Robert Davis

A former Republican lawyer said on Monday that President Donald Trump appears to be using his pardon power to "whitewash" crimes committed by people in his administration.

George Conway, who left the Republican Party during the first Trump administration, discussed Trump's recent pardons for people involved in the January 6 insurrection on a new episode of the "George Explains It All (To Sarah Longwell)" podcast that he co-hosts with the publisher of The Bulwark. Conway said he "gets worked up" over the pardons because they illustrate Trump's efforts to create a reality where "everything is the opposite of what it truly is."

"Everything is a lie," Conway said. "Everything has to adhere to the fantasy in the mind of Donald Trump, or else you're out."

"He's a criminal," Conway added, referring to Trump. "So, of course, he's going to rewrite history so that he didn't commit crimes and the people who were working for him didn't commit crimes, even though they were all criminals."

Conway noted that Trump's pardons drew a false equivalency between the January 6 insurrection, which Conway said fit the legal description of a "mob riot," and the protests against his immigration policies.

"In Trump World, a mob riot is a bunch of people in frog costumes or whatnot singing at ICE officers," Conway said.

A pair of Democrats mocked a GOP strategist's defense of one of President Donald Trump's latest controversial pardons during an interview on CNN.

Trump recently pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the founder of the cryptocurrency exchange Binance. Zhao was convicted of money laundering charges under the Biden administration. His company paid more than $4 billion, and Zhao personally paid a $50 million settlement as part of the conviction.

Trump was asked about Zhao's pardon on CBS News' "60 Minutes" on Sunday, where he claimed not to know Zhao. Some analysts have found those claims hard to believe because Binance invested $2 billion in World Liberty Financial, the Trump family's cryptocurrency business, and Zhao had hired lobbyists to persuade Trump to grant him a pardon.

GOP strategist Scott Jennings defended the pardon on CNN's "NewsNight with Abby Phillip" on Monday. Jennings argued that Trump likely didn't "personally" know Zhao.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) and David Hogg, president of Leaders We Deserve, mocked Jennings' defense.

"It's totally above board, obviously!" Hogg interjected.

"There's nothing to see here, guys," Moskowitz said. "'A' for effort."

One of President Donald Trump's top advisors felt that a 65-year-old activist in northern Virginia was trying to threaten them by distributing pamphlets to their neighbors, so they had the activist's phone seized and searched, according to a new report.

Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, and his wife, Katie, felt so threatened by 65-year-old liberal activist Barbara Wien that they had her phone confiscated by Virginia State Police in August, The New York Times reported. The police obtained a search warrant for the phone and have used it to find evidence whether she meant to "threaten, intimidate, or incite the commission of a crime of violence" by disclosing the Millers' address, which would be a misdemeanor in the state.

According to the report, Wien distributed pamphlets to the Millers' neighbors opposing some of the Trump administration's policies. It claimed that Miller was “wanted for crimes against humanity" and included the slogan "No Nazis in NOVA."

It also describes a time when Wien approached a neighboring home and "pointed her finger" at Katie Miller, who was watching from across the street. Katie Miller took the gesture to mean, "I am watching you," according to the report.

A local judge has paused the police's search of Wien's phone as lawyers argue over the extent of the searches. It remains unclear when Wiens will get her phone back.

Read the entire report by clicking here.

Fans of the MAGA movement melted down on Monday over what they described as a "passive-aggressive" interview of President Donald Trump on CBS News' "60 Minutes" over the weekend, according to a new report.

The Daily Beast reported on Monday that several MAGA fans shared their displeasure with the interview. In her intro, journalist Norah O’Donnell called Trump "Mr. Trump" instead of "President Trump," which sent MAGA fans into a tizzy.

"Norah O’Donnell should be ashamed of herself for calling President Trump, Mr. Trump. It was passive-aggressive," one X user named Louis Montoya posted in response to the interview, according to the report.

Others heaped criticism on CBS News' new editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, a Trump ally who the president has praised for her leadership.

"Barry Weiss has a lot of heavy lifting at CBS. More biased loaded questions from Norah O'Donnell and no respect for the office. It's President Trump not Mr. Trump," radio host Sean Casey posted on X.

