Sarah K. Burris

'Huge mistake': Senator slams Trump officials for ducking questions after new bombshell

WASHINGTON — Sen. Angus King (I-ME) left the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday unsatisfied with the answers he heard in a hearing with top officials in President Donald Trump's administration.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe were among a group that testified to the Senate Intelligence Committee about recent reports detailing a Signal discussion chat that may have involved classified information.

A bombshell report in The Atlantic claimed that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared secret war plans in a Signal chat that included a reporter among its membership.

The story reveals a Signal chat among top officials in President Donald Trump's Cabinet who discussed classified military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. Gabbard and Ratcliffe disputed that the information was classified but also maintained they couldn't discuss what was in the thread.

"I think they're not being up-front about it, and I think it would be much better if they acknowledged this was a huge mistake. It won't happen again, and what they're doing to try and prevent it rather than all of this dancing around," King told reporters.

He complained that Gabbard even refused to answer which phone she used.

"I mean, that's a pretty easy question," said King.

When asked why the officials refused to answer questions, King said he thinks they "are embarrassed" about the ordeal. He explained that in his experience, it's better to admit mistakes and try to move on rather than "play the kind of games they were playing today."

King, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he's certainly interested in hearing from Hegseth on the matter but hasn't discussed it with committee chairman, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS).

"I don't know what the intentions are, but to say repeatedly it isn't classified but we can't talk about it, there's something that doesn't work there," King said.

When Raw Story asked about Hegseth blaming The Atlantic reporter who was placed in the chat, King said it's like "shoot the messenger."

He called it a "tried and true method to avoid dealing with the substance of the issue. This is a very serious issue, and it should be treated as such. Not something that should be obscured, danced around [or] avoided."

He continued by saying they should have begun the hearing by acknowledging the scandal, apologizing, and pledging it wouldn't happen again.

NOW READ: 'Huge implications': Experts warn Trump 'trying to rig' midterms with new 'illegal' order

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'Not a game': Dem senators double down on blocking House spending bill

WASHINGTON — Democrats huddled Thursday to discuss the fight they'll face if they refuse to support the Republican Party's continuing resolution to raise the debt ceiling.

Among items in the C.R. are provisions for more government job cuts.

Speaking to reporters, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said that the current House bill, which would fund the government for six months, is a "non-starter." She said that Democrats and Republicans "have a budget that is nearly done" — and that a clean, 30-day resolution would allow them to finalize a full budget package.

ALSO READ: 'Blank check to shut down government': Multiple senators are no fans of GOP's funding bill

"So, four more weeks. Short term. Keep the government open and let's get the work done," she added.

When asked about back-and-forth involving the resolution, Warren exclaimed, "It's not a game."

"The problem is it's hard to vote for a bill that says that the Republicans get to fire another 25,000 veterans. That the Republicans get to move as many old people in nursing homes out on the street as they want and Republicans get to shut down our education system. That's a hard bill to vote for," she told Raw Story.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) is one of the lawmakers whose state is suffering under massive government cuts — many federal workers live and work in Virginia.

When reporters asked if any amendments could be passed to get him to support the current House bill, he said "no."

National Public Radio (NPR) reported Thursday that the House C.R. was crafted without any bipartisan discussion.

Warner speculated that Republican senators didn't seem to have any input in the House bill at all.

Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) said that his voters at home want to see him "push back."

He opposes the C.R. for a broad perspective, noting that it gives the executive branch the power to make budget cuts that the Constitution says are the responsibility of Congress.

"Pushing back and defending Congress' historic role, constitutionally mandated role, of controlling the purse," he told reporters. "We turn that over, when's it going to stop? If we just go ahead and sign the resolution ... I mean that'll be the last time they ask our opinion about anything," Hickenlooper said.

When asked about the messaging war, in which Republicans are seeking to blame Democrats for a shutdown, Hickenlooper said, "At a certain point, you've got to rely on the truth and what is really better for the country — and long term. Sometimes, that puts you in really difficult situations."

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'Blank check to shut down government': Multiple senators are no fans of GOP's funding bill

WASHINGTON — The House developed a six-month bill that would continue funding the government and raise the debt ceiling, while making drastic cuts, but some senators aren't fans of the legislation.

And they're floating just a 30-day stopgap.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, told Raw Story the Senate will not support the House's funding bill this week.

Senate Democrats met for a caucus lunch Wednesday and debated whether to support the House bill or try to amend it. The latter, however, would take more time than they have. The deadline for funding is 11:59 p.m. on Friday. The House would then have to pass an edited bill with the amendments, but they've already left town for the next two weeks.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) told Raw Story this morning that he opposed the House's proposal to raise the debt ceiling by $4 trillion. He later told reporters that he now has an amendment that could test Senate support for President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency initiative.

ALSO READ: 'Came as a surprise to me': Senators 'troubled' by one aspect of government funding bill

When he came into office, Trump created the program by executive order and handed it over to tech billionaire Elon Musk to manage. That initiative has been behind the upheaval and dismantling of government agencies. Websites, grants, programs, and employees have been cut or frozen under the promise that Trump would save taxpayers trillions. The cuts haven't gone over well, with angry Americans flooding town hall meetings.

Paul's amendment would "attempt to incorporate the DOGE cuts in foreign aid. [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio has stopped 83% of foreign aid grants. In doing so, that would save 83% of our foreign aid grant money. So, we're taking what he has already done and incorporating it into a dollar figure to put into the spending because once he's done it, that's great. So I commend Secretary Rubio for doing it. Now all we need to do is codify that into law."

Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine told Raw Story and other reporters that the Senate Appropriations Committee is "really close to a deal," so a 30-day continuing resolution would give them time to improve the bill and garner bipartisan agreement.

He also mentioned an Armed Services Committee hearing this week with military leaders, revealing that budget cuts and uncertainty hinder their ability to maintain military readiness.

"The way to make it better is to do a 30-day," Kaine said.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) was the first to draw a line in the sand.

"I've been clear: the House Republican CR provides, in my view, a continuing of a blank check to shut down government agencies as they're doing right now," he told reporters. "But, one step at a time. What we're saying is that we need to have a vote on the 30-day and Republicans need to understand that as of today, that's the way to proceed to avoid a government shutdown."

He went on to say that there are a lot of reasons not to like the House stopgap bill, but one element that hands power over to the federal government is to run Washington, D.C. as they see fit. As it stands, D.C. is not a state and all of the laws and measures passed, even on the ballot, must be approved by Congress.

"And it doesn't save taxpayers money!" he exclaimed. "That provision on D.C. is all about Congress trying to run the District of Columbia. It caps their budget at $1 billion. It doesn't cut federal spending at $1 billion."

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'Came as a surprise to me': Senators 'troubled' by one aspect of government funding bill

WASHINGTON — Several Republican senators tell Raw Story that they're unwilling to support the House version of the continuing resolution (CR) that would raise the debt ceiling.

The Republican-led Congress is facing another government shutdown, with a deadline of 11:59 p.m. Thursday, March 14. After passing the measure, the House left town for two weeks, leaving the U.S. Senate to navigate the rest. However, many Republican senators whose votes are crucial to passing the CR aren't happy with it.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) made it clear, "I would not vote for this CR."

Semafor reported Wednesday morning that Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) were also likely "no" votes.

When Raw Story and other reporters spoke with Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), she confessed she didn't know what was in the bill and found some things concerning. One of those was a massive cut in the budget for Washington, D.C.

“That was not a provision that was in the Senate bill, or anything that we advocated for. It came as a surprise to me, and explains why the mayor has called me," Collins said.

