Why Trump picked Bill Pulte to lead US intelligence as critics question his qualifications

Johnson defends Trump’s rigged elections claim — says it’s 'impossible to prove'

President Donald Trump just received a public assist from House Speaker Mike Johnson in his unsubstantiated claims that California’s elections have been stolen — but Johnson himself admitted that Trump’s claims are “impossible to prove.”“I'm not saying it's rigged,” Johnson told CNN’s Manu Raju on Monday. “I'm saying it stinks to high heaven. And everybody knows that. Let's remove the appearance of impropriety. Let's have, what a concept, let's have votes on an election the day of the election. That's what many states are able to do. I think California is playing around with this.”When Raju asked whether Johnson has any evidence that the election is being rigged, the House Speaker admitted that he does not.“I don't — some of these efforts are so diabolical and so far upstream that it is impossible to prove,” Johnson told Raju. “But I think everybody knows instinctively something is wrong here. And that's a concern. We need people to believe in the integrity of our election system.”Johnson has been accused of controlling the House Republicans rather than serving the traditional presidential role of respecting the balance of power between the executive and legislature. In fact, NOTUS reported on Monday that Trump has so much power over the House, he has joked that he and not Johnson is in fact the real House Speaker.“I have two jobs: being president and being speaker,” Trump once teased Johnson while other lawmakers watched him do it. Trump’s joke refers to Johnson repeatedly going to the president to get potentially defecting Republicans in line behind his agenda, with Johnson himself repeatedly failing to do so.For example, in 2025 Trump reportedly yelled at Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) over the phone until she started crying and walked away, according to what two sources told NOTUS. After she left, Trump continued to rant to the remaining lawmakers who were present for her humiliation.“I have no f—— idea what she just said," Trump told the other members.That incident, according to NOTUS, was merely one of many. Two sources told NOTUS that House members are instructed to check with the White House before proposing legislation. One anonymous House Republican lawmaker told NOTUS that as a result, House Speaker Johnson and the rest of that body’s leaders have failed in their basic legislative duties.This is "a total shirking of responsibilities to the White House,” the source told NOTUS. “Everything has to be preordained and pre-blessed, and there’s very little that we’re able to have our own will on. We should be empowered to pass our own priorities, not just follow what the mandate of the day is.”

Trump says Iran deal is ‘very close,’ Knicks ready for presidential visit to Madison Square Garden

President Trump says the United States is “very close” to reaching a deal with Iran that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and permanently block Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The president is also signaling confidence that the conflict will not become another endless war. Meanwhile, Trump is expected to attend the Knicks’ first...

Lawsuit Challenges Legality of Trump’s UFC Event at White House Next Week

The “UFC Freedom 250” event is slated to take place on June 14.

Trump Puts Thune on the Ropes Over 'Nasty' Parliamentarian as SAVE America Act Showdown Explodes

Trump faces 'perfect storm' brewing against him in court: Legal expert

President Donald Trump might have just stumbled into a "perfect storm" that could lead to a federal court smackdown against his planned UFC cage match on the White House South Lawn, former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance told MS NOW's Alex Witt on Monday.This comes as a lawsuit filed by two local activists, including a Vietnam veteran, details the appearance of corruption surrounding the event, as well as its defacement of public property and violation of multiple regulations and the constitutional separation of powers.That complaint, noted Vance, tears at the heartstrings on top of it all: "If you don't mind, I'll just read you two sentences that explain where we are. Mr. Romano writes 'One of the most moving and powerful aspects of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is its quiet tranquility. That tranquility both honors the fallen, the fallen, and allows those who have come to pay their respects an opportunity to reflect and remember without interruption.'"This, she noted, is part of a "forceful case" that the UFC event will desecrate these sites, which gives them legal standing to challenge it."Can I ask you on a big picture level, Joyce, what is the point of having rules, of having laws that require congressional approval if they are treated as mere suggestions?" asked Witt.This sort of brazen defiance of the law, Vance replied, is "the modus operandi for this administration" as they do all they can to "plow past laws and regulations that don't suit them, acting on the assumption that no one will get in their way, that Congress will continue to be supine, that the courts won't interfere."Unfortunately for them, Vance said, the lawsuit has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta — a jurist who has a long history with Trump."They have a jurist who has shown a pronounced ability to look at the facts and the law and try to hold the administration accountable," said Vance. Mehta, she continued, is the same judge "who permitted the civil case around January 6th to move forward, finding that the First Amendment might not cover the sort of language of incitement Donald Trump used that morning of the insurrection."The upshot, she concluded, is "this may be the perfect storm that Donald Trump fears about to take place here." - YouTube www.youtube.com

