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    Bush-Era White House Ethics Lawyer Raises Impeachment Alarm Over Trump TV Ads

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    White House image via Wikimedia Commons

    A former White House ethics lawyer says government-funded television ads promoting President Donald Trump could cross a line serious enough to warrant impeachment.

    Richard Painter, who served as chief ethics lawyer in President George W. Bush’s White House, made the warning Sunday as ads featuring Trump aired ahead of the November midterms. “This could be an impeachable offense,” Painter wrote on X, referring to comments he made to The New York Times. He argued that a president has no right to use taxpayer money for campaign advertising.

    The impeachment warning is Painter’s assessment. The White House disputes his description of the ads, calling them public service announcements.

    The ads behind the fight

    One 30-second spot flashes images of Trump while touting tax cuts, manufacturing and law enforcement. It uses audio of the president promising to defeat “communism, socialism and Marxism in America,” followed by praise from UFC CEO Dana White. The screen identifies it as “Paid for by the U.S. Government.” ABC News reported that the spot ran on Fox News and Newsmax in several markets; ad-tracking firm AdImpact estimated the buy at roughly $14,000 as of September 24.

    A separate black-and-white spot features Trump’s 2024 campaign rhetoric about the “deep state,” “warmongers” and the news media. The New York Times reported that the footage had previously run as a campaign ad. Painter told the Times that using federal funds for the spots could constitute an abuse of power and an impeachable offense.

    The dispute centers on whether the ads serve a government purpose or promote a political figure with public money. Painter contends that federal restrictions on government-funded political propaganda apply. His warning is not a legal finding or an announcement of impeachment proceedings.

    Criticism reaches both parties

    Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., criticized the spending after being shown one of the ads on CBS’s Face the Nation Sunday. He said public officials, including Trump, should not spend public money on ads for themselves. Kennedy acknowledged that the White House sees the spot differently and said he believed there probably was a rule against using public funds for self-promotion.

    The watchdog group Public Citizen filed a complaint Friday with the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Special Counsel. It alleged that the ads violate restrictions on government propaganda and political activity, and called for them to be pulled. The complaint states the group’s allegations; it does not establish that a violation occurred.

    The White House said Friday that Trump is not on the November ballot and that the ads contain no call to vote. It cited government-funded public information campaigns under previous presidents, including messages about Medicare, health insurance enrollment and COVID-19 vaccination. The administration says its spots promote patriotism and clearly disclose who paid for them.

    Tucker Carlson Calls on Trump’s Cabinet to Remove Him Under 25th Amendment

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    6
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Tucker Carlson’s break with President Donald Trump has reached a startling new point: The former Fox News host says Trump’s own Cabinet should have moved to strip him of presidential power over his threats against Iran.

    In a Thursday interview with NPR’s Steve Inskeep, Carlson argued that Trump’s rhetoric about the war warranted action under the 25th Amendment. It was an extraordinary demand from a commentator who once championed Trump and spoke on his behalf at the 2024 Republican National Convention.

    “He should have been removed from office by his own Cabinet secretaries the moment he threatened a nuclear attack,” Carlson said, according to Mediaite’s account of the interview.

    When Inskeep asked whether he meant the 25th Amendment, Carlson confirmed it. He also described Trump’s remarks as a threat of a first-use nuclear strike. That is Carlson’s characterization: Trump’s quoted warning about Iran did not explicitly say he would use nuclear weapons.

    The Iran warning behind the rupture

    In his address to the United Nations on Tuesday, Trump presented Iran with a choice between a deal and possible destruction, asking whether he should “annihilate the Islamic Republic.” Mediaite quoted the fuller passage. The White House’s summary of the address emphasized his pledge to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and cast his approach as a show of American strength.

    Carlson sees the war in sharply different terms. NPR reported that he questioned whether Trump had made the decision to begin it independently and alleged that Israel had effectively forced his hand. Those are Carlson’s assertions, not established facts. NPR said the White House, asked to comment, instead pointed to a Trump social media post attacking Carlson and others who oppose his Iran policy.

    The public split carries political weight because Carlson was once among Trump’s most prominent defenders on the right. His call now goes beyond criticizing a military decision: He wants senior officials inside the administration to act against the president.

    What the 25th Amendment would require

    Section 4 of the 25th Amendment allows the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet’s principal officers to declare in writing that a president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office. The vice president would then become acting president. If the president contested the declaration and the officials persisted, two-thirds of both houses of Congress would have to agree for the vice president to continue acting in that role.

