Alleged secret PR scheme involving JD Vance and Tucker Carlson revealed

'Every Republican just winced': DC insider reveals 'big problem' Trump created for GOP

This fall's midterm election is a referendum on President Donald Trump, according to a veteran journalist, and he's not making things easy for Republicans trying to hold onto their congressional majorities.Polling has made clear that affordability remains the top voter concern, and Punchbowl News co-founder John Bresnahan told "CNN News Central" that Republicans on Capitol Hill, whom he's covered for decades, were aghast when Trump declared "I love inflation" during an Oval Office event."Oh yeah, Trump is the issue of the election," Bresnahan said. "I mean, he is the biggest issue. His conduct, the war, his handling the economy, his conduct in office. I've got to tell you, I was on the Hill yesterday when he made those comments and they went through the Capitol pretty quickly, and it was just, you know, every Republican just winced. They're upset."Trump was re-elected to a second term on a promise to fix the economy on Day One, but a year and a half later, voters have soured on his handling of the affordability crisis."The messaging they're hearing out of the White House is not about inflation," the well-connected reporter said. "It's not about the economy. It's not about Americans' financial status, their overdue credit card payments. They're struggling to pay for school, and every day that Trump is out talking about Iran, he's talking talking about other issues, he's talking about the 2020 elections is a disaster for Hill Republicans. They're just – it's a big problem for them.""Speaker Mike Johnson can talk, you know, say Trump's labors are focused on inflation, but the American public doesn't think so, Congress doesn't think so – even the Republicans in Congress, I'll tell you that," Bresnhan added. "So this is a big problem for them." - YouTube youtu.be

NBA Finals Game 5 odds revealed after stunning Knicks comeback over Spurs

After securing the most improbable comeback win in NBA Finals history, the Knicks are just one win away from basketball glory.

Hidden plan to revive Trump's 'dead' slush fund revealed by insiders

The Trump administration was forced to publicly declare the $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization" slush fund canceled after widespread and bipartisan outrage from the public and lawmakers over the idea that tax money would be diverted to pay off Trump's allies. But Justice Department officials have revealed it's not actually dead — just under wraps.According to The Atlantic, eight Trump administration insiders "said that Justice Department officials and people close to the White House have indicated that the payout idea has not actually been scrapped. Rather, they say, officials are exploring whether elements of the fund can be reactivated while also examining alternative arrangements to make sure loyalists get compensated."These officials said the plans to pay off Trump allies on the side are "being kept quiet while the Trump administration waits for opposition to the fund to blow over," and particularly until Todd Blanche has been confirmed as attorney general permanently, out of fear a handful of maverick Republicans like Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) could block the process.One proposal for how it would work would be that the same people who would have applied to the "Anti-Weaponization fund" would simply file lawsuits against the administration, which the DOJ would then quickly settle and pay out through other existing compensation funds.All of this comes after Senate Republicans decided against including language limiting the fund in their reconciliation package to fund immigration enforcement, using the justification that the administration had agreed not to move forward with the fund.It also comes as a federal judge in Washington, D.C., declined to issue a temporary restraining order blocking the fund for the same reason — but warned the Justice Department not to "play possum" with the fund and enact it through other means.

Trump on Iran: We're Going to Be 'Attacking Them Very Hard,' Reveals US Snuck 22 Tankers Through Strait

