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Police Arrest Would-Be Assassin Targeting Trump Cabinet Officials

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Arrest image via Pixabay

Capitol police have arrested a Massachusetts man who allegedly traveled to Washington, D.C. armed with Molotov cocktails and a knife to kill newly-confirmed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Ryan Michael “Reily” English, who turned himself in to U.S. Capitol Police at 3:12 p.m. ET Monday, said he traveled to Washington, D.C., initially planning to kill Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., a police affidavit revealed.

By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America – Pete Hegseth, CC BY-SA 2.0

But English shifted his target to Bessent after stopping at a library in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and reading that the Senate was voting Monday on his nomination as President Donald Trump’s Treasury chief, the document said.

CNBC reported English contemplated throwing the Molotov cocktails at Bessent’s feet, according to the affidavit, which was filed in Washington, D.C., federal court. And if he were able to get close enough, English said, he would have stabbed Bessent with a knife.

Bessent’s nomination was confirmed about three hours after English’s arrest. President Trump’s Cabinet nominee received bipartisan backing and was confirmed Tuesday with a 77-22 vote.

English has been charged with unlawful receipt, possession or transfer of a firearm, as well as carrying a firearm, explosive or incendiary device on Capitol grounds.

The affidavit said English approached an officer at the south door of the Capitol and said, “I’d like to turn myself in.” English told the officer that he was carrying weapons, including two Molotov cocktails.

Two officers detained and searched English, finding two devices constructed of 50-milliliter vodka bottles with gray cloth affixed to their tops. They also found a folding knife and a lighter, according to the court documents.

He said he was at the Capitol to “kill Scott Bessent,” the affidavit said.

Police said they searched the vehicle and found a 750-milliliter bottle of 100-proof vodka and a gray sweatshirt with cloth cut off the sleeves.

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

Before transporting English into custody, police said they found a receipt in his pocket with a note written on the back of a receipt:

“Judith dear god I am so sorry. You must understand I can feel myself dying slowly b/c of my heart. This is terrible but I cant do nothing while nazis kill my sisters,” the note read, according to the affidavit.

“I love you. This is awful. Im so sorry. I love u. Please stay alive and heal. you can. you are strong enough. [F—] them for pushing us so far. you dont deserve this. Im so sorry for lying and plotting and lying. Please survive [7 hearts],” it read.

In addition to his initial intention of killing Hegseth or Johnson, English told police he considered burning down the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

English said that he surveilled the Capitol grounds and figured he would have to kill at least three police officers in order to get to Bessent. English “expressed acceptance and content with the possibility of suicide by cop,” the affidavit said.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

‘I Wanna Smack Him’ Former GOP Governor Fumes Over Latest Trump Comment

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Former Governor Christine Todd Whitman (R-NJ) told CNN anchor Jim Acosta that former President Donald Trump’s new rant about women made her want to “smack him across the face!”

The previous night, Trump described himself during a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin as a “protector” of women who would defend them “whether the women like it or not” if he regains the White House this November.

On Thursday’s edition of CNN Newsroom With Jim Acosta, Whitman blasted Trump and said those remarks made her ball up her fists and get violent urges:

JIM ACOSTA: Harris at 19 points. She is leading Donald Trump among women. That is above where Biden was against the president at that time in 2020. Your thoughts, Governor Whitman?

GOV. CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN: Well, frankly, that comment of his, “whether they like it or not,” is just infuriating! And I think there are a lot of women who are still somewhat hesitant. Those women who are on the fence to whom that will be extremely offensive, and it will sway the vote.

And I don’t know why we’re still talking about the trash thing of the fact that Joe Biden mentioned that when Donald Trump has been denigrating people, men, women, minorities.

They’re calling them trash, calling them vermin, you know, poisoning our blood. We have to stop talking about the things he’s talking about and say, look at the things that he’s done and how his language is affecting the way we look at this election, the undermining of the public’s confidence in the electoral system. It’s all part of this package.

And I do agree that his base loves this, but there are still amazing to me number of people who haven’t quite made up their mind. And it’s comments like he’s going to take care of women whether they like it or not.

That just makes you clench your fists. It makes me clench my fist. I wanna smack him across the face!

