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President Donald Trump has pitted two of his cabinet members against each other in the battle over who will succeed him and run for president in 2028, and so far, there is a clear loser in this fight, an analyst revealed on Thursday.Secretary of State Marco Rubio has appeared to win Trump over so far, as Vice President JD Vance has lost favor after failed negotiations with Iran, wrote Jonathan V. Last, editor at The Bulwark. And Last argued that it comes down to what Harry Potter character Albus Dumbledore says: “People find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right.”"Point is that Rubio has been wrong about the Iran war from the jump. And that’s why Trump has begun elevating him above JD Vance in the Favorite Adopted Son sweepstakes," Last wrote."It’s clear that Trump is displeased with JD Vance," Last explained. "Early on, when Trump thought he was winning in Iran, there were leaks about Vance not being on board with the war. Daddy Trump sent Vance to negotiate with the Iranians when they clearly had all the cards, setting him up for failure—and at the same time took Rubio with him on vacation to fight night. There was a huge dump of leaks designed to show that Trump doesn’t think Vance has the juice."Rubio didn't play the same game as Vance. And Rubio has benefited."Vance’s mistake was trying to influence the party line, rather than adapting to whatever the Leader said the party line happened to be. Any of Stalin’s henchmen could have told him that was a mistake," Last wrote. "The worse Iran gets, the worse it will be for Vance," Last added. "Trump will become even more resentful—even if Vance never says, told you so. Trump will remember that Vance was the one who told him not to do it."

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent snapped "Don't be absurd!" at a Democratic lawmaker Thursday after getting cornered on the administration's rosy claims about the Iran conflict — a tense exchange that exposed the widening gap between White House spin and reality on the ground.During a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on the Treasury Department's budget priorities, Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) pressed Bessent on an offhand remark the secretary had made suggesting the conflict with Iran was over."Do you truly believe that we are no longer in conflict with Iran and that they are no longer a threat to Israel or allies in the Gulf, that their nuclear program has been destroyed, that they no longer have a ballistic missile program and drone program threatening its neighbors in the region?" Schneider demanded.Bessent walked it back fast. "The conflict is on pause," he said."So everything's good with Iran now?" Schneider pushed."No. Don't be absurd."The back-and-forth cut to the heart of the administration's credibility problem on Iran. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that President Donald Trump has told aides privately he would only consider ending the ceasefire if Tehran kills American troops — a far cry from the decisive victory the White House has been claiming. The U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28 in strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, but a ceasefire has been in effect since April 8.Bessent cited Trump's statement, telling Schneider that unless an American life is lost, the president does not believe he will have to restart "kinetic action."The exchange grew heated again when Schneider pivoted to the cost of living, rattling off rising prices for beef, coffee, housing, and health insurance. Bessent interrupted repeatedly, at one point shouting "Sir! Sir!" as Schneider reclaimed his time."I think you're just out of touch with what American families are facing," Schneider told him.Bessent fired back with a broadside at Schneider's home state: "No wonder so many people are leaving Illinois. Why don't you come see me in South Carolina?"The two did find rare agreement on one point — that no president, Republican or Democrat, should be shielded from IRS audits — before Schneider circled back to the administration's controversial IRS settlement, which Democrats have called an illegal act of self-dealing.

