President Donald Trump on Monday said he would target former President Joe Biden’s circle, calling them “evil people.”
“There were some brilliant people,” Trump said, referring to Biden’s allies in his White House. “But they’re evil people, and they’re going to be brought down. They have to be brought down ’cause they really hurt our country.”
Trump’s threat to have his political opponent’s allies “brought down” marks his latest move to potentially target political adversaries in a pattern that has alarmed critics who paint the president as pursuing retribution and say he is weaponizing the Justice Department — a claim the president has made about the Biden administration.
Biden’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump made the comments during lengthy remarks in the Oval Office, where the president and his allies made a series of claims about the impact of his anti-crime efforts in D.C. and top officials took turns heaping praise on him. While signing executive orders that aim to do away with cash bail, Trump repeatedly focused on the murder rate in the city, saying it had not seen a single person killed in 11 days — a change that he has been brandishing in recent days as he touts his administration’s efforts to address D.C. crime. That push has included federalizing the D.C. police force, deploying the National Guard and stepping up the federal law enforcement presence in the city.
Trump claimed that it has been “many years” since D.C. went a week without a murder. Publicly available crime data from the Metropolitan Police Department, however, indicate that D.C. went 16 days without a murder earlier this year, from Feb. 25 to March 12.
Trump argued that the city’s restaurants are experiencing a “boomtown,” a comment that is uncertain, as restaurant employees in a D.C. neighborhood with a large immigrant community told NBC News last week that business was declining due to Trump’s policies. His deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, who attended the signing with Vice President JD Vance, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, claimed that people in D.C. had resumed wearing jewelry and carrying purses because of Trump’s anti-crime push.
“They’re wearing jewelry again. They’re carrying purses again,” Miller said. “People had changed their whole lives in this city for fear of being murdered, mugged and carjacked. It is a literal statement that President Trump has freed 700,000 people in this city who were living under the rule of criminals and thugs.”
At the start of the operation, though, crime in D.C. was down 26% compared to last year. Many city residents, too, have slammed the deployments and said it is scaring Washingtonians.
The president has frequently claimed that Democrats weaponized the Justice Department and other law enforcement agencies against him, pointing to his criminal indictments related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents, as well as his conviction related to falsifying business records, which were dropped when he was elected to a second term. Trump repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the cases against him.
Democrats have gone after Trump’s comments, arguing that the Trump administration’s several investigations into his political foes constitute the exact weaponization that he claimed they pursued against him.
The Justice Department is investigating Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and New York Attorney General Letitia James on allegations of mortgage fraud.
James led a civil fraud case against Trump, and Schiff served as the lead House manager in Trump’s first impeachment trial. They denied any wrongdoing.
NBC News has also previously reported that the Justice Department is in the initial stages of an investigation into James’ handling of her civil fraud case against Trump, which her attorney likened to a “political retribution campaign.”
Trump also threatened Friday to fire a Federal Reserve governor, Lisa Cook, if she did not resign after facing separate accusations of mortgage fraud. Cook said she won’t step down.
On Monday night, Trump said he was removing Cook from her post. Trump has been highly critical of the Federal Reserve for not adjusting interest rates as he would like.
And late last week, the FBI searched the home of former national security adviser John Bolton. A source familiar with the matter told NBC News at the time that the search was part of a “national security investigation in search of classified records.” Bolton did not respond to NBC News’ request for comment Friday.
Also on Monday, Trump left the door open to investigating former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a staunch critic of Trump who was among the Republicans who ran against him for president. Trump was referring to a 12-year-old scandal called “Bridgegate.“
“If they want to look at it, they can,” Trump said, responding to a question about whether the White House planned to investigate Christie. “You can ask Pam. I think we have other things to do, but I always thought he got away with murder.”
On Sunday, after Christie criticized him on ABC News’ “This Week,” Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social, “For the sake of JUSTICE, perhaps we should start looking at that very serious situation again?”
