The Daily Beast and Texas Observer unravels a white supremacist.
Evandale, Ohio Police release body camera footage of the lead Neo Nazi who wanted to retrieve his service dog after residents of the neighboring village of Lincoln Heights rushed them out. In early February, the Neo Nazis held a protest above the Aviation Way connector overpass on Interstate 75. The city of Cincinnati and Hamilton County disavow the Neo Nazis - Patriots Front.
1. James “Jim” Joseph Rodden is the guy behind infamous X account.
So we learn that an Immigration Customs Enforcement prosecutor was outed as an online troll who has posted racist, xenophobic, homophobic and white supremacy to an audience in the tens of thousands.
Rodden went under the handle @GlomarResponder. It has since been protected and the agitator scrubbed his past postings.
Rodden allegedly made "racist, bigoted, xenophobic, hateful, harassing and dishonest" posts on an X account where he tried to hide his identity, according to a legal complaint filed against him.
Rodden — who, as of at least Wednesday, was employed by ICE as assistant chief counsel, functioning as a prosecutor — allegedly identified himself on the social media platform as Mr. X with the username @GlomarResponder, according to the complaint, which was made by J. Whitfield Larrabee, an attorney in Massachusetts.
The Texas Observer claims it has identified Rodden as the operator of the @GlomarResponder X account and published an article on Wednesday titled "ICE Prosecutor in Dallas Runs White Supremacist X Account." The publication said it identified Rodden "based on an overwhelming number of biographical details matched through publicly available documents, other social media activity, and courtroom observation."
The article was included in Larrabee's complaint and appears to be the basis for his legal filing, which doesn't include any independent evidence that Rodden is responsible for the posts made on the @GlomarResponder X account. CBS News has not independently confirmed that Rodden is connected to the account.
The posts on the X account, which has over 17,000 followers, included comments made over the last year such as "America is a white country, founded by whites,'" "'Migrants' are all criminals," and "I'm a fascist," the complaint says.
The posts "directly" relate to Rodden's work as an attorney representing the United States in removal proceedings before judges, the complaint says. Those in such proceedings are often vulnerable immigrants, refugees and political asylum applicants, and Rodden, as an assistant chief legal counsel, "plays a key role in the immigration justice system" and has a "powerful voice in Court."
"When the representative of the United States in our immigration courts is motivated by bigotry, racism, xenophobia, anti-immigrant bias and hatred of immigrants, this seriously interferes with the administration of justice and undermines the integrity of our legal system," the complaint argues.
The complaint was filed with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel in Washington, D.C., where Rodden was licensed to practice, and with the Office of Professional Responsibility for ICE, Larrabee said. It calls for an investigation and for Rodden to be suspended from practicing law.
CBS News has reached out to ICE multiple times for comment and did not receive a response as of Friday afternoon.
According to the Observer, an ICE spokesperson said in an email to the publication that the agency would not comment on the "substance" of its article "pending further investigation, to include whether the owner of the referenced 'X' account is a current employee."
"Notwithstanding, ICE holds its employees to the highest standards of professionalism and takes seriously all allegations of inappropriate conduct," the email reportedly said.
CBS News Texas reached out to Rodden at a phone number and email address listed as his in public records.
The Observer said Rodden did not respond to multiple emailed requests for comment, and that a man reached at a phone number associated with Rodden declined to confirm his identity and hung up.
"When approached in a public hallway outside the Dallas immigration court and asked to confirm receipt of the emailed requests, Rodden said only to 'call [his] press office,'" the Observer wrote.
Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX), who represents Dallas Fort-Worth in Congress, said in a post on Thursday on the platform: "James Rodden has exposed himself as a white supremacist while serving as ICE's Assistant Chief Counsel. I am demanding answers, sending a letter of inquiry, and calling for a full investigation now."
Evendale Police allowed a Neo Nazi pick up his belongings after residents chased them out of Lincoln Heights.
The Evendale Police Department announced Friday it has hired an independent team "to both review police actions and provide insights and recommendations on best practice law enforcement in today's ever-changing political and social landscape."
The department has hired 21CP Solutions, a consulting firm led by former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey.
According to the announcement, work with the independent firm is anticipated to start next week.
"We owe it to our community and all those affected by February 7 to learn from that day and strengthen trust," Evendale Mayor Richard Finan said in a press release.
Evendale police said the team it has hired is made up of a diverse group of seasoned professionals who work to help communities develop and implement equitable and integrity-driven public safety.
"Our work doesn't end with this review or the work of the county prosecutor," said Steven Berke, Evendale's vice mayor. "We will continue to provide space to address the concerns people in our area have, reaffirm out commitment to justice and stand united for dignity, respect and condemnation of hate in all forms."
Sean Smoot, managing partner with 21CP Solutions said the organization will help assist the Village of Evendale in evaluating what happened on February 7 and providing a review.
The announcement from the Village of Evendale says the village and police department are committed to full transparency in the review process. The village said it plans to provide regular updates and promises to release the findings of the report in full once the review is complete.
The village said it hopes to announce more information about the review next week; More information will also be posted online, the village said.
Ohio Representative Cecil Thomas told WCPO he's happy to hear Evendale is participating in an independent investigation, but he still doesn't think that's enough — so he plans to introduce legislation to change things.