Her home state newspaper, the Bangor Daily News, reported late Tuesday that the House bill may result in huge state budget cuts to Maine.

"U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King have led their Capitol Hill peers in obtaining earmarks worth hundreds of millions of dollars for Maine projects, but they would not be included in a bill that would avert a federal government shutdown," the report said.

Collins faces reelection in 2026.

Her House college, Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME), was the only Democrat to support the CR, despite the cuts in funding to his state, the Bangor Daily News also reported.

This comes at a time when WGME reported that President Donald Trump's budget cuts meant that civilian staff at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard were also laid off this week.

The head of the union told WGME that the people making such decisions "are not educated about the business end of what we do."

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) agreed that the D.C. funding cuts made it harder for him to support.

"It is a purely mean-spirited hit at the district and it's outrageous," he told Raw Story.

When asked whether he'd vote for the CR, his fellow Virginia senator, Tim Kaine (D), said he's looking to attach amendments to the bill to try and save it. However, this would require the House to approve the bill again at a time when they've already skipped town.

When it comes to the D.C. funding, Kaine said he was with Mayor Muriel Bowser Tuesday night, and both found the strings attached to the district "troubling."

"It's one thing if you say, okay, we're going to reduce federal funding to the district. It's another thing to say we're going to control your budget so that you can't even use your own tax revenue to have a budget above X. That's like — where's the precedent for that? I mean, it's just like — I don't even know how that got in there like that. I don't know what they're trying to accomplish. It just seems like a gratuitous eye-poke."

Raw Story asked if he'd propose an amendment, and Kaine said it should be removed entirely.

Democrats entered their lunch meeting to discuss whether they should support the CR, and if they'll be blamed for the shutdown. Republicans hold all power in the House, Senate and White House, however.

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'I hate to see this': Republican gives up fight against Trump's tariffs

WASHINGTON — A senior Republican senator confessed he's powerless to fight President Donald Trump's trade war, so he's moved on to other issues.

Speaking to Raw Story on Tuesday, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said he's concerned.

"Look, the Canadians are nice people, they're great people. They're friends. They're allies. I hate to see this," he said.

When asked if he thinks things have to get worse before they get better, Johnson said he didn't know.

"I'm not quite sure what the president's goal is here," said Johnson. "He hasn't revealed that to me.

ALSO READ: 'Chaos': Small biz owner hit by Trump’s last tariff reveals key flaw that hurts companies

Instead, Johnson is turning to something he can control: "Spending, spending, spending."

"There's not much I can do about this," he said of the tariffs, "except express concern, which I do. And he knows my thoughts on this."

He noted he'd continue to voice those concerns.

Trump has gone back and forth with Canada for the past several weeks as a kind of tariff "hokey pokey," when he puts tariffs in, then pulls them out, then puts them back in again.

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) said that reporters have been asking him about the matter "for weeks" and "there's a lot at stake."

He noted that Kansas companies, "particularly agriculture, need steel and aluminum and we need to have our issues that created — caused the administration to put tariffs in place to get resolved."

Trump has claimed that the flow of fentanyl on the Canadian border is significant enough to warrant the trade war. However, Canada has said they're only responsible for a tiny fraction of the fentanyl that enters the United States.

"While less than 1% of the fentanyl intercepted at the U.S. border comes from Canada, we have worked relentlessly to address this scourge," outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement. Thus far, Canada has allocated $1.3 billion in border security measures.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) said stocks "are a little over-priced" and that's why the market has fallen in the past few days.

"I don't know when it will happen, but probably in the next couple of weeks it will start back up going north again. I'm all behind President Trump for what he's doing," Tuberville said. "It's our only chance to get people to pay fares with all these tariffs. So, let's get it done. Now's the time to do it."

Raw Story asked about Trump's decision to increase aluminum and steel tariffs in retaliation for Canadian Premier Doug Ford's surcharge on energy entering the U.S. As of Tuesday afternoon, Ford announced he would suspend the surcharge for energy.

"Welp, that's up to them much more than it's up to us," said Tuberville.

The Congressional Research Service penned a report last month stating that "the Constitution grants Congress the power to regulate foreign commerce, impose tariffs, and collect revenue." However, the report acknowledges that Congress has allowed the president to have some authority over tariffs "within certain limits."

NOW READ: Trump doubles down as he silences critics

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'Exactly what Trump wanted him to do': Dems say censure was a trap

WASHINGTON — Republicans Thursday passed the censure of Rep. Al Green (R-TX), who had an outburst during President Donald Trump's joint session in Congress on Tuesday. Speaker Mike Johnson had Green removed from the chamber.

Trump told the crowd that he has a mandate to make massive government cuts, and Green yelled back that he doesn't have a mandate.

While outbursts have occurred more frequently in the past few decades, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) told Raw Story on Thursday morning that a censure is an extreme punishment.

"The precedence for these censures is not being followed," she said.

ALSO READ: There is no magical way out of this — there will be blood

She said that she found what Green did to be "inappropriate."

"Censure is the toughest absent expulsion," Lofgren said. "And it has not been used in this context. But Al's behavior was outrageous."

Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) also disagreed with Green's actions, but he said it's a distraction.

"It's exactly what Trump wanted him to do," Bera said. "And then all of the sudden the press is writing about that and not about the content of the speech."

Instead of dealing with the tens of thousands of cuts to the Veterans Administration, Republicans can use Green to distract from "Trump's actions."

Lofgren concurred, saying, "I think most people would rather we do something about the cost of living than this."

In the era of fighting back against Trump, Bera said Democrats need to be smarter.

"We can't afford self-inflicted things like that. It undermines what we want to do, which is keep our focus on what Trump's actually doing, and instead you guys are asking me about Al Green," he told Raw Story. "We can't let our own caucus become a distraction."

In 2023, Republicans attacked three Democrats, demanding that they be censured for various reasons. One was Rep. Adam Schiff (R-CA), who worked on the first impeachment of Donald Trump and went on to become a U.S. Senator.

In 2021, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) was censured for posting an anime video depicting himself killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

Before that, the previous censures were in 2010 and 1983.

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) told the Associated Press Wednesday, "Where were my Republican friends? Nobody apologized for interrupting Joe Biden time and again. You talk about lack of decorum. Go back and look at the tapes, and there was silence from the other side.”

After leaving the floor, Green told ABC 7 LA that he would accept any punishment but that the issue isn't about him.

"This is about the people who are going to suffer if Medicaid is cut. If Social Security is cut," he said.

He said that sometimes it's "better to stand alone than not to stand at all."

ALSO READ: There is no magical way out of this — there will be blood

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Dem bounced from speech reveals when he'll announce articles of impeachment against Trump

WASHINGTON — Rep. Al Green (D-TX) was removed from the State of the Union Address after shouting back at President Donald Trump during the address.

While the House considers pursuing a censure against him, Green is preparing his articles of impeachment for Trump.

Green told Raw Story that Trump has only grown more dangerous after the Supreme Court granted him broad immunity from prosecution for official presidential acts.

"He believes he has absolute immunity in all areas," said Green. "And I think that he believes that the Office of the Presidency is something that allows him to do what he chooses with agencies that report to the Executive branch."

ALSO READ: Why was MTG allowed to break House rules during Trump’s speech?

"And I think he believes he can flout or defy court orders if he chooses to. I don't think he's done it to the extent that he desires to yet, but he's working his way there," Green cautioned. "And the minute he does that, then he will become a dictator and articles of impeachment are most appropriate."

