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Secret Service Agent Benched Over Alleged Leak From JD Vance’s Security Detail

By
Madeleine Jackson
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A Secret Service agent assigned to protect Vice President JD Vance has been yanked from duty over allegations that someone inside his security detail leaked sensitive information to the press.

The unidentified agent was placed on administrative leave and is now the subject of an internal investigation, the Secret Service confirmed Thursday.

“A member of the Vice Presidential Protective Division is the subject of an administrative investigation, and potential criminal inquiry,” agency spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement obtained by CNN.

Guglielmi said any behavior that damages the trust between an official and the agents protecting that person is “fundamentally incompatible with our mission and will not be tolerated.”

The agent is suspected of feeding information to MS NOW for a July 15 report detailing growing frustration inside Vance’s protective detail, according to CNN.

That story portrayed agents as fed up with the vice president’s last-minute travel demands and alleged use of government resources for family trips.

The flashpoint was a planned Marine Two flight carrying Vance and his young son to Joint Base Andrews, where the boy was scheduled to receive a golf lesson. The helicopter trip was ultimately scrubbed because of severe thunderstorms and high winds around Washington.

While no Secret Service policy reportedly prohibits a vice president’s child from riding aboard a government helicopter, current and former supervisors told MS NOW they knew of no precedent for using one for that purpose.

Marine Two costs taxpayers between $16,000 and $24,600 per flight hour, based on 2022 Defense Department budget estimates cited by The Independent.

“That is RIDICULOUS,” one person familiar with the planned flight told MS NOW, claiming former Vice Presidents Mike Pence and Kamala Harris never made a similar request.

Sources also accused the Vance family of frequently changing plans and arranging sudden “off the record,” or OTR, movements that force agents to build security operations on short notice.

“The detail is tired of them not giving notice on things and making everything an OTR,” one source told the outlet.

The frustration allegedly became so intense that agents created mocking challenge coins and stickers reading “Bobcat OTR Survivors Club,” a reference to Vance’s Secret Service code name. Other items reportedly carried the motto: “Advance. OTR. Repeat.”

The original report also said the Vances had taken several last-minute helicopter trips to Middleburg, Virginia, while searching for a new home.

Vance’s office defended the family while praising the agents responsible for protecting them.

“The Vances are grateful to the men and women of the U.S. Secret Service who serve our country with distinction,” a spokesperson said.

Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn separately noted that protective assignments routinely require long hours, frequent travel and sudden changes.

But the problem now facing the agency extends beyond bruised morale.

CNN reported that the MS NOW story caught the attention of officials inside the Secret Service, FBI and White House, who were alarmed that details touching on Vance’s movements and protective operations had appeared in the press.

The agency’s internal affairs office is leading the review. Administrative leave does not constitute a finding of wrongdoing, and investigators have not publicly identified which information the agent allegedly disclosed. It remains unclear whether the case will result in discipline or criminal charges.

This is also not the first alleged security breach involving Vance’s detail this year.

In January, another agent was placed on leave after an undercover journalist recorded him allegedly discussing travel plans, shift schedules and protective formations. The agent’s clearance was suspended, and the Secret Service ordered its personnel to repeat anti-espionage training, according to People.

The latest investigation comes as the Trump administration intensifies its war on unauthorized leaks.

The Justice Department recently subpoenaed New York Times journalists over reporting about security concerns surrounding the Qatari-donated aircraft converted for use as Air Force One. Prosecutors also sought phone records connected to reporters and some of their relatives in an effort to uncover their sources, according to reports.

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Mike Johnson Urges Trump Administration To Bring Iran War To A Close

By
Patrick Houck
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Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

For months, Republican leaders have defended President Donald Trump’s campaign against Iran. Now one of Trump’s closest allies on Capitol Hill is publicly delivering another message: it’s time to finish the job and come home.

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday called on the administration to wrap up the war, arguing that the United States has already achieved its primary military objectives and should avoid allowing the conflict to become another prolonged American intervention.

‘We’ve got to wrap it up’

Speaking to reporters at the Capitol, Johnson was asked whether Congress might eventually step in to limit Trump’s war powers if the fighting continued.

Rather than entertain that possibility, the speaker predicted the campaign was nearing its conclusion.