Read the entire report by clicking here.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) received significant backlash after photos surfaced of her wearing a Halloween costume that some said was the "most disgusting" one they had ever seen.

Boebert was photographed wearing a Mexican sombrero and traditional dress. She also carried a sign that read "Mexican Word of the Day: Juicy. Tell me if 'Juicy' ICE coming." Boebert's boyfriend was also photographed with her dressed as an ICE agent.

Political observers and analysts heaped criticism on Boebert for the costume.

"It is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen," a person who attended the party told ABC News. "Even the conservatives [at the party] were in shock. People avoided them."

A spokesperson for Boebert's office defended her costume.

"It's a Halloween costume," the spokesperson told ABC News. "Tell our Senators to vote for the CR and open the government. They are choosing to let millions of American families suffer."

“She should be ashamed of herself,” Stacy Suniga, the president of the Latino Coalition of Weld County, Colorado, told the Boulder Daily Camera. “Though I believe she is incapable of any emotion that generates human decency. Her bigotry and ignorance are clearly evident in her chosen apparel this day.”

“Lauren Boebert put more effort into a hateful Halloween party costume than she ever has into serving the people of Colorado’s 4th Congressional District,” Trishia Calvarese, a Democrat running against Boebert, posted on X.

A threat President Donald Trump issued to Nigeria was likely inspired by a Fox News segment, according to a new report from CNN.

Trump's threat to invade Nigeria with "guns-a-blazing" was issued about an hour after Fox News aired a segment about Christians being targeted by Islamist groups in Nigeria, Alayna Treene reported on Monday. He saw the segment while he was traveling to Florida for his Gatsby-inspired Halloween party.

Treene discussed her reporting on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront" on Monday.

"After that, one of the sources said it was immediate, that it sparked some anger in him and he began to inquire about it, asking his staff to be better read on it," Treene said. "But what was interesting was that shortly after he had touched down on Air Force One, he had just taken The Beast, his presidential motorcade, to Mar-a-Lago when you saw that first post from him and it read, 'Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.'"

President Donald Trump issued a winding threat to his "first home" of New York City in a new Truth Social post on Monday over the potential results of Tuesday's election.

New York City voters will likely elect Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, as their next mayor on Tuesday, a move that Trump threatened would cause him to provide the "very minimum" federal support as required by law.

"If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home, because of the fact that, as a Communist, this once great City has ZERO chance of success, or even survival!" Trump wrote. "It can only get worse with a Communist at the helm, and I don’t want to send, as President, good money after bad. It is my obligation to run the Nation, and it is my strong conviction that New York City will be a Complete and Total Economic and Social Disaster should Mamdani win."

Trump has previously threatened to withhold federal funds for infrastructure projects if Mamdani wins. Some MAGA lawmakers have also threatened to review Mamdani's legal status and deport him.

"His principles have been tested for over a thousand years, and never once have they been successful," the post continued. "I would much rather see a Democrat, who has had a Record of Success, WIN, than a Communist with no experience and a Record of COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE. He was nothing as an Assemblyman, ranked at the bottom of the class and, as Mayor of potentially, again, the Greatest City in the World, HE HAS NO CHANCE to bring it back to its former Glory!"

President Donald Trump uncorked an all-caps tirade against Democrats running for office in New Jersey and Virginia in a new Truth Social post on Monday.

"VIRGINIA AND NEW JERSEY, REMEMBER THIS: A VOTE FOR A REPUBLICAN MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER ENERGY PRICES, A VOTE FOR A DEMOCRAT, ESPECIALLY THESE TWO LOSERS WHO ARE RUNNING, MEANS A DOUBLING, TRIPLING, AND EVEN QUADRUPLING OF YOUR ENERGY COSTS," Trump wrote.

"IT WILL NOT BE SUSTAINABLE, AND YOU WILL RUE THE DAY THAT YOU VOTED TO DESTROY YOUR LIFE! FAILING TO VOTE TOMORROW IS THE SAME AS VOTING FOR A DEMOCRAT," he continued.

The post was published at a time when voters in several states are going to the polls, which could be a bellwether for the upcoming November 2026 midterm election.

