Tag Archives: White House

Ynet News: Trump shows genocide videos to South African president, who quips: ‘Sorry I don’t have a plane to give you’

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U.S. President Donald Trump requested staff screen videos allegedly showing instances of genocide against White residents in South Africa during his meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House.

What a jerk!

Ramaphosa, who sat quietly watching videos showing politicians calling to kill white farmers, later said: “I would like to know where this is from; this I’ve never seen.” He then took a jab at Trump, saying: “I’m sorry I don’t have a plane to give you,” to which the American president responded: ‘If you had a plane to bring me, I would take it.’

Once a grifter, always a grifter.

Trump shows genocide videos to South African president, who quips: ‘Sorry I don’t have a plane to give you’
U.S. President Donald Trump requested staff screen videos allegedly showing instances of genocide against White residents in South Africa during his meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House. Ramaphosa, who sat quietly watching videos showing politicians calling to kill white farmers, later said: “I would like to know where this is from this I’ve never seen.” He then took a jab at Trump, saying: “I’m sorry I don’t have a plane to give you,” to which the American president responded: ‘If you had a plane to bring me, I would take it.’

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/p2op76beq

Axios: Qatari jet “gives the appearance of a conflict of interest” for Trump, senator says

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Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said in a Sunday interview that the pending transfer of a Qatari luxury jet “detracts from” what he saw as President Trump‘s “largely successful” Middle East trip and “gives the appearance of a conflict of interest.”

Why it matters: Paul, who has already cautioned against the possible gift to Trump, is one of a group of Republicans who have raised legal, ethical and national security concerns over the prospect of the administration accepting a jet worth roughly $400 million to potentially serve as Air Force One.

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Paul said on ABC’s “This Week” that there is “probably a perfectly legal way” the plane could be accepted, but added that he thinks the discussion has “raised more questions than I think it’s worth.”

  • Paul, who said he has in the past pushed to block arms sales to Qatar and Saudi Arabia over alleged human rights abuses, contended, “Could it color the perception of the administration if they have a $400 million plane to be more in favor of these things? Perhaps.”
  • Paul continued, “It at least gives the appearance of a conflict of interest. I don’t think it’s worth the headache.”
Qatari jet “gives the appearance of a conflict of interest” for Trump, senator says
Paul said on ABC’s “This Week” that the discussion has “raised more questions than I think it’s worth.”

https://www.axios.com/2025/05/18/trump-qatari-jet-conflict-of-interest-rand-paul

The Times: James Comey on Trump: ‘He’s the monster in a horror sequel’

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The former FBI director was sacked in 2017, four months into Donald Trump’s first term of office. Now James Comey is at the centre of an extraordinary row about his ‘86 47’ Instagram post

When I speak to James Comey about his past battles with Donald Trump, the state of America and his new novel about free speech and its consequences, the former director of the FBI is on holiday at the beach. He is in a relaxed mood, with no reason to suspect that within hours he will be engulfed in a fresh storm.

Comey, who was sacked by Trump in his first term in dramatic circumstances, had warned before the election that the idea of Donald back in the White House “bent on retribution and destroying the system is chilling”. So I ask if he had experienced any of that retribution.

“Well, not in Trump 2.0. But with the interviews I’m doing around the launch of this book, maybe I’ll get my own executive order. We’ll see,” he says lightly. “I dealt with most of my retribution in Trump 1.0, where I was investigated repeatedly. I had the most aggressive tax audit imaginable, and they ended up owing me $347, but it cost me thousands of dollars to get to that. I went through it in Trump 1.0. I was on the enemies list before there was an enemies list. Nothing so far in 2.0, but it’s early yet.”

A few hours later, he is under investigation by the Trump administration and the Maga world is alight with calls for his arrest and jailing. This comes as a consequence of a walk on the beach and a photograph posted to Instagram — then quickly deleted — of some shells arranged to form the numbers “86 47”.

