Retired general rains hell on ‘obscene’ Ashli Babbitt military honor plan
Ashli Babbitt, the pro-Trump Air Force veteran who was fatally shot by Capitol Police during the Jan. 6 Captal riot, is now set to receive full military funeral honors, a decision that has left one retired general livid, and condemning the move as “obscene.”
“I am infuriated that the Air Force plans to grant military funeral honors to Ashli Babbitt,” wrote Retired Army Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling in an op-ed published Saturday in The Bulwark. “She did not die defending the Constitution. She died trying to overturn it.”
Hertling, whose active duty service spanned from 1975 to 2013, recounted his own history of swearing his oath to defend the Constitution, done many times throughout his career. Babbitt, having served in the Air Force for 12 years, and was deployed at least eight times, would have taken that same oath.
Hertling went on to recall his time serving in Iraq, with one memory in particarly standing out to him: the death of his colleague, a “young soldier,” who died by suicide bomber while standing at his post at a military base entry gate.
“The soldier died at his post, saving lives by giving his own; that is service, that is sacrifice,” Hertling wrote.
“...(Babbitt) was not protecting lives at a gate in Iraq; she was forcing her way through windows in the Capitol to stop the peaceful transfer of power, one of the most sacred traditions of our Republic. To pretend that her death deserves the same recognition as the young soldier at the gate is obscene. It is a betrayal of the oath she once swore and a desecration of the sacrifice made by so many who kept faith with theirs.”
Babbitt has become something of a martyr for the MAGA movement, including for President Donald Trump himself, who called the Capitol Police officer who shot Babbitt – Lt. Michael Byrd – a “thug.” Other MAGA-aligned figures have also condemned her shooting.
The military funeral honors for Babbitt were previously denied under the Biden administration, a decision that Air Force Secretary Matthew Lohmeier, appointed by Trump and confirmed by the Senate last month, called an “incorrect determination.”
“After reviewing the circumstances of Ashli’s death, and considering the information that has come forward since then, I am persuaded that the previous determination was incorrect,” Lohmeier wrote in a letter to Babbitt’s family, and shared on social media. “Additionally, I would like to invite you and your family to meet me at the Pentagon to personally offer my condolences.”
The Trump administration has also agreed to pay Babbitt’s family nearly $5 million to settle their wrongful death suit filed against the federal government.Watch: Chicago mayor draws line in the sand with executive order defying Trump
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson made it crystal clear during a press conference on Saturday that Donald Trump and his appointees should not expect any help from the local police and city workers if the president makes good on his threat to send in the National Guard to back up masked-ICE agents snatching immigrants off the streets.
Stating he had “no time to waste,” Johnson signed his own executive order, mirroring Trump’s favorite pastime, instructing city officials on how to deal with the coming militarization of another U.S. city.
With Chicago expected to be the next targeted city, Johnson pointed said the Chicago Police Department will not “collaborate” and will instead protect Chicagoans from “federal overreach.”
According to the mayor, his executive order will “... protect ourselves from the threats and actions of this out-of-control administration. We will protect our Constitution. We will protect our city, and we will protect our people. We do not want to see tanks in our streets. We do not want to see families ripped apart. We do not want grandmothers thrown into the back of unmarked vans. You don't want to see homeless Chicagoans harassed or disappeared by federal agents. We don't want to see Chicagoans arrested for sitting on their porch.”
“That's not who we are as a city, and that's not who we are as a nation,” he continued. “My team and I have spoken with the governor, the county president, and with our federal delegation, and we are in complete alignment. The time for action is now.”
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Iowa Republicans have more than Joni Ernst’s seat to worry about: report
The decision by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) not to run for reelection despite reported pressure from the White House to remain in the race, has Iowa Republicans on their heels coming right after Democrat Catelin Drey won a key race in the state this past week that altered the balance of power in the state legislature.
According to a report from Politico’s Liz Crampton and Holly Otterbein, Democrats see a chance to make major inroads in the reliably red state where the GOP is faced with not only coming up with a suitable candidate for the Senate seat, but also face a challenge holding onto the governorship.
Earlier in the year, Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) announced she too would not run for reelection in 2026 in order to spend more time with her family and that has Democrats anticipating a challenge with a candidate Rob Sand, Iowa's state auditor, already amassing a substantial warchest.
