“The Ides of March” is a reference to the death of ancient Roman dictator Julius Cesar, who was assassinated on the Ides of March in 44 BC by political allies. O’Keefe was ousted last month by Project Veritas’ board of directors over claims of employer abuse.
American Liberty News previously reported that O’Keefe’s allies revealed that he read his resignation letter in front of his former team and board members at Project Veritas’ Mamaroneck, New York headquarters. (RELATED:James O’Keefe Gone as Head of Project Veritas)
Earlier this week, O’Keefe called on his supporters to “enlist in his army,” instructing individuals to purchase hidden cameras and send a message to a protected email account.
Twenty new people have purchased cameras on their own and are now activated in my citizen army!
CNN is reportedly entering a new partnership with prediction-market company Kalshi that would weave Kalshi’s real-time odds and forecasts into CNN’s on-air and digital coverage—an alliance that also has the effect of placing the network in a business relationship with Donald Trump Jr.
Axios first reported the deal Tuesday, citing sources who said Kalshi will appear “across its television, digital, and social channels.” Under the arrangement, Kalshi’s prediction data would be featured on CNN programming as a live “real-time data ticker,” with additional segments built around prediction-market oriented content touching politics, news, culture, and weather. CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten is also expected to incorporate Kalshi’s numbers into his data-driven analysis, according to the report.
The collaboration would represent Kalshi’s first major partnership with a national news organization—an important milestone for a company that has sought to position itself as a go-to source for fast-moving probability estimates about cultural and political events. In practice, prediction markets function like real-time sentiment gauges: prices (or implied probabilities) move up and down as participants buy and sell contracts tied to specific outcomes, translating collective bets into a snapshot of what the market thinks is most likely at a given moment. For a television newsroom, that kind of constantly updating “odds board” can be a compelling visual—especially during election cycles and major breaking-news moments—because it packages uncertainty into an easy-to-read number.
But the most politically sensitive dimension of the reported partnership is who else is tied to Kalshi.
As Media Matters’ Matthew Gertz noted, Donald Trump Jr. announced in January 2025 that he had joined Kalshi as a “strategic advisor.” Trump Jr. framed the company as a disruptive force in the U.S. market for event-based trading, touting Kalshi’s legal fights and its efforts to build mainstream legitimacy. “I’m excited to be part of what they’re building,” he said at the time, casting Kalshi as a pioneering player in an industry that has long operated in a gray area in the United States.
That makes CNN’s reported move notable for more than its graphics package. If Kalshi data becomes a recurring on-air feature—particularly in political coverage—CNN would be elevating a product linked to a prominent partisan figure: the son of a president and a central surrogate in Republican politics. Even if Trump Jr. has no day-to-day role in editorial decisions at CNN, his publicly announced advisory position creates an unavoidable headline: a major news network integrating a data feed from a company whose strategic advisor is one of the most recognizable names in national GOP politics.
The questions are as much about perception as they are about logistics. Prediction-market numbers can be useful as one input among many—alongside polling, modeling, and reporting—but they can also be misunderstood by audiences as “what will happen” rather than “what traders think might happen,” especially when those percentages are presented like sports odds. And with Trump Jr. connected to the company supplying the data, critics are likely to scrutinize when and how CNN uses the ticker, whether the network discloses the advisory relationship on-air, and how often the data appears in politically charged segments.
For Kalshi, the upside is obvious: a prominent distribution channel that could normalize prediction markets and introduce the brand to a much larger audience. For CNN, the draw is fresh, visually dynamic data—something that fits modern broadcast pacing and could complement its analytics-heavy style, particularly in elections and major news events. But the addition of Donald Trump Jr. to the equation ensures the partnership won’t be viewed as just another data collaboration.
It has been a rough few days for former Republican National Committee (RNC) chair…
NBC News cut ties with the Republican after 5 days following swift backlash from a number of MSNBC hosts.
Donald Trump quickly piled on after the news broke.
“Wow! Ronna McDaniel got fired by Fake News NBC. She only lasted two days, and this after McDaniel went out of her way to say what they wanted to hear,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social website on Tuesday. “It leaves her in a very strange place, it’s called NEVER NEVERLAND, and it’s not a place you want to be.”
“These Radical Left Lunatics are CRAZY, and the top people at NBC ARE WEAK,” Trump wrote in his Truth Social post on Tuesday. “They were BROKEN and EMBARRASSED by LOW RATINGS, HIGHLY OVERPAID, ‘TALENT.’ BRING BACK FREE AND FAIR PRESS.”
