A stumbling answer by Donald Trump’s lead international negotiator on Tuesday was the subject of both amusement and disbelief on MS NOW, with the entire panel wondering if the Trump hire, a commercial real estate investor, is way over his head.

During an appearance on CNBC, Steve Witkoff, who is the lead White House diplomat in negotiations dealing with both the war in Ukraine and the US war on Iran, was asked about alarming reports that Russia is giving assistance to Iran on targeting US servicemembers.

Witkoff replied, “I can tell you that yesterday, on the call with [President Trump], the Russians said they have not been sharing,” paused and added, “That’s what they said. So, we can take them at their word, but they did say that.”

He then curiously continued, “So, I, you know, that's a better question for the intel people, but let's hope that they're not sharing.”

After playing the clip on “Morning Joe,” an amused Joe Scarborough immediately pounced, looked at the camera and lectured, “You know, diplomats, you got to work with both sides. But I will just say, if Steve is watching, Steve, they lie. This is what Russians do. They think it's the smart move to always lie, lie. That's the very nature of it. They are disruptors. They count on American suckers to think that they're going to win them over by force of personality. It never happens.”

“Steve Witkoff just said, I have to take Vladimir Putin at his word. I have to take the KGB agent at his word. And remember, Steve Witkoff is the lead negotiator in the Russia-Ukraine talks, among many other places,” he added.

Co-host Willie Geist offered, "Just remember, as we think about why, perhaps we're not giving as much aid as we should be to Ukraine in the eyes of many people. The guy leading the negotiations says you have to take Russia at their word.”

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Congressional Democrats are investigating the disappearance of millions of dollars that major corporations pledged to President Donald Trump's planned presidential library through legal settlements, questioning what happened to the funds after the original receiving organization was dissolved.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), along with Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), sent letters Monday to executives at ABC, Meta, Paramount and X seeking information about the status of settlement commitments totaling at least $63 million, reported the Washington Post.

“Now it is unclear where this money has gone, exacerbating concerns about corruption that were apparent at the time of the settlement,” the lawmakers wrote.

The four companies reached legal agreements with Trump in the months following the 2024 presidential election, pledging millions to resolve claims that they had harmed him through social media restrictions or defamatory coverage. However, the designated recipient organization — the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Fund, Inc. — was administratively dissolved by Florida officials last September after failing to submit a mandatory annual report.

Three months later, the lawyer who originally incorporated the fund filed articles of dissolution, according to reporting by OpenSecrets.

A new nonprofit entity, the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, Inc., was subsequently created and reported receiving $50 million in contributions in December. However, that foundation has not publicly confirmed whether it received the corporate settlement funds.

The lawyer who incorporated the original fund referred inquiries to his former firm, Dhillon Law Group, which did not respond to questions about the dissolution. Press representatives for the four corporations and the foundation's trustee also declined to comment on the status of the settlement payments.

Presidential library nonprofits face minimal federal disclosure requirements, allowing donors — many with interests affected by White House policy — to contribute substantial sums without public accountability.

Trump has announced plans for a Miami-based library that will house a $400 million Boeing 747-8 aircraft gifted by Qatar, along with other acquisitions his allies are pursuing.

The investigation previews Democratic oversight tactics should they regain congressional control, with party leaders pledging intensified scrutiny of Trump's dealings with private companies.

Major donors to Trump's White House ballroom project — including Amazon, Google and Lockheed Martin — collectively hold billions in federal contracts before the administration.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has ripped into four so-called myths surrounding the rise in oil and gas prices in the United States.

A decision by Donald Trump to join Israel in striking Iran has seen oil prices skyrocket. The war with Iran has worried experts and economists as they remain unsure when prices will drop, though the president has said the costs will stabilize shortly. Newsom's Press Office has since taken to X and criticized four aspects of the price hike, debunking several myths with a post to the social media platform.

Newsom's Press Office wrote, "Trump launched military strikes on Iran with no plan for the fallout, and Americans are paying on average $0.56 per gallon more at the pump. Here are the facts Trump hopes you never see."

The post includes four images, one of which debunks the myth that repealing gas taxes lowers prices. Newsom's team explained, "Gas tax holidays often become windfalls for oil companies, not savings for drivers. As seen in Florida, where companies pocketed much of the benefits."

Newsom's team also pointed out their protections for drivers, which were put in place by the current Governor of California. The team cited both the SBX1-2 and the ABX1-2 as agreements that brought in "transparency and oversight rules for oil companies."

It comes after a brag from Trump's administration received further criticism from Newsom and his team.

The Rapid Response X account published a photo of a missile with the words "no mercy" written on top. A brief statement was also issued by the official government account, reading, "We have Only Just Begun to Fight."

Newsom's team wrote, "FYI this is costing the American people an extra $1.5billion at the pump this week." Newsom's team had previously criticized the government's rhetoric around the Iran war, with oil price hikes deemed an unforgivable consequence of Trump's war with Iran.

Further posts from Newsom's Press Team on Tuesday and earlier this week have suggested the president launched a strike on Iran to distract from controversies within his administration.

A picture of a graph showing the search history for the Jeffrey Epstein files has also been shared by Newsom's Press Office. The team added, "Trump's motives for his decisions over the last 2 weeks in one chart."

A war Donald Trump started, allegedly to distract from the ongoing release of Jeffrey Epstein's files, could deal his administration a harsher blow according to Jimmy Kimmel.

