internet harassment

A Republican in Texas is being questioned about his brag that he's a millionaire.

In an era where the affordability crisis has reached the top issue voters care about most, online influencer Brandon Herrera has spent his campaign bragging about his riches. The problem, according to The San Antonio Express News, is that the Republican hasn't got anything to back that up.

The salary of the U.S. House members comes out to about $174,000 and Herrera complained that it would be "a 90+ percent pay cut" for him.

Campaign manager Kimmie Gonzalez, told Punchbowl News at the time that the staff was “working to submit a revised financial disclosure report within the coming weeks.” Then the manager said that it was delayed because Herrera initially had a friend do it but later needed someone with more experience "for this level of reporting." A D.C. firm was hired.

“The updated report will be out soon. I don't have a date. I don't have a timeline, but it will be out soon," she said.

The report explained, "Democrats see an opportunity to flip the seat" due to Herrera's extremist past and scores of videos to prove it.

The Express cited law professor Doug Spencer, who focuses specifically on campaign finance regulation, who said that it is rare that a candidate's previous filings would be questioned once they take office. But when mistakes are made, a new filing is submitted. Herrera's is unique in that it appears to go beyond "a quick clerical error," the report said.

"It's really an error that highlights the very nature of who this candidate is," Spencer explained. “Is this candidate a truth-teller or not? Is this candidate wealthy or not?"

In the filing, Herrera cited his main source of income as coming from his company, "The AK Guy, Inc." That company also makes "Kalashnikov-style firearms," the report explained.

Yet, Herrera said, “Ninety-nine percent of my income comes from other sources."

Oddly, that included earning “compensation in excess of $5,000 paid by one source” from seven different entities. That includes AdSense, which is the payment for YouTube creators.

His businesses include not only the YouTube and weapons but "his podcast, a streaming service called Pepperbox TV, a merchandise retailer and an energy drink company."

Herrera has fallen under a lot of controversy after his videos exposed some of his controversial language.

“A self-described gun-rights absolutist and YouTuber known for his inflammatory humor, Mr. Herrera, 30, was initially opposed this year by both Mr. Johnson and President Trump as he challenged the district’s Republican incumbent, Tony Gonzales, for a second straight time,” reported The New York Times' Bayliss Wagner on Sunday. “Mr. Gonzales and his allies spent millions painting Mr. Herrera as extreme, highlighting old videos in which he made wildly offensive jokes like saying that a Nazi-era submachine gun was ‘the original ghetto blaster’ and ‘Hitler’s street sweeper.’”

Former Donald Trump fixer Michael Cohen has been schmoozing the president since June 2025, revealed journalist Tara Palmeri when speaking to CNN, and there's a big reason why.

The journalist told the network in a Friday morning interview that Cohen asked her for Trump's phone number last year and he teased that he thought he could get back "in" with Trump. Not long after she handed over the number, Palmeri said that Cohen met with Trump at his Bedminster club in New Jersey.

According to Palmeri this all goes back to Cohen wanting a pardon.

"This is absolutely about a pardon," she said flatly.

She noted that when President Joe Biden left office without giving Cohen a pardon, he complained that Hunter Biden got a pardon when he didn't.

"He was very angry when he didn't get one," she recalled. "You even heard him again, back on MS NOW saying, 'I'm someone's son, too' after Hunter Biden got a pardon and he didn't. He then created this proposal to pardon all nonviolent felons, 70 million, including himself. This was something he proposed during the Biden administration."

Now Cohen has proposed the same in the Trump administration.

"This was always about getting a pardon," she explained. "And he's very useful to President Trump. I mean, he does hold on to all of his secrets. He was a fixer for so many years. He handled cases like Karen McDougall and Stormy Daniels. Ostensibly, any other people that have had these issues with President Trump in the past. And Trump was particularly vulnerable. I think he saw an opening."

Palmeri went on to say that since that intial contact with Trump he's alleged that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg "coerced" his testimony.

If he's able to prove that in court, it could get Trump's conviction of 34 felony counts thrown out.

"So, they need each other. In a way, this is a convenient reunion," Palmeri alleged. "They're being, I think, they're being opportunistic, both of them. But maybe there is this sick love affair happening. I mean, even on the stand, [Cohen] admitted that he had this obsession with President Trump. I mean, it's very interesting to me, that Michael Cohen can make these flip-flops, but he does the same thing in conversations. He'll say one thing and then he'll say another. And it's almost — it's very difficult to follow him."

