Tag: donald trump

Antifa Is A Domestic Terror Group. The Trump Admin Should Treat It Like One

Months of violent left-wing anti-ICE rhetoric achieved its apparently desired end state this week as an alleged Antifa cell conducted an attempted assassination of police officers outside the Praireland Detention Center, being used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a detention facility for illegal aliens.

On July 4, 11 black-garbed individuals, some equipped with body armor, ammunition, and firearms, conducted what the Department of Justice described as a “planned ambush.” Two of the attackers allegedly opened fire on ICE officers after their comrades initiated a disturbance to lure officers out of the building and into the line of fire by launching fireworks and spray painting anti-ICE slogans on nearby property. A police officer was shot in the neck but is expected to live. According to the criminal complaint filed by the Department of Justice, pamphlets on insurrectionary anarchism and propaganda materials, including a “Resist Fascism” flag, were recovered by law enforcement.

The equipment, tactics, political literature, and target selection are all consistent with Antifa, short for Anti-Fascist Action, a networked movement of anarcho-communist groups that use violence against political opponents.

For a decade now, I have been a student of this network, its origins, and ideology. As I told the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution in 2020, Antifa is the direct linear descendant of the violent communist urban guerrilla movements of the 1970s like the Weather Underground.

Like its predecessors, which also began with campus protests and street riots, Antifa has over the past several years evolved to the use of bombings, especially firebombings targeting police vehicles, pregnancy resource centers, and more recently Tesla dealerships. And to this escalation, we can now add the planned ambush of federal officers.

This was a totally foreseeable development. As a 2021 German Ministry of the Interior report noted, Antifa and related left extremists were demonstrating:

…an obvious shift away from the ‘mass militancy’ of demonstrations and towards violent acts by small groups acting covertly. Their violence has shifted to the sidelines of gatherings or is entirely independent of these events.

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Six Secret Service Agents Connected to Trump Butler Assassination Attempt Suspended

Six Secret Service agents connected to the Trump assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, last July have been suspended.

The identities of the suspended agents are not known (yet), Fox News host Jesse Watters said on Wednesday evening.

CBS News reported that the six Secret Service personnel were suspended without pay for up to six weeks then placed into restricted duty roles “with less operational responsibility.”

“We aren’t going to fire our way out of this,” Matt Quinn, Secret Service Deputy Director said in an interview CBS News. “We’re going to focus on the root cause and fix the deficiencies that put us in that situation.”

“Secret Service is totally accountable for Butler,” Quinn said. “Butler was an operational failure and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again.”

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US D-9 bulldozers worth billions of shekels arrive in Israel after Trump admin. releases shipment

A US shipment of dozens of D-9 bulldozers for IDF ground troops arrived in Israel on Wednesday, following its release by the Trump administration, the Defense Ministry confirmed.

“The shipment of D9 bulldozers is part of a broad-scale arming and military equipment effort worth billions of shekels, which the US government released and the Defense Ministry procured and transported to Israel,” Defense Ministry Director-General Maj.-Gen. (res) Amir Baram said, adding that Israel has received a number of cargo ships and aircrafts in the past several weeks.

“We must continue to strengthen our military buildup to support all of the IDF’s needs in the current campaign and in preparation for the next decade,” Baram said. 

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Jeffrey Epstein brother: Trump administration keeps putting ‘their foot further down their mouth’

Mark Epstein, the older brother of the late Jeffrey Epstein, argued Tuesday that the Trump administration keeps putting its foot “further down their mouth” amid controversy over the disgraced financier’s 2019 death by suicide.

The case has been back in headlines in recent days after the Department of Justice concluded in a memo that there is “no evidence” supporting claims Epstein was mudered.

In an interview on NewsNation’s “Cuomo,” Mark Epstein stressed his view that his brother “was most likely murdered.”

“Every time they say something or do something to try to quash the fact that he was most likely murdered, they just put their foot further down their mouth,” he told host Chris Cuomo, when asked why he doesn’t believe the administration’s latest explanation.

The older Epstein brother pointed to FBI Director Kash Patel’s rhetoric around the conspiracies and his confirmation hearing earlier this year, when the Trump official “listed his credentials as a prosecutor and other such things, and he said that it was a suicide.”

He paraphrased the remarks, recalling Patel said something to the effect of, “You know a suicide when you see it.”