“I think we’re wrapping it up,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to wrap it up.”

He cautioned that allowing the conflict to drag on would be damaging not only for the United States but for the broader international community.

“That would be a disaster for everybody,” he said. “Everybody around the world understands that.”

WATCH:

Backing the war, but not an endless one

Johnson’s comments were notable because they stopped well short of criticizing Trump’s decision to launch the operation.

Instead, the speaker reaffirmed his longstanding position that military action was necessary to halt Iran’s nuclear and missile ambitions. He has also opposed bipartisan efforts to curb the president’s authority while American troops remain in combat.

The message was clear: support the mission, but don’t let it become another endless war.

The costs continue to rise

Johnson’s remarks come as the political and financial costs of the conflict continue to grow.

According to Pentagon estimates, the war has already cost roughly $37.5 billion. At least 17 American service members have been killed and more than 100 wounded. The administration is now asking Congress for another $87.6 billion to continue military operations.

Trump has shown little sign of easing public pressure on Tehran, warning that significantly heavier military action remains on the table if Iran refuses to meet U.S. demands.

A shift in Republican messaging

Johnson’s comments reflect a subtle but important shift inside the Republican Party.

Few Republican leaders are openly questioning the decision to go to war. Increasingly, however, they are signaling that recent military gains should be followed by an effort to end the conflict rather than allow it to become an open-ended U.S. military commitment.

That balancing act is likely to become more difficult as casualties mount, costs rise, and public support for the conflict continues to erode.

READ NEXT: Why Is Security Still At McConnell’s Hospital?

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Bill O’Reilly Tells Trump To ‘Take The Next Month Off’

By
Patrick Houck
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AI-generated image.

Conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly is urging President Donald Trump to step away from the White House for several weeks, arguing that the 80-year-old president has been stretched too thin by months of nonstop domestic and international crises.

Speaking on his “No Spin News” program, the former Fox News host said Trump should take time to rest after an intense stretch that has included the war with Iran, trade negotiations, immigration battles and high-profile diplomatic meetings.

“He needs a breather,” O’Reilly said. “Take the next month off.”

‘He’s exhausted’

O’Reilly argued that Trump’s demanding schedule appears to be taking a physical toll.

Throughout his presidency, Trump has maintained an unusually active public schedule, often holding multiple events, traveling and making major policy announcements in a single day.

According to O’Reilly, that pace has begun to show physically.

“Now, I’ve noticed that he is hunching over a little bit, and that’s normal,” O’Reilly said. “You get older, every malady in the world is going to visit you. I can’t even bore you with the stuff I got to deal with.”

O’Reilly said the changes are a natural part of aging but suggested they underscore the importance of slowing down. “I was actually feeling sorry for myself the other day, and I never do that,” he added.

WATCH:

Advice from a longtime ally

The comments stand out because O’Reilly has generally been one of Trump’s most reliable supporters.

Earlier this year, he warned Republicans they would be “slaughtered” in the midterm elections if they attempted to distance themselves from the president, arguing that Trump remains the party’s dominant political figure.

Rather than criticizing Trump’s agenda, O’Reilly framed his latest advice as a matter of endurance, saying the president should preserve his energy for the remainder of his term.

White House has shown no sign of slowing down

There is no indication the administration plans to scale back the president’s schedule.

READ NEXT: New Details Emerge About Trump Ally’s Moscow Trip

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Kash Patel Reportedly Planning Rare Russia Trip For Secretive FSB Talks

By
Madeleine Jackson
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1
Kremlin.ru, via Wikimedia Commons

FBI Director Kash Patel is reportedly preparing for a rare trip into the heart of Russia — one that could put America’s top federal lawman across the table from the successor to the Soviet-era KGB.

Patel is expected to visit Moscow and St. Petersburg on Oct. 14 and 15, according to a U.S. official and another person familiar with the plans who spoke with Politico.

“His host is likely to be the FSB, the Russian security service that is heir to the Soviet-era KGB,” the U.S. official told the outlet.

The purpose of the trip has not been disclosed, and it remains unclear which Russian officials Patel intends to meet. There has also been no indication whether a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is under consideration.

The FBI and Justice Department did not respond to Politico’s requests for comment, while the White House referred questions about the trip to the bureau.

