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Trump admin hit with stern rebuke as bid to silence UN expert hits major snag
The Trump administration's effort to silence a United Nations expert hit a major snag, with a judge ruling it violated her right to free speech. A federal judge temporarily blocked sanctions against Italian lawyer Francesca Albanese, a UN expert on the Palestinian territories, according to reporting by the Guardian on Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon wrote in his opinion that "Albanese has done nothing more than speak!"Albanese recommended that the International Criminal Court prosecute United States and Israeli nationals for war crimes in Gaza, The Guardian reported. Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded by sanctioning Albanese last year and barred her from entering the U.S. or banking there, according to the Guardian.Family members of Albanese with U.S. citizenship sued the Trump administration in February and alleged that the sanctions were "effectively debanking her and making it nearly impossible to meet the needs of her daily life," according to reporting by the Guardian.Leon wrote that the Trump administration wanted to regulate her speech because of the "idea or message expressed," which is protected by the First Amendment, the Guardian wrote. "It is undisputed that her recommendations have no binding effect on the ICC's actions - they are nothing more than her opinion."
JD Vance made a telling reveal with new 'shameless lie': analyst
Vice President JD Vance just revealed something dark about President Donald Trump's war in Iran with another one of his "shameless lies," according to one analyst. During a press conference on Wednesday, Vance was asked about Trump's comments, in which he said the financial pain Americans are feeling because of the Iran war is not a top-of-mind concern for him. Vance deflected and accused the reporter of misrepresenting what Trump actually said. "Do you agree with the president that Americans' financial situation should not be a consideration in that decision-making process?" the reporter asked. "I don't think the president said that," Vance said. "I think that's a misrepresentation of what the president said." The vice president's response stunned Adam Mockler, a political commentator for the MeidasTouch Network, who responded to Vance's comments in a new reaction video. "These people lie so shamelessly, and it comes top-down from Trump," Mockler said. "He's the most shameless liar of them all, but this is some shameless BS. Listen, nobody wants Iran to have a nuclear weapon. But the reality is we are not any closer to a denuclearized Iran if that's the goal."Trump has repeatedly claimed that he won't end the war in Iran until the regime agrees to give up its nuclear weapons. That's despite Trump claiming last year that Iran's nuclear capabilities had been "completely obliterated" by a previous strike on three of the nation's nuclear facilities. Mockler suggested that Vance's comments show the administration knows they are not close to achieving their goals in Iran. "The enriched uranium is still there," he said. "The scientists have been scattered across the country, and all the blueprints have been put in the cloud. They can just rebuild whenever they want."
Erin Burnett blown away as Trump 'mocked across China': 'America has lost its swagger'
CNN anchor Erin Burnett was stunned to see the level of uninhibited mockery China has been hurling at Trump during his visit."Trump is about to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping tonight, a high-stakes meeting which is being mocked across China," Burnett explained. "Beijing's strict censors are letting the ridicule go viral, which is a statement in and of itself.""America has lost its swagger. They're nothing but a paper tiger," one of those viral posts read. "The U.S. economy is in bad shape. Trump has been blustering Iran for so long.""They will look up to us from now on," read another post that Burnett shared. "Trump came to China! We won the tariff war!" read another."Trump, you're welcome to visit China and learn from us," the mockery continued."The U.S. is no longer a country that we look up to. We can now compete with them with confidence and strength," a Chinese social media user wrote."In China, political content like this never goes viral, especially when you have a head of state coming," Burnett explained. "This is because government censors want this to go viral, and by the tone of the messages, the Chinese government feels they've got the upper hand."
Remains of second US soldier who went missing in Morocco recovered
Mariyah Symone Collington and Kendrick Lamont Key Jr, who also died, had fallen off a cliff during an off-duty hikeThe remains of the second US army soldier who went missing during military exercises in Morocco have been recovered, the army said on Wednesday, ending a multinational search operation that deployed air, naval and artificial intelligence assets.The soldier was identified as Spc Mariyah Symone Collington of Taveres, Florida, the US Army Europe and Africa said in a statement. She was 19 years old. Continue reading...