    The provision is a process for presidential inability, not a finding of criminal guilt or a substitute for impeachment. Carlson’s accusation that Trump’s words constituted a crime does not, on its own, trigger it.

    For now, Carlson’s remarks underscore how far one of Trump’s best-known former allies has moved over Iran. The unanswered question is whether his appeal resonates with anyone in an administration whose participation the constitutional process would require.

    Ari Emanuel Reveals Trump’s Private Talk About A 2028 GOP Ticket

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    White House image via Wikimedia Commons

    Hollywood power agent Ari Emanuel says President Donald Trump dropped a revealing hint about the Republican Party’s possible 2028 ticket during a recent private phone call.

    Emanuel disclosed the conversation Tuesday while appearing with MS NOW host Rachel Maddow at New York’s 92nd Street Y to promote his memoir, Roll the Calls.

    According to Mediaite, Emanuel said he spoke with Trump by phone roughly three weeks earlier—and the president was already talking excitedly about Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a potential political team.

    “He thought JD and Marco Rubio would be a formidable group,” Emanuel said.

    The comment did not amount to an endorsement or reveal which man Trump envisioned at the top of the ticket. It did, however, add another piece of evidence that the president is thinking openly about who could carry the Republican Party into the post-Trump era.

    Emanuel Pushes Back On Maddow

    The private call surfaced during a sharp exchange over Maddow’s concern that Trump could try to remain in power after his second term ends.

    Maddow described Trump as a “different kind of cat” and said she did not believe he would willingly leave office. Emanuel rejected that argument, pointing to Trump’s interest in a future Vance–Rubio pairing as evidence that the president is contemplating a successor.

    Emanuel argued that the remarks did not sound like those of a “man trying to be in the White House forever,” according to Mediaite’s account of the event.

    The Hollywood executive also compared the alarm surrounding Trump with fears voiced about President Richard Nixon decades ago. When members of the audience pushed back, Emanuel responded with a profane joke before continuing the discussion.

    Emanuel is one of Hollywood’s most powerful dealmakers and the inspiration for the character Ari Gold on HBO’s Entourage. He currently serves as executive chairman of WME Group and executive chair and CEO of TKO Group Holdings, the company that owns UFC and WWE, according to CBS News.

    Trump Has Floated The Pairing Before

    Trump’s reported comments to Emanuel were consistent with ideas he has raised publicly.

    During a White House event in May, Trump asked attendees whether they preferred Vance or Rubio before saying the two names “sound like a good ticket,” according to TIME.

    Trump called the pair a “dream team” but immediately cautioned that the remark did not constitute an endorsement. He also left unanswered which official would run for president and which would seek the vice presidency.

    Rubio, who ran against Trump for the 2016 Republican nomination, has previously signaled that he would support Vance if the vice president entered the 2028 race. Vance has described early campaign talk as premature while leaving open the possibility of considering his political future later in the administration.

    Both men have become highly visible members of Trump’s second administration. Vance holds the office that has often served as a springboard to a presidential campaign, while Rubio has taken on overlapping responsibilities as secretary of state and national security adviser.

    Third-Term Talk Meets A Constitutional Barrier

    Trump has repeatedly joked about serving a third term and has sold “Trump 2028” merchandise, fueling speculation among supporters and critics alike. More recently, however, he acknowledged that “the law is very strong” and said he understood the legal restriction preventing another run.

    The 22nd Amendment states that no person may be elected president more than twice. Changing that limit would require amending the Constitution.

    Known Trump Rival Letitia James Sees Lead Shrink

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Alec Perkins from Hoboken, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    New York Attorney General Letitia James still holds a double-digit advantage in her bid for a third term, but a new poll shows the prominent Trump adversary losing ground to a Republican challenger whom most voters barely know.

    James leads former federal prosecutor Saritha Komatireddy 52% to 39% among likely voters, according to a Siena University poll released Wednesday.

    That 13-point margin is down from James’ 18-point advantage in August, when she led 54% to 36%. In the span of a month, James slipped two points while Komatireddy gained three.

    The shift narrowed the gap in a heavily Democratic state, but it does not mean the race is suddenly tied. James remains above 50%, and the poll’s roughly four-point margin of error means the month-to-month change should be viewed cautiously.

