Newsmax hosts made an hourly plea over the weekend for viewers to "vote" in an unscientific online poll after a Fox News survey showed that President Donald Trump's approval rate was plummeting.

"Well, not sure if you saw the news, but Fox News is claiming President Trump is actually declining in the polls," the announcement from Newsmax anchors said nearly hourly on Sunday. "President Trump responded and said Fox News polls cannot be trusted."

"And now Newsmax is conducting its own poll on President Trump's job performance," the anchors added. "It takes just a minute to vote, so let us know if you think President Trump is doing a good job."

ALSO READ: 'Promoted our tormenter': MAGA fans vent disgust at Trump official's latest move

"We here at Newsmax want to know your opinion, so make your voice heard and vote today."

According to a Fox News poll released last week, Trump was 11 points underwater ahead of the 100-day mark in his second administration.

Trump's approval had fallen 5 points to 44% since March. Former President Joe Biden enjoyed a 54% approval rating at the same point in his presidency.

Watch the video from Newsmax at the link

Fox News host Shannon Bream grilled House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) after he pushed claims that USAID was a waste of taxpayer money, noting that many of the claims from conservatives had been "debunked."

During an interview on Fox News Sunday, Johnson suggested he was "comforted" by the way President Donald Trump and DOGE Chair Elon Musk were dismantling the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

"I'm not uncomfortable with the pace of this," Johnson insisted. "He's fulfilling all of our campaign promises."

"This idea, you know, all the controversy about Elon Musk helping us out," he continued. "They're going through to find efficiencies. There has been massive fraud, waste, and abuse of the American taxpayer's dollars, and this is the best way to do it. You bring in, effectively, an outside auditor, and that's what Elon and the team are doing. And what they're uncovering is incredible abuses of the public."

"So some of the things that have been uncovered have been specifically linked to USAID."

Bream countered: "Some of these have been debunked, or there's context for them. But there are important things that USAID does as well with food, with medical care, those kinds of things."

"But do you worry also the goodwill that may be destroyed and the other actors that may move in when we pull out of some of these really critical funding issues?" she asked.

"We are the good guys," Johnson said dismissively. "And we do some good things, and that in USAID.

"I am comforted to know that Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, and folks are actually sitting down line by line and going through, eliminating the abuses of taxpayer dollars, and defining and protecting the things that are certainly in America's interest and are the right thing to do, as you said," he added. "So we'll get this sorted out, but I think that that effort is long overdue."

Watch the video below from Fox News or at the link.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) repeatedly shouted a slur for transgender people after a Democratic member of Congress cautioned her against it.

At a Wednesday House Oversight hearing on government efficiency, Mace asked witnesses about funding for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

"USAID awarded $2 million to strengthen trans-led organizations to deliver gender-affirming healthcare in Guatemala," Mace said. "Does this advance the interests of American citizens, paying for trannies in Guatemala to the tune of $2 million?"

"I have no position," Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) stated.

"Of course you don't," Mace snapped.

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) responded with a parliamentary inquiry about Mace's slur.

"The gentlelady has used a phrase that is considered a slur in the LGBTQ community and the transgender community," he noted.

"Tranny! Tranny! Tranny!" Mace shouted. "I don't really care! You want penises in women's bathrooms, and I'm not going to have it!"

"To me, a slur is a slur, and here in the committee, a level of decorum requires us to try consciously to avoid slurs," Connolly stated. "You just heard the gentlelady actually actively, robustly repeat it, and I would just ask the chairman that she be counseled that we ought not to be engaged."

"We can have debate and policy discussion without offending human beings who are our fellow citizens, and so I would ask as a parliamentary inquiry whether the use of that phrase is not, in fact, a violation of the decorum rules," he added.

"Mr. Chairman, I'm not going to be counseled by a man over men in women's spaces or men who have mental health issues dressing as women," Mace replied.

ALSO READ: 'Driven to self-loathing': Inside the extremist website believed to 'groom' teen attackers

Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) pleaded ignorant on the topic of LGBTQ+ slurs.

"I will be honest with the ranking member," he said. "I'm not up to date on my politically correct LGBTQ terminology. We'll look into that and get back with you on that. I don't know what's offensive and what's not. I don't know much about pronouns or offensive terms."

