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    Trump Recalls Final Call And ‘One Bad Moment’ With Lindsey Graham

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      [Photo Credit: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

      President Donald Trump will help Washington bid farewell to Sen. Lindsey Graham on Tuesday, weeks after revealing that the South Carolina Republican spent their final conversation fighting for one last political priority.

      Graham called Trump shortly after returning from Ukraine on July 11, the night he died unexpectedly at 71.

      “We’re all set for the SAVE America Act,” Graham told the president, according to Trump’s July 12 interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

      Trump said Graham sounded tired following the lengthy overseas trip but otherwise appeared fine. The senator remained focused on advancing the Republican election-integrity bill and expected to see the president again soon.

      “I’ll see you soon,” Trump remembered telling him.

      Hours later, Trump received word that Graham had died. Preliminary findings from the District of Columbia medical examiner later identified the cause as an aortic dissection stemming from arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

      “It could have been his last call,” Trump said.

      The conversation was vintage Graham: back in Washington after another international trip and immediately pressing the president about unfinished business.

      Trump recalled that the senator’s relentless commitment to politics made it nearly impossible to imagine him doing anything else. He had endorsed Graham’s reelection bid and believed the veteran lawmaker was cruising toward another decisive victory.

      The president also offered an unusually Trumpian assessment of his late friend during a subsequent “Fox & Friends” interview, rating Graham a 99.9 out of 100.

      Trump said Graham lost a fraction of a point over “one bad moment”: his brief break with the president following the events of Jan. 6, 2021.

      Graham took to the Senate floor that night and declared that he had reached the end of his journey with Trump. According to the president, however, Graham called him less than an hour later and immediately expressed regret over what he had said.

      Trump therefore gave him “a 99.9 instead of 100,” according to People.

      The remark captured the unconventional friendship between the two Republicans, who began as bitter rivals during the 2016 presidential campaign.

      Graham warned Republicans against nominating Trump, while Trump routinely mocked Graham’s struggling campaign. Their relationship changed after Trump easily defeated him and the rest of the Republican field.

      Trump said Graham respected his victory, and their friendship gradually grew. Graham eventually became one of Trump’s most reliable allies and advisers, particularly on judicial nominations and foreign policy.

      Despite frequently teasing Graham, Trump offered rare praise for the senator’s political abilities.

      Trump called him one of the “top 10 in politics” and said Graham possessed a nearly unmatched ability to win over both Republicans and Democrats. While recalling his friend’s effectiveness in the Senate, Trump acknowledged that viewers had “probably never heard me say that about anybody.”

      Graham was a frequent visitor to the White House, where Trump relied on him as a gauge of the Senate’s mood and a go-between when the administration needed help winning over resistant lawmakers.

      Trump also credited Graham’s fiery defense of Brett Kavanaugh with helping save the Supreme Court nominee’s confirmation. The president described the exchange as one of the most consequential performances in Senate history.

      Beneath the jokes and political reminiscing, Trump made clear that Graham’s death represented a personal and national loss.

      “The real loser was the United States of America,” Trump said in remarks later collected by the White House.

      Trump predicted that Graham would receive greater appreciation after his death and told Fox News that a “special type of funeral” was being arranged for the senator.

      That farewell will begin Tuesday at the U.S. Capitol, where Graham’s remains will be carried into the Rotunda by an Armed Forces Body Bearer Team in recognition of his decades of military service.

      The casket will later be taken to Washington National Cathedral for an invitation-only service beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern. Trump is scheduled to deliver a tribute, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are expected to attend.

      Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who served alongside Graham for more than a decade, called his friend “irreplaceable.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) remembered him as a “Senator. Warrior. Patriot. Statesman.”

      Every member of the Senate also co-sponsored a resolution honoring Graham’s life, which passed unanimously.

      Following the Washington service, Graham’s remains will return to South Carolina. A public procession, F-16 flyover and funeral service will be held Wednesday before a private family burial in Pickens County, according to the official funeral schedule.

      Stand with President Trump against fraud, waste & abuse – he can’t beat the machine without YOU.

      Trump Moves to Ground Senate’s Summer Escape Over Election Bill

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      Ted Eytan from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

      President Donald Trump just handed Senate Republicans an ultimatum: Pass his election integrity bill — or forget about summer vacation.