If he doesn't get a Trump pardon, Palmeri said she expects Cohen to be furious.

With the United States' 2026 midterms only two and one-half months away, President Donald Trump continues to suffer from weak approval ratings in one poll after another — including 33 percent from Reuters and 35 percent from YouGov/The Economist. But according to Zeteo's Asawin Suebsaeng, Trump White House insiders fear that his approval ratings could sink even lower in the weeks ahead — and that he could become as unpopular as President Herbert Hoover in 1932.

Suebsaeng, in his First Draft column for Zeteo (founded by former MS NOW host Mehdi Hasan), argues, "I have seen a lot of you making the same complaint, and it goes something like this: 'Donald Trump is such a horrendous U.S. president on so many different personal and policy fronts. I know his poll numbers are garbage right now, but how is it even possible that he's consistently clinging to more than 30 percent favorability in the polling? What does a doddering fascist have to do to crack the 20s?'"

The Zeteo columnist continues, "Well, in today's 'First Draft,' I may have a surprise for you: You're not the only ones wondering that. Some very well-connected consultants and Trump whisperers are thinking about the scary 20s, too — and they're not pleased about it. Plus, Trump's DOJ opens yet another absurd but frightening front in his war on his enemies, and the Iran stalemate keeps on stalemating hard."

The burning question with Trump's approval ratings, according to Suebsaeng, is "how low can he go?"

Suebsaeng notes that a recent American Research Group poll found Trump's approval at 30 percent, although he cautions that ARG "doesn't have the reputation other pollsters do."

According to Suebsaeng, "'Republican support for Trump has fallen as Democrats hold a big lead among enthusiastic midterms voters,' said the Economist and YouGov, noting that 'about one-third (35 percent) of Americans strongly or somewhat approve of Donald Trump’s job performance as president.' Private polls commissioned by different organizations and arms of the Republican elite 'aren’t much better,' I'm told by an operative close to the White House who has knowledge of data causing a sustained bedwetting from much of the party that President Trump is going to drag them down hard in the critically important midterms. Of course, one leading cause of these through-the-floor numbers is Trump’s catastrophic war on Iran. The data, and common sense, tell you that."

Suebsaeng emphasizes that for all of his political vulnerabilities — from the Iran war to violent immigration ratings to the economy — Trump's approval ratings from major pollsters have stayed in the thirties, and he has avoided the twenties.

"No matter how unpopular Trump has grown since early 2025," Suebsaeng writes, "conventional wisdom has held that he likely has a floor in the low-to-mid 30s, willing to stick by him through practically anything.… Not that many months ago, it was hard, even for someone like me, to imagine Trump ever again hitting the 20s in a high-quality poll. However mean, horrifying, and pathetic the Trump-Vance administration got, their leader seemed stuck in the low-to-mid 30s, riding a personality cult and a diehard conservative base that loves him or refuses to give liberals the satisfaction of defecting…. But today, keeping every caveat possible in mind, it does appear Trump is trending lower than before, with signs of ever-so-slightly-increasing erosion at the margins of his base."

Suebsaeng continues, "At this point, it is a mistake to brush off the possibility that he could plunge deeper, especially if his Iran war drags on and takes the economy with it ... Trump blundering back into the high 20s in any reputable poll was a prospect that had some practically rolling their eyes in disbelief, as recently as January."

Back in 1932 during the Great Depression, the GOP suffered one of its worst humiliations in U.S. history when President Herbert Hoover suffered a colossal defeat at the hands of the Democratic nominee: New York State Gov. Franklin Delano Roosevelt. And a senior Trump administration official fears that in terms of popularity, Trump is sinking into Hoover territory.

The official, interviewed on condition of anonymity, told Suebsaeng, "He keeps saying he doesn't want to become Herbert Hoover but then can't stop acting like he wants to be Herbert Hoover. He really could sink to the high 20s, I think. I would not have thought that last year."

The First Lady spoke from the White House on Thursday about a new initiative for foster children who age out of the system and her remarks had a not-so-subtle dig at President Donald Trump's favorite aide.