"I thank the chair for his willingness to further engage in this matter," Connolly said as Mace left the hearing.

Watch the video below from House Oversight or click the link.

CBS host Margaret Brennan challenged J.D. Vance on President Donald Trump's failure to lower prices despite making scores of executive actions during his first days in office.

"You campaigned on lowering prices for consumers," Brennan noted in a Sunday interview on Face the Nation. "We've seen all of these executive orders. Which one lowers prices?"

"Well, first of all, we have done a lot, and there have been a number of executive orders that have caused, already, jobs to start coming back into our country, which is a core part of lowering prices," Vance opined.

Vance argued that Trump's executive actions would "raise wages so that people can afford to buy the things that they need."

"So, grocery prices aren't going to come down?" Brennan pressed.

"No, Margaret, prices are going to come down, but it's going to take a little bit of time, right?" Vance insisted. "The president has been president for all of five days. I think that in those five days, he's accomplished more than Joe Biden did in four years."

"But the price of eggs," Brennan shot back. "The things that people see... you were talking about bacon on the campaign trail. Those things- when do consumers actually get to touch and feel a difference in their lives?"

"The flurry of executive orders, most of them weren't about the economy," she added.

"Many of them were, though, Margaret," Vance said.

Donald Trump's team is reportedly concerned about the recent actions of Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who could tank a key Trump Cabinet nominee.

Stephen Neukam, Congressional Reporter for Axios, appeared on CNN on Saturday to discuss his reporting, which the host said suggests "Trump's team is worried" that former GOP leader McConnell's silence on Tulsi Gabbard "could spell trouble for her path" to confirmation as the Director of National Intelligence.

"What more can you tell us on that?" the host asked.

ALSO READ: Inside the parade of right-wing world leaders flocking to D.C. for Trump's inauguration

"Yeah, I think of all the nominees that Trump has sort of pending in the Senate, I think Democrats have sort of zeroed in on Gabbard as the most likely to be able to be sunk and while the odds may not be great, we know that the Trump transition team has been nervous, the Gabbard team has been nervous about the silence," Neukam said. "Leader McConnell, both publicly and privately, has been silent and has not tipped his hand either way. And the thinking is that if Mitch McConnell comes out and is a no vote on Tulsi Gabbard, that might open the floodgates for some more moderate Republicans to also buck the President-elect. So that is certainly a space to watch for, for Senate Republicans and for the President-elect."

Watch below or click here.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) lashed out at CBS News host Margaret Brennan, accusing her of not "fairly" reporting about FBI director nominee Kash Patel's so-called enemies list.

During a Sunday interview on Face the Nation, Brennan noted that former Attorney General Bill Barr said Patel had "virtually no experience that would qualify him to serve at the highest level of the world's preeminent law enforcement agency."

"Was Attorney General Barr wrong then and wrong now?" Brennan wondered.

"Yeah, he was wrong then," Graham ranted. "He's wrong now. And I take my advice on Kash Patel from Trey Gowdy, a dear friend from South Carolina who worked with Kash."

"Well, OK, but he's got a list," Brennan asserted. "He's got a list he's published. Kash Patel has. He published it in a book of enemies."

"I mean, do you take him at his word here that these are an enemies list, and you're going to put him in a law enforcement role to go after them?" she asked.

"I believe the hearing will expose him to be a very qualified man of the law," Graham shot back. "He'll have to answer questions about what's in the book. But I'm ready to vote for him because I know him, too. So you never asked me about the Russia hoax that he exposed."

ALSO READ: Inside the parade of right-wing world leaders flocking to D.C. for Trump's inauguration

"Lindsey Graham, this is a far cry from the question about Kash Patel," Brennan said as Graham's answer turned into a rant about Israel. "You took me all the way to Israel from Kash Patel."

"OK, ask him about going after journalists, which he's also said," she added. "I'm interested in the answer to that."

"I'm sure Democratic friends will ask him," Graham quipped. "You shouldn't worry about Kash Patel."

"You should worry about reporting the news fairly, which you don't do when it comes to everything Trump!" the senator exclaimed.

