MAGA-loving actor Rob Schneider declares war on Texas GOP — with bizarre reason

Rob Schneider, a Hollywood star who has grown controversial in recent years for his ties to the MAGA movement, is publicly opposing the Texas GOP.The bizarre reason is that he believes they have let Islamic law take over the Lone Star State.Schneider, a notorious conspiracy theorist who has long pushed crank medical misinformation and quack cures for illnesses, took to X on Monday to outline his case against senior Republican officials in Texas, including Gov. Greg Abbott, and attorney general turned Senate candidate Ken Paxton."I never thought I would watch the Islamic and Marxist threat seize large parts of our great nation," wrote Schneider. "For years we have seen the damage this alliance has done to Europe, and now we are witnessing the same damage unfolding in the blue states. What I never fully understood until recently is how deeply this threat is already embedded — and how rapidly it is gaining power —inside red states."Schneider then went on to list what he saw as the evidence Texas is under siege by an Islamic takeover."Organizations with terror ties receive nonprofit status and political access while most elected officials either pander or look the other way," wrote Schneider, accusing Texas of being complicit through taxpayer funding of "madrasas." "Does anyone even care what is happening to the children trapped inside these abusive training schools that pump out imams? Your state has Sharia courts, Sharia judges, and Sharia patrols — and not one has been shut down.""I will keep speaking until every Texas politician takes this transformation seriously and understands the threat that every Texas citizen is up against — because this threat is advancing," wrote Schneider, before slamming the GOP for "the protective circle around their most powerful elected leaders — Ken Paxton, Greg Abbott, and Dan Patrick."Conspiracy theories about Islamic takeovers of Texas have propagated for years, spread by pointing to immigrant communities that have taken root in the state. Recently, a moral panic erupted over an Islamic event planned at a water park in North Texas.

James Talarico Credits Islam As an Inspiration for His Christian Faith

'Someone should have told the president!' CNN anchor busts Trump over mail-in ballot claim

A CNN anchor busted President Donald Trump's chops on Monday over a claim he made about mail-in ballots during a recent rally. Trump spoke to a crowd at the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan, on Monday, where he defended his record on the economy despite recent polling showing that the cost of living is a top-of-mind issue for most voters heading into the midterm election. During the rally, Trump also made mention of asking the Supreme Court to restrict mail-in ballots ahead of the midterms, calling them "inherently corrupt.""Mail-in ballots have proven to be a disaster. We're the only country in the world that does them in this form," Trump said. There's no other country in the world [that does them] because they're crooked." CNN's John Berman, who hosted "AC360" on Monday, issued a brutal fact check of Trump's claims during the opening segment of the show. "Now, keeping them honest, that's not true," Berman said about Trump's characterization of mail-in ballots. "Many countries permit some or all citizens to vote by mail. As for being inherently corrupt, someone should have told the president that before he cast a mail-in ballot this spring for a special election in Florida!"

Kash Patel personally put The Atlantic 'on notice' over drinking claims: court docs

FBI Director Kash Patel was behind threats made to stop claims about his drinking habits from becoming public, newly released documents reveal.Attorney Jesse Binnall sent a letter to The Atlantic hours before it published the story on April 17, 2026, demanding the outlet not publish. The Atlantic published anyway. Three days later, Patel filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking $250 million. The threats emerged in court documents filed July 27.Among the demands in the letter was an ultimatum."Accordingly, should The Atlantic choose to publish this demonstrably false and defamatory article, Director Patel will have no choice but to take swift legal action to uphold his reputation," Binnall wrote."With this letter, you are also on notice of your ongoing obligations to preserve documents related to Director Patel," the letter said, also accusing The Atlantic of running "an ongoing campaign to damage his reputation."The story Patel wanted to kill reported that he was known to "drink to the point of obvious intoxication" at private clubs in Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas.The Atlantic reported that sources said his drinking had "negatively impacted various law-enforcement investigations" — including the murder of Charlie Kirk — and that his "drinking has been a recurring source of concern across the government."The documents show that behind the scenes, the Trump administration was scrambling to contain the damage.Sarah Fitzpatrick, who reported the story, had already heard from FBI assistant director Ben Williamson on publication day that the story was "…one of the most absurd things I've ever read.""He has accomplished more in 14 months than the previous administration did in four years," acting Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote in a statement to The Atlantic. "Anonymously sourced hit pieces do not constitute journalism." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Patel "remains a critical player on the Administration's law and order team" — also without refuting a single claim.In court documents filed July 27, The Atlantic argued the complaint "does not allege a single fact showing that any statement in the Article is false" and called several claims "substantially true" — backed by congressional testimony, public lawsuits by fired FBI agents, and oversight letters from Democratic lawmakers.The Atlantic's attorneys noted the suit is Patel's fifth defamation action against media outlets, all of which have been dismissed or dropped.His previous suit — against an MS NOW contributor who said Patel spent more time at nightclubs than at FBI headquarters — was dismissed the day after Patel filed this one.