The Kremlin did little to clear up the mystery Tuesday.

“These kinds of visits usually happen behind closed doors,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters while declining to confirm or deny Patel’s travel plans, according to The Moscow Times.

The reported visit would carry particularly high stakes because Patel could be meeting with the same security service his bureau has publicly identified as an active threat to Americans.

In a June warning, the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said Russian intelligence actors were conducting an ongoing phishing campaign against high-value targets. The agencies said FSB officers and others working for Russian military services were targeting current and former U.S. government officials, military personnel, political figures and journalists.

The campaign allowed Russian operatives to take over messaging accounts and potentially access victims’ private conversations, according to the FBI and CISA advisory.

That creates a striking backdrop for Patel’s expected talks: The FBI may need Russian cooperation on terrorism, cybercrime and other international investigations even while treating the expected host of the trip as a hostile intelligence organization.

If Patel makes the journey, he would become the first sitting FBI director known to visit Russia since Robert Mueller traveled to Moscow in 2013.

Mueller’s unannounced trip came shortly after the Boston Marathon bombing and included discussions with Russian officials about the investigation and security cooperation ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Patel’s history makes the planned visit even more politically combustible.

Before taking over the FBI, Patel rose to prominence as a House Intelligence Committee aide investigating the origins and conduct of the bureau’s Trump-Russia probe. He has repeatedly denounced the investigation into alleged collusion between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia as the “Russiagate hoax.”

The trip is also being planned as relations between Washington and Moscow remain strained over the war in Ukraine and lawmakers push for tougher economic penalties against Putin’s government.

Trump administration envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have made repeated attempts to negotiate an end to the war, but Russia has continued to demand Ukrainian territorial concessions that Kyiv has rejected, according to The Kyiv Independent.

For now, the biggest question surrounding Patel’s journey remains unanswered: What exactly does America’s FBI director expect to accomplish behind closed doors with one of the country’s most powerful adversaries?

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Trump To Welcome Fallen Heroes Home As Iran Faces Fierce Warning

By
Madeleine Jackson
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President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attend the Dignified Transfer of remains of six U.S. soldiers killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait, Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

President Donald Trump is heading to Dover Air Force Base to welcome home two young American soldiers killed by Iran—and he is promising Iran that their deaths will not go unanswered.

Trump will attend the dignified transfer of fallen U.S. service members Tuesday evening following one of the deadliest weekends for American forces during the renewed conflict.

“President Trump will attend the dignified transfer of our fallen heroes tomorrow evening at Dover Air Force Base,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote Monday on X. “The President and the entire White House are praying for their families.”

The solemn military ceremony will return the remains of the fallen to American soil. Flag-draped transfer cases will be carried from a military aircraft to vehicles bound for Dover’s mortuary facility as grieving families, military leaders and the commander in chief look on.

The Department of War identified two of the fallen soldiers Monday as 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas.

Gonzales was killed in action July 17 when Iran unleashed ballistic missiles and drones against Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. Feehan was killed in action the following day as a result of the same attack, according to the Pentagon.

Both soldiers were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the American-led mission against the Islamic State.

Feehan served with the 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Gonzales was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment in Ansbach, Germany.

“U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command mourns the loss of 1st Lt. Tyler Feehan, whose service and sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Lt. Gen. John L. Rafferty said in an Army statement.

“Losing him to enemy fire will inspire our Soldiers and strengthen their resolve to continue the mission,” Rafferty added.

The Army said Feehan will be posthumously promoted to captain and awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

Four other American service members were medically evacuated after the Jordan attack, according to U.S. Central Command. They have since been discharged.

Another service member was initially declared missing. American personnel later recovered unidentified remains at the base, but military officials said the examination process was still underway.

A third American service member was killed in northern Iraq on July 18 during the controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian attack drone. Another service member suffered minor injuries.

As the fallen return home, Trump has issued a chilling warning to the regime responsible.

“Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!” Trump declared on Truth Social.

The president said his directive had already been delivered to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and military leaders throughout the chain of command.

Trump previously told reporters that the latest American attacks on Iran were carried out in honor of the troops lost over the weekend.

“We hit them very hard again tonight, and we did that in honor of the probably three, as opposed to two, great patriots,” Trump said Sunday after arriving at Joint Base Andrews.