      Trump turned up the heat on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) Monday morning, demanding that senators remain in Washington until the SAVE America Act clears the chamber.

      “John Thune should not allow the United States Senate to ‘leave town’ until it passes The Save America Act,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

      The president said an even better option would be for Republicans to terminate the legislative filibuster, allowing the party to pass the election bill — along with its budget and debt-ceiling priorities — by a simple majority.

      Trump warned that Democrats would scrap the 60-vote threshold themselves as soon as they regained power, adding, “stupidity always brings LOSING & DEATH!”

      The pressure campaign lands as senators return to Capitol Hill for their final two weeks of work before an extended August recess. The chamber is scheduled to leave after Aug. 7 and not return until Sept. 14.

      Trump’s gambit is clear: Force Thune to either keep senators in Washington or explain why Republicans went home with one of the president’s biggest legislative priorities still collecting dust.

      The Trump-backed package would require documentary proof of citizenship to register for federal elections and photo identification at the polls. The White House is also pushing restrictions on mail-in voting, with exceptions for illness, disability, military service and travel, according to its official summary of the legislation.

      The House passed its latest version of the measure last week after tying it to legislation banning members of Congress from trading stocks. The combined package passed 232-198, with 13 Democrats joining Republicans, The Daily Wire reported.

      But the Senate remains the brick wall.

      The legislation needs 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, and Democrats have remained united against it. Thune says supporters are still well short of that mark — and he has repeatedly rejected Trump’s demands to blow up Senate rules.

      Trump is no longer alone in demanding that senators sacrifice their summer escape.

      “The Senate doesn’t need a summer vacation as much as the country needs the SAVE America Act. Let’s cancel recess,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) wrote on X over the weekend.

      Lee later pledged to object to any attempt to send the Senate into recess before the bill passes and requested a recorded vote, according to Democracy Docket.

      Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) also drew a line in the sand.

      “I will vote to stay in session unless we have passed the SAVE America Act,” Scott wrote on X. “The American people expect us to deliver. They deserve secure elections.”

      Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) joined the revolt Sunday, arguing that the Senate should remain in session for “a few extra days” to try to break the stalemate.

      Thune, however, has shown little appetite for scrapping the filibuster — or accepting blame for the stalled legislation.

      White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last week that Trump’s “patience is running out” and accused the Republican-controlled Senate of failing to do its job.

      Thune fired back.

      “Maybe she or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes,” he told reporters. “It’s 50 around here.”

      The clash has been building for months. In March, Thune said eliminating the filibuster was “not a realistic option” because Republicans did not have enough votes to change the rules, ABC News reported.

      Keeping the Senate in session would not magically produce the missing votes. It would, however, make the standoff impossible to ignore — and give Trump more time to turn up the pressure on Thune and wavering senators.

      With fewer than 100 days before the midterm elections, Trump appears determined to make Republicans choose between their vacation plans and a public showdown over election security.

      If we lose Texas, we lose America. Your urgent generosity could help save both.

      Trump-Backed Mike Lindell Surges Ahead In Minnesota Governor’s Race

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      Mike Lindell via Gage Skidmore Flickr

      Mike Lindell is no longer merely the most famous Republican running for governor of Minnesota. The MyPillow founder is beginning to pull away from the pack.

      A new KSTP/SurveyUSA poll found Lindell leading the Republican primary with 35 percent support—an eight-point jump since June and a nine-point advantage over his closest rival.

      Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth climbed four points to 26 percent, while Kendall Qualls, who secured the state Republican Party’s endorsement in May, fell six points to 11 percent.

      The survey of 478 Republican voters was conducted from July 15 through July 20 and carried a margin of error of plus or minus 5.4 percentage points.

      Lindell’s gains stretched across several important voting blocs. According to KSTP-TV, his support among Republican women climbed nine points, while his backing among voters 65 and older surged by 17 points.

      The latest results mark a clear acceleration for Lindell. A June KSTP/SurveyUSA survey placed him at 27 percent, followed by Demuth at 22 percent and Qualls at 17 percent.

      At the time, Carleton College political analyst Steven Schier said Lindell’s national profile would make him competitive but warned that he would need additional money to preserve his advantage.

