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Illinois Republican Party Leader Resigns

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The chairman of the Illinois Republican Party has called it quits.

On Wednesday, state GOP chair Don Tracy said in his resignation notice that party infighting is largely to blame for his decision.

“When I took on this full-time volunteer job in February, 2021, I thought I would be spending most of my time fighting Democrats, helping elect Republicans, raising money to pay for more Party infrastructure, and advocating for Party unity,” state GOP chair Don Tracy wrote in his resignation notice.  

“Unfortunately, however, I have had to spend far too much time dealing with intra party power struggles, and local intra party animosities that continued after primaries and County Chair elections,” he continued.  

Tracy also noted the recent controversy involving former vice chair Mark Shaw at the Republican National Committee (RNC) election which resulted in his ouster.

“Recent events including the RNC Committeeman election, immediately followed by the retribution sacking of the losing candidate Vice-Chair Mark Shaw, a long time State Party leader and worker, without due process and without taking any step to disciplining others for alleged or admitted Convention misconduct, portends a direction of the State Party I am not comfortable with,” Tracy wrote.  

Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Tracy’s resignation comes less than a month before the Republican National Convention will be held in Milwaukee

In his letter, Tracy refuted claims that his resignation had already been reported by a Chicago Tribune story published the day before, where anonymous sources suggested to the news outlet that Tracy could soon see himself removed as well.  

“My resignation has nothing to do with today’s anonymously sourced Chicago Tribue article. I made my decision to resign early yesterday morning, communicated it to Matt Janes before our 10am staff call yesterday, and began drafting this notice yesterday shortly before or after the staff call,” Tracy wrote. 

Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.

CNN Commentator Criticizes Trump’s Response After Assassination Attempt

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A failed loner attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump in a horrific moment on Saturday afternoon. The incident left one rally goer dead and two others in critical condition.

Yet, CNN’s Jamie Gangel chose to focus on Trump’s immediate reaction following the attack.

The Aftermath of the Attack

Moments after narrowly escaping the assassination attempt, Trump was heard yelling “Fight! Fight! Fight!” to the crowd.

Gangel’s Reaction

Jamie Gangel, a reporter for CNN, expressed her disapproval of Trump’s choice of words seconds after he was shot. She stated:

That’s not the message that we want to be sending right now. We want to tamp it down.

Police have ransacked the Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, home of the deceased gunman, a 20-year-old male named Thomas Matthew Crooks.

The FBI later confirmed Crooks’ identity early Sunday and called the incident an assassination attempt, although President Biden initially declined to do so.

READ NEXT: Congressman Reveals Bombshell Request Before Trump Assassination Attempt

Fox News Panelist Exits ‘The Five’

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Mark Taylor from Rockville, USA, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Fox News is making some changes.

Fox News contributor Geraldo Rivera announced that he will no longer be a panelist on the network’s roundtable opinion show, The Five.

“My last scheduled show appearances are Thursday and Friday June 29th and 30th,” Rivera tweeted Wednesday morning. “It’s been a great run and I appreciate having had the opportunity. Being odd man out isn’t always easy. For the time being, I’m still Correspondent at Large.”

As a rotating panelist on The Five, Rivera was known for regularly clashing with his right-leaning co-hosts.

So far it’s unclear who the network plan to replace Rivera with.

The announcement comes nearly a month after the network suddenly cut ties with primetime host Tucker Carlson days after agreeing to a nearly $800 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems.

Rupert Murdoch Steps Down As FNC Chairman

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David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch announced Thursday he will be transitioning to a new role within his media empire, handing over the reins to his son Lachlan.

Murdoch, 92, announced the news to colleagues in a letter Thursday, noting he was in good health. He will officially make the transition in November, and his son Lachlan will become the sole chairman of both companies.

“I am writing to let you all know that I have decided to transition to the role of Chairman Emeritus at Fox and News,” Murdoch wrote. “For my entire professional life, I have been engaged daily with news and ideas, and that will not change. But the time is right for me to take on different roles, knowing that we have truly talented teams and a passionate, principled leader in Lachlan who will become sole Chairman of both companies. Neither excessive pride nor false humility are admirable qualities. But I am truly proud of what we have achieved collectively through the decades, and I owe much to my colleagues, whose contributions to our success have sometimes been unseen outside the company but are deeply appreciated by me.

“Whether the truck drivers distributing our papers, the cleaners who toil when we have left the office, the assistants who support us or the skilled operators behind the cameras or the computer code, we would be less successful and have less positive impact on society without your day-after-day dedication. Our companies are in robust health, as am I. Our opportunities far exceed our commercial challenges. We have every reason to be optimistic about the coming years – I certainly am, and plan to be here to participate in them.” 

