Featured Stories:
Trump’s ‘revenge’ meltdown plans leak for White House Correspondents’ Dinner: report
President Donald Trump is preparing to throw a scripted tantrum at the White House Correspondents' Dinner this year, reported The Daily Beast on Wednesday.
"Donald Trump will launch a 'revenge' attack on the White House media when he confronts them in person at a Washington dinner on Saturday night — then flee before there can be revenge," said the report. "He is expected to target publications that he has accused of writing negatively about his administration and his war with Iran, in particular, according to sources."
This would track with his recent rants on Truth Social, where he has accused of the media of rigging reports about the Iran war to make it look like it's going worse than it actually is.
After he is done with his speech, said the report, he is skipping on the rest of the ceremony — in large part because he doesn't want to stick around for an award being given to a story that revealed his closeness to deceased financier and accused child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
"Trump will leave the White House Correspondents’ Association event after making his speech, so he will miss the presentation of press awards — one of which would be certain to embarrass him," said the report. "He has told aides he has no intention of still being in the International Ballroom at the Washington Hilton when the Wall Street Journal is honored with the Katherine Graham award for its scoop about a bawdy letter Trump allegedly wrote for Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday card."
The president sued WSJ over that reporting, alleging that the birthday letter was not authentic. This month, a federal judge tossed out that suit.
‘Massive cover up’ fears raised as House panel splits on clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell
Ghislaine Maxwell's condition to testify under oath — but only under the condition of clemency — has split House Oversight and Government Reform Committee members over whether President Donald Trump should grant her that pardon, Rep. James Comer (R-KY) told Politico on Wednesday.
Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's co-conspirator, was deposed by the committee and invoked her Fifth Amendment right to decline to answer the group's questions. Trump is the only one with the power to pardon her, something he has not yet ruled out.
Comer told Politico that he did not favor a pardon for Maxwell, a former confidant to the late financier and convicted child sex offender. When asked whether striking a deal with Maxwell could provide useful testimony, Comer did not share who on the panel supported granting her clemency.
"A lot of people do," Comer said.
"My committee’s split on that," Comer said. "I don’t speak for my committee."
"I think it looks bad," he added. "Honestly, other than Epstein, the worst person in this whole investigation is Maxwell."
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) said that Democrats on the committee collectively oppose a pardon for Maxwell.
"That would be a huge step backwards, and, quite frankly, so disrespectful to the survivors," he said in an interview. "She is a known abuser. She is a known liar."
"If the DOJ or Oversight Republicans are out there trying to negotiate some sort of pardon that is... not only a huge slap in the face to this investigation, to anyone, to the American public," Garcia said. "It’s a part of a massive cover up."
‘Wah, wah, wah:’ AOC scoffs at GOP whining over gerrymandering
WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, had strong words for Republicans complaining about the gerrymandering in Virginia that voters approved on Tuesday, with strong support from her party.
"Wah, wah, wah," Ocasio-Cortez told Raw Story on Wednesday, mimicking a whining baby and laughing in response to a question from reporter Matt Laslo. "Democrats have attempted and asked Republicans for 10 years to ban partisan gerrymandering, and for 10 years, Republicans have said, 'no.'"
Laslo was asking Ocasio-Cortez to respond to complaints from the GOP that it would be unconstitutional for Democrats to have a 10-1 congressional majority in Virginia, which the gerrymandering ballot measure would make possible. A Virginia circuit court judge blocked the vote-approved redistricting on Wednesday, however.
Still, Ocasio-Cortez saw no problem with Democrats supporting gerrymandering after years of opposing it when done on the Republican side. For AOC, the GOP "wanted to start this," and the Democrats are just fighting back.
"What they're mad at is they're accustomed to a Democrat Party that rolls over, doesn't fight and takes everything sitting down," Ocasio-Cortez said. "What they're mad at right now is that we are here in a new day."
She mentioned Republican gerrymandering in North Carolina and Texas, where Democrats lost seats. Trump's call for Texas Republicans to gerrymander arguably kicked off what's now seen as a redistricting arms race.
"We have been asking the Democratic Party to stand up and fight, and now they did," AOC continued. "Now the Republican Party doesn't like the fact that they are fighting against someone who actually will stand up for the American people."
Ocasio-Cortez said she would "welcome" working with the Republicans to pass a ban on partisan gerrymandering.
"We have the bill right here to end this all today," she said, smiling. "But they don't want to because they like pursuing and continuing to enact an unfair electoral landscape."
Trump moves to fire FBI officials who investigated him: report
President Donald Trump is moving to fire FBI officials who were involved in criminal investigations of him, reported the Associated Press on Friday.