The talk show host believes the war with Iran is a distraction tactic utilized by the president to reduce focus on the release of convicted sex offender Epstein's files. Being named or pictured in the files is not an indication of wrongdoing, and many of those identified in the files or in previous releases related to Epstein have expressly denied any wrongdoing.

Trump's name appears frequently in the files, with Kimmel dubbing it the Trump-Epstein files. In the opening monologue of his show, the talk show veteran suggested the president had caused a bigger problem for himself than the Epstein files would have been by launching into a war with Iran.

He said, "He's going to make a huge mess and then walk away like it's the toilet in the Lincoln bathroom. Trump claims we are way ahead of schedule on the war. He's got a schedule, which means it should be over just around the time we see his taxes and the rest of the Trump-Epstein files.

"Ironically, this war he launched to distract us from those could turn out to be more damaging to him than the Trump-Epstein files themselves. They're saying this could be worse, and that would mean he would have to come up with another distraction from the war."

Kimmel went on to give Trump a new distraction tactic, joking that to distract from the war with Iran and the economic consequences, the president could release the remaining Epstein files.

Kimmel added, "If you do need that [distraction] Mr. President, I got a good one. You know what would distract us from the war? Release the unreleased Trump-Epstein files. That would be a shiny object we could gather around."

We at least know now that the fuse for the Trump administration's destruction is lit and burning fast.

Yes, the Epstein Files loom larger almost by the day, with allegations that Donald Trump attacked a 13-year-old girl, reporting on Epstein's possible murder and its cover-up, and new stories about Epstein's ranch in New Mexico and potential deaths.

But as we have seen time and again, there seems to be no "scandal" big enough to bring Trump down. The president’s corruption and abuse of women are baked in at this point. (He was found civilly liable for sexual abuse, remember, survived, and returned to office.)

The even bigger threat to Trump, the one that will unleash the necessary predicate to more devastating Epstein revelations, will come from a slumping economy and the failure to lay down the single most necessary element to starting a war, in this case against Iran — proving with evidence the underlying reason to attack and sustain American deaths and economic suffering.

This administration might never recover.

We see Trump, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and the other prominent alleged abuser of women, the never-to-be-damned-enough Secretary of "War," Peter Hegseth, all telling us Iran was "a week away" from developing a nuclear weapon and attacking the United States.

Fine. Prove it.

Twenty years ago, on the road to disastrous war in Iraq, even though they spread misinformation throughout the media, the Bush administration at least made the effort, trying to prove Iraq had a WMD program. At least they respected the American people enough to show us the sadly hung-out-to-dry Colin Powell stumbling along in testimony to the United Nations, serving to (sort of) rally his country to war.

Not Trump.

"Take our word for it," is the best Leavitt can offer:

"That's not the first time the president has said that he chose to launch Operation Epic Fury because he felt as though Iran was going to strike the United States and our assets.

"And he has said, was not going to sit back and allow the Iranian regime to threaten or to attack the United States of America any longer."

Yes, an American president is charged with defending the nation against imminent attack. Yes, the public certainly will support a war to defend ourselves and our allies. Americans will accept and endure higher gas prices, growing inflation, American deaths, even the horrific but predictable side effects of war — all war — such as the destruction of a school full of Iranian girls. The public will show a willingness to at least consider support, but only when it is respected enough to be shown proof.

That lack of respect will haunt the Trump administration.

This administration lies, steals, and covers up. If Trump stands for anything, it is that his corruption should be out in the open: accepting a plane, pushing crypto and meme-coins, indulging his self-dealing sons, his Department of Justice ignoring the law and failing to release files full of illegal redactions, all of it.

The administration simply has no credibility when it comes to the truth. The fact that it won't make even the most basic attempt at showing us the intelligence that gave Trump his "feeling" about Iran is simply devastating.

Americans don't like being "dissed." Ask the Hillary Clinton campaign, which in 2016 may have sealed its fate by calling many Trump voters "deplorables." Though she stated she didn't mean "all" Trump voters, the damage was done. Never disrespect a single voter. (Disrespect specific elements — hate the racism, the corruption, the faith-based aggression, attack it — but don't lob a personal attack, however true it may be.)

Trump's failure to bring "proof" of the need to strike Iran to Congress and the public is a statement to American voters: "You suckers aren't worth it, less 'deplorable,' more 'pathetic,' and thus unworthy of our seriousness."

In the end, this is what it gets down to. An administration so unserious as to make no effort to show us its war prevented an attack. The sneer tips the first domino, which falls hard into the next when American lives are lost, when Americans suffer pointless economic pain, and when Trump's obvious cover-up of the Epstein matter spills into the public sphere.

Trump may be immune to "scandal" but disrespecting Americans as it pertains to war and suffering at all levels is a new element. Look at the dissension in MAGA world already.

If the Epstein Files or economic collapse is the dynamite, the utter laziness — wearing a white cap at a dignified transfer of the greatest Americans, failing to bring forth anything resembling a reason for war — was the fuse.

Heading to the midterms, expect nothing more than reckless lashing out in an attempt to contain the damage. Expect, even, an attack on the election itself. The Trump White House cannot be bothered to respect Americans enough to show us one satellite photo of Iranian capabilities, one intercepted discussion between officials in Tehran, but it stands ready to bring inhuman effort to blocking a losing election. Bank on it now.

With the first dropped bomb, with the follow-up of just to "trust us," fate sets in — the rest is just timing, and the degree of blowback.

Boom.