Sarah Baxter, director of the Marie Colvin Center for International Reporting, penned a column for The iPaper Friday, saying that Melania Trump's speech had staffers along with her. That included "a handsome, long-haired tech dude called Marc Beckman, who goes by the grandiose title 'Exclusive Senior Advisor to First Lady Melania Trump.'"

The speech comes after a week of speculation about the president and his top aide, Natalie Harp. The 35-year-old aide was revealed to have written letters to Trump that gush with compliments and appreciation. She ends them by signing off "with all my heart." Other stories then came out about Harp sitting in the back of an SUV because she said the president wanted her with him when he was on trial in New York.

It prompted Baxter to question whether Mrs. Trump has her "own fancier version" of the special assistant to the president.

"Beckman, it turns out, has been advising Melania ever since her eponymous $40 million Amazon docuseries," Baxter said. "Two sequels are in the works. On his LinkedIn page, Beckman describes himself as a 'strategic advisor, producer and cultural architect operating at the intersection of global policy, media and emerging technology.' He also writes about AI, crypto and robotics."

It prompted her to wonder if it was one of the reasons that Mrs. Trump began her speech by saying, “We are at the beginning of an era defined by artificial intelligence, robotics and industries that have yet to be imagined," before pivoting to talk about foster youth.

Having attractive people around Trump isn't anything new. The president has long recruited people he claims are "straight out of central casting." Most recently, his pick for Federal Reserve Chairman, Kevin Warsh, testified to the Senate that despite Trump's beliefs, he doesn't feel he's from "central casting." Baxter said, "Appearance matters," to Trump.

Looking over Harp's letters to Trump, Baxter said she "can’t imagine Melania ever writing to Trump like that." She's always been there to defend him, like the tape that revealed Trump bragging that he can grab women whenever he wants because he's a "celebrity." The First Lady rushed to his side to dismiss it as nothing more than "locker room talk."

Still, when the press spent a week talking about Trump's attractive blond aide and asking what happened to the First Lady, she appeared. “I heard you missed me," Mrs. Trump said.

Baxter closed by saying that the First Lady may seem irritated with Harp, however, "my guess is Melania thinks 'rather her than me.' This leaves her free to live as she pleases, while Trump does the same."

The New Republic's Virginia Heffernan has followed the MAGA breakup closely over the past year as President Donald Trump's broken promises has left the movement feeling "betrayed."

While speaking to Greg Sargent for his "Daily Blast" podcast, the two discussed the recent warning issued by former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.), who abandoned the president over the Jeffrey Epstein files. In a TikTok video, Greene warned that the era of MAGA success is done.

"The coalition came in. You want to know why ‘26 and ‘28 is going to be different? Because Donald Trump broke his big, big campaign promise of no more foreign wars, and actually has got us embroiled in a war with Iran, a war that should not be happening, and he’s not backing off of it. And it will probably get worse. So, that has the affordability crisis. That’s why people can’t afford gasoline. That’s why people’s bills keep going up. Food prices are still going up. Beef is at all-time high. It’s ridiculous. You know what you should have done? You should have stuck to your campaign promises, and you should have delivered for the people that put you in office, not the ones writing you the big fat checks," said Greene.

It comes after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confessed to the press, "I don't really understand" the spike in oil prices.

Sargent called Greene a kind of "oracle" when it comes to predicting that this would happen when she left Congress.

"When Marjorie Taylor Greene says the coalition is falling apart, all these voters feel betrayed by you, Mr. President, she isn’t just making a prediction. She’s essentially saying to these voters, you know, you shouldn’t show up for this guy because he f—— you, right? That’s what she’s really saying. And it’s true. She’s right about it," said Sargent.

Trump is quoted as saying he doesn’t care about his old voters. And she and lots of people took that very personally," she said.

Now, they argued, Trump is repeating the kind of foreign-policy overreach he once blasted. It comes as he's issuing threats of economic punishment against countries that trade with Iran. It's not something easily enforced and is designed largely to create the appearance of action while lacking a clear strategy for ending the conflict, they said.

