Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) warned 60 Minutes there is a “risk” President Donald Trump will react recklessly if the Republicans get drubbed in the midterm elections — a worry he said stems from how the president behaved before and after the January 6 Capitol Riot.

The lame duck senator dished to new correspondent Ross Douthat about the state of the Republican Party, the president, and his beef with administration officials like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during his Sunday night interview. Douthat pointed out it was a typical “tightrope” performance from Tillis, who prefers to bash Trump’s advisers than go after the president himself.

But one topic he will criticize the president for is January 6.

“Look, this was the first time in the history of this country that we had not had a completely peaceful transfer of power on that day. And that was despicable,” Tillis said. “The people that led the charge, the people that assaulted police officers, I wish they were still in prison and serving a very long sentence.”

Douthat noted it didn’t disgust him enough to convict Trump in the impeachment trial that followed, though. But the senator said it makes him worried about how the president will respond, if the GOP gets smoked in November.

“Do you have any concerns about how this same president, who you’ve been condemning for January 6 will react if Republicans have a bad night in the midterms?” Douthat asked.

“I think there’s a risk, I really do,” Tillis answered. “It would be another political unforced error if we do that.”

His interview comes a year after Tillis announced he would not be seeking reelection in 2026. Tillis made his announcement right around he broke with Trump on the One Big Beautiful Bill, and he’s gotten into it with Trump and members of his administration a handful of times since then.

Notably, he has repeatedly called for Trump to fire Hegseth, and he criticized the president’s “anti-weaponization fund” earlier this year. Trump responded by saying he was a “weak and ineffective” lawmaker who was nothing but a “QUITTER.” 

On Sunday, Tillis said he is concerned the Executive Branch does not view the Legislative Branch as a “peer” anymore. He told Douthat, “We will have a sort of dictator king if we’re not careful.”

Tillis also saved some venom for Hegseth and ex-DHS boss Kristi Noem, saying they are “probably the poster children for men and women who should never have the authority the’ve been granted.”

Douthat said there was more of that in the new book the 66-year-old Tillis has coming out on Tuesday.

At another point in the interview, when Douthat said the success of Trump’s second term ultimately falls on the president, not his advisers, Tillis said ex-President Harry Truman was fond of saying “The buck stops here.”

“It’s a good line,” Douthat said.

“I get that. But Truman had great advisers,” Tillis told him.

Watch above via CBS.

The post GOP Senator Warns There Is a ‘Risk’ Trump Will Lash Out If Republicans Get Smoked in Midterms first appeared on Mediaite.

Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker wouldn’t let the subject go when Democratic strategist Rahm Emanuel danced around whether he supported democratic socialist Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Senate race on Sunday morning.

Emanuel, who served as White House chief of staff under President Barack Obama, said he wasn’t comfortable with El-Sayed calling Israel’s campaign in Gaza a “genocide,” which prompted Welker’s line of questioning.

“If you’re going to use that term, then we gotta to have a conversation about Sudan. We gotta have a conversation about Ukraine. We gotta have a conversation about the Armenians. We gotta have a conversation about what happened in Cambodia. Having one conversation about one country means you are politicizing a term that has huge and historic moral obligations,” Emanuel said.

“Let me ask you this, because given El-Sayed’s position, given how you’re saying how complex this issue is, will you endorse Abdul El-Sayed?” Welker asked.

“Yeah, it’s a complex issue,” Emanuel said, and Welker repeated, “Will you endorse Abdul El-Sayed? Do you support him given that position?”

EMANUEL: We have massive disagreements. I support the Democrat party. I support the Democratic candidate. I’ll be going to Michigan again, I’ve been there repeatedly to help the gubernatorial candidate. I support the Democratic party position, because it happens to come up as the Supreme Court Justice Alito said he’s thinking about retiring, and I’m not playing around anymore with what they did under President Obama on the Supreme Court or what this Supreme Court did giving President Trump a get out of jail card as it relates to all the corruption which is why you’re seeing this. So the Supreme Court —

WELKER: But just to be clear do you—

EMANUEL: I just said it, I will support —

WELKER: Do you support Abdul El-Sayed?

EMANUEL: My support’s not import— I said yes. My support’s not important. It’s the Michigan voters’s support that’s important. And he needs to work on that and earn their vote.

Watch the clip above via NBC News.

The post NBC’s Kristen Welker Repeatedly Asks Rahm Emanuel If He’ll Support Dem Socialist El-Sayed first appeared on Mediaite.

(Photos via: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite and @AlexisWilkins on X)

It’s time for this fed to get wed.

FBI Director Kash Patel and his longtime girlfriend, country music singer Alexis Wilkins, announced they are engaged on Sunday, with Wilkins sharing a black-and-white photo on X of the happy couple flashing big smiles. Wilkins also flashed a look at her new ring, which she was holding up near Patel’s chest.

“Went and got the law involved,” Wilkins captioned the post, along with a diamond ring and heart emoji.

Patel re-posted it and shared the heart and ring emoji as well.

Patel and Wilkins have been together for about three and a half years, after initially meeting at a party hosted by country singer John Rich. The FBI director is 46-years-old while Wilkins is 27-years-old.

The pair have been covered a fair amount since Patel became the FBI boss in early 2025, including a report from The Bulwark last year which claimed Patel was jetting around in a government plane to watch his girlfriend perform her country tunes. Patel slammed the report, saying it was nothing more than “fake news” and “noise from uninformed internet anarchists.”