    Low Name Recognition Shapes The Race

    Komatireddy’s biggest challenge may also be her clearest opportunity: 71% of likely voters said they had either never heard of her or did not know enough to form an opinion. Her favorability rating stood at just 17%, with 12% viewing her unfavorably—the same result Siena recorded in August.

    James, by contrast, is one of the most recognizable figures in New York politics. Her favorability rating was 51% positive and 40% negative, a slight decline from 52% to 38% the previous month.

    Siena pollster Steven Greenberg said both candidates have secured more than 80% of voters within their own parties. Independents leaned toward James by a narrow 43% to 40% margin.

    The most dramatic regional movement came in New York City. James still held a commanding 62% to 26% lead there, but that was substantially smaller than her 71% to 20% advantage in August. Siena found James maintaining narrower leads upstate and in the downstate suburbs.

    Greenberg said the results left James ahead among independents and in each major region of the state, while Komatireddy entered the final weeks of the campaign with low name recognition.

    Trump Feud Shapes The Contest

    James’ long-running feud with President Donald Trump has made the attorney general’s race a contest with national overtones.

    Her office brought the civil fraud case against Trump, his company and several executives. A New York trial judge imposed a penalty that grew to nearly $500 million with interest. In 2025, a divided state appeals court vacated the financial penalty as excessive while leaving the fraud finding and other restrictions in place.

    Trump has repeatedly accused James of pursuing him for political reasons. James has defended the case as a lawful enforcement action and pointed to the surviving fraud judgment as validation of her office’s work.

    Komatireddy has made public safety a centerpiece of her campaign. The former Eastern District of New York prosecutor has handled terrorism, cybercrime, narcotics and fraud cases, later served as chief of staff at the Drug Enforcement Administration, and clerked for then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, according to her campaign biography.

    She has also proposed creating an Office of Civil Commitment to coordinate law-enforcement and medical responses involving people with severe mental illness who may pose a danger to themselves or others. James’ campaign called the plan “an empty proposal,” while defending the incumbent’s work on hospital discharge planning, supportive housing and treatment programs, according to the Times Union.

    The same poll found Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul leading Republican Bruce Blakeman 50% to 41%, little changed from her 49% to 39% advantage in August.

    Siena surveyed 1,144 likely New York voters from Sept. 11 through Sept. 17. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.9 percentage points for the core questions and plus or minus 4.2 points among the 991 respondents who completed the entire survey.

    World Leader Skips Trump Reception — Meets With Key Rival Instead

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54581054338/, Public Domain,

    Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez skipped President Donald Trump’s reception for world leaders in New York on Tuesday, choosing instead to meet with California Gov. Gavin Newsom as tensions between Madrid and Washington continue to simmer.

    Sánchez was invited to the reception, held during the United Nations General Assembly, but his government said the invitation arrived only after his schedule had already been set.

    “He is not going to attend that dinner, but basically because the invitation arrived a few days ago, when the whole trip was already prepared,” Spanish government spokeswoman Elma Saiz said, according to El País.

    The scheduling explanation did little to quiet speculation that the move carried a political message. El País reported that the meetings cited by Sánchez’s team — including sit-downs with Newsom and Apple CEO Tim Cook — were not listed on the prime minister’s public schedule. The newspaper characterized his absence as a political decision, although Sánchez’s office has not described it as a boycott.

    Newsom Meeting Takes Aim At Trump Agenda

    While Trump hosted foreign leaders, Sánchez met with Newsom and signed a memorandum expanding cooperation between Spain and California on clean energy, battery storage, methane reduction, carbon markets and climate resilience.

    Newsom’s office announced the agreement in a sharply worded statement accusing Trump of undermining American alliances and energy security.

    “At a moment of increasing global instability, California will continue building strong relationships with partners around the globe to build a cleaner, more prosperous, more secure future,” Newsom said.

    The Democratic governor has emerged as one of Trump’s most visible political adversaries and is frequently discussed as a possible 2028 presidential contender. His office used the New York meeting to contrast California’s climate policies with the Trump administration’s approach to energy and the war in Iran.

    Sánchez Blasts Trump’s U.N. Speech

    Sánchez also criticized Trump’s address to the General Assembly, calling it “very ideological” and “not backed and supported by facts and data” during an appearance on Jon Stewart’s The Weekly Show podcast, according to EFE.