Meanwhile, Trump’s allies in Congress have pushed to hear testimony from Biden’s circle about his mental acuity while in office, which Trump and Republicans claim was in decline but was covered up by the former president’s team. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., has sought testimony from Biden’s former White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor and former White House aides, including his domestic policy adviser, Neera Tanden and his deputy chief of staff, Annie Tomasini.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/-going-brought-trump-vows-go-bidens-advisers-rcna227019
Donald Trump just “poked the bear,” and now he’s “terrified,” according to a longtime thorn in the president’s side.
Adam Schiff, one of California’s two senators, the lead prosecutor in Trump’s first impeachment trial, and a January 6th Committee member, called Trump’s attacks on him a “badge of honor” in a message to supporters on Sunday.
“Unless you are part of the MAGA world, in which case you may recognize me from Trump’s frequent attacks and name calling like ‘sleazebag,’ ‘traitor,’ or more recently, ‘one of the true lowlifes in the history of politics in America,'” the senator wrote. “A true badge of honor.”
Schiff went on to call out Trump for purported attacks on democracy.
“Trump is at it again. But this time his attacks aren’t just against me, he’s going after our very democracy,” he wrote. “You see, Trump is terrified of losing his majority in the midterms. And his solution isn’t to end his pointless tariff wars, stop the indiscriminate masked ICE raids, or rethink his deeply unpopular Big Ugly Bill. It’s to demand Republicans in Texas redraw their Congressional maps.”
Schiff continued, saying, “It’s sad. It’s tragic. But if Texas acts, California must respond.”
“I was proud to stand with our Governor, Gavin Newsom, as he introduced California’s Election Rigging Response Act,” he then added. “The people of our state will vote this November. If we win, we’ll nullify anything Texas does. If we lose… then Trump may very well have two more years of unchecked power.”
The lawmaker concluded, “Donald Trump has poked the bear. It’s time to fight back.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Thursday his plans to hold a special election in November to redraw the state’s congressional districts in response to Texas’s attempts to redraw their own maps to help the GOP cling to its narrow majority in the House of Representatives.
Arriving in Los Angeles for the planned press conference/rally at the Japanese American National Museum in the early hours of Thursday morning, I thought it would be a fairly standard press event. Newsom and other state and federal lawmakers would make their remarks, lay out their plans for the new congressional maps, and make their case to voters as to why this drastic move was necessary.
The morning started off normal enough. For those who don’t work in the news or media business, covering a press conference may seem an easy, by-the-books type of thing. However, that is rarely the case, especially for any events involving political leaders. First, you must lay all bags and equipment down in a designated area for a bomb sniffing dog to sweep them, and second, depending on your position, whether it be TV cameraperson, still photographer, videographer, or print journalist, you have to jockey for position in the press area. This is particularly important for still photographers. It comes as Newsom’s press conference [was] stormed by masked Border Patrol guards with guns.
As we were ushered into the press area by Newsom’s staff, we were given specific instructions for both parts of the event. The first part, Newsom and several other state and national Democratic leaders would deliver their remarks, including Sen. Adam Schiff, Sen. Alex Padilla, and Rep. Maxine Waters. That would be followed up by a traditional press gaggle where the governor would take questions from reporters.
The day took an unexpected turn as the 30 or so reporters from every major national and local news outlet crammed into the small auditorium inside the Japanese American National Museum. Word began circulating that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Agents had appeared outside the museum. While I couldn’t confirm it then, I kept my eye on my phone to see if anyone posted about it on social media. As the event began, speakers from various labor unions and activist groups delivered remarks supporting redistricting efforts. That was until one of the speakers confirmed that Border Patrol agents were intact outside. As Sen. Schiff spoke at the podium, I decided the story had shifted from inside the event to outside.
I quickly went outside to find no Border Patrol agents in sight. (I later learned they had arrested one person and quickly departed.) What I did find was a gaggle of reporters surrounding one person. So, as any reporter would do, I quickly ran over to the area, only to find Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass sounding off at the situation, denouncing President Donald Trump, and accusing him of intentionally sending the agents to the event.
