CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: April 13th

Glenn gives the latest coronavirus numbers, updating YOU on everything needed to know as Americans and officials monitor China's new COVID-19 virus:

Daily Stats as of 5:30 AM CT (from John's Hopkins)

  • Total Confirmed Cases Worldwide: 1,862,254 (up from 1,615,092 Friday)
  • Total Confirmed Deaths Worldwide: 114,980 (up from 96,791 Friday)
  • Total Confirmed Recovered Worldwide: 431,666 (up from 362,542 Friday)
  • US has 560,433 Confirmed Cases and 22,115 Deaths, up from 468,895 cases and 16,697 deaths Friday
  • US now leads the World in both Cases and Deaths from COVID-19
  • US now accounts for ~30% of all confirmed cases and ~20% of confirmed deaths globally
All 50 US States Declared Disaster Zones For The First Time in US Historyhttps://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/public-global-health/492433-all-50-states-under-disaster-declaration-for-first
  • All 50 states are under a FEMA disaster declaration for the first time in U.S. history, after President Trump approved Wyoming's declaration Saturday.
  • Within 22 days, Trump has declared a major emergency in all 50 states and most territories.
  • Trump approved the first major disaster declaration for coronavirus in New York on March 20, followed two days later by Washington and California, the early hot spots of the virus.
  • New York has become the hardest-hit state, recording 188,694 positive cases and 10,000 deaths from the virus, according to the state's health department.
  • The U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, Washington, D.C., Guam and Puerto Rico all received approved major disaster declarations.
  • American Samoa is the only U.S. territory that has not received a disaster designation.
Cue The Fat Lady? US Federal Reserve Buys Everything, Destroying the Free-Markethttps://finance.yahoo.com/news/fed-seizing-control-entire-u-144633849.html
  • The US Federal Reserve is purchasing approximately $625 Billion per week in US Treasury Bonds, US Municipal Bonds and Corporate Bonds.
  • At that rate of spend, The Federal Reserve will own all outstanding US Public Debt - Federal and Local - by September-October 2020 and all US Private/Corporate US Bond Debt by December.
  • The Federal Reserve is already the largest single holder of US Government Bonds...Of $20 Trillion in outstanding US Debt, the Federal Reserve owns approximately $5.7 Trillion and is now adding $1 Trillion in new US Bond purchases every two weeks.
  • This comes as the Bank of England skips the Bond Market entirely and is simply printing new currency to fund UK expenditures directly https://www.ft.com/content/664c575b-0f54-44e5-ab78-2fd30ef213cb, https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52226482 This is also known as Modern Monetary Theory.
  • As of this week's Fed Open Market Committee meeting, The Fed is also willing to purchase so-called Junk Bonds from US Companies in distress.
  • The Fed also issued a new fund to buy US Mortgage Assets from Banks, pledging $200 Billion per month to US Banks plus Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy distressed mortgages that may become insolvent due to COVID-19 mortgage delinquencies or defaults.
  • The US Federal Reserve is now officially the largest landlord in the world.
  • At this point, the only major asset in US Equity Markets the Fed is not directly buying are US Stocks https://finance.yahoo.com/news/feds-cure-risks-being-worse-110052807.html
  • In his latest FX Special Report, Deutsche Bank Senior-macro strategist George Saravelos stated, after last week's unprecedented Fed takeover of capital markets, "there is no such thing as a free market anymore."
  • Note: Ultimately, it is the US Taxpayer who is responsible for all of this debt, NOT the Fed.
  • The Treasury, using the Exchange Stabilization Fund, will make an equity investment in each Fed Fund and be in a "first loss" position, making US Taxpayers responsible should any of the investments or underlying funds fail...
  • As such, the US Treasury, not the Fed, is really buying all these securities and backstopping of loans; the Fed is acting as banker and providing financing.
US Could Face Rolling Lockdowns & Social Distancing Orders for 18-24 Months: US Federal Reservehttps://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/feds-kashkari-says-us-may-face-18-months-of-rolling-shutdowns/ar-BB12wqGD
  • Without an effective therapy or a vaccine for COVID-19, the U.S. economy could face 18 months of rolling shutdowns as the outbreak recedes locally and then flares up again, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari said.
