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INSIDER: Beware the California mail-in vote
Views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author. Republicans may want to keep the champagne on ice because any celebration of the California gubernatorial primary […]
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Townhall
Michigan Rapper Sentenced to 10 Years for $63M Mail Theft Scheme
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Axios
Netanyahu squeezed between Trump and election year politics
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent spat with President Trump over Lebanon underscored how his military objectives, and possibly his political survival, are dependent on a U.S. president who doesn't share his appetite for escalation.Why it matters: Trump and Netanyahu have coordinated very closely on Iran and speak almost daily. But officials on both sides have been cognizant that there could be a point in time when the allies' interests and objectives diverge. Some in Netanyahu's camp worry that time is now.Netanyahu himself said Tuesday that it was an "open question" as to whether he and Trump were aligned on how the war with Iran should end.The big picture: With an election expected by October, Netanyahu hasn't delivered on his promise to destroy Hamas or his plans for regime change in Iran, and he's under immense criticism at home over the ongoing Hezbollah attacks. Every time a siren near the border heralds an incoming drone or missile, Netanyahu faces domestic pressure to respond.It was in that context that he vowed to conduct major strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut — before being forced into retreat by an angry Trump, who cares far less about Lebanon than a deal with Iran.Driving the news: When Trump chastised Netanyahu in a call on Monday and pulled the brakes on the Beirut strikes, he also kicked up a political firestorm in Israel.Rivals and even some hawkish government allies claimed Netanyahu had made Israel an American "vassal," or surrendered Israeli sovereignty to Trump.The Trump-Netanyahu call came after Iran threatened to abandon the negotiations with the U.S. over Israel's actions in Lebanon and to launch missiles at Israel. "It was a terrible phone call. Trump really hammered Bibi. He demanded that he immediately back down from the plan to strike Beirut in order to not blow up the situation in Lebanon — and through that, the negotiations with Iran," an Israeli source said.What they're saying: Netanyahu didn't deny that Trump had called him "crazy" or claimed he'd been in jail without Trump's help. Instead, the prime minister told CNBC he and Trump had argued before but always maintained their close partnership. Similarly, Trump confirmed Axios' reporting about the call to the NY Post while adding that he likes Netanyahu and has worked well with him.Between the lines: While the call may have been just a blip in their personal relationship, their differences over the Iran endgame are more stubborn.Two senior U.S. officials told Axios that while Trump wants to end the war, Netanyahu seems to want to resume it."Sometimes Bibi doesn't know when to stop," one of the U.S. officials said.The fact that Netanyahu quickly abandoned the plan to strike Lebanon, and moved to clean up any perception of a rift, underscored the degree to which Netanyahu's military maneuvers and political standing are subject to Trump's influence. Zoom in: Netanyahu is concerned the tense call is a prelude for further U.S. limitations on Israel's freedom of operations in Lebanon, an Israeli source who speaks regularly with the prime minister and his close advisers said.The source said Netanyahu fears the U.S. will apply much stricter criteria to Israeli strikes in Lebanon — not just Beirut — before giving its "green light."What to watch: On Wednesday, after two days of talks between Israeli and Lebanese diplomats in Washington, the two countries announced a plan for a full ceasefire, contingent on steps from Hezbollah.It was not immediately clear whether the Shia militia would accept the new terms.If a stable ceasefire isn't reached and Hezbollah continues firing at Israel, Netanyahu might be able to convince Trump to allow him to bomb Beirut after all.Trump said on Wednesday that he's trying to separate the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah from the war with Iran, and thinks a deal with Iran could be reached as early as this weekend.The bottom line: Netanyahu is skeptical of restraint in Lebanon and of a deal with Iran, and both are politically toxic for him. U.S. officials have worried he might try to undermine their diplomacy on both fronts.What he can't afford to do, however, is openly split with Trump four months before an election.
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Raw Story
Ivanka Trump's new 'nefarious' scheme astounds analysts: 'Hard to wrap your head around'
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's latest scheme to buy a private island in Albania astounded two political analysts on Wednesday. This week, Trump and Kushner unveiled their plans to buy a 1,400-hectare private island and build a resort for the ultra-wealthy. The Albanian government approved plans for the project last year, which is expected to cost in the neighborhood of $1.4 billion, according to reports. However, Albanian authorities opened a corruption investigation into the project on Monday because of the overlap between Kushner and Trump's businesses and President Donald Trump's political role, Politico reported. Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor, co-hosts of "Pod Save America" and former Obama White House staffers, were stunned by the new project during a new episode of their podcast. "I don't understand these people. I don't understand what motivates them," Lovett said. "How they wake up every day and decide what they're going to do with their precious time on this earth. They've already stolen so much money. They've already made, uh, so much money off Donald Trump being in office. It is so nefarious. They are so rich. They could just be rich for the rest of their lives, but there's something clearly missing."Vietor added that the project reeked of corruption. "To your point, the scale of the corruption, it's so vast, it's hard to wrap your head around, and it's like relentless," Vietor said.