“So the questions that popped into my mind was, first of all, No. 1, how many suicides has he seen? No. 1,” Mark Epstein continued. “Two, is he a forensic pathologist? Does he have a medical degree? Does he have a certificate that he passed a CPR course? Does he have a Boy Scout merit badge for first aid? What is he basing his expertise on?”

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‘We’re Impressed’: Zelensky Now Sings Trump’s Praises & CIA Director Breathes Sigh Of Relief

“They have to be able to defend themselves,” Trump said Monday, offering confirmation of his weapons to Ukraine policy U-turn. “They’re getting hit very hard. … We’re gonna have to send more weapons.”

A presidential aide to Volodymyr Zelensky has offered new insight into how Trump’s reversal came about, especially related to his phone call with the Ukrainian president held last Friday, after a prior ‘disappointing’ Putin call.

Yermak described that Trump’s decision to reverse course on the pause in weaponry was “very well received in Ukraine, especially after very substantial phone conversation” on Friday. He added in a NY Post interview that the US President clearly remains “fully supportive of continuation of the aid to Ukraine.”

“He was quite disturbed by recent strikes — they’ve been happening for more than three years — but by recent strikes, murders with drones and missiles that fall in Ukrainian cities, including the capital of Ukraine,” Yermak told the Post. “Absolutely, [Trump and Zelenskyy] are united in this. These two leaders definitely want peace, and they are absolutely against the killing.”

The latest Russian assault, being widely reported Wednesday morning, involved a staggering more than 700 drones, as well as at least a dozen cruise and ballistic missiles. Moscow indicated it is seeking to destroy military airfields and logistics hubs tied to foreign defense aid.

“We’re here to make things happen. Good deals — that’s what matters,” he said. “But let’s be honest: when Russia launches over a hundred Shahed drones almost every night, along with ballistic and cruise missiles, any delay in deliveries becomes a real concern.”

And then he hailed Trump, after his term in office started on a very rocky note with Zelensky. “We’ve seen President Trump’s recent messaging on Ukraine — and frankly, we’re impressed,” Yermak said. “No exaggeration. The clarity, the leadership, the determination — we truly appreciate it.”

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Trump Admin Walks Back Amnesty Suggestions, Says Mass Deportations Will Continue

In the face of growing criticism from the MAGA base, the Trump Administration is now walking back previous suggestions that some illegal aliens, specifically those working on farms and in hospitality, could be protected from deportation.

As we previously highlighted, Trump made remarks last week in Iowa indicating that he is considering protecting some illegals in order to help farmers who are relying on them for labor.

“You had cases where, not here, but just even over the years, where people have worked for a farm, on a farm, for 14, 15 years, and they get thrown out pretty viciously, and we can’t do it,” Trump asserted.

Trump credited his Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins for the idea, stating “You’re the one that brought this whole situation up.”

Even the most ardent Trump supporters quickly responded that this isn’t what they voted for and represents amnesty.

Now Rollins has responded in a press briefing, stating “I can’t underscore enough that there will be no amnesty, the mass deportations continue, but in a strategic way.”

“And we move the (farm) workforce toward automation and 100% American participation,” she added.

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Meteorologists: National Weather Service Had ‘Extra’ Staff During Texas Floods, Not Impacted by Trump’s Cuts

Meteorologists have argued that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Weather Service (NWS) did their jobs well during the devastating Texas flash floods — and even had “extra” staff on hand for the storm — despite Democrats’ claims that the Trump administration’s cuts to the agencies contributed to the loss of life over the holiday weekend.

Even establishment media outlets like the Associated Press (AP) have reported on the weather community’s pushback on that narrative, while the Democratic National Committee (DNC) sent out memos arguing that the Trump administration “refused to backfill key roles … likely contributing to preventable deaths and worsened devastation.”

The AP cited NWS meteorologist Jason Runyen, who said the agency’s office in New Braunfels, serving Austin, San Antonio, and the surrounding areas, had more people on duty than normal just before the flash floods occurred before sunrise on Friday.

“There were extra people in here that night, and that’s typical in every weather service office — you staff up for an event and bring people in on overtime and hold people over,” Runyen said, explaining that the office had up to five people on staff, when they would typically have two.

Not only did the NWS issue “a series of flash flood warnings in the early hours Friday before issuing flash flood emergencies — a rare alert notifying of imminent danger,” according to the AP’s Sean Murphy and Jim Vertuno, but they also put out the initial flood watch at 1:18 p.m. the day before. 