"Lindsey Graham, you're a guest on this program because we wanted to hear you out," Brennan pointed out.

Watch the video below from CBS or at the link..

A Fox News segment mocked Iowa Republicans dancing to the Village People's YMCA and suggested "white America" needed a "rhythm counselor."

Fox News host Martha MacCallum seemed taken aback after playing a clip of Republicans in Iowa dancing out of sync to President-elect Donald Trump's signature song.

"All right, never mind," she said, directing the control room to cut the playback.

"Well, you know, and I think we're also looking at a bigger problem is that one of the things that maybe President Trump needs to think about is maybe a rhythm counselor for white America because that was brutal," Fox News contributor Tyrus jabbed. "That was awful. Everyone was clapping on one and three."

ALSO READ: Fox News has blood on its hands as Trump twists the knife

"That was like the longest 20 seconds in television," MacCallum agreed. Watch the video below from Fox News or at this link.

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) lashed out at Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) because the federal government pays for 35% of his state's revenue, one of the highest rates in the nation.

According to an analysis from personal finance company WalletHub, "South Carolina residents receive a remarkable return on their taxes paid to the federal government."

WalletHub found South Carolina was the 6th highest ranking for state residents' dependency on the federal government. New York ranked 47th.

During a Sunday interview, Fox News host Maria Bartiromo asked Lawler about Graham's opposition to raising "the state and local tax deduction cap of $10,000, otherwise known as SALT."

"The fact is that we are a high-donor state to the federal government," Lawler said of New York. "New York sends more federal dollars than almost any other state down to the federal government."

ALSO READ: Trump intel advisor Devin Nunes still dismisses Russian election meddling as a 'hoax'

"So the fact is that our folks are not subsidized by, you know, red states," he insisted. "We, in fact, are helping subsidize the federal government on an annual basis."

"If you look at South Carolina, for instance, they are one of the biggest recipients of federal dollars in comparison to other states by a percentage."

Watch the video below from Fox News or at this link.

A group of arsonists were seen setting fires in non-burning areas of Los Angeles as wildfires ravaged nearby regions.

Neuroscientist and podcaster Andrew D. Huberman shared a video on Thursday of men allegedly setting fires in urban areas.

"People are lighting fires in otherwise non-burning urban areas of LA," Huberman wrote. "Saw this happen first hand at 302 Pico in Santa Monica. Called it in & fire dept & police responded."

ALSO READ: Trump intel advisor Devin Nunes still dismisses Russian election meddling as a 'hoax'

"Stay safe and call in any activity ASAP. We don't need more flames out here," he added.

In the video, a tree caught fire, and the narrator claimed that nearby men started the blaze.

Watch the video below or click the link.

Former President George W. Bush declined to shake the hand of President-elect Donald Trump at former President Jimmy Carter's funeral.

As the former presidents were seated at the Washington National Cathedral on Thursday, a CBS panel noted that Bush snubbed the president-elect.

"This is an extraordinary moment as the president-elect is sitting next to Barack Obama," anchor Norah O'Donnell said.

The video player is currently playing an ad.

"There's former president George W. Bush," correspondent Robert Costa announced as the former Republican president was seated.

"He did not shake Trump's hand," O'Donnell pointed out. "And look how appropriately former President George W. Bush stands to welcome former First Lady Hillary Clinton and President Clinton."

"Have not seen President Bush interact with President Trump," Costa added.

"We have not," O'Donnell agreed.

Watch the video below from CBS or click the link here.

Conservative influencer Steve Bannon expressed shock after Attorney General Merrick Garland indicated he would release special counsel Jack Smith's report on President-elect Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Bannon revealed Wednesday that his phone was "blowing up" because Garland notified the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals that he intended to release Volume One of the report, which includes information about Trump's election subversion efforts. Garland said he did not intend to release the second volume, which dealt with the alleged mishandling of classified documents.

During his War Room program, Bannon spoke to Mike Davis of the pro-MAGA Article III Project about the report's release.

"Breaking news, Mike," Bannon said. "Help me out here. I thought Merrick Garland — These guys are sworn — I thought they were all rule of law people, and we're all terrible. We gotta go to prison."