  • "We're looking around the world. As they relax the economic controls, the virus flares back up again," Kashkari said Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation."
  • Kashkari is an influential voice at The Federal Reserve and is a voter in 2020 on the Fed's policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee.
  • "We could have these waves of flareups, controls, flareups and controls until we actually get a vaccine. I think we should all be focusing on an 18-month strategy for our health care system and our economy," he said.
  • Kashkari noted that as South Korea, Japan, China and Hong Kong attempted to re-open economies after periods of shut down, new-outbreaks of the virus caused additional states of emergency to be declared and new rounds of house-arrest to be ordered.
Hunt for Vaccine: A Year Would Be a Miraclehttps://www.thedailybeast.com/coronavirus-vaccine-hunt-could-go-horribly-wrong
  • Scientists indicated that while there are some hopeful signs for a COVID-19 Vaccine, with 2 such vaccines already moved into rapid-development and human clinical trials, 12-18 months is a very optimistic view of when one might be available.
  • SARS-1, MERs and the Common Cold have all been known examples of human-contagious Coronavirus for years, even decades. None have a working vaccine despite hundreds of attempts by pharmaceutical companies and researchers.
  • "Vaccine development is much harder than people think. Of the hundreds of known viral-infections that can be fatal to human beings, only about 25 have working, approved vaccines," said Dr William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt's School of Medicine.
  • "There have been times in the past where vaccines have been justifiably rolled out and they haven't measured up," said Dr. Schaffner.
  • According to a recent LX/Morning Consult poll, 75 percent of U.S adults said they'd likely get a coronavirus vaccine if it passed clinical trials.
  • But whether that's enough to provide herd immunity remains unclear. When it comes to measles, 90 to 95 percent of the population has to be vaccinated to guarantee sufficient protection, research has shown.
  • Dr. Schaffner summed it up bluntly: "The stakes really are high."
Kentucky Churchgoers Met with Nails in Road, Surveillance of License Plates https://nypost.com/2020/04/12/kentucky-worshippers-met-with-nails-in-road-as-they-defy-lockdown/, https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/492346-kentucky-governor-announces-state-will-record-license-plate-information
  • In a scene being repeated in states all over the US, Kentucky Churchgoers who are refusing to follow government guidelines for Quarantine are meeting Government resistance.
  • Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) urged residents to remain indoors for the Easter holiday and mandated that anyone who breaks the state's stay-at-home order will have to self-quarantine for two weeks.
  • Beshear will enforce his state's laws by recording the license plates of any person attending Easter services or other gatherings. The residents will then receive quarantine notices in person, served by Country Sherriffs.
  • "This is a time and weekend, a whole week for multiple faiths, that is about faith. It's about knowing we have faced as people – as Christians, as Jews, as members of many faiths – many difficult, dark times, and we have prevailed," Beshear said Friday.
  • "This is the only way we can ensure that your decision doesn't kill someone else," he added. "You aren't just deciding for you, your actions might injure or kill other people unintentionally."
  • Beshear said the state government was only aware of six churches that were planning to hold in-person services for Easter. Those attending any gathering will be charged with a misdemeanor violation of the emergency orders issued by the governor and Kentucky Department for Public Health.
  • Public officials have credited social distancing measures with helping slowly curb outbreaks in a number of states and have warned that reversing such practices could lead to a dangerous COVID-19 resurgence.
  • However, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (R) slammed Beshear's order:
  • "Taking license plates at church? Quarantining someone for being Christian on Easter Sunday? Someone needs to take a step back here," Paul, a staunch libertarian, tweeted.
  • Another Kentucky church defied orders and held a packed Easter Sunday service — despite a heavy police presence and even nails blocking the parking lots, according to a report.
  • Maryville Baptist Church appeared to have a near-full house for its Sunday service despite orders to avoid in-person services.
  • Worshippers arrived even after police warned that they would record their car plates to force them into 14-day quarantines.