"The most important aspect of law enforcement is good community, police relations and when that level of trust starts to erode, if you don't address that, it can cause problems not just for the agency that's involved but for policing all around the entire area," said Thomas. "So, I'm introducing legislation to say, OK, if you wanna come into a community, we can't do anything about that but you can't come in armed and masked. So if you come in like that, immediately law enforcement's got the opportunity to say 'sorry, shutting you down, get out of here.'"
The decision to hire 21CP Solutions for an independent review is the result of recent resident mistrust in law enforcement in the Evendale and Lincoln Heights areas in the weeks following the Feb. 7 neo-Nazi presence on a highway overpass near both communities.
Evendale police has released hours of body camera footage showing multiple interactions between law enforcement and the neo-Nazi group who appeared that day.
Evendale police have been updating a Google Drive folder with additional video following their initial release of the first body camera videos.
Some of that footage showed an Evendale police officer speak with the neo-Nazi demonstrators after they left the overpass and pulled off in Lockland. During that encounter, the Evendale officer offers to help one of the neo-Nazis get back to his vehicle, which he'd left near the overpass, and his service dog.
However, once the officer returned to the parking lot where the vehicle was parked, he discovered residents who'd appeared to counter-protest the neo-Nazi's presence had slashed the vehicle's tires.
Ultimately, Evendale police said the driver of the Jeep was taken to the Evendale Police Department by an officer after officials said "it was determined there was no safe way to retrieve the vehicle."
WCPO pressed Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey Tuesday for more information about this group. But she wasn't able to give many answers.
“We do not have any specific intel on that U-Haul as far as where it was rented from. Someone might even own it, I don’t even know. We’re working on that.” McGuffey said. “This is a group of men who are intent or intimidation and hate tactics. By all accounts, it’s a small group and I’m not going to give them any satisfaction by saying they have any larger affiliation with anyone — it’s a bunch of cowards.”
The Lockland Local Schools Board of Education is requesting a third-party investigation of both Evendale and Lockland police after the district reviewed and released footage of the neo-Nazis on school property just minutes before dismissal following that interaction with officers.
Voletta Wallace, the mother of Biggie Smalls passed away in hospice.
Christopher Wallace, known as The Notorious B.I.G. was gunned down in Los Angeles after he attended a Vibe Awards after party. It was in March 1997 and still remains an unsolved mystery.
Many blame Marion "Big Suge" Knight and accuse Sean "Puffy" Combs aka Diddy of not taking the threats against his life seriously.
Christopher George Latore Wallace was born in May 1972. If he was alive today, he would be 52 years old. He died at the age of 25.
His mother never got the closure. She passed away today.
Voletta Wallace, the dedicated mother of the late great rapper The Notorious B.I.G. and protector of his legacy, died Friday morning. She was 78.
Monroe County Coroner Thomas Yanac confirmed her death Friday to The Associated Press, saying she died at her home in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, after a stint on hospice care. She died of natural causes.
A representative for the estate of The Notorious B.I.G. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Notorious B.I.G., one of the rap’s greatest performers, was shot to death at age 24 in Los Angeles in 1997. The case remains unsolved. He was survived by his wife, the musician and actress Faith Evans, and his two children, Christopher Jordan Wallace and T’yanna Dream Wallace.
Wallace was a dedicated keeper of the legacy of her son, born Christopher Wallace. When he first emerged on the scene as one of rap’s most distinctive talents with songs that expertly detailed street life in Brooklyn, she labeled his music “noise.”
Since his death, his gift took on a new meaning for her. She told AP in 2017, 20 years after his death, “I remembered my son said, ‘Don’t listen to my music.’ And I never listened to his music. I heard it on the radio and it sounded good, because it was clean. But I said, ‘You know what, I have to. I have to listen to that music.’ And that’s what I did.”
“I cried so much that day just listening to the music. I remember I sat, I stood. I rested my head on the stereo and I just cried like a baby. And that was therapy for me. And I said, ‘Oh my God — that was a talented young man to put those words together.’ He had a beautiful voice. I love his voice,” she continued.
Wallace launched the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation following her son’s death, an organization that provides educational resources for children. In 2003, she honored mothers of other musicians who died untimely deaths — Aaliyah, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, Tupac Shakur, Jam Master Jay, Big Pun, Big L and Freaky Tah — at “B.I.G. Night Out,” a benefit for the foundation.
“It is our way of saying, ‘Keep your head up,”’ Wallace told AP at the time. “It’s the foundation’s way just to let these parents know that we love them.”
Madam Tussaud's introduced the wax figure of Notorious B.I.G.
She also took legal action on behalf of her son. In 2004, she dropped a wrongful-death lawsuit against a former suspect in the rap star’s slaying — Amir Muhammad, aka Harry Billups. The 2002 lawsuit also named the city of Los Angeles and Muhammad’s former college roommate, David A. Mack, a Los Angeles policeman. It accused Mack of hiring Muhammad to shoot the hip-hop artist and police of failing to investigate properly after a fellow officer came under suspicion.
In 2021, Wallace worked as an executive producer on the Netflix documentary “Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell,” and told AP about her role in the public eye.
“They never knew me. The public never knew me. I was thrust into this environment, I should say, after he passed away, because I’m a very private person. Extremely private,” she said. “What he was doing out there, maybe I should have known. But honestly, I didn’t. And to this day, there are people who are saying, ‘Oh, she knew.’ (whispers) But I never knew.”