A Republican lawmaker clashed with an anchor during a live CNN broadcast on Thursday over the Iran war after four GOP House leaders broke from President Donald Trump and voted to rebuke the president over the military operation.Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R-FL) and CNN's Brianna Keilar got into a heated exchange over what the Trump administration has planned to do next in the ongoing war, as gas prices skyrocket for Americans and the Senate now considers Trump's war powers in Iran. Haridopolos stated that he firmly stands behind Trump and his administration."The person I trust in this is President Trump," Haridopolos said. "And I trust Marco Rubio, he's been a 25-year friend of mine. He knows all the intricate details of what we're doing right now. The recommendation from the White House is to know all the details. They want to continue to keep the pressure on Iran as long as possible, because I know, look, we're all hurting with gas prices. We all recognize this, but what we have to do is finally eliminate this threat in Iran."Keilar asked the Republican if he thought the administration was entering "quagmire territory.""This is a real winnable situation — for the first time since 1979, to finally take out these crazy people in Iran," Haridopolos said. "And what we're trying to do is win the conflict. And I'm challenged, like you are, that no one likes the higher prices. But this is something we, the president, is willing to do." Keilar pushed back and asked Haridopolos if the war was a "winnable situation."He argued that Trump knew it would be a risk and unpopular, but that the president "believed the risk" was worth it.The conversation heated up when Haridopolos said, "if we go with your plan" — and Keilar interjected."Your plan? It's not my plan," she said."You're pushing for it. So that's being said," Haridopolos responded. "I'm telling you what Americans are saying," Keilar said, pushing back. "This is unpopular. You have now Republicans who have experience in wars that have lasted a very long time," she added.Haridopolos appeared frustrated with the anchor and said, "You want me to answer?"The two bristled and spoke over each other."You can, but you just told me what I was saying. And I'm telling you, please don't put words in my mouth. But please continue on with what you wanted to say," Keilar said.

Beluga whales, which Marineland threatened to euthanize in 2025, will be moved to aquariums in Spain or across USCanada and an embattled marine park have reached a tentative deal on the future of 30 beluga whales, ending a saga that has captivated the public and angered animal rights groups.The federal fisheries ministry announced this week that all of Marineland’s belugas would be shipped to either Spain or one of four locations in the US, ending whale captivity in Canada. Continue reading...