Raw Story asked if it's a constitutional crisis, and Green replied that "we're on the cusp of having a dictator if the president decides he's not going to — the only thing left is for him to say [is] 'I'm not going to honor the court.'"

Green, a long-time lawyer, said that the idea of ignoring judicial review is "unsettling."

Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 states that Congress is constitutionally tasked with funding government operations that the executive branch oversees. Green argued that giving up these powers and handing them to Trump to act on through executive orders would be a significant acquiescence of power.

"We are the legislative branch and we should not allow our constitutional authority to be usurped by the executive. I respect the executive branch. The executive branch should respect the legislative branch," Green said.

He said that when there are conflicts between them, the courts step in. "We all have to respect the courts, even if we disagree with them."

"We will have the rule of one man once he decides he's not going to respect court orders," Green added. "He's marching in that direction."

NOW READ: We crushed fascists before — and it's time to do it again

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'Criminal contempt': Lawyer fighting Trump’s orders warns of 'strong pushback' from US institutions

Former ethics czar and impeachment lawyer Norm Eisen is working with a group of attorneys fighting back against President Donald Trump over they're calling his unlawful actions.

Speaking to MSNBC on Monday, Eisen said that they have been successful in court so far — and they believe they will continue to be.

"The very first case, locking Mr. [Elon] Musk out of the Treasury Department. He has no right to look at that data," he said, referring to a challenge which saw a judge at the weekend temporarily cut Musk's access to the nation's financial records.

"Tying the hands of the president, the attorney general and others who want to dox reveal the identity of 6,000 FBI agents. They don't have any legal right to do that under the Privacy Act and otherwise," he went on, referencing plans to name agents who worked on January 6 cases.

He also pointed out that on Monday morning, they're in court fighting Trump's effort to end birthright citizenship, which Eisen said is "rewriting the Constitution." The legal team also filed a brief on behalf of "almost two dozen conservatives" fighting back against the purge of federal staffers who work for congressionally established and funded agencies.

"This offer to force federal employees out without the permission of Congress is illegal. And that case will be heard today. We've been involved in many of these cases, and they're going to lose," Eisen said.

The host asked whether he believed the courts would agree.

"I do. I think that the courts will start with civil contempt. They'll move to criminal contempt. They have broader sanctions. They're going to rule against the administration," promised Eisen. "In that case, I think the Supreme Court will back them up."

The host also wondered if there was any way to enforce the court rulings if Trump decided to ignore them, asking whether the U.S. Marshals would get involved.

"I think American democracy is strong enough to meet this test," he added. "We are at a crossroads. That's why we've been involved in dozens of cases, with dozens more coming in the weeks and months ahead. But I believe in the strength of American democracy. If Donald Trump and Elon Musk and J.D. Vance test the will of the American people or the American courts, I think they're going to get a very strong pushback."

See his comments below or at the link here.

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'Dangerous': Senators worried two Trump Cabinet picks refused important pledge

WASHINGTON — Senators questioned two appointees from President Donald Trump who aim to oversee top national security posts on Thursday and some of those members have serious concerns.

Kash Patel, nominated to serve a 10-year term as the head of the FBI, faced a combative committee where he was forced to explain his conspiracy theories and pledge of retribution against his enemies list.

Tulsi Gabbard, nominated to lead the intelligence community as the director of national intelligence, similarly was forced to answer for her proposed legislation to pardon Edward Snowden and her relationships with Syrian and Russian leaders.

Speaking to Raw Story, Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) said that one of the most disturbing answers Patel gave was when he asked who the FBI works for.

"I think I asked this two or three different ways," the senator recalled. "And he said, 'Well, we report to,' — and I said, 'Okay you're part of the Department of Justice. I agree with that, but I asked Attorney General [Pam] Bondi this question. Who do you work for? And [Patel] said basically, the White House."

Coons said Bondi cited the American people and the Constitution.

The second question he took issue with was Patel's response to questions about how he would respond if Trump asked him to do something illegal, unethical, or unconstitutional.

Coons took issue with Patel's answer: "If directed to do — I would never break the law."

"You have to be willing to refuse an order and resign," Coons said, recalling that he asked the same question of Christopher Wray and his two previous predecessors.

"He just wouldn't..." Coons said, trailing off. "It gives me real pause because he's not — Bill Barr answered easily. Pam Bondi answered easily. Merrick Garland answered easily. I do that with every nominee."

Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) said there are issues with Gabbard's "qualifications and experience" to lead the intelligence community, which oversees 18 intelligence agencies.

When it comes to Patel, she said she has "Serious concerns about his ability to do the job in an objective and fair way and not [be] driven by an ideological desire to go after people, including the media."

Raw Story noted that Patel said that Democrats are "making up lies."

"Well, we are using his own words," Hirono quipped.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) agreed Patel and Gabbard "are both dangerous."

"It's unpleasant to be told we're making up lies when we're using his actual words and when we're using the actual words of his Trump-appointed colleagues who work with him. So, there's a disconnect with his defense, which I think is for the TV and for Trump and the actual facts of the matter," he continued.

"Honesty is not the watch-word here," Whitehouse noted.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) criticized Gabbard for being glib when he asked about her how she would respond to an illegal order from Trump.

Gabbard said, "I don't believe for a second that President Trump would do anything to break the law." Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts in the state of New York.

"You know, that's a constitutional question," Wyden said, calling that question "the ball game." He called her answer "very disappointing."

"This is constitutional lawlessness, let me use that word specifically," said Wyden. "If they say we're just going to blow off illegal orders.

NOW READ: What the heck just happened? Inside chaos in the Trump administration

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'One million percent total insane': Critics pan Trump’s second inaugural speech

Donald Trump's inauguration speech was an outright insult both to the American people and the English language, as critics online painted it.

CNN commentator Maria Cardona weighed in on Trump's claim that California's wildfires were being allowed to spread “without even a token of defense.”

"What an insult to all the amazing firefighters who put their lives on the line to bring the LA fires under control! Trump starts out with a speech filled with massive lies, deceit, insults as he trashes the country to uplift his own deviance," she said on X.

AFJustice editor Zack Ford, on the other hand, pointed out some of the speech's grammatical errors and observed that "I don't think you can be 'far more exceptional.'"

He also noted Trump's ongoing ignorance about what "asylum" means. Trump has long believed that those seeking asylum are also those who come from insane asylums and are being sent to the U.S. Applying for asylum is a legal distinction for those leaving their countries under fear of persecution and under fears of serious human rights violations. They are refugees before the international community has recognized them as such, explained Amnesty International.

"Even in his scripted inauguration speech (Stephen Miller-written?), Trump is pushing the inane idea that asylum-seekers are coming from mental asylums," commented former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan.

New York Times reporter Glenn Thrush noted Trump is already preparing to take credit for former President Joe Biden's work, "Many of the crises Trump has vowed to address (taming inflation, ridding cities of violent crime, building the world's most formidable military...) are already well on the way to be solved..."

CNN's Jim Acosta mentioned Trump's announcement the United States would take back the Panama Canal, and he wondered if this meant a war with Panama.

Reporter James Fallows called this Panama obsession "one million percent total insane bull s--t."

Mother Jones' Washington Bureau chief David Corn referred to the irony of Trump invoking "law and order" while speaking "in the spot where his violent brownshirts, incited by his lies, brutally assaulted law enforcement officers and injured 140 cops. It’s nuts."

Yale Law School professor Scott Shapiro saw one inaugural photo of Trump pointing to Chief Justice John Roberts while shaking his hand. “Thanks Judge for the permission to commit crimes," Shapiro imagined Trump saying.