He’s not taking care of me or my body!

Retired Conservative Judge Says American Democracy ‘In Peril’ Due to Trump

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Gage Skidmore Flickr

Retired federal judge J. Michael Luttig says that America’s democracy is at risk due to the current state of the Republican Party.

Luttig, a conservative-leaning former judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals, joined CNN This Morning on Wednesday to discuss the “decay” of the Republican Party under Donald Trump’s leadership.

“What do you think has happened to your party?” Harlow asked Luttig.

His answer:

Frankly, I don’t care about the Republican Party at all, except to the extent that the two political parties in America are the political guardians of democracy in our country. American democracy simply cannot function without two equally healthy and equally strong political parties. So, today, in my view, there is no Republican Party to counter the Democratic Party in the country. And for that reason, American democracy is in grave peril.

“There is no Republican Party?” Harlow asked him. Luttig explained by outlining his view that “a political party is a collection, an assemblage of individuals who share a set of beliefs and principles and policy views about the United States of America.”

“Today there is no such shared set of beliefs and values and principles, or even policy views, within the Republican Party for America,” Luttig determined. “Until or unless the Republican Party can pull itself together into a credible Republican political party, we simply don’t have two competing parties in America.”

Former Democrat Rep. Endorses Trump

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

He’s just telling it like it is…

Former Democratic Rep. Peter Deutsch of Florida publicly endorsed former President Donald Trump on Monday, specifically calling out the Biden administration’s weak stance on global conflicts.

Deutsch, who served Florida’s 20th Congressional District for six terms from 1993-2005,  endorsed Trump during a campaign call commemorating the anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel, according to The Hill. 

“I feel very comfortable today publicly announcing that I’m endorsing Donald Trump to be reelected as president,” Deutsch said, The Hill reported. “Driving force for me to make this decision is what I believe is the most important factor in being president, which is really world peace.”

“And I think that Kamala Harris and the Harris-Biden administration in terms of what they have done and are doing … make the world a dramatically less safe place,” Deutsch added.

On Monday, Trump participated in an October 7th remembrance event and released a statement:

“Today, President Trump will commemorate the one-year anniversary of October 7th with a visit to Ohel Chabad Lubavitch, the final resting place of Rabbi Schneerson in New York, and he will give remarks at an October 7th Remembrance Event in Florida. The atrocities, including the slaughtering and capturing of innocent Israelis and Americans, that took place on October 7th would have never happened if President Trump were still in the White House. For Americans and Israelis alike, it’s imperative that President Trump is re-elected so he can end the bloodshed caused by an emboldened Iranian terrorist regime, which is stronger and richer today from the Harris-Biden Administration’s incompetence and weak policies.” – Karoline Leavitt, Trump Campaign National Press Secretary


MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to Challenge Ronna McDaniel for RNC Chair

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Mike Lindell via Gage Skidmore Flickr

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is planning to challenge Ronna McDaniel to become the next chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC).

Despite midterm election losses, McDaniel recently announced her plans to seek re-election to the position.

In a livestream this week, Lindell called for new RNC leadership and suggested he would be up to the job.

“We need someone everybody, and I would step into that, if God willing,” he said, according to Mediaite.

“Ronna McDaniel has failed in her leadership,” he said. “We need a new input to get a different output.”

“We need someone who knows how to run a business to lead one of the most important organizations in our country,” Lindell said.

The MyPillow CEO continues to claim he has evidence of mass v*ter fr*ud, though no actual proof has been found to back up his claims. Lindell claimed he would “drop everything” to present his supposed evidence to Elon Musk so he could get his Twitter account back.

“I would fly to him, do whatever it takes. I would hand- deliver it on a silver platter and say, ‘here you go, look at it,” Lindell told Steve Bannon this week. “You’re a very smart man. Look at this and do whatever you want to do with my Twitter account. But for sure I would like you to say, ‘hey, this guy got banned and he’s banned right now for no reason.’”

Stacey Abrams’ Group Gave Millions to Law Firm Run by Her Campaign Chair

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Office of U.S. House Speaker, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is in hot water once again.

New reports indicate Abrams’ voting rights group Fair Fight Action has funneled millions of dollars to a law firm led by the chairwoman for Abrams’s gubernatorial campaign.