The conservative host argued that the report should not be divulged because U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon had temporarily blocked its release.

"There's just another way to smear Trump, this Jack Smith report," he complained. "My phone's blowing up now. They're telling me that Merrick Garland has decided on his own to give it to the committee for a bicameral review."

"Can you explain to me what's going on?" Bannon asked Davis. "And how could that possibly be legal, sir?"

For his part, Davis called the report "a one-sided political drive-by shooting, a last-ditch efforts by Merrick Garland and Joe Biden and their henchman Jack Smith to do this smear of President Trump."

"President Trump can't respond to it in a courtroom," he continued. "He can't call witnesses. He can't present his own evidence. He can't he can't confront their witnesses."

ALSO READ: Trump intel advisor Devin Nunes still dismisses Russian election meddling as a 'hoax'

Bannon worried that the report would tarnish Trump's inauguration celebration.

"[Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD)] and these guys are gonna get it, and they're gonna leak all that," he griped. "They're gonna take the most stuff that Smith is slanted in the worst way, and they're gonna leak that to the media."

"So, you're just gonna get the New York Times and MSNBC. They're gonna have a mantra that the week before President Trump takes the — is inaugurated to try to smear President Trump!"

Watch the video below from Real America's Voice here.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said he will vote against President-elect Donald Trump's plan to eliminate or raise the debt limit.

During a Sunday interview on Sunday Morning Futures, Fox News host Maria Bartiromo noted that Trump planned to eliminate or raise the debt limit as part of a large bill that would include funding border security.

"President Trump wants eliminating or raising the debt ceiling in this first big package," Bartiromo told Johnson. "Will you vote for it?"

"No, we absolutely need a debt ceiling limit," Johnson insisted. "I'll negotiate in terms of how far we increase that. There are all kinds of things we could do, but it starts with, again, going back to a baseline spending this reasonable amount as part of the negotiation on increasing debt limit."

"But we absolutely need that debt limit, or there's no control over out-of-control government spending," he added.

"And therein lies the issue here," Bartiromo pointed out. "We are going to see battles ahead."

Watch the video below from Fox News or at the link.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) raised his voice at Republicans who want to pass tax cuts at the same time as border security measures.

While speaking to Fox News host Maria Bartiromo on Sunday, Graham accused some Republicans of "playing Russian roulette."

"'I'm very worried that if we don't put border first and get it done, it's going to be a nightmare for our national security," Graham exclaimed. "We've got millions of illegal immigrants that President Trump has promised to deport, and he should."

"That cost 100 billion dollars," he continued. "I'm willing to offset the 100 billion with cuts in other places, but there's no way in hell Democrats are going to give us 100 billion dollars for mass deportation."

Graham argued that terrorism was "on the move" in the U.S.

"I want the tax cuts. They're 4.7 trillion dollars. They will ruin the economy if they expire at the end of the year," he said, raising his voice. "But I want to tell the American people, from my point of view, the number one job is to secure the nation for the federal government!"

"To the tax cut wing of the party, I am with you, but if you hold border security hostage to get tax cuts, you're playing Russian roulette with our national security!"

Watch the video below from Fox News.

Donald Trump Jr. revealed that he dreaded attending the annual New Year's Eve party at Mar-a-Lago because his father's drunk friends treat him like a "freaking imbecile."

While speaking on Monday's Triggered podcast, Trump said ringing in the New Year at Mar-a-Lago would be "a little rough."

"My birthday is New Year's Eve... I get older," he complained. "I was a kid, New Year's Eve was a lot better because it was like, there's always something to do. There's always a party."

"Now it's sort of like amateur night," the president-elect's son complained. "I get to be around a thousand drunk people giving me their political opinions that I don't necessarily want to hear."

"While I love Mar-a-Lago, it's sort of like, you know, the, you know, by about midnight when everyone's like, you know, 12 beers deep or whatever it is they're drinking, you know, the close talking opinions."

ALSO READ: Merrick Garland's last task and the explosive evidence that could save America

Trump said he would rather be hunting or fishing.