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'Soft and old': Critics ridicule Trump after inauguration is moved inside away from MAGA

MAGA fans may not be able to witness the real inauguration on Monday because there are concerns it might be too cold.

The Constitution's January 20 inauguration date has forced presidents to face frosty temperatures in the nation's Capitol. In the past several years, the platform has been peppered with space heaters, ensuring that the VIP audience has a little extra help with their coats or Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-VT) famous mittens.

One inauguration was so cold that former President William Henry Harrison developed a cold and died from pneumonia that a month later.

But the incoming president adopted a snowbird lifestyle, moving to Florida for the winter. Wild weather has erupted in Washington, D.C. since the 2024 election, with lightning hitting the Washington Monument and U.S. Capitol. On Jan. 6, 2025, Congress was tasked with certifying the election, but Washington was forced to shut down after snow blanketed the city.

During President Barack Obama's 2012 inauguration, wind-chill temperatures were around 15 degrees when the public began making their way through the security. By the time the ceremony began, the temperature was 28 degrees, however, reported the Florida Times-Union at the time.

While Trump's big day is expected to be in the teens, it doesn't compare to Ronald Reagan's second inauguration temperature, which was minus 2 degrees. His was the last inauguration to be moved indoors, the report recalled. Temperatures are expected on Monday at 9 a.m. at 20 with an ultimate high on Monday of 24 degrees, the Weather Channel says in its 10-day forecast.

"The weather forecast for Washington, DC is predicting brutally cold temperatures — in the low teens — on Inauguration Day. Good," said Democratic strategist Jon Cooper with a gif of a frozen Jack Nicholson.

"Soft and old Trump can't handle a little cold," said Democratic strategist Andy Suchorski.

Cybersecurity expert Jeffrey Levy asked, "How can he take over Greenland if he can't even handle 20 degree weather?"

"So much for crowd size," says former Republican Party chairman Michael Steele on MSNBC.

"The forecast temperature is just a few degrees colder than Obama's 2008 inauguration (28º) which was held outside. It would make the MAGA crowd really mad if the narrative around this becomes that Trump is too weak to handle the cold," said University of Maryland professor Dr. Jen Golbeck.

Democratic Coalition founder Scott Dworkin called Trump a "big baby" and said the real reason is Trump "didn't want the visuals of another small crowd. Pathetic."

Writer Mark Harris, called it a "Terribly weak and embarrassing move. He should be a man, like William Henry Harrison."

Similarly, another critic mocked Trump with a GIF of Eric Cartman saying, "That's weak."

"The cold plunge crew can't handle a winter inauguration?" asked Rolling Stone reporter Tim Dickerson.

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Critics 'stunned' watching Merrick Garland hand the keys over to Trump's team

New York Times reporter Glenn Thrush called Attorney General Merrick Garland's final acts in his office "mind-blowing."

MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace spoke with Thrush, former top prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, and historian Ruth Ben-Ghait about why the Justice Department has been outplayed.

Special counsel Jack Smith flagged the final report for Donald Trump and others involved in the federal cases, allowing Trump the time to go to court to stop its release. While Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the classified documents case, she inserted herself back into it to stop the report's publication. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals promptly overruled her.

ALSO READ: Powerful Oversight Dem urges Biden to wield immunity — and release Jack Smith report

Given the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity, legal experts and Democratic lawmakers have wondered why President Joe Biden has not released the report.

"I've lost the plot on all this. Why don't they go give it to the attorney general and the president and brief the country on what grand jurors made up of peers of Donald Trump found in these investigations that were only halted by his election?" Wallace asked.

Thrush said Garland promised to release all special counsel reports from the beginning of his term in office.

"I mean, they play by the book until the very end," Thrush said. However, no law or DOJ policy said that Smith must give the report to Trump before it is released. He also noted that few are even left in the building to contradict Cannon in court filings.

"It's just an absolutely stunning reversal," said Thrush. "All of the power has moved from the Garland Justice Department and Jack Smith to the Trump team. And, I mean, the most extraordinary part of this, or one of them, everything's extraordinary about it. But one of the really extraordinary parts about this is Todd Blanche, the man who's represented Trump in these cases, is about to take over as the number two in the Justice Department, arguably one of the most important positions in Washington. It's just mind-blowing how things have turned upside down."

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'I don’t want to insult you': Trump balks at reporter during press conference

The president-elect held a press conference Monday at Mar-a-Lago during which he lashed out at a CNN reporter who asked how he plans to respond to an increasingly hostile Iran.

"Would you be in support of pre-emptive strikes on Iran's nuclear targets?" the reporter asked.

"How could I tell you a thing like that? Now? It's just — so you don't talk about that before something," said Trump.

"May or may not happen, you know... just. Well, you know, I don't want to insult you. I just think — it's just not something that I would never answer having to do with there or any other place in the world."

One of Trump's foes in his first administration was Iran and he withdrew from a treaty with the country, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was never reestablished.

In September, Trump said he would consider another agreement with Iran.

See the video below or at the link here.

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'Out of control bro' picked to lead DoD so bad it’s 'head-spinning': expert

Donald Trump's appointee to head the Department of Defense came under criticism from retired Naval War College professor Tom Nichols, as his limited experience in the military and inexperience in leading anything but a weekend Fox News show is causing backlash.

Nichols spoke on Friday in a podcast with The Atlantic about Pete Hegseth's appointment as nothing more than "pure provocation."

While his "scandals and inflammatory rhetoric" are prompting questions, Nichols argued that the biggest danger that Hegseth presents is in recreating the U.S. military the way Donald Trump believes it should be.

"Hegseth’s going to sit at the top of all that, with no experience in any of this—not in budgeting, not in strategy, not in dealing with allies," Nichols told podcast host Hanna Rosin.

"I keep having these just head-spinning moments where I think about the first day in the office, and Pete Hegseth has to make calls to his equivalents, to his opposite numbers, as they do in this job," continued Nichols. "That’s another thing that you don’t do if you’re the secretary of HUD—you don’t call all the housing secretaries on the planet to say hello."

Yet, Hegseth will "be on the phone with the Russian minister of defense. He’s going to be on the phone with the Chinese minister of defense. The people [who] have had these jobs have had exposure to folks like that. This is a guy who’s done none of that— nothing. There’s literally zero background," the column noted.

Rosin read from Hegseth's book, recalling his campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion, saying it made the U.S. military weak. The comments have been criticized by women in military leadership and officials.

Speaking to "Face the Nation" last Sunday, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who lost her legs in combat, called the sentiment "flat-out wrong."

"Our military could not go to war without the women who wear this uniform," Duckworth said. "And frankly, America's daughters are just as capable of defending liberty and freedom as her sons."

According to Nichols, this made-up problem "comes from, like, morning editorial meetings at Fox."

"I worked with senior military officers, including a lot of my students who had just come back from deployments, and you just didn’t hear anybody talk this way about, you know, Marxism rampant in the Pentagon and DEI is destroying us—in part, because a lot of those folks were standing right next to people that Hegseth would say were DEI promotions," he continued.

"This is kind of the out-of-control bro culture that Hegseth came up in, and some of it’s just generational," Nichols said.

Listen or read the whole podcast here.

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Blindsided Trump team now 'weighing the future' of major Cabinet nomination: report

Donald Trump's presidential transition team was blindsided by reports that Fox News host Pete Hegseth had been accused of sexual misconduct — and is now reportedly considering their options over his nomination to head the Pentagon.