He went on, saying he would not stand for the “disgustingly baseless attacks” against Wilkins, whom he dubbed a “conservative and a country music sensation.”

More recently, Wilkins filed a defamation lawsuit against Versant, the parent company of MS NOW, and reporters Ken Dilanian and Carol Leonnig in June. She accused the reporters of publishing a “hogwash” story that implied she was intoxicated and that one of her friends was so drunk that Patel “ordered” a security detail to take her home.

It also claimed MS NOW’s “hit piece” maliciously suggested she was a “heavy drinker” by saying she was out for a “night of partying” with her friends. “This is entirely false, as Ms. Wilkins very rarely drinks, if ever,” the lawsuit said.

MS NOW moved to dismiss the case in August, and it remains pending.

The post Kash Patel Gets Engaged to ‘Country Music Sensation’ Girlfriend Alexis Wilkins first appeared on Mediaite.

The United States military scrambled to withdraw all 12 of the B-1 Air Force bombers stationed at an air base in southern England due to threats of an Iran-backed terror plot, according to multiple reports on Sunday.

Those bombers were pulled from RAF Fairford, the same air base where five suspected terrorists were arrested near last week; Sunday’s evacuation was due to a new threat. The withdrawal was a “highly unusual” move, The New York Times reported, but was “deemed so urgent that some of the planes and their flight crews left while aerial refueling aircraft were still being scrambled to support their flights to the United States.”

“While operational security precluded us from confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real-time, we can acknowledge now that all U.S. bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have redeployed to their home stations in the United States,” the Pentagon said in a statement shared with the Wall Street Journal.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported American officials were aware of an Iranian scheme to attack the bombers and kill military personnel at the base. RAF Fairford has been used by the U.S. to carry out strikes against Iran during the war.

“A branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had recruited U.K. nationals to carry out the plot” last week, the Journal reported, “which involved multiple steps including a diversion in the neighborhood nearby, according to a senior U.S. official.”

British cops were alerted to the looming attack last week at 12:45 a.m., when three suspicious vehicles were reported near the base, which is about 100 miles west of London. Fox News reported 85 homes were evacuated nearby while the Army’s bomb squad investigated the scene. The authorities pulled explosives and chemicals from one of the vans, and the five men were arrested on terrorism charges; another man was later arrested as well.

New U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham posted on X he understood the arrests would be “deeply concerning” to his fellow Brits. But he said he would “urge people not to speculate while the authorities establish the full facts.”

At the same time, President Donald Trump applauded the British authorities for doing an “amazing” job nabbing the suspects, and added the U.S. and U.K. had them “under view for a long time.”

“We had them under investigation. They were looking to do big damage to our fort, and working with the British worked out great,” Trump said.

The Journal reported on Sunday that Iran’s theocratic leaders denied plotting to attack RAF Fairford; the report noted Iran warned in July that any British bases used by the U.S. would be “legitimate target” to get attacked.

Watch CNN’s report above.

The post US Scrambles to Pull Off ‘Urgent’ Evacuation of Bombers Due to Iran-Backed Plot first appeared on Mediaite.

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten said it’s simple for the Democrats: Flip Texas, and you’ll flip the Senate… most likely.

Enten said the odds of the Democrats taking control of the Senate after the midterm elections have been “going up like a rocket” lately, and a big reason for that is progressive candidate James Talarico (D). If he can beat President Donald Trump’s preferred candidate, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, in the Lone Star State’s Senate race, the Dems become huge favorites to yank the Senate away from the GOP.

“What if James Talarico actually does the impossible and turns Texas blue?” Enten said during a Sunday segment. “Well, if James Talarico actually wins in Texas, get this, he gives Democrats a 78% chance of winning the United States Senate.”

Enten continued explaining, “The most likely seat to determine control of the United States Senate? It’s Texas. Because Democrats need to flip four seats — they need to flip four seats! — and guess which seat is number four most likely to flip? It’s Texas.”

He then pointed to his screen, showing viewers he gives Talarico a 70% shot at winning, based on his aggregation of the polls.

Enten’s segment comes as most polls haven’t been pretty for Paxton, including a Saturday poll from The New York Times showing Talarico is up by six points. The new poll followed a rough week for Paxton, which included him being heard whining on leaked audio about the first-ever Republican midterm convention that Trump hosted; Paxton griped the convention did nothing to help the GOP in the polls.

“To be honest with you, the numbers — when we did that convention — it dropped our numbers,” Paxton said. “Everybody’s numbers dropped. Right now, yeah, not good.”

On Saturday, Paxton’s soon-to-be-ex-wife Angela Paxton, a Texas state senator, put out an ad urging voters to back all Republicans.

“Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: In a general election, it’s not as much about the individual players on the team. It’s about getting the whole team across the finish line,” Angela Paxton said, without mentioning her estranged husband by name. “Either we hold every Republican seat or we hand the future of Texas to the other team. That’s why I’m voting for the Republican ticket on Nov. 3. Let’s hold the line together.”

One way to turn things around? Enten — while busting out an old school landline as a prop — suggested Paxton get on the phone and start calling donors for more money ASAP. He said Talarico has spent $31 million on ads, compard to just $352,000 for Paxton.

“No, that is not a misprint,” Enten assured viewers.

Watch above.

