Latest

    Featured

    Home Featured
    Featured posts

    Erika Kirk Appointed to Air Force Academy Board

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
      -
      0
      Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

      President Donald Trump has appointed Erika Kirk, the widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, to the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Board of Visitors, replacing her late husband on the advisory panel.

      The Board of Visitors, which consists of 16 members, provides oversight and recommendations to the Secretary of Defense regarding the academy’s operations. The panel reviews issues such as cadet morale, academic programs, and financial management and submits an annual report on the institution’s performance.

      Erika Kirk’s appointment was not formally announced, but her name recently appeared on the board’s public membership list.

      “Erika is the right person to fill Charlie’s place on the board and continue his work of inspiring the next generation of service members and advancing the academy,” Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), the board’s chair, told NBC affiliate KOAA. Pfluger said he recommended her appointment months ago.

      “I look forward to working alongside her to carry on Charlie’s legacy,” he added.

      Several lawmakers also serve on the board, including Sens. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.). Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), who Trump has recently selected to serve as the next secretary of Homeland Security, is also a member.

      The Air Force Academy’s Board of Visitors is one of several oversight bodies for the nation’s military academies, including West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy. Members typically include lawmakers, retired military officers, and presidential appointees who provide external perspectives on academy leadership, curriculum, and institutional priorities.

      Trump has moved to appoint a number of political allies and conservative media figures to the boards of visitors for the military academies early in his second term, part of a broader effort to reshape oversight panels that influence the schools’ culture and policies.

      Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was appointed to the Air Force Academy’s Board of Visitors by Trump in March 2025. He attended one meeting in August before he was assassinated on Sept. 10 during an appearance on the campus of Utah Valley University.

      While serving on the board, Kirk raised concerns about construction delays affecting the Air Force Academy’s chapel renovation project and urged academy leaders to emphasize American exceptionalism in cadet education.

      “It is imperative that these cadets know that we are the greatest nation ever,” Kirk said during board discussions.

      At the time of his death, the 31-year-old activist had become one of the most prominent conservative voices on college campuses through Turning Point USA, an organization that organizes student chapters and events nationwide to promote conservative political ideas.

      Following his death, Erika Kirk assumed the role of chief executive officer at Turning Point USA.

      Turning Point is funding the largest ballot-chasing operation in U.S. history to win key battleground states. Our grassroots army is already in the field for 2026 and beyond. But they can’t stay there without your support. Donate today to help win the midterms, protect the America First movement, and keep conservatives in power.

      House Dem Vows To Continue Impeachment Efforts If Elected

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
      -
      5
      Gage Skidmore Flickr

      Rep. Christian Menefee, a Texas Democrat who won a January special election to succeed the late Rep. Sylvester Turner, says he plans to continue efforts to impeach President Donald Trump — a campaign long championed by veteran Rep. Al Green — while arguing he could build broader support for such a move within the Democratic Party.

      Menefee made the remarks as he faces Green in a closely watched Democratic primary runoff that has effectively become a contest between an established anti-Trump figure and a younger lawmaker promising a more strategic approach to the same goal.

      Green, who has represented Texas in Congress for two decades, has repeatedly introduced articles of impeachment against Trump in recent years, framing the issue as a moral and constitutional test for lawmakers. None of those attempts have succeeded in advancing through the House.

      Menefee told Fox News Digital that if elected, he would continue pursuing impeachment but would focus on coordinating with fellow Democrats to ensure any effort has enough backing to move forward.

      “I’m the candidate in this race who has a track record of standing up for my community, of fighting back and doing so effectively in a way that gets things done,” Menefee said in an interview.

      He added that his approach would prioritize building consensus within the Democratic caucus before formally introducing impeachment articles.

      “My approach is going to be, when I file articles of impeachment, my goal is for them to either pass or to get very close to passing,” Menefee said.

