David McAfee

David joined Raw Story in 2023 after nearly a decade of writing about the legal industry for Bloomberg Law. He is also a co-founder and a commissioning editor at Hypatia Press, a publisher that specializes in philosophical works that challenge religion or spirituality.

'Vulnerability': New poll seen as 'warning light for Party in power' going into midterms

Republicans are seeing a "warning light," according to a journalist.

Bloomberg opinion editor Ron Brownstein, a senior political analyst, was welcomed to CNN, where the host flagged a new poll that revealed a "significant drop" in how Americans are seeing the direction of the country, "especially for Republicans." The poll was taken in the wake of the murder of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk.

"What does that tell you about the electorate?" the host asked Brownstein.

"Politically," he said, this is "obviously a warning light for the party in power."

He noted that, for multiple presidencies, a general dissatisfaction has been taken out on the president. Going into 2026, according to Brownstein, this polling give a sense of "vulnerability" for Republicans.

'As serious as Watergate': Trump just put nightmare scenario on 'edge of becoming reality'

Donald Trump's latest move just put a nightmare scenario within reach, according to an ex-prosecutor.

Former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance wrote an essay in which she addressed Trump's latest efforts to indict his perceived political enemies. Specifically, she noted how the president signaled his willingness to replace prosecutors who don't go along with his goals.

"If you’ve been paying attention, it’s not exactly news that this is Donald Trump’s revenge presidency. It’s not even news that Donald Trump is trying to use the criminal justice system to harm people he considers to be his enemies. Investigations launched against Letitia James, Adam Schiff, Jim Comey, and others fully substantiate that, despite the under oath promises by Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel that there would be no enemy lists when they stood for confirmation," Vance wrote. "But now it’s clear that there are. And Trump will install a U.S. Attorney in Virginia who will guarantee that. If she deviates from the plan because she is principled, she, too, will likely be replaced with someone more compliant. Perhaps the administration will want to let go of this messy situation, let a lengthy re-investigation forestall additional controversy, rather than seek a bad indictment and have a grand jury reject it, or get a marginal indictment and face dismissal from a judge or a failure to convict by a trial jury. But Trump seems extremely focused on getting revenge."

According to Vance, "It feels like it should be unnecessary to state the obvious here, that there’s not much of a case if the only way to get it prosecuted is by firing an experienced prosecutor to get an inexperienced one (or no prosecutor at all) to bring it. So let’s be clear about what Trump wants. He wants to turn us into a banana republic where the ability to prosecute people becomes a political tool in the hands of the president. That means he wants to exercise the ultimate power to put down any opposition to his rule."

The ex-prosecutor then added, "It’s precisely what I’ve been discussing with you on television and in writing since the start of Trump’s first administration. It has always been a risk, now it’s on the edge of becoming a reality. Any president who would behave this way is a president in name only; in truth, they are well down the road to becoming a dictator. This is a moment as serious, if not more, as the one the country faced during Watergate."

Read the full post here.

Alex Jones mocks Charlie Kirk 'Superman' bullet claim: 'Easter Bunny has more credibility'

Charlie Kirk's Turning Point USA declared that there was a "miracle" involved in the late commentator's killing, but noted conspiracy theorist Alex Jones isn't buying his MAGA allies' explanation.

Raw Story reported on Sunday that a TPUSA spokesman had said that, despite Kirk being shot to death, he was so healthy that the bullet couldn't make it all the way through to the other side to create an exit wound.

That didn't sit well with Jones, who melted down in a video.

"TPUSA is now reporting that Charlie Kirk was shot by a magic bullet: TPUSA Spokesman Andrew Kolvet is now officially claiming that a high caliber rifle designed for moose hunting did not shoot all the way through Charlie Kirk’s neck," Jones wrote. "Then it only gets worse."

He continued:

"He then goes on to claim that no bullet was found inside Charlie’s neck. TPUSA in the statement below goes on to say that Charlie was Superman and that’s why the bullet didn’t go through his neck and disappeared. Claiming the Easter bunny is real, has more credibility.. God help us!"