    “When he speaks about climate change, or the war in Iran, or the things that are going on in the Middle East, his political positions are not, let’s say, largely supported by many countries worldwide,” Sánchez said.

    Trump used his speech to defend his administration’s Iran policy, challenge international climate policies and press other nations to put their own interests first. Sánchez, by contrast, used his U.N. appearances to call for broader multilateral cooperation and defend international institutions, according to Spain’s official government account.

    The two leaders were already at odds over NATO spending. Trump blasted Spain in 2025 after Sánchez resisted the alliance’s new defense-spending target, accusing Madrid of seeking a “free ride” and warning that Spain could pay more in trade negotiations, Fox Business reported.

    Their relationship deteriorated further over the Iran war, which Sánchez has publicly opposed.

    Sánchez also skipped Trump’s U.N. reception last year, when Spain’s King Felipe VI led the country’s delegation. He had attended receptions hosted by President Joe Biden in 2022 and 2023, according to El País.

    This time, the contrast was difficult to miss: Sánchez passed on Trump’s gathering, criticized the president’s speech and spent part of his evening signing a climate agreement with a Democrat who has built a national profile by confronting the White House.

    Report: Vance Gave Clinton Camp A Warning About Trump

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Hillary Clinton via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Vice President JD Vance reportedly opened a private channel to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016, urging her team to change course in the Midwest as Donald Trump closed in on the White House.

    The previously unreported episode adds a striking new chapter to Vance’s well-known evolution from a fierce Trump critic into the president’s running mate and one of the most prominent figures in the MAGA movement.

    According to a new Vanity Fair profile by Chris Whipple, Vance repeatedly asked an intermediary connected to Clinton’s campaign to put him in touch with Jake Sullivan, who was serving as one of Clinton’s senior policy advisers.

    The intermediary recalled Vance saying, “I hate Hillary. But I hate Trump more.”

    A Midwestern Warning Clinton Did Not Heed

    Vance reportedly believed Clinton was in danger of losing the industrial Midwest and wanted her to make an urgent appeal to voters in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

    The source told Vanity Fair that Vance wanted Clinton to spend less time campaigning with celebrities and more time confronting the anger surrounding her 2002 vote to authorize military force in Iraq. His argument centered on working-class communities that had sent family members to war and felt forgotten by national leaders.

    Vanity Fair reported that Vance eventually spoke directly with Sullivan roughly six weeks before Election Day.

    A second source close to Sullivan confirmed that a conversation occurred but offered a narrower recollection. That person did not remember Vance laying out a broader strategy for the so-called Blue Wall states. The source did recall Vance pressing Clinton’s team to repair the damage from her “basket of deplorables” remark about Trump supporters and warning that she needed to sharpen her focus.

    Clinton ultimately lost Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania—three states Democrats had carried in every presidential election since at least 1992. Trump captured all three by narrow margins, breaking through the Democratic firewall and winning the presidency.

    Vance’s Office Pushes Back

    Vance spokesman Taylor Van Kirk disputed Vanity Fair’s description of the outreach.

    Van Kirk said Vance did not work for either campaign and was encouraging politicians in both parties to pay attention to working-class communities like his hometown of Middletown, Ohio. The spokesperson said the vice president’s office “100 percent reject[s]” the suggestion that his purpose was to help Clinton win.

    The report does not claim that Vance formally joined Clinton’s campaign or held any official role. Its central allegation is that he privately delivered political advice to a senior Clinton adviser because he wanted Trump defeated—a characterization his office denies.

    From Never Trump To Trump’s No. 2

    Vance’s opposition to Trump in 2016 was never a secret. While promoting his bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, he publicly called himself a “Never Trump guy,” described Trump as unfit for office and ultimately voted for independent conservative Evan McMullin rather than Trump or Clinton.

    His position changed in the years that followed. As Vance entered the 2022 Ohio Senate race, he apologized for his earlier attacks and aligned himself with Trump’s political movement. Trump endorsed him in a crowded Republican primary, Vance won the Senate seat, and Trump selected him as his running mate in 2024.

    The new account is especially notable because Vance’s reported advice identified the very weakness that helped decide the 2016 election: Clinton’s failure to hold key Midwestern states. It also reveals just how far the future vice president may have been willing to go at the time to stop the man whose administration he now helps lead.