Notorious B.I.G.'s 1994 debut album for Bad Boy Records, “Ready to Die,” has sold over six million units as of 2018, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, and included the hits “Big Poppa” and “Juicy.”
His sophomore album, “Life After Death,” released two weeks after his death, sold more than 11 million units. It launched multiple hits, including the timeless No. 1 hits “Mo Money Mo Problems” and “Hypnotize.” In 1997, Wallace accepted the MTV Video Music Award for best rap video for “Hypnotize” on behalf of her son.
The U.S. senate confirmed Kash Patel, the controversial conspiracy theorist as the FBI director.
Matt Schlapp has another sexual abuse allegation. CPAC 2025 is happening and President Donald J. Trump among others are expected to appear.
An Alabama city police is disbanded after allegations of a criminal enterprise emerged.
Trump job approval is sinking faster. The Americans are more concerned about the economy and the potential fallout from firing government employees.
Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA), the adulter and racist asshole decided to hold a town hall and he felt a blistering amount of constituent anger.
Israel has dropped leaflets telling Gazans to evacuate again. It's in violation of the ceasefire. Israel has violated the ceasefire over 300 times since it went into effect.
Three Israelis are being charged with intentionally detonating three public buses.
Boosie BadAzz, Rod Wave, Kodak Black were among a large gathering of Black conservatives at the White House. Frequent agitators Terrence K. Williams, Leo Terrell, Rochelle "Silk" Hardaway-Robinson, Joy Villa were there.
The 44-year old Indian American will be the first person of color to lead the agency. DEI?
Patel, a longtime loyalist to President Donald Trump, was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation — an agency he has talked about drastically restructuring while echoing Trump’s claims of the “weaponization” of the bureau’s powers in its Capitol riot investigations and other recent cases.
Patel was opposed by a pair of Republican senators: Alaska's Lisa Murkowski and Maine's Susan Collins. But he won support from every other Republican, including Sen. Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, who had opposed some of Trump's other nominees. The final vote was 51-49, with all Senate Democrats opposing Patel.
Patel's confirmation comes at time of significant turmoil and turnover at the FBI. Since Trump took office a month ago, an Elon Musk affiliate was among those brought into the bureau, sparking worries about partisan political figures taking the reins of the powerful law enforcement agency. The head of the Washington Field Office — which oversaw the sprawling Jan. 6 probe — was forced out, as were six of the FBI’s most senior executives and multiple heads of FBI field offices around the country.
Patel is expected to carry out smear campaigns and Trump’s revenge tour. So I expect Barack Obama’s birth certificate, Hillary Clinton's emails, Hunter Biden’s laptop, Joe Biden’s alleged deal with Burisma and Stormy Daniels porn history to be on the Trump revenge tour.
Christopher Wray who was nominated to be FBI director by Trump in his first term. He served only seven years of the required ten years. He resigned to avoid a public firing. Wray like former FBI director James Comey have vowed to take on MAGAland through social activism. Trump has been gunning for Wray since the Hunter Biden laptop, the Jan. 6 insurrection and his controversial holding of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
CPAC 2025 is the victory lap. The Republicans won on culture wars and the economy. They proved to be the master manipulators.
The American Conservative Union hosts CPAC at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.
The organization leaders Matt and Mercedes Schlapp are allegedly swingers. I put them in the same as Jerry Falwell, Jr. and his wife Becki. Ain't nothing wrong with being swingers. In the far right, utter hypocrisy.
Another man comes out with allegations that Matt Schlapp grabbed his crotch and tried to position him for sex.
The convention comes a week after new accusations emerged in an article by gay Zionist journalist Yashar Ali that Schlapp, a confidant of Trump, had groped a man at a bar in Virginia a few days earlier during a gathering of conservatives.
Several people have accused Schlapp of sexual assault in the past, allegations that he has denied and his allies have dismissed as an “attempt at character assassination.” Schlapp has not been charged with any crimes related to the accusations. The details of the latest episode were also documented in a report by the Rappahannock County Sheriff’s Office that was obtained by The New York Times. A previous accuser received a $480,000 settlement after dropping his lawsuit against Schlapp, 57, who opened Thursday’s session with his usual conservative bombast.
“Are you glad that America is back on track?” Schlapp said. “Has it been a long, tedious four years? Are you ready to tell the whole world that America is ready to be America again?”
Schlapp appeared onstage with his wife, Mercedes Schlapp, who was Trump’s White House director of strategic communications during his first term and has also played an outsize role at CPAC events. The next part of Thursday’s program featured her moderating a discussion with Vice President JD Vance, the first headliner at the showcase, which was expected to include speeches by Trump and the president’s billionaire ally, Elon Musk.
Elon Musk is the elite favorite at CPAC.
President Donald J. Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) [UN Secretary nominee], Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), former British prime minister Liz Truss, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Ben Shapiro, Mark Levin, Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN), Elon Musk, Steve Bannon, Megyn Kelly, Attorney General Pam Bondi, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Sara A. Carter, Mike Lindell, Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY), Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL), Kari Lake, Mike Huckabee [Ambassador to Israel nominee], Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Mike Rowe, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Dean Cain, Benny Johnson, Lindy Li and others are expected to speak.
Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) had an altercation with someone at his Washington, DC apartment. It was not his wife and the victim was not identified. More on this later.
The Jan. 6 pardoned members were banned from CPAC. Walter Masterson, a progressive comedian and troll was also banned. White nationalist Nick Fuentes was banned.
CPAC also took a hardline stance when it comes to Israel. It supports the apartheid ethnostate without question.
Hanceville Police chief and his officers were arrested in a pattern of corruption.
An Alabama grand jury has recommended that a city's police department be "immediately abolished," finding there is a "rampant culture of corruption," officials said Wednesday while announcing the indictment of five of the agency's officers, including its police chief.
Five Hanceville police officers were arrested and charged amid a probe into the department, Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker said. The spouse of one of the officers was also charged, he said.
"This is a sad day for law enforcement, but at the same time, it is a good day for the rule of law," Crocker said during a press briefing on Wednesday.
Crocker provided limited details on the case. Though the investigation encompassed the department's evidence room and the death of a Hanceville dispatcher, 49-year-old Christopher Michael Willingham, who was found dead from a toxic drug combination at work, officials said.
The Cullman County grand jury found that the Hanceville Police Department has "failed to account for, preserve and maintain evidence and in doing so has failed crime victims and the public at large," making the evidence "unusable," Crocker said.
The grand jury further found that Willingham's death was "the direct result of the Hanceville Police Department's negligence, lack of procedure, general incompetence and disregard for human life," Crocker said.
None of the defendants were charged in Willingham's death, Crocker said. Though the "unfettered access that a lot of people had" to the evidence room is the basis of the grand jury's finding regarding the dispatcher's death, Crocker said.
"One of the most concerning things that we discovered in this process is that the Hanceville Police Department's evidence room was not secured," Crocker said.
All charges are felonies except for tampering with physical evidence, which is a misdemeanor, Crocker said. That charge alleges that the defendants "mishandled or removed evidence from the evidence room," he said.
The employment status of the officers charged was not immediately clear, Crocker said.
The defendants surrendered on Wednesday and have since made bond, Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry said. Attorney information was not immediately available.
"There's nothing more important to us in law enforcement than good, honest law enforcement. When we have those that do wrong, it hurts us all," Gentry said during Wednesday's briefing.
Among nearly a dozen points raised by the grand jury, it found that the department is a "particular and ongoing threat to public safety," has a "rampant culture of corruption" and has "recently operated as more of a criminal enterprise than a law enforcement agency," Crocker said.
Crocker said the grand jury recommended that the Hanceville Police Department "be immediately abolished" and that another law enforcement agency be tasked with protecting the citizens of Hanceville, which has a population of around 3,000.
Gentry said the sheriff's office has not received a formal request to take over the Hanceville area in Cullman County, "but we are making preparations."
"We will do whatever is necessary to protect our citizens in Hanceville," he said.
Hanceville Mayor Jim Sawyer said he and the City Council are fully cooperating with the investigation.
"The Council will carefully consider all recommendations and act swiftly and decisively to address the problems within the Police Department," he said in a statement on Wednesday. "Our citizens, industries, and businesses deserve a resolution, and we will pursue and implement the necessary corrective actions openly and aggressively. We deeply regret the negative impact this situation has had on our community and the hard-working employees of our city."
"It is unfortunate that the actions of a few have tarnished our city's good name," he added.
Trump's approval rating has ticked slightly lower in recent days as more Americans worried about the direction of the U.S. economy as the new leader threatens a host of countries with tariffs, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
The six-day poll, which closed on Tuesday, showed 44% of respondents approved of the job Trump is doing as president, down from 45% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted January 24-26. Trump's approval rating stood at 47% in a January 20-21 poll conducted in the hours after the Republican's return to the White House.
The share of Americans who disapprove of his presidency has risen more substantially, to 51% in the latest poll, compared with 41% right after he took office.
Trump enjoys a relatively high rate of approval on his immigration policy, with 47% of respondents backing his approach that has included promises to ramp up deportations of migrants in the country illegally. The share was little changed from January.
But the share of Americans who think the economy is on the wrong track rose to 53% in the latest poll from 43% in the January 24-26 poll. Public approval of Trump's economic stewardship fell to 39% from 43% in the prior poll.
A pillar of Trump's political strength has been public belief that his policies will be good for the economy, and his rating on the economy remains significantly higher than the final readings of his predecessor in office, Democrat Joe Biden, who ended his term with a 34% approval rating on the economy. But Trump's rating for the economy is well below the 53% he had in Reuters/Ipsos polling conducted in February 2017, the first full month of his first term as U.S. president.
Many U.S, House lawmakers are returning back to their home districts. Several of them are actually doing their jobs by hosting town halls and public meetings with constituent.
Most of the town halls are usually expecting frustration from constituents.
Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT) dealt with it.
She handled a MAGALand supporter's question masterfully. Damn shame she will pivot whenever a question about Israel comes up.
Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) is dating Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) and is in the process of divorcing his wife, Debra. He is a white nationalist, retired U.S. Marine and licensed physican.
He also was a punching bag in Roswell, Georgia.
McCormick faced some tough criticism and occasional boos from constituents Thursday night as he fielded questions about the Trump administration’s early actions.
The at-times cool reception that greeted GOP Rep. Rich McCormick in Roswell was among other public displays of unrest from Republican voters and a couple GOP members of Congress this week, although the party’s base has largely and vigorously supported President Donald Trump.