"This'll be like year, like nine of, 'Hey, you know, have you ever thought to maybe have your dad not tweet that?'" he griped. "I'm like, no, I've never thought that 'cause I'm a freaking imbecile."

Watch the video below from Triggered.

Corey Lewandowski, a senior adviser to Donald Trump, defended the president-elect's desire to take over Greenland by arguing his boss was a "real estate master."

During a Monday interview on Newsmax, Lewandowski outlined some of Trump's expansionist plans for his next administration.

"Corey, what do you make of Trump's threat about the Panama Canal?" Newsmax host Logan Ratick asked the Trump adviser.

"Yeah, once again, this is President Trump focused on America first," Lewandowski explained. "We sold it for a dollar, which was just the most ridiculous thing that anybody has ever seen."

"And so it's time to make sure that our independence and our dominance on the world stage is back in play," he continued. "He's talking about maybe Greenland from a historic perspective coming as part of the United States, taking back the Panama Canal so that China doesn't have its influence there."

"This is a president who is making outside-the-box announcements to put the world on notice that, once again, the United States is the dominant world superpower."

Newsmax host Emma Rechenberg pressed Lewandowski on the plan to annex Greenland.

"It's, of course, considered part of the kingdom of Denmark," she noted. "It's an autonomous territory under Danish sovereignty, but not a separate country."

"Why would he want this, Corey?" Rechenberg asked.

"Well, look, Donald Trump is a real estate master, and he understands the historic and the strategic, more importantly, significance of Greenland," Lewandowski claimed. "There is a very important strategic value to the United States having control of this."

ALSO READ: Why ABC settled a case they knew they would win — and why the Lincoln Project didn't

"And by the way, we have not expanded our country in 70 years," he added. "So, look, Donald Trump is, again, thinking outside the box. How do we have a lasting impact on the world stage? What does his legacy look like?"

"This is someone who has a vision for America's greatness long after he has left the White House, and this is just part."

Watch the video from Newsmax.

President-elect Donald Trump paused a speech to MAGA followers after claiming to hear a "strange sound" on stage.

At Sunday's AmFest in Arizona, Trump was complaining about undocumented migrants when he was interrupted by an apparent noise.

"We had an open border," the president-elect opined. "They're gang members, they're drug dealers, they're drug addicts, people that were sick, people that were healthy and strong."

"What the hell was that?" he said, pausing his speech to look up. "You get the little yips up here every once in a while."

"I wonder why it was a strange sound. I've heard some very strange sounds."

ALSO READ: We're watching the largest and most dangerous 'cult' in American history

After the brief interruption, Trump continued his rant.

"Every foreign gang member will be expelled, and I will immediately designate the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations," he insisted. "We're going to do it immediately."

Watch the video at this link.

Fox News host Howard Kurtz suggested there were "no actual inaccuracies" in reporting by The New York Times and The Washington Post after President-elect Donald Trump sued the Pulitzer Prize Board for awarding the news organizations for work done to expose Russia's interference in the 2016 election.

" Trump has openly said, he doesn't make any secret of it, that if he loses these lawsuits, he's still satisfied because it puts the journalists or media organization through an ordeal and forces them to hire expensive lawyers," Kurtz explained to Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz on Sunday.

Chaffetz, a former Republican lawmaker, argued Trump's lawsuits against news organizations and the Pulitzer Prize Board had "some very valid points."

"The Pulitzer Prize to hand out awards for people that were perpetuating what was proven to be an outright lie," Chaffetz argued.

"Wait, what's the outright lie?" Kurtz challenged. "Let me stop you there."

"Well, if you're going, for instance, on the Russia hoax, and they knew over the course of time that those were wrong, then I think the big question is, did they know it?" Chaffetz claimed. "When did they know it? Did they continue to do those types of things?"

"And so that's the type of thing that I think he's going to say, I can demonstrate, I can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that these things are fundamentally wrong, and you knew it, and you continue to perpetuate the lie," he added.

Kurtz, however, corrected the Republican contributor.

ALSO READ: It’s time to decimate the Republicans’ standing with the public — and the press

"Well, the Pulitzer board has said that there were no actual inaccuracies pointed out in the article submitted by the two papers, the Washington Post and the New York Times," the Fox News host said.