      “That means collaborating with the other members of the Democratic caucus to make sure that it’s going to be effective. My approach is generally, if I start something, I am doing it because I want to ultimately take it across the finish line in a way that’s going to actually help people.”

      The debate over impeachment comes as Menefee and Green compete for the Democratic nomination in Texas’ 18th Congressional District. Menefee entered Congress earlier this year after winning a special election following the death of longtime Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner in March 2025.

      The two Democrats were placed on a political collision course after Republican-led redistricting plans in Texas reshaped several congressional districts and threatened multiple Democratic-held seats. Green subsequently announced he would seek reelection in the 18th District — the same seat Menefee now holds.

      While Menefee declined to directly criticize Green’s impeachment strategy, he suggested his own approach would focus less on symbolic votes and more on building support within the party.

      Green’s most recent impeachment effort, introduced in December 2025, drew support from 140 House Democrats. However, the measure failed to advance after 23 Democrats joined Republicans in voting to table it, while another 47 voted “present.”

      Green has long made opposition to Trump a central theme of his congressional career, frequently calling for impeachment and framing the issue as a question of constitutional accountability.

      “We have to participate. This is a participatory democracy. The impeachment requires the hands and the guidance of all of us,” Green said in November 2025 while announcing his latest impeachment push.

      The congressman has also drawn national attention during presidential addresses to Congress. In 2026 he was removed from President Trump’s State of the Union address after displaying a sign that read, “Black people aren’t apes.” The year before, during the 2025 State of the Union, Green was escorted out after refusing to take his seat while waving his cane toward the president in protest.

      Despite their shared opposition to Trump, Menefee has attempted to distinguish himself by emphasizing unity within the Democratic caucus and a pragmatic legislative strategy rather than what some critics have described as Green’s more confrontational style.

      Neither candidate secured a majority in the district’s Democratic primary earlier this month, forcing the race into a runoff election scheduled for May 26. The outcome will determine which Democrat advances to represent one of Houston’s most prominent Democratic strongholds in Congress — and which approach to confronting Trump voters in the district prefer.

      FROM THE DESK OF DONALD TRUMP JR. Democrats tried to rig the census by counting millions of illegal immigrants — giving blue states more power in Congress. Now we’re making sure only American citizens are counted. But first, we need to verify our own records. CONFIRM YOUR VOTER INFORMATION NOW.

      Trump State Department Nominee Withdraws From Consideration

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
        -
        0
        By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54581054338/, Public Domain,

        President Donald Trump’s nominee for a senior State Department position withdrew his candidacy Tuesday after growing opposition from lawmakers threatened to derail his confirmation.

        Earlier in the day, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Jeremy Carl—Trump’s nominee for assistant secretary of state for international organizations—of having “a long history of racist, white supremacist, and antisemitic views,” arguing that those views disqualified him from serving in the role.

        Carl stepped aside after weeks of scrutiny over past remarks about white identity and American culture, though he maintained that his comments had been misinterpreted.

        “Unfortunately, for senior positions such as this one, the support of the President and Secretary of State is very important but not sufficient,” Carl said in a statement announcing his withdrawal. “We also needed the unanimous support of every GOP senator on the Committee on Foreign Relations, given the unanimous opposition of Senate Democrats to my candidacy, and unfortunately that support was not forthcoming.”

        Carl also defended his previous comments, saying that while he has occasionally used the phrase “white culture” in speeches and writings, his broader concern has been preserving what he described as a shared American civic culture.

        According to Carl, the term referred to cultural traditions widely shared by Americans prior to the 1965 Hart-Celler Immigration Act. He argued that people of all backgrounds can participate in and contribute to those traditions.

        Carl also pushed back against Schumer in a post on X, accusing the New York Democrat of selectively condemning controversial rhetoric when it can be used against Republicans.