'That does infuriate me': GOP congressman reveals what Trump trait gets on his nerves most

President Donald Trump's lack of "moral clarity" when it comes to Russia's war on Ukraine is "infuriating," a Republican congressman admitted.

GOP Rep. Don Bacon was asked by CNN's Manu Raju about whether Trump had the "moral character" to be president. While Bacon didn't answer the direct question, instead confessing to a desire to "skirt" around it, he did hint he has "private thoughts" that might be more "judgmental."

"I think I'll skirt around that. I gotta be careful about judging," he said. "I'm very reluctant to be judgmental publicly, maybe I got my private thoughts."

But Bacon did say something about Trump rubbed him the wrong way, specifically how Trump has numerous times asked why Ukraine "started" the war with Russia.

"That does infuriate me," he said. "It does bother me." He added that Trump must not have an accurate picture of what's going on in the global conflict.

'Miraculous': Charlie Kirk's group says bullet couldn't fully go through 'man of steel'

Charlie Kirk was killed by a bullet that didn't create an exit wound because the late commentator is a "man of steel," according to Kirk's Turning Point USA.

Kirk was shot at a "prove me wrong" event he was holding on a college campus in Utah. Police have arrested a local man by the name of Tyler Robinson.

When the suspect shot Kirk, the bullet should have gone through his neck and could have even endangered others, but that's not what happened. Instead, his organization's spokesman said, Kirk was so healthy that the bullet couldn't make it all the way through to the other side.

Spokesman Andrew Kolvet said, "I want to address some of the discussion about the lack of an exit wound with Charlie. I’m usually not interested in delving into most of this kind of online chatter, and I apologize this is somewhat graphic, but in this case, the fact that there wasn’t an exit wound is probably another miracle, and I want people to know."

He continued, saying, "I just spoke with the surgeon who worked on Charlie in the hospital… He said the bullet 'absolutely should have gone through, which is very very normal for a high powered, high velocity round. I’ve seen wounds from this caliber many times and they always just go through everything. This would have taken a moose or two down, an elk, etc.' But it didn’t go through."

According to the spokesman, this is evidence of Kirk's Superman-like level of health.

"Charlie’s body stopped it. I mentioned to his doctor that there were dozens of staff, students, and special guests standing directly behind Charlie on the other side of the tent, and he replied: 'It was an absolute miracle that someone else didn’t get killed.' 'His bone was so healthy and the density was so so impressive that he’s like the man of steel. It should have just gone through and through. It likely would have killed those standing behind him too.' In the end, the coroner did find the bullet just beneath the skin," he wrote. "Even in death, Charlie managed to save the lives of those around him. Remarkable. Miraculous."

'What?' Megyn Kelly stuns with 'do not care' answer to Trump admin bribe scandal

When ex-Fox News host Megyn Kelly was confronted with a report about a bribery scandal in Donald Trump's administration, she stunned observers when she proudly declared, "We do not care."

Raw Story reported on Saturday about a MSNBC exclusive in which the outlet claimed that border czar Tom Homan had previously been investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover FBI agents. That caused U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to issue a stinging four-word response to Homan.

It also caused a senator to declare that Attorney General Pam Bondi "knew" about the reported bribery operation.

But for Kelly, she had a different type of response.

"We DO NOT CARE. Don’t bother [Homan] he’s a national treasure," she wrote on X.

Journalist Sam Stein replied, "For me, this just raises the question: is there ANYTHING Homan (and, I guess, Trump) could do that Megyn or others WOULD care about?"

"The question of whether there are any lines left is a valid one," Stein added.

Conservative strategist Tim Miller asked Kelly, "You don’t care that government officials are taking cash bribes? What?"

Kelly responded in part, "No, we don’t care what you say about Tom Homan. We do not trust you. We only care about defeating you."

Ex-GOP pollster Sarah Longwell also responded to Kelly's response to the scandal.

"Yes, we’re aware you don’t care about the rampant corruption in this administration," Longwell wrote on Saturday. "That’s been clear."