Trump nominated Hegseth for secretary of defense this week, but The Washington Post reported that the team is now "weighing the future" of the nomination.

"The transition team was caught by surprise by the detailed allegations and now fears more negative revelations about Hegseth," the Post wrote, citing a person familiar with the complaint.

“There’s a lot of frustration around this,” the person said. “He hadn’t been properly vetted.”

The Trump team decided to outsource all vetting of the candidates to a private company rather than use the FBI. According to CNN, Trump's team believes FBI background checks take too long.

Hegseth's lawyer, Tim Parlatore, said that the allegations of assault never resulted in any criminal charges. The evidence provided in the report was a bruise on the inner thigh of the accuser, police reports said.

The incident reportedly happened when Hegseth attended a California Federation of Republican Women conference. One incident took place between midnight on Oct. 7, 2017, and 7 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa. The report was filed on Oct. 12.

Parlatore promised, “There’s no other skeletons to come out.”

He added, “There’s no reason to withdraw that I’m aware of.”

This comes after a Friday afternoon report that Hegseth was reported as a possible "insider threat" to the Army National Guard.

The complaint came from a fellow Guard member who was the unit’s "security manager and on an anti-terrorism team at the time," according to The Associated Press.

Hegseth has been married three times. His first divorce stemmed from an “irretrievable breakdown” of the marriage and Hegseth’s “infidelity,” the Post noted, according to a divorce filing. During his second marriage, Hegseth fathered a child with another woman, a then-producer at the network. A month after the child was born the second wife filed for divorce.

Read the full report here.

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'Seeds of his demise': Why things are about to get 'worse for Trump'

It has been a little over a week and Donald Trump is already being criticized over purportedly inexperienced people he says he intends to nominate to his Cabinet.

Investigative reporter Nina Burleigh joined "The New Republic's" Greg Sargent to discuss her cover story about the new U.S. reality and those ready to fight back.

The two agreed that the appointments of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will likely cause Americans a lot of anxiety, but it isn't without heartburn for Trump too.

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"It’s really hard to say which of these two will be more of a disaster, but taken together, the message is very clear: We may be in some serious trouble," said Sargent, who posted the transcript with the title, "Matt Gaetz’s Meltdown Suddenly Gets Much Worse for Trump."

"It’s pretty clear that shock and awe is the road that they’re going to travel," said Burleigh. "That was predicted to me, when I was working on this article that you referenced about what might happen, by the people who were predicting that—thought that—he would do shock and awe on day one, on the inauguration day when his hand came off the Bible."

She said that this is the groundwork for things to get a lot worse.

Burleigh also said she was shocked to see Trump bring Kennedy in since he's so far out on issues other than vaccines, like putting fluoride in the drinking water and even abortion.

"It’s the make America great again, which is, let’s go back to 1950 and let’s really disinter the paranoias and the way that anti-government sentiment was expressed then, which is, Oh God, they’re putting this stuff in the water and like reinvigorating that kind of paranoia," she said, claiming that such paranoia is about to become American policy.

Sargent said that it's going to put Republicans in a difficult position where they have to support candidates in confirmation hearings where they "actually start to expose in a very high-profile way the views of this nut."

He also said that Trump was the establishment in 2020 and buckled under the crisis Americans were facing. In 2024, he was able to run as an outsider again. But he wondered if the "superficial understanding of what Trump represents" is "now looking like it’s going to be really disastrous."

Burleigh agreed that kind of overreach could be the "seeds of his demise." She continued that some Republicans might be willing to join with Democrats and say, "Let's get this guy out of here."

She said the disaster could be a "boomerang" back at Trump, in which the Senate and presidency face off against each other, and the Supreme Court must step in.

Listen to the full interview right here.

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Republican says Mike Johnson 'rigged' GOP Speaker vote — and promises future fights

WASHINGTON — Rep. Tom Massie (R-KY) wasn't enthusiastic as he left the Hyatt Regency in Washington, D.C. where Republicans were meeting to hear from Donald Trump on Wednesday.

Members like Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) told Raw Story that the meeting with the caucus was great and filled with optimism. It wasn't like that for Massie, however.

He doesn't think that Speaker Mike Johnson has his vote "locked in" because "he failed to increase our majority in an overwhelming red wave. He just made it tougher on himself."

Also Read: Dysfunction on display: Republicans complain Speaker Johnson is no Pelosi

Massie thinks it all comes down to the "do nothing Congress." A Roll Call analysis showed that Johnson's session passed a mere 106 bills.

"At this point in the 117th, the running tally was 214 laws totaling 4,702 pages," the report said last month.

When asked if he was still "unhappy" with Johnson, Massie confessed it was "an understatement."

He isn't certain whether he'll oppose Johnson, saying there's a lot of time between now and the next session.

"He's going to have to do a 180 on a bunch of crap he shoved down our throats," Massie told Raw Story outside the Hyatt. "Like Ukraine spending, for instance, in order to support Trump's agenda."

"Here's what we should do and here's what's gonna happen," Massie continued. "We should just put Trump's agenda on the floor, one at a time, bill by bill, single subject. For instance, the [border] wall. He needs $30 billion? Put $30 billion in there. Put it on the floor send it to the Senate."

What Massie thinks will happen instead is that Republicans will "attach everything the swamp wants and then say, 'You don't support Trump if you don't vote for this swamp package!'"

"That's exactly what Mike Johnson is going to do, I'm afraid," said Massie.

He said that he hopes speaking to the press and predicting what will happen will help show people how it's unfolding. He has an alternative to Johnson, but he said he wouldn't destroy the person by saying the name.

Members voted in the meeting about who they wanted for the new speaker and Johsnon won the vote. But Massie said that such a vote in a hotel conference room dosn’t matter under the Constitution. Right now “everything’s all rigged. He gets to run the meeting,” said Massie.

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Justice Alito has bad news for right-wings’ plan to enshrine Supreme Court control

Donald Trump's 2024 win means that he could enshrine far-right conservatism even further in the U.S. Supreme Court — but Justice Samuel Alito is standing in the way.

Given Alito's age of 74, there was speculation that he and Justice Clarence Thomas, 76, could step down to make way for younger conservative justices who would be expected to maintain control long into the future.

Last week, Trump allies butted heads over asking the justice to step down.

But according to the Wall Street Journa Tuesday, Alito isn't going anywhere.

“Despite what some people may think, this is a man who has never thought about this job from a political perspective,” said a person close to Alito. “The idea that he’s going to retire for political considerations is not consistent with who he is.”

As the New York Times reported last week, speculation about shoving the justices out has "prompted fissures in the conservative world, eliciting a striking rebuke from Leonard Leo, a leader of the Federalist Society and arguably the most powerful figure in the conservative legal movement."

Both Alito and Thomas are younger than President-elect Donald Trump, who, at 78, will be the oldest president in history when he leaves office at 82.

Conservatives hold a 6-3 majority on the court and have lifetime appointments.

Read the full report here.

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'I wrote the law': Senator says Trump is balking at making essential ethics pledge

Donald Trump hasn't been sworn into office yet but, according to one U.S. senator, he's already delaying his legal responsibilities.

Taking to X on Monday, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) cited a CNN report saying that Trump still hasn't signed an ethics agreement that has to be on file before a presidential transition takes place.

By law, no transition can take place before it's signed — and Trump is already making plans including appointing Cabinet members.

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But transition briefings, needed before he takes office, have been delayed because by law they can't be given before the ethics agreement that's part of the Presidential Transition Act is signed.

The law applies to all members of the transition team.

