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The DOJ's Flimsy Legal Theories To Support Trump's 'Anti-Weaponization Fund'

1 hour agoCenter Right

Despite the administration's arguments, a multibillion-dollar settlement fund with no judicial oversight is fairly unprecedented.

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Trump faces a 'humiliating' war defeat that could leave 'irreversible damage': analyst

Raw Story

6 minutes ago

Trump faces a 'humiliating' war defeat that could leave 'irreversible damage': analyst

Long-time journalist Dan Rather warned President Donald Trump in a new Substack essay on Tuesday that the president faces a "humiliating" loss in Iran, one that would leave "irreversible damage" in its wake. Trump has claimed on multiple occasions that the U.S. is winning the war in Iran because the country's bombing campaigns took out Iran's top political and military leaders and have decimated Iran's nuclear weapons infrastructure. For instance, Trump claimed on Truth Social on April 9 that he had achieved a "real victory" in Iran because Iran "will never have a nuclear weapon." However, Rather argued in his essay that Trump's explanation of how the war is going is "insulting your intelligence," referring to his readers. "Anyone who claims victory in this disaster is insulting your intelligence," Rather wrote. "If — and this is a very big if — the United States can somehow return to the pre-war status quo, it would be a stunning reversal of present realities." Since the war began, Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz to international trade. The waterway accounts for about 20% of the global energy trade, and energy prices across the U.S. and Europe have increased significantly over the last 12 weeks of war. "Significant and near irreversible damage has been done," Rather wrote. "The Middle East is forever changed because of Trump. Our allies now look upon us with suspicion at best, derision at worst. Relationships are strained to the point of breaking throughout the region and Europe. Allied trust is gone, while in Iran the regime remains in control."World leaders seem to be "grinning" because of the war, Rather argued, and the war has also seemed to embolden Iran's regime to stall as long as possible. "Iran looks to be very much in control, and therefore, much of the world will see this as an embarrassing if not humiliating defeat for Donald Trump. Russian and Chinese leaders are grinning," he wrote. "At this juncture, Trump is trapped. He has no good options. Nonetheless, he will try to spin a win," he added.

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Following his trip to the hospital, Trump's unexpected retreat sparks speculation

Raw Story

11 minutes ago

Following his trip to the hospital, Trump's unexpected retreat sparks speculation

President Donald Trump is making a rare trip to Camp David on Wednesday, just 24 hours after his third Walter Reed Medical Center visit in 13 months, sparking speculation about the timing and purpose. The trip to the secluded presidential retreat will include top administration officials, including outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, reported The New York Post. It will take place amid ongoing and strained peace negotiations with Iran. Political observers questioned the unusual decision, noting Trump typically avoids Camp David. “Could there be foreign visitors coming who want no White House image association?” polling firm Rasmussen Reports speculated on social media.Political analyst Arieh Kovler questioned in a social media post why Cabinet meetings would move to Camp David given their lack of substantive content.The 79-year-old president, turning 80 next month, has faced mounting questions about his health. Watch the video below. Your browser does not support the video tag.

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Todd Blanche's fawning over Trump may land him in legal jeopardy: ex-prosecutor

Raw Story

48 minutes ago

Todd Blanche's fawning over Trump may land him in legal jeopardy: ex-prosecutor

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's gushing comments about Trump have an ex-prosecutor sounding the alarm and suggesting it could land Blanche in legal trouble.In early April, Blanche said he would tell Trump, "Thank you very much. I love you, sir," if the president passed him over for the permanent AG role and kicked him out of the White House.Glenn Kirschner, a former prosecutor, said on the Jim Acosta Show on Tuesday that those comments could be a problem for Blanche. "From this old prosecutor's perspective, he'll need to be criminally investigated beginning in January of 2029," Kirschner said, referring to when Trump's term is supposed to end. "The minute I heard him say ... 'Thank you, sir. I love you.' You can't make that up. And why would any self-respecting government official say that?"Along with the ongoing case against former FBI Director James Comey, Kirschner sees plenty of evidence that Blanche "was willing to do anything and everything to try and keep his job," he said. Kirschner said Blanche is aggressively "abusing the rule of law and the constitutional rights of targets of Donald Trump's wrath." Kirschner then pointed to the Richard Nixon administration and the criminal conviction of four dozen of his officials and associates. "I'll bet they all felt untouchable. I'll bet they felt like, 'No way the rule of law is coming for us,'" Kirschner said. "What happened? Forty-eight of them were criminally convicted, and thirty of them went to prison. This is what awaits, I believe, Todd Blanche and the rest of Trump's cabinet."

