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DeSantis Commits to First GOP Presidential Primary Debate

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Florida Governor and presidential contender Ron DeSantis is refusing to stand in the shadow of Donald Trump.

DeSantis plans to participate in the first Republican presidential nomination debate “regardless” of whether former President Donald Trump takes the stage at the August showdown. 

“I’ll be there regardless. I hope everybody who’s eligible comes. I think it’s an important part of the process and I look forward to being able to be on the stage and introducing our candidacy and our vision and our leadership to a wide audience,” DeSantis said Thursday on “Fox News Tonight.”

Trump, who’s the commanding front-runner in the latest GOP presidential primary polls, has indicated that he may skip the debate. However, Trump campaign officials say the former president has yet to make a final decision on his participation. Trump’s aides have also been looking into options for an alternative event should the former president skip the debate, according to Fox News.

The debate is scheduled for August 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and will be hosted by Fox News.

The Republican National Committee (RNC), which is organizing all the GOP presidential nominating debates, is requiring a high donor threshold as well as polling thresholds for candidates to make the stage. 

The RNC is also mandating that candidates that meet the thresholds sign a loyalty pledge to back the eventual 2024 GOP nominee, in order to participate in the debate.

The state of Florida is adding a similar loyalty requirement for candidates to be included on the state’s ballot, according to POLITICO.

The new oath, which includes a promise to “endorse” the GOP nominee and requires a candidate to pledge not to run as an independent or third-party candidate, mirrors language adopted by the Republican National Committee for its first debate.

“We were trying to be consistent with what the debate was requiring,” said Evan Power, vice chair of the Republican Party of Florida, who said that campaigns were notified about the changes. “I don’t think this will come as a surprise.”

Trump Confronted On Air Force One About Running Again – His Answer Will Trigger A Liberal Meltdown

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Trump can’t resist trolling the Left…

On Sunday, President Trump addressed speculation he could be angling to attempt to pursue another term in the White House despite being term-limited by the Constitution.

Trump has been floating the idea of blowing off term limits for years, and one Republican has already introduced an amendment to allow it. During an interview with NBC News anchor Kristen Welker over the weekend, President Trump joked that he would consider running for a “fourth term.”

On his way back from Mar-a-Lago Sunday, Trump emerged into the press cabin on Air Force One to take questions from reporters and was confronted about his latest remarks.

Read:

Q: You said you were not joking about possibly wanting a third term. Does that mean you’re not planning to leave office on January 20?

POTUS: “I’m not looking at that but I’ll tell you, I have had more people ask me to have a third term, which in a way is a fourth term because the other election, the 2020 election was totally rigged, so it’s actually sort of a fourth term. I just don’t want the credit for the second because Biden was so bad, he did such a bad job, and I think that’s one of the reasons that I’m popular, if you want to know the truth.

“I think I’m popular because we’ve done a great job. I think we’ve had the best hundred days of almost any president. Most people are saying that and it’s an honour, bringing back our country. We’re respected as a country again. We’re strongly respected and people are amazed.

“I was with some very important people today and they said they’ve never seen a turnaround of a country as fast as this. Even look at our border. We have nobody coming in and you can’t come into our country; you have to come in legally. We have nobody coming into our country. It’s almost shut down.”

Q: The constitution limits a president to two terms –

POTUS: “I don’t even want to talk about it. I’m just telling you I have had more people saying, please run again. We have a long way to go before we even think about that but I’ve had a lot of people.”

Q: Do you think that’s an appropriate precedent to set, even if it’s not you in that position?

POTUS: “I don’t even want to talk about a third term now because no matter how you look at it, you’ve got a long time to go. We have a long time. We have almost four years to go and that’s a long time but despite that so many people are saying you’ve got to run again. They love the job we’re doing. Most importantly they love the job we’re doing.”

Watch:

The US Constitution seems to rule out anyone having a third term. The 22nd Amendment states:

“No person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice, and no person who has held the office of president, or acted as president, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected president shall be elected to the office of the president more than once.”

Changing the constitution would require a two-thirds approval from both the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as approval from three-quarters of the country’s state-level governments.

However, some Trump supporters have argued there is a loophole in the Constitution, untested in court.

They argue that the 22nd Amendment only explicitly bans someone being “elected” to more than two presidential terms – and says nothing of “succession”.