Now MAGA is stuck in a messaging crisis where even Fox News personalities like Sean Hannity are avoiding most discussions about the war. The two think it's likely because audiences don't want to hear pro-war rhetoric. So, pro-Trump media is falling back on the same message that Trump is being unfairly persecuted.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was finally forced to say that the affordability crisis isn't a "hoax," as Trump claimed. On Thursday, Johnson acknowledged that the war has pushed gas prices higher. It has finally become a problem impossible for Republicans to ignore.

U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed White House ballroom is a key part of his plan for extensive makeovers and renovations in and around Washington DC. But Trump's legal foes are arguing that he lacks the authority to build the ballroom without the full consent of Congress — that he cannot act unilaterally in the matter. And according to the Wall Street Journal's Damion Paletta, he is putting the U.S. Supreme Court — one-third of which consists of Trump-appointed justices — in a tough position.

"If the Supreme Court doesn't rule by the end of Friday," Paletta reports in his WSJ column, "construction officials could be forced to halt the building of President Trump's 90,000 square-foot White House ballroom. That's because a two-week reprieve issued by an appeals court expires at midnight. We are nearly in uncharted waters now, all over a new building that will have chandeliers, bulletproof glass, a military hospital and a 'drone port.'"

Trump's ballroom goals, the WSJ reporter/columnist notes, "has emerged as one of the most fascinating tests of the power struggle between the executive and judicial branches this year."

"The White House is moving quickly," Paletta observes. "The legal system can't keep up. And thus, the ballroom is nearly done despite several judges telling the White House to stop. A federal judge in April ordered the White House to stop construction of the ballroom, but an appeals court allowed the construction to continue while it considered the case. That court, earlier this month — again — ordered the construction to be halted, but — again — allowed the construction to continue for two weeks so that the White House could appeal the matter to the Supreme Court."

Paletta continues, "All the while, construction has only picked up speed. The White House most recently said construction was 65 percent done and that a huge crew was working 20 hours a day, seven days a week on the project, which Trump is extremely involved in."

According to Paletta, the burning question is: "What is the Supreme Court to do?"

"Tell them to stop a building that is so far along, and just leave it as is?" Paletta writes. "Knock it down? But if they allow it to be completed because so much work is under way anyway, does that incentivize this administration, and future ones, to outpace a slower moving legal system with any range of projects, both construction or policy?"

The GOP's grip on South Carolina was evident when, in 2024, Donald Trump carried the deep red state by 18 percent. But according to Politico, Trump could suffer one of his "most embarrassing losses" in a state that he handily won three presidential elections in a row.

In South Carolina, President Trump is going all-in for GOP Sen. Darline Graham Nordone, who Gov. Henry McMaster appointed to her U.S. Senate seat following the unexpected death of her brother, Lindsey Graham. Now, Nordone is competing with fellow South Carolina Republicans in the state's 2026 GOP U.S. Senate primary, which will be decided in a runoff on Tuesday, August 25. And if she loses, Politico's Alec Hernandez emphasizes, it will also be a humiliating loss for Trump.

"If Graham falls short on Tuesday," Hernandez explains, "it will be one of Trump's most embarrassing in a recent string of losses this primary season. He pushed for her appointment to the Senate to complete her late brother's term and openly encouraged her to run for a full six years, with his backing."

Republicans, during Trump's second presidency, have often been in lockstep with the president. But a victory for Nordone is far from a given in the Tuesday primary.

"Trump is bringing back his hallmark campaign rally for Graham on Friday in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, just days ahead of her runoff against Republican Rep. Ralph Norman," Hernandez reports. "It's a far cry from the quieter strategy the president has used for candidates in battleground races in Georgia, Michigan and Texas: a couple supportive social media posts and, in some cases, a tele-rally on the eve of Election Day."

South Carolina-based GOP strategist Randy Page argues that given how deep red his state is, Trump's campaigning skills would be better used elsewhere.

Page told Politico, "It's going to be a red seat. If I were the president, if I were giving him political advice, I'd say: 'We're right next to Georgia, we're right next to North Carolina. Texas ain't that far away.' There are some real places that are going to affect the party keeping control of either the House or the Senate, and it's like he's just flying over them and ignoring them."

Another Republican strategist, interviewed on condition of anonymity, told Politico, "He's coming in person for Darline Graham. He really hasn't done much else. He probably has the ability to move the needle in Republicans' favor better than anyone else in the country. The question is just: Will he? Is he willing to? Does he want to? Does he care enough?"