American forces responded to the attack in Jordan by striking Iranian coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites.

https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2079001736396652710

CENTCOM said the military also directly targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces accused of launching the deadly assault against the Americans.

That retaliatory operation was followed by a ninth consecutive evening of strikes on Iranian command centers, communications networks, air defenses and missile and drone launch sites.

Tuesday’s ceremony will be another somber visit to Dover for Trump during the conflict. The president and first lady Melania Trump attended the dignified transfer of six American soldiers killed in an Iranian drone attack in Kuwait in March.

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Trump Slams Mamdani’s Netanyahu Arrest Threat: ‘Will Not Happen’

By
Madeleine Jackson
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By Bingjiefu He - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,

President Donald Trump drew a bright red line Monday after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani threatened to have Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested on American soil.

“Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” Trump declared in a Truth Social post.

The president defended Netanyahu as a wartime leader confronting the Islamic Republic of Iran, which Trump accused of killing 52,000 protesters and spending decades targeting American troops.

“The only ones that should be arrested are the people that led Iran into this unprecedented SPIRAL OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION,” Trump added, arguing that previous presidents should have confronted the regime years ago.

Trump’s declaration came after Mamdani revived one of his most controversial campaign promises during an interview with The New York Times’ Lulu Garcia-Navarro.

“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” Mamdani said. “He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court.”

The democratic socialist mayor said his administration is now examining whether he could use the New York Police Department to detain Netanyahu when the Israeli leader is expected to attend the United Nations General Assembly in September.

“That’s an active conversation with our legal department in seeing what the prospects are we have here in our municipality,” Mamdani said.

He insisted he would follow existing city law and would not attempt to write new rules specifically targeting Netanyahu.

But Mamdani’s arrest talk faces a mountain of legal obstacles.

The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court and does not recognize the court’s authority over Americans or Israelis. Foreign affairs are also controlled by the federal government, while diplomatic protections and head-of-state immunity could shield Netanyahu during a U.N. visit.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz dismissed Mamdani’s proposal as “pure political theater.”

“The U.S. is not party to the Rome Statute that underlies the ICC,” Waltz wrote on X, adding that the U.N. Headquarters Agreement grants protections to visiting foreign leaders and that “federal authority trumps any local mayor’s wishes.”

Legal experts have expressed similar doubts. Syracuse University law professor Cora True-Frost said foreign affairs are the “exclusive power of the federal government” and that protections afforded to visiting diplomats would further restrict Mamdani’s ability to carry out his threat. NBC New York reported that several former prosecutors believe an attempt to enforce the ICC warrant could expose participating local officials to federal charges.

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024, alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity during Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. The court said judges found reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore responsibility for alleged crimes including using starvation as a method of warfare.

Israel has categorically rejected the allegations, maintaining that its military takes extensive precautions to protect civilians while battling a terrorist organization that embeds itself among the Palestinian population.

Netanyahu’s office fired back Sunday by branding the ICC a “kangaroo court that has no jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis.”

“Under Prime Minister Netanyahu’s leadership, Israel has taken unprecedented wartime measures to minimize harm to civilians while confronting Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization that uses Palestinians as human shields and deliberately targets innocent Israeli civilians,” his office said.

It then turned its fire directly on City Hall.

“Mr. Mamdani should focus on fixing the damage his policies have caused New York,” Netanyahu’s office concluded.

Netanyahu has also accused the mayor of siding with “terror actors,” while Mamdani has repeatedly characterized Israel’s response to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre as genocide.

The Trump administration, meanwhile, has backed its rejection of the ICC with more than words. It has imposed sanctions on court personnel and affiliated organizations involved in efforts to prosecute Israelis, declaring that neither the United States nor Israel is subject to the tribunal’s authority. The State Department has described the court’s actions as a threat to American sovereignty.

Mamdani may be determined to turn Netanyahu’s expected September visit into an international showdown.

Trump’s message was that the mayor will not get the chance.

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Trump Praises JD Vance, Usha On Birth Of Fourth Child

By
Madeleine Jackson
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0
By Office of Vice President of the United States - @VP on X, Public Domain,

The White House is celebrating the arrival of its newest—and smallest—addition.

Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance welcomed their fourth child, a son named Alec Neel Vance, on Sunday morning.

“We are excited to announce that our baby boy, Alec Neel Vance, was born this morning,” the couple said in a joint statement. “Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother.”

The Vances also expressed their gratitude to the medical professionals who cared for Usha and Alec at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

“The incredible military doctors and staff members of Walter Reed Medical Center and the White House Medical Unit have been a blessing,” the couple said. “We are deeply thankful for all they have done for our family.”

President Donald Trump joined the celebration Monday, offering the public its first glimpse of the newborn in a photo shared on Truth Social. The picture showed two of Alec’s older siblings smiling as they held their baby brother.

“Congratulations!” Trump wrote. “A perfect baby boy for the wonderful Vance family.”

Alec joins the couple’s three other children: sons Ewan, 9, and Vivek, 6, and daughter Mirabel, 4. JD and Usha Vance have been married since 2014.

The birth also marked a milestone more than a century and a half in the making. Alec is the first child born to a sitting vice president since Schuyler Colfax III arrived in 1870, while his father, Schuyler Colfax Jr., served under President Ulysses S. Grant. CBS News described the Vances’ new arrival as the first known birth to the nation’s second family in 156 years.

The couple announced Usha’s pregnancy in January, saying at the time that they expected their son to arrive in late July. Vance, who has frequently encouraged Americans to form and grow families, later joked that the pregnancy showed he was willing to follow his own advice.

“So let the record show, you have a vice president who practices what he preaches,” Vance told the 2026 March for Life rally.

Alec’s arrival continues something of a baby boom inside the Trump administration.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and her husband, Nicholas Riccio, welcomed their second child, daughter Viviana “Vivi,” on May 1. Leavitt announced the happy news several days later, sharing a photograph of herself holding the newborn inside a pink nursery. (RELATED: Karoline Leavitt Shares She Is Expecting Baby Girl In May 2026)

“On May 1st, Viviana aka ‘Vivi’ joined our family, and our hearts instantly exploded with love,” Leavitt wrote on Instagram.

“She is perfect and healthy, and her big brother is joyfully adjusting to life with his new baby sister,” she continued. “We are enjoying every moment in our blissful newborn bubble.”

Leavitt returned to the White House briefing room on July 16 after taking maternity leave, according to People. Vivi joined the couple’s son, Niko, who recently turned 2.

Now, just over two months after Vivi’s birth, the administration has another reason to celebrate—with the Vance children welcoming a little brother and Trump proudly introducing the “perfect baby boy” to the country.

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Trump DHS Chief Warns Election Officials: Cooperate — Or Face Prison

By
Madeleine Jackson
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1
DHSgov, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin fired a blistering warning at state election officials Friday: Help the Trump administration police voter rolls — or risk fines, penalties and even prison time.

Mullin delivered the threat during a White House press conference one day after President Donald Trump used a primetime address to sound the alarm over alleged vulnerabilities in America’s election system.

Asked by a Daily Caller reporter whether the administration could ensure the midterm elections would be secure, Mullin said Washington could restore public confidence — but only if states cooperate.

“Yes, we absolutely can build confidence in the American people, but the states have to do their part,” Mullin said.

Then came the warning shot.

“I will tell you, if the states that choose not to participate with the SAVE program and they choose not to participate in securing the elections, we will make sure that we make those states a priority to look at who voted in their states and hold them, the election officials, accountable,” Mullin said.

“If the election officials, once we gave them the information they need to secure their elections and they chose not to, then those individuals can also be held accountable by fines, by penalties, and even, depending on how far it goes, prison time.”

Mullin did not specify which federal laws could be used to prosecute officials who decline to participate in the program or what conduct would trigger criminal charges.

His comments came as DHS claimed that a review of publicly available voter files uncovered more than 250,000 suspected noncitizens registered to vote in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Nevada.

Mullin said those states had not cooperated with the administration’s review. DHS has reportedly sent letters notifying officials of its findings and asking them to confirm within two weeks whether they intend to work with the department.

The secretary also said that 23 states already using the federal verification system had identified another 23,000 suspected noncitizens and approximately 400,000 deceased people on voter rolls, according to The Daily Signal.