  • Many — including the defiant pastor, Rev. Jack Roberts — arrived with their plates covered, with officers instead recording their VIN numbers, the paper said.
  • Even more desperate measures appeared to have been taken to keep the faithful away — with "piles of nails" blocking each entrance, according to photos shared by the Courier-Journal.
DOJ To States: 1st Amendment Still the 1st Amendmenthttps://www.foxnews.com/us/doj-expect-action-government-regulation-religious-covid-19
  • Attorney General William Barr indicated the DOJ is monitoring State and Local Government actions related to limitations of religious services, and will potentially prosecute local officials if they violate the Civil Rights of religious people.
  • The Justice Department (DOJ) may take action next week against local governments that have cracked down on religious services as widespread parts of the country are shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
  • "While social distancing policies are appropriate during this emergency, they must be applied evenhandedly [and] not single out religious [organizations]," DOJ Director of Communications Kerri Kupec tweeted.
  • The DOJ move would come as some churches are standing up to city governments that have blocked them from holding in-person services during the outbreak -- even in "drive-in" formats that keep people separated and in their own cars.
  • A judge in Louisville, Ky., on Saturday issued a temporary restraining order blocking enforcement of Mayor Greg Fischer's ban on drive-in church services there.
  • "The Mayor's decision is stunning," District Judge Justin Walker, a former clerk to Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, wrote in a memorandum to the order. "And it is, 'beyond all reason,' unconstitutional."
Oil Wars Over? Maybe...https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy/saudi-arabia-and-russia-finalize-big-oil-deal-to-cut-production-after-prodding-from-trump
  • OPEC+ rolled out a 9.7 Million Barrel per day production cut, to be phased in over the next 30 days, a joint-release from Russia & Saudi Arabia said.
  • Trump had been pushing for a 12 Million barrel per day cut to help stabilize oil prices and protect US Shale oil producers.
  • Trump said he intervened Friday to help resolve the stand-off, speaking with Mexico's populist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who told Trump that Mexico will cut its production by 100,000 barrels per day.
  • Trump also spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi King Salman in a whirlwind bout of diplomacy to try to get the deal to stick. He celebrated the outcome on Sunday, which is the largest oil market intervention in history.
  • "The big Oil Deal with OPEC Plus is done," Trump said in a Twitter post. "This will save hundreds of thousands of energy jobs in the United States. I would like to thank and congratulate President Putin of Russia and King Salman of Saudi Arabia. I just spoke to them from the Oval Office. Great deal for all!"
Is Democracy the Ultimate COVID-19 Victim?https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Leaders-seize-new-powers-to-fight-coronavirus-15195776.php
  • France and Bolivia have postponed elections. Peru handed its president broad new legislative authority. Israel sharply ramped up the reach of its surveillance state.
  • The US is curtailing religious services and searching for out-of-staters door to door in some areas.
  • While leaders around the world fight the spread of the coronavirus, they're amassing sweeping new powers.
  • As legislatures limit or suspend activities in the name of social distancing, many of the norms that define democracy - elections, deliberation and debate, checks and balances - have been put on indefinite hold.
  • The speed and breadth of the transformation is unsettling political scientists, government watchdogs and rights groups. Many concede that emergency declarations and streamlining government decision-making are necessary responses to a global health threat. But they question how readily leaders will give up the powers they've accrued when the coronavirus eventually subsides.
  • "We've put our economies on hold and we can debate how we bring those back. But we've also put Democracy on hold. We have to bring that back, too," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch.
Cost of COVID-19 Phase I & II Bailout: NASA's Budget...for the Next 207 Years
  • The cost of the $4.7 Trillion Bailout Packages equates to NASA's $22.6 Billion x 207 years of operation.
  • Said another way: Cost of the Bailout is equal to fully funding Six Mars Landers/Rovers missions to the Red Planet every day... for over 1 year.