The post CNN Data Guru Harry Enten Says a James Talarico Victory Would Make Dems Huge Favorites to Flip Senate first appeared on Mediaite.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito told Fox News’s Shannon Bream that he has a hunch who leaked the controversial Dobbs decision before it was made public.

The 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case authored by Alito effectively overturned Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed abortion rights for nearly half a century.

Alito justified the opinion by stating that since abortion was illegal in 1868, it was never meant to be a constitutional right.

“I know this is very controversial but I thought it was perfectly clear, that the reference to liberty in the 14th Amendment adopted in 1868 did not mean that there is a constitutional right to abortion,” Alito said.

“In 1868, abortion was illegal in most of the states. And so it is unthinkable those states would ratify an amendment that rendered their own laws unconstitutional, and then continue to have those laws on the books for decades after that,” Alito said. “So, although that was a controversial decision and an important one, I think their originalism provided a clear answer.”

Bream asked about the backlash the justices received over the Dobbs decision.

“I anticipated that it would anger a great many people who believed and continue to believe strongly that there should be a constitutional right to abortion. So I understood that,” Alito said.

He continued:

I was not surprised there was such a reaction, I did not anticipate the particulars the forms that reaction would take. The most extreme forms. And I never dreamed the draft of the opinion would be leaked. That was totally unprecedented in the history of the country. It was a grave breach of the trust that everybody who worked in this building had before that point. It very predictably made the five of us in the majority targets for assassination. And nearly resulted in the assassination of my colleague Brett Kavanaugh.

“You have an opinion about who you think the leaker was?” Bream asked.

“I do have an opinion. But the evidence available at this time is not strong enough for the court, or for me, to say.”

Watch the clip above via Fox News Sunday.

The post Justice Alito Says He Has a Hunch Who Leaked the Dobbs Report first appeared on Mediaite.

Bill Maher shared his insights on Donald Trump with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria Sunday, saying he believes the president actually loathes “boring *ss kissers.”

Maher said that even though Trump continues to attack him with insults and tried to prevent him from getting the Mark Twain Prize, he’d still accept a dinner invitation.

“I’d rather be involved. You know, I’d rather have the conversation going. I still want to talk to him,” Maher said.

“If he if he invited you to dinner, you’d still, you’d go?” Zakaria asked.

“Totally, absolutely. Because look, not talking guarantees you nothing. And he is not a guy with a lot of fixed opinions. You know, people do change his mind all the time.”

Maher continued:

The first time I was with him, I tried to tell him that I thought the Obama [Iran] deal should have at least been given a chance, but he was fine talking about it. Didn’t agree. That doesn’t mat — it’s water under the bridge, fait accompli, we’re in a different place. But yeah, he does not read the briefing books. Everything is done by, “People are saying,” so, be one of the people saying. You know, he needs more people like me talking to him, not less. He, I think he actually doesn’t like the fact that all he has around him are boring *ss kissers. He’s that guy who wants you to kiss his *ss, but then he doesn’t respect you when you do, you know?

Maher added, “People don’t fear him like they once did.”

“So, you really think this is peak Trump and we’re just going to see him decline?” Zakaria asked.

“I don’t know what he can do,” Maher said. “I mean, if it really was going to be as bad as I thought it was going to be 10 years ago, he would have shut down The New York Times. The New York Times has never stopped printing everything it ever wanted to say about him. I have never pulled one punch, which is why he got mad at me again. You know, he had on somebody recently was interviewing him and they mentioned the No Kings day. And he said, ‘If I was a king, I wouldn’t be talking to you!”

“He’s funny. You got to give him that,” Maher said.

Watch the clip above via CNN.

The post Bill Maher Argues Trump Doesn’t Like Being Surrounded By ‘Boring A**-Kissers’ first appeared on Mediaite.

The New York Times opinion writer Michelle Cottle suggested President Donald Trump is to blame for the “thuggish” culture infecting America — which she said was on full display in the sordid text messages sent by the Cornell frat boys accused of gang raping a female student.

Cottle discussed the alleged rape during a roundtable panel the Sunday episode of ABC’s This Week. She said the messages sent during the alleged crime — including one guy saying there was “free p*ssy” available for other frat members — showed the president has warped the minds of millions of Americans.

“It’s a fundamental disrespect for women,” Cottle said the messages showed. “You can’t send those messages, no matter how drunk you are as a frat boy, without having some kind of misunderstanding about what women are there for and whether this is a real person you are dealing with.”

She continued, “And that, I think, starts — you know, we can go to the president for this one. I mean, we’re in a moment in this culture where the glorification of being thuggish and swaggering and mistreating women is kind of making you a cool kid.”

Her claim about Trump comes as the alleged 2024 crime has become a national news story over the past few weeks.

The Jane Doe in the case has claimed she was too inebriated to consent to the group sex and drug use she participated in. She made her rape claim weeks after texting one of her alleged perpetrators, “At the end of the day non [sic] of the sexual stuff was illegal and honestly I really liked being with u” — which, among other messages, has led to many saying the rape claims are bogus; the local DA declined to pursue charges against the seven men accused, but New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) appointed Letitia James as special prosecutor last week to probe it further.

Cottle on Sunday said the text messages from the frat boys raised “questions about responsibility and what you owe somebody, not even legally, but as a decent human being.”

Watch above.