In a note to NBC staff on Tuesday, NBCUniversal News Group Chair Cesar Conde apologized for bringing McDaniel on board as a paid contributor and explained the decision “was made because of our deep commitment to presenting our audiences with a widely diverse set of viewpoints and experiences, particularly during these consequential times.”
McDaniel on Tuesday was reportedly exploring legal options in the event the network terminated its agreement with her, which was announced late last week and was slated to pay her more than six figures annually.
McDaniel stepped down as head of the Republican National Committee earlier this year.
The Justice Department is investigating whether former senior FBI officials mishandled classified documents that were found in a “burn bag” at the bureau’s headquarters, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to CBS News.
The documents in question are related to the FBI’s probe into whether Russia influenced the 2016 election in President Trump’s favor. That investigation has drawn Mr. Trump’s ire for years — he’s called the allegations that Russia sought to help him win a “hoax” and a “witch hunt,” and in recent weeks, some top administration officials have claimed Obama-era intelligence leaders who looked into Russian meddling may have broken the law.
Nobody has been criminally charged in the probe.
The “burn bags” first entered the public discourse last month, when Fox News reported that FBI Director Kash Patel discovered thousands of Russia-related documents in bags that are typically used to hold sensitive materials that are about to be destroyed. Days later, Patel wrote on X: “We just uncovered burn bags/room filled with hidden Russia Gate files.”
In 2017/18, I proved the Steele Dossier was fictitious intelligence, weaponized by corrupt FBI officials to deceive a federal judge and unlawfully spy on then presidential candidate Trump’s campaign- all paid for by his opponent.
The media called me a liar.
Now I’m the FBI…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) August 2, 2025
The FBI’s investigation into Russian election interference — dubbed “Crossfire Hurricane” — was opened during the 2016 campaign and continued into Mr. Trump’s first term. A probe run by Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller later found that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 election with a goal of benefitting the Trump campaign, though Mr. Trump and top campaign officials were not accused of any illegal coordination with Russia.
A 2017 report by the U.S. intelligence community also assessed that Moscow sought to influence the election and “developed a clear preference” for Mr. Trump.
Those findings have long been challenged by top Trump allies and by the president himself. Last month, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declassified documents that she claimed called into question the 2017 intelligence community report.
Gabbard accused Obama-era officials of “treasonous conspiracy” and a “years-long coup” to undermine Mr. Trump, and said she would refer the matter to the Justice Department for possible criminal investigation. Patrick Rodenbush, a spokesperson for former President Barack Obama, called the allegations “bizarre” and “ridiculous.”
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.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy delivers remarks at the 2021 Capitol Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in Washington DC, December 1, 2021. USDA Forest Service photo by Tanya E. Flores.
Last month, over 20 House Republican lawmakers refused to vote for Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid for House Speaker. However, after 15 grueling rounds of voting McCarthy finally held the Speaker’s gavel.
Not every holdout got exactly what he or she had asked for, some won plum committee assignments from McCarthy, here’s what we know so far:
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, a vocal McCarthy foe during the speaker fight, flipped to “present” in the 14th round. Gaetz will continue to serve on the Judiciary panel and was appointed by the Speaker to the new weaponization subcommittee.
Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona a former head of the Freedom Caucus and one of the five so-called “Never Kevins,” kept his position on the powerful Judiciary and Oversight committee. The Arizona Congressman was also named chairman of the Judiciary’s subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance. Ultimately, Biggs changed his vote to “present” on the final ballot for speaker, helping propell McCarthy over the finish line.
Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina flipped to back McCarthy on the 12th ballot, and will continue to serve on both the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees. McCarthy also named Bishop to the Judiciary’s new subcommittee on the “Weaponization of the Federal Government.”
Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, the vocal McCarthy critic who voted “present” on the 14th and 15th ballots, was awarded a seat on the Oversight and Accountability Committee. She will also continue to serve on the Natural Resources panel.
Rep. Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, the freshman Congressman flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot and won seats on the Homeland Security Committee and Budget committees.
Rep. Mike Cloud of Texas flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot. The Lone Star state Congressman won a new seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee, which controls federal spending. McCarthy also named him to the new select committee investigating the origins of the Covid pandemic.
Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia, another lawmaker who flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot, will serve on the Appropriations Committee for the first time.
Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona will serve on the Homeland Security Committee.
Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida was nominated to run against McCarthy for speaker and flipped to him on the 12th ballot. Donalds was named by McCarthy as the “speaker’s designee” on the influential Steering Committee, which decides which lawmakers get committee gavels and seats. Donalds also won a coveted spot on the Financial Services Committee, a top panel known on Capitol Hill as an “A” committee.
Rep. Bob Good of Virginia, one of the Never Kevins who flipped to “present” in the last round of voting, will serve on the Budget and Education and Workforce committees.
Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot and was reinstated by Republicans on two committees —Oversight and Natural Resources panels. He was named chairman of the Natural Resources subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland will continue to serve on the Appropriations panel. Harris, a physician, will be the chairman of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration subcommittee.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot. The freshman Congresswoman won a seat on the Oversight and Natural Resources panels.
Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois will remain on the Agriculture Committee.
Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, one of the “Never Kevins” who flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot, was named by the speaker as one of nine Republicans on the Rules Committee. Additionally, the South Carolina congressman will remain on the Financial Services panel and will serve on the Budget Committee too.
Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee won a seat on the Financial Services Committee.
Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus who brokered a deal between conservatives and McCarthy, will remain on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Perry also won a new seat on the Oversight committee.
Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana, a “Never Kevin” who flipped to “present” on the final ballot, will continue to serve on Natural Resources.
Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, who helped Perry negotiate a deal with McCarthy, was tapped to serve on the Budget committee and the influential Rules Committee. The Lone Star state congressman will also keep his seat on the Judiciary panel.
Rep. Keith Self of Texas will serve on the Foreign Affairs panel.
Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana, who flipped from “present” to vote for McCarthy on the 12th ballot, will continue to serve on the Judiciary panel.
In a surprising political move, Nebraska State Sen. Mike McDonnell, a former Democrat-turned-Republican, has effectively derailed efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to alter the state’s method of distributing electoral votes just ahead of the 2024 election. The proposal, if passed, could have shifted Nebraska to a winner-take-all system, favoring the GOP in a heavily conservative state.
McDonnell’s Decision: A Game-Changer
On Monday, McDonnell announced that he would not support the push to change the way Nebraska awards its electoral votes. “I understand the motivations of some of my colleagues,” McDonnell told The Washington Post. “However, after considerable reflection, it’s clear that with just over a month left before Election Day, now is not the right time to make this change.” (McDonnell has long been seen as a swing vote in the legislature, making his decision particularly impactful.)
How Nebraska’s System Works
Nebraska and Maine are unique in how they allocate their electoral votes. Unlike the typical winner-take-all system, these states distribute votes by congressional district. This allowed President Joe Biden to secure one electoral vote from Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, covering the Omaha area, in the 2020 election. Trump allies aimed to shift Nebraska to a winner-take-all model to bolster Republican chances.
Pushback From Trump Allies
Trump supporters have lobbied for months to change Nebraska’s system, viewing it as a crucial battleground. Their aim was to prevent Vice President Kamala Harris from easily winning the Omaha district, which could combine with her victories in other swing states like Wisconsin and Michigan.
Rising Pressure
Last week, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a vocal Trump ally, visited Nebraska to lobby for the change. Trump also personally reached out to state legislators. However, McDonnell’s decision has made it unlikely that Nebraska’s governor, Jim Pillen, will call a special session to vote on the matter.
Trump’s Response
Trump expressed his frustration on Truth Social, accusing McDonnell of blocking a “huge Republican victory.” Calling him a “grandstander,” Trump made it clear that he views this decision as a significant setback for his 2024 campaign.
What’s Next?
Although the current effort has stalled, State Sen. Loren Lippincott, who sponsored the bill, stated that he plans to reintroduce the legislation during the next session. “This fight isn’t over,” Lippincott said, signaling that Nebraska’s electoral system may be contested well beyond 2024.
What It Means for the 2024 Election
McDonnell’s decision could have significant implications. By keeping the congressional district-based allocation in place, the Omaha area remains competitive for both parties. This keeps Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District in play and could provide a critical edge in a tight race between Trump and Harris.
For now, McDonnell’s refusal to back the change has ensured that Nebraska’s 2nd District will remain a swing district, at least through the 2024 election.
Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Ronna McDaniel may find herself out of a job soon.
On Monday, while referring to RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel as “my friend,” Trump signaled her future as the party chair could be uncertain.
