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One of President Donald Trump's old warnings about Iran resurfaced on Wednesday as reports indicate that he is pondering war with the country.

In 2011, Trump claimed that then-President Barack Obama would strike Iran to ensure he was elected for a second term. The post at the time was quite controversial, as the former president was facing a stiff re-election campaign while the country was still recovering from the Great Recession.

The conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board expressed relief on Wednesday at a "welcome FDA walkback" as Dr. Vinay Prasad, the agency's head of vaccine oversight, got overruled on a controversial move to block a new flu shot.

Prasad, who was briefly forced out of the agency by far-right influencer Laura Loomer before returning shortly, has become notorious for blocking experimental medicines based on no solid logic — as he did recently by trying to shut down approval for a Moderna mRNA flu vaccine, using similar technology to the vaccines that helped get COVID under control. "StatNews reported that Dr. Prasad overrode his staff. His rejection cast a pall of uncertainty on vaccine and drug development," wrote the board.

A neuroscientist revealed the "horrific dangers" of President Donald Trump's mental decline during a podcast interview on Wednesday.

Dr. Frank George, a neuroscientist and psychologist, joined political commentator David Pakman on "The David Pakman Show" to discuss Trump's mental state. George revealed that Trump is becoming more disinhibited, which is a sign that his dementia is becoming worse and that he will soon have "no guardrails" for his malignant narcissism.

President Donald Trump's empowerment of voter fraud conspiracies, immigration enforcement, and violent crackdown on protesters in places like Minnesota are all connected, Media Matters for America chief Angelo Carusone argued on MS NOW Wednesday.

"There are others all across the government, you know, not just on the inside but on the outside that are helping reinforce and buttress that narrative from official purchase," said Carusone, whose own liberal watchdog group has faced legal attacks by the Trump administration. "People like Heather Honey, other 2020 election deniers, suddenly have special government employee status so that they can help work on these investigations that are now taking place elsewhere. So that's the first piece. They have the ability now to operationalize threads of that narrative from an official position."

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) described far-right Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) Tuesday as a “disgrace” and warned “accountability is coming” if Democrats reclaim the House in November. Fine drew outrage over racist and Islamophobic remarks when he compared Muslims to “dogs.” This stunned even MAGA media figure Megyn Kelly. Jeffries called out Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans for their silence, signaling that a future Democratic majority would pursue consequences. Expulsion would require bipartisan support, but Jeffries clearly stated, “Accountability is coming to all of these sick extremists when the gavels change hands in November, if not sooner."

Democrats are planning an unprecedented response to President Donald Trump's upcoming State of the Union address next Tuesday. Rather than attend the speech, a substantial number of Democratic lawmakers plan to boycott and instead host an alternative "People's State of the Union" event at the National Mall near the Capitol. This marks a shift from last year's approach, when Democrats protested inside the chamber with signs and Rep. Al Green was ejected after interrupting the president. Sen. Christopher Murphy stated Trump "doesn't deserve an audience," citing his tendency to spread misinformation and attack Democrats. Sen. Chris Van Hollen added that he refuses to be "a prop" while Trump "shreds our Constitution." The alternative event, organized partly by progressive group MoveOn, represents a historic break from tradition, as sitting out a president's State of the Union address on this scale is unprecedented.

Republican operatives are privately expressing concern about the 2026 midterms, hoping voters will forget Trump's first year in office before November elections. According to a Zeteo report, even pro-Trump pollsters are worried about GOP prospects. While Republican Party leaders publicly dismiss predictions of a "bloodbath," insiders admit behind closed doors to significant anxiety. Trump's polling has declined in recent weeks due to harsh immigration policies, ICE enforcement actions, and economic concerns. Notably, some of the most Trump-friendly pollsters are reaching similar conclusions to nonpartisan polling firms, warning administration officials and MAGA insiders of a likely "disaster" or "blue wave" in November. The disconnect between public confidence and private concerns reveals deep anxiety within Republican circles about maintaining power in the upcoming midterm elections.

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Republican House staffer, Regina Ann "Regi" Santos-Aviles, who died after setting herself on fire last year, claimed in text messages to have had an affair with Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), according to a report. According to The San Antonio Express-News, a former colleague said Santos-Aviles told him about the 2024 affair and that she spiraled into depression after her husband discovered the relationship and Gonzales abruptly ended contact. A text message screenshot shows Santos-Aviles acknowledging an "affair with our boss." Gonzales is a married father of six. While Santos-Aviles' husband's lawyer said the relationship was an open secret and didn't contribute to her death, a concerned colleague warned the congressman's district director months before her death about her well-being. Gonzales, who recently received President Trump's endorsement, currently faces a tough primary against gun rights activist Democrat Brandon Herrera.

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A MAGA Republican in Colorado held a press conference on Wednesday to push a controversial bill he's sponsoring, but video shows the event didn't go as planned.

Jesse Paul, political reporter at The Colorado Sun, shared video of a press conference organized by Scott Bottoms, a MAGA state lawmaker in Colorado who is sponsoring a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for minors in the state. Multiple hospitals in Colorado have already said they will not provide such care after the Trump administration threatened to withhold funding from hospitals that perform gender-affirming procedures.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem ordered the purchase of two $170 million Gulfstream jets to replace Coast Guard aircraft, a decision some officials viewed as unnecessary and expensive — but DHS officials told NBC News they were instructed to keep concerns to themselves. The tension escalated after Noem's Coast Guard plane broke down, forcing her to use a backup jet. Noem had deviated from protocol by keeping personal items, including a heated blanket, on board for convenience. When she realized she left these items behind, Homeland Security advisor Corey Lewandowski berated flight staff and demanded the plane return to retrieve them. When the Coast Guard pilot refused, Lewandowski announced the pilot was relieved of duty. The pilot explained that firing him would require immediate landing and finding a replacement pilot. Lewandowski ultimately backed down, and the pilot was reinstated. A DHS spokesperson declined to comment on the in-flight confrontation.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi's efforts to manage the Jeffrey Epstein files crisis have backfired, according to Rep. Tom Massie (R-KY). Bondi faced criticism last week when she snapped at House Judiciary Committee lawmakers and insisted time would be better spent discussing stock market gains. The DOJ's subsequent release of names from Epstein documents provided no new investigative insights and only intensified public outrage. Massie characterized Bondi's defensive posture and personal attacks as strategically flawed, noting her comments about the Dow Jones appeared "weak and frustrated" and irrelevant to her job. He described her approach as "a stack of pre-prepared insults," suggesting she's exhausted her defensive options. Massie indicated Republicans are winning the argument without escalation, citing DOJ responses to his tweets with additional unredactions. He warned of potential GOP defections on the issue.

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