“He [Trump] did this intentionally to disrespect the governor, to disrespect this iconic museum, and to disrespect our state. Now, why is this helpful to anybody at all? At this point, this doesn’t have anything to do with immigration. This is about causing trouble in our city,” Bass said.
Speaking to witnesses, I learned that the agents had arrested one person. I later learned that it was a delivery driver delivering produce to a local restaurant in Little Tokyo. By the time I got back inside, Newsom had already begun speaking. He also called out Trump, accusing him of intentionally sending the agents to the event.
“We can’t stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district all across the country,” Newsom said. “We are not bystanders in this world. We can shape the future. Donald Trump, you have poked the bear, and we will punch back.”
Since I don’t cover events like this regularly, it’s always bizarre to see people you’re used to seeing on TV up close in person. And having even the chance to ask the governor questions during the press gaggle was a big deal to me.
As Newsom finished his remarks, the press were taken to a separate room to set up for the press gaggle. Taking my position near the front of the pack, I set up my camera to get some decent original footage. As Newsom made his way into the room, he began taking questions. My hopes of posing a question to the governor quickly vanished, as it became apparent I was a small fish in a big pond. The TV reporters barked their questions out faster than I could form the words in my mouth. Another reporter luckily asked the question I wanted to ask, regarding the Border Patrol agents converging on the event.
“Well, I think it’s pretty sick and pathetic, and it said everything you need to know about the setting that we’re under. That they chose the time, manner, and place to send their district director outside right when we’re about to have this press conference,” Newsom told reporters. “It said everything you know about Donald Trump’s America, and that was top down, you know that for a fact.”
Newsom took several more questions regarding the special elections and the new congressional maps, which he said would be presented to the public and voted on by the legislature next week. Rep. Waters also gave remarks to the gaggle but declined to take any questions.
As Newsom’s staff began to wrap things up we all were ushered outside even as many reporters, including myself, tried to follow Newsom and continue asking questions. I made my way outside, headed to my car and like most of the reporters, quickly wrote the story I would file later that day. It comes after a bizarre internet image exposed how Trump looks without his fake tan and iconic hairdo.
https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/i-went-gov-gavin-newsoms-1332122
The Smithsonian National Museum of American History on Saturday released a statement on its website announcing that it would reinstall President Donald Trump to its exhibit about impeachments, saying that it never intended his removal to be temporary.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment by email outside of normal business hours on Saturday evening.
Why It Matters
The museum removed references to Trump’s two impeachments from its exhibit on presidential impeachments last month, igniting a debate about historical accuracy and political influence in public institutions.
The controversy centered on “The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden” exhibit, which included a temporary label about Trump’s impeachments that was added in September 2021. Trump remains the only U.S. president to have been impeached twice.
During his second administration, Trump has influenced the museum, which is independent of the government but receives funding from Congress. In March, he signed an executive order to eliminate “anti-American ideology” in the museum and to “restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness.”
What To Know
The Smithsonian confirmed the temporary label remained in place until July before being removed during a review of legacy content.
In a statement posted to the museum’s website, the Smithsonian said the placard “did not meet the museum’s standards in appearance, location, timeline and overall presentation.”
“It was not consistent with other sections in the exhibit and moreover blocked the view of the objects inside its case,” the statement continued. “For these reasons, we removed the placard. We were not asked by any Administration or other government official to remove content from the exhibit.”
The museum assured that the exhibit in the coming weeks would see its impeachment section updated to reflect “all impeachment proceedings in our nation’s history.”
“As the keeper of memory for the nation, it is our privilege and responsibility to tell accurate and complete histories,” the museum wrote.
The decision to remove the placard stoked concerns in the public about possible government interference, the shaping of public memory, and the integrity of historical curation at America’s most prominent museum complex.
A Smithsonian spokesperson previously told Newsweek: “In reviewing our legacy content recently, it became clear that the ‘Limits of Presidential Power’ section in The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden exhibition needed to be addressed. The section of this exhibition covers Congress, The Supreme Court, Impeachment, and Public Opinion. Because the other topics in this section had not been updated since 2008, the decision was made to restore the Impeachment case back to its 2008 appearance.”