Under this theory, Trump could be the vice-presidential running-mate to another candidate – perhaps his own vice-president, JD Vance – in the 2028 election.

If they win, the candidate could be sworn into the White House and then immediately resign – letting Trump take over by succession.

CNN’s Liberal Agenda Leads To Major Layoffs And Reorganization: Report

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The notoriously liberal CNN news network is reportedly planning to lay off a large number of employees as part of a significant reorganization of its news gathering process and the introduction of a digital subscription service later this year.

Sweeping Changes at CNN

In a move that many see as a desperate attempt to stay relevant, CNN is looking to “streamline” its story pitching process, lean more heavily on video content, and more effectively monetize its digital user base. This comes as no surprise to those who have long criticized the network for its biased and often misleading coverage.

Key Developments:

  • Massive Layoffs: Over 100 journalists are set to lose their jobs. This is part of a significant overhaul aimed at cutting costs and revamping the network’s strategy.
  • Digital Focus: CNN plans to launch a subscription-based digital news product, hoping to cash in on its dwindling audience.
  • Increased Streaming Investment: The network will also boost its investment in free, ad-supported streaming services in an effort to attract more viewers.

Leadership’s Statement

CNN’s leadership has been transparent about the impending changes. Thompson, a key figure in the network, informed employees about the upcoming layoffs and restructuring. He emphasized the network’s shift towards more video content and digital monetization.

Thompson’s Remarks:

  • “Wherever possible, we’ve closed open positions rather than target currently occupied roles. However, some of our colleagues will learn today that their jobs are being eliminated or are at risk,” Thompson wrote.
  • This message highlights the tough decisions CNN is making in an attempt to stay afloat amid financial struggles and a declining viewer base.

Historical Context

This isn’t the first time CNN has faced major layoffs. In late 2022, under former President Chris Licht, the network laid off scores of workers while reorganizing the newsroom and making significant changes to its programming. These past efforts to revamp the network did little to curb the continuing decline in viewership and trust.

The Future of CNN

With these drastic measures, CNN’s future remains uncertain. The network, which has long been a mouthpiece for liberal agendas, now finds itself at a crossroads. Can it reinvent itself and regain the trust of its audience, or will it continue to fade into irrelevance?

READ NEXT: Democrats Secretly Plotting Rare Biden Betrayal

Former Senator Laments Anti-Trump Congressman’s Primary Loss

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Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Former Utah Sen. and one-time Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is mourning the political demise of Sen. Bill Cassidy — calling the Louisiana Republican’s stunning primary loss “a loss for the country.”

Cassidy became the first elected Republican senator in more than a decade to lose a renomination bid after getting knocked out of Louisiana’s GOP primary Saturday, ending a political career that had been dogged for years by one vote that many conservatives never forgot: his decision to convict President Donald Trump following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

“The Senate to now lose an exceptionally brilliant and creative mind, an MD who chairs healthcare, and a person of character,” Romney wrote Sunday on X. “Bill Cassidy’s departure is a loss for the country.”

But Trump had a very different reaction.

The president wasted little time celebrating Cassidy’s downfall on Truth Social, taking a victory lap after years of public feuding with the Louisiana senator.

“His disloyalty to the man who got him elected is now a part of a legend, and it’s nice to see that his political career is OVER!” Trump wrote.

Cassidy’s defeat had long been viewed as a looming possibility in Republican circles. Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow and Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming finished ahead of Cassidy in Saturday’s contest and now advance to a June runoff after neither candidate secured a majority.

Sen. John Kennedy suggested nobody should be shocked by the outcome.

“Unless you’re your god’s perfect idiot, the result was predictable,” Kennedy said on Fox News. “Ground control to Major Tom. The polls have shown for well over a year that Sen. Cassidy was in trouble.”

He added that Trump’s endorsement of Letlow “was sort of the icing on the cake.”

Meanwhile, Sen. Lindsey Graham framed Cassidy’s loss as a warning shot to Republicans who break with Trump.

“There’s no room in this party to destroy his agenda or to destroy him and his family as a Republican,” Graham said during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“If you align with Democrats to drive him out of office, like Cassidy did, you’re going to lose.”

Cassidy, however, used his concession speech to fire off what appeared to be a parting shot at Trump and the election challenges that followed 2020.

“When you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to,” Cassidy told supporters. “You don’t pout, you don’t whine. You don’t claim the election was stolen. You don’t manufacture some excuse.”