At one point, McCormick, who represents the state’s 7th Congressional District, was pointedly asked about the firings of hundreds of workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is based in Atlanta: “Why is a supposedly conservative party taking such a radical and extremist and sloppy approach to this?”
“I’m in close contact with the CDC. They have about what, 13,000 employees, 13,000 employees at the CDC. In the last couple years, those probationary people, which is about 10% of their employee base, about 1,300 people, which you’re referring to. A lot of the work they do is duplicitous with AI,” McCormick said. The mention of AI led to “no’s” and murmurs from the crowd, leading the Republican representative to say, “I happen to be a doctor. I know a few things.”
Jahana Hayes hosts town halls with ease.
McCormick, who was first elected to Congress in 2022, also answered pointed questions about Trump’s executive power and the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy as Health and Human Services secretary.
Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-OR) faced a similar reaction from his constituents during a town hall on Wednesday in La Grande, Oregon, where he also received questions on DOGE.
One constituent asked, “Since DOGE was created without the Congress, who is paying for it,” leading to applause from the crowd.
“The DOGE committee, as I understand it, is being filtered into, if that’s the right word for (it) or put into another agency, but we are looking into that now to find out. I don’t know the answer,” he said before being interrupted by some boos and jeers of disapproval.
Rep. Troy Balderson of Ohio, speaking at a business luncheon on Thursday, described Trump’s executive orders as “getting out of control” and said that certain actions are reserved for Congress, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
“Congress has to decide whether or not the Department of Education goes away,” Balderson said. “Not the president, not Elon Musk. Congress decides.”
And on Wednesday, GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a frequent Trump critic, encouraged fellow lawmakers to join her in standing up to Trump, Alaska Public Media reported.
“It requires speaking out and standing up, and that requires, again, more than just one or two Republicans,” she said during a telephone town hall. “It requires us, as a Congress, to do so.”
Murkowski also spoke out against Trump’s dismissal of federal employees, saying at the town hall, “If the president, for instance, should seek to withhold federal funding that has already been authorized and appropriated, that … violates the Budget Act.”
In violation of the ceasefire deal brokered in former president Joe Biden’s final days and continued through President Donald J. Trump first weeks, Israel is demanding all Gazans to leave or face death. The apartheid ethnostate without question violated the ceasefire over 300 times.
Israel has also launched a campaign of hasbara to generate sympathy for the killing of settlers in the early months of the genocide.
I refuse to call these folks hostages. They are settlers who were captured. Most of the settlers were members of the Israeli Defence Force. They are not innocent girls or civilians.
Israel has sparked global outrage after dropping leaflets over the besieged Gaza Strip, warning Palestinians to either cooperate with its forces or face forced displacement or eradication.
BREAKING:
Yesterday’s bus bombings in Israel appear to be a FALSE FLAG ATTACK
So let me get this straight. 3 (conveniently) empty buses in Tel Aviv exploded on empty streets and other explosives were found with an Arabic message avenging the West Bank like it was ever going to be seen after exploding. A false flag to justify the ongoing West Bank massacres
The Zionist terrorist network, Shin Bet planted explosives in several empty buses near occupied Jaffa. A 5-year-old kid knows that these controlled explosions were a false flag. Watch as the IOF levels the Tulkarm and probably Jenin refugee camps, with US-made bombs. https://t.co/3XVlELmInPpic.twitter.com/dS5XmwVhii
🚨BREAKING: two Jewish Israeli settlers have been arrested for the recent bus explosions. A total censorship ban has now been issued on the details of this investigation (Haaretz).
Israel now claims that the Bibas children were murdered with bare hands—the same “state” that falsely claimed 40 babies were beheaded on October 7, 2023, to manufacture consent for its actions in Gaza and against Palestinians. pic.twitter.com/NpP9HQ1jVd
The messages, written in Arabic, carried explicit threats, including the chilling statement: "The world map will not change if all the people of Gaza cease to exist."
The move, condemned as a psychological warfare tactic, has intensified concerns over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, with many seeing the leaflets as an open admission of ethnic cleansing.
The threats also reference a so-called "Trump plan", aligning with recent remarks by the president, who suggested the mass expulsion of Gaza's population to neighboring countries.
The posters featured images of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity and wanted by the ICC.
The United States refuses to acknowledge the ICC warrants. They continue to allow Netanyahu, Americans who served in the IDF and Israeli leaders to freely come into the United States. The U.S. has vowed to sanction the ICC for this.
Only a few years ago, the U.S. cheered on the ICC for placing Russian Federation president Vladimir Putin in a warrant arrest. Putin only travels to North Korea and Belarus. He often sends his dignitaries on behalf of him. He knows if he appears in a country that recognizes the warrant, he is at risk for arrest. Netanyahu is aware as well. He doesn't travel to Canada, Mexico, Great Britain or Saudi Arabia knowing they will abide to the ICC warrant.
Trump has pledged to seize control of the Gaza Strip. He wants to remake it the Rivera of the Middle East. That led to worldwide condemnation. Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia warned that the U.S. will be boycotted and banned if they assist in forcing Israel to displaced Palestinians.
Many Arab nations will kick the U.S. military bases out if they push for Gaza removal.