  • Just the Phase II deal of $2 Trillion = $7,500 per American (cost) or $16,500 per taxpayer (only about 50% of US Citizens pay Federal Income Taxes).
  • No word yet on why it costs $7,500 in actual taxpayer cost for each American to receive $1,200 in stimulus checks.
Congratulations, You Don't Have COVID-19...Maybehttps://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/false-negatives-raise-doctors-doubts-about-coronavirus-tests/ar-BB12uwHS
  • False-negative results from coronavirus tests are becoming an increasing concern, say doctors trying to diagnose patients and get a grip on the outbreak, as a surprising number of people show up with obvious symptoms only to be told by the tests that they don't have the disease.
  • Some doctors described situations in which patients show up with clear symptoms such as a cough and fever, test negative, and then test positive later on.
  • It's a particular issue in New York, where the disease has likely infected far more than the 174,000 people confirmed through limited testing. At Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, doctor Jeremy Sperling says so-called false-negative tests are now a frequent occurrence in the emergency room.
  • "If a patient presents with classic COVID-19 symptoms, but tests negative, they've still got COVID," said Sperling, who is the chair of emergency medicine at the hospital. "There is just nothing else it could be in New York City in 2020."
  • While still more research is necessary to determine the true prevalence of such false-negative results, experts agree that the problem is significant. False Negative rates in China and Europe exceeded 30%, according to some research studies.
  • False negatives not only impede the diagnosis of disease in individual patients and an accurate understanding of the extent of its proliferation but also risk patients who think they aren't ill further spreading the virus.
  • Concerns about false negatives arise from a mix of factors: quickly created tests from dozens of labs and manufacturers that haven't been extensively vetted by federal health regulators; a shortage of supplies and material for the tests that may impact results, long incubation times for the infection, and the challenge of getting an adequate sample from a patient from swab tests.
  • "We're testing patients 2-3 times each, days apart, just to be sure," Dr Sperling said.
Shortages for Toiletpaper, Masks, Purell...Now Meat?https://apnews.com/0cd7680d2d221944ed05f86691bb3537, https://www.theblaze.com/news/one-of-americas-largest-meat-producers-has-ominous-warning-about-grocery-store-supply
  • Smithfield Foods is closing one of the largest Pork processing plants in the US, due to an outbreak there of COVID-19 among workers.
  • The Plant was ordered to be shut-down by Health Officials. No word yet on when the plant might reopen, although the current order is for a 14-day shutdown.
  • The announcement came a day after South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken wrote to Smithfield and urged the company to suspend operations for 14 days so that its workers could self-isolate and the plant could be disinfected.
  • The plant, which employs about 3,700 people in the state's largest city, has become a hot spot for infections.
  • Health officials said Sunday that 293 of the 730 people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in South Dakota work at the plant.
  • "As a critical infrastructure employer for the nation's food supply chain and a major employer in Sioux Falls, it is crucial that Smithfield have a healthy workforce to ensure the continuity of operations to feed the nation. At the same time, employees need a healthy work environment," Noem and TenHaken wrote to the plant's operators.
  • The plant closure comes amid closures by Tyson Foods, Miller Beef and other major meat processors around the US.
COVID-19 Attacks Immune System, Not Just Respiratory Systemhttps://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3079443/coronavirus-could-target-immune-system-targeting-protective
  • Scientists in China & The US confirm COVID-19 impacts more than just the respiratory system.
  • SARS-CoV-2 also targets the immune system itself, taking over T-Cells that normally fight off viruses.
  • The discovery may help explain why some patients become so critical so quickly, researchers said. "The Immune system itself becomes a carrier, and virus can spread to the heart, kidneys and brain through this (T-cell) transmission," the study from China indicated.
  • US researchers have also found T-Cells infected with the virus.
  • T-cells that are supposed to protect the body from harmful invaders.
  • One doctor said the concern is growing in medical circles that effect could be similar to HIV, where the Immune System is fully compromised by COVID-19.

