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President Donald Trump's administration received a rare rebuke on Wednesday from an air safety official over a provision tucked away in the annual defense spending bill.

Jennifer Homendy, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, spoke at a press conference on Wednesday about Section 373 of the National Defense Authorization Act, a more than $900 billion spending package that recently passed the House of Representatives.

Former GOP strategist Mike Murphy slammed Donald Trump’s Pennsylvania rally as “low-energy” and a clear sign the president is “fading.” Speaking on his Hacks on Tap podcast, Murphy noted that Trump’s meandering remarks and apparent confusion highlighted declining cognitive sharpness, reinforcing concerns about his health. What was meant to showcase economic leadership instead underscored a president struggling to maintain his once-commanding presence, he said.

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President Donald Trump's cognitive decline was on full display this week, longtime Beltway reporter John Heilemann told MS NOW's Nicolle Wallace on "Deadline: White House" — and it's obvious when you compare his demeanor to a few years ago.

"You know, look, they asked him the other day on the airplane, on Air Force One, why he took an MRI, and he said he didn't know," said Heilemann. "If getting the camera-person-TV thing right is acing it, not knowing why you took an MRI is flunking it. I'm not sure what to make of any of those things, but it's totally clear and has been for some time."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has apparently come up with a new pet name for the relationship between the United States and China, and its name is raising the eyebrows of at least one Democrat, according to a new report.

The Hill reported on Wednesday that Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) had sent a letter to Hegseth regarding his use of "G2" to describe U.S.-China relations. Krishnamoorthi argued that the nickname for the relationship “carries deeply problematic connotations of depicting the United States and [China] as co-equal and primarily cooperate powers responsible for deciding global issues while sidelining U.S. democratic allies and partners," according to the report.

Vice President JD Vance joked about banning the numbers “six” and “seven” on X, poking fun at a viral meme that has swept schools and social media. The meme, inspired by the 2025 song Doot Doot (6 7) and popularized through clips of basketball star LeMelo Ball, had Vance’s own five-year-old repeating the numbers obsessively during church, he said. Vance called for a “narrow exception to the First Amendment,” while lamenting the bewildering nature of modern viral trends.

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President Donald Trump's increasingly obvious age-related health decline, and his adamant refusal to engage with it or admit to it, has an ominous parallel, John Casey wrote for The Daily Beast on Wednesday.

This comes after the president fired off a tirade on his Truth Social platform, claiming The New York Times was "treasonous" for publishing a story about his health concerns.

CNN's Jake Tapper mocked President Donald Trump's off-script speech about affordability from Tuesday, calling it a "wild weave" that seemed to show the president doesn't understand why so many Americans are concerned about the cost of living.

Trump spoke to an audience in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, a blue-collar swing district in the northeastern part of the state. The speech was billed to be about affordability, but Trump told the audience he was going to "weave" through other topics, as he often does.

Former Senator Claire McCaskill warned that the Trump administration could be undone by last month’s controversial boat strike in the Caribbean, which reportedly targeted survivors clinging to wreckage — actions that whistleblowers say may constitute war crimes. Appearing on MSNBC, McCaskill slammed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for withholding video footage, arguing the administration’s secrecy proves how damaging the strike is. She also criticized Trump’s handling of the military and highlighted growing Republican concern, calling the episode a “story that will consume” the administration until fully exposed.

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Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was roundly mocked by political analysts and observers on Wednesday after it was revealed that her agency is spending $140 million to buy new airplanes for its deportation operations.

The Washington Post first reported on Wednesday that DHS has signed a $140 million contract with a company called Daedalus Aviation, which was formed in August 2024, to purchase six Boeing 737 airplanes that a Trump administration official told the outlet will allow immigration agents to "operate more effectively, including by using more efficient flight patterns."

Host cities for the 2026 World Cup are staring down a combined $250 million shortfall after what insiders call a disastrous, lopsided deal with FIFA — one so restrictive cities can’t even partner with local businesses to recoup costs. With FIFA keeping nearly all expected revenue and governments left holding the bag, sources describe the event as “the worst deal in World Cup history,” raising fears of cutbacks, financial desperation, and political fallout tied to Donald Trump’s close ties to FIFA leadership.

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