The post NY Times Columnist Seems to Lay Blame on Trump Over Cornell 7 Case: ‘Thuggish and Swaggering’ Culture ‘Starts’ With Him first appeared on Mediaite.

President Donald Trump took time out of his rally near Dayton, OH, on Saturday night to troll CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in front of a full house at Vandalia-Butler High School.

Trump showed up to support Ohio candidates Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH), and gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy (R), who all face tight midterm races.

While repeating his talking point that America is “the hottest country” in the world, and that he has ushered in “the golden age of America,” Trump took a shot at CNN to rile up the crowd.

“Our nation is doing better now than ever before, and the fake news like CNN sitting right there, the fake news doesn’t want to write about it,” Trump said pointing at the back press area.

The crowd booed loudly and give thumbs down before breaking into chants of “f*ck CNN,” much to Trump’s delight.

The president of the United States laughed and gave thumbs up to the crowd, then waved ostensibly to Collins before shaking his head. He let the crowd go for nearly 30 seconds before pointing and saying, “She’s such an unhappy person, you know?”

“A young, nice person, but she never never smiles. She’s a very unhappy person,” Trump repeated as someone yelled out Collins’s name and others booed.

“But the fake news media they are. Refuse to talk about our record-setting numbers. So tonight, if you don’t mind, I’m going to do it myself, because if I don’t do it, nobody else is,” Trump said.

The first time Trump trolled Collins in such a manner was during an Oval Office exchange in February when she asked a question about survivors of Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump called her “the worst reporter,” before saying, “You know, she’s a young woman. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile. I’ve known you for 10 years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile on your face,” Trump said.

Collins answered, “Well, I’m asking you about survivors of Jeffrey Epstein, Mr. President.”

Trump then claimed the reason she did’t smile was because she knew she was “not telling the truth.”

“And you’re a, you’re a very dishonest organization. And they should be ashamed of you,” Trump said.

Trump recently banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House before a judge issues a temporary block, and continues to bar CNN from flying with him on Air Force One.

Watch the clip above via Real America’s Voice.

The post Trump Ohio Rally Crowd Boos CNN As He Trolls Kaitlan Collins first appeared on Mediaite.

CNN’s Jake Tapper sparred with White House economic chief Kevin Hasett Sunday over President Donald Trump’s claims that the U.S. has “the best economic numbers” ever, but that “poor public relations” are to blame for a lack of consumer confidence.

“So let’s break down the economic numbers,” Tapper began. “Growth is a modest 2.2%. Unemployment is relatively low, but ticking up a bit at 4.2%. Hiring is weak, only 29,000 jobs added in September. July and August were revised down. Inflation is at 3.4%. Prices rose 0.4% in August. Wage growth is at a five-year low. Hourly wage is down 0.3% over the past year. So assessing it here, it’s a growing economy, but hiring is slow. Wages are not keeping up with rising prices. So, what is the president talking about when he says it’s the best economic numbers ever? Is he misinformed or is he not telling the truth?”

“Well, it’s true that the polls, which have gotten the president’s success wrong every time, have been saying that people are looking a little bit depressed about the economy. But if you look at their actions, the actions speak louder than words.”

Hassett concluded “that people are really, really optimistic about the future, about their future incomes because they’re spending really, really at record levels.”

“And so then the question is, are the people wrong or the pollsters wrong? And I would say the pollsters are wrong,” Hassett added.

“If this is truly a PR problem, then when is gas going to be $3 again? When will inflation settle down to 2%?” Tapper asked.

Hassett repeated that Americans are bullish on the future and pollsters are to blame for skewed data.

“The hard data are radically inconsistent with the polls,” Hassett said. “And so, which do you believe, the government hard data or the polls that have been wrong about every single election since I can remember?”

“But the government hard data is that only 29,000 jobs were created!” Tapper offered.

“Oh, come on! That’s just last month,” but Tapper reminded him that previous months’ numbers were revised downward.

“Two years ago, President Trump said he thought he could get mortgage rates down to 3% or even lower. Last week, mortgage rates had the biggest weekly jump in four years. It’s more than 7%. Why has president trump failed to deliver on that promise?” Tapper asked.

“President Trump hasn’t failed to deliver at all. The economy is booming, and what you have to do is you have to look at the whole picture. And so what happens when the economy is booming is that people feel better about their economic circumstances, and then they go out and they spend and they buy houses, they buy cars…But the bottom line is that in the end, look at the hard data. People are buying houses.”

Watch the clip above via CNN.

The post Jake Tapper Grills WH Economic Adviser on Trump’s Boasts Of The ‘Best Economic Numbers’ Ever: ‘Is He Misinformed’ or ‘Not Telling the Truth?’ first appeared on Mediaite.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) ratcheted up his feud with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday morning by accusing him of firing military members for racist and sexist reasons.

The progressive lawmaker made the inflammatory accusation during an interview on Face the Nation. Host Margaret Brennan mentioned Hegseth is planning to cut the number of generals and admirals by 20%, before asking if Kelly had any “insight” into who he would fired or if Democrats can “stop it,” if they retake control of Congress after the midterm elections.

“Well, he often fires people because of the color of their skin or because they’re women,” Kelly said.

“He would deny that,” Brennan said.

“Of course he would deny that. I think anybody would deny that,” Kelly continued. “But it’s pretty obvious, when you have a list of seven people who don’t promote from one star to two star and five of ’em are either Black or women, it’s pretty obvious.”

