Tag: donald trump

Tulsi Gabbard Breaks Silence After Trump Publicly Rebukes Her Over Her Iran Nuclear Program

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has broken her silence after President Donald Trump publicly refuted her earlier congressional testimony regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

The firestorm ignited when CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, ever the mouthpiece for the left, pressed President Trump aboard Air Force One about Gabbard’s March testimony before Congress.

“Tulsi Gabbard testified in March that the intelligence community said Iran wasn’t building a nuclear weapon,” Collins prodded, clearly fishing for a gotcha.

Trump shut her down, stating, “I don’t care what she said. I think they were very close to having one.”

Vice President JD Vance also stepped into the fray on X: “First off, Tulsi’s testimony was in March, and a lot has changed since then. Second, if you look at what she said then, her point about uranium enrichment is consistent with what I wrote above.”

Vance clarified that while Iran is permitted nuclear energy for civilian use, the regime has repeatedly violated its obligations to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), proving its intent to weaponize its nuclear program.

Gabbard, refusing to let the media twist her words, fired back in a statement shared by CNN Capitol Hill reporter Sarah Ferris and confirmed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), according to The Daily Caller.

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Trump’s approach to Africa lauded by top Republican as recent airstrikes show ‘outside the box’ thinking

The Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has lashed out at China, Russia and Iran for threatening U.S. national security interests in Africa in exclusive comments to Fox News Digital.

In a wide-ranging interview, Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, discussed the Trump administration’s approach to Africa, highlighting terrorism, war and concerns over trade on the continent. Risch emphasized the importance of Africa to the U.S. 

“The economic opportunities in Africa cannot be understated, and the United States needs to have a seat at the table regarding trade and investment in the region,” he said. “At the same time, there are serious national security challenges we need to address head on to include terrorism, widespread conflicts affecting regional stability, migration and trafficking.”

Russia, China and Iran have been criticized by Risch as being ‘malign actors’ in Africa, accused of military interventions, exploitative trade practices, and in Iran’s case, reported to be working on an agreement to extract refined “yellowcake” uranium for its controversial nuclear program.

“The malign actions of China and Russia, and even regional actors like Iran, are serious challenges to our national security interests in Africa,” Risch said. “Countering the influence of these aggressors is as much about the U.S. pursuing greater partnerships with African states as it is about responding to the challenges put forward by countries like Russia and China in Africa.”

Risch weighed in on the role of the U.S. military on the continent, saying it “is to protect the American people, first and foremost, and that goal should remain the same in Africa. We have serious security threats in Africa, and we must take them seriously. Remember, Osama bin Laden hid in Sudan, bombed our embassies there, and planned his 9/11 attack.”

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TV Networks Face Advertising Apocalypse After Trump Admin Mulls Pharma Restrictions

Last week independent Senators Bernie Sanders (VT) and Angus King (ME) introduced legislation that would ban pharmaceutical companies from promoting prescription drugs directly to consumers – including through television, radio, print, digital platforms, and social media. 

Today, Bloomberg reports that the Trump administration is now ‘discussing policies that would make it harder and more expensive for pharmaceutical companies to advertise directly to patients.’

The two policies the administration has focused in on would be to require greater disclosures of side effects of a drug within each ad — likely making broadcast ads much longer and prohibitively expensive — or removing the industry’s ability to deduct direct-to-consumer advertising as a business expense for tax purposes, these people said.

Although the US is the only place, besides New Zealand, where pharma companies can directly advertise, banning pharma ads outright could make the administration vulnerable to lawsuits, so it’s instead focusing on cutting down on the practice by adding legal and financial hurdles, according to people familiar with the plans who weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

If this happens, it would mark a major victory for Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr., who says he believes Americans consume more drugs than people in other countries due to the ability of US drug companies to directly advertise to consumers. 

While running for president, Mr. Kennedy said he would issue an executive order removing pharmaceutical ads from television, citing overmedication and industry influence on news coverage.

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Trump Says He Knows Location of Iran’s Leader, Demands ‘Unconditional Surrender’

President Trump said on Tuesday that the US knows the location of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and that he wouldn’t be killed, at least for now.

“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

In a follow-up post, Trump wrote, “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”

The president’s threats toward Khamenei come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing for the Iranian leader’s assassination, claiming that killing him would “end the conflict.” Netanyahu was also a major proponent of taking out former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

The US appears poised to formally enter the Israel-Iran war by launching strikes on Iran, specifically the Fordow nuclear site, which is buried deep underground. According to Axios, Trump was holding a meeting of his national security team this afternoon where he could approve strikes.

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Trump Shares Private Text From Mike Huckabee That Compared Iran Situation To Truman in 1945

President Trump on Tuesday shared a private text message from US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee that compared the president’s decision related to Iran with President Truman’s situation in 1945, the year he dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan.