      Instead, Lindell has widened his lead just weeks before the Aug. 11 primary—and he is doing it despite the state party establishment lining up behind someone else.

      Qualls secured the Minnesota Republican Party endorsement after a chaotic 10-ballot convention marked by lengthy delays and problems with its electronic voting system. But that endorsement has not translated into momentum among the broader Republican electorate.

      Lindell received another, far more powerful endorsement on the first day of the new poll’s surveying period: President Donald Trump’s.

      Trump threw his “complete and total endorsement” behind his longtime ally in a July 15 Truth Social post, calling Lindell “one of America’s greatest and most hard working Patriots.” (RELATED: Trump Endorses Mike Lindell In Minnesota Governor’s Race)

      “Mike will be SPECTACULAR!!!” Trump wrote, adding that Lindell would “MAKE MINNESOTA GREAT AGAIN.”

      Lindell welcomed the endorsement and made it clear that his campaign was not a publicity exercise.

      “I wanted everyone in Minnesota to know I’m serious,” Lindell told KSTP-TV. “I’m running this campaign. I’m 100% all in.”

      The primary winner is expected to face Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar in November for the seat being vacated by Gov. Tim Walz.

      Walz abandoned his bid for a third term in January as Minnesota faced mounting scrutiny over fraud involving government-funded social-service programs. In his withdrawal statement, Walz acknowledged that the state had a serious problem and declared that “the buck stops with me,” while insisting his administration was taking action.

      Fraud and government accountability have since become central issues in the race. Lindell has proposed halting payments to providers flagged as high-risk, expanding audits and data analysis, strengthening protections for whistleblowers and cooperating with federal investigators.

      Republican voters now appear increasingly willing to entrust that fight to the outspoken businessman.

      Early voting for Minnesota’s primary began June 26, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office. With less than three weeks remaining before Election Day, Lindell has transformed his celebrity and close relationship with Trump into a commanding—though not yet insurmountable—lead.

      Stand with President Trump against fraud, waste & abuse – he can’t beat the machine without YOU.

      Trump’s Handpicked Graham Successor Draws Challenge From Old GOP Nemesis

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      [Photo Credit: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

      Mark Sanford is back — and once again running headlong into President Donald Trump’s political machine.

      The former South Carolina governor and congressman announced Thursday that he is seeking the Senate seat previously held by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, joining a rapidly expanding Republican field despite Trump already throwing his support behind Graham’s sister, Sen. Darline Graham.

      “Our country is at a financial tipping point, and I can’t sit on the sidelines while Washington adds a trillion dollars to the debt every 100 days,” Sanford wrote on social media.

      “I’ve spent my entire time in politics fighting this fight, and I’m running for U.S. Senate to keep the American dream alive for our sons, my grandson, and those you love. Join us,” he added.

      Sanford’s announcement included a video in which he reflected on Graham’s death and described the loss as a reminder of “how short and precious life is.”

      “My own dad got Lou Gehrig’s disease when I was in high school, and this notion of all of us having just a little time has always hit me hard,” Sanford said. “We’re stewards of our lives and the things that we love for just a short time.”

      The campaign gives Sanford another opportunity to revive his longtime crusade against federal spending — but it also places him squarely against Trump’s preferred candidate.

      Trump announced last week that Darline Graham would receive his “Complete and Total Endorsement” if she entered the race, enthusiastically declaring: “RUN, DARLINE, RUN!” (RELATED: Trump Speaks Out On Potential Lindsey Graham Replacement)

      Graham, who was appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster to temporarily fill her brother’s seat, confirmed during an interview with Sean Hannity that she would seek the full six-year term. Her appointment made her the first woman to represent South Carolina in the Senate.

      Sanford’s entry creates an especially combustible matchup because he and Trump have already fought — and Trump won.

      Sanford repeatedly criticized Trump during his first administration, drawing the president’s wrath while seeking another House term in 2018. Just hours before polls closed in that year’s Republican primary, Trump endorsed Sanford’s opponent, state Rep. Katie Arrington, and declared that Sanford had been “very unhelpful” and was “better off in Argentina.”

      The jab referenced Sanford’s infamous 2009 disappearance while serving as governor. His staff initially said he was hiking the Appalachian Trail, but Sanford later acknowledged that he had traveled to Argentina to visit a woman with whom he was having an affair.