“In my new role, I can guarantee you that I will be involved every day in the contest of ideas,” he wrote.

Lachlan Murdoch released an announcement congratulating his father and the legacy he’s left at his enormously influential companies.

“On behalf of the FOX and News Corp boards of directors, leadership teams, and all the shareholders who have benefited from his hard work, I congratulate my father on his remarkable 70-year career,” said Lachlan Murdoch. “We thank him for his vision, his pioneering spirit, his steadfast determination, and the enduring legacy he leaves to the companies he founded and countless people he has impacted. We are grateful that he will serve as Chairman Emeritus and know he will continue to provide valued counsel to both companies.”

Murdoch’s media empire includes FOX News Channel, which launched in 1996 under News Corp.

Murdoch was Executive Chairman of 21st Century Fox from 2015 to the closing of the merger of 21st Century Fox and The Walt Disney Company in March 2019. Murdoch served as CEO of 21st Century Fox from its inception as News Corporation in 1979 until 2015 and as its Chairman from 1991 to 2015.

Centrist Republicans Float Re-electing McCarthy as House Speaker In Wake of Israel Attacks

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

The old saying goes “the more things change the more they stay the same…”

Some Republicans are mulling a move to reinstate Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as House Speaker in the wake of the deadly attacks in Israel.

On Saturday morning, Palestine militant group Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare war on the organization and order retaliatory action.

“Israel attacks have moderates holding out for the one person who can truly unite us: Kevin McCarthy,” a House GOP lawmaker said.

Last week, McCarthy was ousted by the votes of eight Republicans and all House Democrats thanks to a rule change McCarthy agreed to when he was elected speaker.

However, handing McCarthy back the Speaker’s gavel is an uphill battle due to the support Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) have already garnered. Last week, former President Donald Trump threw his support behind Jordan for Speaker.

McCarthy, for his part, is “aware and grateful” for the efforts to reinstate him, but he’s not engaging at this point, the House GOP lawmaker said.

However, some Republicans are optimistic that it could be done, given the severity of the attack in Israel. They believe the urgency surrounding the attacks could pressure the eight House Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy to switch their stance. Many Republicans are still upset with those who voted against McCarthy, who is a vocal supporter of Israel, and are “using this moment to show how wrong they were,” per the House GOP lawmaker.

“A short window is all we need in the House to reinstate Kevin McCarthy and change the rule,” Rep. John Duarte (R-CA) said.

House Republicans plan on meeting behind closed doors on Monday to hash out details and differences of opinion. On Tuesday, there will be a candidate forum to hear the pros and cons of each speaker candidate.

The conference plans to hold a secret vote on Wednesday to see who it wants to nominate for speaker on the floor. The nomination will go to whichever candidate secures a majority of the GOP conference. That figure could be as low as 113, including the three nonvoting GOP delegates to the House. If all 435 House members participate, a successful candidate will need 217 votes to become speaker.

Pardoned Ex-Proud Boys Leader Announces Run for Office

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Tyler Merbler, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio revealed on Wednesday that he would run for office after receiving a pardon from President Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

“It’s been a great two weeks, Greg,” he told Newsmax host Greg Kelly. “Two weeks ago I was in prison and just last night I was in Mar-a-Lago at the president’s house.”

“That is so amazing,” replied Kelly. “From prison to Mar-a-Lago, the most exclusive house in the world, possibly more exclusive than the White House.”

After the Newsmax host asked Tarrio what his next steps would be, he announced his intention to run for office.

“Last time I was on, I told you that I was gonna take some time, and I was going to really think about what I was going to do,” said Tarrio. “And I think my future is in politics. I think I’m gonna take a serious look at running for office at some point in 2026 or 2028, and I believe that there is a path for that because it is my passion.”

He continued, “I wanted to take some time to really think about it and I think I’ve made up my mind. I think that I’m going to go ahead and push, and again, there’s a lot of things that need to be aligned for that to happen, so I am gonna take my time with picking what office specifically, what district. Is it gonna be local? Is it gonna be at a federal level? I don’t know, but I will tell you that I have made a decision.”

Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison in September 2023 after being convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots, even though he was not present at the Capitol that day.

Tarrio’s sentence was cut short last month after President Donald Trump signed pardons for defendants linked to the Capitol riot.

Mitch McConnell’s Office Provides Update Following Hospitalization

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Mitch McConnell via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) office is releasing more details on the senior’s sudden hospital visit.

The 81-year-old Senator fell at a dinner event on Wednesday evening at the Waldorf Astoria for the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC closely affiliated with the leader. He is being treated for a concussion and will stay in the hospital for the next few days for treatment and observation, according to reports from The Hill.