Kelly went on, saying Hegseth has shown a “pattern” of targeting troops based on their race and gender. He pointed to CQ Brown, a Black Air Force General and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, getting fired soon after President Donald Trump returned to the White House as a prime example.

His claims about Hegseth come as the defense secretary has been focused on weeding out DEI initiatives from the military. Hegseth reiterated his plan during a speech last week, saying the Pentagon was no longer the “woke department.” 

“Simple translation of that — no fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals. Just warriors. Just tough, ready, committed troops,” Hegseth continued. “The War Department, as you know, is color-blind, gender-neutral, and merit-based.”

He added, “Or, as the president says to me, “Pete, central casting. I want central casting.” The ideological clowns are out. The patriotic cowboys are in, with testosterone testing on top.”

Watch above via CBS.

The post Mark Kelly Accuses Pete Hegseth of Firing People for Racist and Sexist Reasons first appeared on Mediaite.

MS NOW and @FLDemocrat42 on X

After getting grilled by Congress last week, former special prosecutor Jack Smith opted to decompress by throwing on his “No Kings” shirt and rocking out to some of his favorite anti-Trump artists this weekend.

Smith was spotted at the Power to the People Festival in Columbia, MD on Saturday, which was put together by Rage Against the Machine guitarist and socialist demonstrator Tom Morello, and featured longtime Trump critic Bruce Springsteen, who made an anti-ICE speech before belting out a tune. More on that in a minute.

But Smith seemed to be star of the show, with Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl giving him a big shoutout while breaking into “My Hero.”

“This one goes out to my new friend Jack!” Grohl yelped into the mic.

And he wasn’t the only one stoked to see Smith there. A handful of pictures of Smith in the crowd hit social media, showing Smith sporting a black Springsteen shirt declaring “No Kings.”

As for Springsteen, he bashed ICE for bringing “death and terror to the streets of Minneapolis” while on stage. Earlier this year, he released a song condemning President Donald Trump and his “federal thugs” for their crackdown on illegal immigration, following the shooting death of Alex Pretti. 

The festival’s website said it aimed to bring together “artists, fans, activists, organizations and community leaders for an unforgettable day celebrating the power of music and collective action to inspire change.” Its website said a “portion of the proceeds from all ticket sales plus 100% of the net proceeds from VIP tickets will be donated to VoteRiders,” a left-leaning organization.

All of this came less than a week after Smith was in Washington, D.C. testifying about his probes into Trump. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) went off on him at one point, accusing him of leading “disgraceful” investigations which would go down in history as the “most egregious abuse of power in the history of the Department of Justice.” The Texas conservative, as the ex-prosecutor sat across from him during his congressional testimony in Washington, D.C., claimed Smith’s “witch hunt” against Trump and other Republicans was driven by a crazed obsession with bringing down his political enemies.

“Let me say congratulations, because you have succeeded where Richard Nixon failed, which is weaponizing the Department of Justice to go after your political opponents,” Cruz said. “Congratulations.”

Watch above.

The post Jack Smith Spotted at Anti-Trump Concert Wearing ‘No Kings’ Shirt — Just Days After He Was Grilled in Senate Hearing first appeared on Mediaite.

AP Photo/Ronda Churchill

Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is demanding a retraction from The New York Times over a report that a “windfall” contract for a political donor which was approved by DHS on her last day as its leader.

According to the report, as Noem was preparing to leave DHS, the agency bought five airplanes from the donor’s firm, Daedalus Aviation Corporation, for an astronomical markup. The Times reported Daedalus chairman William Walters donated $10,000 to Noem’s political action committee American Resolve in 2024. They noted that according to the company, “Mr. Walters did not know the group was associated with Ms. Noem at the time,” but an archived look at its homepage shows it solely promoting Noem.

“The Department of Homeland Security agreed to pay the donor’s firm $108 million for a Boeing 737 airliner that had been converted into a massive private jet, complete with a stand-up bar, two bedrooms, marble showers and a table covered in manta ray skin,” the report said, adding that the firm had bought the plane just months earlier for less than $90 million.

In addition, DHS bought two Gulfstream luxury jets and two Boeing 737 passenger planes, all at a hefty markup.

The report said that Noem, who is now a special envoy at the State Department, “declined to answer specific questions about the sale or the prices that her agency had paid.”

But after the fact, Noem raged about the article on X — calling the reporting, “factually incorrect” and “libelous.”

“I write to formally request the retraction entirely or explicit correction of the article titled ‘Kristi Noem’s Agency Gave Her Donor a Lucrative Contract Just Before She Left,'” Noem wrote.

She continued:

The article’s characterization of the individual as a “donor” (confirmed not to be the case) is materially misleading and, as unsupported by the factual record, conveys a false implication of a direct financial relationship obviously intended to influence official action.

Accuracy is fundamental to responsible journalism. If the individual did not personally make political contributions to Secretary Noem, or if the term ‘donor’ instead refers indirectly to unrelated entities or legally distinct contributions, the article simply fails to meet the standards of precision expected of The New York Times.

Numerous times clarifications were made to the journalists responsible for this libelous story. Such wording unfairly prejudices readers and creates an inference of impropriety that is not supported by the underlying facts.

Notably, Noem’s response did not challenge any of the reporting on the contract itself.