'Home is now on fire': Jack Smith issues Trump warning in 'rare public appearance'

Former Special Counsel Jack Smith issued a stark warning about Donald Trump in a "rare public appearance," according to a legal expert.

Legal analyst Allison Gill, better known as Mueller, She Wrote, noted on Saturday that Smith "delivered remarks at George Mason University this week, warning of the weaponization of the Justice Department under the Trump administration."

After reminding readers that Smith "was appointed by Merrick Garland in November of 2022 to continue the ongoing investigations into the January 6th attack on the Capitol and the unlawful retention of national defense information and subsequent obstruction of justice by Donald Trump," Gill pointed out how she got the details about the lowkey meeting.

"Former Deputy Director of the FBI Andrew McCabe, was in the audience and described to me what he heard," she wrote. "Smith spoke about the rule of law being under attack in a way that he hasn’t seen in his lifetime, and that he’s saddened by the firing of selfless public servants, the government using its vast powers to target citizens for exercising their constitutional rights, and the loss of credibility with the courts and the people."

She also added, "If you listen to the UnJustified podcast, you’ll recall that Andy and I have been talking about the destruction of the presumption of regularity and the loss of the court’s faith in the Justice Department at great length. Jack Smith shared those sentiments in his speech."

“The DOJ was my home for many, many years. That home is now on fire,” Smith said, according to Gill.

The report also states, "He spoke at length about what a society absent the rule of law looks like. It’s a society where critics and perceived enemies are targeted in an effort to silence them. One where prosecutors are left to figure out the basis for a case after the fact. And one where friends and allies of the administration face no legal consequences."

“In a society where the rule of law is eroding, you can have a situation where if you’re a Latino citizen… you can be stopped, detained, your liberty taken because of the color of your skin. Or maybe because you were speaking Spanish… whereas we all know that if you were white, that would never happen," Smith reportedly said.

Read the full report.

Trump's 'impeachable offense' sparks fury: 'Most corrupt thing I've seen from a president'

Donald Trump made waves on Saturday with this bombshell letter criticizing Pam Bondi.

The president over the weekend unleashed a blistering criticism on his hand-picked attorney general. The president took to his own social media site, Truth Social, over the weekend, where he posted an open letter addressed to "Pam."

"Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, 'same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam 'Shifty' Schiff, Leticia??? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.' Then we almost put in a Democrat supported U.S. Attorney, in Virginia, with a really bad Republican past. A Woke RINO, who was never going to do his job. That’s why two of the worst Dem Senators PUSHED him so hard. He even lied to the media and said he quit, and that we had no case. No, I fired him, and there is a GREAT CASE, and many layers, and legal pundits, say so," Trump wrote. "[White House lawyer] Lindsey Halligan is a really good lawyer, and likes you, a lot."

The outrage flowed from all corners of social media.

Ex-prosecutor Ron Filipkowski said, "This is the most corrupt and disgusting thing I think I’ve ever seen from a president. A blatantly impeachable offense. Republicans in Congress will say and do nothing."

Gregg Nunziata wrote, "It's becoming increasingly untenable for principled, honorable, ethical conservative lawyers to continue serving in the Justice Department. That's a shocking truth and a dangerous state of affairs."

Yashar Ali of HuffPost wrote, "President Trump posts a public message to Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has been facing significant criticism from his base and from some inside the administration."

"The president pushes her to prosecute his enemies and also suggests that she allowed a liberal Trojan horse into the DOJ. The 'Lindsey' he’s referring to is Lindsey Halligan, I believe, his former personal attorney," Ali wrote. "Note how he says he’s reviewed 30 posts, it sounds like someone put together a compilation of criticism of Bondi and his administration on these matters to sway him."

Constitutional law professor Anthony Michael Kreis chimed in with, "The president ordering a prosecution notwithstanding the evidence, as assessed by United States attorney, is an affront to the rule of law."

MeidasTouch added, "Trump posts a deranged message to Pam Bondi pressuring her to prosecute his political enemies after a U.S. attorney quit because he refused to fabricate charges" before quoting the president saying, “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility.”

