‘What did you think he was going to do?’ Blowback builds against Muslims who backed Trump
President Donald Trump became the first Republican in more than two decades to win the city of Dearborn, Michigan, which has the largest Muslim population of any city in the United States.
The biggest reason for this was anger within the Muslim community over the Biden administration's backing of Israel's war in Gaza, which so far has cost the lives of more than 50,000 Palestinians.
But after Trump this week proposed a plan many have said is considered ethnically cleansing Gaza and having the United States take over the region, there has been growing criticism from within the Muslim community of people who not only refused to back Vice President Kamala Harris but who took the added step of voting affirmatively for Trump.
NPR reports that some Muslims in Dearborn have been second-guessing the decision by many voters in the city to support the president while living in a state in which Harris lost to Trump by a little more than 80,000 votes.
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"It's like, what did you think? What did you think he was going to do?" Sam Ali, a Dearborn-based business consultant who didn't vote for Trump or Harris, told NPR. "What did you think he was going to say? And now people have to live with the consequences of their decision to to vote for him."
Abbas Alawieh, a Democratic strategist who organized the "uncommitted" campaign aimed at pressuring Biden and Harris to cut off arms sales to Israel, tells NPR that he ultimately did vote for Harris.
At the same time, Alawieh tells NPR that Trump succeeded in winning the city because he visited Dearborn during the campaign and "lied to a whole bunch of folks saying that he would be a pro-peace president."
Judge pauses Trump’s ‘Fork in the Road’ deadline for federal workers: report
A federal judge has temporarily paused Thursday's deadline for federal workers to decide whether to accept a buyout offer from Donald Trump's administration.
Massachusetts-based judge George O'Toole, a Bill Clinton appointee, ordered the deadline for accepting the administration's "Fork in the Road" buyout to be extended until at least Monday, and possibly longer, while parties to the case engage in emergency litigation over implementation of the program.
“We are pleased the court temporarily paused this deadline while arguments are heard about the legality of the deferred resignation program," said Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees. "We continue to believe this program violates the law, and we will continue to aggressively defend our members’ rights."
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More than 2 million federal employees were given the choice of accepting the administration's "Fork in the Road" deferred resignation offer, which would allow them to be paid through September without reporting for duty, or keep their jobs and risk being fired.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) extended the offer as part of Elon Musk's Trump-sanctioned effort to drastically cut government spending and the federal workforce, and several employee unions have filed lawsuits challenging the deal's legality, as well as some of its provisions.
O'Toole's ruling indicates that 60,000 workers have purportedly agreed to accept the "Fork" deal.
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Kendrick Lamar promises ‘storytelling’ at Super Bowl show
Rapper Kendrick Lamar, one of the big success stories of the Grammys last weeks, said Thursday his fans should expect "storytelling" at the Super Bowl halftime show this weekend.
Lamar will headline the halftime show at Sunday's showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, and has announced SZA will join him as a featured guest.
He had a clean sweep at last Sunday's Grammys, winning in all five categories for which he received nominations -- Record of the Year, Song of the Year, best rap song, best rap performance and best music video.
"I think I've always been very open about storytelling through my catalogue and history of music ... I like to always carry on that sense of people listening but also thinking," he said in an interview ahead of the NFL's season finale.
Lamar said had never imagined he would perform at the Super Bowl when he was starting out. In 2022, he appeared as a featured performer in a hip-hop showcase but this will be his first headline show.
"I wasn't thinking about no Super Bowl -- I was thinking about the best verse... It wasn't no Super Bowl," he said.
"What I know is the passion I have now is still the passion I had then."
The big question on everyone's mind is whether Lamar will perform his Grammy-winning scathing diss track "Not Like Us," which is part of a feud with fellow rapper Drake that has landed in court.
He did not address that issue directly but said he was "just thinking about the culture, really."
"When people talk about rap, man, the conversations out there they think it's just rapping -- (like) it's not an actual art form," Lamar said.
"So when you put records like that at the forefront, it reminds people that this is more than just something that came 50 years ago."
Lamar released "Not Like Us" in May 2024, the fifth of a collection of songs skewering the Canadian rapper that dropped less than a day after his previous single, "Meet the Grahams."
A record-breaking streaming giant, "Not Like Us" catapulted to the top of the charts and quickly became a West Coast rap anthem, beloved for its pounding bass line, rhythmic strings and exaggerated enunciation.
Drake has filed a defamation suit against their shared label, saying Universal Music Group's release and promotion of "Not Like Us" amounted to defamation and harassment.
UMG has called the accusations "illogical."
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‘You’re lying!’ MAGA commentator backed into a corner while defending deadly crackdown
A MAGA pundit on CNN couldn't finish defending a recent Trump administration controversy before an outraged opponent jumped down her throat.
During a panel hosted by CNN anchor Abby Phillip, New York Post columnist Lydia Moynihan tried to slap down claims that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a "rogue agency" after it was involved in two deadly shootings earlier this week.
"Trump feels very keenly, and folks in his administration, he was elected to do this," Moynihan said. "He was elected because people wanted deportations, and I think it's important when we talk about this issue to provide the context."
She went on to explain the Trump administration's perspective, saying, "They see every day that passes, if we aren't deporting potentially unvetted illegal criminals, that there is an opportunity it will cost them."
However, before Moynihan finished speaking, Ana Navarro, a former Republican strategist and CNN senior political commentator, stopped her and blasted her use of the word "criminals" as they were talking about the two immigrants who were killed by ICE this week, including one who may have been in the United States legally.
"They are not criminals," Navarro said. "And over 70 percent of the people that are getting deported and detained do not have criminal records."
Moynihan tried to defend her point, but she could barely speak over Navarro, who leaned forward and shouted at her.
"Be careful with your words, and be accurate on national TV," Navarro sharply continued as Moynihan kept repeating, "My point is that — " without finishing her sentence.
"You're lying!" Navarro said. "You're lying."
"I'm not lying," Moynihan said before again giving a truncated, "My point is that —"
