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Hegseth's emoji taunt comes back to bite him as NYT hauls him back to court

The New York Times filed a new lawsuit challenging Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's press access policy — and going into extensive detail, using an emoji to indicate the clear intent of the policy was to silence freedom of the press.

The policy effectively neutered Pentagon reporters by forcing them, as a condition of receiving Pentagon Facility Alternate Credentials (PFACs), to agree not to publish anything that was the product of leaks from within the administration — something even the vast majority of right-wing outlets refused to agree to.

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Speculation swirls over 'graphic' new image of Trump's hand: 'Downright nauseating'

Onlookers were shocked on Monday after a new image of President Donald Trump's bruised hand began circulating on social media.

Trump has consistently downplayed the bruising on his hands, often suggesting it is from all the handshakes he gives to supporters and political dignitaries. The president has also tried to hide the bruising on his hand by plastering it with makeup. But a new image of Trump's hand during a health care affordability event at the White House sparked fresh health concerns.

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Mike Johnson drops bold prediction to GOP donors behind closed doors: report

House Speaker Mike Johnson told a room full of top Republican donors Monday that he expects his party to net seven to eight additional House seats through mid-decade redistricting, a bullish prediction that signals how aggressively the GOP plans to redraw the map heading into the midterms.

Johnson made the remarks on a panel at his big-donor retreat in Washington alongside National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson and Congressional Leadership Fund president Chris Winkelman, according to a source in the room, per Punchbowl News.

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Trump ambassador linked to scandal-ridden movement in Canada: report

One of President Donald Trump's ambassadors has been linked to a scandal-ridden movement in Canada because of his involvement with a right-wing voting group, according to a new report.

Pete Hoekstra, Trump's ambassador to Canada, has been linked to a separatist group in Alberta that has coordinated with a right-wing group in Michigan called 10xVotes for more than a year, PressProgress reported on Monday. The separatist group, known as the Centurion Project, is under investigation by Canadian authorities after it obtained private information about more than 3 million Alberta voters. A lawyer recently told the CBC that the data breach is one of the “the most significant privacy incidents” in Canadian history.

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Airline execs brace for more Spirit-like collapses amid Trump-triggered 'Armageddon'

Airline industry executives are bracing for a worst-case "Armageddon" scenario under President Donald Trump as the Iran war is threatening critical shortages of jet fuel — and they expect that if things get worse, the industry could see more liquidations similar to what happened to Spirit Airlines earlier this year.

According to the Daily Beast, European budget carrier Ryanair's CFO Neil Sorahan told CNBC, “Do we have plans for some kind of Armageddon situation? Of course, we do, but I don’t see that coming to pass. As things stand, we’re operating a full schedule this summer, and plan to operate a full schedule into the winter period.”

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Battleground state's Supreme Court race sees bizarre last-minute ethics twist

A federal judge has blocked the body that oversees state judicial elections in Georgia from issuing ethics criticism against a pair of liberal state Supreme Court candidates, in a sudden new twist in the emerging drama in the race set to take place this week.

According to Atlanta News First, "In a temporary restraining order, U.S. Chief Judge Leslie A. Gardner said the Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) cannot issue a non-confidential 'public statement' about the allegations outlined in April notice letters to Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankin, finding that kind of late-campaign disclosure could chill protected political speech without meaningful constitutional review."

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Trump's MAGA movement flounders as GOP kingmaker sits out crucial race: report

A conservative kingmaker appears to be sitting idly by as Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) continues to battle MAGA firebrand Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, in the state's heated primary runoff, a sign that President Donald Trump's signature movement is on the fritz, according to a new report.

Leonard Leo has a deep history within Republican politics and the Trump administration. Leo built the Federalist Society into the conservative legal movement's premier organization, which has sent Trump all three of his Supreme Court nominees. Leo also has a roughly $1 billion fund available to support Republican candidates across the country, but has chosen to sit on the sidelines as Paxton and Cornyn compete for a Senate seat, the Washington Examiner reported.

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5 things to know as new details emerge about deadly shooting at San Diego Islamic Center

Two suspects and three victims have died at a shooting at the San Diego Islamic Center on Monday as more details emerged.

Investigators shared additional information about the shooting at 7050 Eckstrom Ave, just west of the 805 Freeway.

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MAGA rep loses his cool and accuses rebel Republican of 'stumping with Nazis'

A Florida congressman went on Real America's Voice on Monday and unleashed a kitchen-sink attack on fellow Republican Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) — the latest GOP lawmaker to fall in line behind President Donald Trump's all-out campaign to oust the libertarian-leaning Kentuckian in Tuesday's primary.

Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL), appearing with host Eric Bolling, hurled allegations ranging from ties to Iran to sexual misconduct involving an ex-girlfriend — and didn't stop there.

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Turning Point USA leaders deliver a stinging warning to Trump as young MAGA voters turn

The leader of Turning Point USA in a key battleground state called President Donald Trump's Iran war "distasteful" as young MAGA voters who helped elect the president have started to show signs of frustration, according to a Politico report on Monday.

Some of the youngest members among the MAGA coalition have cited skyrocketing gas prices, concerns about another long-term Middle East conflict and an overall sense of betrayal after a promise from Trump that he would refrain from those conflicts. And in interviews with six different leaders from Turning Point USA chapters, Politico found that "many of them said the president’s approach to Iran has undercut one of the central promises that animated younger right-wing voters in 2024: no new wars."

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Ex-GOP gov loses faith his party will ever 'get back to sanity'

The former Republican governor of Maryland warned on Monday that the antidote to his party's loss of sanity is getting further away as President Donald Trump's grip on the party tightens.

Larry Hogan told the Washington Post that he has left Trump's Republican Party behind as he enters what he calls his "Zen era." That comes after Hogan was unable to parlay his record-high bipartisan approval ratings into a national job, which he chalked up to Trump's efforts to remake the Republican Party in his image.

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Multiple reported dead in San Diego Islamic Center shooting including 2 suspected gunmen

Multiple people are reportedly dead in a shooting at the San Diego Islamic Center, according to MS NOW's Ayman Mohyeldin, citing a report directly from the leader of the mosque.

Based on a preliminary investigation, police believe that two men found near the mosque — dead from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds — were the suspects, two law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told CNN. Authorities are still trying to determine the details surrounding the shooting, the officials said. Police said that the threat was "neutralized" after the shooting.

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Ex-GOP lawmaker goes off as US finds itself in 'worst-case scenario' due to Trump blunders

A former lawmaker and critic of President Donald Trump slammed the president's Iran war decisions following his announcement on Monday to stop a planned military attack amid "serious negotiations" and telling the military to be ready "on a moment's notice."

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) told CNN that Trump's Truth Social post announcement stating alleged negotiations underway and that an attack had been stopped by allies was putting the United States in a bad position.

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