In a statement, the Pulitzer board said an independent review found "that no passages or headlines, contentions or assertions in any of the winning submissions were discredited by facts that emerged subsequent to the conferral of the prizes."

Watch the video below from Fox News.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) insisted that it was time to "start cutting" funds for food stamps because poor people should "go back to work."

During a Wednesday interview on Real America's Voice, Tuberville complained that the so-called farm bill in a House resolution to continue funding the government included $10 billion for farmers but did not cut $1.5 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps.

"The problem is, I got where the farm bill is, it's gonna be $1.5 trillion, and 200 billion goes to the farmers in a five-year period, and 1.3 trillion goes to food stamps," the senator said. "Now, if we need to start cutting, and you know that DOGE group's gonna start looking at that, people gotta go back to work."

"We need to take care of the elderly, the veterans, people with mental illnesses, but everybody else gotta go back to work," he added.

However, work requirements are already part of the SNAP program. To receive SNAP benefits, non-disabled adults (age 18-54) must complete 80 hours of work or work training each month.

Real America's Voice host Steve Bannon told Tuberville that he wanted to see a limit on the types of food poor people could purchase in addition to funding cuts.

ALSO READ: We're watching the largest and most dangerous 'cult' in American history

"Now, unfortunately, it's a lot of the food I like, but it's food product, but we gotta, here's the thing," Bannon said. "There's so many hard cuts that have to happen, like you're talking about out of food stamps."

"Nobody's gonna be cheerful about cutting food stamps, but you're right, you gotta go back," he continued. "They are hard decisions about putting food on the table for people or giving access to it that have to be made, or we're just not gonna be a country anymore."

Watch the video from Real America's Voice

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) literally threw President-elect Donald Trump's promise not to cut Social Security on the floor as she met with the House DOGE Caucus for the first time on Tuesday.

As Greene was heading into a meeting with the caucus that will give recommendations to Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, she was confronted by advocate Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works.

"We're bipartisan," Lawson explained, presenting the lawmaker with a document detailing Trump's promise not to cut Social Security.

"No, you're not," Greene insisted. "You're out here asking bulls--- questions."

"This is a mailing from — this is Donald Trump," Lawson said as Greene snatched the document from him and threw it into the air.

"You know what? We don't care," the lawmaker ranted.

"That's Donald Trump's mailing," Lawson pointed out.

"This right here is for Democrat ads to attack Republicans," Greene insisted.

"Will you pledge to take Social Security and Medicare cuts off the table?" Lawson asked.

ALSO READ: It’s time to decimate the Republicans’ standing with the public — and the press

"I don't need to take a pledge because guess what? The sad story for you is the American people elected Trump, his agenda, and Republicans to lead the country because you guys suck so bad," Greene opined.

"I'm just wondering if you want to take a pledge to not cut Social Security and Medicare?" Lawson repeated while Greene walked away.

Watch the video below or at this link.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) reminded lawmakers that President-elect Donald Trump's first administration had negotiated with the Taliban for a withdrawal from Afghanistan at a hearing where Republicans attacked President Joe Biden over the decision to pull U.S. forces out of the country.

During Tuesday's House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Connolly displayed a photo of former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with a Taliban negotiator.

"I'd like to put a picture up, which seems to suggest, Mr. Secretary, that the Republican narrative is correct about you," the Virginia Democrat told Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "Isn't that you with the Taliban negotiator, Mr. Secretary?"

"I'm not aware of having spent any time with a Taliban negotiator," Blinken replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry, that's Secretary Pompeo," Connolly said. "Was he your predecessor in the Biden administration as Secretary of State?"

"No, he was my predecessor in the previous administration, the Trump administration," Blinken explained.

Connolly pointed out that Trump had appointed Zalmay Khalilzad to negotiate directly with the Taliban in 2018.

"And he, of course, testified before this committee, and I can remember an exchange with him in which I expressed deep concern about the direction of the U.S. posture and the ramifications with allied Afghans who had worked for us or worked with us, and women," the lawmaker recalled. "And he kind of brushed them off at the time."