Noem was fired from her DHS position in March over controversies involving immigration tactics, as well as “questions about her agency’s awarding of contracts,” the report said. More than $900 million of those contracts went to companies led by Walters.

Noem’s successor, Markwayne Mullin, “explored backing out” of the airplane deal and consulted with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, “who shared his concerns about the possible financial ramifications,” the report said. Despite any reservations, the purchase went ahead as planned.

In a statement to Mediaite, a spokesperson for the Times said, “We stand by the characterization of the political donor and his firm. As our article makes clear, the Department of Homeland Security bought five airplanes from Daedalus at a substantial markup, a deal approved during Ms. Noem’s tenure. Daedalus’s chairman is William Walters, who gave $10,000 to the American Resolve political action committee, a group that existed to support Ms. Noem.”

The post Kristi Noem Seethes After NY Times Exposé on a Plum Contract DHS Gave to a Political Donor on Her Last Day as Secretary first appeared on Mediaite.

President Donald Trump’s wild move to publicly post a Republican Senator’s cell phone number is not sitting well with other GOP members of Congress.

In an interview on Meet the Press Sunday, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) hit Trump for posting the phone number of Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) for blocking a bill that would make daylight savings time permanent.

“Call Tom on his cellphone at, 479-453-0533, and let him know,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday. “‘The Sunshine Protection Act’ was passed in the House by a Vote of 308 to 117. HAVE THE SENATE VOTE, NOW!”

Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker confronted Kennedy about the president’s post.

“How does that help the Republican Party a month out from the midterm, Senator?”

“Every now and then, there are disputes in Congress that have existential significance for the future of Western civilization — Daylight Savings Time is not one of them,” Kennedy said dryly.

Kennedy went on to call Cotton “a rock star senator.” He also referred to Trump as “my friend,” but proceeded to ding Trump for doxxing his Senate colleague.

“The president, as we know, can be sometimes … he exists loudly,” Kennedy said. “He can be tempestuous. He can go from zero to a-hole in about three seconds. I don’t think he should have given out Tom’s cell phone number. I don’t think that’s going to help convince Tom.”

Watch above, via NBC.

The post GOP Senator Hits ‘Tempestuous’ Trump for Posting His Colleague’s Cell Phone Number: ‘He Can Go from Zero to A-Hole in About 3 Seconds’ first appeared on Mediaite.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito called out a “concerted effort to intimidate the Court” moments after he’d been confronted about President Donald Trump’s attacks on his fellow Justices.

In a rare interview, Alito sat down with Fox News anchor Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday to discuss a wide range of topics. Bream referenced Trump’s recent criticisms of the Justices — on the heels of an interview with TIME published Thursday, in which Trump was asked if he regretted appointing Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch.

“Yeah,” Trump said. “What can I do? I put them in. They voted against me too often. I was very—I gave them the position of a lifetime, and they vote against me often. They vote for me too. The Democrats stick like glue—those three, they virtually never vary. You can come up with the worst thing in the world and they’ll vote as a group. And while I don’t like it, there’s something I admire about it: there’s loyalty. So they have loyalty to [former President] Barack Hussein Obama. They have loyalty to [former President Joe] Biden, even though Biden doesn’t even know who the hell they are. He wouldn’t know. He doesn’t even know what the Supreme Court is. And me, I gave them the chance of a lifetime, and it’s unfortunate what they did.”

“The president has gotten a lot of attention this week for making statements about some of your colleagues,” Bream said. “Now, he seems to be a big fan of yours. He thinks that you generally get things right. There are other times that some of the people he’s calling out now, he has had great affection and compliment for them as well.”

Bream then asked, “Do you worry about public figures making statements about the Court? Or are you guys so insulated doing your work here that it doesn’t really impact the internal conversations here?”

“I put all of that out of my mind,” Alito replied. “I trust that my colleagues put all that out of their minds. But I am concerned about the escalation in public rhetoric in general and about the things that people in important positions say about the Supreme Court as a whole and about individual justices. I’m concerned about the long-term effect of that on the standing of the Court.”

Alito did not address Trump’s comments directly — nor did he specifically reference criticisms from the Left attacking the Court’s legitimacy. Broadly, however, Alito condemned that rhetoric and made clear he believes such attacks can have a devastating impact on the Court.

“There has been a concerted effort to intimidate the court and justices on the court, to try to influence us to decide cases differently from the way in which we have been deciding them,” he said. “And I am concerned about the future of the court. I think it’s an important institution. It has not always done the right thing, but I think on the whole it has been fundamental in protecting our Constitutional structure and the rights that all Americans enjoy.”

The 76-year-old Justice was also pressed about speculation he might soon retire, but he did not offer much in response.

“I’m grateful for every day when I wake up, and I’m still here, and grateful for every day when I’ll wake up and I am still able to do the job,” Alito said. “I think it would be foolhardy to, you know, make a calculation I’m going to serve for a certain number of additional years.”

Watch above, via Fox News Sunday.

The post Justice Alito Calls Out ‘Concerted Effort to Intimidate the Court’ — Shortly After Fox Anchor Confronts Him on Trump’s Attacks Against His Colleagues first appeared on Mediaite.

President Donald Trump — in a stunning Truth Social rant Sunday — raged at Fox News for, in his view, giving short shrift to recent MAGA rallies.