      Arrington narrowly defeated Sanford, handing him his first loss in a South Carolina election. Arrington had spent much of the campaign portraying Sanford as a “Never Trumper.”

      Sanford returned the challenge the following year by launching a long-shot campaign against Trump for the 2020 Republican presidential nomination. That effort, which also focused heavily on the national debt, lasted roughly two months before Sanford pulled the plug after struggling to gain traction.

      His latest campaign also represents a reversal from the position he took only months ago.

      Sanford briefly launched a campaign for his former House seat earlier this year but withdrew in April, saying “the most effective way I can contribute right now is not by seeking office.” At the time, he said he planned to build a nonprofit and grassroots movement focused on the country’s growing debt.

      Graham’s death, however, opened a rare statewide opportunity — and Sanford is now arguing that Washington’s spending binge demands his return to elected office.

      The 66-year-old served as South Carolina’s governor from 2003 through 2011. He represented the state’s 1st Congressional District from 1995 through 2001 and again from 2013 through 2019.

      Sanford joins a Republican field that already includes Graham, Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman, businessman Mark Lynch and attorney Duke Buckner. Norman has secured support from several prominent conservatives, including Rep. Nancy Mace and former Sen. Jim DeMint, underscoring the resistance to Trump’s effort to consolidate the party behind Graham.

      The compressed campaign leaves Sanford little time to rebuild his political organization or convince Republican voters to look past his long-running feud with Trump.

      Candidate filing closes July 28. The special Republican primary will be held Aug. 11, followed by an Aug. 25 runoff if no candidate receives a majority. The winner will advance to the Nov. 3 general election against Democrat nominee Annie Andrews, according to the South Carolina Election Commission.

      Stand with President Trump against fraud, waste & abuse – he can’t beat the machine without YOU.

      Jim Jordan Demands DOJ Probe Jack Smith Over Trump Testimony

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      House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan is calling on the Justice Department to investigate former Special Counsel Jack Smith, accusing the longtime prosecutor of misleading Congress about his pursuit of lawmakers’ private communications during the Trump election case.

      Jordan sent a criminal referral Wednesday to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche after newly released Justice Department records appeared to conflict with testimony Smith gave under oath in December 2025.

      The referral does not compel the DOJ to open an investigation or bring charges, but it formally places Smith’s testimony before federal prosecutors for review.

      At the center of the explosive dispute are text messages involving members of Congress.

      During a closed-door deposition, Smith was asked whether telephone records subpoenaed by his office included the contents of lawmakers’ calls or text messages. Smith answered “no” to both questions.

      Those answers were technically accurate when applied specifically to toll records, which generally contain information such as telephone numbers, dates and call durations—not the substance of communications.

      But Jordan argues Smith left lawmakers with a deeply misleading impression.

      Records recently released by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley indicate Smith’s team separately obtained the contents of text messages through a subpoena issued to the National Archives and Records Administration. According to Jordan, the material included communications involving dozens of lawmakers.

      “The responses provided by Mr. Smith gave the impression that neither Mr. Smith nor his team had access to the content of Members’ privileged text messages. We now know this to be false,” Jordan wrote.

      Smith’s attorneys fired back, accusing the Republican chairman of twisting their client’s words to manufacture a criminal allegation.

      Peter Koski and Lanny Breuer argued that Smith answered the precise questions he was asked about toll records, which did not contain message content. They said Jordan was improperly conflating those subpoenas with a separate legal process used to obtain communications from another source.

      “During his testimony, Mr. Smith provided truthful, responsive answers, and candidly discussed his work as Special Counsel,” the attorneys wrote in a letter to Jordan and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin.

      They characterized the referral as an effort to “weaponize the justice system” against a career prosecutor.

      The Justice Department confirmed that it received Jordan’s referral and said it “will investigate all evidence of criminal conduct.” The department did not say whether it has formally opened an investigation into Smith.

      Jordan alleges the former special counsel may have violated federal law by knowingly making materially false statements to Congress. Prosecutors must now determine whether Smith merely answered a narrowly worded question—or deliberately concealed the full reach of his investigation.

      The referral opens another front in the long-running battle over Smith’s prosecutions of President Donald Trump involving classified documents and challenges to the 2020 election results.