Trump administration makes big claims on noncitizen voting but won’t explain the math

President Trump in a primetime address earlier this month again raised the specter of large volumes of migrants voting in U.S. elections, warning there could be more than 250,000 noncitizens among four state’s voter rolls. But the Trump administration has not explained how it got that number, and correspondence sent to the four states reviewed…

Daily on Energy: Talarico brings data centers into the mix in Texas

WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Monday, readers! We hope you all had a restful weekend. The House is out of town, but the Senate remains in D.C. for two more weeks before the scheduled August recess to take on several key legislative priorities.  But, as for tomorrow, the memorial service for Republican Sen. […]

CNN torn apart for claiming outrage over Trump’s attack on its reporter

CNN took a beating online this week, as various commentators called out the network for its participation in the White House Correspondents' Dinner (WHCD) after reports emerged that its "leadership was furious" over comments President Donald Trump made attacking its journalists.The latest WHCD took place on Friday evening, having been delayed when a gunman attempted to carry out a shooting at the previously scheduled event. CNN had a notable presence at the dinner, with anchor Wolf Blitzer presenting an award to Wall Street Journal reporters who uncovered new ties between Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. Trump also took aim at anchor Kaitlin Collins during his address that night, comparing her appearance to that of Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer who has been the target of considerable right-wing outrage, with the remark being criticized as both misogynistic and transphobic.On Monday, Semafor released a new report noting that CNN staffers were "livid" about Trump's attack on Collins, with some leaders at the company reportedly considering "scaling back" its involvement in next year's dinner or "skipping it altogether." The outlet had previously committed to attending the event to celebrate the work of its reporters and to avoid seeming like they were making a political statement by opting not to attend.Given CNN's participation in the event, and the hand it had in boosting its profile this year, several prominent users across social media raked the network over the coals in response to the report, suggesting that they should not have attended it at all, as well as for their extensive coverage of Trump overall."They ought to be furious at themselves for sustaining the dinner with their attendance," journalist John Harwood wrote in a post to X.Responding to Harwood's post, Canadian journalist Annie Dufour shared her own reaction to the WHCD from Friday."From Canada, this was painful to watch as a journalist," she posted. "American Media has fallen short of its role as a pillar of democracy. Complacent. Coy. Accommodating. A Vichy Press, almost. When it should have been unyielding, brave, and bold. You reap what you sow.""They should scale back their coverage of the lunatic president who spewed all of this hate at Kaitlan and CNN. And journalism as a whole," journalist Sophia A. Nelson posted."They were also shocked to discover that gambling is going on at Rick's Cafe in Casablanca," journalist Brian Lowery posted, referencing a scene from a classic film to suggest that Trump's diatribe should have been an obvious outcome.they ought to be furious at themselves for sustaining the dinner with their attendance https://t.co/9NRpqDU7gw— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) July 27, 2026

Iran says US claims about negotiations are ‘fabricated’

U.S. officials have claimed that the Iranian regime is seeking a deal to end the war, but an Iranian spokesperson has refuted these claims. These back-and-forth claims […]