The notices “grew increasingly ominous in the early morning hours of Friday,” culminating in a 4:03 a.m. warning for “the potential of catastrophic damage and a severe threat to human life,” the AP added.

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Illness and Endless Wars

Hey, you remember that guy, right? You know, the candidate who, in his third campaign for president in 2024 insisted that he was the one who would remove this country’s “warmongers and America-last globalists” and that returning him to the White House would “turn the page forever on those foolish, stupid days of never-ending war. They never ended.”

Yes, indeed, America’s wars haven’t ended, not by a long shot, not with Donald Trump back in the White House a second time. And yes (again), he did indeed swear that he was done with such wars. But then he wasn’t thinking about Bibi Netanyahu, was he? He wasn’t thinking about Israel bombing Iran. In typical fashion, he wasn’t thinking three (two? one?) steps ahead. And now, of course, we have Iran. I know, I know, after his bombing runs against that country’s nuclear sites, there is at least what passes for a truce in place (until, of course, there isn’t). With Netanyahu once again focused on killing Palestinians in Gaza and Trump focused on… well, himself, it’s easy enough to forget that he did indeed bring American-style warfare back to a Middle East that already had an estimated 40,000-50,000 American soldiers stationed at perhaps 19 sites across the region. And mind you, he hasn’t stopped implying that there might be worse to come. (“Can it start again? I guess someday, it can. It could maybe start soon.”)

And with all of that looming, and the unpredictable Donald Trump in the White House, let TomDispatch regular Andrea Mazzarino, one of the founders of the invaluable Costs of War Project, take you on a grim voyage into what war — in fact, the wars this country has so regularly fought in this century across the Greater Middle East and Africa (where, by the way, the Trump administration is still sending American planes on remarkably regular bombing runs in Somalia at a pace that could set a Trumpian record this year) — does to our health. It isn’t pretty, believe me.

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DOJ Charges 2 People for Helping Ryan Routh’s Alleged Trump Assassination Plot

The Justice Department has charged two people in North Carolina for helping Ryan Routh obtain his SKS-style rifle as part of his alleged plot to assassinate Donald Trump last September at his Palm Beach golf course.

The co-conspirators, Tina Brown Cooper and Ronnie Jay Oxendine, were both charged in March, and have already pled guilty. Their cases have not been publicized until now.

Neither Cooper nor Oxendine knew what Routh was planning, according to court records.

According to the DOJ, Routh called Cooper, who was his employee at his roofing business, last July about procuring a rifle.

“Cooper recommended to Routh that he buy the firearm from a pawn shop, and Routh then reminded her that he was unable to purchase a firearm in his true name because he was a convicted felon. Cooper then agreed to help Routh acquire a firearm,” the DOJ stated in court records.

Cooper then reached out to Oxendine, whom she now works for at Sons Roofing Company in Greensboro.

At first, Oxendine apparently didn’t know Cooper was buying the gun for Routh. When they all showed up to his business on Aug. 2, Oxendine was surprised to see Routh, whom he hadn’t seen in over a decade and thought was living in Hawaii.

“Oxendine was outside of the business when Cooper, her daughter, and Routh arrived. Oxendine asked Cooper why Routh was there; Cooper explained that the SKS rifle was actually for Routh. Oxendine handed the SKS rifle to Routh. Routh paid Oxendine $350 in cash for the SKS rifle and paid Cooper $100 in cash for arranging the sale,” court records state.

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Trade Crackdown: 14 Countries Receive Tariff Letters Including Japan, South Korea And Thailand

  • US President Donald Trump announced plans to impose higher tariff rates of 25%-40% on key trading partners and signed an executive order holding off the new duties until Aug. 1.
  • Tariffs on Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Kazakhstan and Tunisia, would be 25%, South Africa and Bosnia 30%, Indonesia 32%, Bangladesh and Serbia 35%, Thailand and Cambodia 36%, while Laos and Myanmar would face a 40% levy.
  • Meanwhile, Trump suggested the possibility of additional trade negotiations and delays at the White House shortly after he sent out the tariff letters, as he said the notifications were “not 100% firm”. He also said the US is close in making a deal with India.
  • White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said additional letters will arrive in the coming days.

Main takeaways:

  1. the deadline was pushed towards August 1st vs. July 9th;
  2. announced new tariff levels (effective on August 1st) for 14 countries
  3. Trump said that the tariffs on each country would be separate from any “sectoral” tariffs that he imposes;
  4. we should expect more deals/letters coming: Leavitt said Trump will send more letters 

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