• Jason Miciak is a former associate editor at Occupy Democrats, author, American attorney, and single-parent girldad. His soon to be released novel is available for beta readers. He can be reached at jasonmiciak@gmail.com, on "X" @JasonMiciak, and on Bluesky.

President Donald Trump appointed Erika Kirk, widow of late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, to the U.S. Air Force Academy Board of Visitors, the position her husband was set to hold before his September assassination. The appointment triggered significant social media backlash, with critics questioning Kirk's qualifications. Kirk has no military or educational leadership experience, prompting accusations of political favoritism. Conservative commentators used the appointment to highlight concerns about merit-based hiring, with some invoking DEI talking points. Social media users questioned why qualified candidates with lifetime military service were passed over. Some expressed concern about the timing and appropriateness of the appointment for a grieving widow with young children at home. The board oversees morale, discipline, curriculum, and fiscal affairs at the academy.

Watch the video below.

Sen. Lindsey Graham intervened during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Tuesday after Sen. Bernie Moreno attacked Democratic witnesses and colleague Sen. Jeff Merkley without allowing him to respond. Moreno mocked the witnesses' position on immigration law and criticized their qualifications. When Merkley attempted to respond, Moreno refused to let him speak, continuing his criticism. Merkley pointed out that Moreno was both attacking witnesses and colleagues on the dais. Graham interjected forcefully, declaring "I'm in charge!" and insisting that Moreno allow Merkley to answer questions. Merkley reminded Moreno that Republicans had blocked a bipartisan immigration reform bill in 2013, suggesting they return to collaborative efforts. He advocated for ending partisan accusations and working together to produce meaningful legislation rather than continuing contentious exchanges.

Watch the video below.

CNN host Abby Phillip silenced a MAGA columnist on Tuesday's broadcast of "NewsNight" who was defending recent comments from two GOP lawmakers that Phillip described as "anti-Muslim bigotry."

Phillip and Lydia Moynihan, a correspondent at The New York Post, got into a heated back-and-forth during a panel discussion about recent anti-Muslim remarks from two GOP lawmakers and Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-LA) refusal to condemn them. Earlier in the day, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) posted on X that "Muslims don't belong in American society." Those comments followed Rep. Randy Fine's (R-FL) remarks about the "Islamification of America."

Moynihan argued that Johnson had addressed the issue when he spoke out against people with radical ideologies who refused to assimilate into American culture.

"I think it is a great tactic to try to answer a different question than was asked, but the actual question is, is there a line, anywhere, right now, on Capitol Hill or elsewhere in the Republican movement, when it comes to anti-muslim sentiment?" Phillip asked.

Moynihan pointed out that there have been two terrorist attacks over the last week and a half. Phillip was not amused by her answer.

"What does that have to do with Muslims?" Phillip asked.

"There is a radical strain of Islam that has led to these attacks," Moynihan responded.

"What does that have to do with whether muslims belong in American society as a group?" Phillip asked.

Moynihan sat in silence.

House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered a contentious pitch to voters Tuesday at President Donald Trump's Florida resort, calling it "foolish" to vote against Republican candidates in November. This comes as an NBC News poll shows Democrats well-positioned to retake the House, with some Republicans fearing Senate losses too. Even Sen. Rand Paul predicted "disastrous" midterm results for the GOP. Johnson framed the election as a contest "between normal and crazy," claiming the Republican majority has "defied expectation and historical trends," while governing. Speaking at the Trump National Doral Miami, where membership costs $50,000 initiation plus $1,000 monthly dues, Johnson attacked Democrats as "Marxists, open socialists, the far-left insurgent politicians," pushing the party "over the edge," and leaving America behind. He vowed Republicans would defy historical odds again.

Watch the video below.

Attorney General Pam Bondi has moved into military housing after facing growing threats from cartels and irate Americans, according to a new report.

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Bondi moved out of her Washington, D.C. apartment and moved into a military base in the area. The report noted that Bondi has been facing numerous threats since the Trump administration's decision to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro in January. At the same time, a growing number of Americans are increasingly frustrated with Bondi's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, according to the report.

"Ms. Bondi is the latest administration official to move into heavily guarded quarters at military facilities in or near the nation’s capital after citing danger from criminals, adversaries overseas and protesters," the report reads in part.

"Other officials who have relocated include Stephen Miller, the president’s top domestic policy adviser and the architect of his hard-line immigration policy; Secretary of State Marco Rubio; Kristi Noem, the exiting homeland security secretary; and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth," it added.

The NYT also noted that the Trump administration is the first to take "widespread advantage of taxpayer-funded military housing to accommodate political appointees who do not have a direct connection to the military."

Read the entire report by clicking here.

One of President Donald Trump's allies in Congress left political analysts aghast on Tuesday after making a startling admission during a Fox News interview.

Rep. James Comer (R-KY) joined Jesse Watters on "Jesse Watters Prime Time," where the two discussed the ongoing investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein's ranch in New Mexico. The 7,600-acre property, known as Zorro Ranch, was mentioned in multiple allegations against Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. It was recently sold to a Trump ally named Don Huffines, a Republican state representative in Texas.

During the interview, Comer said he supported the renewed attention that the ranch was receiving and told Watters that the federal government ordered the previous investigation into the ranch to stop in 2019.

That admission raised eyebrows among political analysts, who shared their reactions on social media.

"The cover-up isn’t new, it’s ongoing," Melanie D'Arrigo, executive director of the Campaign for New York Health, posted on X.

