TV News LIES

Since Donald Trump’s first term, they have been viewed comfortingly as the “adults in the room,” a last line of defense against the impulsive whims of a president with access to the nuclear codes.

Now – after an unprecedented wave of firings that has been compared by some to Stalin’s purges – the Pentagon top brass no longer seem like such a reliable bulwark.

Since Trump returned to office in January last year, Pete Hegseth, the rumbustious defense secretary who has made it his mission to remake a military ethos he denounced as “woke”, has fired or forcibly retired 24 generals and senior commanders, with no performance-related reason given.

About 60% have been Black or female, an approach seemingly driven by the administration’s proclaimed onslaught against “DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] hires”.

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Six months out from November’s midterm US elections, Donald Trump’s disapproval rating has reached 62% – the worst of his two terms in office – according to a new Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll.

The US president received his worst ratings on the cost of living and other economic issues since launching his deeply unpopular war against Iran in February, which has plunged the global economy into an oil crisis and sent gas prices rocketing to a four-year high.

Trump achieved majority disapproval on his management of every issue measured, including Americans disapproved of his handling of that war by 66% to 32%, while a staggering 76% disapproved and only 23% approved of his handling of the cost of living. Two-thirds of Americans now feel the country is headed in the wrong direction.

The poll found Trump’s overall approval now stands at 37%, which isn’t much movement from 39% in February. But his disapproval rose to 62%, a record high across his two terms in office.

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Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) has been hospitalized but is in stable condition, a spokesperson told The Hill on Sunday.

“Mayor Rudy Giuliani is currently in the hospital, where he remains in critical but stable condition. Mayor Giuliani is a fighter who has faced every challenge in his life with unwavering strength, and he’s fighting with that same strength now. We do ask that you join us in prayer for America’s Mayor Rudy Giuliani,” said Ted Goodman, a spokesperson for Giuliani.

There has been no immediate reason given for Giuliani’s hospitalization.

President Trump on Sunday posted his support for Giuliani, who served as an adviser and personal lawyer to the president during his first term.

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Thousands have joined an economic blackout for International Workers’ Day, as part of 3,500 “May Day Strong” events across the country. Organizers have called for “no school, no work, no shopping”, with walkouts, marches, block parties and demonstrations held outside of institutions such as the New York Stock Exchange.

On Friday afternoon in Manhattan, protesters from the youth-led Sunrise Movement chained themselves to the front of the stock exchange while more sat blocking the exits to the property. They were joined by about 100 protesters before being arrested and removed about an hour later. A small crowd remained, playing music and chanting: “Tax the rich!”

Sunrise protesters also led demonstrations in other cities that ended in arrests. In Portland, they occupied a Hilton hotel lobby where Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials were allegedly staying, and in Minneapolis, six Sunrise protesters were arrested for blocking a bridge.

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A federal judge in Massachusetts on Thursday determined that President Trump’s halt on processing immigration applications for citizens of countries listed under his travel ban was unlawful, granting an injunction on a policy she determined was unfairly leaving thousands in limbo.

U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick, an appointee of former President Biden, tore into a number of Trump administration policies enacted after an Afghan man attacked two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., last year, killing one, as well as a thwarted terror attack.

Trump took a number of actions in the wake of the shooting, including new limits on seeking asylum and pausing all immigration applications, including those to gain a green card or become a citizen.

“These are thin reeds on which to rest an assertion of reasoned decisionmaking. With respect to the criminal acts planned or committed by Afghan nationals, the government makes no argument as to how two serious, but isolated, violent crimes planned by two people from one country is rationally connected with a policy stopping adjudication of benefit applications by people from 39 different countries, as well as applications for asylum by people from every country in the world,” Kobick wrote in the decision.

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As word spread on social media Saturday night about a third assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, the reaction felt oddly jaded. Some people shrugged it off — “we’ve seen this movie before” was a common refrain — while others immediately started combing for proof that the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner was staged or a false-flag operation.

The leading theory was that the shooting was orchestrated by the Trump administration for political gain before the midterms and to build support for the construction of a $400 million ballroom at the White House.

As for MAGA, the response has been relatively muted. Where there has been reaction, it’s largely mirrored Trump’s own talking points: his followers said the incident on Saturday night underscores the need for a ballroom outfitted with bulletproof glass and drone-proof ceilings.

The suspect in the shooting, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from Torrance, California, rushed the event while armed before law enforcement stopped him. While details of the event are still being released, all the available evidence, including an alleged manifesto, points to the gunman having anti-Trump motives.

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