Trump personally begged MAGA ally not to primary GOP lawmaker — but failed
President Donald Trump failed to keep a Republican primary clear for one of his MAGA allies in his home state of New York.
The president personally called attorney Bruce Blakeman, the county executive for Nassau County, to persuade him not to run in the GOP gubernatorial primary against Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), saying polling indicated she was the favorite to face off against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, but he entered the race anyway, reported New York Magazine.
“He’s great, and she’s great,” Trump said after Blakeman announced his candidacy. “They’re both great people.”
However, sources told the magazine that Trump believes Blakeman will lose the primary but doesn't want to publicly come out against him, and New York Republicans say the situation reminds them of the 2022 GOP primary, when Lee Zeldin had to spend much of his campaign money to win a fairly uncompetitive race before losing that November.
“He ran a hell of a race against Kathy Hochul, as close as anyone’s come in a generation,” said one New York Republican operative. “Can we say for sure that, if not for the primary, he wins? No, we can’t say that, but boy, he’d have had a better shot.”
Blakeman may not appear on the ballot unless he wins the support of 25 percent of attendees at the party’s February convention, where Stefanik will likely have many allies, or obtains 15,000 valid signatures from registered Republicans across the state.
President rages at paper, calling reporting on his health ‘seditious’ and ‘treasonous’
Donald Trump erupted on Truth Social Tuesday night, accusing The New York Times of committing “sedition” and even “treason” for reporting on his apparent physical and cognitive decline. Fresh off a meandering Pennsylvania speech that drifted far from its billed focus on affordability, Trump insisted he is the “hardest-working” president in history and raged that any suggestion he’s “slowing up” is a deliberate lie. He attacked the outlet as “Enemies of the People” and said the country would be better off if it “ceased publication,” even as medical experts point to recent cognitive tests, MRIs, and visible physical changes as signs of his deteriorating health.
Watch the video below.
President rages at paper, calling health reporting 'seditious' and 'treasonous'
Trump official claims ’50 years of discrimination’ against whites as lawyers flee DOJ
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon claimed that the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division was guilty of "50 years of discrimination" against white people after about 75% of the agency's lawyers said she was behind a plot to drive them out.
"I think there was some denial and they had crying sessions together," Dhillon told The New York Post this week. "Frankly, it was shocking to them. They had unhappy hours. It was like a lot of drama and handwringing."
"I didn't fire anybody. I just told them they have to approach their job differently. They self-deported with a nice golden parachute from the government."
On Wednesday's appearance on The Charlie Kirk Show, Dhillon encouraged viewers to apply for jobs at the reconstructed Civil Rights Division.
"We just sued Minneapolis for discriminating against teachers who are not minorities and, you know, on and on and on," she promised. "And so we are hiring, and so lawyers with at least 18 months of experience who are interested in serving a tour of duty to help their country."
Charlie Kirk Show producer Andrew Kolvet lamented that white people could soon no longer hold majority status in the U.S.
"Let's say it was 83% white country [in the 1960s]; now we're basically 50%," he noted. "You give that another 10 years, it's going to be probably under 50%, maybe right around 50%. ... When I was born, I think we were around 80% white still."
Dhillon admitted that "we have a history of discrimination in our country."
But she suggested that the courts went too far with a 1971 decision that started the concept of disparate impact.
"So in other words, you no longer necessarily had to prove in your discrimination case, whatever the context was, that you are actually being the victim of intentional discrimination," she remarked. "You could simply prove that there's a hiring process or a policy, or there's certain, you know, tests that are required, and I, because I'm African-American, I can't pass a test."
"We have now issued a guidance that says that this 50 years of discrimination is against frankly law-abiding practices and businesses and recipients is over," she added. "It is harming a lot of people. It is wrong."
Fumbling Kristi Noem ends presser when asked whether CPB hit a party balloon with a laser
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem abruptly shut down a news conference Friday after being pressed about reports that Border Patrol officials may have mistakenly targeted party balloons with a high-energy laser, triggering a brief airspace shutdown over El Paso, Texas.
The moment came during a press conference in Phoenix, where a reporter asked Noem to clarify why the Federal Aviation Administration had abruptly closed the airspace over El Paso earlier this week – a decision that was reversed just eight hours later with little explanation.
When the subject came up on Friday, Noem declined to answer directly.
“This was a joint agency task force mission that was undertaken, and we're continuing to work on the communication through that,” Noem said. “But recognize we’re grateful for the partnership of the Department of War and the FAA as we go forward. Thank you.”
As the reporter attempted to follow up, Noem immediately cut off the exchange.
“All right, thanks everybody," she said, abruptly ending the news conference before additional questions could be asked.
According to multiple reports, the closure followed a test by Customs and Border Protection at nearby Fort Bliss of a high-energy laser against suspected foreign drones, which turned out to be party balloons.
Officials from the FAA and the Pentagon are scheduled to meet on Feb. 20 to discuss the technology and its potential risk to civilian aircraft.
Fetterman on ICE, Israel and identifying as a Democrat | The Conversation
Fetterman on ICE, Israel and identifying as a Democrat | The Conversation
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FBI officially refuses to give local investigators any evidence in Minneapolis shootings
The FBI has officially notified Minnesota officials that it will not provide evidence from the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti to local law enforcement.
In a statement on Monday, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said the FBI had contacted it about three shootings by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents.
"The FBI formally notified the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) on Feb. 13 that it will not provide the BCA with access to any information or evidence that it has collected in the Jan. 24 shooting death of Alex Pretti," the statement said. "The BCA reiterated the request to receive information, access to evidence, and cooperation in the Jan. 7 shooting death of Renee Good and the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis. It remains unclear if there will be any cooperation or sharing of information related to those two shootings."
"While this lack of cooperation is concerning and unprecedented, the BCA is committed to thorough, independent and transparent investigations of these incidents, even if hampered by a lack of access to key information and evidence," the statement added. "Our agency has committed to the FBI and Department of Justice that should its stance change we remain willing to share information that we have obtained with that agency and would welcome a joint investigation. We will continue to pursue all legal avenues to gain access to relevant information and evidence."
The BCA said it would continue to investigate the shootings without the FBI's cooperation.
"Anyone with information about the shooting of Alex Pretti, Renee Good or Julio Sosa-Celis is urged to contact the BCA at 651-793-7000 or by email at bca.tips@state.mn.us," the agency noted.