    Still, the most explosive interpretation remains contested. Vanity Fair’s sources portray Vance as trying to help Clinton defeat Trump. Vance’s team portrays the conversation as a bipartisan plea for Washington to stop ignoring working-class America.

    Vanity Fair’s account, including confirmation from a second source that Vance and Sullivan spoke, offers the clearest description yet of the distance between Vance’s 2016 politics and his role in the Trump White House today.

    Newsom Draws a 2028 Red Line—and Puts His Future in Kamala Harris’ Hands

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Gage Skidmore Flickr

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom just made his clearest 2028 pledge yet—and it gives Kamala Harris the first move.

    “I wouldn’t run if she ran,” Newsom told CNN anchor Jake Tapper during a fly-fishing interview in Montana.

    Tapper wrote that the answer left him “stunned.” Newsom, however, described the decision as simple political math.

    “Why would I?” Newsom said. “I wouldn’t do that to her. I wouldn’t do it to me. … I won’t waste everyone’s time. Who needs that?”

    The governor argued that a primary battle between two nationally known California Democrats—with overlapping donors, allies and supporters—would create an opening for everyone else.

    “First of all, electorally it’s a gift from God for everybody else,” Newsom said. “They’d enjoy the hell out of it. Mutual assured destruction. It serves no greater good.”

    Tapper pressed him on the obvious counterargument: Harris launched a presidential campaign in 2019 but withdrew before the 2020 primaries, then became the Democratic nominee in 2024 and lost the general election. Newsom, by contrast, has never tested himself in a national campaign.

    Newsom conceded the point.

    “That would be the case you’d make,” he said. “Pretty good one, actually. That’s objectively true.”

    But he returned to the personal and political overlap between them. “I know her base of supporters, I know her friends,” Newsom said, adding that the Venn diagram was “pure crossover.” He said he would not force those allies to choose sides.

    The pledge is a noticeable step beyond Newsom’s answer in February. Asked by CNN’s Dana Bash what would happen if the two longtime California figures collided in 2028, Newsom said “fate will determine that” and added, “I’ve never gotten in the way of her ambition, ever.”

    Now he has converted that vague deference into a public condition: if Harris runs, he says he is out.

    That does not mean Newsom has abandoned his own presidential ambitions. His second and final term as governor ends in January, and his political activity has increasingly reached beyond California. He launched the podcast “This Is Gavin Newsom,” traveled to South Carolina—an early Democratic nominating state—and said he would give a White House campaign “serious thought” after the 2026 midterms.

    Newsom also promoted a national fundraising drive tied to California’s 2025 redistricting fight. The Daily Wire reported that some of its digital ads targeted donors outside California, fueling speculation that the effort could also help him expand a national fundraising list. A spokeswoman for the campaign rejected that interpretation, saying the out-of-state appeals were intended to rally opposition to Republican-led redistricting efforts.

    And Newsom’s new promise appears narrowly tailored. The Daily Wire reported that he did not offer the same assurance when Tapper raised Rep. Ro Khanna, another California Democrat whose name has surfaced in 2028 discussions.

    Harris, meanwhile, has not announced a decision. She said in July that she had “not made a decision,” and more recently said the 2026 midterms were occupying her attention “full time.” Her campaign schedule includes appearances for Democratic candidates in California, Nevada and Georgia, keeping her active in both battlegrounds and an early presidential primary state.

    For now, the most consequential move in Newsom’s possible 2028 campaign may belong to Harris. His pledge removes the prospect of a direct California showdown—if he keeps it—but it also leaves his path dependent on a decision he cannot control.

    Man Arrested After Chilling Ben Shapiro Countdown

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Arrest image via Pixabay

    A Kansas man is behind bars in Florida after authorities say he unleashed a string of antisemitic death threats against conservative commentator Ben Shapiro — including a countdown that appeared to point toward Yom Kippur.

    Korby Aaren Strube, 29, of Horton, Kansas, was arrested Sept. 12 and charged with 25 felonies in Palm Beach County, according to court records cited by JNS and local reporting.

    The charges include 23 counts alleging written or electronic threats to kill or cause bodily harm with evidence of prejudice, plus two counts alleging the use of a two-way communications device to facilitate a felony with evidence of prejudice.

    A judge ordered Strube held without bond following a court appearance one day after his arrest, according to reporting based on Palm Beach County court documents.

    Posts Allegedly Targeted Shapiro’s Faith

    The case centers on a series of social media posts allegedly published between July 31 and Aug. 2.