"A DOJ coverup, potentially of murder," Norman Ornstein, contributing editor for The Atlantic, posted on X.

"So Trump’s DOJ killed the investigation. Got it," Gabe Sanchez, host of the "WhatWasThatShow," posted on X.

"That would be Trump’s DOJ under Bill Barr, Jesse," writer Polly Sigh posted on X.

An FBI memo from a 2020 interview documents a woman's account of her sexual assault. In the early 2000s, when she was 16 years old, Jeffrey Epstein took advantage of the then minor while on a speakerphone call with Donald Trump, the memo said. The woman, recruited by Epstein as a junior in high school, told FBI agents she visited his New York home three times. During the third visit, she was brought to an upstairs massage room where Epstein was on a call with Trump. According to the memo, the massage escalated into sexual assault, after which Epstein gave her $300. Trump and Epstein had a documented friendship from the 1980s until reportedly cutting ties around 2004, though a 2011 email suggests potential later contact. Trump faces no criminal charges related to the allegation. Many Epstein documents contain unverified allegations that do not constitute evidence of wrongdoing.

Watch the video below.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright lit up the internet Tuesday after his social media post about Navy tanker escorts sent oil markets into a frenzy.

The post, which has since been deleted, left Wall Street reeling from what one expert called "an unforgivable error," according to the Wall Street Journal. The tweet, which cost traders $84 million in minutes, claimed the U.S. Navy was escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, causing crude futures to nosedive. Department of Energy officials later admitted, "A video clip was deleted from Secretary Wright's official X account after it was determined to be incorrectly captioned by Department of Energy staff."

"Benchmark U.S. crude futures plunged by as much as 19% at one point," the report noted.

The bewildering blunder sparked outrage on social media.

Political strategist Kurt Bardella wrote on X, "The sheer level of ineptitude is staggering …"

Dave Itzkoff, a former culture reporter for The New York Times, shared an image on X of a scene from The Simpson with the caption, "Boy, I really bet nobody gets fired for that blunder."

Tommy Vietor, co-host of the progressive podcast Pod Save America, wrote on X, "Amateur hour."

New York Times reporter Mike Isaac wrote on X, "really funny how a cabinet secretary can be like 'im just gonna delete that tweet right quick and hope no one notices.'"

He added: "meanwhile some fund manager is considering hudsucker proxying himself running down the boardroom table."

Rosemary Kelanic, director of the Middle East program at Defense Priorities wrote on X, "Wow. Tells us a lot -- namely that market fundamentals aren't driving oil volatility, 'vibes' are."

President Donald Trump has demanded that Senate Republicans pass the SAVE America Act, his flagship voter suppression law that would put massive new restrictions on the ballot box, at all costs — and a number of MAGA supporters have come up with a theory that the GOP can defeat a Democratic filibuster by simply requiring them to hold the floor and talk the whole time.

But demanding a "Senate sleepover" is a fantasy that won't do anything, the Wall Street Journal editorial board wrote on Tuesday.

"How is the GOP supposed to get all this past the Senate’s filibuster, which requires 60 votes to end debate?" wrote the board. "There’s no good answer without changing the rules in some way to nuke the filibuster, which would be a grave mistake for Republicans. The 60-vote rule always frustrates the party in power, but it’s what stops a bare majority of Democrats from restructuring the Supreme Court and creating new states out of Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico."

As for the idea of a "talking filibuster," the board wrote, the current rules don't actually allow it — or at least, they don't allow it without massive caveats that would just tank the whole endeavor.

"Given the chamber’s rules, this vision is a mirage," wrote the board. "The reality is that Democratic Senators could take turns giving interminable speeches. Cory Booker last year went 25 hours all by himself. Meantime, Republicans would have to keep most of their Senators handy at all times, ready to answer a quorum call, meaning it would turn into an endless GOP campout. Bring your pajamas, toothbrush, and CPAP machine."

Making matters worse, the board wrote, "Democrats could offer amendments that either undermine the bill’s intent or put swing-state Republicans on the spot. Raise the minimum wage? Extend ObamaCare subsidies? What else? The talking filibuster idea 'is much more complicated and risky than people are assuming,' Majority Leader John Thune told reporters this week. He said Tuesday that Republicans lack the votes to get to a talking filibuster or sustain one if they did."

The bottom line, wrote the board, is that the "talking filibuster" just isn't an option. "If it were, Democrats would have done it already — and they’d certainly copy the maneuver next time to pass far more transformational bills than the SAVE America Act."

The Missouri Senate unanimously approved legislation Tuesday clarifying that pregnant women can get divorced, making it the first non-budget bill to be sent to Gov. Mike Kehoe this year.

The bill, filed by state Reps. Cecelie Williams, a Republican from Dittmer, and Raychel Proudie, a Democrat from Ferguson, also received unanimous approval in the House last month.

Williams, a domestic violence survivor, first shared her harrowing story of being denied the finalization of a divorce while pregnant when she presented identical legislation last year.

“The number one cause of death in pregnant women is homicide,” Williams told the Senate Families, Seniors and Health Committee on Monday. “And it’s from partner violence. If we could prevent that by allowing women to leave when they want, we absolutely shouldn’t be creating barriers in situations like that.”

One in six women who experience abuse are first harmed during pregnancy, according to estimates by the March of Dimes. Homicide is the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States and among the leading causes in Missouri.

While nothing prevents Missourians from filing for divorce while a party is pregnant, the current statute is interpreted by many courts as preventing the final dissolution of marriage from being issued until after the child is born, so that a custody agreement for that child can first be put into place.