        “You appear to only disavow racism, antisemitism and racial supremacy if you think you can use those words as a cudgel to beat Republicans,” Carl wrote, adding that Schumer has not denounced comments he characterized as anti-white from Democratic lawmakers, including Texas House Democratic leader Gene Wu and Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

        Carl faced intense questioning during a Senate confirmation hearing in February over earlier remarks warning about the potential “erasure” of white culture in the United States.

        During the hearing, Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, pressed Carl to explain what values he believed were disappearing and why he believed “white culture” was being erased.

        Carl responded that Murphy had misunderstood his position, reiterating that his comments referred to what he views as a shared civic culture in the United States rather than an exclusionary racial identity. He again argued that Americans of all backgrounds can take part in and help shape that culture.

        FROM THE DESK OF DONALD TRUMP JR. Democrats tried to rig the census by counting millions of illegal immigrants — giving blue states more power in Congress. Now we’re making sure only American citizens are counted. But first, we need to verify our own records. CONFIRM YOUR VOTER INFORMATION NOW.

        Leading GOP Candidate In Georgia Governor’s Race Sues Trump-Backed Opponent

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
        -
        0

        Billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson filed a defamation lawsuit Monday against Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, his Republican primary opponent in the state’s 2026 gubernatorial race.

        The lawsuit, filed in Fulton County Superior Court, alleges that Jones made three separate defamatory statements about Jackson on social media over the past week. Jackson’s campaign confirmed the filing Monday morning.

        “Burt Jones is learning real fast that the days of him doing and saying anything for his own benefit are coming to an end,” Jackson campaign spokesman Dave Abrams said in a statement provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation on Monday. “Rick Jackson is holding self-serving politician Burt Jones accountable for his words and his actions.”

        In the complaint, Jackson argues that Jones has resorted to personal attacks rather than campaigning on his own record.

        “Rather than standing on his record, fighting like an honest man, and earning the trust and support of Georgians, Burt Jones is resorting to what he knows best: cheap and dirty politics,” the complaint states.

        Jones’ campaign dismissed the lawsuit and defended the remarks.

        “Rick Jackson’s thin skin is showing,” Kayla Lott, a spokesperson for Jones’ campaign, told the DCNF in a statement Monday. “Why is Rick so embarrassed to have received a billion dollars in state contracts, helped Planned Parenthood recruit, and staff a pediatric doctor’s office that serves ‘transgender patients.’ He should be proud Georgia knows how his company made its money.”

        The dispute centers on a March 5 post by Jones on X, where he claimed Jackson “made his fortune recruiting for Planned Parenthood, helping doctors perform transgender procedures on minors, and pocketed over $1 billion in state contracts on the backs of Georgia taxpayers,” adding “Georgia’s not for sale.”

        The lawsuit escalates an already contentious Republican primary race.

        After launching his campaign relatively late on Feb. 3, Jackson has spent nearly $16 million on advertising—almost six times the amount spent by Jones—according to NBC News, citing data from AdImpact.

        Recent polling suggests Jackson currently leads the GOP field. A JMC Analytics and Polling survey of likely Republican primary voters released Monday found 37% support Jackson, while 22% backed Jones.

        A Quantus Insights poll conducted in February found Jackson leading with 32.6% support among likely GOP primary voters, compared to 16.9% for Jones.

        However, an Emerson College poll released March 5 showed a tighter race. The survey found 21% of voters supporting Jones and 20% backing Jackson.

        The poll also found Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger—known for clashing with Trump over the 2020 presidential election—receiving 11% support, followed by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr at 6%, while 38% of respondents remained undecided.

        Among voters who said President Donald Trump’s endorsement makes them more likely to support a candidate, Jones led with 31% support compared to Jackson’s 21%, according to the Emerson poll.

        Under Georgia law, if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the May 19 Republican primary, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff election scheduled for June 16.

        The defamation lawsuit marks the second legal clash between the candidates this year. In February, Jackson and his campaign committee filed a separate lawsuit against Jones challenging a state campaign finance law that Jackson argued gives Jones an unfair advantage in the primary, CBS News reported.