    In one post quoted in an arrest affidavit obtained by JNS, the account said it would be “giving the world a boost by killing Ben Shapiro for being Jewish.” Another allegedly threatened to kill the Daily Wire co-founder while using an antisemitic slur.

    Investigators said the messages also leaned on antisemitic conspiracy theories, invoking “semites,” “Tel Aviv” and a “foreign government” as supposed justification for the threats.

    Two of the posts allegedly included countdowns of 52 and 51 days. Authorities believed those messages pointed toward Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.

    Shapiro told investigators he considered the threats serious, believed he was being targeted because of his Jewish faith and wanted to pursue charges, according to the affidavit. He also reportedly said he had never communicated with the person behind the account.

    Security Team Sounded The Alarm

    The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office opened its investigation Aug. 4 after a private security firm protecting Shapiro alerted authorities and supplied screenshots of the posts.

    Investigators traced the account to Strube using records from technology, telephone and internet companies, the sheriff’s office said. The account was later suspended.

    The case reflects a danger Shapiro has said follows him far beyond the studio. In a recent CBN News interview, the commentator described the personal toll of years of public controversy and rising antisemitism. Additional reporting from the New York Post said Shapiro has relied on round-the-clock security for a decade, including during routine family outings.

    A Separate Threat Investigation

    Authorities were also examining Strube over alleged threats involving President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama and his family.

    According to the Palm Beach County affidavit, Secret Service agents and Brown County sheriff’s deputies went to Strube’s Kansas home on Aug. 4 as part of that separate inquiry. Strube allegedly acknowledged making a threatening post about Trump and the Obamas but denied wanting or intending to kill Trump.

    Strube also admitted controlling the social media accounts at issue, authorities said, while claiming they had been hacked. Investigators wrote that the hacking claim was contradicted by both his own statements and the digital evidence they gathered.

    Law enforcement officers found firearms secured inside a gun safe at the home, but Strube did not have access to them, according to the affidavit. His parents reportedly told investigators he had no history of mental illness.

    The New York Post reported that Strube had previously worked in information technology but had been unemployed and living with his parents for roughly two years.

    Strube has not been convicted, and the allegations against him remain to be tested in court. It was not immediately clear whether he had entered a plea or retained an attorney.

    Trump Holds Back 2028 Endorsement As Vance Succession Talk Heats Up

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    President Donald Trump is keeping the race to inherit his political movement wide open—for now.

    Trump stopped short of endorsing Vice President JD Vance for president in 2028 when reporters confronted him about the Republican Party’s future leadership at Shannon International Airport in Ireland.

    Asked whether he was ready to “throw his weight” behind Vance, Trump quickly pumped the brakes.

    “It’s too early. I mean, it’s too early. I think he’s terrific. There’s so many terrific people,” Trump responded.

    When pressed about who could compete with Vance, the president again praised his vice president while declining to place him above the rest of the potential Republican field.

    Trump said the GOP has several strong prospective candidates, adding that Vance is “fantastic” and has performed well as vice president. The exchange was captured in an official White House video recorded before Trump departed Ireland.

    Trump Keeps His Options Open

    The answer was hardly a rejection of Vance, but it fell short of the coveted endorsement that could give the vice president a significant early advantage in the Republican primary.

    Trump’s comments also reinforced a message he has delivered before: He is not prepared to formally crown a successor nearly two years before the next presidential election.

    That caution could preserve Trump’s influence over a potentially crowded field while preventing the 2028 contest from distracting Republicans ahead of November’s midterm elections.

    The president has offered praise to several possible contenders, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). When asked about Cruz’s possible presidential ambitions in August, Trump called the senator “very talented” and said he believed Cruz might enter the race, according to the Daily Caller.

    Vance Emerges As A Leading Contender

    The president’s latest remarks came days after Vance received an enthusiastic reception at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas.

    Vance used his convention appearance to defend the Trump administration’s record, urge unity among conservatives and position himself as a leading voice for the next generation of the MAGA movement. Attendees interviewed by the New York Post described the vice president as prepared to carry Trump’s political agenda forward.

    Vance, however, has yet to announce a presidential campaign.

    During a June interview with CBS News, he said he and second lady Usha Vance would discuss their future after the 2026 midterms. Vance also said he expected Trump to support whatever decision he ultimately made, although the two had not held a detailed conversation about a prospective campaign.