Richard Hanania wrote, "It just keeps getting more insane. Trump apparently tried to send a DM to Pam Bondi essentially telling her that his enemies need to be prosecuted. Instead he posted it on Truth Social, and it’s now been deleted."

Ex-prosecutor Elizabeth de la Vega said, "Absolutely everyone needs to read this. Please, people, spread it far and wide!"

Trump's top advisers are 'deeply frustrated' over Tulsi Gabbard's latest 'blunder': report

Donald Trump's Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard is in hot water with the president's top advisers, according to new reporting.

Gabbard, a former Democrat who was accepted into the White House fold, left Trump's chief aides completely in the dark when it came to certain security clearances, according to the Guardian's weekend report.

In an exclusive called "Tulsi Gabbard did not alert White House before revoking 37 security clearances," the outlet reported, "Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, did not inform the White House that her office was revoking the security clearances of 37 people – including top deputies to the CIA director, John Ratcliffe – before it happened last month, according to three people familiar with matter."

The article continues, stating, "The move caused consternation because it resulted in the White House not having an opportunity to closely vet the list before it became public and there appeared to be no paper trail from the president directing the effort, the people said."

"As a result, officials only realized after the fact that Gabbard had managed to pull the security clearances of career CIA officials, at least one of whom was a top adviser to Ratcliffe and had worked on some of the US’s most sensitive military operations, the people said," according to the report. "The list also included two Democratic congressional staffers – Maher Bitar, the national security adviser to senator Adam Schiff, and Thomas West, an aide on the Senate foreign relations committee – prompting fears the administration would be thrust into a messy separation-of-powers issue."

But things reportedly didn't end there, as now some close to Trump are apparently holding a grudge.

"Weeks later, several of Trump’s top advisers remain deeply frustrated with Gabbard and view the episode as a blunder that comes as Trump is skeptical of the intelligence community and has suggested dismantling the office of the director of national intelligence (ODNI)," according to The Guardian's reporting.

Read the full report here.

'Tom Homan should be in jail': Onlookers pounce on Trump official's 'corrupt' bribe scheme

"The most corrupt administration we have ever seen" is how Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D) reacted to a report that Donald Trump's border czar had accepted a $50,000 bribe from undercover agents.

Raw Story reported on Saturday about a MSNBC exclusive in which the outlet claimed that Homan had previously been investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover FBI agents. That caused U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to issue a stinging four-word response to Homan.

It also caused a senator to declare that Attorney General Pam Bondi "knew" about the reported bribery operation.

Reactions came in fast online.

Journalist Adam Klasfeld called the report a "must-read scoop."

Conor James Lamb, an attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative from 2018 to 2023, said, "Dems must immediately demand the entire investigative file and not give DOJ another dollar till they get it. *Our* money is paying for this corruption."

Dem strategist Mike Nellis said, "Congress should haul in Pam Bondi and Kash Patel this week to explain why the FBI caught Tom Homan taking bribes—and why Trump’s DOJ killed the case."

"That’s corruption, plain and simple," Nellis then added.

Cato Institute's The Alex Nowrasteh also chimed in:

"The FBI recorded Trump’s border czar accepting a $50,000 bribe. Then the Trump administration buried it to protect their guy. If true, Tom Homan should be in prison with those who covered it up. Pretty minor corruption for Trump’s 2nd term though."

Maya Wiley wrote, "When the collar is white & the work is to racially profile & abuse people seems old fashioned bribery is protected."

"We shouldn’t be surprised but we must be outraged," the analyst wrote Saturday.

Former MSNBC personality Keith Olbermann said, "BREAKING: Simply put this corrupt bully [Homan] now needs to be cuffed, hands behind his back, and led across the border."

BREAKING: Simply put this corrupt bully @RealTomHoman now needs to be cuffed, hands behind his back, and led across the border https://t.co/9LdPejpF3F
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) September 20, 2025

'All talk, no action': Trump attacks Pam Bondi for not prosecuting the president's enemies

Donald Trump on Saturday unleashed a blistering criticism on his hand-picked Attorney General Pam Bondi.