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Physician flags warning signs in Trump's 'incomplete' physical exam: 'Not acceptable'

Raw Story

53 minutes ago

Physician flags warning signs in Trump's 'incomplete' physical exam: 'Not acceptable'

A physician flagged multiple warning signs in President Donald Trump's latest semi-annual physical exam on Tuesday. Dr. Jeffrey Kuhlman, a former White House physician and author of "Transforming Presidential Healthcare," joined CNN's Jake Tapper on "The Lead" to discuss the results of Trump's latest physical. Trump claimed on Truth Social that his exam went "perfectly," but Kuhlman noted several aspects that needed further attention. Trump's exam happened at a time when questions about his health are continuing to swirl. The president has been seen sleeping in meetings, walking around the White House grounds with a significantly bruised hand, and displaying his swollen ankles on more than one occasion. "One of the things that has concerned me about the White House physician, both the current one and under the previous president, is that sometimes they list some medications that the president is taking, but not all of them," Kuhlman said. "Another one is that sometimes they don't give tests to the president, perhaps because they don't want the results to be known."Kuhlman added that there are still several pieces of information missing from Trump's exam, which he described as "incomplete.""Well, I think that the information, if we say it nicely, is incomplete," he said. "What they should address to an 80-year-old are the big three. Advanced age is the number one risk factor for cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease. So for an 80-year-old, it is not acceptable to say, 'Here's a blood pressure; here's an EKG.' They should be assessing his cardiac function." "For example, we see that he walks up long stairs on Air Force One. That's commendable," he continued. "Or we see that he walks across the south lawn to the helicopter again."Kuhlman added that the White House physicians should be doing more "objective testing" of Trump, based on the results Kuhlman saw. "They should do objective testing like a treadmill, like a stress test," he said. "Cardiac imaging of the heart, the coronary arteries, the calcium score ultrasound of the valves, and not just say 'normal,' but they should say, 'Here's the ejection fraction, here's the function of the four valves. And they are not even listing the different tests that he's had."

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Trump attacks 'scum' lawmakers trying to regulate prediction markets tied to his family

Raw Story

1 hour ago

Trump attacks 'scum' lawmakers trying to regulate prediction markets tied to his family

President Donald Trump lashed out at a handful of lawmakers whom he described as "scum" on Tuesday over their efforts to take the lead on regulating prediction markets. In a new Truth Social post, Trump called out Chris Christie, the former Republican governor of New Jersey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for their efforts to create state laws surrounding prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket. Trump claimed in the post that the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, an independent agency that regulates certain financial markets that Trump hollowed out during his second term, needs to maintain regulatory control over prediction markets. "It is critically important that the CFTC’s exclusive authority over Prediction Markets is maintained, and that they will thrive," Trump wrote. "Under my leadership, we are setting 'rules of the road' that are the Gold Standard for the States. We cannot have SCUM like Chris Christie, Letitia James, Tim Walz, and JB Pritzker setting the rules! Other Countries are after this new form of Financial Market, and we want to remain at the top." "Likewise, and even more importantly, where we are currently the Crypto (Bitcoin, etc.) Capital of the World, other Countries are trying diligently to replace us in that capacity, but we won’t let that happen," he added. "It is a major Industry, and we must protect it. Mike Selig, CFTC Chairman, and respected by all, is doing a great job. Thank you Mike!"During Trump's second term, several prediction markets with ties to his family have been approved. For instance, the CFTC approved Polymarket after it received an investment from 1789 Capital, a company partly owned by Donald Trump Jr, Seeking Alpha reported. The agency also approved an offshoot of Gemini that was founded by Donald Trump Jr. and Trump's other son, Eric Trump, according to the report.

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Pentagon memos reveal Trump set up Tulsi Gabbard to fail: analysis