In March 2020, Trump himself signed the bill requiring the ethics pledge into law. Wisconsin's Sen. Ron Johnson (R) introduced the bill and it was co-sponsored by Warren, among others.

"Donald Trump and his transition team are already breaking the law," said Warren on X. "I would know because I wrote the law. Incoming presidents must prevent conflicts of interest and sign an ethics agreement. This is what illegal corruption looks like."

Trump becomes president on Jan. 20, 2025.

— (@)

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Behind-the-scenes video shows Trump’s own people lying to his face to make him feel better

A behind-the-scenes video that appears to be part of the documentary "The Art of the Surge: The Donald Trump Comeback," reveals a nervous Trump constantly requiring reassurance from his staff and members of his inner circle.The videos follow Trump as he races toward Election Day 2024.

Among the clips revealed by Courier Newsroom is a nervous Trump walking the debate site and trying to figure out how the time clock works.

"Well, what happens if I'm 10 seconds long? Will I be cut off?" he asks.

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The clock counts down to the limit of time he has to speak. It is green until the final several seconds, when it turns yellow, and then when it hits zero, the clock turns red. Trump was baffled by this and had questions.

Also Read: Not all former Trump 'spiritual advisors' appear in public to support his 2024 campaign

"Green means I'm on?" Trump asks.

An aide had to explain that green also meant that Harris could be speaking.

"It's not an indicator if the mic is on or off," the person says.

"When the mics are off, the mics are off," Trump says.

"Yes," someone off-screen is heard saying.

"Oh, okay. Good," Trump replies.

"The way I've normally done it is I will see that I'm on and she's off," Trump continues. "But we're going to go a little less formal, right?"

He then asks if the moderators "will be directing me" or if he'll merely respond to her. Stage managers try to explain how moderators will ask questions, and he will answer them.

In the second video, Trump is seen after the debate where his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), reveals that he thinks Trump lost.

"The story they're going to try to spin is that you got all the momentum right now, and she stopped the momentum," Vance tells Trump to his face. "That's bulls--t."

"I think I killed her," Trump says behind the curtain before entering the spin room.

"I don't think that anyone gives a s--t," says Vance. "I think you killed her."

"I'm getting calls from congressmen saying this is the best debate I've ever seen," Trump claims only a few moments after leaving the debate stage.

Trump then runs into Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) who reassures Trump the way the media will analyze it in the spin room will be different than the way "real voters" see the debate.

See the videos below or at the link here.

@couriernewsroom
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'Something is off': Trump insider suggests some staffers secretly hope he loses

A top Trump adviser sees "something is off" with the former president, The Atlantic's Tim Alberta said Monday.

Speaking to MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace on Monday, Alberta said that he found the conversation with the senior adviser "fascinating."

"I was having a meal with a pretty high-ranking Trump person about a month ago, maybe six weeks ago, and I'd said at that point to this person, I said, 'Is there any small part of you that hopes that he loses?" Alberta relayed.

"And they just sort of cocked their head to the side sort of in disbelief that I asked the question, but they didn't answer," he recalled. "And I said, really? No? Any small part of you?' And this person thought about it for a few minutes and said, 'Yeah, I guess there is because maybe we could all just sort of move on at that point.'"

He said that he'd likely "go to my deathbed still thinking about that conversation." It was a person who "poured their blood, sweat and tears" into Trump over the last several years.

"They know that this is not — something is off here and they recognize it," Alberta closed. "I think most of them."

Wallace said she will also "never forget" that story.

See the discussion below or at the link here.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

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Musk lawyers claim $1M election lottery was actually payment for representing super PAC

Elon Musk's lawyers appeared in a Pennsylvania courtroom on Monday to defend him against claims that his $1 million voter lottery is illegal.

Elon Musk, the CEO of X, announced a $1 million daily giveaway to registered voters in swing states who signed a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments. However, legal experts warned that the scheme may violate federal laws prohibiting payment for voter registration. The DOJ subsequently warned Musk that the giveaway could be illegal.

According to CNN reporter Marshall Cohen, Musk's lawyers claimed in court that the money isn't actually a lottery and that the winners aren't being picked random, as he once said.

Instead, it's payment for people "chosen" to be spokespeople for his super PAC, they said.

"Winners are picked based on their 'suitability to serve' and their personal story, lawyer Chris Gober said," according to Cohen.

Also Read: Elon Musk: You're on notice

Musk announced the funds as a "giveaway" and told an audience that would be given "randomly to people who signed the petition."

The Philadelphia District Attorney's office called this a "complete admission of liability," said the reporter. They say that Musk is running a "lottery" that is illegal under their state laws.

They also showed the video of Musk announcing allocating the donations "randomly" and "by chance."

The district attorney said Musk is running an illegal lottery under Pennsylvania gaming laws using words like this.

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'Is Trump okay?' Confusion as 'exhausted' ex-president abruptly ends friendly interview

Donald Trump was scheduled to appear with former Fox News personality Dan Bongino for an interview on Friday, but a few minutes into their discussion, the ex-president abruptly ended the questioning.

Bongino, who has been supportive of Trump in the past, appeared to be confused.

"Can I get, Dan, off the rec--, I gotta get going," Trump said.

"They're going crazy," Trump said, pointing off camera.

Among the bizarre topics Trump discussed was his empathy for former producer Harvey Weinstein, saying that he was treated badly after being found guilty on one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault in New York.

According to Trump, Weinstein got “schlonged. ... He got hit as hard as you can get hit."

Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign posted the video asking if Trump was "okay," and calling the ex-president "exhausted."

The super PAC No Dem Left Behind implied that Trump looked tired in the interview. They called him "Drowsy Don," saying he "needs a nap."

John Laprise, Ph.D. researcher who studies cyber warfare, among other things, posted on X, "Trump is unsuited to competing against Harris's high tempo campaign, and it is accelerating his decline. Remember: the presidency ages people. How long would he be president? It's looking doubtful that he could complete a full term in office."

Watch below or click the link here.

— (@)

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GOP Senate candidate: Department of Education only created to help 'little Black girls'

The Montana U.S. Senate race took a turn when controversial businessman Tim Sheehy said that the U.S. should eliminate the Department of Education because it was turning children into slaves.

The Huffington Post this week flagged a report from the Daily Montanan, which revealed the comments from the Republican candidate at a campaign stop in Billings.

“We have a Department of Education, which I don’t think we need any more,” said Sheehy, on audio clips obtained by the Montanan. “It should go away. That’ll save us $30 billion right there.”

“We formed that department so little Black girls could go to school down South and we could have integrated schooling. We don’t need that anymore,” he continued.

The plan comes from Project 2025, which calls for the elimination of the DoE as well as other moves that would overhaul the federal government.

A National Education Association analysis said Project 2025 would “gut” education funding and hurt vulnerable students, HuffPo cited.

The report also said, "Kids Count data show 89.6% of students in kindergarten through 12th grade attend public school in Montana."

In another campaign stop last year, Sheehy said that young people in the U.S. have "been indoctrinated for too long." He went on to blame abortion.

Sheehy said at another campaign stop last year of young women voters that “abortion is their No. 1 concern. It’s all they want to talk about. They are single-issue voters.”

Republicans began supporting the anti-education crusade when President Jimmy Carter promoted the Education Secretary to a Cabinet-level position.

“We formed that department so little Black girls could go to school down south, and we could have integrated schooling. We don’t need that anymore," said Sheehy.