Huckabee, a Christian Zionist who believes God gave historic Palestine to the modern state of Israel — a view that’s rejected by the majority of Christian denominations — told the president that he believes God “spared” him for this moment.

“God spared you in Butler, PA to be the most consequential President in a century—maybe ever. The decisions on your shoulders I would not want to be made by anyone else. You have many voices speaking to you Sir, but there is only ONE voice that matters. HIS voice,” Huckabee wrote.

“I am your appointed servant in this land and am available for you but I do not try to get in your presence often because I trust your instincts. No President in my lifetime has been in a position like yours. Not since Truman in 1945. I don’t reach out to persuade you. Only to encourage you,” the US ambassador added.

Huckabee continued, “I believe you will hear from heaven and that voice is far more important than mine or ANYONE else’s. You sent me to Israel to be your eyes, ears and voice and to make sure our flag flies above our embassy. My job is to be the last one to leave. I will not abandon this post. Our flag will NOT come down! You did not seek this moment. This moment sought YOU!”

Since being appointed ambassador, Huckabee has approached the issue of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory through the lens of his radical religious views. He has said he believes the US is no longer pursuing a two-state solution and suggested a Palestinian state could be carved out of a “Muslim” country.

“Does it have to be in Judea and Samaria?” Huckabee said in an interview with Bloomberg last week, using the Biblical name for the West Bank.

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California Judge Blocks Trump Admin from Dismantling State Dept’s Censorship Agencies

A federal judge in California has halted the Trump administration’s effort to dismantle the State Department’s Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (R-FIMI) Hub, formerly known as the Global Engagement Center (GEC).

In a June 13 order, US District Judge Susan Illston declared that the planned elimination of the unit, part of a broader push by the administration to downsize the federal government, violates an earlier injunction.

We obtained a copy of the order for you here.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio may have prematurely celebrated the end of R-FIMI back in April when he said the censorship unit was “dead.”

Despite his announcement, legal barriers remain in place, preserving the agency’s existence. For now.

Through the intervention of the federal judiciary, R-FIMI, a program with a $50 million annual budget that has drawn fire for suppressing online speech under the pretense of combating “foreign disinformation,” has been granted an unexpected lifeline.

The agency, a legacy of the Obama administration, was launched in 2016 to monitor and counter alleged foreign propaganda, particularly from Russia.

But over time, its activities expanded into domestic spheres, drawing allegations that it pressured social media platforms to silence certain political voices ahead of the 2020 election.

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Not So Fast, Netanyahu: Trump Assassination Plots Trace Back to Ukraine—Not Iran—While FBI Stonewalls on Crooks’ Encrypted Messages

On Sunday, June 15, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the explosive claim on Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier that Iran was behind the two assassination attempts on President Trump.

We beg to differ.

We, the American People, Invite the FBI & DOJ to Be Heroes of Transparency

Uncover the Explosive Ukrainian-Linked Patterns in the Trump Assassination Plots and Include the Butler Attempt by Thomas Matthew Crooks

Critical Data on Crooks’ Encrypted Communications Remains Hidden — Will the FBI & DOJ Step Up to Unveil Who Thomas Matthew Crooks Was Communicating With?

Bret Baier interviews President Trump and asks whether we will get transparency around Butler. POTUS responds, “It’s a little bit strange.”

BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA — On July 13, 2024, at approximately 6:11 p.m. EDT, former President Donald Trump became the target of an assassination attempt during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show Grounds in Pennsylvania. The assailant, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire from the roof of a nearby building, situated approximately 400 to 450 feet (about 133 to 150 yards) away from the stage.

Crooks took aim and had his target squarely in his sights, then squeezed the trigger. In a miraculous twist of fate, something caused President Trump to sharply turn his head at that precise moment the first bullet rocketed out of the chamber. It instantly pierced through his right ear and was immediately followed by a barrage of shots from his rifle — a near-fatal mark that, had he not turned at that exact instant, would almost certainly have ended his life and forever changed the course of American history.

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Trump’s Casus Belli? US Embassy Damaged By Iranian Missile Strike In Tel Aviv

In what Washington will likely see as a major escalation from the Iranian side which could open an ‘opportunity’ for direct US military involvement in the now four-day long Iran-Israel war, the US Embassy in Tel Aviv has sustained “minor damage” by an Iranian ballistic missile.

A volley of Iranian missiles targeted the area early Monday, amid a major overnight surge in missile launches on Israel out of the Islamic Republic. There are no reports which say there was any kind of direct hit.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee confirmed on X: “Some minor damage from concussions of Iranian missile hits near Embassy Branch in @TelAviv but no injuries to US personnel,” he wrote.

“Our US Embassy Jerusalem… & Consulate will officially remain closed today as shelter in place still in effect,” Huckabee announced.

The US Embassy had controversially been relocated to Jerusalem as Trump had during his first term recognized the divided city as the capital of Israel, which was fiercely contested by Palestinians and Arab nations.