DHS has not publicly demonstrated that the individuals it identified actually cast ballots. Being listed on a voter roll does not necessarily mean someone voted.

The Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program, known as SAVE, is an existing DHS database originally designed to help government agencies verify the citizenship and immigration status of people applying for public benefits and licenses. It is separate from the pending SAVE America Act, despite sharing the acronym.

The Trump administration has expanded the database’s use for election-related citizenship checks and is pressing states to run their voter files through it.

Mullin also indicated that federal election funding could become another pressure point.

“We are going to make our security enhancements mandatory, meaning that if these states want a grant, and they want to be reimbursed to run federal elections, they’re going to have to implement security measures,” he said.

The crackdown comes as Trump continues demanding that Congress pass the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship and identification for federal voter registration while sharply limiting mail-in voting.

The legislation has repeatedly stalled in the Senate. Majority Leader John Thune has said Republicans lack the votes needed to overcome the filibuster or change Senate rules to force it through.

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Trump Calls To Revoke Licenses After Refusing To Air Primetime Speech

By
Madeleine Jackson
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7
The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

President Donald Trump unloaded on ABC and NBC after the broadcast giants refused to interrupt their regular programming for his primetime election-integrity address Thursday, accusing the networks of helping conceal what he described as a massive threat to American elections.

“They and others in the media are part of a plot,” Trump declared during the White House address. “They want to continue this fraud for whatever reason. They want to keep it going. They want to protect the radical left.”

Trump then called for the revocation of broadcast licenses associated with the networks, arguing that media companies receive access to valuable public airwaves while failing to provide Americans with honest coverage.

“Fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses,” Trump said. “They use our public multi-billion-dollar-in-value airways for absolutely no money.”

The president added that the country could not succeed without “free and fair elections” or honest reporting.

ABC and NBC declined to preempt their normal television lineups for the address, although both carried it on their streaming platforms. ABC also aired it through its radio network, while NBC broadcast a special report after Trump finished speaking.

Fox carried the entire speech live. CBS aired part of it before cutting away, while MS NOW interrupted its coverage to fact-check Trump. CNN declined to carry the address on its television network.

CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins said the network would monitor Trump’s remarks but would not take them live because of what she called his “well-documented history of saying blatantly false things about elections.”

White House communications director Steven Cheung accused ABC and NBC of deliberately keeping viewers in the dark.

“Cowards. NBC and ABC don’t want you to hear the truth,” Cheung wrote on X before the speech. “All they want to do is hide the facts from YOU.”

Networks do not directly hold the licenses Trump targeted; the Federal Communications Commission licenses individual broadcast stations and affiliates. Any revocation would also require a formal proceeding. The FCC has already ordered eight Disney-owned ABC stations to submit early license-renewal applications as part of an investigation into the company’s compliance with federal broadcasting regulations. The agency announced that action in April.

Thursday’s network showdown threatened to overshadow the explosive allegations at the center of Trump’s address.

The president announced the declassification and release of intelligence documents that he said revealed “shocking vulnerabilities” in America’s election infrastructure.

Trump alleged that China acquired approximately 220 million American voter files containing names, addresses, telephone numbers, party affiliations and other sensitive information beginning during the 2020 election cycle.

“This data loss presents an unprecedented election security nightmare,” Trump warned.

Trump further accused members of the intelligence community of suppressing information about the breach and keeping it from both him and Congress during his first administration.

The president also highlighted what he described as evidence of fraudulent voter-registration applications uncovered during a 2020 investigation in Muskegon, Michigan. Trump alleged that the Biden Justice Department “slow-walked the investigation and killed it” and called on the FBI and Justice Department to reopen the case and prosecute anyone responsible for criminal activity.

Trump then cited a Department of Homeland Security review that he said identified approximately 278,000 noncitizens registered to vote in federal elections.

Because several Democratic-led states did not provide their voter files, Trump argued, “the real number is actually much higher than that.”

Trump said he had directed DHS to notify states about suspected noncitizens on their rolls and press election officials to remove ineligible registrants.

The president used the findings to renew his demand that Congress pass the SAVE America Act, which would require photo identification and proof of citizenship from voters. Trump also called for tight restrictions on mail-in ballots, with exceptions for military deployments, illness, disability and travel.