Why Was Donald Trump Impeached?
Trump faced two impeachment efforts by Democrats during his first administration: First on December 18, 2019, and then again on January 13, 2021—just one week before he left office. He was ultimately acquitted by the Senate both times.
The first impeachment charged Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress over his dealings with Ukraine. Both articles passed the House with no support from any Republicans, and some Democrats split from the party.
What People Are Saying
Political analyst Jeff Greenfield wrote on X: “Orwellian is a much-overused phrase; but forcing the Smithsonian to erase the fact of Trump’s impeachments is right out of 1984. Did they drop that stuff down the memory hole?”
Senator Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, posted images of media coverage about Trump’s impeachments on X, writing: “This is what Donald Trump wants you to forget. American never will.”
Former GOP Congressman and Trump critic Joe Walsh called the Post‘s report on X: “Despicable. Reprehensible. Dishonest. Cowardly. Trump’s 2 impeachments are historical facts. They are both part of American history. He’s using the powers of his office to try to rewrite history. I’m done saying ‘shame on him.’ Shame on us for electing him.”
A White House spokesperson told NPR: “We are fully supportive of updating displays to highlight American greatness. The Trump administration will continue working to ensure that the Smithsonian removes all improper ideology and once again unites and instills pride in all Americans regarding our great history.”
What Happens Next?
The Smithsonian acknowledged the need for a comprehensive update of its presidential impeachment exhibit. The institution stated the impeachment section will be revised in the coming weeks to “ensure it accurately represents all historical impeachment proceedings.”
No specific timetable was provided for when Trump’s impeachments or other new content will be permanently reintroduced.
Emil Bove, nominated by President Donald Trump for the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, fell under heavy scrutiny during his confirmation hearing. A DOJ official and Trump attorney, Bove rejected claims of being a “henchman” and defended his adherence to the rule of law. Bove drew criticism for dropping corruption charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams and questioning FBI probes into the January 6 attack.
Bove’s nomination advanced past the Senate Judiciary Committee, which voted 12-0. The Senate voted 50-48 to overcome a procedural hurdle, with Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski voting against and Senator Susan Collins expressing intent to oppose final confirmation. Bove awaits a final Senate confirmation vote for the lifetime judicial post.
Emil Bove is a Trump suck-up and a real creep. He’s the last person we want in the federal judiciary.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-nominee-wins-crucial-50-48-senate-vote/ss-AA1JlbI6
A federal agreement has allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to the personal data of nearly 80 million Medicaid enrollees, raising legal concerns. The access involves identity and location information, which critics fear will potentially impact individuals seeking medical care. The move has sparked criticism over its risk of deterring vulnerable populations from obtaining essential services.
ICE spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said, “ICE will use the CMS data to allow ICE to receive identity and location information on aliens identified by ICE.”
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A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) official said, “They are trying to turn us into immigration agents.” The official did not have permission to speak to the media and insisted on anonymity.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced legal action to block the data sharing. Eighteen states have sued President Donald Trump over the policy, which allows ICE access to data such as names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers.
Bonta said, “It is devastating to think that individuals may not seek essential medical care because they are afraid that if they do so, they may be targeted by this administration.”
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said, “The massive transfer of the personal data of millions of Medicaid recipients should alarm every American. This massive violation of our privacy laws must be halted immediately.”
ICE currently has limited access to the database during specific hours and cannot download the information. Emergency Medicaid remains available for lifesaving care regardless of immigration status.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/eighty-million-medicaid-enrollees-ice-gains-data/ss-AA1J8WxJ
President Donald Trump shared a bizarre fake video depicting the arrest and imprisonment of one of his predecessors, Barack Obama, following a furious weekend posting rampage.
Trump shared the video from a pro-MAGA TikTok user to his Truth Social platform on Sunday, after posting throughout the weekend about Tulsi Gabbard’s claims that the Obama administration engaged in a “treasonous conspiracy” to subvert his 2016 election victory.