      Smith abandoned both cases following Trump’s 2024 election victory, citing Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president. He resigned shortly before Trump returned to the White House.

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      Trump’s New DHS Chief Already Ruffling Feathers Inside White House: Report

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      Indian Affairs Committee Hearings to examine Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act successes and opportunities at the Department of the Interior and the Indian Health Service, in Washington, DC on September 17, 2025. (Official U.S. Senate photo by Ryan Donnell)

      Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has been on the job for just four months — and he is reportedly already stepping on toes inside President Donald Trump’s White House.

      Tensions between Mullin and senior administration officials have been building after a string of policy disputes, public missteps and concerns surrounding his preferred candidate to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement, NBC News reported Thursday.

      The first major collision reportedly came when Mullin ordered ICE to temporarily halt most vehicle stops following fatal shootings involving immigration agents in Houston, Texas, and Biddeford, Maine.

      The Wall Street Journal reported that Mullin and acting ICE Director Dave Venturella made the call without first briefing Trump. News of the pause began leaking before the president could be informed, leaving him caught off guard. The Wall Street Journal and ABC News separately confirmed that Mullin directed the suspension.

      Trump wasted little time reversing it.

      “We CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!” the president wrote on Truth Social.

      The episode apparently did not sit well inside the West Wing.

      “Every Cabinet secretary knows that they have to come to the White House for major policy decisions,” a senior administration official told NBC News. “The president sees, hears, reads everything.”

      Mullin also reportedly irritated officials with a recent CNN interview concerning the Supreme Court’s decision allowing the administration to move forward with ending Temporary Protected Status for immigrants from Haiti and Syria.

      The secretary suggested that hundreds of thousands of affected immigrants could apply for another legal status. They could not automatically do so under the ruling, according to NBC News, which described Mullin’s remarks as a misstatement that “annoyed” some administration officials.

      The Supreme Court ruled on June 25 that lower courts could not continue postponing the administration’s termination of the two countries’ TPS designations while litigation moved forward.

      Another potential fault line involves Richard “Lance” Schroyer, Trump’s nominee to lead ICE.

      Schroyer, a former Marine and Oklahoma Highway Patrol veteran, is a longtime Mullin ally whom the secretary previously called “a good friend of mine.” Mullin brought Schroyer into DHS to advise local law enforcement agencies participating in a federal immigration enforcement program before Trump nominated him for the top ICE post in June.

      But the nomination has reportedly drawn resistance from officials who question whether Schroyer possesses enough federal management experience to run the agency spearheading Trump’s deportation campaign.

      Trump border czar Tom Homan was among those who objected to the selection, according to The Wall Street Journal.

      “Homan and others aren’t particularly thrilled with him,” the administration official told NBC News.

      The White House publicly played down any suggestion of a widening rift, insisting Mullin remains committed to carrying out Trump’s immigration agenda.

      “Secretary Mullin is working hard to implement the President’s immigration enforcement agenda,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said. “Thanks to President Trump and Secretary Mullin, the border is totally secure, dangerous illegal immigrants are being deported, and Americans are safer.”

      “Secretary Mullin will continue to enforce federal immigration law as effectively as possible,” she added.

      Trump selected Mullin to replace Kristi Noem, and the former Oklahoma senator was sworn in on March 24 after receiving bipartisan Senate confirmation.

      During his confirmation process, Mullin said his goal was to keep DHS from dominating the daily news cycle.

      “My goal in six months is that we’re not in the lead story every single day,” he told senators.

      Four months later, the reported turbulence inside Trump’s team is threatening to make that promise harder to keep.

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      Trump To Welcome Fallen Heroes Home As Iran Faces Fierce Warning

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attend the Dignified Transfer of remains of six U.S. soldiers killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait, Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

      President Donald Trump is heading to Dover Air Force Base to welcome home two young American soldiers killed by Iran—and he is promising Iran that their deaths will not go unanswered.

      Trump will attend the dignified transfer of fallen U.S. service members Tuesday evening following one of the deadliest weekends for American forces during the renewed conflict.

      “President Trump will attend the dignified transfer of our fallen heroes tomorrow evening at Dover Air Force Base,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote Monday on X. “The President and the entire White House are praying for their families.”