UPDATE: Here's how the discussion went on radio. Watch the video below.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: The Fed is buying 625 BILLION DOLLARS a week in bonds (debt that YOU will pay!)youtu.be

The Left's war on Tesla owners

Kansas City Star / Contributor | Getty Images

Across the country, Teslas are being torched by the very people who, just a few years ago, championed them as the future of sustainable transportation.

Recently, Glenn highlighted the heinous actions targeting Tesla owners and dealerships. He reached the same conclusion as U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi: these are acts of domestic terrorism. Tesla owners are being doxxed; a dealership in Las Vegas was firebombed, vandalized, and shot at. Similar attacks have struck South Carolina, Oregon, and Colorado, where Molotov cocktails destroyed multiple Tesla vehicles.

But this isn’t really about cars—it’s a symptom of a deeper rot that has eroded any principles the Left once held. Just as they celebrated the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, the attacks on Tesla reflect a lust for destruction—a self-righteous anger that disregards decency and the sanctity of life.

For them, the ends justify the means.

A Pattern of Lawlessness

Ethan Miller / Staff | Getty Images

The attacks on Tesla owners and dealerships aren’t random; they form an emerging pattern that exposes the Left’s true motives.

A quick look at the alleged grievances of the protesters, vandals, and arsonists harassing electric vehicles and their owners reveals a thin veneer masking their deeds. Their motives range from semi-rational—disagreeing with Elon Musk’s actions and the goals of DOGE —to outlandish, like labeling Musk a Nazi or fascist. Yet, rational or not, their actions far outweigh the severity of their complaints. Their crimes include keying and spray-painting privately owned Teslas, vandalizing dealerships (including firing rounds into a Tesla service center in Las Vegas), and using Molotov cocktails to ignite Teslas in cities nationwide. As noted, these aren’t the acts of disgruntled voters but of domestic terrorists.

Glenn recently tied this Tesla terrorism to the brutal murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last December. Just as liberals rejoice over burning Teslas today, they cheered when Thompson was gunned down in New York’s streets, leaving his children fatherless days before Christmas. Much like the Tesla attacks, the Left justified their jubilation with half-baked critiques of the U.S. healthcare system, sandwiched between callous jokes about the slain CEO. It’s not about cars or insurance—it runs deeper.

Hypocrisy Exposed

TOBIAS SCHWARZ / Contributor | Getty Images

Rules for thee, not for me.

This theme keeps resurfacing. Remember when the Left was obsessed with climate change? “It’s the biggest threat to humanity,” they declared, warning we couldn’t drive cars or eat beef because their emissions would doom us all. They once praised Musk, hailing Tesla as the future of transportation. But now that Musk defies their ever-shifting liberal orthodoxy, Tesla must die—environment be damned. It’s a replay of the pandemic’s peak: while they preached staying home, wearing double masks, keeping six feet apart, and “following the science,” they burned, looted, and rioted through nearly every major U.S. city—rules for thee, not for me.

Owning a Tesla no longer earns eco-warrior cred—it marks you as a closet Nazi, liable to get your car keyed. The same crowd that once fretted over cow farts endangering the planet now sets electric cars ablaze. One can hardly imagine that the fumes from hundreds of pounds of burning lithium, plastic, and chemicals in a Tesla are eco-friendly.

Tyranny of Anger

Anadolu / Contributor | Getty Images

What’s the takeaway? What’s the common thread?

The Left isn’t bound by values—not even their own. Nothing is sacred to them; destruction is all they crave. Climate change, the sanctity of life, and “following the science” are mere excuses for outrage, discarded when they obstruct their lust to destroy. Their twisted ideology preaches that building, improving, or creating is evil—only taking and tearing down matter. They seethe at the sight of creation. From Tesla’s burning hulks to Thompson’s blood on the pavement, their anger trumps your rights every time.

Glenn has been warning of the collapse of our common values for years. If we don’t fight this moral rot and defend the values that built America—law, life, liberty—we’ll lose them to the flames of their rage.

Grim truth behind Mexico's death camps and cult of Santa Muerte

ULISES RUIZ / Contributor | Getty Images

Behind the iron gates of Izaguirre Ranch lie buried horrors that reveal the heinous acts committed within its boundaries.

Over the weekend, the volunteer group Buscadores Guerreros de Jalisco Collective, dedicated to finding missing people, uncovered human remains at the now-abandoned ranch after receiving a tip about a mass grave. Their grim discovery included more than 200 pairs of shoes, clothes, suitcases, farewell letters, and children’s toys buried among cremation ovens and fire-scorched bone fragments. No official count of victims has been released, nor have any bodies been identified, but the sheer volume of artifacts suggests hundreds may lie within the mass grave. Perhaps most disturbing is that local police raided the ranch just months earlier, in September 2024, making arrests and freeing two hostages—yet failed to detect (or deliberately ignored) the gruesome scene beneath their feet.

Earlier this week Glenn covered this story on air and explained that this is the sad reality in Mexico: missing people and mass graves are becoming normalized. Since 2006, more than 90,000 individuals have vanished, with cartels and other malicious groups presumed responsible. The Mexican government offers little help, often conspiring with these cartels to perpetrate and conceal these crimes.

Mexico is being devoured by a festering evil within its borders. No longer the land of tacos and beaches, it’s a place where the dead don’t rest, and the living can’t escape.

The Death Camps

HERIKA MARTINEZ / Contributor | Getty Images

The full scale of the atrocities at Izaguirre Ranch may never be known. It’s believed the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) used the site as a training facility for recruits. The role of the victims buried there remains unclear, but their fate was undoubtedly nightmarish.