Trump eyes Hail Mary to lock up GOP control in Senate: report
President Donald Trump has apparently directed Republicans to persuade a Democrat to leave his party and join the GOP, The New Republic reported on Wednesday.Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) — who has often sided with Republican lawmakers and been questioned by critics over his party loyalty — has reportedly become a target for the president. Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote against the latest war powers resolution on Wednesday and was the deciding vote in the seventh attempt to end Trump's military operation in Iran.Trump has viewed Fetterman as someone who can potentially help secure Republican control in Congress and wants to convince the Democrat "to switch parties to help retain the GOP’s fragile majority in the Senate." Fetterman has denied any plans to leave the Democratic Party and has said he would be a "s----- Republican." The president has called the centrist lawmaker his "favorite Democrat."
'Glaring': Speculation abounds as Melania noticeably absent from husband's China trip
President Donald Trump's high-stakes three-day China visit has revealed one person conspicuously missing — his wife, First Lady Melania Trump. Trump was accompanied to Beijing with his cabinet, his son Eric, and daughter-in-law Lara, and 16 corporate CEOs, The Daily Beast reported. And hours before taking off to leave the United States, the first lady's office dropped a cryptic confirmation in a statement to the South China Morning Post, without any explanation for why she would miss out on the trip. "First Lady Melania Trump is not travelling this time," Melania's spokesperson said. When pressed for additional details, her team went silent.The snub marks the latest chapter in what insiders describe as a widening rift between the first couple. "The move comes amid speculation about the first lady increasingly breaking with her husband as she seems to be trying to charter her own course," The Beast reported. "Trump and his White House aides were reportedly blindsided last month when she called a surprise press conference to read a statement declaring she had no ties to the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The move appeared only to revive the scandal that Trump himself had been eager to put to rest."Melania has been noticeably absent at the White House throughout the second Trump administration and often does not travel with the president. And although first ladies don't always attend trips, the questions around her attendance have raised eyebrows. "Her absence is all the more glaring because it follows a trend that has stood out in Trump’s second term: She’s been appearing alongside him less and less on state visits," according to The Beast.
Hegseth snaps at Dem lawmaker after accusation over 'ridiculous' claim
A relatively subdued Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth changed tactics and talked over a Democratic lawmaker on Tuesday morning as the two argued over Pentagon expenditures with the Donald Trump appointee snapping when one of his claims was called “ridiculous.”Hegseth faced off with Rep. Joe Morelle (R-NY) who asked, “There has been much reported about the president's trip to China and I appreciate again my colleagues raised PACOM [United States Indo-Pacific Command] and its defense. There are weapons on hold the president has not authorized to Taiwan and I wonder if you can give me an update, what’s the status of those weapons sales are at this point?”“I just want to say the primes will be paying for the factories out of their own pocket, not the taxpayers' money which is a sea change, which I think this budget —," Hegseth began.“They are going to get a return on their investment,” Morelle interrupted as Hegseth protested with the New York Democrat continuing, “Yes, I understand, but they are not paying for it out of their pocket and not getting compensated. But anyway, can you answer my question about Taiwan?”“Buildings cost money, and if giving them $2 billion to build a factory, that is taxpayer money. If they are using it out of their own hide, that is $2 billion saved for the American people that then we can appropriate to our munitions we pay for in the future” Hegseth argued before complaining, “I know it is difficult to grasp…”“It’s not difficult to grasp! It is a different way of getting to the same place,” the Democratic lawmaker replied. “You end up paying for it — look, we ought to, they are building things for us, but to suggest that they are making an investment and will not somehow get compensated through sales is just honestly ridiculous.”“We used to pay for the building too and then pay for the sales,” Hegseth shot back as Morelle looked down and shook his head. “Now we are paying for the sales and not the building which is, I think, is a good—.”“And they are not embedding that in the tax write-off in the things they are selling to us, the capitalization, CAPEX they are putting into it they will get back? I don't know why we are arguing about it,” Morelle asked.“They are paying for it,” Hegseth replied. - YouTube youtu.be
Trump heads to China as report points to his 'American decline' undercutting his hand