      The solemn military ceremony will return the remains of the fallen to American soil. Flag-draped transfer cases will be carried from a military aircraft to vehicles bound for Dover’s mortuary facility as grieving families, military leaders and the commander in chief look on.

      The Department of War identified two of the fallen soldiers Monday as 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas.

      Gonzales was killed in action July 17 when Iran unleashed ballistic missiles and drones against Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. Feehan was killed in action the following day as a result of the same attack, according to the Pentagon.

      Both soldiers were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the American-led mission against the Islamic State.

      Feehan served with the 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Gonzales was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment in Ansbach, Germany.

      “U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command mourns the loss of 1st Lt. Tyler Feehan, whose service and sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Lt. Gen. John L. Rafferty said in an Army statement.

      “Losing him to enemy fire will inspire our Soldiers and strengthen their resolve to continue the mission,” Rafferty added.

      The Army said Feehan will be posthumously promoted to captain and awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

      Four other American service members were medically evacuated after the Jordan attack, according to U.S. Central Command. They have since been discharged.

      Another service member was initially declared missing. American personnel later recovered unidentified remains at the base, but military officials said the examination process was still underway.

      A third American service member was killed in northern Iraq on July 18 during the controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian attack drone. Another service member suffered minor injuries.

      As the fallen return home, Trump has issued a chilling warning to the regime responsible.

      “Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!” Trump declared on Truth Social.

      The president said his directive had already been delivered to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and military leaders throughout the chain of command.

      Trump previously told reporters that the latest American attacks on Iran were carried out in honor of the troops lost over the weekend.

      “We hit them very hard again tonight, and we did that in honor of the probably three, as opposed to two, great patriots,” Trump said Sunday after arriving at Joint Base Andrews.

      American forces responded to the attack in Jordan by striking Iranian coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites.

      https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2079001736396652710

      CENTCOM said the military also directly targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces accused of launching the deadly assault against the Americans.

      That retaliatory operation was followed by a ninth consecutive evening of strikes on Iranian command centers, communications networks, air defenses and missile and drone launch sites.

      Tuesday’s ceremony will be another somber visit to Dover for Trump during the conflict. The president and first lady Melania Trump attended the dignified transfer of six American soldiers killed in an Iranian drone attack in Kuwait in March.

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      Trump DHS Chief Warns Election Officials: Cooperate — Or Face Prison

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      1
      DHSgov, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

      Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin fired a blistering warning at state election officials Friday: Help the Trump administration police voter rolls — or risk fines, penalties and even prison time.

      Mullin delivered the threat during a White House press conference one day after President Donald Trump used a primetime address to sound the alarm over alleged vulnerabilities in America’s election system.

      Asked by a Daily Caller reporter whether the administration could ensure the midterm elections would be secure, Mullin said Washington could restore public confidence — but only if states cooperate.

      “Yes, we absolutely can build confidence in the American people, but the states have to do their part,” Mullin said.

      Then came the warning shot.

      “I will tell you, if the states that choose not to participate with the SAVE program and they choose not to participate in securing the elections, we will make sure that we make those states a priority to look at who voted in their states and hold them, the election officials, accountable,” Mullin said.

      “If the election officials, once we gave them the information they need to secure their elections and they chose not to, then those individuals can also be held accountable by fines, by penalties, and even, depending on how far it goes, prison time.”

      Mullin did not specify which federal laws could be used to prosecute officials who decline to participate in the program or what conduct would trigger criminal charges.

      His comments came as DHS claimed that a review of publicly available voter files uncovered more than 250,000 suspected noncitizens registered to vote in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Nevada.

      Mullin said those states had not cooperated with the administration’s review. DHS has reportedly sent letters notifying officials of its findings and asking them to confirm within two weeks whether they intend to work with the department.

      The secretary also said that 23 states already using the federal verification system had identified another 23,000 suspected noncitizens and approximately 400,000 deceased people on voter rolls, according to The Daily Signal.

      DHS has not publicly demonstrated that the individuals it identified actually cast ballots. Being listed on a voter roll does not necessarily mean someone voted.

      The Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program, known as SAVE, is an existing DHS database originally designed to help government agencies verify the citizenship and immigration status of people applying for public benefits and licenses. It is separate from the pending SAVE America Act, despite sharing the acronym.

