Meloni furious over Trump’s photo dig: ‘Neither I nor Italy beg’

Report reveals what started Trump's feud with Italian pal: 'She doesn't see this as petty'

President Donald Trump had a very public falling out last week with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, but the rupture had been building for months.Trump told an Italian journalist that Meloni had "begged" him for a photo at the recent G7 summit in France — a claim Meloni called "totally invented" – and a political scientist at a university in Rome explained to the Financial Times that the president's claims are “totally unacceptable” to the nationalist prime minister who presents herself as the defender of "Italy’s honor and interests."“This attack was personal, implying a lack of dignity,” said Giovanni Orsina, of Luiss University. “But she does not see this as some petty personal issue. It’s a matter of honor, and honor for a nationalist is political.""It’s as if he slighted the Italian flag somehow,” Orsina added.Meloni had been Trump's most reliable European ally — the only EU leader to attend his second-term inauguration, and the recipient of some of his most effusive praise. He called her "a fantastic woman" and "one of the real leaders of the world." Vice President JD Vance wrote the foreword to her second book, and Trump promoted the English translation of her memoir, with a foreword from his son.Now, that relationship has collapsed into a public war of words, and the breakdown traces back to a series of decisions Trump made that left Meloni with no room to maintain her loyalty.Trump's tariffs on the EU hit Italian exporters directly, straining the relationship's economic benefits even as Meloni stayed publicly loyal. The deeper damage came with the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, which sent energy prices surging and hurt Italian consumers. Rome quietly refused to let U.S. military aircraft refuel at Sicilian air bases — a rare act of distancing that Trump did not let go unanswered, later saying he was "shocked" by Meloni and that she "lacked courage."The U.S. president deepened the rift further by attacking Pope Leo XIV, a vocal critic of the Iran war, calling him "terrible." Meloni, breaking her usual restraint, called the comment "unacceptable" — a notable departure for a leader who had avoided criticizing Trump even over the war itself.Trump then escalated again, accusing Meloni on Truth Social of wanting to reconcile only to boost her sagging approval ratings, writing "No thanks!!!" Meloni shot back, suggesting their friendship had cost her politically: "Being your friend certainly has not helped it."Analysts say Trump's repeated public jabs left Meloni little choice but to respond, particularly as his standing in Europe — even among the right — sinks to an all-time low.“Trump is electorally toxic in Europe, even on the right,” said Stefano Stefanini, Italy’s former ambassador to NATO. “Being in an anti-Trump camp now can bring her some electoral benefits.” Meloni's international policy is unpopular at home, and pollster Lorenzo Pregliasco said she had little to lose by cutting ties with Trump."[Trump is] now kryptonite in terms of public opinion and popularity," Pregliasco said. “She stayed very close to him even after many realized that Trump was pursuing an agenda that was not aligned with our European and Italian interests. Now it appears more like Trump repudiated her rather than the other way around.”

Trump Blames Vandalism for Reflecting Pool Problems

President Donald Trump says vandals caused the algae blooms and peeling paint at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. He speaks with reporters in the Oval Office. (Source: Bloomberg)

President Trump Just Ended The New York Times

Tim Walz’s jab at Trump over Reflecting Pool draws fraud scandal backlash: 'Sit this one out'

Gov. Tim Walz's viral jab at Trump over the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool cleanup drew conservative blowback pointing to Minnesota's fraud scandal.

Liz Wheeler: Alleged LA election fraud is Trump’s chance to deliver ‘justice’

