Daniel Hampton

In a bonkers Truth Social post sure to send conspiracy theorists into overdrive, President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he's ordering the Pentagon and other government agencies to begin identifying and releasing classified files on extraterrestrial life and UFOs.

"Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters," Trump posted.

For decades, UFO enthusiasts have demanded access to classified government documents on possible extraterrestrial encounters and unidentified aerial phenomena.

The post comes amid renewed public interest in UFO sightings and government acknowledgment of unidentified aerial phenomena in recent years, including military pilot accounts of encounters with unexplained objects.

Internet observers on Thursday mocked a bizarre Fox News meltdown in which a panel of co-hosts complained that Hollywood decided to portray Jack Nicholson's character in "A Few Good Men" as the antagonist.

Nicholson's Colonel Nathan Jessup is the main antagonist in the film, serving as a commanding officer at Guantanamo Bay whose order leads to a Marine's death, triggering the central court-martial plot. Jessup dominates key scenes, including an iconic courtroom outburst in which Nicholson blurts out, "You can't handle the truth!"

Fox News, no stranger to foraying into culture wars, waded into the debate on whether masculinity has been demonized during a discussion on "Outnumbered."

After Harris Faulkner proclaimed that people who want to defend America need to be celebrated, attorney Paul Mauro chimed in that Hollywood was responsible for the shift with the film.

"You know when Hollywood imprinted this? 'A Few Good Men,'" he declared. "You remember that movie? Jack Nicholson? Right there. 'I am that wall!' He's saying, 'I am that wall.' But they vilified him. Right? There's where Hollywood started this."

Political analyst Lisa Boothe concluded, "Now there's too few good men. Surprise."

The clip earned scorn on Bluesky.

Political and media researcher Craig Harrington‬ wrote on Bluesky, "Fox's ideal of masculinity is a criminal military officer who orders one of the American marines under his command to be beaten to death."

The Washington Institute's ‪R. Scott Rogers‬ wrote on Bluesky, "'They vilified a man who committed crimes and then confessed to his crimes!' Yeah that tracks: Republicans really don’t like when criminals are vilified in popular culture."

Political scientist David Darmofal‬ ‪wrote on Bluesky, "With Harris Faulkner, the past is never dead. It’s not even past."

Stan Oklobdzija‬ , associate professor of public policy at University of California, Riverside, wrote on Bluesky, "It's crazy how much of the conservative ethos is just trying to express male frailty through politics."

‪Professor Jon Danziger‬ simply quipped, "Check out the truth handlers."

A Texas Republican congressman's primary campaign took a dark and dramatic turn this week, "jolting" what had been a closely watched race into a major political story just weeks before voters head to the polls.

On Monday, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) received an official endorsement from President Donald Trump, who called him "terrific" ahead of the March 3 primary election. By Tuesday, the political landscape shifted dramatically, noted Steve Benin, a producer at MS NOW.

The San Antonio Express-News, Gonzales' hometown newspaper, published a report detailing allegations that Gonzales engaged in an extramarital affair with Regina Santos-Aviles, a former aide. Santos-Aviles died by suicide last year by self-immolation.

The allegations have surfaced previously, and Gonzales, a married father of six, has consistently denied any wrongdoing. However, the Express-News reported that an unnamed former congressional aide came forward to verify that Santos-Aviles had disclosed the relationship to him. The aide provided a text message from Santos-Aviles stating she "had an affair with our boss."

According to The Wall Street Journal, Gonzales' main primary rival believes the congressman should exit the race entirely.

Gonzales avoided directly addressing the core allegations, instead commending Santos-Aviles' professional contributions and attacking his challenger, claiming the opponent was using a "disgruntled former staffer to smear her memory and score political points" as early voting commenced.

Perhaps most notably, the Express-News editorial board reversed its previous endorsement of Gonzales' re-election, fundamentally altering the political calculus in the race.

"Watch this space," Benin remarked.

Gonzales' main opponent is Brandon Herrera, a gun rights activist who nearly defeated him in the 2024 primary runoff by just 400 votes.

President Donald Trump left a female CNN anchor gobsmacked Thursday when he veered spectacularly off the rails during his star-studded Board of Peace meeting in Washington.

After global bigwigs awkwardly waited for Trump to show up, with his favorite tunes blaring through speakers, he hit the stage to introduce member nations.