      The Trump administration has expanded the database’s use for election-related citizenship checks and is pressing states to run their voter files through it.

      Mullin also indicated that federal election funding could become another pressure point.

      “We are going to make our security enhancements mandatory, meaning that if these states want a grant, and they want to be reimbursed to run federal elections, they’re going to have to implement security measures,” he said.

      The crackdown comes as Trump continues demanding that Congress pass the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship and identification for federal voter registration while sharply limiting mail-in voting.

      The legislation has repeatedly stalled in the Senate. Majority Leader John Thune has said Republicans lack the votes needed to overcome the filibuster or change Senate rules to force it through.

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      Trump Calls To Revoke Licenses After Refusing To Air Primetime Speech

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

      President Donald Trump unloaded on ABC and NBC after the broadcast giants refused to interrupt their regular programming for his primetime election-integrity address Thursday, accusing the networks of helping conceal what he described as a massive threat to American elections.

      “They and others in the media are part of a plot,” Trump declared during the White House address. “They want to continue this fraud for whatever reason. They want to keep it going. They want to protect the radical left.”

      Trump then called for the revocation of broadcast licenses associated with the networks, arguing that media companies receive access to valuable public airwaves while failing to provide Americans with honest coverage.

      “Fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses,” Trump said. “They use our public multi-billion-dollar-in-value airways for absolutely no money.”

      The president added that the country could not succeed without “free and fair elections” or honest reporting.

      ABC and NBC declined to preempt their normal television lineups for the address, although both carried it on their streaming platforms. ABC also aired it through its radio network, while NBC broadcast a special report after Trump finished speaking.

      Fox carried the entire speech live. CBS aired part of it before cutting away, while MS NOW interrupted its coverage to fact-check Trump. CNN declined to carry the address on its television network.

      CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins said the network would monitor Trump’s remarks but would not take them live because of what she called his “well-documented history of saying blatantly false things about elections.”

      White House communications director Steven Cheung accused ABC and NBC of deliberately keeping viewers in the dark.

      “Cowards. NBC and ABC don’t want you to hear the truth,” Cheung wrote on X before the speech. “All they want to do is hide the facts from YOU.”

      Networks do not directly hold the licenses Trump targeted; the Federal Communications Commission licenses individual broadcast stations and affiliates. Any revocation would also require a formal proceeding. The FCC has already ordered eight Disney-owned ABC stations to submit early license-renewal applications as part of an investigation into the company’s compliance with federal broadcasting regulations. The agency announced that action in April.

      Thursday’s network showdown threatened to overshadow the explosive allegations at the center of Trump’s address.

      The president announced the declassification and release of intelligence documents that he said revealed “shocking vulnerabilities” in America’s election infrastructure.

      Trump alleged that China acquired approximately 220 million American voter files containing names, addresses, telephone numbers, party affiliations and other sensitive information beginning during the 2020 election cycle.

      “This data loss presents an unprecedented election security nightmare,” Trump warned.

      Trump further accused members of the intelligence community of suppressing information about the breach and keeping it from both him and Congress during his first administration.

      The president also highlighted what he described as evidence of fraudulent voter-registration applications uncovered during a 2020 investigation in Muskegon, Michigan. Trump alleged that the Biden Justice Department “slow-walked the investigation and killed it” and called on the FBI and Justice Department to reopen the case and prosecute anyone responsible for criminal activity.

      Trump then cited a Department of Homeland Security review that he said identified approximately 278,000 noncitizens registered to vote in federal elections.

      Because several Democratic-led states did not provide their voter files, Trump argued, “the real number is actually much higher than that.”

      Trump said he had directed DHS to notify states about suspected noncitizens on their rolls and press election officials to remove ineligible registrants.

      The president used the findings to renew his demand that Congress pass the SAVE America Act, which would require photo identification and proof of citizenship from voters. Trump also called for tight restrictions on mail-in ballots, with exceptions for military deployments, illness, disability and travel.

      “The only reason you wouldn’t do it is you want to cheat,” Trump said of lawmakers resisting the legislation.

      Trump concluded by urging Americans to call their representatives and demand immediate action.

      “Together, we will restore faith and confidence in our country,” he said, “and we will be bigger, better and stronger than ever before.”