While it is not immediately clear how many agents will be affected by the move, "officials acting at the direction of the administration were working to identify individual agents who could be terminated, said the people who insisted on anonymity to discuss private conversations," said the report.
According to NBC News, one official who has already been notified of impending termination is David Sundberg, head of the Washington FBI Field Office. Sundberg was put in charge by former FBI Director Christopher Wray, himself a Trump appointee from the previous term.
The Washington Field Office was involved closely in working with special counsel Jack Smith on the criminal investigation of Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
This comes after Trump moved to fire career prosecutors in the Justice Department who were likewise involved with those cases — a highly unusual move, as normally the only officials who are changed out with new administrations are U.S. attorneys, not the career prosecutors underneath them.
It also comes as Trump pushes MAGA loyalist Kash Patel to serve as the new FBI director, in spite of his extensive enemies lists and his threats to criminally target journalists.
Top Treasury official quits suddenly as Elon Musk sends cash-cutting ‘engineers’ to agency
A lead Treasury official suddenly quit after Elon Musk sent "engineers" into the agency to figure out ways to halt funds for various projects, the New York Times reported Friday.
The Times reported that David Lebryk, a career civil servant who ensures billions in payments are being made, has left amid the Trump administration's purge of federal employees.
It came days after "Elon Musk deployed engineers to the agency to find a way to shut off funds to various projects," the Times reported.
ALSO READ: Americans are doubling down on the thing that hurts them the most
Lebryk led the team of people who cut checks to Social Security recipients, government employees, contractors and other
Musk claims he'll cut $2 trillion from government spending in the next year.
Progressives warn Trump-Musk agenda is true threat to aviation safety
As President Donald Trump attempted to vilify diversity initiatives in the wake of the worst U.S. air disaster in decades, progressives warned that the true threat to aviation safety going forward is Trump and billionaire Elon Musk's shared goal of gutting the federal workforce and eliminating regulatory efforts that have helped make flying the nation's least dangerous form of transportation.
"We need to learn more about what happened and how to prevent this type of catastrophe in the future," Joel Payne, chief communications officer at MoveOn Civil Action, said in a statement Thursday. "But one thing is for sure—our air safety and disaster response relies on the same type of federal funding and resources that Donald Trump and his right-wing billionaire backers like Elon Musk have been moving to cut."
Echoing others, Payne noted since Trump's second term began less than two weeks ago, he implemented a hiring freeze that appears to include air traffic controllers and dismantled the Aviation Security Advisory Committee. Payne also pointed to Musk's role in leaving the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) without a permanent leader following the collision of a passenger jet and Army helicopter that killed 64 people.
"There are real consequences for the American people from the chaos and mismanagement that we have already seen since Trump took office," said Payne. "As we work to learn the lessons of this tragedy, we need Trump, his allies, and his administration to end their assault on the public services that are essential to keeping us safe."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) similarly argued that "what actually hurts aviation safety" is "purging the federal workforce of career public servants and experts who have spent their entire lives working to keep the American people safe."
"It's too early in the process for the crash to be definitively pinned on the policies of Trump and Musk. But if we want more airline disasters, Trump and Musk are on just the right collision course."
The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to release a preliminary report on the deadly collision within 30 days as investigators work to determine the immediate causes of the catastrophic incident.
As Common Dreamsreported, the FAA indicated Thursday that air traffic control staffing was "not normal" at the time of the collision. Air traffic control understaffing is a nationwide problem that analysts said could be exacerbated by the new administration's far-reaching attacks on federal workers and funding.
"The government is a complex and delicate system. Letting Elon Musk thrash around inside it like some silage-drunk bull in a red-cape factory will cause untold damage," The American Prospect's Ryan Cooper wrote Thursday. "The details are still being investigated. It's too early in the process for the crash to be definitively pinned on the policies of Trump and Musk. But if we want more airline disasters, Trump and Musk are on just the right collision course."
Senator: RFK Jr. lied about vaccines like Brett Kavanaugh lied about Roe v. Wade
WASHINGTON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continued testifying on Capitol Hill Thursday and failed to clean up past comments opposing vaccines.
One Democratic Senator is drawing a stark comparison between Kennedy and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
In the case of Kennedy, the environmental lawyer may have spent decades claiming vaccines cause autism, but when speaking before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, he was forced to answer questions from actual medical experts.
ALSO READ: RFK Jr. botched his financial reports — omitting $500,000 in anti-vax and law income
“I do believe that autism comes from vaccines,” Kennedy told Fox News in 2023.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a physician, hammered Kennedy for refusing to believe scientific studies and evidence that don't confirm his beliefs.
