President Trump will watch the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals from an executive suite, as an invited guest of Madison Square Garden CEO James Dolan. Ed O'Keefe reports.
President Donald Trump suggested more military action is to come in Iran, saying the negotiators there took too long to agree to a deal and would now “pay the price.” Trump has given mixed messages about the Iran war in the past week, saying at one point Tuesday the attack “wasn’t a big deal” because […]
TRUMP: ‘IRAN WILL HAVE TO PAY THE PRICE’: Over a period of about four hours, beginning at 5 p.m. Washington time, U.S. warplanes bombed Iranian air defenses, ground-control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz in response to Monday’s downing of a U.S. Apache attack helicopter, in which two Army pilots were […]
President Donald Trump was the "biggest obstacle" in the way of his own administration handling the Epstein files, according to a legthy new report from The New York Times, as insiders were "paralyzed" with fear and paranoia about how to handle the growing "crisis" despite him not wanting them to say anything about it at all.The report was written by longtime Trump-beat veterans, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, based on material from their forthcoming book about his second administration. According to the pair, the sense that White House officials gave, that Jeffrey Epstein was a minor non-issue for the administration, could not have been further from the truth, and Trump's repeated insistence that the story was "boring" or a "hoax" made it nearly impossible for them to adequately address it."People in his orbit found him snapping at them if they even raised the issue of Jeffrey Epstein," Haberman explained in a video accompanying the report.In July of last year, several top administration officials convened a meeting about the issue in the Situation Room, a place typically reserved for "classified and high-stakes national security matters." At the meeting, Haberman and Swan said it was clear that Vice President JD Vance was the most adamant in pushing for full transparency on Epstein, with some in the administration suspecting that he had bought in fully to past conspiracy theories about the deceased sex trafficker.While the rest of the officials balked at Vance's suggestion, the meeting resulted in two moves that ultimately did nothing to quell the growing discontent over the Epstein files within the MAGA base: pushing for judges to release grand jury materials related to Epstein to the public, and having then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche interview Ghislaine Maxwell in prison. The latter idea was put forward as a way to make the White House seem like it was fighting for disclosure, but in a way that the judges would likely never allow.In the video, Haberman noted that the idea of releasing the files became a "non-starter" for the administration as soon as it discovered that Trump's name was mentioned many times within them, even if it was often in reports detailing unverified allegations made against him over the years.Among the new revelations from their reporting, the pair revealed that they were able to view an internal document from "Trump's top pollster," Tony Fabrizio, which revealed that the Epstein files were still the sixth most important issue for GOP voters, based on focus groups conducted in March, well after an act of Congress forced the release of the files. This made it a more pressing issue for them than things like crime, safety, the military and AI data centers.“There is also a consistent mention of the Epstein files, which came up in every group and is a real negative with some of these voters," Fabrizio wrote in the "key takeaways" section of the report.Swan said that Trump was growing "more and more fed up" with the story dominating the narrative around his presidency, with Haberman adding that he was not used to losing control over what his MAGA base thought about things. She also stressed that all of the conversations roiling the administration about Epstein had to do with how to contain or "spin" the narrative, not about getting justice for his many victims."The Epstein crisis had exposed something that some of Trump’s closest advisers spent months refusing to see," the report concluded. "The president could break institutions, redirect the federal government against his enemies and bring the world’s richest men into the Oval Office bearing tribute. But he could not, it turned out, make Jeffrey Epstein disappear."
President Donald Trump's "stunning" chat with reporters before he boarded Air Force One to fly back to the White House after Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday night raised red flags for one political analyst. David Pakman, host of the "David Pakman Show" on YouTube, argued during a new reaction video on Tuesday that Trump's press gaggle with reporters revealed the state of the president's mental health. Trump seemed like a bird distracted by a piece of tinsel as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum responded to a reporter's question, Pakman argued. Trump then chimed in, taking the conversation in a strange direction. "We have a lot of respect for a lot of the people before me," Trump said, standing next to Burgum on the tarmac. "I know some of you very well. But take a look at that plane. See that plane? That's in perfect mint condition." "Take a look at that," the president said, pointing. "Look at that. Isn't that amazing? And everything should look that way. We work with the military. We do a real job. But you look at the polish. Everything is beautiful."Pakman said Trump's comments were "stunning" and concerning for multiple reasons. "His brain is mush," Pakman said, adding that Trump may have been "fully sundowning at this point in time," referring to a condition that is associated with dementia. Pakman also noted that Trump's attack against ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith, whom he called "Low-IQ" after Smith told the president not to attend the game, was a sign of another disturbing pattern of behavior from the president. "This show is different in the sense that we don't really hurl allegations of racism and sexism haphazardly on this program. It's just not a big part of the political analysis that I tend to do. But I don't really have any other explanation for why Donald Trump's reflexive attack on Black women, Hispanic women, Black men is that they have a low IQ and he rarely applies to white men," Pakman said. And so is it overt racism? Is it implicit racism? I don't know. But it definitely seems to be something that Donald Trump goes to."