Conservative podcaster Candace Owens is scheduled to appear at a panel alongside Russian media figures and politicians under U.S. and European Union sanctions for supporting Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine at a major event in St. Petersburg on Thursday.The right-wing conspiracy theorist, who has seen her popularity rise as she’s openly feuded with other conservative luminaries such as Erika Kirk and Laura Loomer, has lavished praise on Russia in X posts over the past week for its “Christian heritage and expression” and “family-friendly” amenities. Owens is scheduled to appear on a panel at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum entitled, “A Big Family, A Big Reach: New Demographics and Narratives for Media Leaders.”The appearance puts her on the same stage as Alexander Zharov, who was directly appointed by President Vladimir Putin to lead the Russian state’s mass media arm and is currently under U.S. sanctions as an official of the Russian government, and Anna Kuznetsova, a deputy chair of the Duma, a house of the Russian parliament, who is also on the State Department’s sanctions list.“By speaking at this forum, she’s actively aligning herself with an event that exists to push the interests of the Russian state,” said Hannah Gais, a senior researcher at the Southern Poverty Law Center who monitors Russia and the far right.The panel, which features “influential figures with large families” who produce “content that focuses on family values,” highlights a longstanding obsession in Russia with population collapse, Gais said, noting that the theme has long attracted far-right actors from the United States and Europe.Gais told Raw Story that Owens’ presence helps the Russian state show that it can build bridges with the U.S far right.“An aspect of any kind of soft-power effort, so to speak, would be to push your own messaging, whether it be Russia as a partner in the ‘war on wokeness,’ which is one framing that certain reactionaries or partners in protecting Christian civilization like to emphasize — those are talking points that would serve the interests of the Kremlin,” Gais said.Russian state media reported Owens' participation in the panel at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, but she has not publicly announced it. Requests for comment submitted by Raw Story through the contact form on Owens' website were not returned.Meanwhile, the British-American manosphere influencer Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan, arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, sparking speculation that they too will attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which begins Wednesday.Owens’ social media posts have largely presented her visit to Russia as a family sight-seeing trip, but on Sunday Vladimir R. Legoyda, a spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church, posted photos on his Instagram account of a media interview with Owens for Spas TV. The outlet is currently under sanction by the European Union for “spreading disinformation and propaganda in support of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.”The interview has not yet been broadcast, but Owens confirmed her participation in a reply to a detractor on X, writing, “Please share a link when it drops in case I miss it! Was a great discussion.”Owens has vocally criticized Israel’s attacks on Gaza and ongoing bombardment of Lebanon — including resharing a post as recently as May 30 showing Israeli aerial attacks in Lebanon — but has remained largely silent on Russia’s war in Ukraine and targeted attacks on civilians.Other Russian panelists scheduled to share the stage with her who are under sanctions for spreading disinformation about the war in Ukraine and praising Putin include Yuliya Baranovska, a television presenter, who was sanctioned by the European Union for, among other things, “publicly promoting Russian war crimes such as the forced deportation of Ukrainian children.”Kuznetsova, the deputy at the Duma, is similarly under sanction by the European Union, along with the U.S. Treasury Department, while a 2024 Voice of America report flagged her playing an instrumental role in a propaganda campaign to falsely accuse Ukrainian medical teams of harvesting organs from children. The conspiracy theory has been used by Russia to deflect from its responsibility for relocating at least 20,000 children in what the U.S. State Department under former President Joe Biden described as “systematic efforts to suppress Ukraine’s identity, history and culture.”The Russian intelligence service, known by its acronym FSB, has long courted foreign media figures in an effort to generate positive news stories, often using the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum as an arena for cultivating potential assets.Nomma Zarubina, a 35-year-old woman who pleaded guilty in February to lying to the FBI about her role as a Russian spy, worked with an FSB handler who encouraged her to cultivate contacts with American journalists, according to a federal court documents. Zarubina’s handler instructed her to attend the 2021 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, “and asked her to find journalists who would be willing to publish positive stories about the event and Russia.”A screenshot retrieved from her phone by the FBI revealed the results of her efforts: contact information for a German public broadcasting journalist.Owens has thumbed her nose at critics, such as her former boss, Ben Shapiro who accused her in a piece at the Daily Wire of going to Russia “to visit her friends, ideological handlers, and sponsors.”Whether Russian intelligence services directly engage Owens or not, her pro-Russia messaging already appears to align with Kremlin interests. Posting about a cat she ostensibly planned to adopt, Owens wrote: “Deep down I know she will never be loyal to me and she will always report back to the Kremlin, but I will love her nonetheless.”Whether there’s an espionage connection or not, Gais said Owens represents a segment of the U.S. far right that already shares overlapping interests with the Kremlin.“This has been an ongoing trend on the far right, from Tucker Carlson to the alt-right,” Gais said. “Candace Owens is following in a long line of right-wingers who have gone to Russia and see it as an ally in a conflict that they see as civilizational and existential in the West against liberalism.”

ICC’s decision comes amid growing concerns the team is being influenced by members of a notorious gang in IndiaCricket’s international governing body has suspended Canada over what it described as “serious breaches of its membership obligations”, dealing the latest blow to an organization that critics say has become a “laughing stock” within the sport.The suspension also comes amid growing concerns that one of Canada’s fastest-growing sports is being influenced by members of a notorious gang that operates with impunity from an Indian prison cell. Continue reading...