CNN forces Mike Johnson admission on Trump's rigged election claim: 'Impossible to prove'

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is echoing President Donald Trump's allegations of fraud in the Los Angeles mayoral race — but admitted Monday he has no evidence to back them up, telling CNN's Manu Raju the claims are "impossible to prove."Trump fired off a Truth Social post Sunday declaring the L.A. results fraudulent. "Not possible for Spencer Pratt to have lost the L.A. runoffs after the big lead he had," Trump wrote. "3rd World Nation. Rigged Elections!"Pratt, the former MTV reality star turned Trump-backed mayoral candidate, led the field in the days after the June 2 primary. But as mail and provisional ballots continued to be counted, progressive City Councilmember Nithya Raman (D-Los Angeles) closed the gap and overtook Pratt for the second runoff spot by Sunday, with 83% of the expected vote in. Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) has already been projected to advance to the November runoff.Raju pressed Johnson if he had evidence supporting the fraud allegations — but the speaker failed to offer any."I don't — some of these efforts are so diabolical and so far upstream that it is impossible to prove," Johnson said. "But I think everybody knows instinctively something is wrong here."When Raju asked directly whether the election was "rigged, like the president says," Johnson pulled back from the word itself."I'm not saying it's rigged," he said. "I'm saying it stinks to high heaven, and everybody knows that."Johnson instead pointed to California's vote-counting timeline, arguing the state should be able to deliver results on election night the way other states do — and other countries do. "We have entire nations with huge populations like India that can count their votes in 24 to 40 hours," he said.He also used the moment to plug the SAVE America Act, a Republican voting-restrictions bill that would require proof of citizenship and a photo ID to vote. Johnson claimed the measure enjoys more than 90% public support and that 70% of Democrats back it — figures he did not cite sources for.When Raju suggested Republicans were raising fraud claims simply because their candidate lost, Johnson brushed it off. "Every leader of all parties should demand election integrity," he said. "And if somebody is opposing that, you should look at their motives. That's what I'm telling you."

Trump’s presidency is finished: political analyst

President Donald Trump’s recent interview with NBC News’ Kristen Welker may have ended in him walking out, but according to one political analyst, it in fact signifies the beginning of the end of Trump’s credibility as president.“On Sunday, President Trump quit an interview with Kristen Welker of ‘Meet the Press’ after becoming frustrated as he faced challenging questions,” wrote MS NOW’s Matthew Bartlett on Monday. “Fighting with the media is nothing new for the president, but the notion of giving up midway through when things get tough may be more indicative of Trump’s current mindset and emblematic of his second presidency.”Bartlett added that, while Trump was given a second chance at being president in the 2024 election, he mistook his victory as a mandate to implement a far right agenda on issues like gutting government infrastructure, deporting immigrants and waging wars against nations like Venezuela and Iran. In the process, Trump has neglected “the stubborn issues of affordability that continue to plague the post-Covid economy. For Americans of all ages, living, eating, breathing and simply going to work is incredibly and increasingly unaffordable, much less doing it all with a family. “He added, “In a matter of months, attention will soon move from the White House to the campaign trail, and even successful presidents struggle to keep the spotlight off their potential successors. Candidates from both parties will have a chance to define themselves and offer their ideas on everything from artificial intelligence to taxes to war and peace. America’s next act will be written not in the Oval Office or the halls of Congress, but in the town halls and events across America.”Bartlett concluded, “Meanwhile, the second Trump administration is already a lost cause at home and abroad. He has made himself a lame duck president, and is getting lamer every day.”Speaking to AlterNet about Trump’s interview with Welker, former Tufts University professor and esteemed psychiatrist Dr. Henry Abraham speculated that Trump’s seeming inability to remember the name of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei also suggests possible cognitive decline.“We all know politicians bob and weave," Abraham told AlterNet. "This is Trump's version of bobbing and weaving. The problem is that it's bobbing and weaving in a way that is illogical and doesn't make sense. It does not pass muster of a normal mental status exam.”He continued, “Any patient giving that answer to that question — the answer which is quite clear — would say something like: ‘Yes, I know how he's doing, but it's top secret. I can't talk about it,’ or ‘We're not in touch, and I hope he does well because we'd like to talk to him sometime.’ Those are normal answers. What he gave was a total non-sequitur, not a politician's bob and weave.”Ultimately Abraham concluded that, regarding Khamenei’s name, “I don't think the president knows it either, which is either extremely poor foreign policy or an inability to retain a complex Arabic name.”

Trump formally nominates Todd Blanche as attorney general

Currently acting attorney general, Todd Blanche may face an uphill confirmation battle from some wary Republican senators.