According to The Washington Examiner, Fair Fight Action spent $9.4 million in 2019 and 2020 with Lawrence & Bundy, a boutique Atlanta law firm that counts Abrams’s campaign Chairwoman Allegra Lawrence-Hardy, a close friend of the candidate, as one of its two partners, according to the nonprofit group’s 2019 and 2020 IRS tax filings.

There are no definitive reports to show how much Lawrence-Hardy’s firm has received from Fair Fight Action in 2021 and 2022. The organization has been involved in a legal fight against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) for the past years. Fair Fight Action filed the lawsuit after Abrams lost her 2018 gubernatorial bid to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, whom she is currently running against, claiming the secretary of state engaged in voter suppression. In September, U.S. district judge Steve Jones ruled against Abrams and found no evidence of voter suppression.

“This is a win for all Georgia election officials who dedicate their lives to safe, secure and accessible elections,” Raffensperger said at the time. “Stolen election and voter suppression claims by Stacey Abrams were nothing but poll-tested rhetoric not supported by facts and evidence.”

“Judge Jones’ ruling exposes this legal effort for what it really is: a tool wielded by a politician hoping to wrongfully weaponize the legal system to further her own political goals,” Kemp said in a statement celebrating the ruling.

The $9.4 million that Lawrence & Bundy received accounts for over 37% of the roughly $25 million in legal fees that Fair Fight Action has racked up in the past two years, according to Politico, which first reported on the payments to Lawrence-Hardy’s law firm.

Fair Fight Action raised over $61 million in 2019 and 2020 after being founded in 2018. At least one-third of that money has gone toward the lawsuit against Raffensperger, while $20 million has been put in cash reserves, tax records show. While there are eight separate law firms that worked on the case against the secretary of state, Lawrence & Bundy has earned the most in fees.

Abrams and Lawrence-Hardy were classmates together at Georgia’s Spelman College, and Abrams graduated from Yale Law School three years after Lawrence-Hardy.

Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist for the left-wing think tank Public Citizen, says that Abrams’s years-long friendship with Lawrence-Hardy represents a clear conflict of interest.

Despite Abrams’s accusations of rampant voter suppression in the Peach State early voting data reports Georgians to have already broken records for early turnout. According to The Hill, Saturday’s turnout surpassed the 2020 election’s sixth day of early voting by 20 percent.

The 79,682 voters who cast ballots on Saturday also marked a 159 percent increase from the first Saturday of early voting in the 2018 midterm elections, according to the Georgia secretary of state’s office.

Georgia also smashed early voting on the first day polls opened last week, when 131,318 ballots were cast in-person, far above the 70,849 reported in 2018 and close to the 136,739 mark in 2020.

“Early Voting is strong because Georgia’s voter registration system is strong,” said Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in a statement. “Every eligible Georgian who wants to be registered to vote is registered to vote.”

However, despite the record-breaking data Abrams is still claiming voter suppression is underway in Georgia.

“In 2018, we had record turnout,” Abrams said in a press conference Monday. “We had record turnout that shattered records for Democrats among communities of color and in that same election … we know that 85,000 Georgians were denied their right to vote due to voter suppression tactics that shut down their precincts. We know that 50,000 voters had their right to vote held hostage by the exact match process which was proven to be voter suppression tactics. We know that thousands of people stood in lines for hours because of voter suppression tactics.”

Trump Drops Unexpected New VP Shortlist

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Some new names and faces…

Former President Donald Trump floated a list of four names for VP that to much surprise did not include Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) or Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) who have been loyal Trump supporters.

However, in an exclusive post-rally interview with News 12 New Jersey’s Tara Rosenblum at Crotona Park in the Bronx, Trump didn’t have either of them on his mind.

When Rosenblum pushed Trump to “make news” and name some names, Trump initially said he didn’t want to — then dropped four names a few seconds later that included one Black candidate who isn’t Scott or Donalds and one Hispanic candidate who mocked Trump’s penis size in 2016:

TARA ROSENBLUM: So if not Nikki, then who? Let’s make some news tonight. You and I, for your hometown TV station. Share with me. Share with me your top three candidates for your running mate at this point.