The same bill died at the eleventh hour last session after it was returned to the House with an amendment proposed by state Sen. Mike Moon, an Ash Grove Republican, that would have required the total alimony amount received be reduced by the amount collected in social security.

Williams on Monday reiterated her belief that the bill will prevent some abortions.

“Where in anything that we stand for as Missourians would we ever allow a woman to have to make that decision,” she said, “to save herself and to sacrifice her child.”

Nobel Prize-winning economist-turned-political commentator Paul Krugman offered a grim assessment of America's economic prospects if President Donald Trump's war with Iran continues.

Krugman, who wrote a similar warning on his Substack, told MS NOW's Chris Hayes on Tuesday that the longer the war goes on, the greater the likelihood of a global energy crisis that will make the 1970s look like playtime.

"Professor, what is your read, I guess, topline on the kind of macroeconomic global economic reverberations of the big supply shock we're seeing right now with oil?" asked Hayes.

"Okay, this is potentially really terrible," said Krugman. "The current price is still assuming basically, traders are assuming that this will not go on more than another week or two. If it goes on longer, then this is — 20 percent of the world's oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, and there's really no other way for it to get to where it can be used."

"That's enormous," Krugman continued. "That's a much bigger shock to world oil supplies than the oil shocks of, of the, of the 1970s. This is just a gigantic disruption to world energy supplies. And the price can go easily, much, much higher than where it is now if it's — if it's sustained. I mean, this is — this is basically impossible and that's nasty."

Krugman did have a bit of good news to moderate his fears.

"Now, the world is less oil dependent than it was in the 1970s," he said. "We, you know, the U.S. economy is about four times as big as it was in 1973. But we burn about the same amount of oil, so we're less exposed to that. But it's still this is if you were going to concoct a recipe for somehow revisiting all of the bad things of the past 60 years of U.S. economic history, it would be what's happening right now."

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President Donald Trump's latest pick to become the nation's next surgeon general just hung "a big warning sign" on her nomination, according to one analyst.

Two weeks ago, Casey Means testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee, which is tasked with determining whether her nomination can move to a full vote. At one point in the hearing, Means seemed reluctant to acknowledge that the flu vaccine is safe and effective, which Johnathan Cohn of The Bulwark argued in a new article suggested that Means was "tailoring her statements to avoid political blowback."

"That’s a big warning sign on a nomination where the lights were already blinking bright red," Cohn added.

Means arrived in the committee with a storied past.

She is an ally of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has a history of vaccine denialism and skepticism, and reports indicate that Means has previously been paid to endorse health and wellness companies that have made unsafe products.

Cohn noted that Means's answers during the hearing call into question how she will use the surgeon general's powers to shape the national health care debate.

He also noted that Means's resume has a glaring hole, as she does not have an active medical license.

"That is meaningful ... because so much of the surgeon general’s job involves understanding the nature of medical care and getting the people who administer it to change their behavior," Cohn wrote.

Read the entire article by clicking here.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended President Trump's Iran military decision during a Tuesday briefing after CBS correspondent Nancy Cordes questioned the rationale. Cordes noted that Trump initially claimed Iran would strike U.S. targets within seven days, later reducing that estimate to three days. She asked where Trump was obtaining this information. Leavitt insisted Trump was "not making anything up" and stated his decision was based on intelligence and negotiations with Iran over the past year. She emphasized that Trump would not allow the Iranian regime to threaten or attack the United States. When Cordes asked if Trump was fabricating justifications for war, Leavitt pushed back firmly, insisting the president acted on facts and intelligence. She concluded by stating Iran "chose this path to death and destruction."

Watch the video below.

New ethics charges filed against President Donald Trump's "attack dog" could expose another one of Trump's allies, according to one expert.

On Tuesday, the D.C. Office of Disciplinary Counsel formally accused Ed Martin, Trump's pardon attorney at the Department of Justice, of ethical violations over threatening letters he sent to Georgetown University's law school regarding its diversity policies. What Martin is being accused of in the letter could also apply to another one of Trump's favorite prosecutors, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro in Washington, D.C., former federal prosecutor Harry Litman suggested during a new podcast interview.

Litman discussed Martin's ethical violations with Adam Klasfeld on a new episode of "All Rise News."

He argued that there are some similarities between Martin's case and some of Pirro's actions, such as trying to indict six sitting members of Congress for telling military members they don't have to follow illegal orders.

"On the one hand, the similarity is just the arrogance of it and the thinking, 'It doesn't matter what the law says; we have this sort of cloak of invulnerability,'" Litman said. "Even to this day, when courts rule against them, the immediate refrain is, 'You're not letting the president do what he was elected to do,' as if he was elected to violate the Constitution."

Litman also noted that another Trump ally, Attorney General Pam Bondi, appears to be aware of the inherent risks posed by the case against Martin. Bondi has proposed a rule requiring the DOJ to intervene in state disciplinary actions by the American Bar Association, which oversees legal licensure, The Hill reported.

Litman described the move as "hyper-aggressive."

"They have the criminal stuff covered; they hope they have the civil stuff covered with the Supreme Court; the last thing they have is Bar discipline," Litman said. "And the law says ... that state Bars can discipline you."

A deleted tweet from one of President Donald Trump's Cabinet members just cost traders $84 million in minutes, according to a new report.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright's accidental post about Navy tanker escorts sent oil markets into a frenzy Tuesday before disappearing into the digital void, leaving Wall Street reeling from what one expert called "an unforgivable error," the Wall Street Journal reported.