Omar Abdulkadir Artan may be the best soccer referee in Africa. He’s certainly one of the best in the world. We know this because he was one of just 52 people chosen to officiate the 2026 World Cup, which kicks off on Thursday. His appointment was historic, as well as deserved: He was set to become the first Somali to referee a World Cup game. Artan is decorated and experienced—but he’s Somali. That, ultimately, is probably the reason why he won’t make history. On Monday, Artan was turned away at customs at the Miami International Airport, after border officials reportedly questioned him about, among other things, the Islamic insurgent group Al Shabab. The Trump administration has waged a bitterly racist campaign against Somalis and Somali Americans in recent months. The nation is on the president’s travel ban list, and President Donald Trump has called Somali Americans “garbage” and said “they’re all crooks.” The Trump administration, it seems, determined it would not allow a World Cup principally hosted by the United States to provide a showcase for a Somali—even if he earned his place; even if he really wasn’t there to represent his country. Just last year, Gianni Infantino assured fans that none of this would happen. “There is a lot of misconception out there,” the FIFA president said in August. “Everyone will be welcome in Canada, Mexico, and the United States for the FIFA World Cup next year.” That tune has changed: When the Artan news broke, a FIFA spokesperson shrugged off the fact that one of its handpicked referees had been denied entry to participate in a tournament where “everyone will be welcome.” FIFA, the spokesperson said, is not involved in host-country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr. Artan’s status will not be changed at present.” Welcome to the 2026 World Cup, a Frankenstein’s monster of a tournament, stitching together the rot of FIFA with the ruin of its principal host nation. With kickoff a day away, there are many reasons to despair—or just to tune the whole thing out. But there are also reasons to be hopeful. Donald Trump poisons everything he touches, as does Infantino. But the competitive spirit of the World Cup, in spite of it all, can be remarkably resilient—an often poignant, sometimes magical spectacle that often reminds us that there are many things that vulgarians like Trump and Infantino simply can’t desecrate. At the moment, the vibe is bad; there is very little magic and almost no poignancy. Instead there are the stories, like Artan’s, bubbling up as the World Cup approaches. The United States has denied visas to Iranian officials, detained Iraq’s star striker Aymen Hussein for seven hours at Chicago’s O’Hare airport, and has denied entry or put up significant hurdles for many fans who are citizens of nations that aren’t subject to the administration’s travel restrictions, like Jordan and Scotland. If you have followed U.S. politics in any capacity since Trump returned to the White House last January, you have probably spotted Infantino lurking. He was at the inauguration and has popped up at Trump’s side in the Oval Office and on state visits—he even donned a red Trump hat at a meeting of the president’s absurd, fantastically corrupt “Board of Peace”—where he pledged to spend tens of millions building soccer stadiums in Gaza, a tin-eared, inhumane gesture even by Infantino’s depraved standards. The conventional wisdom at the time was that Infantino was playing the long game. Sucking up to Trump would be humiliating for most, but Infantino is a virtuoso at ritual self-abasement—indeed it might be his only real talent. The prevailing theory was that Infantino was attaching himself like a barnacle to America’s gormless and corrupt president for the sake of the World Cup. By June—which is to say by now—the effort would pay off in the form of a tournament that ran smoothly, the way he wanted it. To accomplish this, Infantino went so far as to create the single dumbest and most ridiculous award in the history of humanity—the fantastically absurd “FIFA Peace Prize”—which he bestowed on Trump. A month later, Trump sent U.S. troops to kidnap the president of Venezuela; a month after that, he started a war with Iran, a World Cup qualifier. Infantino, of course, doesn’t care about national sovereignty or human suffering; he certainly doesn’t care what kind of a person leads World Cup host nations. He does care that he—and by extension FIFA—gets what he wants from the tournament. And if that requires a warmonger to be the first—and let’s face it, likely only—recipient of a FIFA-branded award, so be it. It can be credibly argued that Infantino debased himself for little in return. The lead-up to the tournament has been pure chaos and dysfunction. FIFA has known—or at least should have known—that there would be travel issues related to the tournament from the moment Trump won the election in 2024.