“Things are looking great in the Presidential Race of 2024 against Crooked Joe Biden,” Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social, adding later that “Ronna is now Head of the RNC, and I’ll be making a decision the day after the South Carolina Primary as to my recommendations for RNC Growth.”
In an interview that aired Sunday on Fox News, Trump predicted there would be “changes” to McDaniel’s leadership of the committee.
When “Sunday Morning Futures” anchor Maria Bartiromo asked Trump how McDaniel was doing, he said, “I think she did great when she ran Michigan for me. I think she did OK initially in the RNC.”
“I would say, right now, there will probably be some changes made,” he added.
Trump signaled his confidence going into the South Carolina primary where he will face off against former governor Nikki Haley.
“This has been a very exciting Primary Season. The Iowa Caucus was won in Record Fashion … and likewise New Hampshire, where I had the honor of getting more votes than anybody in the History of the New Hampshire Primary, Republican or Democrat,” the former president wrote Monday. “Hopefully, we will continue this string of Victories in Nevada, the Virgin Islands, and then, South Carolina.”
The largest police union in Florida is turning its back on Donald Trump…
The Florida Police Benevolent Association publicly endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday after supporting former President Donald Trump in 2020.
“In major cities and communities across America, many Americans are grappling with increased crime rates that not only jeopardize public safety, but also threaten the quality of life in their communities,” President John Kazanjian said. “The ideological experiment of defunding the police and scapegoating law enforcement for America’s social problems has failed.”
Kazanjian called DeSantis the “one candidate for president who has a proven track record in enhancing public safety and investing in the essential men and women who help maintain public safety every day.
“For the over 30,000 men and women in the Florida Police Benevolent Association, the choice for us could not be clearer,” he said.
“Governor DeSantis has made Florida a destination for all Americans to live safely and freely,” the release states. “He is one of the most effective Governors in the nation and he will take his proven track record to the White House, where he will continue to have the backs of law enforcement officers and make public safety a top priority.”
As buzz continues to build around Trump’s looming 2024 announcement some Republicans are already trying to burst his bubble.
Despite the obvious excitement surrounding Trump’s long-awaited presidential campaign announcement the Republican is already facing hurdles on the path to 2024.
Trump, who is already facing various legal challenges, will be effectively cut off from the Republican National Committee if he declares his candidacy committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told The Hill.
Last year, the RNC admitted it was paying for legal fees “that relate to politically motivated legal proceedings waged against President Trump” and in recent months the committee has funded Trump’s defense against probes launched by Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. (D) and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D).
“We cannot pay legal bills for any candidate that’s announced. So these are bills that came from the Letitia James lawsuit that started while he was president,” McDaniel said. “It was voted on by our executive committee for our former president, that this was a politically motivated investigation and that’s what it’s been.”
“But we cannot do in kind contributions to any candidate right now. He’s the former president being attacked from every which way with lawsuits, and he’s certainly raised more under the RNC than we’ve spent on these bills,” she added.
Advisers in Trump’s inner circle have indicated the announcement could come as soon as November 14th but some conservatives say it shouldn’t come as any shock.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said on Sunday that Trump’s upcoming announcement doesn’t surprise him, according to The Hill.
“Like, why should anybody be surprised,” Christie said, adding, “When something happens that you anticipated happening, it doesn’t make any difference.”
“He’s going to run. Everyone always knew he was going to run. He can’t miss the attention any more than he does, and he’s going to run,” the former governor added. “Now we’ll see what happens.”
However, reports began to swirl on Monday that Trump couls make his annoucenment during tonight’s rally in Ohio. Axios reporter Jonathan Swan was the first to report that Trump could move up the announcement date.
“Based calls/texts all morning, Trump/Vance rally in Ohio will be v closely watched by Rs. Speculation has reached a point of absurdity at this point but many Rs of varying degrees of closeness to Trump are anticipating accelerated announcement based on his recent private comments,” Swan tweeted.
Based calls/texts all morning, Trump/Vance rally in Ohio will be v closely watched by Rs. Speculation has reached a point of absurdity at this point but many Rs of varying degrees of closeness to Trump are anticipating accelerated announcement based on his recent private comments
A source close to the matter told The Washington Examiner that ultimately the decsion is up to Trump and nobody knows exactly when he will share the news.
“There’s a lot of back-and-forth right now, no one really knows if it’s going to happen tonight or if it’s going to happen in a week or so. Trump himself is the one who wants to do it ASAP. No one knows right now whether it’s happening tonight or not,” the source explained.
