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Trump's 'rupture' with two key allies has pushed him into 'lame duck' territory: analyst

As part of a discussion on Donald Trump’s address to the nation on Wednesday night, where he once again restated his stance on waging war on Iran, MS NOW’s Jonathan Lemire and “Morning Joe” regular John Heilemann agreed that two of his closest allies backing away from him is a sign that he is in the twilight of his political career.

As Heilemann, a political strategist, noted, no one in the White House could be happy about the headlines that followed the address, because it did little to convince skeptical voters that things are going well as they watch the price of fuel skyrocket.

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Trump preparing to 'send a message' GOP lawmakers don't want to hear: analysis

A surgeon general appointment could burst the Republican Party's bubble, according to an analyst suggesting Donald Trump may enrage many representatives.

Casey Means is the likely next surgeon general, with the White House reportedly telling the GOP to push through her nomination. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement regarding the potential appointment of Means to the post, with the Trump administration clearly backing the candidate.

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GOP in disarray as Senate seat pick-up slips away: 'It's a mess'

The Republican Party's dysfunction in Georgia is turning what should have been a winnable Senate seat into a likely Democratic victory. The culprit: Donald Trump and Gov. Brian Kemp can't get along, leaving the GOP field fractured and Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) sitting pretty.

According to Politico, Republicans expected to flip this Senate seat and strengthen their grip on the chamber. Instead, they're watching Ossoff cruise toward re-election with $24 million in the bank, a massive name-ID advantage, and zero Democratic competition in his primary.

Meanwhile, the GOP is descending into chaos. The May 19 primary will almost certainly trigger an expensive, brutal mid-June runoff as Republicans batter each other over the nomination.

Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), a Trump ally, leads in polling. Rep. Buddy Carter and Kemp-endorsed former football coach Derek Dooley are fighting for second. But a large share of voters remain undecided, revealing how chaotic the race truly is.

"If Ossoff could write a playbook for how he wants this primary to go, this is exactly it," said one GOP operative. "Georgia is like a 'red-headed stepchild' not getting any attention from Washington."

The collapse traces directly to GOP incompetence. Republicans failed to recruit a strong candidate or unify the field. The National Republican Senatorial Committee's recruitment efforts were lackluster. But most damaging: Trump and Kemp refuse to agree on a candidate, forcing an expensive primary that bleeds the eventual nominee's resources before facing Ossoff.

GOP strategists are already pointing fingers. "It's a mess that could have been much less messy if they had figured this out six months ago," said one strategist. "Everybody's resigned to this going to May and then a June runoff and then pick up the pieces after that."

Ryan Mahoney, a GOP strategist, highlighted the stark disparity in positioning.

"Jon Ossoff has $24 million. Jon Ossoff is on TV all of the time, carefully articulating his positions, grilling Tulsi Gabbard — really being methodical. He has tons of resources — great name ID, a lot of exposure — while the Republicans are fighting against each other, trying to see who can break out and ultimately be the nominee. He's just in a great position."

The Georgia race is now a microcosm of the GOP's broader midterm problem: voters are souring on Trump's agenda, Democrats are competitive in red states, and Republicans are too busy fighting each other to mount an effective offense.

Justice Department has 'gone off the rails' for Trump's 'pretzel logic': analysis

The Justice Department is bending to what Donald Trump wants to happen on the birthright citizenship case, a legal analyst has warned.

Joyce Vance, the former US state attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, warned that the DoJ has lost its way in its willingness to back the president's executive order. Trump signed an executive order into law on January 20, 2025, detailing new guidelines for what would and would not constitute birthright citizenship.

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GOP lawmakers want nothing to do with Trump's ballroom chaos: report

Donald Trump’s obsession with getting his $400 million ballroom built is not shared by Congressional Republicans, who are reportedly keeping an arm's distance from his court battles.

According to Politico's Hailey Fuchs and Riley Rogerson, a federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to halt construction on the highly controversial ballroom until Congress explicitly authorizes the project. The ruling has shifted responsibility directly to Republicans, who are now responding with deafening silence.

Trump unilaterally demolished the historic East Wing and charged ahead with replacing it with a lavishly expensive ballroom for entertaining wealthy donors. But the courts said not so fast — Congress must approve it first.

Some Trump allies are offering performative support while also making it crystal clear they won't lift a finger to help.

"Nobody raised hell when Roosevelt or Truman renovated the White House (at taxpayer expense)," said Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID), through his spokesperson, while calling the ruling "stupid" — then immediately declined to take any action.

Conservative judicial activist Mike Davis, close to the White House, is openly frustrated with GOP cowardice.

"Are they just going to let the ballroom just sit there in disarray … they're just going to let the construction zone be a f------- disaster for the next three years? Like, come on."