        FROM THE DESK OF DONALD TRUMP JR. Democrats tried to rig the census by counting millions of illegal immigrants — giving blue states more power in Congress. Now we’re making sure only American citizens are counted. But first, we need to verify our own records. CONFIRM YOUR VOTER INFORMATION NOW.

        Trump Addresses Possibility Of Ordering Boots On The Ground In Iran

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
        -
        1
        President Donald J. Trump is presented with a 10th Combat Aviation Brigade challenge coin following an air assault and gun rain demonstration at Fort Drum, New York, on August 13. The demonstration was part of President Trump's visit to the 10th Mountain Division (LI) to sign the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019, which increases the Army's authorized active-duty end strength by 4,000 enabling us to field critical capabilities in support of the National Defense Strategy. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Thomas Scaggs) 180813-A-TZ475-010

        President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States is “nowhere near” sending ground troops into Iran to secure enriched uranium reportedly stored at the country’s Isfahan nuclear complex.

        In a phone interview with the New York Post, Trump said no decision has been made about deploying American forces on the ground.

        “We haven’t made any decision on that. We’re nowhere near it,” Trump told the outlet.

        Trump’s comments come after reporters aboard Air Force One asked him Saturday about the possibility of deploying ground troops as part of a potential operation involving Iran.

        At the time, Trump indicated such a move would require strong justification.

        “There would have to be a very good reason,” he said.

        “And I would say if we ever did that, [Iran] would be so decimated they wouldn’t be able to fight at the ground level,” Trump added on Saturday.

        The president also addressed Iran’s leadership transition following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has reportedly succeeded him as Iran’s new supreme leader.

        Trump said he was displeased with the development, telling the New York Post he is “not happy” that the younger Khamenei has taken power.

        Asked what actions he might take in response to Iran’s new leadership, Trump declined to elaborate.

        “Not going to tell you. Not going to tell you. I’m not happy with him,” Trump said.

        In a separate interview with ABC News on Sunday, Trump suggested Iran’s new leader would struggle to remain in power without U.S. backing.

        “Whoever becomes Iran’s new leader is not going to last long without approval from us,” Trump said.

        Turning Point is funding the largest ballot-chasing operation in U.S. history to win key battleground states. Our grassroots army is already in the field for 2026 and beyond. But they can’t stay there without your support. Donate today to help win the midterms, protect the America First movement, and keep conservatives in power.

        Iran Rebukes Trump Demand While Announcing New Supreme Leader

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
        -
        0
        By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54581054338/, Public Domain,

        Iran has selected a new supreme leader to replace Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following his death in a U.S.-Israeli strike, while rejecting demands from President Donald Trump to have any role in the leadership selection.

        Iran’s Assembly of Experts — the powerful body of senior clerics responsible for choosing the country’s supreme leader — announced Sunday that Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s 56-year-old son, will succeed his father.

        CNN’s Jeremy Diamond, reporting from Tel Aviv, said the decision came just over a week after the killing of Ali Khamenei during the opening phase of the conflict with Israel.

        “This is just in from Iran’s Assembly of Experts,” Diamond said. “This is the body of senior Iranian clerics responsible for electing the next supreme leader, and they have now chosen, just over a week after the assassination of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his son Mojtaba Khamenei as his successor.”

        Diamond noted that Mojtaba Khamenei is widely seen as a hardline figure with close ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

        “He is known for having close ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and his selection will largely be viewed as a continuation of his father’s rule,” Diamond said. “This is quite a hard-line stance for the Assembly of Experts to be choosing as the next supreme leader of Iran.”

        According to the report, Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded in the same strike that killed his father. The attack also killed his wife.

        His appointment comes amid escalating tensions with the United States and Israel, both of which have sharply criticized Iran’s leadership.

        President Trump had previously dismissed the possibility of Mojtaba Khamenei becoming supreme leader, calling him a “lightweight” in an interview with Axios and saying such a choice would be unacceptable.