Democrats have worked desperately to defund or at least hinder President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration and mass deportation campaign. Their efforts have proven again to be in vain.Last summer, congressional Republicans circumvented the various obstacles presented by their leftist colleagues, using budget reconciliation to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included $75 billion in new funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and tens of billions more for other agencies within the Department of Homeland Security.'All that Democrats have achieved by their shutdown is a useful reminder to the American people of their support for open borders.'The war over immigration policy and funding heated up in subsequent months, featuring a pitched battle in which Democrats partially shut down the DHS for 75 days, only to then unconditionally surrender, passing funding for the DHS in the wake of the longest government shutdown in its history.On Tuesday, Democrats were dealt another significant defeat.Days after it was passed by the U.S. Senate in a 52-47 vote, the Secure America Act went to a vote in the House. Ahead of the vote, the White House said in a statement, "The Secure America Act puts an end to Democrats’ political games by fully funding ICE and Border Patrol through President Trump’s term and providing the resources needed to keep our border secure, combat human trafficking, stop the flow of deadly drugs, dismantle criminal cartels, and enforce America’s immigration laws."RELATED: Republicans took ICE hostage — then bragged about saving it Kent NISHIMURA/AFP/Getty Images"It is imperative that Congress immediately passes the Secure America Act to fully fund these critical components," said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. "It has been more than 100 days since congressional Democrats defunded ICE and Border Patrol in a radical attempt to protect violent criminal illegal aliens and undermine President Trump’s highly successful border security agenda."House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), among the Democrats who futilely signaled their opposition to the bill, stated, "As if ripping health care and nutritional assistance in the One Big Ugly Bill wasn’t enough, Republicans have now come back for more to give ICE and Donald Trump’s violent mass deportation machine another $70 billion blank check with no oversight, no accountability, and no guardrails.""As Democrats, we rise in strong opposition to this Republican scheme. Waste of taxpayer dollars," added Jeffries.To Jeffries' chagrin, the Secure America Act passed in a 214-212 party-line vote.This funding bill will allocate $38 billion to ICE, $26 billion to Customs and Border Protection, and $5 billion in additional funding to the DHS through September 2029.Following the vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) emphasized that "Washington Democrats gained **NOTHING** from their RECKLESS CRUSADE to return our country to OPEN BORDERS and UNFETTERED MASS MIGRATION. Republicans will ALWAYS stand with America's law enforcement." "All that Democrats have achieved by their shutdown is a useful reminder to the American people of their support for open borders and keeping criminal illegal immigrants in American communities — policies that have been soundly rejected by the American people over and over again," wrote Johnson. "We hope this episode serves as a future reminder to Democrats that when they shut the government down, they will receive less than nothing in return."President Trump is set to ratify the Secure America Act in the Oval Office on Wednesday.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
A stabbing at Penn Station shows the design failure at the core of our criminal justice system.
Maine Democrats handed progressive firebrand Graham Platner an easy win in Tuesday's Senate primary, looking past his personal scandals in hopes he can oust five-term GOP Sen. Susan Collins in November.Why it matters: Tuesday's results set up what's sure to be a nasty, expensive battle for a seat that will go a long way toward determining control of the Senate. They also illustrated the huge contrasts now animating the political parties:GOP voters are almost always in lockstep with the leader of their party, President Trump, whose pick for South Carolina governor advanced to a runoff.As for Democrats, the combination of being desperate for victory and having no one with enough clout to stop an embattled outsider helped set the stage for Platner's big win over Gov. Janet Mills, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's pick in the race.Zoom in: Platner's victory was also the latest one for Democratic progressives in their ongoing civil war with the party's moderates.Standing behind a sign that defiantly read, "They Don't Know Maine," Platner delivered an acceptance speech that mixed talk of his past regrets and slammed elites who'd opposed him."The national pundits, the political establishment, they keep looking for that one story, that one headline, that one moment in my life that they can define the campaign by," Platner said. "But in trying so hard to understand me, they failed to understand that this is not about me at all. This is a movement about us."Late Tuesday, Schumer and Senate Democrats' top super PAC put out statements making clear they support Platner.Key takeaways from Tuesday:Platner's latest round of scandals haven't hurt him — yet. His campaign has been a roller coaster ride of revelations, from the Nazi-linked tattoo he covered up to the recent reports that he'd sent sexually suggestive texts to women who weren't his wife. The reports gripped D.C. and made lots of ad fodder for Republicans, but didn't appear to damage Platner in Tuesday's primary. Early returns showed him with about 72% of the vote— close to his poll numbers before the latest headlines.Here come the attacks: In a preview of the smash-mouth assaults headed for Platner, Republican National Committee chair Joe Gruters called the Democratic nominee a "racist, sexist, Nazi-loving domestic abuser." Platner, a Marine combat veteran, kick-started his campaign against Collins by casting her as a corrupt warmonger who "handed out billions of dollars to defense companies" while "I got blown up."The parties' role-reversal: On one side, there's a scandal-plagued man running as a populist that the political establishment tried and failed to stop. On the other, a moderate woman who's been in D.C. for decades. It's not the 2016 election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton — it's the match-up between Platner and Collins that looks like the Senate version, with the parties switched. Dems warm to controversy: Blame it on Trump lowering the bar for candidates' personal conduct, Democrats losing trust in their leaders to know what it takes to win, or something darker. Platner's primary victory signals that Democratic voters have become more willing to accept skeletons in a candidate's closet. Trump picks a winner, while Rep. Nancy Mace hits a dead end: In the latest affirmation of Trump's power over the GOP, his pick in South Carolina's gubernatorial primary, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, advanced to a runoff with state Attorney General Alan Wilson. Mace, a former Trump loyalist who fell out of favor with him after pushing for the release of the Epstein files, was running fifth in the primary.