Khalilzad went on to forge an agreement with the Taliban in Doha that led to the U.S. withdrawal.

"All U.S. troops were to be out by May 31st," Blinken acknowledged. "In the meantime, 5,000 prisoners were released — Taliban prisoners."

"Among those 5,000 were terrorists, fighters, and people who returned to the battlefield against the Afghan government, which allegedly we were supporting at the time," Connolly remarked.

ALSO READ: Agenda 47: Alarm sounded about Trump’s dystopian plans for his second term

"It's kind of hard to follow and it seems to me that we, by agreeing to that in the Trump years with Secretary Pompeo, your predecessor, and Ambassador Khalilzad, we actually set in motion an untenable but probably irrevocable kind of folding of events," he added.

"We cut a deal to get out and cut our losses at the expense of the Afghan government, the Afghan military, and ultimately the Afghan people, and that was all set in motion before you took the oath of office or President Biden took the oath of office."

Watch the video below from C-SPAN or click the link.

Retired Major General Randy Manner pushed back on Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) after he complained about President-elect Donald Trump and his MAGA supporters being called fascists.

During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Trump's mass deportation plans on Tuesday, Kennedy accused Manner of wanting "open borders."

"It makes you angry that most Americans don't believe in open borders, doesn't it?" the senator asked.

"Not in the slightest, sir," Manner replied.

Kennedy took issue with a statement Manner made to CNN on Oct. 14.

"President Trump is not like any sane leader. I'm very proud of General Milley for saying that President Trump is a total fascist," Kennedy recalled Manner saying. "The challenge is because most MAGA Republicans, they don't understand what fascism is. The reality is that they are, in fact, fascists themselves."

"Did I read that accurately?" the senator pressed.

"Senator, I am happy to discuss my personal perspectives with you separately at any time," the general said. "That's not the purpose of the hearing today."

"You think you're smarter than the American people, don't you?" Kennedy wondered.

"Absolutely not, senator," Manner stated. "I am here to discuss the use of the military as part of this mass deportation."

ALSO READ: Agenda 47: Alarm sounded about Trump’s dystopian plans for his second term

"You think you're more virtuous than the American people, don't you, general?" Kennedy remarked.

"Senator, I am insulted by your comment," Manner insisted. "Senator, for 35 years, I served my country with absolute honor and distinction, and I will continue to do so."

Watch the video below from the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Fox News hosts Sandra Smith and Jeanine Pirro criticized Republican state Delegate Nino Mangione of Maryland after his cousin, Luigi Mangione, was arrested for the murder of CEO executive Brian Thompson.

"Another twist in this story, this just into our newsroom, the suspect's cousin is a Maryland State Delegate," Smith reported Monday. "So this is now being confirmed, the suspect's cousin is a Maryland State Delegate, Antonio D. Mangione, goes by Nino."

"How was it possible there wasn't anyone, anywhere in the country who was saying, that person's in my family, I know that guy?" she said.

Former FBI investigator Bill Daly said it was "quite surprising that it took a McDonald's employee in Pennsylvania to identify this person."

"How does anybody who is related to this person not say, I know that guy, and call the police?" Smith asked Pirro.

"Well, that is certainly a very relevant question," Pirro agreed. "Once a guy at McDonald's can pick up the phone and a relative and someone who is in a particular job where he's working for the government, essentially, and for the people, can't, you know you've got a problem."

Watch the video below from Fox News.

Fox News host Will Cain grew angry Sunday at reports that former colleague Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of defense, had a drinking problem.

After The New Yorker reported that Hegseth was removed from two veterans groups for aggressive drunkenness and sexual misbehavior, Cain hosted three "warfighters" who supported the nominee.

"In fact, you know, Will, this wasn't in the New Yorker article, but you know, I was in Concerned Veterans for America, and I was brought in there as a speaker with a handful of leaders who were combat veterans to talk about the role American civilians need to play in supporting our military in the war," Retired Lt. Col. Scott Mann said.

"And Pete said, you know what, keep going, man. Keep talking about this. And I did. He left shortly thereafter, and I was right out the door with him as a result of that," he continued. "And that has not been talked about at all. This is a guy who has stood up for the war fighter through the Afghanistan abandonment."