Then things took a bizarre turn.

Greeting Paraguay's President Santiago Peña, Trump rambled, “It’s always nice to be young and handsome. It doesn’t mean we have to like you. I don’t like young, handsome men. Women—I like. Men, I don’t have any interest.”

In a moment flagged by Mediaite, a CNN host, likely Sara Sidner or Kate Bolduan, was caught on a hot mic blurting out, "What?!"

Co-host John Berman scrambled to save the segment, stammering about "Right, President Trump is speaking to his, uh, Board of Peace….”

A striking photo showing President Donald Trump's mug on a banner now adorning the Justice Department ignited a firestorm of outrage Thursday.

CNN's Hannah Rabinowitz shared a photo of the development on X, writing: "New banner went up at DOJ headquarters this afternoon."

The banner featured a dark blue hue of Trump with his campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again." It follows similar banners installed last year on government buildings.

With the weaponization of the Justice Department already at the top of many peoples' minds, the new installation immediately triggered alarm bells on social media.

Niall Stanage, White House columnist at The Hill, noted a startling juxtaposition on X.

"In Britain today, they arrested a former prince. In the U.S. today, they hung a Trump banner on the Department of Justice," he noted.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D-CA) office compared the photo to what's seen in communist countries.

Longtime GOP strategist Sarah Longwell wrote on X, "Can’t imagine why people call him a fascist."

John Bresnahan of Punchbowl News chimed in on X, "Ok, let’s say a Democratic president did this …."

Ken Dilanian, MS Now justice and intelligence correspondent, lamented on X, "This is a stunning confirmation of the grim reality, which is that Donald Trump has seized control of the once independent Justice Department and is using it to pursue his political objectives—including trying to punish his perceived enemies. Exactly what his supporters baselessly accused the previous administration of doing."

Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) reacted on X, "The Department of Injustice."

The Atlantic's David Frum wrote on X, "The Trump DoJ is a pure creature of presidential whim, retribution, and cover-up - so this banner has the virtue of candor at least."

Former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance wrote on X, "Removing any doubt. Big Brother now runs the Justice Department. (Although we already knew that)."

Observers of the inaugural Board of Peace gathering in Washington were in disbelief as President Donald Trump appeared to nod off while hosting delegates from more than two dozen countries to discuss Gaza’s reconstruction and security.

Trump announced at the meeting that member states pledged roughly $7 billion toward rebuilding Gaza and thousands of personnel for an international stabilization force aimed at enforcing the ceasefire and helping disarm Hamas.

The three‑hour meeting included typical Trump rhetoric and more formal speeches from key figures such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Jared Kushner, Tony Blair, and UN Ambassador Mike Waltz.

But one moment in particular generated buzz on social media - and not in a good way.

As another foreign leader spoke, Trump struggled to keep his eyes open. When the official finished his thoughts, applause appeared to jolt Trump, who joined in clapping.

The moment earned immediate scorn from internet critics.

"Trump is not well," chided the Republicans against Trump account on X.

Author and blogger Carl Potak wrote on X, "SLEEPY DONNY, again showing he CANNOT handle the rigors of the PRESIDENCY. He is THE GREATEST... at being a HYPOCRITE. He charged A BILLION DOLLARS for countries TO JOIN his silly PEACE COUNCIL and CAN'T EVEN STAY AWAKE. What a DISGRACE.

Comedian Justin Martindale joked on X, "'Bored of Peace.'"

Cameron Niven, who does communications for Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA), wrote on X, "For everyone criticizing AOC for barely stumbling on a few words on a complex policy, I raise you the actual president of the United States sleeping at this meeting. The fact that there’s not the same coverage is both depressing and infuriating."

Richard Hall, a former Middle East correspondent, wrote on X, "People mistakenly believed the Board of Peace was Trump’s attempt to subvert the UN, but it’s clear from these long speeches and elderly leaders falling asleep that this is the Arab League 2.0."

James Cibella, co-host of the Pool Scene Podcast, wrote on X, "If this was Biden, this would be the lead."

He added that Trump has been accused of rape and sexual abuse, including in the Epstein files. Trump has denied wrongdoing.

Independent journalist Aaron Rupar, who shared the clip of Trump on X, remarked, "Trump continues to struggle to stay awake as this interminable 'Board of Peace' meeting drags on. We're two and a half hours into this!"