Bus bombings at the peak of the second phase of the ceasefire.
Israel has the means of explosives. Think about what they did in Lebanon back in September 2024. The electronic devices being tampered with and detonated shows how lethal the apartheid ethnostate is.
The February 2005 explosions occurred on three buses in the city of Bat Yam, Israel. No people were injured in the attacks. Two other devices failed to explode.
It seems like Israel will do all it can to generate sympathy, outrage and justifications for the illegal actions conducted by Netanyahu.
Israel's Police Spokesperson's Unit said that the bombs used in the attack resembled those seen in the West Bank. Following the bombings, Hamas's Tulkarm Battalion released a statement that read: "The revenge of the martyrs will not be forgotten so long as the occupier is present on our land… This is a jihad of either victory or martyrdom," without explicitly claiming the attack. A preliminary Israeli investigation found that the attack was conducted by Hamas from the West Bank with Iranian planning and funding. The Shin Bet arrested three suspects the following day, including two Jewish Israelis who were suspected of transporting the bombers.
Rappers who backed Trump are often associated with the things that Republicans often villianize them for. Embracing crime, drug use, glorified sexualization of women, reckless use of firearms, homophobia, transphobia and degrading cops....
Sounds more like Trump and MAGAland.
Anyway, I can't judge the rappers who visit Trump at the White House. The folks over at Fox never complained.
But picture former president Barack Obama inviting Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, J. Cole, Drake, Queen Latifah, LL Cool J, Common, Swizz Beatz and T-Pain.
Or former president Joe Biden inviting LL Cool J, Too Short, E-40, Ice-T, Megan Thee Stallion, GloRillia, Cardi B and Quavo.
Cue the outrage from the far right.
But Snoop Dogg, Soulja Boy (Draco), Rick Ross, Waka Flocka Flame and Fivio Foreign performing at Trump’s Inaugural Balls..... no outrage.
Boosie BadAzz, Kodak Black and Rod Wave attend the Black History Month celebration at the White House. No outrage.
Boosie and Kodak were federal interns. Trump pardoned Lil Kodak in his first term.
Kodak Black is a longtime supporter of Trump.
Boosie and Kodak are sexual predators. Same with Trump, Department of Government Efficiency Secretary Elon Musk, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Sean "Softball" Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and Rupert Murdoch
The trio of rappers will be joined by television anchor Sage Steele, legendary NFL player Herschel Walker [US Ambassador to the Bahamas nominee], Martin Luther King’s niece Alveda King, and select politicians who have been supportive of Trump.
The timing of this event is interesting given the fact his Defense Department declared “identity months dead,” meaning work hours would no longer be impacted by Black History Month, Women’s History Month, or National Disability Employment Awareness Month. It is even more confusing because, on that same day, the controversial President signed a National Black History Month proclamation calling for “public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.”
Black Trump supporters.
Boosie claimed that Biden recharged him for his gun charges.
He is begging for Trump to pardon him.
“Trump CHECK MY CASE OUT MY CASE WAS DISMISSED BUT BIDENS DOJ RECHARGED ME WITH THE SAME GUN CHARGE BIDEN PARDON HIS SON OF,” he typed. “I WAS TOLD I AM THE ONLY PERSON IN THE COUNTRY FACING THAT CHARGE NOW. PRESIDENT TRUMP, I ALREADY WAS GIVEN A 10 YEAR SENTENCE N STATE N 2009 FOR 3 rd offense MARIJUANA ( grams ,grams,grams ) I NEVER WAS EVEN OFFERED REHAB STRAIGHT TO PRISON. TRUMP IM BOOSIE IM A RAPPER/ FILMMAKER FROM BATON ROUGE .I WAS TARGETED.. MY MOUTH N THINGS I STAND ON GET ME N ALOT SH*T BUT IM REAL! My lawyer MEGHAN BLANCO can explain this case. She knew the charges n against you were bad she even spoke about it on radio.”
I had my tooth pulled and I had so much time on my hand to post. So wish me well as I recover and I will continue to address the issues we face.
Democrats scramble to replace retiring senators. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) and Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) out.
Democrats face a tough road ahead. Even if President Donald J. Trump fucks up everything in the country, the Republicans will still back him or his endorsed candidates who run for office.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) are retiring. It puts two crucial seats up and it makes Republicans seek new opportunities.
Democrats are extremely unpopular.
Wonder why?
I-S-R-A-E-L
The apartheid ethnostate of Israel and the Democratic Party's continued support.
It takes a village.
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Sen. Jeanine Shaheen (D-NH) are the most vulnerable members as of now. In 2028, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) are the most vulnerable.
In a short video posted to social media, Smith told her supporters: "I wanted you to hear directly from me that I have decided not to run for re-election to the United States Senate in 2026."
In her video, Smith notes that while she enjoyed the role, she is "ready to spend more time with my family," adding that her grandchildren and children have moved to Minneapolis and that her father is turning 95 years old this summer.
"This decision is not political; it is entirely personal. But it's not lost on me that our country is in need of strong progressive leadership right now, maybe more than ever," she said.
Smith, 66, was appointed to the Senate in 2017 to fill the vacancy left by Democratic Sen. Al Franken's resignation in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations. Smith won a special election the next year and then another election in 2020 to serve a full six-year term.