The post claimed the U.S. Navy was escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. Crude futures nosedived.

"Benchmark U.S. crude futures plunged by as much as 19% at one point. During a roughly 10-minute span when Wright’s post appeared, an exchange-traded fund linked to oil futures saw $84 million of its market capitalization evaporate," the report said.

The post vanished and Department of Energy officials later admitted, "A video clip was deleted from Secretary Wright’s official X account after it was determined to be incorrectly captioned by Department of Energy staff.

An agency spokesperson said the administration was reviewing other options to resume tanker traffic, “including the potential for our Navy to escort tankers.”

Benchmark crude settled down 12% at $83.45 a barrel Tuesday, marking the steepest one-day decline in four years. The intraday plunge to $76.73 represented a staggering 36% drop from Sunday's peak of $119.48 — the biggest two-day nosedive since the pandemic crash of April 2020.

Oil markets have become a rollercoaster of chaos, with traders whipsawed by Iranian conflict uncertainty and confusing signals from the Trump administration.

"Where's the line between fantasy and reality? It's hard to say," commodity specialist Robert Yawger observed.

Airlines tanked as well, with Delta, American, and United each dropping over 2%. Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Amin Nasser warned of “catastrophic consequences for oil markets” if energy disruptions continued.

“While we have faced disruptions in the past,” he said, “this one by far is the biggest crisis the region’s oil and gas industry has faced.”

A basic legal error could tank the Justice Department's lawsuit seeking to force Washington State to hand over its confidential voter registration data.

In a court order flagged by the liberal outlet Democracy Docket, U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kate Vaughan alerted the Justice Department that they never provided any proof that the state of Washington was properly served with their lawsuit — an oversight that would be grounds for throwing the whole case out.

"Plaintiff shall file proof of timely service upon Defendant or show cause as to why this matter should not be dismissed by March 17, 2026," wrote Vaughan in the two-page order.

This lawsuit is one of several filed around the country against states that have refused to render sensitive voter roll information that includes Social Security Numbers and other identifying information — mostly Democratic states, but also a handful of Republican ones.

All of this comes as Trump still aggressively pushes for the Republican Senate to pass his SAVE America Act, a massive crackdown on voting rights that would, among other things, require every current voter to re-register under new documentation requirements, and run those voter rolls through a Department of Homeland Security screening system notorious for errors.

Republicans don't appear to have the votes to pass it; however, under pressure, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has moved for a vote on it next week anyway.

A Louisiana Senate committee advanced two bills Tuesday that seek to criminalize disruptive protests in and near churches, but free speech advocates believe they are unconstitutional.

A judiciary committee approved Senate Bill 35 by Sen. Bill Wheat, R-Ponchatoula, and Senate Bill 306 by Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Central, sending them to the full Senate. The bills are among several filed in the wake of a Jan. 18 protest at a Minneapolis church where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer is a pastor.

Edmonds, a church pastor who is running for the 5th Congressional District seat, and Wheat acknowledged they did not know of any similar incidents in Louisiana.

“In no way are we trying to infringe upon somebody’s First Amendment protections rights that they have to protest or free speech,” Wheat told the committee. “But at the same time, I don’t think that right of free speech and the right to protest should usurp or override the right of someone to be able to worship freely.”

Both bills would impose criminal penalties on protesters who disrupt worship services, though Edmonds’ is more specific, as it lists exact ways the law would be violated.

They include:

• using force, the threat of force, physical obstruction, intentional injury or attempt injury, to intimidate or interfere with religious worship
• intentionally damaging or destroying property of a house of worship
• denying lawful freedom of movement on church property or lawful use of church facilities
• refusing to leave private property of the house of worship when requested by clergy when being disruptive
• knowingly financing, funding, or materially supporting a person engaged in these activities

Edmonds’ bill is supported by the Louisiana Family Forum and the Louisiana Baptists Office of Public Policy.

“We think this is the one that’s most qualified to meet constitutional muster,” Gene Mills, president of the Louisiana Family Forum said of Edmonds’ bill. “The right of free speech ends at the threshold of private property when it’s infringed upon, especially in a house of worship.”

Sarah Whittington, advocacy director of the ACLU of Louisiana, said she was concerned that the bills were overbroad. She also noted that the behaviors the lawmakers are seeking to criminalize are already addressed in existing law. Trespassing, damaging property and blocking exits and roadways are already illegal, Whittington said.

In the Louisiana House of Representatives, two proposals extend the existing crime of disturbing the peace to disruptive protest at churches.

Rep. Gabe Firment, R-Pollock, has a bill that goes further by exempting clergy and church-goers from being sued for physically removing someone trespassing at a house of worship.

The house bills have yet been scheduled for a committee hearing.

Federal judges remain enraged that Immigration and Customs Enforcement leadership are habitually blowing off court orders, Politico reported — and it's a huge focal point of the strain building between the federal bench and the Trump administration.

This follows months of reports that federal judges are losing decades of institutional trust that DOJ lawyers take for granted when arguing cases. According to this report, however, many judges still trust line prosecutors at DOJ — it's DOJ leadership that have no credibility with them.

"Judges in several states have recently taken pains to separate these attorneys from their bosses in Washington — and from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which they see as increasingly responsible, and unremorseful, for the rampant violations amid President Donald Trump’s mass deportation push," said the report. "The dynamic has crystallized amid a deluge of emergency lawsuits filed by ICE detainees, which have overwhelmed court dockets and frustrated judges — who have overwhelmingly rejected ICE’s detention practices as illegal."