Energy Secretary Stunned by Trump’s “Secret Mission” in Iran War

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright was caught off guard Wednesday when he learned about President Trump’s statements earlier in the day about inflation and a “secret mission” on oil amid the war in Iran. Democratic Representative Emilia Sykes grilled Wright during his testimony before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, asking him if he loves inflation. Dumbfounded, Wright said that he loved Iran not being able to get a nuclear weapon, only for Sykes to press the question until Wright finally answered that he prefers lower inflation. Sykes then pointed out that Trump stated earlier in the day that he loves inflation. Wright tried to put his best spin on Trump’s answer. “He’s an entertaining, hyperbolic guy who’s done tremendous leadership, and on balance, he’s driving inflation down—” Wright said before Sykes cut him off, suggesting that Wright doesn’t love inflation, but Trump does. Then, Sykes asked Wright if he was aware that the U.S. was taking millions of barrels of gasoline from Iran. here's the full clip of Rep. Emilia Sykes's brilliant line of questioning that made Chris Wright squirm by confronting him with the completely unhinged comments Trump just made in the Oval Office about inflation and the war in Iran pic.twitter.com/iDlG7Mk84P— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 10, 2026Wright didn’t seem to understand, only for Sykes to press him again and then play audio of Trump claiming to be taking out “millions of barrels of oil.” Sykes then asked if Wright was aware of the U.S. seizing Iranian oil. Wright finally replied that he was not, and Sykes then asked him if he thought the president was lying. “Oh, no I do not think the president’s lying. I think the president’s talking casually about our efforts to stop the flow of Iranian oil—” Wright started, before Sykes cut in, asking if it was appropriate to speak casually about war in which 13 U.S. military servicemembers were killed. After Wright defended Trump’s manner of speaking and said the country was better for it, Sykes laid the problem bare. “[Trump] is clearly keeping you in the dark about what he is doing in Iran, and now you are sitting here in this committee unaware that the president just made an announcement about millions of barrels that they have taken from Iran and stated in that very, very clearly, people don’t know but now we get to know, but unfortunately, he sent you here and you didn’t know it. What is your response to that?” Sykes asked. Wright paused, and said “I’m very proud to serve with president Trump. He’s been tremendous leadership in a time of great stress right now. I’m proud of what he’s doing, proud to be part of the team.” Trump later claimed on Truth Social that the “secret mission” in Iran meant that more than 100 million barrels of oil had passed through the Strait of Hormuz, not coming from Iran directly. Still, it’s clear the energy secretary has no idea what’s going on.Trump seems to be either experiencing cognitive decline, or keeping his Cabinet in the dark. In either case, it’s hard for the public to know exactly what’s going on when Trump’s advisers have to adapt their public comments on the fly to go with whatever incoherent thing the president has just said.

Trump Blabs to Everyone About Supposed Secret Mission for Iran’s Oil

President Donald Trump claimed Wednesday that 100 million barrels of oil had been transported through the Strait of Hormuz—much to the energy secretary’s surprise!In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that last month, he’d directed the military to conduct a “secret mission” to support the flow of energy through the essential trade passageway. “Today, I am pleased to announce that this effort has resulted in more than 100 MILLION Barrels of Oil making its way through the Strait, and into the Open Market,” Trump wrote.“More than 200 Commercial Ships have safely traveled through the Strait. This wildly successful effort is because the UNITED STATES of AMERICA CONTROLS the Strait of Hormuz—NOT Iran,” Trump wrote. “Their military is defeated, and their economy is lost. It’s over for Iran!”Trump’s sudden announcement came as he struggled to justify the U.S. economy reaching its highest annual inflation rate in three years—and the president’s impulsive social media posts haven’t helped the situation. It’s not clear whether Trump is actually telling the truth. His administration has a history of lying about this exact thing, and the president has a penchant for using the war with Iran to try to manipulate the stock market. Trump’s claim is already failing the smell test. When asked about the 100 million barrels of oil Wednesday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright appeared confused and said he was “unaware” of the operation.Ohio Representative Emilia Sykes pressed Wright on whether he thought Trump was lying. “I do not think the president is lying, I think the president is talking casually about our efforts to stop the flow of Iranian oil,” Wright said, though clearly Trump was talking about oil that had made it out, not oil that had been blocked. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump divulged more details about the operation.“You know we’ve been taking out millions of barrels of oil. Nobody knows it. You know who doesn’t know about it? Iran until right now,” Trump said. “We took out, the other night, 22 ships, late at night with no lights because they don’t have any radar because we blasted the crap out of it.”It’s no secret that some ships have been able to exit through the Strait of Hormuz. Last week, a U.S. defense official told CNBC that the U.S. was coordinating with ships seeking passage through the Strait of Hormuz, but was not escorting vessels. Lloyd’s List Intelligence reported last week that roughly 40 ships stranded in the Persian Gulf have been able to exit the strait. The numbers Trump is claiming would indicate clandestine energy flows of a far larger scale, but it’s worth noting that before the U.S. attacked Iran, an average of 20 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz every day. That means the transit of more than two billion barrels of oil has been stalled in the 103 days since the U.S. and Israel first launched military strikes against Iran. This story has been updated.

Austin Metcalf’s dad reveals watching bodycam of son’s murder ‘killed’ him, expresses sorrow for Karmelo Anthony

Austin Metcalf’s grief-stricken father said the harrowing bodycam of his son’s fatal stabbing “killed him” as it was shown during Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial before expressing sorrow for the teen killer who was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Vance and Trump inner circle butted heads over potential Tucker Carlson interview during Epstein fallout: Book excerpt

Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump’s core team had deep disagreements over how to handle fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein case last year, according to a new book. Vance wanted “maximum transparency” regarding releasing a multitude of government files related to the deceased convicted sex offender when the case blew up in the […]