In a post shortly after 9:00 a.m. ET, the president took aim at Fox & Friends for what he deemed to be insufficient coverage of his Saturday rally in Vandalia, OH — and also attacked left-leaning Fox News host Jessica Tarlov.

“Sad to see that Fox & Friends (Sunday) is not covering our packed house and incredibly enthusiastic (beyond!) Rally that took place in Ohio last night, or the ones in Alabama, Texas, or Oklahoma over the past two days,” Trump wrote. “These Election Rallies were representative of what is really happening with our great Republican Party. They were all sold out, with thousands of people trying to get in, and are absolutely phenomenal, better than ever! It’s the old undercurrent at FoxNews! Other networks are reporting about these Rallies, and really positively, like ‘crazy!’ Our people want to see our Rallies, and reports on our Rallies, on FoxNews, or they will very quickly stop watching (like I am doing right now!). Fox spends more time talking to Communists, Socialists, and Dumocrats, often without rebuttal, and MAGA is not, to put it mildly, happy. We don’t like stupid Jessica Tarlov, and all of the others, that are forced down MAGA’S throats. These Rallies are the hottest things out there, tremendous love in those sold out arenas, and nothing shows up on Fox!”

A search on the media monitoring service Snapstream shows Fox & Friends actually covered the rally moments before Trump published his post — but the coverage focused on one excerpt of the president defending data centers. And the search showed that was the only mention of Saturday’s rally on the network.

Trump went on to lace into the network for recently parting ways with Maria Bartiromo.

“Who makes these decisions at FoxNews?” Trump wrote. “Probably the same loser that fired the great Maria Bartiromo because she complained about not being allowed to cover ‘TRUMP.’ She’ll end up bigger and better than ever – watch! Cover our ‘happenings,’ and not the opposition to Greatness for America, or FoxNews will soon have the ratings of FAKE NEWS CNN or MSNOW (MSDNC).”

The president concluded his screed by threatening the network.

“Remember, Fox tried this act once before, and almost went out of business (and always right before an election!),” he wrote.
“That can happen again!”

Watch above, via Fox News.

The post Trump Loses It on Fox News in Shocking Sunday Morning Screed: MAGA is Not ‘Happy!’ first appeared on Mediaite.

Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has recently found himself on the wrong end of some viral moments. On Saturday, it happened again.

Speaking at a President Donald Trump rally in Vandalia, OH, Ramaswamy invited a young child on stage with him.

“I’ll pick you up,” Ramaswamy said to the child — attempting to lift him above the podium.

But as he tried to hoist him up, Ramaswamy nearly dropped the child, and scrambled to keep him from falling.

“Whoa!” Ramaswamy said sheepishly. “Big guy!”

Numerous observers likened the awkward moment to Michael Dukakis’s infamous 1988 photo-op inside a battle tank.

And many others on both sides of the aisle roasted the gubernatorial candidate.

The moment undoubtedly won’t help Ramaswamy as he’s locked in a tight battle with Democrat Amy Acton to succeed Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH). Most recent polls show Acton ahead by several points.

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The post Vivek Ramaswamy Roasted for Botched Attempt at Picking Up a Child During Trump Rally: ‘Worse Than Dukakis in the Tank’ first appeared on Mediaite.

With just over four weeks left until the midterm elections, Saturday Night Live went after the GOP’s roster — with punishing takes on everyone from a buzzed Pete Hegseth to a barely-moving Mitch McConnell.

The sketch was set at RNC headquarters in Washington, where top Republicans were summoned to film ads ahead of the November vote. First up was Secretary of State Marco Rubio (played by Marcello Hernández) who was asked to deliver a message to Spanish-speaking voters — and proceeded to trash President Donald Trump.

“Oh my God! He tricked us!” Rubio said in Spanish — as subtitles translated his barbs. “And he tricked me too! He said, ‘Do Venezuela. Easy. Two days. Boom, boom.’ And then he says ‘Forget Venezuela, now Iran.’ Which is it? Venezuela? Iran? Venezuela? Iran? Canada?! And everyday, the same lunch: Hamburger, hamburger, hamburger, hamburger.”

Senator Mitch McConnell (played by Mikey Day) was then wheeled in to film his commercial. And the Kentucky senator — mouth agape — sat frozen for 20 seconds before flashing a peace sign. He was then prompted to “say the line.”

“Live from New York, it’s—”

“No, no, no,” a consultant told him. “Not yet, not yet.”

McConnell was wheeled off and Pete Hegseth — portrayed by Colin Jost — stormed on set while shotgunning a beer.

“What’s up, schlong donkeys?” Hegseth said. “Now listen up, OK? ‘Cause I need all you patriots at home to do the gayest thing ever and vote!

The Defense Secretary then performed a slam poem spoofing his address to troops earlier this week.

“No DEI, no guy-on-guy,” Hegseth said. “No fatsos, no fuggos. No camel toes. No weirdos, no beardos. No Jills who became Joes.”

President Trump (played by James Austin Johnson) closed out the seven-minute sketch by swiping at the $5,000 payout which he has promised to adult Americans if Republicans win the midterms.

“We’re getting boned out there!” Trump said. “But not for long, because I have a solution. If the Republicans win, I’ll give everyone $5,000. And that is not a bribe, because I have no intention of following through on that promise.”

Watch above, via NBC.

The post SNL Drags the GOP Roster — Including a Feeble Mitch McConnell — in Bruising Cold Open first appeared on Mediaite.

