Nigel Farage privately vowed to overhaul the team that manages his Facebook account because they were under-performing Rupert Lowe, the leader of a rival right-wing party who boasts a huge following on social media.
Plus: How the UFC and MMA went from outsiders to the sporting and political establishment—to the point where they’re being used for “diplomacy.”
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk became the world’s first trillionaire last week, and now a prominent economist is warning that his unprecedented wealth poses a grave threat to human freedom in the US and across the globe.In a column published by The Guardian on Tuesday, Paris School of Economics professor Gabriel Zucman argued that Musk’s enormous fortune is fundamentally at odds with a democratic system of governance because it gives him “the power to stifle competition, the power to shape public discourse, the power to influence policymaking, the power to buy elections, the power to stall social progress,” and much else.Zucman noted that wealth concentration is even greater now than it was during the original Gilded Age, as the top 0.00001% now have fortunes large enough to “buy 14% of everything produced in a given year in the US.”The economist added that while Musk—whose infamous destruction of the US Agency for International Development is projected to kill millions of people in the coming years—makes a particularly compelling villain, trillionaires would be a major problem for democracy even if they were of a more benevolent variety.“No one should want to live in a society where one single individual can be worth $1 trillion, no matter their personal virtues,” Zucman emphasized. “Such levels invariably skew power, distort markets, and sap our democratic ideals.”The best solution to this crisis, Zucman said, is to “create an unavoidable minimum tax on their wealth” that will “make it impossible for the super-rich to pay less tax than middle-class workers—a matter of basic equality before the law.”“It is time to break decisively with the perverse logic in which retirees, the poor, or immigrants are expected to balance the budget,” Zucman concluded, “while the rich are to be allowed to live tax-free in their own parallel society. There cannot be a law more lenient for the rich and powerful than for the rest of us. If ever there was a time to act, it is now.”Zucman’s thoughts on extreme wealth and democracy were echoed by Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman, who on Tuesday published an essay on his Substack page where he likened President Donald Trump’s White House cage-fighting matches to the kinds of spectacles put on by Roman emperors before noting ominous similarities between the US today and the Roman Empire.“While the causes of the decline of republican government and Rome’s eventual transition to one-man rule were doubtless complex,” Krugman wrote, “there is broad consensus among historians that a key factor was the emergence of extreme inequality. A handful of men became incredibly wealthy from the spoils of Rome’s eastern conquests, and their wealth and power eventually became too great for the rules of constitutional, republican government to contain. Sound uncomfortably familiar?”Gautam Mukunda, a professor at the Yale School of Management, similarly warned that Musk’s newly minted trillionaire status was bad news for American self-governance.In a Monday column published by Bloomberg, Mukunda pointed to the vast sums of money being spent by billionaires in US elections, which he noted “dwarf what candidates can raise themselves.”And like Krugman, Mukunda saw disturbing parallels between the US today and Ancient Rome.“Marcus Crassus was the richest man in ancient Rome,” he explained. “So rich that, by Plutarch’s account, he thought no man truly wealthy unless he could pay an army from his own purse. He spent that fortune bankrolling Julius Caesar and building the triumvirate that sidelined the Senate and, in fact if not in name, overthrew the republic.”