Voters in New Jersey could elect a new governor in a race that local reports suggest is a neck-and-neck tie between Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli.

In Virginia, voters would elect a new Governor and Attorney General. Democrat candidates like Abigail Spanberger and Jay Jones, respectively, lead in the most recent polls ahead of election night.

A conservative influencer on Monday addressed backlash she's received from MAGA fans after she made claims that they considered to be "feminist."

Over the weekend, Allie Beth Stuckey, host of the "Relatable" podcast on the conservative Blaze Network, shared a clip from a recent speaking engagement on social media where she argued that "porn has weakened men." She also applauded the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk for his efforts to dissuade young men from engaging in premarital sex.

Stuckey said during a new podcast episode on Monday that she received a lot of pushback for those comments from men who identified as conservative Christians. She said the comments were a "gross representation" of her mission.

"They were calling me a feminist because apparently I was finger-wagging or whatever," Stuckey said. "I had people that I consider friends, people that I consider colleagues, repeating this kind of thing. All different kinds of just straight-up lies. Lies about me and my family. Just such gross misrepresentations of me and my mission."

Stuckey added that the pushback made her feel "disheartened."

"It can feel disheartening and that kind of thing when it comes from within your own camp, and it's just outright malicious and slanderous and deceitful and angry and bitter and covetous and resentful and all of those things," Stuckey said. "It weighs you down."

A journalist revealed on Monday that MAGA's attacks against a rising Democratic star are falling flat — and could backfire on the Republican Party.

Will Pavia, a correspondent for The Times, discussed MAGA's attacks against Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani, who is favored to win the New York City mayoral race against Independent and former mayor Andrew Cuomo, during an interview on Times Radio. President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold federal funding from New York if Mamdani wins, and other MAGA lawmakers have threatened to denaturalize Mamdani, who became a citizen in 2018.

"It does slightly remind you of Barack Obama and the birtherism stuff," Pavia argued, referring to the attacks suggesting Obama was not an American citizen because his family was from Kenya.

"It doesn't look great for the Republicans to be doing this," he added.

Pavia also argued that Mamdani raises a host of questions about the Democratic Party's leadership. For instance, he argued that the hesitation of leaders like Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to endorse Mamdani is rooted in a strategy of "trying not to lose" instead of supporting candidates who win.

"That's why the Democrat party lost the last presidential election, because they're always just about trying not to lose rather than offering anybody anything that might help them win," Pavia argued.

A top member of the Democratic Party is expected to make an announcement about her future in Congress following the midterm election on Tuesday, according to a new report.

NBC News reported that Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the former Speaker of the House, will make a decision about her future as a congressional lawmaker after Tuesday's election. Pelosi, 85, has served in Congress since 1987.

Democratic sources told NBC News that Pelosi may not seek re-election next year, according to the report.

Her decision to reconsider her political future after the midterm comes at a time when the Democratic Party is seeking to appear to younger voters.

According to a recent survey from the PEW Research Center, about 67% of Democrats feel frustrated by their own party. Another 50% said the party makes them hopeful for the future, which is down from 69% recorded in 2021, the survey found.

Read the entire report by clicking here.

Sam Stein, managing editor of "The Bulwark," bashed President Donald Trump's Gatsby-themed Halloween party, saying it was an example of the "incredible and sad dichotomy" of the impact of the Trump administration.

On Friday, Trump held a Gilded Age party at his estate in southern Florida, Mar-a-Lago. Reports indicate the event was attended by administration officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as high-profile Republican donors and other wealthy individuals.

Stein argued in a new episode of "Bulwark Takes" on Sunday that the party was "surprising," given that communities across the country were reeling from continued immigration raids and the expiration of food assistance benefits.

"They are living it up like they're in the Gatsby's," Stein said. "Like this is Moulin Rouge. They're all having nice drinks and stuff, and this is all during a government shutdown...when the president is demolishing the East Wing to build his ostentatious ballroom, where he's posting about this new marble bathroom he's constructed in the White House, mocking the old bathroom because it had old plumbing."

"The level of out-of-touchness that is exhibited here is surprising," Stein added. "Honestly, it suggests a president and administration that just doesn't give a [stuff] because I don't really understand why they would do this."