Montana gets about $40 million from the Department of Education just for students with disabilities alone. It's only 15% of the overall education budget, said Lance Melton, head of the Montana School Boards Association.

“Fairly significant harm would be implemented in Montana’s public schools if we suddenly snapped our fingers and said, ‘No more federal funding of education,’” he said.

Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) is in the fight of his political life against Sheehy.

“Tim Sheehy doesn’t give a damn about our public schools. I’m a proud product of Montana’s public schools and a former public school teacher—and I’ll fight to protect them with all I’ve got,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.

It isn't the first time Sheehy has been caught using racially charged language when he thinks the cameras aren't on. During a September event, Sheehy accused Native Americans of being "drunk at 8:00 A.M."

Read the full report here.

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Ex-Bush official’s NYT column on Jack Smith sparks sharp rebuttal from legal experts

A former assistant attorney general for George W. Bush penned a column for The New York Times trashing special counsel Jack Smith, and two top legal scholars issued their own takedown.

Former Justice Department official Andrew Weissmann and ex-Defense Department special counsel Ryan Goodman called Jack Goldsmith's attack likely political in a piece for Just Security.

The first thing Goodman pointed out is that Goldsmith's opinion appears to have evolved depending on which party controls the Justice Department. He posted a 2020 column from TIME in which Goldsmith said that then-Attorney General Bill Barr should have "enormous discretion" to ignore the informal policy about not announcing indictments 60 days before an election

In his recent column for the New York Times, Goldsmith called it "crucial" for current Attorney General Merrick Garland to comply with the rule.

"Simply put, DOJ’s 60-Day Rule against taking actions before an election DOES NOT APPLY and apparently never has to a case after an indictment has been filed," Goodman said.

Trump's election case has been going on for years and is in the hands of the court, not the DOJ, he said.

Meanwhile, on Sept. 5, Judge Tanya Chutkan "repeatedly said that the parties must go ahead without pretrial briefing being suspended or delayed by the campaign calendar," said Goodman. He accused Goldsmith of having "no awareness" of that fact.

The Times editorial implied that Smith aims to impact the 2024 election, which Goldman said would "require a conspiracy vast in scope at the Justice Department. It also ignores a ton of glaring details in court proceedings."

The two legal experts give even more details in their point-by-point takedown here.

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250 healthcare professionals urge Trump to release his medical records to gauge 'acuity'

Hundreds of healthcare professionals are calling for former President Donald Trump to release his medical information, as Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden have done.

Trump has never been one to reveal his private information, whether it be his taxes or his medical information. Even in the 2016 election, Trump obtained a letter from his long-haired personal physician that generated more laughs than it did assurance in his practice.

On Monday, Kamala Harris' campaign released a letter authorized by 250 healthcare professionals demanding that Trump release his medical information.

If elected, Trump will become the oldest president in history. That fact and his strange speeches have prompted some to suggest he isn't cognitively stable enough to lead the most powerful nation in the world.

The letter cites Trump's Aug. 20 statement, saying he'd' gladly' release his medical records.

"In the 55 days since, he has yet to do so," the letter said. "With no recent disclosure of health information from Donald Trump, we are left to extrapolate from public appearance. And on that front, Trump is falling concerningly short of any standard of fitness for office and displaying alarming characteristics of declining acuity."

The healthcare professionals highlighted Trump's advanced age as a reason to disclose his records.

"Donald Trump is nearly 80 years old," the letter continues. "While many older adults are highly functional, age can also come with cognitive changes that affect our ability to function well in complex settings. We are seeing that from Trump, as he uses his rallies and appearances to ramble, meander, and crudely lash out at his many perceived grievances."

The letter then names some of the conspiracy theories that Trump has invented, like the immigrants eating people's pets and FEMA withholding aid to those in North Carolina. The healthcare professionals say, "his refusal to disclose even basic health information is a disservice to the American people."

When speaking to CNN in 2019, former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-NE) requested that Trump prove he has bone spurs, which is the reason he got out of fighting in Vietnam. Bone spurs don't go away, he explained. So, Trump would still have them visible on his X-rays.

When publishing the letter to the social media site X, Harris' campaign included a photo of Trump on the golf course looking out of shape.

— (@)

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Republican lawmakers 'wince' as Trump rejects Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy's visit

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was one of the international leaders willing to stand up to Donald Trump when he demanded a "favor" in exchange for sending military assistance already allocated by Congress. It seems Trump doesn't forget.

Punchbowl News pointed out that Trump has spent the past week bashing Zelenskyy, and it's causing Republicans to "wince."

Over the weekend, Zelenskyy was in Scranton, PA, for a tour of a plant manufacturing artillery that has aided Ukraine's defense from the Russian invasion. He was joined by Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) and Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) as the top elected officials in the state. But Trump allies attacked the move as "election interference."

Speaking to The New Yorker, Zelenskyy described Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) as “too radical” and told him to “read up” on World War II.

Trump allies were immediately triggered.

“The idea that a foreign leader is here flying around on a C-17, in Pennsylvania, criticizing President Trump, criticizing JD Vance — it’s like a campaign stop that, again, just feels way over the top,” Trump surrogate Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), told Punchbowl.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) called the comments “the biggest mistake he’d ever make.”

“I don’t mind him going to a munitions plant thanking people for helping Ukraine. But I think his comments about JD Vance and President Trump were out of bounds,” Graham told Punchbowl. “With conservatives, it’s going to hurt Ukraine.”

Conservatives have grown increasingly pro-Russia thanks to Donald Trump's ongoing support of Vladimir Putin.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), on the other hand, didn't much care.

“President Zelenskyy is trying to do everything he can to secure the support for a sustained successful effort against Putin. My guess is, if we were in similar circumstances, we’d do the same thing," said Tillis.

“He’s making a reference to J.D.’s comments about supporting the Ukraine effort," Tillis explained to Punchbowl. "And in that case, I agree. J.D. has a position I don’t share, unfortunately. The majority of Congress doesn’t either."

In a speech to a Georgia audience, Trump admitted he only recently learned about Russia's role in World War II and its battle with former French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.

Read the full Punchbowl report here.

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'Belligerent' House Republicans are making it 'almost impossible' to govern: report

It's now 49 days until the November election and the Republican-led Congress is facing another major deadline. If there's no continuing resolution or budget bill passed by Sept. 30, the government will shut down a month before voters go to the polls.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is apparently willing to see a shutdown, saying that Republicans shouldn't cave until they get what they want.

As the Washington Post reported Monday, "House Republicans have been in power for nearly two years — and they're still unable to solve fiscal problems within their ranks."

When handed the majority in 2022, and with a speaker swap from Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), Johnson still can't pass a budget, and most bills passed by the House don't make it for a vote in the Senate, the Post reported.

"The belligerent nature of the conference, coupled with a historically narrow majority, has made it almost impossible for any GOP leader to appease each corner of their constituency when nearly every Republican vote is necessary to pass bills along party lines," the report stated.

The House Republicans interviewed by the newspaper made it clear they have little hope of getting anything other than a continuing resolution.

"Let's just be honest: Republican lack of unity has often sent us into negotiations with less leverage than we should have," Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) told the Post. "That is a fact of being in a conference that values rugged individualism over collective action."

They still want to attach a bill that would change voting rules a month before an election. Democrats have made it clear that it's a nonstarter for them.

Even Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) told the Post that trying to hang another bill onto the CR would be a bad idea.

"The speaker tried to deliver," Cole, the Appropriations Committee chairman, said. "And he didn't lose because of people on my committee and people who wanted a shorter CR. He lost because of a disparate group of people who said, 'I don't like the long CR, I want this, I want that.' Come on."