If JD Vance was hoping for a light interview to highlight the release of his new book, he had another think coming: The hosts of The View did not pull any punches Tuesday while interrogating the vice president about his administration’s policy positions. “What did Black people do to this administration that has allowed it to really stigmatize folks of color?” asked host Whoopi Goldberg, referring to the Trump administration’s efforts to remove Black history from American monuments and museums. “What exactly are you talking about, Whoopi?” Vance pressed, prompting loud groans from the audience. “It seems that it has been very easy for this administration to remove that, and to denigrate Black folks who have worked their behinds off to get this American dream,” Goldberg said. “So, that was actually a very helpful intervention because, I think the story you’re talking about is where you know, allegedly the administration is holding back the appointments of people based on skin color,” Vance said. “Well no. I’m talking about a host of things,” Sunny Hostin interjected. “I’m talking about Black history getting erased from public spaces, Black voter districts are being dismantled, Black leaders are being sidelined from our ranks. Where do Americans of color fit in this vision? Because it doesn’t seem like we fit.”Host Ana Navarro added that the Trump administration had allowed only 6,668 refugees into the country since October, and all but three were white South Africans. Vance denied Navarro’s number, claiming “everybody is welcome in our political coalition.” “So, you say we’re anti-minority or anti-Black—” Vance said.“No I didn’t say that. I asked, see?” Goldberg said. “Don’t start any stuff with me, man. Don’t get me in trouble!” The audience burst into cheers as Vance conceded. WHOOPI GOLDBERG: What did Black people do to this administration that has allowed it to really stigmatize folks of color?JD VANCE: What exactly are you talking about?AUDIENCE: *groans* pic.twitter.com/xFozfFCohk— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 16, 2026The hosts of The View also pressed Vance over the economy. Host Joy Behar criticized the president for calling affordability a “hoax,” while spending millions of taxpayer dollars on his ballroom, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, an arch for himself, and a UFC-themed birthday party.Vance denied that Trump had called affordability a “hoax,” though he has many times, and argued that Trump had made “good progress” bringing prices down. “He just said he loves the inflation,” Navarro said, referring to Trump’s recent remark responding to surging inflation rates. “What he said, Ana, what he said is he loves the fact that the inflation is gonna come down when this war is over,” Vance said. “That’s what he said.”“That’s not what he said,” Goldberg interjected. “Are you his interpreter, or are you his vice president? Come on,” Joy Behar chided. The hosts laughed at the flailing vice president, who chuckled uncomfortably along with them. NAVARRO: Trump said he loves the inflationJD VANCE: What he said, Ana, is he loves the fact the inflation is going to come downWHOOPI: That's not what he saidBEHAR: Are you his interpreter, or his vice president? Come on pic.twitter.com/VNXTzb9NOv— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 16, 2026At one point, Vance was brutally fact-checked after he brought up the claim that Trump had called all Mexicans rapists, saying that was a misconception. Instead, Vance argued that South American countries were off-loading criminals into our borders. “There have been many, many journalists, including CNN, where you used to work and be my colleague, that have tried to find evidence of that,” Navarro replied. “There is no evidence that [Nicolás] Maduro was releasing people from insane asylums or jails, like Fidel Castro did do. This was made up. And we just can’t, you know, accept it without pushing back.”Vance’s attempt to peddle his book on The View was a disaster—but honestly, it was entertaining.
A group of Democratic US senators warned Monday that congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump could be gearing up for a push for raise the retirement age as part of a broader—and deeply unpopular—effort to slash Social Security benefits after the 2026 midterm elections.Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) wrote in a letter to Trump that they have “renewed concerns” that his administration is “considering raising the retirement age, cutting the earned benefits of millions of Americans,” despite the president’s repeated vows to shield the program.“Republicans have a history of attempting to increase the retirement age, privatize Social Security, or otherwise cut Social Security benefits, and some congressional Republicans have called to raise the retirement age or means-test benefits,” the lawmakers wrote, emphasizing that GOP lawmakers “are not alone.”“In an interview this past fall, [Social Security Administration] Commissioner Frank Bisignano said—and later attempted to retract after public outcry—that your administration was considering this idea,” the Democratic senators wrote of raising the retirement age, which would cut Social Security benefits across the board.The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office analysis of a 2024 Republican proposal to raise Social Security’s full retirement age found that doing so would cut benefits by an average of 13% for people born after 1971.The Democratic senators sent their letter to Trump days after Social Security’s trustees said in their annual report that the program will be unable to pay out full benefits by the end of 2032—a quarter earlier than projected last year—unless Congress takes action. The finding was seen as evidence of the damage inflicted by Trump’s policies, including his tariffs and tax cuts for the rich.Ahead of the trustees report’s release, House Speaker Mike Johnson declared that Social Security needs to be “adjusted and fixed” and said Republicans would release their plan “next year,” without specifying what the proposal would entail.In their letter to Trump on Monday, the trio of Democratic senators demanded to know if the president is aware of “Republican plans to cut Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security benefits” and whether he would veto GOP legislation that slashes those programs.“Raising the retirement age—or otherwise cutting benefits—only worsens the looming retirement income crisis,” the lawmakers wrote. “Doing so hurts older Americans, cutting monthly benefits and forcing millions into poverty.”