The estranged husband of a congressional aide who died by setting herself on fire is breaking his five-month silence with explosive accusations, speaking out to protect his late wife's reputation and to hold the Texas congressman accountable with whom she alleged she had an affair.

Adrian Aviles claimed Wednesday to the San Antonio Express-News that U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) "abused his power" by seducing his late wife, Regina Ann "Regi" Santos-Aviles, who worked in the congressman's Uvalde office.

"I said the truth would come to light when it's time, and the time is now," Aviles declared via Zoom from his lawyer's office. "Tony abused his power. He should have held himself to a higher standard as a congressional leader."

Santos-Aviles, 35, the congressman's regional district director, died Sept.14 after dousing herself with gasoline and igniting the flames outside her Uvalde home. The Bexar County Medical Examiner ruled her death a suicide by self-immolation.

Aviles claimed he discovered the affair in May 2024, when he spotted his wife texting the married congressman with six children. The messages he found were "very sexual in nature," he says, with Gonzales repeatedly requesting explicit photos.

“I kind of looked over her shoulder, and I saw that she was texting Tony,” Aviles said.

When he confronted her, she replied: “You’re not going to like what you see.”

When Aviles confronted Gonzales and his staff about going public, he said they retaliated by isolating his wife.

“When that happened, they black-sheeped her," he said. "They severed communications with her. They gave her a month off. They’re essentially trying to push her out ... and make her quit.”

The couple separated months later. Aviles now insists his wife's death wasn't suicide but "a cry for help that turned into a tragedy," claiming she didn't understand the consequences of her actions.

Federal immigration officers are routinely lying to people watching and tracking them, alleging they're violating federal law, with legal experts clapping back that the vast majority of community observers are simply exercising their constitutional rights.

A Minneapolis-area woman named Jess learned this the hard way when agents smashed her car window with a baton and detained her for eight hours for legally tracking U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity.

"We followed at a distance. We never got in front of them. We never honked our horns. We never made any sort of noise. We were just keeping an eye on them," Jess told NPR, explaining that she fears federal retaliation.

When the vehicles she was following suddenly turned around and rushed toward her with guns drawn, officers shattered her window and dragged her from the car in handcuffs. She's now waiting to learn if the feds will charge her with a crime for doing something legal.

And she's not alone.

Dozens of people told the outlet that immigration officers falsely claimed they were impeding federal investigations while engaging in perfectly lawful behavior.

Legal experts say observing officers, recording them, following at a safe distance, and even shouting at them are all constitutionally protected activities.

"A lot of the activities that the government is claiming are interfering or obstructing, in the vast majority of those examples, they're engaged in perfectly lawful conduct," Scarlet Kim, a senior staff attorney with the Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project at the ACLU, told the outlet.

The ACLU is suing the Trump administration over these First Amendment violations.

Courts across the country have thrown out charges against observers.

Civil rights attorney Will Stancil called the tactics "gross intimidation," which he experienced firsthand: three ICE vehicles once surrounded and escorted him home.

"60 Minutes" star Anderson Cooper delivered a stunning rebuke to CBS News's new MAGA-friendly boss Bari Weiss — and the message was unmistakable, insiders say.

Months after Weiss desperately courted the veteran broadcaster to helm "CBS Evening News," Cooper chose to walk away from his two-decade tenure as correspondent entirely, effectively rejecting the network altogether.

“It really has to sting for Bari,” a senior CBS News staffer told Zeteo's Justin Baragona. “The person she wanted for the Evening News anchor chair is choosing to leave CBS altogether because of her.”

The insider called it an unambiguous middle finger to Weiss.

"In fact, according to the same staffer, Cooper’s decision not to return to ‘60 Minutes’ after this season ends was akin to 'a 'f--- you' to Bari.'

His exit comes after the primetime CNN fixture recently inked a fresh deal with his cable news home. Cooper also released a carefully worded statement about his exit.

“Being a correspondent at 60 Minutes has been one of the great honors of my career. I got to tell amazing stories, and work with some of the best producers, editors, and camera crews in the business. For nearly twenty years, I’ve been able to balance my jobs at CNN and CBS, but I have little kids now and I want to spend as much time with them as possible, while they still want to spend time with me.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt didn't hold back Wednesday when a reporter dared to challenge President Donald Trump's bold claims about being falsely labeled a racist.