DONALD TRUMP: Well, we have so many. I don’t want to do that, but we have so many. You could take people like Ben Carson. You could take people like Marco Rubio, JD Vance.

I mean, there are so many. Elise is doing a fantastic job here. But but I could go on for quite a long time. We have many people that would do a really fantastic job.

TARA ROSENBLUM: Do you have a timeline on when you’ll make the decision?

DONALD TRUMP: Sometime during the convention?

Poll Reveals Legal Immigrant Voters Shift To Trump

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In a stunning political reversal, new polling shows that naturalized immigrant voters — once seen as a reliable Democratic voting bloc — are now favoring President Donald Trump and his immigration policies, delivering a serious blow to the Democratic Party’s long-term strategy of winning elections through mass migration and demographic shifts.

CNN’s polling analyst Harry Enten revealed a dramatic change: immigrant voters, who gave Democrats a 32-point advantage in 2020, have swung right by 40 points. Republicans now lead among legal immigrant voters by 8 points — a staggering shift that few analysts saw coming.

“More so than any group I can find, the voters who’ve become more hawkish on immigration are immigrants themselves,” Enten said. “They’ve gone from sympathy for illegal immigrants to a clear preference for stronger borders and enforcement — and they’re aligning with Trump.”

In 2016, Trump received just 36% of the vote from naturalized citizens. That number jumped to 47% in 2024, with early 2025 polling suggesting the trend is continuing. Immigrant voters cite economic hardship, crime, and perceived unfairness in the immigration system as key reasons for the shift. Many are frustrated that they followed the legal process only to see unchecked illegal immigration flood the labor market and strain public services.

The frustration is especially acute among working-class immigrants, who face direct competition for jobs, housing, and school resources. Many now feel that the Biden administration’s immigration policies — spearheaded by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas — have placed the interests of illegal border crossers ahead of those who played by the rules.

For years, Democrats openly embraced a long-term strategy to shift the electoral balance through high levels of immigration. Influential think tanks like the Progressive Policy Institute argued that growing diversity would create an enduring Democratic majority. But the strategy assumed that legal immigrants would remain politically aligned with newer arrivals — an assumption increasingly proven false.

This polling shift places Democrats in a bind: if they reduce migration, they’ll lose the influx of potential future voters. But if they continue mass migration, they risk alienating the immigrants already here — many of whom are becoming increasingly aligned with Trump’s America First policies.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has taken aggressive steps to reverse Biden-era immigration policies. Illegal border crossings have plummeted, and employers are reporting tighter labor markets, especially in the construction and service industries — leading to slow but steady wage increases for lower-income Americans.

The shift among immigrant voters adds to a growing list of Democratic vulnerabilities. Latinos, black voters, and even younger voters have begun drifting away from the party, especially in response to crime, inflation, and identity politics. Trump’s immigration stance — once demonized as “xenophobic” — now resonates as a defense of legal immigration and national sovereignty.

A recent poll found that 59% of Americans supported Trump’s crackdown on violent protests in Los Angeles following ICE raids, which saw rioters waving foreign flags and attacking police. Among naturalized citizens, support for the crackdown was even higher.

VP Vance Predicts ‘Dumbest’ Democrat Candidate Will Secure Nomination In 2028

Vice President JD Vance took aim at the Democratic Party’s likely 2028 presidential contenders during a lighthearted but pointed exchange on Fox News, joking that the party’s “dumbest” candidate is most likely to emerge from the primary.

In an exclusive interview released Wednesday on Jesse Watters Primetime, Watters raised speculation about California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s national ambitions, noting the governor’s frequent media appearances and rumored White House aspirations.

“Gavin Newsom, obviously, is running for president. Have you seen this guy cross his legs? Have you ever seen anyone cross their legs like that?” Watters asked jokingly.

“My legs don’t cross like that, Jesse,” Vance replied with a laugh. “You can interpret that however you want to.”

Watters went on to frame the looming Democratic contest as a showdown between Newsom and Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Gavin and Kamala are on a collision course,” Watters said. “Who’s gonna win?”

“The dumbest candidate will probably win,” Vance quipped. “That’s my guess with the Democratic Party.”