President Donald Trump's signature economic policy was levying tariffs at the start of his second term. Now that his own Department of Labor has shown 75,000 manufacturing jobs lost during that same period, Trump is trying to blame his predecessor, President Joe Biden — but one of his fellow conservatives is telling him, not so fast.

"Is this all being framed as Joe Biden's fault?" NewsNation's Leland Vittert asked conservative commentator Erick Erickson on Thursday. "Does that make people say, 'I get it, it's Joe Biden's fault, I'm going to give him more time,' or does it seem like, after two and a half years, Republicans are passing the buck?"

Erickson dismissed the notion that Biden is to blame out of hand.

"[Trump] came in, in '25, and what was the major economic initiative?" Erickson asked. "Tariffs. Americans understand that taxes and prices went up afterward — whether it's the war, whether it's tariffs, whether it's something else, the president could, with the stroke of a pen tomorrow, get rid of the tariffs, start bringing prices down, and cause a market rally. But he won't do that, because you can't teach an old dog new tricks — he's an old believer in tariffs. That was the fundamental economic issue when they came into office, and people can put their finger on that and say, 'That's when things started to go bad.' So you can't keep passing the buck to the Democrats."

Liberals also agree with Erickson's analysis. Speaking with AlterNet in July, Dr. Robert Shapiro — who served as President Bill Clinton's undersecretary of commerce for economic affairs — broke down how Trump's tariffs are hurting the economy.

“It's about uncertainty,” Shapiro told AlterNet. “Every investment is based on an assessment of the likely future demand for whatever you're investing in, and how much it's going to cost to produce it. So there are assumptions about labor costs, material costs and other input costs — and again, about demand. If you have a set of arrangements that give you some confidence about the price of your inputs coming from Mexico or Canada, or about demand for goods in Canada — and don't forget, we have virtually no trade deficit with Canada; we have enormous trade, and it goes in both directions — so it's certainly right, and it's not just about investments based on these probabilities that the trade agreement can help reduce uncertainty about.”

Shapiro concluded, “It's also about how much you're going to produce today, apart from investment, because you've got thousands of companies selling goods or services into Canada. And so there's uncertainty about whether this will lead to more conflict with Canada, which would hurt Canadian demand for US goods, or whether Canada will impose a new tariff in retaliation for ours that makes my goods less competitive there. Of course it's bad — it's bad for American workers, it's bad for American investment.”

https://youtu.be/lC0v_Y1n_xU

President Donald Trump and his GOP majorities in the House and Senate are riding on public approval in November, but few voters are sidling up with either of their economic messages. And recent lay-offs peppering the Trump-voting heartland don’t appear to be making Republicans’ argument any easier as the nation slides into the midterms.

A Kearney company construction industry in Kansas City, Mo. announced Thursday morning that it will be laying off dozens of its employees — who will be going home for good just one month before voters head to the polls to deliver their verdict on Trump and incumbent Republicans’ economy.

“Cornerstone Building Brands, Inc. intends to implement a reduction in force at its Kearney, MO facility located at 303 W. Major St., Kearney, MO 64060,” company leaders told the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development, citing a facility cut that will affect more than 60 employees.

“The reduction in force is expected to be permanent, and there will not be any bumping rights for the affected employees,” company leaders added. “All affected employees have been notified of their separation dates and that their separation from employment will be permanent. Affected employees are expected to be separated from employment on or around October 19, 2026.”

Jobs include technicians, fork lift operators, machine operators and various production people connected to the construction industry, the company said. None of the affected employees are represented by a union.

Cornerstone Building Brands manufactures residential and commercial exterior building solutions, according to the company’s website. But the construction industry has not fared well under Trump’s policies.

Critics are blasting the president for misleading the public about the actual state of the American economy, which Trump claimed would see a manufacturing boom due to his tariffs.

“Since his re-election, we've lost 75,000 manufacturing jobs and $60 Billion in annual factory construction,” The Lincoln Project posted on X last month. “Over the same period, Biden had created 625,000.”

The Lincoln Project cited Department of Labor payroll figures proving manufacturing employment had fallen by 75,000 since Trump’s inauguration. Speaking with AlterNet earlier in July, one economist explained that Trump’s tariffs have in general created a climate of economic volatility.