The president took to his own social media site, Truth Social, over the weekend, where he posted an open letter addressed to "Pam."

Trump added, "We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!! President DJT"

See the full post right here.

'Caught on camera': Senator says 'Pam Bondi knew' about reported 'brazen' bribery scheme

Donald Trump's border czar Tom Homan is a hot topic after a blockbuster MSNBC report claimed Homan had accepted a $50,000 bribe from FBI undercover agents, and one senator says Pam Bondi and others knew about the scheme.

That set the stage for Golden State senator Adam Schiff, who said, "Border Czar Tom Homan was caught by the FBI accepting bribes - on camera - to deliver government contracts in exchange for $50,000 in cash."

He went on to claim, "Pam Bondi knew. Kash Patel knew. Emil Bove knew."

"And they made the investigation go away," Schiff then added. "A corrupt attempt to conceal brazen graft."

Ken Dilanian, MSNBC Justice and Intelligence Correspondent, was one of the reporters behind the "scoop." On Saturday, he highlighted Schiff's reply and wrote, "Strong reaction to our new @MSNBC reporting."

Trump issues ominous threat to international foe: 'Bad things are going to happen'

Donald Trump on Saturday issued a vague and ominous threat to Afghanistan.

The president over the weekend took to his own social media site, Truth Social, to target the Middle Eastern nation. Specifically, Trump referenced his prior desire to "get back" Bagram Airfield after it was overtaken by the Taliban.

"If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!! President DJT," Trump wrote over the weekend.

Read the original Truth Social post right here.

AOC taunts Trump's border czar with four-word reply after report he accepted bribe

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) had a stinging response for Donald Trump's border czar following a report that Tom Homan had accepted a bribe from undercover FBI agents.

Raw Story reported on Saturday about a MSNBC exclusive in which the outlet claimed that Homan had previously been investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover FBI agents.

"In an undercover operation last year, the FBI recorded Tom Homan, now the White House border czar, accepting $50,000 in cash after indicating he could help the agents — who were posing as business executives — win government contracts in a second Trump administration, according to multiple people familiar with the probe and internal documents reviewed by MSNBC," the outlet reported. "The FBI and the Justice Department planned to wait to see whether Homan would deliver on his alleged promise once he became the nation’s top immigration official. But the case indefinitely stalled soon after Donald Trump became president again in January, according to six sources familiar with the matter. In recent weeks, Trump appointees officially closed the investigation, after FBI Director Kash Patel requested a status update on the case, two of the people said."

Ocasio-Cortez had a brief response over the weekend. She tagged Homan on X and wrote, "Who’s the illegal now?"

GOP lawmaker accuses fellow Republican of 'greatly exaggerating his military service'

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) on Saturday accused fellow Republican lawmaker, Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL), of "greatly exaggerating his military service."

Mace recently lashed out at Mills and accused him of privately threatening her, following the failure of her resolution to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) earlier this week.

Over the weekend, Mace doubled down on her crusade, going back to 2020 when Mills publicly hit back at a critic, saying, "You clearly were not a JSOC/SOF member or you would realize our service is premised on our morals and values."

To that statement, Mace wrote, "Do morals and values mean either lying or greatly exaggerating your military service?"

In a separate post, Mace asked, "Did you know Cory Mills was 'allegedly' married in an al Qaeda mosque by a radical Muslim imam who was an unindicted co-conspirator in the World Trade Center bombings?"

She then added, "The Muslim officiant was also a Hamas fundraiser. Is this why he voted to protect Ilhan Omar? Cory’s wife is allegedly Muslim. Is he Muslim too? I understand the only way to get married in a mosque is to be 100% Muslim. He also has an international arms dealing company and we made this guy a chairman of an intel committee on Foreign Affairs?"

"What in the world…" Mace concluded on Saturday.

Mills didn't address the allegations at the time of writing.