Donald Trump's trip to Beijing to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping comes as the leadership of China is buoyed by an internal report that their country has seen its profile in the world rise above the US in large part due to American president.With Reuters reporting that Trump needs some “wins” due to his horrific approval numbers at home, the New York Times is reporting that a “Beijing think tank affiliated with Renmin University published a triumphant report about Mr. Trump’s first year back in office. The report argued that his tariffs, attacks on allies, anti-immigration policies and assaults on the American political establishment had inadvertently strengthened China while weakening the United States. Its title: ‘Thank Trump.’”According to the Times the analysis argued that Trump's erratic decision-making across domestic and foreign policy has inadvertently unified China while fracturing American institutions with the authors characterizing Trump as an "accelerator of American political decay," and the United States teetering on "Latin American-style instability."Trump's hostility toward China, the report argued, functioned as a "reverse booster" that strengthened Beijing's strategic self-reliance. "At this turning point in history," the authors wrote, "what we hear is the heavy and haunting toll of an empire's evening bell."In light of the current state of affairs, the Times is reporting that use of the term "American decline" in official Chinese sources nearly doubled in 2025, citing a Brookings Institution study.Chinese scholars are openly discussing how to exploit Trump's desperation. "Only China can save Trump," said Huang Jing, a professor at Shanghai International Studies University during a late 2025 media event. With midterm elections approaching, Huang argued, Trump needs visible wins such as Chinese purchases of American soybeans, corn, and natural gas that could help Republicans in the red states the GOP relies upon."Since Trump, the United States has become increasingly prone to compromise," Huang reportedly advisedChinese scholars are also strategizing about the possibility of a Republican midterm collapse. According to Wu Xinbo, a leading American studies scholar at Fudan University, if Republicans lose control of the House in November, Trump, handcuffed domestically by a Democratic-controlled House would likely lean into foreign policy legacy-building — opening the door for China's leaders to use that to their advantage, with Wu remarking, "China should make good use of this opportunity."
America First's Marjorie Taylor Greene starting 'next chapter' in Costa Rica
Former America First Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) revealed that she was starting her "next chapter" in what was reported to be Costa Rica.Soon after her fiancé, Brian Glenn, resigned as a White House correspondent, Greene shared a photo from a tropical location."I'm so thankful to start the next chapter with @brianglenntv ❤️," she wrote on Instagram.MAGA activist Laura Loomer alleged that Greene "fled the country to Costa Rica, where she is now living in a $5 million mansion after selling her home in Rome, Georgia, for $1.1 million in March of 2026." "Does this mean that Marjorie Traitor Greene has applied for dual citizenship or has already obtained citizenship in Costa Rica?" the activist asked. "And if so, how long has she been planning to flee the country to become a citizen of a foreign country as a now *former* member of Congress?"Loomer added, "The purchase of the property proves she began this process as a member of Congress, all while she pretends to be 'America First' and 'America Only'."Greene later posted that she still lives in Georgia, but plans to travel the world.Greene left Congress after breaking ranks with President Donald Trump over his handling of Jeffrey Epstein-related matters, marking a rare moment of public daylight between the MAGA firebrand and the political figure she has typically championed. Greene has expressed frustration with Trump's approach to Epstein allegations and what she views as insufficient accountability regarding Trump's past associations with the disgraced financier, who died in prison while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Hegseth being busted by senator prompts ridicule on MS NOW: 'He's such a joke'
The panel on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” had a good laugh at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s expense on Monday morning after he lost an online battle over the weekend with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ).Kelly has been a major target of Hegseth’s after he joined with other lawmakers who served in the military to advise current service members to remember their oath to the Constitution.Over the weekend, the fighting between the two flared up again after the Arizona Democrat took a new shot at Hegseth’s prosecution of Donald Trump’s war on Iran.Responding to a post on X from “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan, who wrote, “After hearing the Pentagon classified brief on Iran war impact on US weapons stockpiles, Senator Mark Kelly says it is 'shocking how deep we have gone into these magazines.' He said the Tomahawks, ATACMS, SM-3, THAAD rounds, Patriot rounds, so those interceptor rounds to defend ourselves have been hit hard. He says it'll take years to replenish those stockpiles, which could affect a hypothetical US conflict with China,” Hegseth linked to it and complained about Kelly.“’Captain’ Mark Kelly strikes again. Now he’s blabbing on TV (falsely & dumbly) about a *CLASSIFIED* Pentagon briefing he received. Did he violate his oath…again? @DeptofWar legal counsel will review,” Hegseth threatened.As MS NOW host Jonathan Lemire noted, Kelly was armed and ready for Hegseth’s attack.