“Will you reassure mothers unequivocally and without qualification that the measles and hepatitis B vaccines do not cause autism?” Cassidy asked.
“If the data is there, I will absolutely do that,” RFK Jr. responded.
"I think he was cleaver in answering questions," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) told Raw Story at the Capitol. "But shame on us if we let these people show up to these hearings and lie to us."
"It's stunning," Murphy continued, "he spent his entire career dedicated to undermining vaccines and he can come in these hearings and say, 'Don't pay attention to my entire career. Don't pay any attention to everything I believe, just listen to what I'm telling you right now.' Shame on us if we wave him through, but that's what they did to Kavanaugh..."
The reference was a back-handed comment to Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who voted to confirm Kavanaugh despite her pro-choice pledge.
"There has also been considerable focus on the future of abortion rights based on the concern that Judge Kavanaugh would seek to overturn Roe v. Wade. Protecting this right is important to me," Collins said in a statement in 2018. "To my knowledge, Judge Kavanaugh is the first Supreme Court nominee to express the view that precedent is not merely a practice and tradition, but rooted in Article III of our Constitution itself. He believes that precedent 'is not just a judicial policy … it is constitutionally dictated to pay attention and pay heed to rules of precedent.' In other words, precedent isn’t a goal or an aspiration; it is a constitutional tenet that has to be followed except in the most extraordinary circumstances."
Kavanaugh then voted to eliminate the landmark Roe ruling, which removed reproductive rights from U.S. women.
‘We are the marks’: Some Trump fans feel they’ve been had after ‘Ponzi’ meme coin release
President Donald Trump's official meme coin isn't just rubbing some cryptocurrency executives the wrong way -- it's also annoying some of his run-of-the-mill MAGA supporters.
The Guardian has flagged some comments posted on a pro-Trump subreddit recently that show disillusionment with Trump's decision to launch his own digital currency, which surged in value shortly after being released only to see its price plunge in the following weeks.
Many MAGA fans on the subreddit believed that Trump's meme coin was a quick cash-grab at the expense of his fans, many of whom may have plugged significant chunks of cash into it early on, only to see its value quickly evaporate.
Among other things, posters on the forum described the coin as "degrad[ing] to the office of the Presidency,” “a lame money grab,” “a bad idea with a million ways to go wrong and derail his second term,” “shady,” and “kinda gross."
ALSO READ: Senator: RFK Jr. lied about vaccines like Brett Kavanaugh lied about Roe v. Wade
Another poster argued that Trump's meme coin "looks bad and is bad," while yet another declared that "this crypto is the most blatant Ponzi scheme in history and we are the marks."
These criticisms haven't stopped Trump and his business partners from further getting into the cryptocurrency business, writes The Guardian.
"On Tuesday, the Trump Media and Technology Group, which operates Trump’s social media platform Truth Social, announced the launch of a financial technology brand called 'Truth.Fi,' through which the company plans to invest up to $250m in crypto-currencies and 'crypto securities,' and other investment accounts," the publication writes.
Watch: MSNBC uses Reagan Challenger tragedy address footage to embarrass Trump
On Friday morning, MSNBC juxtaposed footage of former President Ronald Reagan somberly addressing the nation after the 1986 Challenger explosion that shocked the nation in 1986 with Donald Trump's finger-pointing press conference to address a commercial plane crash over the Potomac two days ago.
Introduced by "Morning Joe" co-host Jonathan Lemire –– who was highly critical of the president's performance on MSNBC earlier –– the dueling presidential statement clip labeled "How Leaders Address the Nation During Tragedies" demonstrated what they suggested was Trump's startling lack of empathy for the victims and their families as he used it to attempt to score political points.
After Reagan was shown saying, "On behalf of the first lady, myself and 340 million Americans, our hearts are shattered alongside yours, and our prayers are with you now and in the days to come," Trump was shown telling reporters, "We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas."
ALSO READ: Top GOPer's ‘most immediate’ priority for new committee includes probing a MAGA conspiracy
With Reagan continuing, "I've always had great faith in and respect for our space program, and what happened today does nothing to diminish it," Trump offered up to the country, "The FAA says people with severe disabilities are the most underrepresented segment of the workforce, and they want them in and they want them, they can be air traffic controllers. I don't think so. "
"To the schoolchildren of America, who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's takeoff, I know it's hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery," Reagan consoled the country while Trump instead continued to point the finger elsewhere by blaming the tragedy on DEI, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and President Joe Biden's administration.