However, the Tel Aviv branch has remained operational as a major consulate or embassy extension, as the Jerusalem location still undergoes the process of getting fully established.

Starting Saturday the US State Department urged family members of embassy staffers to depart the country, as well as select non-essential personnel; however, shelter in place orders have largely remained and Israel has closed air space and traffic to all inbound and outbound flights.

On Monday, there are widespread reports that dozens of US Air Force tankers have in the last several hours taken off from the United States and headed towards Europe, as also confirmed in Flightradar24 and Air Live.

The exchange of missiles and airstrikes doesn’t look to abate anytime soon, given an Iranian advisor to the IRGC Commander has also been quoted in newswires on Monday as vowing–

“We are ready for a long war and haven’t yet made strategic use of missile capabilities.”

While Israeli cities have clearly suffered serious damage, and Israel’s much touted missile defense protection system is being overwhelmed and in many instances failing, the Islamic Republic and especially Tehran and oil depots have suffered more severe damage.

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Israel’s Strikes on Iran Spark Growing Dissent in Congress

On Monday, June 16, Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced legislation, a War Powers Resolution, to prevent President Trump from using military force against Iran without Congressional authorization. This will force all Senators to go on record supporting or opposing the following: “Congress hereby directs the President to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces for hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran or any part of its government or military, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force against Iran.”

Sen. Kaine, a longtime advocate for exerting congressional authority over war, blasted Israel for jeopardizing planned U.S.-Iran diplomacy. “The American people have no interest in another forever war,” he wrote.

When Israel launched a surprise military strike on Iran last week, it did more than risk igniting a catastrophic regional war. It also exposed long-simmering tensions in Washington – between entrenched bipartisan, pro-Israel hawks and a growing current of lawmakers (and voters) unwilling to be dragged into another Middle East disaster.

“This is not our war,” declared Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), a Republican and one of the House’s most consistent antiwar voices. “Israel doesn’t need U.S. taxpayers’ money for defense if it already has enough to start offensive wars. I vote not to fund this war of aggression.” On social media, he polled followers on whether the U.S. should give Israel weapons to attack Iran. After 126,000 votes (and 2.5 million views), the answer was unequivocal: 85% said no.

For decades, questioning U.S. support for Israel has been a third rail in Congress. But Israel’s unprovoked attack on Iran – coming just as the sixth round of sensitive U.S.-Iran nuclear talks were set to take place in Oman – sparked rare and unusually direct criticism from across the political spectrum. Progressive members, already furious over Israel’s war on Gaza, were quick to condemn the new offensive. But they weren’t alone.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) called Israel’s strike “reckless” and “escalatory,” and warned that Prime Minister Netanyahu is trying to drag the U.S. into a broader war. Rep. Chuy García (D-IL) called Israel’s actions “diplomatic sabotage” and said, “the U.S. must stop supplying offensive weapons to Israel, which also continue to be used against Gaza, & urgently recommit to negotiations.”

Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) was even more blunt. “The war criminal Netanyahu wants to ignite an endless regional war & drag the U.S. into it. Any politician who tries to help him betrays us all.”

More striking, however, were the critiques from moderate Democrats and some Republicans.

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America’s Deception Strengthens Iranian Hardliners

“I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to ‘just do it,’ but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn’t get it done…. Certain Iranian hardliner’s spoke bravely, but they didn’t know what was about to happen. They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse!”

Trump made this post on the morning that Israel struck Iran. Expressing the belief that the devastating attacks on Iran would weaken Iran’s hardliners and push them to capitulate to U.S. terms and sign a nuclear deal, Trump said, “They should now come to the table to make a deal before it’s too late…. You know, the [hardliners] I was dealing with are dead.”

The belief that the strikes will weaken the hardliners and improve the chances of forcing Iran to accept a deal that eliminates their peaceful, civilian nuclear program is wrong.

As the strikes on Iran began, U.S. officials insisted that they were not involved in any way. In the first several hours, the only statement coming out of Washington was from the State Department. Though Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel had “advised” the U.S. of the action, he called the action a “unilateral action” and said the U.S. was “not involved in strikes against Iran.” Trump posted that “The U.S. had nothing to do with the attack on Iran.”

But Israeli officials told a different story. Though Iran had long been planning for an Israeli attack if nuclear negotiations with the U.S. failed, they thought they were safe while talks remained alive and continued. They did not consider an attack just days before the next round of talks.

Israeli officials not only say that that was the plan, but that the United States, and Trump specifically, were part of the deception. Shortly after the strikes began, Israeli officials claimed that, while Trump and his team publicly opposed the attack, they privately gave a “clear… green light.” They even claimed that public reports that Trump had told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a phone call not to strike Iran, “in reality the call dealt with coordination ahead of the attack.”

This claim has not been confirmed, and the U.S. has denied it. It does appear, though, that Trump gave, if not a “clear green light,” then tacit approval. 

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