Izaguirre is not an isolated case. In 2022, an abandoned house near Nuevo Laredo was found concealing charred human remains, with one room blanketed by two feet of compacted ashes and bone fragments. In 2009, a man in Baja California nicknamed “Pozolero” or “The Stewmaker,” confessed to dissolving up to 300 bodies in lye for his drug-lord boss, disposing of the remains in dumps or graves—a task he wasn’t alone in performing.

These sites are just the beginning. Dozens of similar mass graves have been identified across Mexico. This isn’t the mark of a healthy country—it’s a hallmark of nations engulfed in war or gripped by dark forces. The Mexican government has lost control, leaving chaos to reign.

The Corruption

NurPhoto / Contributor | Getty Images

Does anyone in Mexico’s government still serve its people?

The scale of these atrocities can’t be dismissed as mere incompetence—complicity is evident. From local police overlooking the mass grave at Izaguirre Ranch to active conspiracy with cartels, such as in the case of a 2014 mass abduction, the evidence is damning. In 2014, 43 students in Guerrero were abducted and presumed killed, with independent investigations implicating police, military, and courts in the crime.

Glenn has uncovered further proof of corruption: the Mexican military is arming the cartels. An ATF whistleblower recently revealed that, despite Mexico’s claims that U.S. manufacturers supply cartel weapons, these firearms are first sold to the Mexican military by the U.S. government—only to be resold to the cartels. Add to this countless bribes and hush money, and it’s clear why Mexico’s soft stance has allowed cartels to seize control of the country.

The Cult of Death

NurPhoto / Contributor | Getty Images

Perhaps the most terrifying sign of Mexico’s collapse is the rise of the Santa Muerte cult, or “Holy Death.” This cult venerates a skeletal figure—often robed in red or black, wielding a scythe and scales—promising protection amid Mexico’s harsh realities. Since the early 2000s, Santa Muerte has grown to seven million followers. Once a fringe belief, it’s now a mainstream force, filling the void left by a government too weak to shield its people.

While this mass embrace of death worship is alarming, its adoption by cartels is horrifying. Rather than seeking protection from violence, cartels offer bloody sacrifices to Santa Muerte—pyramids of burnt heads, ritual disembowelments, and grisly rites—to embolden their atrocities.

Temples and altars honoring death dot the landscape, signaling the decay of Mexico’s soul. This isn’t just superstition—it’s a dark religion fueling a nation’s descent into chaos.

Conclusion

Mass graves, corrupt officials, and a death cult are not anomalies—they’re symptoms of a failed state. Mexico’s government has ceded power to cartels, leaving its people trapped in a nightmare. As Glenn has warned, this isn’t just a distant tragedy—it’s a wake-up call for Americans. This isn’t just an issue south of the border; it’s a warning to America about the cost of ignoring evil at our doorstep.

Trump's 3 BIGGEST border victories

SAUL LOEB / Contributor | Getty Images

The Southern Border is healing!

Just hours after his inauguration on January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border. A little over a month later, the tide of migrants pouring into the United States has been significantly stemmed. Trump is delivering on his major campaign promises: stopping illegal crossings, rolling back Biden-era border policies, and using every available resource to fortify the border against future challenges.

In his recent congressional speech, Trump highlighted these border security successes—achievements often overshadowed by the flood of other news stories this past month. To spotlight this monumental progress, we’ve compiled a list of Trump’s three most significant border victories.

1. Significantly reduced border encounters

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / Contributor | Getty Images

When Trump took office, it was clear—the sheriff was back in town. According to the Department of Homeland Security, daily border encounters have plummeted by 93 percent since his inauguration. Meanwhile, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has ramped up its efforts: in the past month alone, ICE doubled arrests of criminal aliens and tripled apprehensions of fugitives at large. This dramatic shift stems from reinstating strict border policies, restoring common-sense enforcement, and unleashing the full capabilities of ICE and Border Patrol.

2. Major policy changes

John Moore / Staff | Getty Images

President Trump has also made sweeping strides in border policy. He reinstated the “Remain in Mexico” policy, requiring immigrants to wait in Mexico during their immigration proceedings instead of being released into the U.S. He also terminated the controversial “catch and release” practice, which had allowed millions of illegal immigrants to stay in the country pending court dates. Additionally, Trump signed the Laken Riley Act, mandating detention for all illegal immigrants accused of serious crimes.

Another key victory was designating cartels like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua as terrorist organizations. This classification empowers law enforcement and border agencies to tackle these ruthless gangs with the seriousness and resources they demand.