After the clip ran, MSNBC's Lemire bluntly stated, "That contrast couldn't be starker."
- YouTube youtu.be
Popular articles
Trump’s ‘revenge’ meltdown plans leak for White House Correspondents’ Dinner: report
President Donald Trump is preparing to throw a scripted tantrum at the White House Correspondents' Dinner this year, reported The Daily Beast on Wednesday.
"Donald Trump will launch a 'revenge' attack on the White House media when he confronts them in person at a Washington dinner on Saturday night — then flee before there can be revenge," said the report. "He is expected to target publications that he has accused of writing negatively about his administration and his war with Iran, in particular, according to sources."
This would track with his recent rants on Truth Social, where he has accused of the media of rigging reports about the Iran war to make it look like it's going worse than it actually is.
After he is done with his speech, said the report, he is skipping on the rest of the ceremony — in large part because he doesn't want to stick around for an award being given to a story that revealed his closeness to deceased financier and accused child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
"Trump will leave the White House Correspondents’ Association event after making his speech, so he will miss the presentation of press awards — one of which would be certain to embarrass him," said the report. "He has told aides he has no intention of still being in the International Ballroom at the Washington Hilton when the Wall Street Journal is honored with the Katherine Graham award for its scoop about a bawdy letter Trump allegedly wrote for Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday card."
The president sued WSJ over that reporting, alleging that the birthday letter was not authentic. This month, a federal judge tossed out that suit.
‘Massive cover up’ fears raised as House panel splits on clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell
Ghislaine Maxwell's condition to testify under oath — but only under the condition of clemency — has split House Oversight and Government Reform Committee members over whether President Donald Trump should grant her that pardon, Rep. James Comer (R-KY) told Politico on Wednesday.
Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's co-conspirator, was deposed by the committee and invoked her Fifth Amendment right to decline to answer the group's questions. Trump is the only one with the power to pardon her, something he has not yet ruled out.
Comer told Politico that he did not favor a pardon for Maxwell, a former confidant to the late financier and convicted child sex offender. When asked whether striking a deal with Maxwell could provide useful testimony, Comer did not share who on the panel supported granting her clemency.
"A lot of people do," Comer said.
"My committee’s split on that," Comer said. "I don’t speak for my committee."
"I think it looks bad," he added. "Honestly, other than Epstein, the worst person in this whole investigation is Maxwell."
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) said that Democrats on the committee collectively oppose a pardon for Maxwell.
"That would be a huge step backwards, and, quite frankly, so disrespectful to the survivors," he said in an interview. "She is a known abuser. She is a known liar."
"If the DOJ or Oversight Republicans are out there trying to negotiate some sort of pardon that is... not only a huge slap in the face to this investigation, to anyone, to the American public," Garcia said. "It’s a part of a massive cover up."
‘Wah, wah, wah:’ AOC scoffs at GOP whining over gerrymandering
WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, had strong words for Republicans complaining about the gerrymandering in Virginia that voters approved on Tuesday, with strong support from her party.
"Wah, wah, wah," Ocasio-Cortez told Raw Story on Wednesday, mimicking a whining baby and laughing in response to a question from reporter Matt Laslo. "Democrats have attempted and asked Republicans for 10 years to ban partisan gerrymandering, and for 10 years, Republicans have said, 'no.'"
Laslo was asking Ocasio-Cortez to respond to complaints from the GOP that it would be unconstitutional for Democrats to have a 10-1 congressional majority in Virginia, which the gerrymandering ballot measure would make possible. A Virginia circuit court judge blocked the vote-approved redistricting on Wednesday, however.
Still, Ocasio-Cortez saw no problem with Democrats supporting gerrymandering after years of opposing it when done on the Republican side. For AOC, the GOP "wanted to start this," and the Democrats are just fighting back.
"What they're mad at is they're accustomed to a Democrat Party that rolls over, doesn't fight and takes everything sitting down," Ocasio-Cortez said. "What they're mad at right now is that we are here in a new day."
She mentioned Republican gerrymandering in North Carolina and Texas, where Democrats lost seats. Trump's call for Texas Republicans to gerrymander arguably kicked off what's now seen as a redistricting arms race.
"We have been asking the Democratic Party to stand up and fight, and now they did," AOC continued. "Now the Republican Party doesn't like the fact that they are fighting against someone who actually will stand up for the American people."
Ocasio-Cortez said she would "welcome" working with the Republicans to pass a ban on partisan gerrymandering.
"We have the bill right here to end this all today," she said, smiling. "But they don't want to because they like pursuing and continuing to enact an unfair electoral landscape."
