John Byrne

Last week, President Donald Trump floated possible deportations for U.S. citizens — a comment that has set the liberal world afire, and raised constitutional questions.

During a visit to Florida last Tuesday, a reporter asked Trump how many detention facilities he would need to carry out his mass deportation policy for undocumented immigrants.

"I'd like to say, you know, a little controversial, but I couldn't care less," Trump replied, veering off topic. "We have a lot of bad criminals that came into the, into this country and they came in stupidly."

"And it did happen, but we also have a lot of bad people that have been here for a long time," he continued. People that whack people over the head with a baseball bat from behind when they're not looking and kill them."

"Many of them were born in our country. I think we ought to get them the hell out of here, too, if you want to know the truth. So maybe that'll be the next job that we'll work on together."

Trump has previously threatened to deport citizens he referred to as "homegrowns." His focus on deporting even undocumented immigrants has been controversial.

'I couldn't care less': Trump floats deportation of U.S. citizens | Raw Story'I couldn't care less': Trump floats deportation of U.S. citizens | Raw Story

President Donald Trump careened wildly off script at a NATO press conference in the Netherlands on Tuesday, earlier this week, to praise his "great victory" in Iran and to air his grievances with the U.S. news media for "maligning" U.S. troops.

"It's so, so sad that that whole thing had to go," Trump said of Iran's nuclear facilities, "but I just want to thank our pilots. You know, they were maligned and treated very bad, demeaned by fake news CNN, which is back there, believe it or not, wasting time, wasting — nobody's watching them. So, they're just wasting a lot of time, wasting my time. And The New York Times, they put out a story that, 'Well, maybe they were hit, but it wasn't bad.' Well, it was so bad that they ended the war. It ended the war."

Trump compared his airstrikes to the nuclear bombings of Japan that ended World War II. Watch the video below for a summary:

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Raw Story is pleased to announce the hiring of Martin Pengelly as its new Investigative Editor.

Prior to joining Raw Story, Martin was an editor for the Guardian for 20 years, in London, New York and Washington, first on sports and then in the US on news and politics. For Guardian US, he served as weekend editor for eight years and breaking news editor and reporter thereafter. As a writer, his work on political books earned national notice.

Martin has also written extensively on rugby union in the US, leading to the publication in 2023 of his well-received book, Brotherhood: When West Point Rugby Went To War.

Before joining Guardian US, he worked in London for the Independent and Independent on Sunday.

Martin holds a BA in history from the University of Durham and an MA in the history of art from the University of London. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife and three daughters.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is now the likely favorite to become Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate, according to Axios.

Shapiro being the likely pick surfaced yesterday after CNN reported that the governor was cancelling fundraisers this weekend in the Hamptons. Also, according to Axios, "for several days, Wall Street has been convinced Harris will pick a governor, in part because big-dollar donors were told to mail in their checks this week to avoid triggering a pay-to-play financial rule."

Shapiro is seen as a favorite because he could put Pennsylvania in Harris' column. Pennsylvania has more electoral votes than any of the other swing states in this cycle, at 19. Harris is polling behind Donald Trump by four points, according to a recent poll.

A 2024 poll found that Shapiro had support from a third of Trump voters in his state. When running for attorney general, Shapiro cleaned house, accruing more votes in Pennsylvania than Hillary Clinton or President Joe Biden.

“If you want to win Pennsylvania, there is no other candidate,” better positioned, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker recently said of Shapiro.

A Trump "insider told Axios that many top Republicans also assume the pick will be Shapiro: 'Pennsylvania's the whole ballgame.'"

Also in contention: Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. Kelly could help Harris on immigration concerns, as he has a record of working on issues surrounding the border. There are worries, however, that picking Kelly could imperil the Democrats' chances of keeping the Senate, as he's a Democratic senator in a purple state.

However, Shapiro does carry baggage with progressives.

"An observant Jew who would make history if he’s elected vice president, Shapiro has been an outspoken supporter of Israel and has criticized some protests against the country’s conduct in Gaza," Bloomberg noted today. "His stance, which also includes sharp criticisms of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, mirrors many mainstream Democrats but puts him at odds with progressives and some younger voters."

Bloomberg adds that "the liberal New Republic recently called him the one pick 'who could ruin Democratic unity,' and a group of activists recently launched a website called 'No Genocide Josh.'"

Shapiro was elected governor in 2022 by wide margins. Prior to becoming governor, the 51-year-old Democrat served as the attorney general of Pennsylvania from 2017 to 2021. As attorney general, he was known for his investigations into clergy sex abuse and his efforts to protect voting rights. Shapiro has also worked to combat the opioid crisis and human trafficking in Pennsylvania.

Vice President Kamala Harris' approval rating has risen to 43 percent, a jump of 8 points from a week ago when she entered the race for president, according to an ABC News/Ipsos poll released Sunday. Her disapproval rating dropped from 46 percent to 42 percent.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump's approval rating dropped 4 points, from 40 percent to 36 percent. His approval had ticked up slightly after an attempted assassination attempt.

The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Concurrently, Harris announced that she'd raised $200 million in her first week as candidate. This is a record-breaking haul.

"Harris’ campaign said 66% of her fundraising tally came from first-time donors," Bloomberg News reported. "The latest haul expands the $81 million she raised in the first day after [Joe] Biden’s exit, which the campaign called the largest 24-hour fundraise of any candidate in history."