Raw Story

2 hours ago

Pentagon memos reveal Trump set up Tulsi Gabbard to fail: analysis

Before she even joined the Trump administration as Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard was set up to fail, an analyst reported on Tuesday.Secret Pentagon memos that have now been made public show just what was happening behind the scenes in the years leading up to the second Trump administration, independent journalist Ken Klippenstein wrote in a Substack post published Tuesday.Gabbard has cited her husband's cancer diagnosis as her reason for her pending departure — but there is more to it, Klippenstein explained. "She oversaw her agency’s National Counterterrorism Center move into purely domestic matters (contrary to its original design)," Klippenstein wrote. "The intelligence budget went up. The surveillance state tightened its grip on the American people, with Gabbard presiding over an intelligence community striking up alliances with private companies, including social media giants.""The real story is one of defeat. It’s the story of an intelligence chief discovering she ran nothing, and a national security system that strangles reform with such ease you almost have to respect it," Klippenstein explained.What happened leading up to Gabbard's role, which was created in the wake of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, revealed that "Congress is responsible" for altering the job and its reach."Gabbard’s title — Director of National Intelligence — was created in response to public outrage over the intelligence community’s failure to prevent 9/11. But because the member agencies (CIA, FBI, etc.) did not want to have to answer to a higher authority, the position was rendered so toothless and symbolic that one former DNI himself even called the position 'neutered,'" Klippenstein wrote.Donald Rumsfeld also played a role, and in 2004 he began opposing the bill authored by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) to establish a "single, overarching intelligence boss with actual authority over the entire community.""Then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney wanted nothing to do with a new official who could touch the intelligence budget of the Pentagon, which controls four of the five largest U.S. intelligence agencies," Klippenstein wrote. "House Armed Services Chairman Duncan Hunter, doing Rumsfeld’s bidding, immediately held up the committee’s final report to stall the bill."And in a private memo to President George W. Bush, written by Rumsfeld, "dripping with contempt," he described his view on the new position. "Rumsfeld warned the president that giving the new intelligence director 'full budget authority' — the exact position Bush had publicly endorsed to appease voters — would create 'a train wreck,'" Klippenstein wrote. "Instead, Rumsfeld proposed a precise blueprint for the toothless agency. The new director’s 'importance and value,' Rumsfeld wrote, 'is not as a collector or producer of intelligence — or as a super CIA director — but rather as the leader of the intelligence community.'"Ultimately, Collins and Lieberman retreated on pushing their bill forward."This episode shows what the national security world thinks of Congress — that they’re a joke — and how the security apparatus effortlessly undermines the Constitution’s balance of powers. Nowhere does Collins express an ounce of frustration, because Congress has completely internalized its role as the ball-gag wearing gimp in Pulp Fiction," Klippenstein wrote.Years later, the decisions left a lasting impression."One could make the mistake of saying that the main culprit here was pitbull Rumsfeld, who was protecting his turf, but the major actor wasn’t a person or an agency," Klippenstein wrote. "It was 'national security,' the mindset itself, and the religion behind it. The belief that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the generals, and the military brass know best. It was able to defy the will of the people, the president, and the Congress.""Tulsi Gabbard never had a chance," Klippenstein added.

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Trump administration floats requiring all federal workers to sign NDAs

NBC News Politics

2 hours ago

Trump administration floats requiring all federal workers to sign NDAs

The Trump administration is proposing a rule requiring federal workers to sign nondisclosure agreements, according to a draft notice the Office of Personnel Management posted Tuesday.“OPM believes that a governmentwide NDA form will promote consistency across Government, better protect confidential information, and better inform Federal employees of their rights and obligations regarding confidential information,” says the notice, which was posted to the Federal Register

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'He's bad news': Republican says Trump's endorsement made him vote for other candidate

Raw Story

2 hours ago

'He's bad news': Republican says Trump's endorsement made him vote for other candidate

Texas Republicans headed to the polls Tuesday in a make-or-break Senate runoff — and for at least one voter, President Donald Trump's endorsement didn't seal the deal. It backfired.CNN caught up with two Republican voters outside a Plano polling location on Election Day, and their reactions to Trump's last-minute backing of Attorney General Ken Paxton told two very different stories about the state of the GOP.The first voter said Trump's endorsement was the deciding factor — pushing him away from Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, and toward Paxton. "I was torn because I was gonna go with Cornyn," he said. "But when Trump backed [Paxton] — I like who he backs."The second voter went the other way entirely."I made one vote, and that was for Cornyn," he told CNN's Arlette Saenz. "Primarily because he's not supported by Trump."When Saenz pressed him, he didn't mince words. "I think he's ruined my Republican party," he said of Trump. "I think he's divided America. I think he's bad news. And I still lean Republican, so I voted for Cornyn."NOTUS White House reporter Jasmine Wright, appearing on CNN, said the exchange captured a split that's playing out statewide. "You're literally seeing the 80-20, 70-30 split that we see represented in polling," she said, adding that the White House is banking on the majority holding. "This question that we continue to ask — whether or not Trump still holds a vice grip on the Republican Party — continues to show us yes, yes, and yes."Trump amplified that grip Tuesday morning, resharing a post urging Texans to "Get the RINOs out now" while calling Paxton the country's best attorney general.Cornyn, meanwhile, made his closing argument on Fox News, hammering Paxton's scandal-ridden record. "Texans have learned that you can't trust what Paxton says," he said, citing Paxton's impeachment by a Republican-led House and a $6.6 million whistleblower judgment against him.The winner faces Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in November. Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.

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