For Romney, Cassidy’s exit marks the fading influence of one of the GOP’s shrinking anti-Trump bloc.

The relationship between Romney and Trump has been icy for nearly a decade. Romney sharply criticized Trump during the 2016 presidential race, briefly joined his orbit after the election during a highly publicized meeting over a possible Cabinet role, then became one of Trump’s fiercest Republican critics in the Senate.

Romney ultimately became the only Republican senator to vote to convict Trump during both impeachment proceedings — first over Ukraine and later over Jan. 6 — putting him on a collision course with Trump and many Republican voters.

Cassidy joined Romney in the second impeachment vote, one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict. Now, a few years later, Republican voters in Louisiana appeared to deliver their own verdict.

BBC Chiefs Quit After Accusations Of Deep-Rooted Bias

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The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

LONDON — The BBC’s top two executives are stepping down amid mounting pressure over editorial credibility, shaking confidence in the U.K.’s national broadcaster just as it faces critical decisions on funding and governance.

On Sunday, BBC Director-General Tim Davie and BBC News chief Deborah Turness announced their resignations. The dual departure follows weeks of mounting backlash over allegations of systemic bias in the network’s coverage — from President Donald Trump and the war in Gaza to debates over transgender rights.

Pressure Built After Leaked Memo

The tipping point came with a leaked internal memo from former BBC adviser Michael Prescott. The memo accused the broadcaster of “serious and systemic bias” across a range of politically charged topics.

Chief among them: an episode of Panorama that aired selectively edited footage of Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, speech. Critics said the edits gave the false impression that Trump directly called on supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol. The full version of the speech did not support that claim.

Controversy also surrounded the BBC’s coverage of the Gaza conflict. Accusations included overreliance on anti-Israel voices, sourcing from extremists on its Arabic service, and distorted portrayals of children and wartime suffering.

In a separate thread of concern, BBC staff raised red flags over the network’s handling of trans-related issues, arguing its reporting often lacked balance and downplayed the contested nature of the debates.

Davie and Turness Respond

In a message to BBC staff, Davie acknowledged the broadcaster’s imperfections.

“Like all public organisations, the BBC is not perfect,” he wrote. “While not being the only reason, the current debate around BBC News has understandably contributed to my decision.”

Turness, while taking responsibility for the news division, rejected claims of structural bias.

“While mistakes have been made,” she wrote, “I want to be absolutely clear: recent allegations that BBC News is institutionally biased are wrong.”

BBC Chairman Samir Shah called it a “sad day,” affirming the board’s support for Davie but conceding the strain he had been under.

A Deeper Governance Crisis

The BBC, funded by the public through license fees, is required by charter to deliver impartial journalism. The resignations expose a deeper institutional crisis at a time when the broadcaster’s mandate and funding model are under review.

The current Royal Charter is set to expire in 2027. Debates about the future of the license fee, the role of public media, and political interference are already in motion. The timing of this leadership vacuum could have significant downstream effects.

What Comes Next

The BBC board now faces the task of finding replacements for two of its most senior posts. The outcome will shape the editorial tone and strategic direction of the broadcaster for years to come.

Internal reviews are expected, especially around how the Panorama episode was handled and whether internal warnings were ignored. Broader investigations may follow, probing the extent of bias across the BBC’s output.

In the near term, the corporation faces reputational damage. With over 100 BBC employees and 200 industry professionals having signed an open letter last year criticizing Gaza coverage, pressure is mounting not just from the public but also from within.

Regulators and government officials may push for increased oversight, new editorial controls, or funding reforms as part of the charter renewal debate.

Looking Ahead

Davie, who took over in 2020, exits during one of the BBC’s most fraught moments in recent history. His successor will inherit a broadcaster under siege — from all sides — and with a shrinking window to restore public trust before the next charter review begins in earnest.

What happens next at the BBC won’t just shape a news organization — it will help define the future of public broadcasting in a divided media landscape.

Gavin Newsom Attacks ‘Ruthless’ Fox News Hosts

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Casa Rosada (Argentina Presidency of the Nation), CC BY 2.5 AR via Wikimedia Commons

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) is attacking Fox News prime-time hosts for their “ruthless” approach to media.