    “I try not to make [decisions] until I absolutely must,” Vance told CBS News.

    Mixed Signals From Trump

    Trump has sent conflicting signals about whether Vance is already his preferred successor.

    The Washington Post previously reported that Trump told donors during a private Oval Office meeting that Republicans would eventually need to elect Vance. The president subsequently disputed that account when questioned by the Daily Caller, saying it remained far too early to settle on a candidate.

    Trump has also reportedly asked advisers to compare Vance with Rubio, underscoring that the president continues to weigh the strengths of multiple possible contenders.

    Rubio has publicly attempted to cool speculation about a rivalry. During a May interview with NBC News, the secretary of state said he would support Vance if the vice president entered the race.

    For the moment, Vance remains prominently positioned—but Trump appears determined to make him wait for the endorsement that could reshape the entire 2028 Republican contest.

    Trump-Backed Republican Makes Unexpected Senate Pledge

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54325633746/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=159707159

    Republican California gubernatorial nominee Steve Hilton has made an unexpected promise: If elected, he would appoint a Democrat to fill a hypothetical vacancy in one of the state’s U.S. Senate seats.

    Hilton, a former Fox News host endorsed by President Donald Trump, made the pledge during an appearance on the liberal “Pod Save America” podcast with host Jon Lovett.

    Lovett raised an imagined scenario in which Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff’s seat suddenly became vacant and asked whether Hilton would select another Democrat because California voters had elected Democrats to both Senate seats.

    “Yes,” Hilton responded.

    When Lovett pressed him to confirm his answer, Hilton said he believed the governor should respect the choice voters had already made.

    “I just think you have to honor the vote that people took,” Hilton said, according to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

    Hilton’s campaign did not immediately provide the outlet with additional comment.

    There is currently no vacancy in California’s Senate delegation, and Schiff has not announced plans to leave office. The Democrat’s current term runs through January 2031, according to the U.S. Senate.

    California Law Gives The Governor Broad Authority

    Hilton would not be legally required to preserve the departing senator’s party affiliation.

    Under California Elections Code Section 10720, the governor may temporarily appoint any qualified California elector to fill a vacant Senate seat until voters choose someone to serve the remainder of the term at a statewide general election.

    The statute contains no requirement that the temporary replacement belong to the same political party as the departing senator.

    That means a Republican governor could legally appoint a Republican to replace a Democratic senator—or vice versa. Hilton’s promise would therefore represent a voluntary restriction on one of the most consequential appointment powers held by a governor.

    For Republicans, the practical consequence is significant. Even if Hilton broke California Democrats’ long hold on the governor’s mansion, his pledge means an unexpected Senate vacancy would not automatically give the GOP an opportunity to alter the balance of power in Washington.

    California Has Seen Two Recent Senate Appointments

    Senate appointments are more than an obscure constitutional possibility in California. Gov. Gavin Newsom has exercised the power twice since taking office.

    In December 2020, Newsom selected then-Secretary of State Alex Padilla to complete Kamala Harris’ Senate term after she was elected vice president. Padilla became California’s first Latino U.S. senator and subsequently won election to a full term.

    Newsom used the authority again following Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s death in 2023, appointing EMILY’s List President Laphonza Butler to complete the remainder of Feinstein’s term.

    Both appointments preserved Democratic control of the seats.

    Hilton’s position applies that same party-preservation principle even though he is campaigning as the Republican alternative to years of Democratic control in Sacramento.

    Trump Backed Hilton’s Bid

    Trump endorsed Hilton in April, describing him as someone who had watched California decline under its current leadership and arguing that the former television host could help restore the state.

    Hilton later advanced from California’s June 2 top-two primary and will face Democrat Xavier Becerra in November. Becerra previously served as California attorney general and as Health and Human Services secretary under President Joe Biden. California’s official primary results confirmed Hilton and Becerra as the two gubernatorial finalists.

    Hilton is competing in a state where registered Democrats continue to substantially outnumber Republicans. As of May 18, Democrats accounted for 44.9% of California’s registered voters, compared with 24.96% for Republicans. Another 22.82% registered with no party preference, according to the California secretary of state.

    The unusual pledge offers voters a clearer picture of how Hilton would approach the office if he manages to win it: Although he is running with Trump’s endorsement, he says he would not use an unexpected Senate vacancy to overturn the partisan choice California voters previously made.

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