“The only reason you wouldn’t do it is you want to cheat,” Trump said of lawmakers resisting the legislation.

Trump concluded by urging Americans to call their representatives and demand immediate action.

“Together, we will restore faith and confidence in our country,” he said, “and we will be bigger, better and stronger than ever before.”

Trump’s presentation did not establish that China or another foreign power changed vote totals or altered the outcome of the 2020 election. New reports that the documents released by the White House included portions of intelligence analyses, investigative files and correspondence presented with limited context.

But Trump’s broader message Thursday was unmistakable: The country’s election system remains dangerously exposed—and the media outlets that refused to carry his warning could now find themselves in the administration’s crosshairs.

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White House Slams Staffer Accused Of Betting On Trump Speech

By
Madeleine Jackson
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2

A longtime Trump aide has been yanked from the White House after allegedly turning advance knowledge of President Donald Trump’s speeches into a six-figure betting haul.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed Thursday that Gabriel Perez, who has operated Trump’s teleprompter since his first presidential campaign in 2016, was placed on unpaid administrative leave at the president’s direction.

“Obviously, I’m aware of the report. The president is, too. I spoke with him about it,” Leavitt told reporters. “He believes it’s deeply unfortunate and, frankly, a disgrace.”

“The White House has extremely strict ethical guidelines with respect to issues like this,” she added, stressing that Perez’s leave would be without pay. “That was the decision by the president, so it speaks for itself.”

Another operator was tapped to handle Trump’s nationally televised speech Thursday night.

Perez is accused of using his behind-the-scenes access to place bets on more than a dozen Trump speeches through Kalshi, an online prediction market where users can wager on whether specific words, phrases or subjects will come up during public events.

Sources familiar with the federal investigation told ABC News that Perez won more than $100,000 over a roughly three-month period.

The alleged bets reportedly involved Trump’s State of the Union address, a December primetime speech, his appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos and remarks delivered during a March Medal of Honor ceremony.

As Trump’s teleprompter operator, Perez was often among the final people to see the president’s prepared remarks and was reportedly responsible for inserting last-minute changes.

Investigators even uncovered instances in which Perez allegedly abandoned certain positions while a speech was still underway after Trump skipped passages containing words on which the operator had wagered, ABC News reported.

That wrinkle is especially notable because Trump is famous for veering away from his prepared remarks.

“You know, when you go up here, you take a big chance, especially me because I go off teleprompter about 80% of the time,” Trump said during a January appearance at the Detroit Economic Club—another speech investigators reportedly believe Perez bet on.

Kalshi’s internal surveillance system reportedly detected unusual activity that did not match normal trading patterns. The company froze Perez’s account, trapping more than $90,000 in alleged profits, before referring the matter to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

“Our surveillance team promptly flagged and referred these trades to the CFTC after an exchange investigation,” Kalshi enforcement chief Robert DeNault told CBS News. “We have been assisting regulators on this matter and provided evidence we collected, as we do in any referral.”

The CFTC has declined to confirm or deny that an investigation is underway.

Perez has reportedly cooperated with regulators and acknowledged some of the trades during an interview. Sources told ABC News that federal prosecutors in Manhattan declined to launch a criminal investigation, while CFTC officials have discussed a possible settlement that could require Perez to surrender his profits and stay out of similar markets.

Perez did not respond to requests for comment from several news organizations.

The allegations surfaced only months after the White House explicitly warned employees against using privileged information to make prediction-market bets.

A March 24 email from the White House Management Office reminded staffers that using nonpublic information to trade such contracts could constitute a criminal offense.

“All White House employees are reminded that the misuse of nonpublic information by government employees for financial benefit is a very serious offense and will not be tolerated,” the email said, according to CBS News.

White House spokesman David Ingle said the administration expects every employee to follow its ethics rules and confirmed that Perez was cooperating with regulators.

Leavitt said the White House was not aware of any other staffers suspected of making similar trades.

The case could add fuel to a bipartisan push on Capitol Hill to crack down on government insiders using prediction markets for personal profit. Republican Sens. Todd Young and John Curtis joined Democratic Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Adam Schiff in introducing legislation that would prohibit federal officials and employees from trading on material nonpublic information.

“Public service should never be a pathway to personal profit based on insider information,” Young said when the bill was introduced.

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