In the end, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who has voted against the CRs, said GOP leaders "would cave at the end."

Meanwhile, Democrats are calling the GOP's bluff.

"If they were serious about what they intend to do, then pass the bill themselves. But they've been unable to do that on their own," said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) during his Thursday news conference. "We are simply asking traditional Republicans to partner with House Democrats in a bipartisan way."

Read the full report here.

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Legal analysts dive into new demand to remove Judge Cannon from classified documents case

Two amicus briefs recently filed to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals argue that Judge Aileen Cannon should be removed from Donald Trump's documents case, which she dismissed in July.

While special counsel Jack Smith appealed her ruling to throw out the case over claims he had not been properly appointed, one of the things he didn't do in the appeal was ask that she be removed from the case if it is re-established. The case involves claims that Trump took classified documents from the White House and refused to return them when asked.

Instead, two others made that argument in the filings: Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and retired constitutional law professor for Harvard University Laurence Tribe, along with others.

Legal analysts Allison Gill and former FBI deputy director Andy McCabe took a deeper dive into the briefs in the Sunday "Jack" podcast.

CREW's ruling quoted the 11th Circuit's own past findings when it discussed the seriousness of Cannon's actions.

"Some of Judge Cannon’s rulings have been so unprecedented that affirming them would, in this Court’s words, 'violate bedrock separation-of-powers limitations' and require 'a radical reordering of our caselaw limiting the federal courts’ involvement in criminal investigations,'" the brief stated.

While they use many citations to argue that the case be reestablished and Cannon be removed, Gill and McCabe focused on one Florida case involving fake Rolex watches.

The case, United States v. Torkington, involved a man who was arrested for selling fake watches for $27. The judge in the lower court ruling, on the same level that Cannon is now, ruled that the arrest was absurd because no reasonable person could believe it was a real Rolex at just $27. He dismissed the case.

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals not only overruled his dismissal, but removed him from the case entirely.

Torkington used three factors for reassignment that CREW applied in its brief: First, "Judge Cannon would have difficulty putting her previous views and findings aside on remand." Second, "reassignment is appropriate to preserve the appearance of justice." And third, "The gains realized from reassignment would outweigh any waste or duplication."

"A reasonable observer could conclude that she has acted in accordance with a conviction that prosecuting a former president for retaining official documents — over 100 of which are marked classified — is 'an intolerable affront to his dignity,'" the brief says.

Gill translated from legalese: if a "reasonable member of the public" agrees she has the "appearance of impropriety," Cannon can be removed. This isn't evidence of actual partiality, but only the appearance of it.

McCabe said that as much as Trump foes want to believe "Cannon is in the tank for Trump," however, there's no concrete proof of that. But McCabe said that what Torkington does is remove the need for it entirely.

Gill also pointed out that in the Torkington case, the judge was only reversed once by the higher court. If the 11th Circuit comes back against Cannon this time, it will mean she's been reversed three times over the classified documents case.

Listen to the full podcast here.

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'Minor distortion': Writer gets close-up look at Trump’s shot ear during Mar-a-Lago visit

New York Magazine reporter Olivia Nuzzi went to Mar-a-Lago for a sit-down chat Donald Trump's — and got a close-up look at his right ear.

The attempted assassination of the ex-president in Butler, PA, in July left many asking questions after his son, Eric Trump, claimed at the Republican National Convention the shooter "took off half" of his father's ear.

But several, including a Republican lawmaker, wondered if medical records on the injury were being hidden to keep the extent of the wound from the public.

“Trump has posted that his ear was pierced by a bullet, but the sad fact is that he’s an unreliable source. News organizations need to wait for more credible confirmation of what happened,” wrote journalist Steven Beschloss at the time.

Nuzzi's details from the visit three weeks after the incident might explain why Trump's team has been so quiet.

"An ear had never before been so important, so burdened," she wrote on Monday. "An ear had never before represented the divide between the organic course of American history and an alternate timeline on which the democratic process was corrupted by an aberrant act of violence as it had not been in more than half a century."

But when it came to what she observed, it seemed more bark and less bite.

"Yet an ear had never appeared to have gone through less," Nuzzi wrote. "Except there, on the tiniest patch of this tiny sculpture of skin, a minor distortion that resembled not a crucifixion wound but the distant aftermath of a sunburn."

Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), who was the White House physician for Trump, described the specifics of the injury to the reporter.

The wound was “kind of a half-moon shape,” he claimed. “There was nothing to stitch.”

He said the bullet had “scooped” a small amount of “skin and fat” off the top of Trump's ear.

Nuzzi wrote, "By which he did not mean to imply that Trump has especially fat ears."

It turns out, “Everybody has fat and skin on top of their ears,” Jackson said. “He’s got good ears.”

Trump was seen wearing a bandage over his ear at the Republican National Convention days after the shooting, though he took if off soon after because he's reportedly a "fast healer."

Obama photographer Pete Souza was attacked on X after posting a photo of Trump's ear after the incident, showing what Nuzzi appeared to see.

"I was perplexed by photos online of Trump boarding his plane en route to a Bitcoin conference," he wrote on Instagram. "There was no bandage on his right ear. I re-posted one of the photos on Twitter and wrote, 'look closely at his ear that was ‘hit’ by a bullet from a AR-15 assault rifle.'"

The response was so "ugly" he left the platform for Threads.

Read the full piece here.

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Audio emerges of Republican’s racially charged tirade about 'drunk' Native Americans

Montana Republican Tim Sheehy, who is running for the U.S. Senate against Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), was recorded making racially charged and disparaging comments about Native Americans.

Char-Koosta News, the official news publication of the Flathead Indian Reservation, revealed shocking audio of the Republican candidate during a November fundraiser.

Sheehy trashed his relationship with Crow Reservation tribal members, saying, "a great way to bond with all the Indians while they’re drunk at 8:00 A.M.”

"We ranch together on the Crow res," he told the group. "So, I'm pretty involved down there. Road through their annual Crow Fair this year. Um, and I've broken bread with them every year... so... Great way to bond with all the Indians while they're drunk at 8:00 A.M. and you're ropin' together."

A number of male voices laugh.

The comments are remarkably similar to those he made during a Nov. 10 event in Hamilton, claiming he rode in the Cow Fair parade.

He claimed that one of the first things he did was strap a Sheehy sign to his horse and ride through the "Crow Res parade."

"And if you know a tough crowd, go through the Crow parade," he said. "Now, they’ll let you know when they like you or not, if Coors Light cans flying by your head… They respect that. You know, you go where the action is. They say, that guy's not that bad, ya know? Rode a horse through the parade. That's pretty cool. And I threw a beer can at his head, and he didn't even flinch!"

Char-Koosta News said it was working to verify the authenticity of the audio and asked for comment from the Sheehy campaign.

Last month, it was revealed Sheehy was on the verge of watching the business he started — and has touted as his main qualification for the job — collapse because the company can't pay its bills.

Meanwhile, Sheehy's service as a Navy Seal in Iraq was questionedafter the Washington Post found inconsistencies in his account.

"Most notably, Sheehy, who now owns an aerial firefighting business, has told voters that he has a bullet in his arm from combat in Afghanistan," the Post reported.

The reality, however, is that Sheehy told a National Park Service ranger in 2015 that he accidentally shot himself when his Colt .45 revolver fell. The gun then discharged in Montana’s Glacier National Park, ultimately shooting himself, court records showed.

Sheehy also hired a staffer known for liking and sharing racist posts.

Listen to the clips here.

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