Vice President JD Vance spent Tuesday on The View trying to explain away President Donald Trump's controversial remarks — and co-host Joy Behar immediately shut him down.Vance was on the show defending the administration's economic record days after Trump told reporters he loved the surging inflation, insisting it would fall once the war in Iran ended. Consumer prices had hit a three-year high in May.Behar came in swinging, invoking Trump's earlier claim that affordability is a "hoax" and the hundreds of millions being poured into the White House ballroom and the National Mall reflecting pool."Why is he doing them when everybody knows that Americans are struggling?" Behar asked. "What is he spending all this money for?"Vance pushed back on the "hoax" framing, arguing Trump meant the affordability crisis was Democrats' fault, not his. Then co-host Ana Navarro landed the punch that changed the segment."He just said he loves the inflation," Navarro said."What he said is that he loves the fact that the inflation is gonna come down when this war is over," Vance replied. "That's what he said.""That's not what he said," co-host Whoopi Goldberg fired back. "That wasn't a direct —"Behar finished the thought."Are you his interpreter or are you his vice president? Come on!"Vance let out a forced laugh, then tried again — reiterating that Trump's "I love the inflation" was really a prediction about post-war price drops, and pointing to falling gas prices as evidence of progress."When?" Behar said.
To lie by omission is bad enough, but to lie about Jesus by distorting the truth is demonic. The post Mainstream Media Deceptively Twists the Truth About World Cup Star’s Jesus-Honoring Celebration appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
President Donald Trump's personal attorney, Boris Epshteyn, allegedly joined an Indian billionaire's criminal defense team — and the Justice Department then moved to drop the charges, according to a new Wall Street Journal investigation.Epshteyn, who serves as Trump's legal coordinator and closest legal adviser, was said to have joined the defense of Gautam Adani — an Indian billionaire indicted in October 2024 on charges he schemed to pay more than $250 million in bribes to Indian officials.The alleged bribes were meant to secure solar-energy contracts. Initial defense lawyers had already tried and failed to get the case dropped. By spring 2025, senior Justice Department officials had greenlit proceeding with the prosecution.Then Sullivan & Cromwell — a white-shoe law firm that also represents Trump — took over Adani's defense last July. Around that same time, the Adani family told associates that Epshteyn was helping them.That account came from seven sources familiar with the matter, the Journal reported. Epshteyn never appeared in court filings or attended meetings with prosecutors. But his name was discussed inside the Justice Department.After two presentations by Sullivan & Cromwell lawyers, senior Justice Department officials on May 18 asked a federal judge in Brooklyn to dismiss all charges. The motion notably lacked the signatures of the line prosecutors who built the case — a sign of their disagreement.Epshteyn has spent nearly a decade at Trump's side, starting as a senior adviser on his 2016 campaign. He helped secure Justice Department posts for several officials — including Trent McCotter, the principal associate deputy attorney general who had the final say over the Adani dismissal.Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who defended Trump through multiple criminal prosecutions, was previously Epshteyn's own criminal-defense lawyer."The claims in this personal attack are false, malicious, and defamatory," Epshteyn said in a statement. The Adani Group said it "have not retained him in any capacity."Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Blanche demanding an explanation."This administration has made clear that it is not the world police," a Justice Department spokeswoman said.
