Here’s why Iran’s attacks on Israel didn’t cross Trump’s red lines

DC Council proposes extensive ‘decoupling’ of Trump’s tax cuts to save $463.6 million in revenue

Washington, D.C., Council Chairman Phil Mendelson returned his budget recommendations on Monday with a proposal that cuts deeper into separating the district’s local taxes from President Donald Trump‘s nationwide tax cuts. In late 2025, after Trump signed his One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s sweeping tax cuts into law, the district approved emergency legislation allowing D.C. […]

Trump Crashes Out After Benjamin Netanyahu Humiliates Him on Iran

President Donald Trump was once again humiliated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the war they started in Iran continued to spiral out of control. After Iran launched a salvo of missile strikes against Israel Sunday, its first attack since the April 8 ceasefire, Trump insisted that he still maintained control of the situation. The U.S. president told Axios that he would instruct Netanyahu to refrain from hitting back against Iran. “I am going to call Bibi right now and tell him not to retaliate. Each of them had their fun. Israel had its strike, and Iran had its strike. We don’t need another one,” Trump said.The president separately told the Financial Times that Israel would have to accept any deal that he made with Iran. “I call all the shots. Netanyahu doesn’t call the shots,” he insisted.Just a few hours later, however, the Israeli Air Force launched a series of strikes against Iran anyway. As Netanyahu continued to do whatever he wanted, Trump quickly crumbled from “I call all the shots” to Please stop shooting!“Israel and Iran must immediately stop ‘shooting.’ President DONALD J. TRUMP,” he wrote on Truth Social early Monday morning. An hour later, Trump spun a new narrative: “Both sides, Israel and Iran, are looking to do an immediate CEASEFIRE! Final negotiations on ‘Peace’ are proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way. The Blockade will remain in place, and in full force and effect, until a ‘Final Deal’ is reached. Things should move quickly,” he wrote on Truth Social. Iran said Monday that it would suspend its attacks on Israel but would resume them if Israeli strikes continued against Lebanon—which seems likely. A senior Israeli official said that Israel had halted the strikes against Iran at Trump’s request. It’s clear, however, that Trump was either unable or unwilling to stop Netanyahu from retaliating in the first place.

Trump Told Netanyahu Not to Bomb Iran — But Israel Did Anyway

Iran and Israel exchanged fire overnight in the most serious escalation since a nominal truce was reached in April.

'Coverup': Bill Kristol maps out path to take down Trump’s AG pick

Conservative columnist Bill Kristol wants the Senate confirmation of Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump’s stated nominee for U.S. attorney general, to become a referendum on the administration’s handling of the Epstein files — tying Blanche directly to the “coverup” he says Trump rewarded him for managing.Writing at The Bulwark, Kristol calls Blanche “the prime orchestrator and key executor of the Trump administration’s Jeffrey Epstein coverup.” He argues that the senators’ vote on Blanche “should become” a vote on Epstein, and sees the confirmation process as “a chance to force a real public debate, with real Senate votes, on the Epstein coverup.” Kristol points to Bondi’s testimony that Blanche “was leading the Epstein matter and the release of everything from the beginning” and supervised the “entire process” of how the files were handled. He also calls Blanche “the most visible public defender of the coverup, and of the decision not to investigate or prosecute anyone else for crimes.”Blanche has worked to bury the Epstein files, Kristol argues. While still deputy attorney general, he told Fox News, “And so I think that to the extent that the Epstein files was a part of the past year of this Justice Department, it should not be a part of anything going forward.” Kristol says the “Epstein coverup should be part, a key part, of one thing going forward: It should be a key part of the upcoming debate on Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general. The Blanche confirmation fight can bring the Epstein coverup back into the spotlight this summer.”In February, when Blanche was asked by Fox News’ Laura Ingraham whether there was “any chance that any of these individuals who partied with Epstein and engaged in relations with minors” would be prosecuted, Blanche responded, “I’ll never say no, and we will always investigate any evidence of misconduct, but as you know, it is not a crime to party with Mr. Epstein.”“And some of these men may have done horrible things, and if we have evidence that allows us to prosecute them, you better believe we will,” Blanche continued. “But it’s also the kind of thing that the American people need to understand that it isn’t a crime to party with Mr. Epstein.” Kristol latches on to that remark and repeats it, before writing that the DOJ “could now be following up on the testimony of scores of survivors to finally, properly investigate those crimes and their perpetrators. But Blanche’s Justice Department hasn’t even pretended to be seeking further evidence.”He accuses Blanche’s DOJ of having “no interest at all in investigating or prosecuting the men who have done truly horrible things. After all, ‘it isn’t a crime to party with Mr. Epstein.'”

Score Two More Big Wins for Israel Vs. Iran... Maybe

It’s Time for Donald Trump to Unleash His Secret Weapon Against Iran: The Power of Antisemitism!

Ex-'hardcore MAGA activist' details game plan for saving others from Trump

Much of the criticism of President Donald Trump on the right is coming from Never Trump conservatives and libertarians, many of whom were scathing opponents of the MAGA movement from the get-go. Attorney George Conway, The Washington Post's George Will, MS NOW's Joe Scarbrough and The Lincoln Project's Rick Wilson were so anti-Trump that they left the Republican Party altogether. But Rich Logis' opposition to Trump is coming from a much different place. In Salon, the founder of Leaving MAGA details his journey from hardcore Trump supporter to Trump opponent — and his ongoing efforts to help others who have become disillusioned with the president and the MAGA movement."From 2015 until 2022," Logis explains in Salon, "I was a hardcore MAGA activist and pundit. I spoke at pro-Trump events. I wrote numerous op-eds, and even hosted a podcast dedicated to promoting all things Trump. I loved that he wanted to burn down the established political order. I felt that neither major political party cared for the working person. When Trump ran the first time and was elected against what seemed like impossible odds, it was exhilarating and new. It was also a communal experience. MAGA became my second family."The Leaving MAGA founder argues that Trump opponents shouldn't dismiss his supporters as a lost cause, but he emphasizes that quitting MAGA is a real struggle for those who have been true believers and are now questioning the movement."When I tell people I founded an organization that helps people leave Donald Trump‘s MAGA movement," Logis notes, "the response is often a derisive snort. 'Why waste your time on them?' people sometimes say. 'They're a lost cause. It's a cult.' I firmly believe that kind of dismissive contempt is misguided. In fact, I know it, on a profound personal level…. Recognizing that MAGA provides a strong sense of community is key to understanding its appeal."Logis continues, "Another integral element of MAGA's power is the pro-Trump media echo chamber. For several years, I got my information almost exclusively from Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and Breitbart. Everything outside the echo chamber, to my community, was Democratic Party propaganda…. It's hard to overstate the formidable power of believing the MAGA media's daily lies and distortions. I was addicted to rage and fear. Even though Trump had been elected president, I lived in a perpetual state of despair, desperation and paranoia."Logis cites anti-vaxxer propaganda during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Robb Elementary School massacre in Uvalde, Texas as two of the things that led to the creation of Leaving MAGA in 2022. And he is seeing others going through the same struggles he went through. "On the eve of America's 250th birthday, our democracy is in crisis," Logis warns. "I firmly believe the key to resolving it lies partly in forming unlikely but necessary alliances. Those who leave MAGA are worthy of our grace, and can become stewards of our democracy. We cannot afford to shun them."

In Negotiations With Iran, Trump Risks Repeating the Mistakes of Afghanistan

Sometimes walking away from the table is the best way to signal strength.