Stein added that he doesn't think images of opulence like Trump's Halloween party can continue to coexist with the administration's efforts to take away social benefits.

"It is grotesque, honestly, and it's obviously problematic, too, for this country where communities are being torn apart and the people who are top of the government get to have a good old Great Gatsby ball on Halloween," Stein said. "So, that is a microcosm of the current place we are in. It's a sad microcosm, but it is what it is."

The party came just days before the nation votes in a series of key elections, including several tightly contested races for governor and a New York City mayoral contest in which a democratic socialist leads in polls.

A prominent political analyst revealed the "unprecedented features" of President Donald Trump's strikes on alleged drug boats in international waters in a new essay published on Sunday.

Richard Galant, executive producer of Now It's History on Substack and a Senior Fellow at New America, argued in a new essay that Trump seems to be drawing from the authority other presidents have used during America's War on Drugs. He compared the strikes to operations conducted under the Hoover and Nixon administrations.

However, Galant noted in the essay that there are two "unprecedented features" of Trump's strikes.

"For one thing, the people on the boats being blasted out of the water by U.S. drones are being denied even a pretense of the due process U.S. law gives to suspected criminals," Galant wrote. "'Judge, jury and executioner,' would be an apt way of characterizing those in the military who have to pull the trigger."

"For another, there is no explanation of how the boats and those aboard are being chosen as targets," he continued.

He also noted that Trump appears to be fighting a war, even though he has not formally declared one.

"Declaring a war that is not really a war is irresistible for some presidents," Galant wrote. "It sounds dramatic, forceful and all-consuming even though in reality it isn’t anything like a real war. After all, a real war requires making unpopular decisions like mobilizing much of the economy and potentially drafting citizens into the military."

Read the entire essay by clicking here.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s neighbors sent him a "pointed message" by organizing a protest on his front lawn, according to a new report.

The Daily Beast reported on Sunday that Kennedy's neighbors placed a skeleton sitting in a chair on his lawn, holding a sign that says "I wish I took my vaccine!" There is also a small bottle of Tylenol at the skeleton's feet, alluding to Kennedy's comments about links between Tylenol usage during pregnancy and autism. They also put a headstone in his yard that reads "I did my own research," according to the report.

“We have people taking photos of it constantly,” Christine Payne, one of Kennedy's neighbors, told the outlet.

Payne added that she and other neighbors included specific imagery to comment on some of Kennedy's recent claims. Kennedy has had to walk back his claims that Tylenol usage causes autism.

Experts have also noted that Kennedy's stance on vaccines undermines President Donald Trump's achievements with Operation Warp Speed, the federal program that developed the first COVID-19 vaccine.

"My son has autism, and a neighbor is very active in anti-vaccine efforts," Payne said.

"There is a small bottle of Tylenol also next to his feet because we’re very concerned about it affecting children," she added.

Read the entire report by clicking here.

Prominent political analyst Ezra Klein of the New York Times argued in a new essay published on Sunday that Democrats need to adopt a new "spirit" if they want to defeat Trumpism.

Klein argued in the essay that the Democrats have undergone a culture change over the last several elections, one that has left them more room to grow on the political left than it does on the right. He added that this presents an opportunity for the party to grow into areas that are otherwise leaning toward supporting President Donald Trump.

"Think of it this way: If Zohran Mamdani wins the New York mayor’s race running as a democratic socialist in New York City and Rob Sand wins the Iowa governor’s race next year running as a moderate who hates political parties, did the Democratic Party move left or right?" Klein argued. "Neither: It got bigger. It found a way to represent more kinds of people in more kinds of places."

"That is the spirit it needs to embrace," he continued. "Not moderation. Not progressivism. But, in the older political sense of the term, representation."

Klein added that Democrats would benefit from embracing these candidates because they are successfully breaking through to voters on issues such as the cost of living and the economy.

"For all the talk of what the Democratic Party should learn from Sanders and Mamdani, there should be at least as much talk of what they should learn from Manchin or Golden or Marie Gluesenkamp Perez or Sarah McBride," Klein added. "The party should be seeking more, not less, internal disagreement."

Read the entire essay by clicking here.