President Donald Trump said he doesn’t care what the polls and the “fake news” are showing: he is confident the Republicans are going to shock the world — and the Democrats, in particular — and perform much better than expected in the 2026 midterm elections.

The president struck an optimistic tone while rallying for the GOP in Vandalia, Ohio on Saturday evening. He said Republicans will be just fine, as long as conservatives don’t stay at home on Election Day.

“They’re in for a big surprise. It’s very simple: You gotta get out and vote. You gotta get out. You gotta vote for these guys,” Trump urged. “If you do that, we’re gonna win and we’re gonna win big.”

Trump then lifted his right arm and gestured to the reporters at the event, whom he accused of working with the “Dumocrats” to rig the election.

“And we’re gonna shove it up their a**, okay?” Trump declared.

The feisty comment drew a big roar from the MAGA crowd. It came as the president bashed some of his favorite targets, from CNN star Kaitlan Collins to ex-Vice President Kamala Harris to progressive Texas Senate candidate James Talarico (D).

Trump mocked “Talafreako” for being a “vegan all his life,” only to pivot and start going to barbecues “all the time” to cynically appeal to Texans.

“What they don’t show is he goes to the back of the tent every time and he’s throwing up all over the place,” Trump quipped. “He’s not for meat.”

As for Collins, Trump kept his feud going with the anchor by calling her out — a move which prompted some hearty boos from the crowd.

“She’s such an unhappy person,” Trump said. “She’s a young, nice person, but she never smiles. She’s a very unhappy person.”

The president added the Dems are pushing anti-American ideas, like the “mutilization” of children and by opposing voter ID laws. He said it is critical Ohioans get out and vote for Sen. John Husted (R-OH) and gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy (R) “even if you hate” them, because it would be a travesty if Democrats won.

Trump’s stumping in Ohio comes as pretty much every major poll shows the Dems ahead of Republicans on the generic congressional ballot. The Dem lead comes even after CNN chief data guru Harry Enten reported liberals “despise” party leaders like Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

To make sure the Democrats don’t flip Congress, Trump made a simple plea to the crowd: “If you don’t mind, please pretend that I’m on the ballot.”

Watch above via LiveNow From Fox.

The post ‘We’re Gonna Shove It Up Their A**!’ Defiant Trump Predicts Republicans Will Shock the Dems and ‘Unhappy’ Kaitlan Collins first appeared on Mediaite.

Comedian Tim Dillon roasted stone-faced Peter Thiel after awards ceremony presenter Bari Weiss made an Antichrist joke at his expense.

Thiel received the Axel Springer award in Germany earlier this week for his work in digital technology, and CBS News’s Weiss used the venue to make her “foray into standup comedy,” according to Dillon.

“That’s the crowd’s reaction, take a look at the crowd — that’s Thiel and the rest of them — That’s the crowd’s reaction over at the comedy,” Dillon quipped, cutting to video of the solemn-looking group.

“She’s new! Hey, guys, she’s a beginner. How about you lighten up? She’s a beginner. She’s been running CBS News!” Dillon exclaimed in mock-defense of Weiss.

“So, Bari is now starting out in comedy, but she’s got raw talent and charisma. So, if you pair that with work ethic and then a desire to dominate the world and subjugate others, which we know she has, I think she will do actually very well in this,” Dillon said before rolling video of Weiss attempting to lighten the mood:

I want to begin tonight by thanking you all for attending my lecture on the Antichrist. For all the media journalists who are watching this or pouring over this transcript, that was a joke. I only talk about the Antichrist at my secret weekly meeting supervised by the Mossad in Tel Aviv. What’s not a joke is that I’m deeply grateful to be here in Berlin with Mathias Döpfner, a true friend and ally.

“All right, stop it right there!” Dillon demanded. “Now, Barry goes up and she’s nervous…And so, she is giving Peter Thiel some award. He’s won an award. I don’t know. He doesn’t seem happy about it and no one around him seems happy, but it’s an award at Axel Springer.”

“So, Peter Thiel is in Germany to accept a digital payment award, and Bari Weiss is hosting the event. And Bari goes out there and goes, ‘Hey, this is my speech on the Antichrist,’ playfully talking about Thiel. And then she goes, ‘No, no, no, no, no. I actually only give that at my secret meeting,’ which he has!” Dillon exclaimed.

He continued:

Peter Thiel has that secret group and everyone that was in it got outed. And she goes, “At the Mossad meetings in Tel Aviv.” Now, Palantir works with the Mossad and the CIA, and they provide a lot of weapons technology for the IDF. Peter Thiel does give lectures on the Antichrist! Peter Thiel also has a secret group!

Barry, honey, baby. Barry, sweetie, darling. Where’s the joke? Honey, it’s got to be a bit! Babycakes, sweetie, it’s got to be a bit! You can’t just go out there and say three provably true things and hope everybody laughs because of how ridiculous they are. They’re all provably true! They’re on Wikipedia! You could prove that case in court. He has a secret group, he works with the Israeli army and the Mossad, and he f*cking gives lectures on the Antichrist!

Dillon went on to give Weiss his sage advice on what to do when your comedy is “bombing” with the audience.

Watch The Tim Dillon Show above.

The post ‘Lighten Up!’ Peter Thiel Roasted By Podcaster for Stone-Faced Reaction to Bari Weiss’s Antichrist Joke first appeared on Mediaite.