When asked to provide specific examples of when Trump believed he'd been unfairly branded with the racist label, Leavitt's response was swift and sharp.

"You're kidding, right?" she shot back

The press secretary went on the offensive, declaring "I will pull you plethora of examples," and promising to have her team "going through the internet of radical Democrats throughout the years … who have accused this president falsely of being a racist, and I'm sure there's many people in this room and on network television, across the country, who have accused him of the same."

Leavitt's pushback came after Trump used Reverend Jesse Jackson's death announcement to defend himself, writing that despite being "falsely and consistently called a Racist by the Scoundrels and Lunatics on the Radical Left, Democrats ALL, it was always my pleasure to help Jesse along the way."

The press secretary then pivoted to highlighting Trump's record, pointing to a Black History Month celebration scheduled for later that day. She touted record tax cuts, funding for historically Black colleges and universities, and veterans' benefits for the 2.4 million Black veterans in the armed forces.

"So, there is a lot this president has done for all Americans, regardless of race, and he has absolutely been falsely called and smeared as a racist, and I'm happy to provide you those receipts," Leavitt concluded. "And we gladly will after this briefing."

A 2-month-old infant who was detained with his mother at a federal detention facility has been deported after his case gained national notoriety because he fell ill and eventually became unresponsive amid a bout with bronchitis.

Juan Nicolás was detained at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dilley, Texas. He was held there for about three weeks, suffering from bronchitis and respiratory issues, including an episode where he became unresponsive and had to be hospitalized.

After a flurry of outrage on Tuesday, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) said the baby and his family had been deported with almost no money on them.

"After a discussion with their attorney, I have confirmed that Juan, his 16-month-old sister, his mom, and his dad have been deported," Castro wrote in an update on X. "According to their attorney, ICE deported the family with only the money that they had in their commissary—a total of $190. To unnecessarily deport a sick baby and his entire family is heinous."

Castro said he and his staff are in contact with the family.

"We are laser-focused on tracking them down, holding ICE accountable for this monstrous action, demanding specific details on their whereabouts and wellbeing, and ensuring their safety," he said.

In a separate post, Castro said the family was "abandoned across the border in Mexico."

The news reverberated across social media.

North Carolina congressional candidate Valerie Voushee wrote on X, "ICE deported Juan Nicolás, a child who spent three weeks in the Dilley ICE Detention Center in Texas and is suffering from bronchitis, to Mexico. This agency is beyond reform and threatens all of us. Deporting a sick child is completely inhumane—we need answers immediately."

Mai El-Sadany, a human rights attorney, wrote on X, "If you think abolishing ICE is too radical, I'd love to learn what you think there is left to save of an agency that is more interested in deportation counts than saving the life of a two-month old baby with bronchitis."

Applied scientist Rex Douglass wrote on X, "Since our fascist regime is about to change the subject by starting a war, just internalize they dumped a sick baby outside the country with no resources because it was politically embarrassing."

Kurt Bardella, author of The Watchdog Report on Substack, simply added, "The cruelty is the point."

A Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas abruptly ended a closely watched terrorism trial Tuesday over a defense attorney's shirt.

As Raw Story has reported, a trial was to begin in Fort Worth that would've tested whether President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice could use a criminalized notion of “antifa” to convict nine anti-ICE activists of attempted murder and terrorism, after they shot fireworks and vandalized government vehicles.

But the case blew up when U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman declared a mistrial just hours into jury selection after attorney MarQuetta Clayton appeared in court wearing a blazer that concealed a shirt emblazoned with images of civil rights icons Martin Luther King Jr. and Shirley Chisholm, The Guardian reported. The judge claimed the hidden shirt sent a "political message" that could poison jurors' minds.

Clayton wore the shirt the entire day, but Pittman objected once she started questioning potential jurors.

“I don’t think I have any choice but to declare a mistrial,” said Pittman, who also gave Clayton a slap on the wrist for showing a poster to potential jurors that wasn't submitted to the court ahead of time. “This has to be a first in the history of American jurisprudence, I would think.”

The Trump administration has painted the group as a "North-Texas antifa cell," marking the first time feds have leveled terrorism charges against antifa activists.