"The flood has, in turn, put DOJ’s line attorneys in uncomfortable spots," said the report. "They’re being thrust into courtrooms without specifics, often asked to defend ICE’s detentions without details and sometimes without being able to reach their ICE counterparts to get information. They’ve missed deadlines and been scolded by judges for offering boilerplate arguments. Some DOJ attorneys have resigned or been fired, further straining understaffed offices."

Judges are increasingly speaking out about the situation.

“The judges of this District have been extraordinarily patient with the government attorneys, recognizing that they have been put in an impossible position,” wrote U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz, a George W. Bush appointee, adding the fault really lies with “the Administration sending 3000 ICE agents to Minnesota to detain people without making any provision for handling the hundreds of lawsuits that were sure to follow.”

U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz, a Joe Biden appointee, had a blunter message: “The main problem is on ICE’s side of the line. In response to the Court’s order as to going-forward compliance measures, nothing came back from ICE. Nothing about how it might improve its internal processes. Or its training. Or its supervision … No commitment to do anything at all. And no statement of ‘regret.’”

The District of Columbia Bar filed ethics charges against DOJ pardon attorney Ed Martin for sending a threatening letter to Georgetown University Law Center while serving as interim U.S. attorney. Martin questioned the school's diversity and inclusion policies, and the court filing alleges he used coercion to punish disfavored viewpoints and suppress DEI teaching. Before Georgetown could respond to his inquiries, Martin notified the school that his office would no longer employ its students as fellows, interns, or employees. D.C. Disciplinary Counsel Hamilton Fox argues these actions violated the First and Fifth Amendments by restricting the law school's free speech and religious rights. The DOJ responded by accusing the bar of partisanship. Martin, who represented January 6 rioters, previously headed the DOJ's weaponization working group before losing that position.

Watch the video below.

Matt Gaetz, a former MAGA lawmaker and ally of President Donald Trump, was stunned on Tuesday after learning who had been selected as the new Supreme Leader in Iran.

Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was selected by Iran's Assembly of Experts as the country's next leader. Khamenei has been described by experts as "his father on steroids," and the New York Times described the new Khamenei's reign as a "show of open defiance to Iran’s attackers."

Khamenei's father was killed earlier this month after the U.S. and Israel coordinated more than 100 bombing strikes across the country. The U.S. is believed to be responsible for one bomb that hit an Iranian girls' school, killing 175 civilians.

Seven U.S. soldiers have died, and more than 150 have been injured in retaliatory strikes conducted by Iran.

Gaetz reacted to the news that Mojtaba Khamenei was taking over for his father on "The Matt Gaetz Show."

"So, we killed the Ayatollah and things may have gotten worse," Gaetz said.

In the moments leading up to the bombing campaign, Trump said he had authorized the strikes to create the conditions necessary for the Iranian people to rise up and form their own government.

"For many years, you have asked for America's help. But you never got it," Trump said. "No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. Now you have a president who is giving you what you want. So let's see how you respond. America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force. Now is the time to seize control of your destiny, and to unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close within your reach. This is the moment for action. Do not let it pass."

However, Trump's decision to coordinate strikes may have backfired, as Gaetz noted that the new Khamenei's power base lies in "the most hardline military faction in the country."

A legal expert appeared astonished on Tuesday by a new report that President Donald Trump's hand-picked prosecutor in Miami is struggling to indict one of the president's political foes.

CNN reported on Tuesday that U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones in the Southern District of Florida and officials in Trump's Department of Justice have been pushing to indict former CIA Director John Brennan over his involvement in the 2016 investigation into Russia's interference in the general election. However, that push has been thwarted by weak evidence against Brennan, CNN reported.

Michael Popok, a legal expert and host of the "Legal AF" podcast, reacted to the reporting on a new video podcast.

"Donald Trump likes to get his pound of flesh any way he can get it," Popok said. "... But he still wants his bootlickers, his sycophants, his enablers like Jason Reding Quiñones to try to get those indictments."

"So, the new reporting now coming out of CNN is that it seems to be virtually very difficult — I won't say impossible because I could report tomorrow that they got some grand jury being told something to indict John Brennan — but if they do, it's under tremendous pressure being exerted on the prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida to bring this indictment," Popok said.

Popok also pointed out that Reding Quiñones was struggling to get other prosecutors in his office to sign on to the indictment, a sign that there may not be enough evidence to convince a grand jury that charges are warranted.

Doing so would also appear to violate the federal prosecutors' manual, which says prosecutors should not bring charges unless they believe they can secure and sustain a conviction on appeal, Popok noted.

"We don't talk about those in the Trump era because they're not even referred to," Popok said.

Republicans think they've cracked the code on who controls the Senate's top Republican, which they believe explains why President Donald Trump's legislative effort has failed thus far to combat baseless claims of rampant voter fraud.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE, Act is a voter eligibility bill that would require voters to provide proof of citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, to register to vote. Critics have said the requirement would suppress voter turnout by disenfranchising millions of eligible Americans who lack ready access to such documents.

The House twice passed versions of the SAVE Act, most recently on Feb. 11, with a narrow 218–213 vote. The bill then moved to the Senate, where it faced a certain Democratic filibuster and doesn't have the 60 votes needed to advance.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has publicly ruled out changing filibuster rules or using a “talking filibuster” workaround to jam it through, despite heavy pressure from Trump and House conservatives. As such, the bill has stalled in the Senate, with no clear path to passage under current rules.