The Democrat governor, who has been floated as a possible 2024 contender, remarked over the weekend that Democrats are getting “crushed” by Fox News hosts. Newsom cited his Father-in-law as an example of someone for whom he has great respect, but at the same time, is often confused about his conservative narratives, which he blamed Fox News prime-time hosts for. 

According to Mediaite, a portion of Newsom’s remarks aired Monday morning on CNN’s New Day for discussion.

“These guys are ruthless on the other side. Ruthless on the other side,” Newsom reiterated. “That prime time line up by Fox, they are ruthless. They dominate the most important thing in American politics today, and that’s the narrative. Facts become secondary to narrative. They dominate with illusion. We are getting crushed.”

Panelists Margaret Hoover and John Avlon didn’t refute Newsom’s allegation that hosts for the top-rated cable news program are consistently lying.

Coming out of the clip, Erica Hill noted, “when it comes to messaging in terms of getting crushed, this is something that has been an Achilles heel for Democrats in terms of having a united message across the party.” This may be a shock to any conservative viewer who watched years of Russian interference narratives that, for reasons good and bad, never amounted to anything other than breathless media analysis.

Hoover also noted a media narrative favorable to Democrats seemed a pretty well-oiled machine during past Democrat-led administrations.

“I don’t think necessarily Democrats suffer from lack of a narrative,” Hoover continued. “They own the presidency right now and have control of the Senate. I worry about what he’s pointing to,” which she summarized as getting away from the Michelle Obama rhetorical ethos of “when they go low, we go high.” She ultimately landed on the real issue as she saw it, which was the impact Donald Trump has on political discourse.

“[Newsom] is right in saying Democrats want a fighter right now. He has a good point about the unified narrative of Republicans that tends to put Democrats on defense because they are saying ‘Gosh, look at all those lies.”

AOC Campaign Office Vandalized With Anti-Israel Message

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Police responded after a campaign office for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was vandalized with a painted anti-Israel slogan in New York City.

The slogan, written in red paint, read “AOC funds genocide in Gaza.” The vandals had also spread the paint all over the entrance to the campaign office before police arrived at roughly 1 a.m. Monday.

The incident came just days after Ocasio-Cortez voted against legislation from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) that would have cut funding for the Israeli Defense Forces.

The lawmaker, who has been vocally critical of Israel’s war in Gaza, said she voted against the bill because it only cut funding for the defensive “Iron Dome” and did nothing to cut off the “actual bombs killing Palestinians.”

Greene’s legislation would have cut off roughly $500 million in funding for Israel. Her proposed amendment, which failed on Thursday, came after Israeli Defense Forces bombed the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza.

“Israel bombed the Catholic Church in Gaza, and that entire population is being wiped out as they continue their aggressive war in Gaza,” Greene said.

Voting alongside Greene on the amendment were Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) members of the progressive so-called “squad” to which Ocasio-Cortez also belongs.

READ NEXT: Republican Congresswoman Pushes Mass ‘Amnesty’ Bill For Illegal Migrants

Sununu Eyes New Campaign Seat After New Hampshire Senate Seat Opens Up

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Photo of Chris Sununu via Gage Skidmore Flckr

All eyes are on New Hampshire…

Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said he is considering running for Senate after previously rejecting the possibility.

“I have not ruled it out completely, but folks in Washington have asked me to think about it and to consider it, and that is just kind of where I am,” Sununu said Tuesday about a possible Senate run, according to The Washington Times.

Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire announced Wednesday she will not seek reelection to the United States Senate next year, concluding a historic political career that includes being the first woman elected as both a governor and U.S. senator in the United States. Shaheen, who turned 78 in January, has been a significant figure in New Hampshire politics for decades, serving three terms as governor before her election to the Senate in 2008.

Sununu has previously said he is not interested in representing his state in Washington.

“I would rule myself completely out of a U.S. Senate race, to be sure,” Sununu said last year, according to a local news outlet.

“Politically, we’ll see what happens down the road. But in terms of Senate or Congress, nothing I have any interest in whatsoever,” he added.

The Washington Times reported, however, that Sununu is now saying that Trump’s focus on making government more accountable and efficient has prompted him to reconsider.

“That makes me think, OK, maybe things are changing,” he said, according to The Washington Times. “Maybe there’s a path here.”

Ex-AOC Aide Launches Primary Challenge Against Pelosi

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Never too early…

Progressive Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)’s ex-chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti announced plans to challenge former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for the seat she has held for over two decades.