Most Republican committee chairs are completely absent. Those with direct jurisdiction over White House property matters are remaining silent on whether they'll push legislation to authorize the project. Doing so would expose them to Democratic attacks — the party has already framed the ballroom as proof Trump cares more about entertaining elites than reducing costs for ordinary Americans.

Democrats have the ability to block things in the Senate and have vowed to block any ballroom authorization bill from reaching Trump's desk. They've previously attempted to explicitly ban appropriations for the project.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has defended the ballroom in the past, comparing it to renovations undertaken by Obama and earlier presidents. But Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) refused to comment Wednesday on whether they'd push legislation now.

Privately, Republicans have decided this isn't their problem — at least not yet. They're overwhelmed with other urgent matters: ending the DHS shutdown, reauthorizing controversial spy powers, and meeting Trump's deadline for GOP-only immigration enforcement legislation.

The ballroom was supposed to be completed by 2028, just before Trump's term ends. If the courts don't intervene and Congress doesn't act, that timeline is now in serious jeopardy.

Trump ridiculed as stock market retreats following Iran speech: 'Didn't work'

Political analysts and observers ridiculed President Donald Trump on Wednesday night as the stock market shed more than $550 billion in market capitalization following his national address about the Iran war.

Trump spoke for the first time since the war in Iran began five weeks ago, an operation that has sent global energy prices skyrocketing because the Iranian regime effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for 20% of the global energy trade. During the speech, Trump said the U.S. was nearing completion of its objectives, and he called on other countries to help open the Strait of Hormuz.

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Trump's Iran 'update' signaled America plans to 'escalate': expert

A former presidential envoy said on Wednesday that President Donald Trump signaled the U.S. plans to escalate the war in Iran during his primetime address to the nation.

Trump spoke for about 19 minutes on Wednesday, where he addressed a lot of outstanding questions people have been asking about the war in Iran, which has gone on for about five weeks. Trump said the U.S. is nearing completion of its objectives in the war, and called on the rest of the world to figure out how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which the Iranian regime has effectively blocked since the war began.

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'Blasphemous': Outrage as Trump's faith advisor compares him to Jesus during Easter event

Political analysts and observers were outraged on Wednesday after a video of President Donald Trump's faith advisor comparing him to Jesus.

Trump hosted an Easter event at the White House with evangelical groups. The event was supposed to be private, but Trump's speech was posted on the White House's YouTube channel until it was made private later in the day. At one point, Trump's faith advisor, Paula White-Cain, compared Trump to Jesus because the two men had been "betrayed and arrested and falsely accused."

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Trump bewilders America with rambling Iran address: 'Our president is a lunatic'

President Donald Trump befuddled the nation on Wednesday with a strange rant about the war in Iran, in which many observers remarked very little was said that was new.

Trump gave his first national address since the war started about five weeks ago. He spoke about the progress made in the war and said the U.S. has "nearly completed" all of its objectives. He also made several astonishing claims, such as calling on NATO allies to purchase oil from the U.S. or "take it" from the Strait of Hormuz and describing Iran as one of the world's great powers.

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Trump gives NATO stark ultimatum during Iran address

President Donald Trump gave NATO allies a stark ultimatum during his national address on Wednesday night.

The speech was the first address Trump has given since the war in Iran started about five weeks ago. Trump addressed the progress of the war and claimed the U.S. is "nearing completion" of its objectives. He also told NATO allies that they have two choices to make when it comes to reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that Iran has effectively shut down in retaliation for the continued bombing strikes.

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Trump makes startling claim during Iran address: 'We don't need anything they have'

President Donald Trump made a startling claim about the U.S.'s involvement in the war in Iran during his national address on Wednesday night.

Trump's speech was the first address he's given since the war began about five weeks ago. Since then, the president has offered shifting rationales for conducting coordinated bombing strikes across Iran, which have killed the country's top political and military leadership.

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'Outright hostile!' Analysts warn Amy Coney Barrett doomed Trump at the Supreme Court

It may have lasted only a few minutes, but a withering exchange between Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Trump's own solicitor general likely sealed the fate of the president's bid to gut birthright citizenship, according to a new analysis.

Slate legal analyst Marc Joseph Stern pointed to a single moment during Wednesday's Supreme Court arguments as the turning point that effectively ended Trump's case. And it came from one of his own nominees.

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MAGA TV host rips Pete Hegseth's 'fly boys' in searing rant: 'What an amateur move'

A MAGA TV host ripped Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday for refusing to punish the "fly boys" who flew an Apache helicopter near musician Kid Rock's home in Nashville, Tennessee, over the weekend.

Videos surfaced on social media of an Apache helicopter buzzing Kid Rock's home, a move that the U.S. Army condemned. The pilots who flew the helicopter were suspended on Monday pending an investigation. Hegseth announced on Tuesday that the suspension was lifted and the investigation was halted.

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