“Leader McConnell tripped at a dinner event Wednesday evening and has been admitted to the hospital and is being treated for a concussion. He is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days of observation and treatment,” his office announced Thursday, breaking hours of silence after revealing Wednesday evening that the GOP leader had tripped and injured himself at a local hotel.  

“The Leader is grateful to the medical professionals for their care and to his colleagues for their warm wishes,” McConnell’s office said.

McConnell won election to a seventh term in 2020 and is next up for reelection in 2026.  

Critics of the senior lawmaker wasted no time before offering their distasteful remarks.

However, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer offered prayers for McConnell and his family in his opening remarks on Thursday. Sen. Schumer said he spoke with the Republican Senator Thursday morning and wished him a full and speedy recovery.

Controversial conservative influencer Laura Loomer offered her own crass remarks on Twitter.

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Trump Promotes ‘Peaceful Protests’ Ahead Of Hush Money Trial’s Opening Arguments

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Before opening arguments are scheduled to begin in Donald Trump’s hush money trial in Manhattan the former President urged supporters to exercise their right to protest.

Trump is being charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to make alleged hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels.

Opening statements are expected to begin Monday.

In a post just before he left for the courthouse, Trump questioned why pro-Palestinian protesters were allowed to “roam the Cities, scream, shout, sit, block traffic, enter buildings, not get permits, and basically do whatever they want” while his supporters are “rudely and systematically shut down and ushered off to far away ‘holding areas,’ essentially denying them their Constitutional Rights.”

“America Loving Protesters should be allowed to protest at the front steps of Courthouses, all over the Country,” Trump added, appearing to reference how demonstrators who have shown up outside his trial have been kept across the street from the building.

Trump urged his supporters to “GO OUT AND PEACEFULLY PROTEST. RALLY BEHIND MAGA. SAVE OUR COUNTRY!”

In a separate post Sunday, Trump specifically attacked Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D), who is leading the case against Trump, and defended the payment at the heart of the case as a “legal expense.”

“What other term would be more appropriate??? Believe it or not, this is the pretext under which I was Indicted, and that Legal Scholars and Experts CANNOT BELIEVE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It is also the perfect Crooked Joe Biden NARRATIVE – To be STUCK in a courtroom, and not be allowed to campaign for President of the United States!”

Lawmakers React To FBI’s Assassination Attempt Update

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Gage Skidmore Flickr

Despite the FBI conducting 200 interviews and combing through 14,000 images they still don’t have a clear motive behind the attempted assassination of former President Trump at a campaign rally last Saturday in western Pennsylvania.

Republicans are demanding answers.

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) who’s on the House Oversight Committee, told Fox News Digital that he thinks it’s “bulls—” that federal investigators don’t have a motive yet. 

“I’m not buying that they have nothing,” Burchett said Wednesday. “I don’t have faith in this administration. If they (the Secret Service) don’t want conspiracy theories, they have to move quickly and answer tough questions.”

Burchett said they subpoenaed Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who agreed to comply, according to the Oversight Committee’s post on X. A hearing is scheduled for July 22. 

“Americans demand and deserve answers from Director Cheatle about the attempted assassination of President Trump and the Secret Service’s egregious failures,” the Oversight Committee said in its X post shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday. 

Wray told Congress that Trump’s would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, used his cellphone to search for images of President Biden and Trump as well as symptoms of depressive disorder before the shooting, according to CBS News

Secret Service snipers “neutralized” Crooks, who set up on a roof overlooking the rally less than 150 yards from where Trump was speaking.

How Crooks entered the building and fired off multiple shots remains under investigation and has led to finger-pointing between the Secret Service and local police.

Oath Keepers Founder Sentenced to 18 Years Over Role in Jan. 6 Riot

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Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes has been sentenced to 18 years in prison following his conviction on seditious conspiracy theories for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. 

A federal judge delivered the sentence on Thursday. The sentencing represents the longest prison term yet assigned to a figure involved in the riot despite Rhodes not entering the Capitol building that day, according to reports from The Hill.

“He exploited his vast public influence as the leader of the Oath Keepers and used his talents for manipulation to goad more than twenty other American citizens into using force, intimidation, and violence to seek to impose their preferred result on a U.S. presidential election,” the Justice Department wrote in a sentencing memo earlier this month.

Seditious conspiracy carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence, but the Justice Department also sought a terrorism enhancement for Rhodes as well as other Oath Keepers defendants.

Judge Amit Mehta largely sided with the Justice Department, which suggested a 25-year prison sentence for Rhodes. The DOJ largely argued the former Army soldier encouraged other fellow veterans to violate the oaths to defend the Constitution they took when beginning their service. 

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