      Trump’s presentation did not establish that China or another foreign power changed vote totals or altered the outcome of the 2020 election. New reports that the documents released by the White House included portions of intelligence analyses, investigative files and correspondence presented with limited context.

      But Trump’s broader message Thursday was unmistakable: The country’s election system remains dangerously exposed—and the media outlets that refused to carry his warning could now find themselves in the administration’s crosshairs.

      Have you abandoned MAGA too? Or can Trump still count on you? He needs an answer NOW.

      White House Slams Staffer Accused Of Betting On Trump Speech

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      2

      A longtime Trump aide has been yanked from the White House after allegedly turning advance knowledge of President Donald Trump’s speeches into a six-figure betting haul.

      White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed Thursday that Gabriel Perez, who has operated Trump’s teleprompter since his first presidential campaign in 2016, was placed on unpaid administrative leave at the president’s direction.

      “Obviously, I’m aware of the report. The president is, too. I spoke with him about it,” Leavitt told reporters. “He believes it’s deeply unfortunate and, frankly, a disgrace.”

      “The White House has extremely strict ethical guidelines with respect to issues like this,” she added, stressing that Perez’s leave would be without pay. “That was the decision by the president, so it speaks for itself.”

      Another operator was tapped to handle Trump’s nationally televised speech Thursday night.

      Perez is accused of using his behind-the-scenes access to place bets on more than a dozen Trump speeches through Kalshi, an online prediction market where users can wager on whether specific words, phrases or subjects will come up during public events.

      Sources familiar with the federal investigation told ABC News that Perez won more than $100,000 over a roughly three-month period.

      The alleged bets reportedly involved Trump’s State of the Union address, a December primetime speech, his appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos and remarks delivered during a March Medal of Honor ceremony.

      As Trump’s teleprompter operator, Perez was often among the final people to see the president’s prepared remarks and was reportedly responsible for inserting last-minute changes.

      Investigators even uncovered instances in which Perez allegedly abandoned certain positions while a speech was still underway after Trump skipped passages containing words on which the operator had wagered, ABC News reported.

      That wrinkle is especially notable because Trump is famous for veering away from his prepared remarks.

      “You know, when you go up here, you take a big chance, especially me because I go off teleprompter about 80% of the time,” Trump said during a January appearance at the Detroit Economic Club—another speech investigators reportedly believe Perez bet on.

      Kalshi’s internal surveillance system reportedly detected unusual activity that did not match normal trading patterns. The company froze Perez’s account, trapping more than $90,000 in alleged profits, before referring the matter to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

      “Our surveillance team promptly flagged and referred these trades to the CFTC after an exchange investigation,” Kalshi enforcement chief Robert DeNault told CBS News. “We have been assisting regulators on this matter and provided evidence we collected, as we do in any referral.”

      The CFTC has declined to confirm or deny that an investigation is underway.

      Perez has reportedly cooperated with regulators and acknowledged some of the trades during an interview. Sources told ABC News that federal prosecutors in Manhattan declined to launch a criminal investigation, while CFTC officials have discussed a possible settlement that could require Perez to surrender his profits and stay out of similar markets.

      Perez did not respond to requests for comment from several news organizations.

      The allegations surfaced only months after the White House explicitly warned employees against using privileged information to make prediction-market bets.

      A March 24 email from the White House Management Office reminded staffers that using nonpublic information to trade such contracts could constitute a criminal offense.

      “All White House employees are reminded that the misuse of nonpublic information by government employees for financial benefit is a very serious offense and will not be tolerated,” the email said, according to CBS News.

      White House spokesman David Ingle said the administration expects every employee to follow its ethics rules and confirmed that Perez was cooperating with regulators.

      Leavitt said the White House was not aware of any other staffers suspected of making similar trades.

      The case could add fuel to a bipartisan push on Capitol Hill to crack down on government insiders using prediction markets for personal profit. Republican Sens. Todd Young and John Curtis joined Democratic Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Adam Schiff in introducing legislation that would prohibit federal officials and employees from trading on material nonpublic information.

      “Public service should never be a pathway to personal profit based on insider information,” Young said when the bill was introduced.

      Powerless families don’t stand a chance against government corruption without supporters like you. Read her story today — then join the fight and protect this mother.
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