Vance argued that the current Democratic bench reflects deeper structural problems within the party, particularly its fixation on identity politics over competence.

“I mean, look, the Democrats have a couple of big issues, and one is that they lean so far into wokeism that they can’t see the obviousness of the fact, which is that Kamala Harris is not qualified to be president of the United States,” Vance said.

“That’s why she got the vice presidential nomination. That’s why she got the presidential nomination. This is who Kamala Harris is.”

Vance contrasted Harris with Newsom, describing the California governor as emblematic of failed progressive governance.

“Now, the flip side is, I think you have an unbelievably corrupt and incompetent governor in Gavin Newsom,” he said. “The fact that those are the two frontrunners just suggests how deeply deranged the Democrat Party is. Let them fight it out. We’ll figure it out.”

A Weak Democratic Bench for 2028

While Newsom and Harris dominate early speculation, Democrats face a thin and fractured 2028 field. Other frequently mentioned names include Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—each of whom carries significant liabilities with general-election voters. Many Democrats privately acknowledge that the party lacks a unifying figure with broad national appeal, particularly as voters continue to recoil from progressive economic and cultural policies.

Republicans, by contrast, are positioning themselves as the party of stability, affordability, and public safety heading into the next election cycle.

Cost of Living and Accountability

Watters noted that Democrats are expected to campaign heavily on cost-of-living issues in upcoming elections, a strategy Vance dismissed as deeply hypocritical.

“That’s a pot-meet-kettle situation,” Vance argued, pointing to Democratic-led policies that fueled inflation, higher energy costs, and housing shortages.

He credited the Trump administration with reversing those trends.

“We haven’t even been in office for a year, and you’ve already seen prices start to come down. You’ve seen rents start to come down. You’ve seen groceries leveling off,” Vance said.

“Is there more work to do? Absolutely. But the people who are going to do that work is the Trump administration, is the president of the United States, who is solving the Democrats’ affordability crisis.”

“You don’t give power back to the very people who set the house on fire,” he added. “You give more power to the person who put the fire out.”

Impeachment Politics

When asked whether Democrats would attempt to impeach President Trump again if they regain control of Congress, Vance said such a move would be predictable—and revealing.

“I’m sure he’ll get impeached,” Vance said. “Look, they have nothing to actually run on or govern on.”

“Their entire obsessive focus of that party is they hate Donald Trump,” he continued. “So, if they ever get power, are they going to lower Americans’ taxes? No. Are they going to make your life more affordable? No. Are they going to solve the crime crisis? No.”

“What they’re going to do is they’re going to spend all their time and all of your money trying to get Donald Trump.”

Vance urged voters to focus on results rather than partisan theatrics.

“I think the American people should vote for the people who want to make their life more affordable, who want to make their neighborhoods safer,” he said. “That’s what we’re trying to deliver every single day.”

Newsom Responds With a Meme

Newsom’s office responded to the interview with a digitally altered image of Vance crossing his legs in an exaggerated pose, captioned: “We all know JD copies Daddy.”

Pro-Trump Impeachment Republican Eyes New Public Office

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Former U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, the Republican who was ousted last year from her Southwest Washington congressional seat after voting to impeach then-President Donald Trump, plans to reignite her failed political career by running for state commissioner of public lands.

The Seattle Times reports:

Herrera Beutler announced her intentions at a meeting Monday morning with supporters of Future 42, a conservative political group, a meeting participant told The Seattle Times.

“1,000% — she’s in,” the source said.

Herrera Beutler was one of 10 House Republicans to cross party lines and vote to impeach Trump for allegedly inciting the mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

In an address on the House floor, Herrera Beutler called on her colleagues to embrace the moral clarity that comes with accepting the truth.

“I rise today to stand against our enemy. And to clarify, our enemy isn’t the president, or the president-elect. Fear is our enemy. It tells us what we want to hear, it incites anger and violence and fire, but it also haunts us into silence and inaction. What are you afraid of?” she asked.

“My vote to impeach our sitting president is not a fear-based decision. I am not choosing a side, I’m choosing truth. It’s the only way to defeat fear,” Herrera Beutler concluded, to a smattering of applause on the House floor.