She has been a longtime fixture in Minnesota politics since well before she joined the Senate, serving as the state's lieutenant governor and, before that, as a top aide to key Democratic politicians.
I’ve decided not to run for re-election to the Senate in 2026.
This job has been the honor of a lifetime. For the rest of my term, I’ll work as hard as I can for Minnesotans and our country.
Smith is the second Senate Democrat to announce their retirements ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, following Gary Peters of Michigan. That means Democrats will have to defend at least two open seats as they face an uphill climb to take control of the Senate.
With its current split between 53 Republicans and 47 senators who caucus with Democrats, the party needs a net gain of four seats to control the Senate, since Vice President JD Vance controls the tiebreaking vote.
But Democrats signaled that they are confident they will hold on to Smith's seat in Minnesota, where Vice President Kamala Harris won by 4 percentage points in November. Republicans last won a statewide election there in 2006, when Tim Pawlenty narrowly won re-election as governor.
“No Republican has won a Minnesota Senate race in over 20 years, and Democrats will continue to hold this seat in 2026,” Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson David Bergstein said.
President Donald Trump's showing in Minnesota last year was the best by a Republican presidential candidate in the state in 20 years, at just under 47% of the vote.
Gregg Peppin, a veteran Republican consultant in Minnesota, was optimistic that the race is winnable for the GOP.
"Given the atmosphere and given the open seat and given the fact that there will be probably hotly contested primaries in both parties, I think this is probably our best chance in many years to field a quality candidate and run a competitive race,” Peppin said.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) retiring puts Michigan back in the spotlight.
Peters announced Tuesday that he won’t run for re-election in Michigan in 2026, creating a pivotal open-seat election next year in one of the most tightly divided swing states in the United States.
Peters made the announcement in an interview with The Detroit News, in which he said he wouldn’t resign but won’t seek re-election because he “never saw service in Congress as something you do your whole life.”
“I always thought there would be a time that I would step aside and pass the reins for the next generation,” he told the paper.
“I think this is pretty normal for everybody to say, I’ve done a job, and I’m proud of the job I did, but there are other things I want to do in my life. There are other ways that I can give back to the community.”
Peters also released a video and press release announcing his decision.
Peters' decision will have implications for the fight for control of the Senate in two years and, potentially, for Michigan's closely watched race for governor. Republicans currently hold 53 seats in the Senate, plus the tie-breaking vice presidency. Peters' retirement in a state Donald Trump has twice won narrowly (and lost once) could add another degree of difficulty to his party's efforts to win the majority.
Peters has repeatedly faced tough election fights in the competitive state. So while his race would have likely been competitive if he decided to run again, the open race only raises the likelihood of a competitive Senate election in Michigan next year, when it could be one of the top battlegrounds on the Senate map.
A big field of potential candidates for Senate and governor
It’s unclear who might run to replace Peters from either party. To the extent people in Michigan were looking forward to 2026 elections already, much of the attention in the state has been focused right now on the wide-open race for governor, since two-term Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is term-limited.
Whitmer said in a statement issued by a spokesperson for her political group, Fight Like Hell, that she wouldn't seek Peters' seat.
"Governor Whitmer is grateful for Senator Peters’ service," the spokesperson said. "She is proudly serving the people of Michigan as governor and is not running for this seat in the Senate."
Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is the only major Democrat in the race for governor right now, while Michigan state Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt is the only major GOP candidate in the race. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a former Democrat, left the party and is mounting an independent bid.
But many potential candidates on both sides of the aisle were expected to consider running for governor. It’s possible the opening could sway some of those politicians to decide to mount a Senate bid instead.
On the Democratic side, possible gubernatorial contenders include Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist; former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who moved to the state a few years ago (his husband grew up in Michigan); and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, a member of the Democratic leadership in the Senate whose influence has grown in the state after she delivered a buzzy floor speech pushing back against Republicans who claimed her party wanted to indoctrinate children.
This is what Tina Smith stands for.
And the Republican side could get crowded too — there are a number of current or former GOP members of Congress who could be strong candidates if they decide to run, and candidates for governor in 2022 who may want to try to run again.
Now that the Senate race is open, it could serve as another release valve for pent-up political ambition among Michigan Democrats and Republicans.
GOP Rep. John James, for example, ran in two of the last three Senate elections, though it’s unclear whether he’d want to run again this year. A Republican Senate strategist keeping tabs on the race told NBC News they're keeping an eye specifically on James, as well as former Rep. Mike Rogers (who ran in 2024) and current Rep. Bill Huizenga.
Republican Rep. Lisa McClain, the House Republican Conference Chair, told reporters that she wouldn't run for the Senate and that she is "happy here" in the House.
Tudor Dixon, a political commentator who lost to Whitmer in the 2022 governor's race, acknowledged Tuesday that she is considering entering the GOP Senate primary.
"I appreciate the outpouring of support and am considering our future very seriously," Dixon said on X.
A source familiar with Buttigieg's thinking confirmed that he is "exploring all options on how he can be helpful and continue to serve."
"He’s honored to be mentioned for this, and he’s taking a serious look," the source added.
A source close to Gilchrist made it clear that he's considering a Senate bid too, amid the open gubernatorial race.
"This is a pivotal time for Michigan and the country, and while he’s working with Governor Whitmer to make progress for Michigan he’s seriously considering running for this open Senate seat," the source said.