Secretary of State Marco Rubio got in a heated exchange with Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday.Rubio was testifying for the first time since the United States launched the Iran war and Booker raised questions about the Ebola crisis and the military operation. Booker told Rubio he was concerned the U.S. had rolled back its investment in eradicating diseases in Africa, and expressed doubt that the Iran war was over, despite the Trump administration's claims that it was."With the crisis of Ebola, we see the challenges have been brought about as a result of our surveillance, early detection, and the like. I'm concerned about what the administration's strategy is," Booker said. "We are clearly seeing that what goes on on the continent of Africa directly affects our public health as well."But Rubio did not see eye to eye with Booker."I don't agree with the assessment," Rubio said. "It's not about cutting back. The response is that how much money you spent it's the results you will get. Ebola, the outbreak was in a war-torn, isolated, rural area in the DRC. Since then, our response has been very rapid."Booker pushed back."You did not cut early detection?" Booker asked. "That's not the reason there was Ebola," Rubio said. Booker cut him off as the conversation intensified."I'm not trying to get in an argument. I would like to have my questions answered," Booker said. "We cut early detection when it comes to infectious diseases on the continent, factually. This is not an opinion. We cut early warning systems on the continent."Rubio continued to argue with Booker and interjected the senator, saying "It had nothing to do with the Ebola outbreak.""I don't need to tell you, we are living in a place where an infectious disease crisis anywhere is a threat everywhere," Booker said, adding that he worried further budget cuts would complicate future outbreaks. "The United States made major reductions in these areas putting us more at risk. If you're talking about the Ebola crisis, other cuts we have made, you see it factually. Even our own State Department personnel I've talked to are saying we are less prepared for a global outbreak than we were before."Rubio denied Booker's comments."I don't agree with that assessment," Rubio said. "I don't know who told you that at the State Department." "You can't even agree on the facts. It is not accurate that we cut early detection?" Booker asked, pressing Rubio to respond. "Those have been repurposed," Rubio said. "The different arrangements with the countries are an example."But Booker wasn't convinced. "If you're telling me that we are as or more prepared before the Trump administration came in, I would like to see the facts," Booker said. "I think when the reforms are finalized we will be better prepared. We are responding faster not just humanitarian crises but faster than before," Rubio said.Booker then moved on to discuss the Strait of Hormuz blockade."The conclusion I have is the Strait of Hormuz was opened before this unjustified war," Booker said. "We are now scrambling to find a way to get it back open again." Booker argued the U.S. was now in a "worse situation, an adversary and our enemy is causing havoc in the region, funding proxies and terrorists, has discovered, thanks to you all, the power of shutting down the Strait of Hormuz." He said Iran was now in a better position, while America was worse off."It made our adversary have a stronger negotiating position," Booker said. "We are the strongest on earth and we are in a stalemate with Iran. We are begging to get back into a deal that you trashed in the first place." "There is no one begging," Rubio maintained.Rubio argued that the war was over — and Booker pushed back, saying that although Trump says it has ended, it hasn't."You keep saying how we are winning the war," Booker said. "The war is over now," Rubio said. "The war is not over. The American people see how we are losing at the pump and with costs. Yet this thing has not been resolved," Booker said.

President Donald Trump has stayed out of the public eye for the second day after negotiations with Iran were suspended, according to reports on Tuesday.Trump was reportedly furious during a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel's escalating military campaign in Lebanon, a condition that Iran cited as a reason to halt talks over a ceasefire with the United States. And after the derailed negotiations on Monday, Trump has stayed "out of sight," David Gardner, The Daily Beast's D.C. Bureau Chief, wrote in a post for The Swamp, The Daily Beast's Substack."The episode is called ‘Don’t Mention the War,’ and The Swamp suspects that is the very sentiment at the White House today after the president’s comically contradictory comments about his Iran War on Monday," Gardner wrote."One moment he was promising a solution and insisting all would be well, then he was saying he didn’t really care, and the Iranians made all his remarks moot by pulling out of the peace talks, anyway, which confirmed the one thing we did understand about the impasse—it’s a bloody mess," Gardner wrote.There could be a reason Trump hasn't had a public engagement the last two days, Gardner explained."No wonder Donald Trump is keeping his head down for the second day running at the White House today … presumably so nobody can ask him about the war," Gardner wrote.As developments with Iran have stalled, Trump has shifted his attention to his administration."In the meantime, Trump has clearly been trying to amuse himself by mixing and matching the most ridiculous jobs. On Tuesday, he made his attack dog housing guy, Bill Pulte, the acting Director of National Intelligence," Gardner added.