        Iranian officials, however, have firmly rejected any suggestion that Washington could influence the selection.

        Speaking Sunday on NBC News’ Meet the Press, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the choice of supreme leader is strictly an internal matter for Iran.

        When asked whether Iran would allow Trump any role in choosing the country’s next leader, Araghchi responded bluntly.

        “We allow nobody to interfere in our domestic affairs,” he said. “This is up to the Iranian people to elect their new leader. They have already elected the Assembly of Experts, and the Assembly of Experts will do the job. It is only the business of the Iranian people and nobody else’s business.”

        Araghchi also pushed back on Trump’s earlier demand for Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”

        “This is what he asked the previous time in June, when Israel started to attack us,” Araghchi said. “President Trump used the same phrase, ‘unconditional surrender.’ That was the tweet he made. And that didn’t happen.”

        “We resisted, and after 12 days Israelis asked for an unconditional ceasefire,” he continued. “So we never give up, we never surrender, and we will continue to resist as long as it takes. We are defending our territory, our people, and our dignity. And our dignity is not for sale.”

        Even as Iran moves forward with its new leadership, Israeli officials have issued stark warnings that the country’s next leader will also become a target.

        Days before the leadership announcement, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that anyone appointed to lead Iran’s ruling regime could face assassination if they continue policies hostile to Israel and its allies.

        “Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people will be an unequivocal target for elimination,” Katz wrote in a post on X.

        “It does not matter what his name is or the place where he hides,” he added.

        Katz said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for such action as part of Israel’s ongoing military campaign against Iran, known as Operation Lion’s Roar.

        “The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to prepare and act by all means to carry out the mission as an integral part of the objectives of Operation Lion’s Roar,” Katz said.

        He added that Israel will continue coordinating with the United States to weaken the Iranian regime and create conditions that could lead to political change inside the country.

        Police Officer Chance Bretches was awarded a Lifesaving Medal with Valor for rescuing someone from a burning vehicle…But now radicals are trying to ruin his life just for doing his job. Officer Bretches and his family need your help.[Support Police Officers HERE]

        Trump Attends Dignified Transfer of Six US Service Members Killed By Iran

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
        -
        0
        KENTUCKY AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Air Force Two taxies into the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., on Feb 11, 2011. The base frequently supports visits by the president and vice president when they travel to Louisville. Vice President Joe Biden was in town to speak at the University of Louisville. (U.S. Air Force by Maj. Dale Greer)

        On Saturday, President Donald Trump attended the dignified transfer of six American service members killed so far by Iran in Operation Epic Fury.

        White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt first announced the news during her Wednesday press briefing

        “President Trump intends to attend the dignified transfer of these American heroes to stand in grief alongside their families,” she said during the White House press briefing. 

        Four of the six have been identified: Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; and Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa. All four died Saturday in Kuwait from an Iranian drone attack.

        The service members, who were killed in a make-shift office space at a civilian port in Kuwait, will be transported to the United States at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

        Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, described the site as a “secure facility fortified with 6-foot walls,” in a Tuesday post on social platform X.

        Police Officer Chance Bretches was awarded a Lifesaving Medal with Valor for rescuing someone from a burning vehicle…But now radicals are trying to ruin his life just for doing his job. Officer Bretches and his family need your help.[Support Police Officers HERE]

        Trump Cuts Tucker Carlson Loose From Political Movement

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
        -
        0
        Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

        President Donald Trump said Thursday that Tucker Carlson is no longer part of the MAGA movement, declaring in an interview that the former Fox News host “has lost his way.”

        “Tucker has lost his way,” Trump told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl. “I knew that a long time ago, and he’s not MAGA. MAGA is saving our country. MAGA is making our country great again. MAGA is America first, and Tucker is none of those things. And Tucker is really not smart enough to understand that.”