The video opens with footage of Obama and other prominent Democrats declaring that “no one is above the law.” It then cuts to Pepe the Frog, an alt-right meme mascot, dressed as a clown and honking its nose, before showing an AI-generated sequence of Obama being arrested by the FBI during his Oval Office meeting with Trump in November 2016.
It then depicts Obama in prison in an orange jumpsuit. The arrest montage is bizarrely set to one of Trump’s favorite tunes, Village People’s “YMCA.”
It followed his director of national intelligence’s announcement on Friday that she was referring Obama administration officials to the Justice Department for prosecution over allegations they “manufactured” intelligence to promote the idea that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
Trump has posted at least 17 times about Gabbard’s announcement since Friday.
Gabbard claimed that newly declassified documents were evidence that Obama and some of his cabinet members “politicized intelligence to lay the groundwork for what was essentially a years-long coup against President Trump.”
Democrats have dismissed her claims as baseless and riddled with errors. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said it was “one more example of the director of national intelligence trying to cook the books.”
Some MAGA supporters were also skeptical and framed it as a distraction, given the timing. Gabbard’s announcement followed days of controversy over the Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which has not died down despite Trump’s best efforts to stifle it, distract from it and blame Democrats.
But many other Trump supporters have gotten on board. The Obama arrest video was shared by MAGA fans on social media Sunday night. “MAKE THIS A REALITY,” right-wing journalist Nick Sortor wrote on X, tagging Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Trump, a convicted criminal, has increasingly normalized the idea of using the Justice Department to go after political enemies. On Sunday night alone, he also floated sending Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff to prison and posted a collage depicting fake mugshots of various Obama-era officials, including James Comey, Samantha Power, and Susan Rice, wearing orange jumpsuits.
Trump was found guilty in May 2024 on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, marking the first time in U.S. history a former president has been convicted of felony crimes. He’s appealing the verdict.
The conservative-stacked Supreme Court ruled last summer that presidents have immunity from prosecution for official acts while in office, raising the bar for prosecuting Trump—and any of his predecessors—for actions taken as president.
This 34X convicted felon is totally incompetent to be our president!!!
https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-79-posts-deranged-ai-video-of-barack-obama-being-arrested
Doxing has already struck a nerve among federal agents in El Paso supporting immigration operations.
“I have experienced that with one of my employees, who was photographed during an operation. It was put out on Instagram, and the individual who had posted that had indicated that ‘the community needs to remind him where he came from,’” said Jason T. Stevens, HSI special agent in charge in El Paso.
What is clearly free speech for some can translate into a threat to others.
“My employee felt such a threat that he completely changed his appearance to be able to protect his family when he’s off-duty and out in the community with them,” Stevens said at a recent Senate committee hearing in Washington, D.C.
FBI Deputy Assistant Director Jose Perez said doxing – the act of publishing someone’s private information online without consent – can not only hurt the target but also their loved ones.
“The doxing poses tremendous vulnerability,” said Perez, who heads the Criminal Investigative Division. “One example […] In this incident, the agent was being threatened also with pictures of his children to back down on the operations that are ongoing. It is a significant threat that we are concerned with.”
California’s two U.S. senators demanded on Wednesday that the Trump administration stop using personal data of millions of Medicaid enrollees — including their immigration status — as part of its sweeping deportation campaign.
In a letter to top administration officials, Democratic Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla expressed alarm over an Associated Press report last week that detailed how deportation officials had obtained the sensitive data over the objections of career health officials. They wrote that health officials needed to stop sharing the information and that the Department of Homeland Security should “destroy any and all such data” it had obtained.
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The AP reported that CMS transferred the data last week to DHS officials. Internal CMS records obtained by the AP showed the Medicaid agency fought the request, arguing that sharing the data would violate rules and federal law. Trump appointees overruled them, giving CMS a 54-minute deadline to share the information with DHS, according to emails obtained by AP.
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“We are deeply troubled that this administration intends to use individuals’ private health information for the unrelated purpose of possible enforcement actions targeting lawful noncitizens and mixed status families,” the senators wrote.
