Nancy Pelosi says America expanded freedoms ’until recently’
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says America’s founders envisioned a Constitution that would be updated and expand freedoms — but that expansion has stopped “recently.”
The California Democrat on Monday addressed the Maryland General Assembly in Annapolis, where she received a resolution honoring her achievements. She told the state lawmakers that the founders declared, “We were all equal.”
“That was the vision,” Mrs. Pelosi said. “Thank God they made [the Constitution] amendable.”
Subsequent national leaders eventually abolished slavery and gave women the right to vote via the 13th and 19th amendments.
“We constantly expanded freedom and that always happened, until recently,” Mrs. Pelosi said, suggesting that freedoms have been curtailed — without mentioning President Trump or his Republican administration by name.
Monday’s resolution in the Maryland General Assembly highlighted Mrs. Pelosi’s family roots in Baltimore, where she was raised. Her father, Thomas D’Alesandro Jr., was a member of the House of Delegates in 1926 and later mayor of Baltimore. Her brother, Thomas D’Alesandro III, served as mayor and president of the Baltimore City Council.
House of Delegates Speaker Joseline Pena-Melnyk told Mrs. Pelosi “welcome home” and acknowledged members of the Pelosi family who journeyed to the State House with their matriarch.
“I want to congratulate you on not having one but two women speakers of the House of Delegates,” Mrs. Pelosi told Ms. Pena-Melnyk, who succeeded Adrienne Jones as speaker.
Mrs. Pelosi, whose family immigrated from Sicily, applauded Ms. Pena-Melnyk’s immigrant roots, noting she was born in the Dominican Republic.
“We are beautifully diverse,” Mrs. Pelosi said of America. “Our unity is our power.”
Drug cartel looks to selling exotic animals, jellyfish
Seen, Heard & Whispered has learned that drug cartels have been forced to find new ways to launder their money since the Trump administration has disrupted their activities via Operation Southern Spear, the military and surveillance campaign against transnational criminals at sea.
One new method is selling exotic animals, specifically jellyfish.
Sara Carter, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, noted that the cartels are selling the jellyfish to China.
“Across the globe, we are seeing the effects of the market and the cartels are looking at expanding,” she told The Washington Times. “They are looking at how they can push and find different choke points.”
“We have to go after their finances, their intelligence apparatus,” Ms. Carter said.
Then-Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., walks the …
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She took on the drug czar post last year after a decades-long career as an investigative reporter covering the southern border and national security. She was confirmed into the position in January.
Ms. Carter previously worked at Fox News and The Washington Times.
Operation Southern Spear has launched more than a dozen kinetic strikes on vessels believed to be carrying drugs around South America.
Ms. Carter said striking those boats has decreased the illegal importation of cocaine.
Is Ben Sasse responsible for Trump appointing Amy Coney Barrett?
Former Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse says he lobbied President Trump to put “that Catholic lady from Notre Dame” on the Supreme Court — presumably, Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
Mr. Sasse shared the story during an episode of his “Not Dead Yet” podcast released last week.
He said that, as a non-lawyer on the Senate Judiciary Committee, he had to educate himself about Mr. Trump’s judicial nominations. He and the president had phone calls about then-Judge Barrett after Mr. Trump appointed the former Notre Dame professor to a circuit court.
“I immediately started lobbying him that he should put her on the Supreme Court, such that one of Donald Trump’s very funny habits is he often reduces people to about two things,” Mr. Sasse said. “And whatever they are, that is what comes up every time you talk to him. My three things were: doesn’t dress well, wears Nebraska pullover gear on TV […] super religious guy who is really into his family.”
“That’s alright by me,” Mr. Sasse said. “And over time, he added that I was a freak obsessed with ’that Catholic lady from Notre Dame.’ The president became obsessed with the idea I was obsessed with getting Amy on the court.”
Mr. Trump appointed Justice Barrett in 2020 to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Surprisingly, Mr. Sasse often criticized Mr. Trump during his tenure in the Senate. He left Capitol Hill in 2023 and went on to serve as president of the University of Florida until July 2024.
Mr. Sasse announced in December that he had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer.