        Trump’s comments come after Carlson sharply criticized the administration over recent U.S. strikes on Iran. Carlson called the military action “absolutely disgusting and evil.” He has also criticized the Trump administration on other issues, including the Epstein files and the war in Ukraine.

        In the same interview, Trump defended the Iran operation and described it as a success. The president gave multiple interviews Thursday in which he praised the strikes and insisted that Americans support the decision, saying people are “loving it,” despite polls suggesting a more divided public response.

        “They are decimated for a 10-year period before they could build it back,” Trump said of Iran.

        Carlson, meanwhile, warned that the decision to strike Iran could reshape Trump’s political movement. In an interview with Karl, he said the move would “shuffle the deck in a profound way” politically.

        Trump previously dismissed Carlson’s criticism of the strikes, saying it had no impact on him. Carlson reportedly visited the White House multiple times last month to lobby against the attack.

        Despite the public criticism, Carlson said he still supports Trump.

        Speaking to Status reporter Oliver Darcy on Thursday, the former Fox News host expressed continued loyalty to the president even after Trump publicly distanced himself from him.

        “There are times I get annoyed with Trump, right now definitely included,” Carlson said, adding, “but I’ll always love him no matter what he says about me.”

        People with severe psychiatric illness shouldn’t be sent to jail. It’s time to rebuild real mental health institutions focused on treatment, accountability, and compassion. If you agree, stand with Vivek Ramaswamy and make your voice heard. SIGN HERE.

        Man Accused Of Plotting Trump Assassination Claims He Was Pressured By Iran

          By
          Madeleine Jackson
          -
          2
          Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

          A Pakistani businessman accused of attempting to hire hit men to assassinate political figures — including President Donald Trump — told jurors in a New York courtroom that he was forced into the plot by Iran’s powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

          Asif Merchant, 47, testified Wednesday that Trump was not the only potential target in the alleged 2024 assassination scheme. According to Merchant, the list of possible victims also included then-President Joe Biden and former presidential candidate and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

          Merchant told jurors he acted under pressure from an Iranian intelligence handler who threatened his relatives living in Iran.

          “My family was under threat, and I had to do this,” Merchant testified through an Urdu interpreter. “I was not wanting to do this so willingly.”

          He said he believed he would be arrested before anyone was harmed and planned to cooperate with U.S. authorities afterward in hopes of receiving leniency — and potentially a green card.

          Alleged plot uncovered by FBI

          Federal prosecutors say Merchant was arrested in July 2024 after outlining a murder-for-hire scheme to a man who was actually an informant working with the FBI. According to court filings, Merchant sketched out a plan on a napkin during a recorded meeting and later attempted to hire two men — who turned out to be undercover federal agents — to carry out the killing.

          He allegedly provided the agents with $5,000 as an initial payment while discussing possible methods for killing a political target.

          Authorities arrested Merchant in Texas as he prepared to leave the United States, before any attack could be carried out.

          Merchant testified that his handler initially asked him to recruit people in the United States willing to assist Iran. The assignment later escalated to finding someone capable of organizing protests, committing theft, laundering money and “maybe have somebody murdered.”

          “He did not tell me exactly who it is, but he told me — he named three people: Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Nikki Haley,” Merchant said in court.

          Prosecutors, however, argue that Merchant continued working on the plan even after U.S. immigration officials questioned him at Houston’s airport in April 2024 about his travel to Iran. Investigators say he researched Trump rally locations, drafted plans for a shooting at a political event and gathered money to pay the supposed hit men.

          In court filings, prosecutors also noted that Merchant never contacted law enforcement before his arrest and did not initially tell FBI agents that he had been acting under duress.

          If convicted, Merchant faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

          Part of broader Iran-linked threats

          The case is one of several alleged plots tied to Iran targeting former Trump administration officials in the years following the 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. U.S. officials say Iran has sought revenge for the strike by attempting to target Trump and other senior American figures.

          Another Justice Department case filed in 2024 accused an Afghan national, Farhad Shakeri, of working with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to organize a separate murder-for-hire scheme aimed at Trump and other targets.