According to Politico, “The idea that Democrats are going to reclaim any ground in Iowa two years after they lost complete control in Washington — and while they piece their party together amid record-low approval ratings — is difficult to imagine,” adding, “But Democrats in Iowa think Republicans are vulnerable because they have fumbled both hyper-local and national issues in the state, and believe that anti-Trump sentiment will drag down the GOP.”
The report notes, “a GOP strategist, granted anonymity in order to speak freely, said Republicans are more worried about Sand’s gubernatorial campaign, which raised $2.25 million in the first 24 hours after its launch, breaking a state record."
Politico is reporting, one local Republican thinks the state party establishment needs to do some soul-searching after Drey’s win.
“I don’t think it was about Donald Trump at all,” Republican Woodbury County Supervisor Mark Nelson wrote on Facebook . “I think it was about Kim Reynolds and I think it’s about what the Republicans have done in the Iowa legislature for several years now.”
You can read more here.
Lakers fans fume over Ivanka-kin takeover: ‘Entire country is being strip mined’
Los Angeles Lakers fans are in open revolt after reports that the storied franchise is being sold to venture capitalist Josh Kushner — brother of President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner — and former Disney CEO Bob Iger.
The record-shattering deal, reported Wednesday, values the team at roughly $12 billion, with some outlets putting it as high as $12.5 billion, the largest sum ever for a U.S. sports franchise.
The buyers would take over from Mark Walter, who wrested control from the Buss family only last year at a $10 billion valuation. Reports tied Walter's swift exit to a federal probe into his firm, TWG Global, and to health concerns after a 2024 stroke. The sale would need NBA approval.
For many fans, Josh Kushner's involvement was a bridge too far.
Josh Kushner is the son of Charles Kushner, the developer pardoned by Trump and later tapped as ambassador to France, and the brother of Jared, whose White House dealings have drawn repeated ethics alarms. His brother is married to President Trump's daughter Ivanka.
The revelation instantly sparked backlash.
"This entire country ... is being strip mined by trump family members," Twitch streamer Scoob fumed. "this is f---ing nuts dude."
"I simply can’t believe this," Lakers fanatic known as D.O.C. bemoaned.
"This is…weird," chimed in NBA commentator Bomani Jones.
Others tied the sale to LeBron James's decision to bolt to Philadelphia. "Maybe that's why LeBron wanted to get the f--- out," another critic jabbed.
Iger, a longtime NBA enthusiast, and Kushner had reportedly explored launching a Las Vegas expansion team before pivoting to the Lakers. The pair said they were honored to become stewards of one of the most iconic franchises in sports.
‘It’s so unbelievable’: Lawyer floored as Trump DOJ seeks to revive case without evidence
A lawyer who stood up to the Department of Justice and won in a high-profile case expressed shock when talking about it being revived.
During an appearance on CNN on Tuesday night, lawyer Norm Eisen spoke about the possibility of President Donald Trump's DOJ bringing back the case against Olympic canoer David Hearn, who was accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool. The case was dismissed last week, as the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, led by Jeanine Pirro, said that the damage happened during installation.
CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins asked Eisen about the possibility of the Trump DOJ bringing the case back, despite Pirro saying that the evidence pointed to a botched installation by the Interior Department, not Hearn, who constantly denied allegations that he ripped up the pool's liner.
"If there are charges brought against him again, I mean, would you use Jeanine Pirro's filing to fight those charges?" Collins asked. "Wouldn't that be the word of the DOJ versus the DOJ?"
Eisen laughed, agreeing with the absurdity. "It's so unbelievable," Eisen said. "They said in that filing that there was no evidence beyond a reasonable doubt because the damage was caused by a botched and rushed installation."
If the DOJ follows through, "The very first thing that the judge, if charges are brought again, is the words of the U.S. attorney's office blaming the Department of the Interior," Eisen said.
Eisen brought up that he used to work as President Barack Obama's special counsel and recalled a memo that said, "The president could not interfere with or intervene in enforcement cases precisely to avoid this kind of thing."
He continued, "So the outrageousness of it, it won't stand in a court of law if it comes back, and I assume the reason we read about it today in the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere is because people in the DOJ are as horrified as I am."