“We had this conversation in a public hearing a week ago and you said it would take ‘years’ to replenish some of these stockpiles. That’s not classified, it’s a quote from you. This war is coming at a serious cost and you and the president still haven’t explained to the American people what the goal is,” Kelly fired back on X while including a clip of their interaction.The led the entire “Morning Joe” panel to start laughing, with co-host Joe Scarborough pointing out, “He’s such a joke.”He then added, “And instead of focusing on the war at hand, he's doing Donald Trump's bidding, trying to go after political enemies. Really, that's how he's spending his time.” - YouTube youtu.be
Human rights experts call Trump administration's latest boat strikes 'murder': report
The Trump administration continued its illegal bombing of small boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific on Friday, killing two and leaving one survivor in its third such strike in five days.US Southern Command announced the attack on social media, claiming that “intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.”“Under [President Donald] Trump’s illegal orders, the US military conducted its third boat strike in five days against supposed drug smugglers, killing at least two. Each of these is a murder. Drug suspects should be arrested and prosecuted, not summarily executed,” former Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth wrote on social media Saturday in response to the news.Friday’s strike marks the 57th by the Trump administration and raises the death toll from the boat-strike campaign, which experts say is illegal even if every boat targeted is ferrying drugs, to 192.“What do you call a US citizen who smuggles drugs, SOUTHCOM? A ‘narco-terrorist’?” social media user Andrew Marinelli said in response to the Southern Command announcement. “If a US citizen [allegedly] drove drugs into Canada and they blew him away with a drone strike, would you accept it?”The administration has also not provided evidence for its claims that the boats belong to drug traffickers, and relatives of the victims say at least some of those killed were simply on the water to fish.Friday’s strike was notable in that it left behind a survivor and that US Southern Command said it had activated the US Coast Guard to conduct a search and rescue operation.The announcement may reflect a response to backlash after news broke last year that, in the administration’s first such strike, commanders had ordered a vessel bombed twice when it became clear there were survivors, in keeping with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth’s directive to “kill everybody.”Despite scrutiny, the campaign has continued and even escalated in the past few weeks. There have been three such bombings since the beginning of May, according to The Intercept: One on May 4 in the Caribbean that killed two, one on May 5 in the Pacific that killed three, and the Pacific strike on May 8 that killed two. The reported survivor remains missing.While the Trump administration claims the strikes have dramatically reduced the flow of illegal drugs into the US, evidence reveals this is not the case, according to an Intercept analysis published May 4.For example, Trump claimed that drugs entering the US by sea had decreased by 97%, but the administration’s own data contradicts this claim, retired Rear Adm. William Baumgartner told The Intercept.Adam Isacson, the director for defense oversight at human rights group Washington Office on Latin America, said, “Really absurdly, there’s been no impact on flows of drugs toward the United States,” noting that Customs and Border Protection seized 6,000 pounds more cocaine at all US borders in the seven months following the strikes than in the seven months before.As Sanho Tree, who directs the Institute for Policy Studies’ Drug Policy Project, put it, “It wouldn’t be the first time this administration just made up something out of whole cloth.”
Iran ground invasion seems more likely as Trump keeps hunting for off-ramp: ex-negotiator
A veteran State Department negotiator predicted that as the Trump administration struggles to find an off-ramp out of the Iran war, a ground invasion seems more likely."The administration is frustrated," David Miller told CNN on Saturday, saying that Trump will likely try "to go back to Project Freedom with some variation," referring to the short-lived effort to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has a blockade.The difference with a new attempt at Project Freedom would be "the deployment of ground troops on one of those key islands" that are part of Iran, like Larak Island, Miller said. Such an invasion "would surprise me," he added."They're looking for a way to break out of this," Miller said. "But right now, I suspect the situation is going to get worse before it gets worse."Miller made the comment as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met with a Qatari mediator in Miami on Saturday to negotiate with Iran."It wouldn't surprise me if Iranians came back with a response that the administration doesn't like, or if they delay further," Miller said. "What's the alternative? Economic blockade and military strikes on both sides have created a situation where neither side is getting what they want."