Defense attorneys opposed the mistrial, with jurors themselves saying they never saw Clayton's shirt and wouldn't have been influenced anyway. One dismissed juror told reporters he didn't think the imagery would sway his judgment.

Clayton, who's running for county judge, remained tight-lipped as she left the courthouse. The trial is set to restart Monday with a new jury panel.

Pittman concluded by condemning partisan division, saying he was "absolutely disgusted" by it and demanded the nation finds a "way to turn down the anger."

Vice President JD Vance found himself the subject of widespread ridicule from internet critics after delivering an awkward answer about his 2028 ambitions.

Vance joined "The Story with Martha MacCallum" on Tuesday to discuss topics such as Fox News polling, midterm elections, Iran negotiations, and the Munich Security Conference.

At one point during the discussion, she pressed him on his long-term goals.

"Surely as vice president, you'd like to be president," she inquired.

Vance immediately let out an awkward laugh.

"Ha ha ha. Would I?" he quipped. "I think, again, I'm gonna try to do as good of a job as I can right now."

The odd deflection caught the attention of social media critics who blasted the vice president and his charisma.

Dan Pfeiffer, co-host of the progressive Pod Save America podcast, wrote on X, "It's really hard to see someone this awkward successfully navigating the brutal glare of a Presidential campaign. Vance makes Ron DeSantis seem smooth."

Journalist Luke Radel wrote sardonically on X, "The charisma is overwhelming."

The conservative anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project wrote on X, "He makes Tom Cotton look cool."

Professor and independent journalist Adam Cochran wrote on X, "What a loser. Imagine being a heartbeat away from the presidency and being on such a short cuck-leash that you can’t even pretend you’d like the job without pissing off Dear Leader!"

Aspiring screenwriter and actor Bryan Blessey wrote on X, "This guy is, BY FAR, the most vapid Vice President in the modern era. Of all the fraudulent, greedy, deeply unserious, overwhelmingly dorky people in politics, JD takes the cake. Hard to think of any politician than this insufferably whiny, self righteous (& annoying!) VP"

Swirling speculation of an affair between two top Trump administration officials is more than merely "salacious," a former federal prosecutor warned Tuesday — it has national security implications.

Kristi Noem, the Department of Homeland Security secretary, and Corey Lewandowski, Trump's former 2016 campaign manager, have denied rumors they're having an affair.

But reports have suggested they're barely even trying to hide it.

"The two supposed lovebirds haven’t been doing much to quell all the rumors over the years," Slate's Christina Cauterucci wrote on August. "One source told the New York Post that their handsiness at a hotel bar during the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2021 was 'absurdly blatant and public,' with more than 100 other conference-goers in the room. Two other Post sources said they saw Noem sitting on Lewandowski’s lap at an event at Mar-a-Lago in 2020."

Lewandowski was even denied a role as Homeland Security chief of staff out of “concern” for his relationship with Noem.

On Tuesday, law professor and former federal prosecutor Barb McQuade laid out national security concerns over the rumors.

I don’t know whether reports of an affair between Noem and Lewandowski are true, but they are more than 'salacious' 'gossip.' If true, they could be used as leverage over the official charged with protecting our homeland security. Clearances get denied for such things," she warned on X.

An immigration judge has axed the Trump administration's deportation case against Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University graduate student and pro-Palestinian activist, marking another major legal blow to the government's crackdown on college campus demonstrators in recent weeks.

The judge terminated the case after determining the government failed to properly authenticate a crucial document, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing Mahdawi's legal team. The 35-year-old Palestinian green-card holder faced charges of posing a "foreign-policy threat" to the U.S. following his detention in April at a citizenship interview in Vermont.

"I am grateful to the court for honoring the rule of law and holding the line against the government’s attempts to trample on due process," Mahdawi said.

Mahdawi arrived in the U.S. in 2014 after growing up in a West Bank refugee camp. He organized demonstrations at the Ivy League institution during the administration's spring campus crackdown targeting what it characterized as antisemitism and extremist ideology. He was among several high-profile activists detained and accused of threatening national security through their activism.

Though the dismissal prevents immediate deportation, the administration retains options to appeal or refile charges. Mahdawi's case follows the recent dismissal of charges against Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk, who spent weeks in detention after police arrested her on a street, claiming she posed a deportation risk for co-writing a pro-Palestinian opinion piece.