3. Deployed major muscle

John Moore / Staff | Getty Images

Trump is doubling down on border security—and he’s not holding back. He deployed 1,500 U.S. troops to secure the southern border and restarted construction of the border wall. Among the forces sent is a Stryker Brigade, a rapid-response, high-tech mechanized infantry unit equipped with armored ground and air vehicles. This brigade’s mobility and long-range capabilities make it ideal for patrolling the rugged, remote stretches of the border.

Fort Knox exposed: Is America's gold MISSING?

Christopher Furlong / Staff | Getty Images

President Trump promised that we would get a peek inside Fort Knox, but are we ready for what we might find?

In this new era of radical transparency, the possibility that the Deep State's darkest secrets could be exposed has many desperate for answers to old questions. Recently, Glenn has zeroed in on gold, specifically America's gold reserves, which are supposed to be locked away inside the vaults of Fort Knox. According to the government, there are 147.3 million ounces of gold stored within several small secured rooms that are themselves locked behind a massive 22 ton vault door, but the truth is that no one has officially seen this gold since 1953. An audit is long overdue, and President Trump has already shown interest in the idea.

America's gold reserve has been surrounded by suspicion for the better part of a hundred years. It all started in 1933, when FDR effectivelynationalized the United States's private gold stores, forcing Americans to sell their gold to the government. This gold was melted down, forged into bars, and stored in the newly constructed U.S. Bullion Depository building at Fort Knox. By 1941, Fort Knox had held 649.6 million ounces of gold—which, you may have noticed, was 502.3 million ounces more than today. We'll come back to that.

By 1944, World War II was ending, and the Allies began planning how to rebuild Europe. The U.N. held a conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, where the USD was established as the world's reserve currency. This meant that any country (though not U.S. citizens) could exchange the USD for gold at the fixed rate of $35 per ounce. Already, you can see where our gold might have gone.

Jump to the 1960s, where Lyndon B. Johnson was busy digging America into a massive debt hole. Between the Vietnam War and Johnson's "Great Society" project, the U.S. was bleeding cash and printing money to keep up. But now Fort Knox no longer held enough physical gold to cover the $35 an ounce rate promised by the Bretton Woods agreement. France took notice of this weakness and began to redeem hundreds of millions of dollars. In the 70s Nixon staunched this gushing wound by halting foreign nations from redeeming dollars for gold, but this had the adverse effect of ending the gold standard.

This brings us to the present, where inflation is through the roof, no one knows how much gold is actually inside Fort Knox, and someone in America has been buying a LOT of gold. Who is buying this gold? Where is it going and for what purpose? Glenn has a few ideas, and one of them is MUCH better than the other:

The path back to gold

Mario Tama / Staff | Getty Images

One possibility is that all of this gold that has been flooding into America is in preparation for a shift back to a gold-backed, or partial-gold-backed system. The influx of gold corresponds with a comment recently made by Trump's new Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, who said he was going to:

“Monetize the asset side of the U.S. balance sheet for the American people.”

Glenn pointed out that per a 1972 law, the gold in Fort Knox is currently set at a fixed value of $42 an ounce. At the time of this writing, gold was valued at $2,912.09 an ounce, which is more than a 6,800 percent increase. If the U.S. stockpile was revalued to reflect current market prices, it could be used to stabilize the dollar. This could even mean a full, or partial return to the gold standard, depending on the amount of gold currently being imported.

Empty coffers—you will own nothing

Raymond Boyd / Contributor | Getty Images

Unfortunately, Glenn suspects there is another, darker purpose behind the recent gold hubbub.

As mentioned before, the last realaudit of Fort Knox was done under President Eisenhower, in 1953. While the audit passed, a report from the Secretary of the Treasury revealed that a mere 13.6 percent was checked. For the better part of a century, we've had no idea how much gold is present under Fort Knox. After the gold hemorrhage in the 60s, many were suspicious of the status of our gold supply. In the 80s, a wealthy businessman named Edward Durell released over a decade's worth of research that led him to conclude that Fort Knox was all but empty. In short, he claimed that the Federal Reserve had siphoned off all the gold and sold it to Europe.

What would it mean if America's coffers are empty? According to a post by X user Matt Smith that Glenn shared, empty coffers combined with an influx of foreign gold could represent the beginning of a new, controlled economy. We couldstill be headed towards a future where you'll ownnothing.