James Comey on Trump: ‘He’s the monster in a horror sequel’
The former FBI director was sacked in 2017, four months into Donald Trump’s first term. Now James Comey is at the centre of a row about his ‘86 47’ Instagram post

https://www.thetimes.com/us/american-politics/article/james-comey-fbi-interview-donald-trump-monster-in-horror-sequel-sbgd9t60g

Reuters: Exclusive-Hacker who breached communications app used by Trump aide stole data from across US government

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A hacker who breached the communications service used by former Trump national security adviser Mike Waltz earlier this month intercepted messages from a broader swathe of American officials than has previously been reported, according to a Reuters review, potentially raising the stakes of a breach that has already drawn questions about data security in the Trump administration.

Reuters identified more than 60 unique government users of the messaging platform TeleMessage in a cache of leaked data provided by Distributed Denial of Secrets, a U.S. nonprofit whose stated mission is to archive hacked and leaked documents in the public interest. The trove included material from disaster responders, customs officials, several U.S. diplomatic staffers, at least one White House staffer and members of the Secret Service. The messages reviewed by Reuters covered a roughly day-long period of time ending on May 4, and many of them were fragmentary.

?url=httpswww.reuters.comworldushacker-who-breached-communications-app-used-by-trump-aide-stole-data-across-us-2025-05-21

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/hacker-who-breached-communications-app-used-by-trump-aide-stole-data-across-us-2025-05-21

Miami Herald: Supreme Court ruling on TPS stuns South Florida, leaves Venezuelan families in fear

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A U.S Supreme Court ruling that allows the Trump administration to strip deportation protections and work permits from hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans — including many Miami area residents — sent shock waves through South Florida and across the Sunshine State on Monday.

“That the U.S. would terminate the protections for Venezuelans now, when nothing has improved back home, is just unbelievable,” said Betsy Diaz, a Venezuelan-American in Hialeah whose two daughters, five grandchildren and several other relatives will lose the protections.

In a two-paragraph order, the nation’s highest court on Monday granted an emergency request from the White House to roll back a lower court judge’s order that kept in place Temporary Protected Status for about 350,000 Venezuelans. It was part of an ongoing lawsuit in federal court in San Francisco challenging the Trump administration’s February decision to revoke the protections granted to Venezuelans and other nationals from certain countries in turmoil.

The court provided no explanation for why it had lifted the lower court judge’s order, which prevented the Trump administration from removing the protections while the litigation is ongoing.

Supreme Court ruling on TPS stuns South Florida, leaves Venezuelan families in fear
“Unbelievable,” said a Venezuelan American grandmother in Hialeah

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article306751681.html

Tampa Free Press: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Says ICE Is ‘Trump’s Modern-Day Gestapo’ In Commencement Speech

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Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz compared the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel executing the Trump administration’s immigration agenda to the Gestapo in a Saturday commencement address at the University of Minnesota law school.

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Walz, the failed Democratic nominee for vice president in 2024, suggested during the speech that Trump is using ICE to implement his immigration agenda in similar fashion to how Nazi German dictator Adolf Hitler used the Gestapo secret police to target opponents, according to RealClearPolitics.

“Donald Trump’s modern-day Gestapo is scooping folks up off the streets,” Walz claimed. “They’re in unmarked vans, wearing masks, being shipped off to foreign torture dungeons—no chance to mount a defense, not even a chance to kiss a loved one goodbye, just grabbed up by masked agents, shoved into those vans, and disappeared.”

“To be clear, there’s no way for us to know whether they were actually criminals or not, because they refused to give them a trial,” Walz continued. “We’re supposed to just take their word for it.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Says ICE Is ‘Trump’s Modern-Day Gestapo’ In Commencement Speech
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz compared the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel executing the Trump administration’s immigration agenda to
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Says ICE Is ‘Trump’s Modern-Day Gestapo’ In Commencement Speech

Independent: Trump posts fake video of him hitting Bruce Springsteen with a golf ball as their spat grows

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The president has fiercely criticized Bruce Springsteen after the rocker called his administration ‘corrupt’

President Donald Trump has posted a fake video of him hitting a golf ball at singer Bruce Springsteen amid a tense public feud.

Trump posted a video to Truth Social Wednesday showing real footage of him and Springsteen that has been manipulated to depict the president striking the rock star with a golf stroke.