Republicans on social media think they know why. The account @DataRepublican shared a flow chart on X that it claimed explained the stall.

". @PunchbowlNews would you like to comment on this business model I've reversed engineered of how you keep @LeaderJohnThune in line?" the account wrote Tuesday.

Accompanying the post was an image showing corporate sponsors sending $9 million a year to Punchbowl News, which then gets "exclusive access 'fly out days' with Thune, who refuses to change filibuster rules, keeping the SAVE Act blocked. The dubious chart claims that then helps corporations by keeping their interests protected.

MAGA fans felt the chart explained why Trump's voter fraud bid has failed, with PatriotRebel76 calling for the post to be shared "far and wide."

"Thank you @DataRepublican for showing why @LeaderJohnThune is blocking the SAVE America Act and WHO is paying him to do so! @realDonaldTrump you CANNOT trust Thune!"

MAGA fan Ruth Ann Ward wrote on X, "Hmm is Punchbowl a 'Pay to Play' network?

Popular MAGA influencer account Gunther Eagleman wrote on X simply, "This is why."

The new right-wing theory caught the attention of anti-Trump social media users, who mercilessly mocked MAGA.

The Bulwark's Will Sommer wrote on X, "Much of the right has become convinced today that Punchbowl News secretly runs Congress and is stopping the Save Act from being passed. Their evidence: this chart arguing John Thune is held under Punchbowl’s control through podcast appearances."

Andrew Feinberg, White House Correspondent for The Independent, responded sarcastically, "I always assumed this to be the case."

Senate staffer who goes by Ami wrote on X, "Thune is really just 3 punchbowl reporters in a trench coat."

Progressive analyst Molly Jong-Fast replied, "I’m obsessed."

Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) found himself plunged into controversy on Tuesday with a speech in which he suggested low-income people don't understand "navigating the real world" because they're accustomed to the government giving them handouts.

"People living in poverty are just not very experienced at navigating the real world, right?" he said. "I remember talking to one young lady who said, 'Well, I don't really know how money works at a grocery store,' because she grew up and has lived all of her adult life using SNAP cards to buy groceries. You literally have to teach people how to budget ... the buzzword today, let's face it, is 'affordability.'"

His statement quickly earned condemnation from commenters on social media, with Democrats pouncing at lightning speed.

"If anyone doesn’t know how the 'real world' works, it’s Jon Husted," posted former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who is running against Husted this year in a bid to return to Congress.

"In the last week in #OHSen, Jon Husted has: been called to testify for his central role in the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history; Claimed the war in Iran is going 'much better than anyone thought it would'; Said struggling Ohioans can’t navigate 'the real world,'" wrote Brown's communications director Lauren Chou.

"Calling Jon Husted out of touch would be an understatement," wrote the Democratic-aligned Senate Majority PAC.

"Ohio Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted shares his thoughts about people living in poverty and how they 'are just not very, um, experienced at navigating the real world,'" wrote Ohio Capital Journal opinion writer David DeWitt.

"Just when we thought Jon Husted couldn't get MORE out of touch he surprises us. Husted had the audacity to claim that people in poverty are 'not very experienced at navigating the real world,'" wrote the progressive group American Bridge.

The Trump administration subpoenaed records from Maricopa County, Arizona, continuing efforts to revisit the 2020 election despite no evidence of fraud. The move follows a January raid on Fulton County, Georgia election offices where 2020 ballots were seized. Trump has long maintained the conspiracy theory that the election was "rigged" against him. Arizona Senate President Warren Peterson stated he complied with the federal grand jury subpoena for records related to the 2020 audit. Legal experts and commentators responded with alarm on social media. Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General Harry Litman criticized Peterson for handing over records. A GOP-led 2021 audit by Cyber Ninjas actually found Biden won Maricopa County by 360 more votes than originally believed. Critics argue Trump's continued election litigation represents an abuse of federal power to undermine democratic processes.

Watch the video below.

President Donald Trump was brutally mocked by political analysts and observers on Tuesday after he announced a new oil refinery would open in Brownsville, Texas.

Earlier in the day, Trump claimed that his administration had attracted a new $300 billion investment from an Indian oil company, Reliance, to build a new refinery. However, some analysts and observers noted that Trump appeared to take credit for an investment announced under the previous Biden administration.

The announcement was made at a time when global markets were reeling from the aftershocks of the U.S. and Israel's decision to bomb Iran earlier this month. On Monday, the price of a barrel of oil hit nearly $120. In the U.S., gas prices are up more than $0.40-cents across the nation since last week, according to data from AAA.

Political analysts and observers shared their reactions on social media.

"I love how you can tell that he's having waking nightmares about the volatility in the oil market and is trying to post through it," Jacob Weindling, editor-at-large for Splinter News, posted on Bluesky.

"This project began construction in 2024 and cost between $3-$4 billion, according to the company. The refinery capacity is 160,000 [barrels per day]," Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, posted on X.

"Interesting. This company was named 'Element Fuel Holdings LLC' during the Biden years. Wonder why they changed it to a Trump slogan?????" Noah Sachtman, contributing writer for Rolling Stone, posted on Bluesky.

"If he actually cared about 'energy dominance,' he wouldn't be doing everything he can to cancel renewable energy projects," writer Thor Benson posted on Bluesky.