          The Iranian government has repeatedly denied involvement in assassination plots against U.S. leaders.

          Authorities have also emphasized that other attempts on Trump’s life during the 2024 campaign — including the shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania — were not connected to Iran and were carried out by individuals acting alone.

          Trial unfolds amid rising tensions

          Merchant’s trial comes during a period of heightened conflict between the United States and Iran. The proceedings are unfolding as a widening regional war involving Iran continues, with U.S. prosecutors arguing that the alleged plot reflects Iran’s willingness to conduct covert operations on American soil.

          URGENT MISSION: 35 brave House GOP members are in JEOPARDY! Today ONLY, you can donate ANY amount and it will go DIRECTLY to fending off attacks on our 35 brightest MAGA fighters in Congress in these vulnerable districts! [Rush Donation HERE]

          Paxton Offers Conditions For Potential Exit From Texas Senate Race 

          By
          Madeleine Jackson
          -
          0

          Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said Thursday he would consider dropping out of the closely watched Republican Senate primary against Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) if Senate Republicans meet several conditions, a statement that comes as President Donald Trump prepares to weigh in on the race.

          Paxton said he would consider exiting the contest if Senate leadership agreed to eliminate the filibuster — the 60-vote threshold typically required to advance most legislation in the upper chamber — and pass a bill requiring voters to show proof of citizenship to register to vote.

          The legislation, known as the SAVE America Act, has already passed the House but remains stalled in the Senate, where Republicans lack the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.

          Paxton framed his proposal as part of a broader effort to advance Trump’s agenda in Washington.

          “John Cornyn is a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill. Now, Fake News reporters and the establishment are trying to destroy me with misinformation,” Paxton wrote Thursday on the social media platform X.

          “The truth is clear: No one has been more loyal to Donald Trump than me—fighting the stolen 2020 election, being in Mar-a-Lago when he announced his 2024 campaign, and standing with him in NY in the face of lawfare,” he added. “For the good of our country and for the good of passing President Trump’s agenda, I am determined to help him get this done.”

          Paxton’s comments come a day after Trump said he plans to issue an endorsement in the Texas Senate runoff and urged whichever candidate he does not back to exit the race to unify the party.

          In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump said the GOP must quickly coalesce around a nominee ahead of the general election.

          “The Texas Republican Senate Primary has been very interesting to watch,” Trump wrote.

          “The Texas Republican Senate Primary cannot, for the good of the Party, and our Country, itself, be allowed to go on any longer,” he continued. “IT MUST STOP NOW! We have an easy to beat, Radical Left Opponent, and we have to TOTALLY FOCUS on putting him away, quickly and decisively! Both John [Cornyn] and Ken [Paxton] ran great races, but not good enough. Now, this one, must be PERFECT!”

          The Republican primary advanced to a runoff earlier this week after neither Paxton nor Cornyn secured a majority of the vote. The runoff election is scheduled for May 26.

          Cornyn has expressed some openness to changes to Senate filibuster rules but has warned that eliminating the 60-vote threshold could backfire if Democrats regain control of the chamber.

          The incumbent senator has also supported the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to show proof of citizenship to register to vote and present photo identification at the polls.

          Some Republicans have floated adopting a “talking filibuster,” which would require senators opposing a bill to hold the floor continuously to block passage. Under that proposal, legislation could ultimately pass with 51 votes once opponents stop speaking. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has expressed skepticism about implementing such a change.

          Republican leadership has also reportedly urged Trump to endorse Cornyn in hopes of avoiding a prolonged and potentially divisive primary fight.

          People with severe psychiatric illness shouldn’t be sent to jail. It’s time to rebuild real mental health institutions focused on treatment, accountability, and compassion. If you agree, stand with Vivek Ramaswamy and make your voice heard. SIGN HERE.
          123...96Page 1 of 96
          © Great America News Desk 2022