In a lengthy post announcing his candidacy, Chakrabarti spoke about his time with AOC.

“After serving as her campaign manager and first chief of staff, I returned to San Francisco where for five years I’ve led a policy think tank that develops comprehensive solutions to the problems that both America and San Francisco face,” he wrote in a statement on X.

“Now, I want to bring those solutions to Congress. I’m going to run a very different kind of campaign than most. Instead of spending hours each day doing “call time” with big money donors — I’m going to spend every day talking with voters. I know! What a radical idea,” he stated.

Chakrabarti said his campaign would offer an “alternative vision” to President Trump and Elon Musk’s form of government.

“Watching Trump and Elon freely unleash chaos in their illegal seizure of government, it’s become clear to me that the Democratic Party needs new leadership,” he said. 

“I respect what Nancy Pelosi has accomplished in her career, but we are living in a totally different America than the one she knew when she entered politics 45 years ago,” Chakrabarti said in the statement. 

“In an interview with Ezra Klein after Trump’s victory, Pelosi said the Democrats don’t need to change. I disagree.”

Chakrabarti followed the statement by acknowledging the race would be “nearly impossible” and requires months of organizing.

“I know it might seem like it’s a little early to start running. But the fact is, it’s almost impossible to defeat incumbents in our system — even at a time when both Congress and the Democratic Party stand at record-low approval ratings,” he wrote.

The challenge to the veteran lawmaker comes as the Democrat Party desperately seeks to rebound after its massive 2024 losses.

“We have no coherent message,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) told The New York Times on Sunday. “This guy is psychotic, and there’s so much, but everything that underlines it is white supremacy and hate. There needs to be a message that is clear on at least the underlying thing that comes with all of this.”

The DNC elected Minnesota party leader Ken Martin on Saturday, who said during his victory speech they needed to “to rebuild our coalition.”

“The policies that we support and the message that we have is not wrong,” Martin told the NYT. “It is a messaging problem and a brand problem. Those voters are not connecting our policies with their lives.”

Governor Signals Plan To Redistrict Lone GOP Rep Out Of His Seat To Make State ‘More Fair’

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Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D) might be the latest state leader to dive into the ongoing redistricting chaos across the country.

Governor Wes Moore appeared on CBS News’ “Face The Nation” on Sunday and said that, in the interests of “fairness,” he is considering gerrymandering the lone Republican in his state’s congressional delegation out of a U.S. House seat.

Republican Rep. Andy Harris in Maryland’s First Congressional District. 

“I want to make sure that we have fair lines and fair seats,” said Moore. 

Harris is the only Republican of Maryland’s ten members of Congress. The Daily Wire reported in 2024, President Donald Trump received over a third of Maryland’s vote. He lost the state to former Vice President Kamala Harris, who won 63% of the state’s vote.

Moore said his plan to potentially gerrymander Harris out of the first district is about fighting against “situations where politicians are choosing voters.”

“We need to be able to have fair maps, and we also need to make sure that if the president of the United States is putting his finger on the scale to try to manipulate elections because he knows that his policies cannot win in a ballot box, then it behooves each and every one of us to be able to keep all options on the table to ensure that the voters’ voices can actually be heard,” Moore said.

Watch:

Last week, the Texas state legislature passed a new congressional map that favors Republicans winning an extra five seats in the U.S. House in the upcoming midterm elections.

The GOP push to redistrict in favor of Republicans has sparked a backlash from Democratic state officials who want to lean further into gerrymandering. California Governor Gavin Newsom has put forward a plan to draw a new map that could claw Democrats another five seats in California’s already overbalanced congressional delegation.

However, in order for Newsom’s plan to succeed, California voters must approve the new map since redistricting congressional seats in the state is controlled by an independent commission under a 2010 law. 

California Republicans filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to stop the Democrat-dominated state legislature from holding a vote by the end of this week to advance the redistricting push.

“Today I joined my colleagues in filing a lawsuit challenging the rushed redistricting process. California’s Constitution requires bills to be in print for 30 days, but that safeguard was ignored. By bypassing this provision, Sacramento has effectively shut voters out of engaging in their own legislative process,” Assembly member Tri Ta said on X.

The petition cites a section of the state constitution that requires a monthlong review period for new legislation.