“It's about uncertainty,” Dr. Robert Shapiro, undersecretary of commerce for economic affairs in the administration of President Bill Clinton and principal economic adviser to Clinton's 1992 campaign, told AlterNet. “Every investment is based on an assessment of the likely future demand for whatever you're investing in, and how much it's going to cost to produce it. So there are assumptions about labor costs, material costs and other input costs — and again, about demand.”

Assumptions for the economy, for the reminder of the Trump term, does not appear to be so sunny.

President Donald Trump's 35-year-old assistant, Natalie Harp, has aroused consternation for his reportedly obsessive behavior toward the 80-year-old Republican leader. From the president's inner staff circle and First Lady Melania Trump to the Secret Service, there were ample signs that people in the know viewed Harp's fixation on the president as at best worrisome and at worst unhealthy.

Now journalist Michael Wolff, a longtime expert on the Trumps, has published two letters that Harp reportedly wrote to Trump and left in private places in his most personal quarters for him alone to find and read.

In the first, she apologized for an incident in which she "panicked" and contacted him over a transportation snafu.

"I also am sorry if I was an embarrassment walking the course in Scotland," Harp wrote. "The first day I was told there were no carts, and people walked, which is why I walked. The second day, I was specifically asked by, I forget who his name was, but one of the main people who worked there, if I could continue walking, and tell any other girls who would head out there to do the same to spare the Course any more Carts. If there is anything else I have done to cause you trouble, please forgive me. I know that some people have said I haven't been texting them back, and there have been some International cell issues (John was having technical issues on the Plane too, so asked me to help him out)."

She added, "I want things to always be right between us. I also know I've been distracted all week (forgetting to eat throughout the days, and even forgetting to sleep, and only catching a couple hours at a time). I haven't been myself, dwelling on the Past, and the pain of losing my Dad, and I started letting the remarks of people who haven't bothered me before, get to me—not because I care what others think, but because I see myself being lowered in your eyes and good opinion. That is the fear you see, because I never want to bring you anything but joy. I'm sorry I lost my focus. You are all that matters to me. I don't want to ever let you down. Thank you for being my Guardian and Protector in this Life." She closed by saying she used a card to buy things for him and signed off "with all my heart."

In the second letter, Harp wrote "now this is the Note I wanted to write (But the apology needed to come first.) I have learned so much about myself on this Trip—I always knew coming home to my roots would be enlightening, but I had no idea how much. For the first time, in I don't know how long, you forced me to 'unplug.' We could be out on the Course, with no machines, and even forget what time it was! I didn't have to be 'Human Printer.' I could take time to enjoy good conversation, and still get all my work done at the end of the day. In fact, I even had time to take long morning and evening walks to enjoy each Sunrise and Sunset (though I did forget to eat and sleep!)."

She added, "With so much thinking time, I confess it did have a slightly negative effect at times, that I know you picked up on, but the end result, I believe, will be worth it. I had no idea how rapidly I was approaching burnout, and starting to envy those whose only 'job' seems to be to talk with you, and look pretty. I want that job!! So many times, I'm just trying to stay afloat with all that's coming in for you, I look like a hunchback who didn't have time to freshen up (at least you know what I should look like)! Plus, I miss the days when you used to call, during my Talkshow days, and we'd talk about everything and nothing. I want to get back to that synergy. We shouldn't have to talk about work all the time!! I've always felt like an in-betweener, somewhere between Staff and those you enjoy talking to on the Plane or at Dinner, because that's who I used to be to you when I was a 'Talkshow Host' (as much as I hated that actual job!)."

Ultimately she concluded that "I need to reunite my past self with my current into a better version who will make you proud. And please, when I fail, will you tell me? You have the absolute right to cuss me out, if need be, when I deserve it, because no one knows or cares about me more. Thank you for always being there for me—I'll never forget when you made that promise to me after losing my Dad, and I know how happy he is right now that I did get to go to Scotland and Ireland, as he always wanted for me. To modify a classic, 'I could not have parted with you, to anyone less worthy'—And, I will add, it is I who is unworthy."

She closed by claiming that she was still on the road to recovery from the life-saving medical procedures she claimed she was able to access because of Trump's policies.