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Raw Story
'Go home!' Ivanka Trump inundated with backlash over dubious private island scheme
Thousands of Albanians have taken to the streets — and the internet — to rage against a planned luxury resort linked to Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, with protesters demanding the government cancel the project and chanting "Ivanka, go home."The flashpoint is a proposed €4 billion ($4.7 billion) development — described by Prime Minister Edi Rama as an "extraordinary investment" — on Sazan Island and the protected Vjosa-Narta coastal wetlands in southern Albania. Ivanka described it in dreamy terms on a recent podcast."It's an unbelievable, beautiful, 1,400-hectare private island in the middle of the Mediterranean," she told host David Senra. "We swam to the island, we went on a hike, barefoot all the way up to the top, and we were just captivated."She did not mention the protests.On the ground in Albania, the mood was rather less romantic. Anadolu Agency reported thousands gathering in Tirana under the slogan "Albania is not for sale." TV Klan presenter Leftioni Peristere flagged AFP wire coverage of the demonstrations, which have now stretched into a fourth consecutive day — with police firing water cannons at crowds that included children.One Albanian, posting a video of the country's stunning Adriatic coastline, put the stakes simply: "Do you know what we are protesting for?"Another, in a widely shared video, was blunter. "All the blood, sweat, and tears that our people and ancestors have fought for is being sold by a leader who has betrayed us," he said, calling out Prime Minister Edi Rama by name.Protest crowds have echoed that sentiment, chanting "Thieves!" and demanding Rama's arrest by SPAK — Albania's Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutors, who opened a formal investigation into the project this week.Ivanka told Senra the resort is "the culmination of all of my experience in real estate, all of my travel, a lot of reflection on how I want to live, how I think people increasingly want to live."Albanians, it seems, have thoughts about that too.
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Blaze Media
Florida cops say 3-year-old was left in hot car while her mom donated plasma — bystanders thought child was dead
Florida police said a 27-year-old woman left a 3-year-old child in a hot car for several hours while she donated blood at a plasma center on Sunday afternoon.The woman found the girl unresponsive when she came back to the car and frantically called police for help at about 4:32 p.m., according to a Facebook post from the DeLand Police Department.'I started to cry because I didn't think I was going to be able to get her back.'While police raced to the business park on New York Avenue, bystanders tried to help the girl, and one was giving her CPR when emergency responders arrived.The girl was rushed to a hospital in critical condition.An investigation by the DeLand Police Dept. determined that Latana Williams left the child unattended for about two hours on a day when the outside temperature had reached 84 degrees.The girl was treated for symptoms consistent with heat exhaustion, according to the arrest report. Police said Williams told them that the air conditioning was left running in the car and that she was monitoring the child through FaceTime on a tablet. However, police said they believed the car had been left with the ignition off. One bystander named Marc Tait recorded Williams after she found her daughter and said he thought he was watching a child die. Rosemary Roile told WESH-TV she was the person who gave the child CPR. She recalled becoming emotional after the child regained consciousness. "I started to cry because I didn't think I was going to be able to get her back," Roile said. Police arrested Williams on Sunday, and she was charged with child neglect, a first-degree felony. She denied any wrongdoing. RELATED: Texas cops investigating odor at home believed someone died inside — they found 2 children living in horrific conditions "Please take this as a reminder to always check your back seats," said Captain Prurince Dice, one of the officers who responded to the scene."Give yourself enough time when you're traveling so you're not in a rush when you arrive at your destination," he added.Police said Monday that the child would likely recover but did not offer specifics about her condition. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
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The Gateway Pundit
Republican Senate Candidate Barry Moore May Be in Hot Water – Likely Publicly Misrepresented His Military Service Record for Years
Republican candidate for Senate, Rep. The post Republican Senate Candidate Barry Moore May Be in Hot Water – Likely Publicly Misrepresented His Military Service Record for Years appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Washington Examiner
FBI launches Operation Summer Heat 2.0 after last year’s ‘historic success’
FBI Director Kash Patel announced Tuesday the start of “Operation Summer Heat 2.0,” a nationwide violent crime and narcotics crackdown that officials say will expand on last summer’s initiative credited with thousands of arrests, major drug seizures, and the recovery of hundreds of endangered children. The operation, which will involve all 56 FBI field offices […]
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Raw Story
Trump under fire in court as judge strips down his order to restrict mail voting
President Donald Trump's executive order seizing federal control of mail-in voting is in peril after a federal judge in Massachusetts gave it a cold reception in court this week.According to Bloomberg Law, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani "pressed the Justice Department on the president’s order for the Department of Homeland Security to draw up a list of confirmed citizens, which states could use in creating a list of eligible mail-in voters to provide to the US Postal Service," sounding skeptical that this was a valid exercise."You'll have a small list," said Talwani, an appointee of former President Barack Obama.Under Trump's executive order, states would have to provide these lists within 30 days of an election, and the Postal Service would directly block sending ballots to anyone not on these lists — a requirement and timeline which could trigger logistical chaos if allowed to go into effect immediately.This comes just a week after U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, an appointee of Trump, declined to block the order, reasoning that it was only initiating a rulemaking process and hadn't yet caused anything illegal to happen.It also comes as the Supreme Court considers a case that could make it vastly more difficult for mail ballots to be counted in some states.
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