“It’s just a whole new vibe to the campaign,” possible Harris VP choice Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Harris has narrowed her potential list of running mates to three candidates, according to Bloomberg News.

"Harris is considering a wide range of vice presidential candidates from the Democratic Party’s bench, though people familiar with the process say a short list has emerged including three elected officials with nationwide appeal: Arizona Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz," Bloomberg reported Saturday.

A spokesperson for the Harris campaign responded to Bloomberg that she “directed her team to begin the process of vetting potential running mates” but did not elaborate.

According to media reports, Harris will make her decision by Aug. 7.

Harris made history when she was elected as the first female, first African American, and first Asian American vice president. As vice president, she's lead the Biden administration's efforts to address the root causes of migration from Central America, overseen the implementation of the American Rescue Plan, and served as a key adviser to President Biden on a variety of domestic and foreign policy issues.

Vice President Kamala Harris has narrowed her potential list of running mates to three candidates, according to Bloomberg News.

"Harris is considering a wide range of vice presidential candidates from the Democratic Party’s bench, though people familiar with the process say a short list has emerged including three elected officials with nationwide appeal: Arizona Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz," Bloomberg reported Saturday.

A spokesperson for the Harris campaign responded to Bloomberg that she “directed her team to begin the process of vetting potential running mates” but did not elaborate.

According to media reports, Harris will make her decision by Aug. 7.

Shapiro, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, was elected in 2022 by wide margins. Prior to becoming governor, the 51-year-old Democrat served as the attorney general of Pennsylvania from 2017 to 2021. As attorney general, he was known for his investigations into clergy sex abuse and his efforts to protect voting rights. Shapiro has also worked to combat the opioid crisis and human trafficking in Pennsylvania.

Mark Kelly is a former NASA astronaut and the current junior United States senator from Arizona. He was elected to the Senate in 2020, defeating Republican incumbent Martha McSally. Prior to his political career, Kelly had a distinguished career as a naval aviator and astronaut, having flown four space shuttle missions between 2001 and 2011.

In the Senate, Kelly has focused on issues such as veterans' affairs, science and technology, and climate change. He has also been a vocal advocate for gun control, having co-founded the gun control organization Americans for Responsible Solutions with his wife, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Kelly is considered a moderate, and has experience working on border issues, an area where Harris has taken flack.

Tim Walz, the current governor of Minnesota, was first elected in 2018. Prior to becoming governor, Walz served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Before entering politics, Walz had a career in education and the military. He enlisted in the Army National Guard in 1981 and served for 24 years. As governor, Walz gained national attention for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his response to the civil unrest following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020.

The first national poll released after Vice President Kamala Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee puts her within striking distance of former President Donald Trump, with 47 percent support to Trump's 49 percent.

"Harris and former President Trump are in a race that is too close to call with Trump receiving 49 percent support and Harris receiving 47 percent support," the poll found, according to a release. "There is no clear leader as the lead is within the margin of error."

The poll was conducted by Quinnipiac University from July 19th through July 21st and released on Monday.

In a larger sample that includes an additional four candidates, Harris falls slightly behind. Trump leads with 45 percent support; Harris has 41 percent; Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. hits 6 percent; the Green Party's Jill Stein nabs two percent, and Libertarian Chase Oliver and independent Cornel West each net one percent support.

Additionally, the poll found that 62 percent of voters think President Biden's dropping out of the race was the right thing to do.

"The dramatic reset at the top of the Democratic ticket does little to move the race as Vice President Harris enters the fray with numbers similar to President Biden," Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said.

A previous poll, released June 26, had Trump ahead of Biden, 49 percent to 45 percent.

One negative for Harris, as noted by Atlanta News First: "Forty-six percent of voters have a favorable opinion of Trump, while 49 percent have an unfavorable opinion of him. This is the highest favorability rating for Trump since the Quinnipiac University Poll first asked this question of registered voters in May 2015."

Additionally, according to the poll, "In the wake of the attempted assassination of former President Trump, a majority (53 percent) of voters say Trump's reaction has no impact on their view of him, while 30 percent say it makes them think more favorably of him, and 15 percent say it makes them think less favorably of him."

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear are already being vetted to become Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, according to “two people close to the vice-president” quoted in a report Sunday night in the Financial Times.

Harris spoke Sunday with at least three Democratic governors who are in consideration to be her VP pick. In addition to Shapiro and Beshear, Biden’s VP also spoke with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. The calls were reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Like Harris, Shapiro and Cooper both served as their respective state’s attorney generals. Shapiro and Cooper both endorsed Harris on Sunday.

Shapiro tweeted Sunday he would “do everything I can to help elect @KamalaHarris as the 47th President of the United States.”

Shapiro, 51, was elected governor of Pennsylvania in 2022, defeating Republican Doug Mastriano. He is seen as a moderate, pragmatic Democrat who could appeal to a wide range of voters.

With breathtaking speed, Harris, 59, has received support from nearly all of the Democrats who might have been considered as Biden’s replacement. In addition, she’s received notable endorsements from President Joe Biden, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Biden kingmaker Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC).

While the presumptive nominee, Harris’ candidacy has yet to be endorsed by Democratic House and Senate leaders or Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). Former President Barack Obama has also not backed a candidate, though his aides note that he did not endorse Biden until he was formally nominated at the Democratic convention.