The controversy surrounding the recent Los Angeles mayoral election could become one of the most consequential political battles of President Trump’s second term — and BlazeTV host Liz Wheeler believes it’s time for the president to do something about it.“The Democrats have in a chokehold the election system. They have taken it away. They have stolen the election system from the people, and it is now in their control. So the outcome of these elections is essentially predetermined,” she begins.And Republicans, Wheeler says, “have a very big, daunting job to clean up our election systems.”“The American people voted for Trump because they want justice, because we want justice for all of the things that were done to us,” she explains, pointing out that the stolen election in Los Angeles is now a “golden opportunity” for Trump to take action.“And you should do that because it’s the right thing to do. You should do that because it’s your constitutional duty to make sure that we have free and fair elections,” she adds.And if Trump does take action after the outcome of the Los Angeles election, Wheeler predicts his base support will “balloon” and “increase exponentially.”“That energy will come roaring back if you pursue justice in the L.A. elections. What will happen is, you will have enormous midterm turnout because nothing motivates the base like justice does,” she says.“And this time, this is different than 2020. This time we have actual evidence that crimes were committed. We have evidence of how the Democrats stole this election,” she continues, explaining that there’s proof of election fraud via video.In the videos, which Wheeler plays, L.A.'s “homeless” tell reporters that they were paid to cast votes for Democrats. “This is not speculation. The fact that the majority of the fraud that happened happened on Skid Row with these 43,000 drug addicts who the left calls homeless, but we know they’re addicted, most of them,” Wheeler says.“What the Democrats did and are doing is wrong,” she says, adding, “but it is also a golden opportunity. And for this, Spencer Pratt seems to understand, and I’m very appreciative of that.”Want more from Liz Wheeler?To enjoy more of Liz’s based commentary, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

John Oliver warns Trump's crude swipe at Obama is about to backfire spectacularly

Comedian John Oliver warned Sunday that President Donald Trump's profane attack on Barack Obama is going to come back to haunt him.On "Last Week Tonight," the HBO host zeroed in on Trump's G7 appearance in France, where the president, seated beside Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, mocked Obama's 2015 nuclear deal, which Trump tore up in his first term, and claimed Iran once "laughed at Obama" and called him "a stupid son of a b----" over a $1.7 billion payment.Oliver pointed out that Trump's own memorandum of understanding commits Iran to receiving at least $300 billion in reconstruction aid. “If Iran called Obama a stupid son of a b---- for letting them get $1.7 billion, I think we’re about to find out what the Persian word is for someone 300 times dumber than that,” Oliver quipped.The host argued the agreement is "less a comprehensive peace deal and more a plan to eventually have one, with some pretty big holes in it," noting it "doesn’t even address Iran’s nuclear program—supposedly the whole point of this war in the first place.” He also flagged that the deal has been criticized within Trump's own party.Even as Trump keeps boasting that his deal beats the one Obama struck in 2015, the former president gave his own verdict in an NBC interview that aired Friday.“We’ve now fought a war, spent billions and billions of dollars, you know, put enormous strain on our military, a lot of people have died, and it feels like we’re back where we were before we started the war,” Obama said. “Except maybe a little bit worse.”

Ex-Trump lawyer to sit down with House Epstein investigators to 'set the record straight'

Alan Dershowitz is scheduled to sit down with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on July 20 as part of its sprawling investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and the government's handling of his case, according to Politico."I asked to be allowed to set the record straight and correct various misconceptions," Dershowitz said in a text message. "I look forward to doing so."The prominent defense attorney, whose past clients include O.J. Simpson and President Donald Trump, was part of the legal team that negotiated Epstein's controversial 2008 plea deal, which let the financier plead guilty to Florida state charges, including soliciting prostitution from a minor, and avoid federal sex-trafficking charges. Critics have long argued the lenient deal allowed Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019, to keep abusing girls for years before his later arrest.Dershowitz, who has said he wants to testify publicly and "about everything," has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing connected to Epstein's crimes. He has also proclaimed his innocence over an accusation by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged Epstein trafficked her to him. Giuffre withdrew the claim in 2022, saying she "may have made a mistake." She died last year.Dershowitz's appearance would add to a roster of high-profile figures the committee has questioned, including Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Bill Gates and Ghislaine Maxwell, as Epstein's survivors continue demanding answers. The panel is also expected to interview investor Leon Black, whose Epstein ties have faced scrutiny for years.

Trump warns of 10-year jail time for attack on his $16 million Reflecting Pool renovation

The President is threatening jail time for the alleged vandals he's blaming for damaging the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall in Washington.