ, and numerous West Valley communities, Tom has always given his time to help others. Now he needs our help. He has no renter’s insurance, the inflation and economy depleted his finances, and he is starting from scratch. Please donate or share to support a man who’s always shown up for his community. He now needs his community. Tom is a strong, independent man, and he won’t ask for help … so I am asking for him.”
According to the crowd-funding site managed by Miller, “Every donation, no matter how small, will help Tom get back on his feet—providing him with clothes, basic essentials, temporary housing, and the resources needed to rebuild his and his son’s lives. Please consider supporting Tom as he begins this difficult journey forward.”
Miller added, “Tom has volunteered throughout the West Valley to help improve the lives of others. He serves/volunteers as an elected precinct committeeman, where he advocates for his neighbors and the greater community with passion and selflessness. Tom is the kind of person who always puts others first. He’s overcome many struggles in life and continues to lead with strength, generosity, and a heart for service. Now, in his time of greatest need, we have the opportunity to return that generosity.”
In her email to AZ Free News, Chairwoman Everett said the LD29 GOP Committee is organizing a fundraiser and “doing what we can to keep his spirits up.”
The tragic fire at George’s home isn’t the first one in recent memory to bring together West Valley Republicans. As previously reported by AZ Free News, the West Valley Republican & Independent Coalition, a non-profit PAC, suffered an office fire at West Grand Ave. in Sun City in June 2024 that left the office “almost a total loss.” But the tragedy is far keener, when it involves a home, and a family.
As of this report the GoFundMe has raised over $3,000 toward its $10,000 goal.
On Wednesday, the FBI office in Phoenix honored the 64 officers who made the ultimate sacrifice in 2024. Under Director Kash Patel, the FBI has directed public attention to its new special report on those officers’ deaths and the 85,000 assaults on law enforcement reported to the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program.
The report details the deaths of the 64 officers in both felonious circumstances as well as the 43 killed in accidents. It explained, “Thus far in 2025, 16 officers have been feloniously killed in the line of duty. Firearms were used in 75 percent of the incidents. The leading circumstances surrounding officers’ deaths included activities related to responses to unlawful or suspicious activities (7), pursuits (3), and traffic stops (3).”
The data reveals that most officers were killed in the months of April and August followed by February, July, and September, with the majority being killed in the FBI’s Southern region while responding to unlawful or suspicious activity.
In his remarks before the Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) Conference Thursday, Patel said, “The FBI is committed to honoring fallen officers, supporting their families and colleagues, and relentlessly pursuing those who do them harm.”
In his message for National Police Week, Patel told the nation:
“In my time as director, I’ve made a call to every chief or sheriff whose department has lost an officer to an adversarial action in the line of duty. And although I’ve only been in this position for less than three months, I’ve already made far too many of those calls.
“Every line of duty death is a tragedy for the families who lose a loved one; for the officers who lose a colleague and a friend; and for the communities that lose a faithful protector and guardian of justice. Those losses remind us of the tremendous sacrifice law enforcement officers across the country make to keep the American people safe.
“They go to work every morning knowing there’s a chance they won’t make it home that night that they might be targeted just because they wear the badge, like the 64 officers who were feloniously killed in the line of duty last year and the more than 85,000 others who suffered assaults. But the men and women of law enforcement continue showing up for all of us despite the hardships, the demands and the dangers. They do it because they’ve made a choice to serve and protect their fellow American citizens, and they have no intention of letting us down.”
Patel concluded, “I’m honored and humbled to work alongside those who have dedicated their lives to public service, to having the backs of the American people, and all of us owe them a debt we can never repay. That’s why National Police Week is so important. It’s an opportunity to express our deepest gratitude for those who have taken an oath to protect our communities and pursue justice. And to honor the legacies of those who gave their lives so that others could be safe. The FBI and I are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners throughout law enforcement together as we protect our nation.“
Under Senior Advisor of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) Kari Lake, the agency is terminating over 500 contractor roles by June 30th and is continuing efforts to sell its million-square-foot facility in Washington, D.C., despite an ongoing legal challenge.
Lake said in a statement posted to X, “In accordance with President Trump’s executive order dated March 14, we are in the process of rightsizing the agency and reducing the federal bureaucracy to meet administration priorities. We will continue to scale back the bloat at USAGM and make an archaic dinosaur into something worthy of being funded by hardworking Americans.”
She added, “Buckle up. There’s more to come.”
Per usual the fake news only uses part of my comment. Here is my comment in full: "In accordance with President Trump's executive order dated March 14, we are in the process of rightsizing the agency and reducing the federal bureaucracy to meet administration priorities. We will… https://t.co/xTQBAMWKjh
As reported by The Washington Post, the move is opposed by Biden-appointee Voice of America (VOA) Director Michael Abramowitz who told the outlet he is “heartbroken” over the downsizing.
“I find this action inexplicable, and to my knowledge, no rationale has been provided by USAGM for this decision,” he wrote in a statement to the Post. “We will continue to make efforts to help individual PSCs, especially those who face possible return to hostile countries, in any and every way we can during this difficult time.”
According to Lake, a total of 584 employees have been terminated across the board at USAGM including the Office of Cuba Broadcasting. Without specifically stating the breakdown by department, she noted that the majority were from VOA. Many of the terminations will affect different language services under the VOA aegis, and if upheld, could result in the termination of dozens of J-1 visas for foreign-born journalists who would face 30-day deadlines to leave the United States.
Steve Herman, a VOA national correspondent-turned-spokesman for the lawsuits against USAGM, told the outlet, “Among those affected (by the terminations) are J-1 visa holders who will be forced to leave the country in 30 days. Several of these journalists come from countries where they could be arrested or worse because of their objective reporting for VOA.”
As part of a raft of cost-saving measures, Lake announced in early May that One America News Network will provide news-feed services to the network of outlets under the USAGM including the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), Radio Martí, and Voice of America.
🚨ANNOUNCEMENT🚨
"United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) is excited to announce a partnership with One America News Network (OAN) to provide newsfeed services to USAGM networks, including Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), Radio Martí, and Voice of America (VOA).
Lake explained at the time, “This idea came about after OCB suggested we explore OAN as a newsfeed option for the Miami-based, U.S. Government-funded news operation broadcasting to Cuba. At their suggestion, I reached out to OAN, and they offered to provide their newsfeed and video service free-of-charge. This is an enormous benefit to the American taxpayer, who is the sole-source of funding for USAGM’s news outlets, which broadcast only to international audiences.”
Lake clarified her USAGM role at the time saying, “In my current role as Senior Advisor to USAGM, I don’t have editorial control over the content of VOA and OCB programming, but I can ensure our outlets have reliable and credible options as they work to craft their reporting and news programs. And every day I look for ways to save American taxpayers money. Bringing in OAN as a video/news source does both. OAN is one of the few family-owned American media networks left in the United States. We are grateful for their generosity.” As previously reported by AZ Free News, Lake announced the cancellation of “obscene over-spending including a nearly quarter-of-a-billion-dollar lease for a Pennsylvania Avenue high-rise that has no broadcasting facilities to meet the needs of the agency and included a $9 million commission to a private real estate agent with connections.”
The sale of the existing headquarters for VOA, in use since 1954, was to take place shortly after the agency moved into the newly leased building by order of former President Biden. However, in addition to canceling that lease, Lake has also begun efforts to sell VOA’s existing studio space, listing the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building as “identified for accelerated disposition,” with the U.S. General Services Administration.