This immature child is our president? If Springsteen had posted a video of him striking Trump with a golf stroke, the Secret Service would be on his case investigating him.

Trump posts fake video of him hitting Bruce Springsteen with a golf ball
The president has fiercely criticized Bruce Springsteen after the rocker called his administration ‘corrupt’

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/trump-bruce-springsteen-golf-ai-video-b2755425.html

Independent: Furious Democrats call for investigation into Musk’s bid to help build Trump’s ‘$500 billion’ Golden Dome project

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Forty-two members of the opposition write to Pentagon’s Inspector General to raise conflict of interest concerns over SpaceX’s potential involvement in anti-missile project

A group of 42 Democrats has written to the Pentagon’s Inspector General demanding an investigation after it was reported that Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, could win a lucrative contract to help build President Donald Trump’s new “Golden Dome” anti-missile defense system.

Senators Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, and Tammy Duckworth have responded by expressing their concerns in a letter to acting Pentagon Inspector General Steven A Stebbins, demanding transparency about the bidding process.

“Mr Musk’s formal or informal participation in any process to award a government contract raises serious conflict of interest concerns, including the possibility that SpaceX is a top contender for the Golden Dome contract because of Mr Musk’s position in the government,” they wrote.

The project, inspired by Israel’s “Iron Dome”, was announced by President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the White House on Tuesday. The president promised it would be “fully operational” before he leaves office in January 2029 and capable of intercepting rockets, “even if they are launched from space.”

The independent Congressional Budget Office has warned that the project could cost as much as $524bn and take 20 years to build. Trump dismissed that estimate, putting the price tag closer to $175bn and insisting it could be completed in just three years, beginning with a $25bn grant to kickstart the development. That effort will be steered by Space Force General Michael Guetlein and “the brightest minds” in Silicon Valley, he said without naming the former DOGE leader.

I smell a crooked deal in the works, with the “winning” bidder already selected.

Democrats call for investigation into Elon Musk’s Golden Dome bid
Forty-two members of the opposition write to Pentagon’s Inspector General to raise conflict of interest concerns over SpaceX’s potential involvement in anti-missile project

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/elon-musk-golden-dome-trump-democrats-b2755109.html

Axios Sneak Peek: DOGE efforts face pushback at Social Security

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Some changes implemented by the Department of Government Efficiency at the Social Security Administration are reportedly being rolled back, but the agency is still struggling with fallout from the Elon Musk chainsaw.

The retreat shows the limits of DOGE’s slash-and-burn strategy at an agency that is deeply enmeshed with Americans’ lives.

DOGE efforts face pushback at Social Security
The retreat shows the limits at an agency deeply enmeshed in the lives of Americans.

https://www.axios.com/2025/05/21/social-security-efforts-doge

NBC News: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem struggles to define habeas corpus at Senate hearing

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“Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country,” Noem said. “That’s incorrect,” a Democratic senator responded.

My God, how stupid is this woman?

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem mangled a response to a question about habeas corpus at a Senate hearing Tuesday, referring to the constitutional right of due process as a “right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country.”

Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., asked Noem about the constitutional protection after noting that White House adviser Stephen Miller told reporters earlier this month that the administration was “actively looking at” suspending habeas corpus, the right to challenge an arrest or imprisonment.

“I want to clarify your position,” Hassan asked. “What is habeas corpus?”

“Well, habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country, and suspend their right to … ,” Noem responded before she was cut off by Hassan.

“That’s incorrect,” the senator said.

“Habeas corpus is the legal principle that requires that the government provide a public reason for detaining and imprisoning people. If not for that protection, the government could simply arrest people, including American citizens, and hold them indefinitely for no reason,” Hassan said, calling it a “foundational right.”

“So Secretary Noem, do you support the core protection that habeas corpus provides, that the government must provide a public reason in order to detain and imprison someone?” she asked.

Noem responded, “I support habeas corpus. I also recognize that the president of the United States has the authority under the Constitution to decide if it should be suspended or not.” 

Uhh … no, he doesn’t.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem struggles to define habeas corpus at Senate hearing
“Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country,” Noem said. “That’s incorrect,” a Democratic senator responded.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/rcna207986