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Trump admin plants story aimed at blaming military leaders for Iran mess: analysis

A fresh excuse for the Iran war failures may be being plotted by Donald Trump's administration, according to a political analyst — and it would throw the military under the bus.

Emily Horne, a former National Security Council and State Department staffer, believes the president's team will claim military shortcomings have impacted the war with Iran in the coming days. Speaking to Greg Sargent of The New Republic, Horne claimed a story had been planted in the press to test the waters of blaming military intelligence as a reason for wartime shortcomings.

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Woman skips roofing bill by calling ICE when workers finish: report

American Immigration Council senior fellow Aaron Reichlin-Melnick reacted in horror on Thursday to an allegation that a woman in Maryland hired a team of Guatemalan contractors to redo her roof at an expense of $10,000, waited until they were done — then called Immigration and Customs Enforcement on them to try to get out of paying the bill.

The X account that posted a video of the alleged incident stated, "Woman even provides the ladder used by agent to detain men — who she owes $10,000 for 3 day job. 'She called the damn law on us and now we're totally screwed!' men yell in Spanish. 'They surrounded us! — They surrounded us!' Agents even left behind the workers' van with doors wide open — filled with thousands of dollars worth of tools. The arrest was broadcast live for about 30 minutes by a co-worker — identified as Bryan Polanco."

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Under-the-radar Epstein email smashes friends' claims they didn't know of crimes: report

With all the revelations coming out of the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case files, one seemingly innocuous email has slipped under the radar, Anand Giridharadas wrote for The Ink on Thursday — and it paints an incredibly damning picture of the people around Epstein, casting doubt on their near-unanimous denials they were aware of the systematic abuse of children going on in their midst.

"In some cases, the Epstein files undercut this defense," he wrote. "Larry Summers, the former Treasury secretary and Harvard president, tried to minimize what he knew, but he is found in the files emailing Epstein about press reports about his crimes. The longevity expert Peter Attia may have denied visiting Epstein’s island or ranch, but in one email he bro-coos to Epstein that 'the biggest problem with becoming friends with you' is that 'the life you lead is so outrageous, and yet I can’t tell a soul.'"

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Trump's 'war goal' gets emoji-mocked by crucial peace talks partner

A key partner in U.S.-Iran peace talks seemingly mocked President Donald Trump's shifting goals for ending the war he launched nearly a month ago.

Pakistan has tried to position itself as a facilitator to wind down the joint U.S.-Israel military operation against Iran, but Pakistani defense minister Khawaja Asif questioned one of the goals put forth by the American president as he seeks an off-ramp for the conflict.

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Trump's ability to 'comprehend' what's going on now openly questioned: MS NOW's Lemire

During a discussion on the multiple crises that Donald Trump’s White House is facing, MS NOW’s Jonathan Lemire pointed out that there are questions about the president’s ability to understand that his war in Iran is not going as well as he appears to think it is.

With the panel pointing out the high cost of gas for Americans due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, combined with chaos in US airports because the president is holding up legislation that pays TSA agents, Lemire suggested the president may be overwhelmed.

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Sonia Sotomayor fumes at Supreme Court colleagues as they knock back free speech case

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor tore into her colleagues — and the lower courts — for failing to protect the rights of a citizen journalist who was arrested in Texas for reporting on information a government official willingly handed over.

According to Slate's Shirin Ali, "The case of Villarreal v. Alaniz has been ping-ponging through the courts since 2019, when it was first filed by Priscilla Villarreal. She is a citizen journalist based in Laredo, in south Texas, and is considered a muckraker, a 10th grade dropout who became a journalist to cover the ins and outs of the southern border, which is a focal point of her community.

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CNN host snaps as MAGA lawmaker tries to convince her US not at war

CNN's Audie Cornish clashed with a Republican congressman over his characterization of President Donald Trump's war in Iran.

Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) appeared Thursday on "CNN This Morning," where Cornish asked him comment on a vow to oppose further funding for the Iran war by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who had asked House GOP leadership four months ago to strip Mills of his committee assignments over domestic assault allegations.

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CNN host guffaws as host ridicules White House's Elon Musk excuse: 'Well played'

CNN's Audie Cornish guffawed at a panelist's observation about the White House turning down an offer by Elon Musk's offer to help end the funding impasse for the Department of Homeland Security.

The DHS has been partially shut down for five weeks, resulting in hours-long waits at airports as unpaid Transportation Security Administration workers walk off the job or call in sick. But Republicans have been unwilling to make changes sought by Democrats to reform Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations following a pair of fatal shootings earlier this year in Minnesota.

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'It's not going to be pretty': Trump's frustration with Iran finally boils over

Donald Trump’s promises that negotiations with Iran are going well have been falling flat and he appears to have lost patience.

Earlier in the week, the president postponed plans to conduct wide-range bombing of Iran’s energy infrastructure because he said he saw an opening in negotiations — a claim Iran quickly refuted.

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White House embarrasses Karoline Leavitt by giving Bill Maher award

Staffers at the White House were forced to walk back a statement mocking a report that claimed Bill Maher would receive an honor at the Kennedy Center.

The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor will be handed to the long-serving talk show host Maher at the Kennedy Center, according to an insider speaking to Politico.

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GOP lawmakers are treating Trump 'like a child' — and he 'should be offended': MS NOW host

The decision by the Republican congressional leadership to create and award Donald Trump the first-ever “America First Award” at a National Republican Congressional Committee fundraiser left the panel on “Morning Joe” both amused and baffled on Thursday morning.

The MS NOW segment began with a clip of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) telling attendees, “We're going to honor him with a new award that we will present annually from this point forward. But he is the suitable and fitting recipient of the first-ever America First award. We can think of no better title for what that is. That's this beautiful golden statue here, appropriate for the new golden era in America.”

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'Politically toxic' Cabinet member will be out before midterms: Ex-White House doctor

A former George Bush administration official has claimed one member of Donald Trump's Cabinet will be removed from their post before the midterm elections.

Ex-White House doctor Jonathan Reiner, who served as Vice President Dick Cheney's cardiologist, believes RFK Jr. will be ousted from the Department of Health and Human Services to save face on an unpopular series of departmental changes. Reiner wrote on X, "The question now is not if RFK, Jr will be pushed out of HHS, it’s when.

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TSA officers finally snap as they let loose on ICE: 'Hanging out doing nothing'

Unpaid Transportation Security Officers at one of the nation's busiest airports finally lost it at ICE as security check lines go crazy — and the immigration agents apparently have nothing to do.

Kyle Pigott, a TSA officer and union president who represents his colleagues at New York City's LaGuardia Airport, snapped Wednesday, three days after Trump ordered the controversial ICE agents in to "help out."

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