Cain became angry as he concluded the segment.

"Isn't it fascinating that you worked at CVA, Concerned Veterans for America," Cain said. "They're talking about a scandal and never talked to you. They talk for Vets for Freedom, but they never turned to Medal of Honor winner David Bellavia, who hired Pete to come to that institution."

"They talk about anonymous sources about his drinking, but they don't call [co-host] Rachel Campos-Duffy, Will Cain who sat next to him for five years," he ranted. "It is really fascinating. They don't go to direct sources who have something to say."

"They instead lean on anonymous sources. I think you can see the quality of reporting laid out for you right there."

Watch the video below from Fox News or at the link.

President-elect Donald Trump confirmed his promise to end birthright citizenship on his first day in office despite constitutional protections.

In an interview that aired Sunday on NBC, host Kristen Welker pressed Trump on his campaign promise to do away with birthright citizenship.

"You've promised to end birthright citizenship on day one," Welker noted. "Is that still your plan?"

"Yeah, absolutely," Trump insisted.

"The 14th Amendment, though, says that, quote, all persons born in the United States are citizens," Welker pointed out. "Can you get around the 14th Amendment with an executive action?"

"Well, we're going to have to get a change," Trump remarked. "We'll maybe have to go back to the people. But we have to end it."

"Through an executive action?" the NBC host asked.

"Well, if we can, through executive action," Trump replied. "I was going to do it through executive action, but then we had to fix COVID first, to be honest with you. We have to end it."

Watch the video below from NBC or at the link.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) reminded Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) that he once refused to give Merrick Garland's Supreme Court nomination a hearing after the Kentucky lawmaker suggested Republicans were being treated unfairly with current judicial nominations.

During a Senate floor session on Monday, McConnell said he was alarmed after hearing that two judges might not follow through with plans to retire in light of Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 presidential election.

"This sort of partisan behavior undermines the integrity of the judiciary," McConnell said. "Never, never before has a circuit judge unretired after a presidential election. It's literally unprecedented."

"These vacancies now properly belong to the next president," he insisted. "As I repeatedly warned the judiciary in other matters, if you play political games, expect political prizes."

Durbin responded by reminding McConnell that he had refused to allow former President Barack Obama to appoint Merrick Garland as a Supreme Court justice following the death of Antonin Scalia in 2016.

"I listened carefully to my colleague from Kentucky explain his concerns about the filling of four circuit court vacancies," Durbin said. "And he raises a question about whether that's fair."

"Well, I'd like to call the Senate's attention to the fact that there was a moment in time when we were shocked to learn that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia had died while on a hunting trip," he continued. "And the decision was made almost instantly by the Senator from Kentucky, the same Senator who just talked about delaying and filling vacancies."

"The decision was made by him not to fill the Supreme Court vacancy."

Durbin noted that McConnell refused to give Garland a hearing "so that Donald Trump was able to fill that vacancy, and not a situation where... President Obama would have that option."

"So when I hear the Senator come to the floor from Kentucky and talk about whether there's any gamesmanship going on, I don't know," he added. "But I will tell you that we saw it at the highest possible level in filling the vacancy on the Supreme Court when Anton Scalia passed away."

Watch the video below from C-SPAN or at this link.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is asking her fans to pay at least $250 for personal advice and pep talks on the Cameo platform.

In a welcome video, Boebert explained the services she was offering to paying customers.

"Hey, Cameo, it's your girl from Colorado, Lauren Boebert," she said. "Whether you or someone you know needs an America First pep talk, if you want to surprise friends or family with a message for a special day, or if you just want to know my thoughts on whatever's on your mind, Cameo is the place to connect with me."

Boebert's Cameo page said the lawmaker was willing to "mention inside jokes, share words of wisdom," or use "signature catchphrases."

ALSO READ: 'We lost sight': Russian dissidents have warning for anti-Trump Americans

The video request form allowed customers to specify a gender, including "they/them."

Semafor reporter Kadia Goba noted that the House Ethics Committee allows members of Congress to earn up to $31,805 from outside income.

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) also recently joined Cameo after withdrawing as President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general.

Watch the video at this link.