McMorrow told NBC News that she is looking at both the gubernatorial and the Senate races and plans to "have a number of conversations in the coming days about where I can do the most good for Michiganders.”
This is what Gary Peters, Chuck Schumer, Amy Klobuchar, Jack Reed, Jacky Rosen, Richard Blumenthal and Democrats support.
Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., who won her second term last fall in a Grand Rapids-area district, also is looking at the Senate race, a source close to her said.
As for Gilchrist, if he chooses to run for the Senate instead of governor next year, the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association is prepared to spend seven figures in the primary on his behalf, said the group’s executive director, Kevin Holst.
Dennis Lennox, a GOP consultant with extensive Michigan experience, noted that Sen. Elissa Slotkin enjoyed a relatively clear Democratic primary field in her successful bid to succeed Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who retired.
“Democrats in Michigan are institutionally stronger, and clearing the field will help their eventual nominee,” said Lennox, who mentioned Buttigieg as a strong candidate.
Lennox went on to mention James as a potential candidate for either post and wondered whether Huizenga or Rep. John Moolenaar would want to give up their House seats if James doesn’t run for the Senate.
“There isn’t much of a Republican bench, although Michigan is one of those states where there’s perennially an outside business kind of candidate who self-funds,” he said, mentioning former RNC and Michigan GOP Chair Ronna McDaniel as a “wild card” possibility.
Peters' rise in politics
Peters told The Detroit News he wouldn't run for another public office in 2026 and is focused on finishing his Senate term.
A former state senator, Naval Reserve officer and head of the state's lottery, Peters arrived in Washington in 2009 after defeating a GOP incumbent in an Oakland County-area House race. He won a tough re-election in 2010 amid the Republican wave that year before winning a difficult Democratic primary after redistricting threw him into a district with another incumbent.
He then won a campaign to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Carl Levin in 2014, earning a second term in a hard-fought race against James in 2020.
Peters holds pivotal committee posts in the Senate, on the Appropriations, Armed Services and Commerce, Science and Transportation committees. And he served two stints leading the Senate Democrats' campaign arm, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Under his leadership in 2022, Democrats expanded their majority in an election cycle many had expected would be difficult for his party.
Two years later, Democrats lost control of the Senate. Besides losing seats in deep-red West Virginia in 2024, Montana and Ohio, Democratic Sen. Bob Casey also lost in Pennsylvania, but Democrats kept Senate seats in other battlegrounds Trump won, including Michigan.
Holding these lawmakers accountable is not just a pledge, but a promise. You need to learn who represents your community. Your local community member, your school board member, your mayor, your state representative, your state senator, your governor, your U.S. Representative, your U.S. Senator and the president need to be held accountable for their actions.
Israel must be held accountable for war crimes and the U.S. must unequivocally end its aid, support, cover and endorsement. Our taxpayer money should not help Israel any further.
Israel is the red line and if any lawmaker backs the apartheid ethnostate, they will not receive my vote. Regardless of political affiliation, if you are supporting Israel, you are not getting donations or a vote from me.
I will hold President Donald J. Trump and Vice President JD Vance accountable.
The call number to the White House and US Capitol is now going to be used. This is the official White House numbers 202-456-1111 and 202-456-1414. This is the Congress official phone number, 202-224-3121. Please be respectful to operators, staff members and elected leaders. Your calls are monitored by the US Secret Service and US Capitol Police.
Let them know that "thoughts and prayers," "hearts going to", "illegal immigrants" and "good guys with guns" are no longer acceptable and you want legislation to focus on ending gun violence, lowering costs, improving healthcare and building relationships with other nations. Let them know that we are tired of police officers using immunity when committing death of suspects in custody. Let them know that you are tired of private equity firms getting away with destroying small businesses and long established companies. Let them know that you are tired of your taxpayer money going to foreign nations like Israel. You are tired of hearing about "Israel having a right to..." and the bogus claims of being anti-Semitic or in support of terrorism.
We have bigger issues at home and our tax dollars should solve the housing crisis, lowering food prices, fixing roads, bridges, helping reinvest in struggling urban and rural communities. We have hospitals closing, big box retailers leaving communities and television programs dying. There are bigger issues in the country than Israel. You want an immediate ceasefire and accountability for war crimes done by Israel. You want no more foreign influence in American elections. You also want to make sure future presidents and legislators avoid influence from lobbyists.
The longtime Kentucky senator announces he will not seek reelection after a series of health scares. Former commonwealth attorney general and gubernatorial candidate throws his hat in.
The turtle is climbing back into his shell.
Sen. Addison Mitchell McConnell III (R-KY) announced Thursday that he won’t seek reelection next year, ending a decadeslong tenure as a power broker who championed conservative causes but ultimately ceded ground to the fierce GOP populism of President Donald J. Trump.
Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history, chose his 83rd birthday to share his decision not to run for another term in Kentucky and to retire when his current term ends. He informed The Associated Press of his decision before he addressed colleagues in a speech on the Senate floor.
“Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate,” McConnell said, as aides lined the back chamber and senators listened from seats. “Every day in between I’ve been humbled by the trust they’ve placed in me to do their business right here. Representing our commonwealth has been the honor of a lifetime. I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last.”
The scramble for McConnell’s seat intensified soon after McConnell spoke.
Daniel Cameron has announced he will run. If he wins, he could be the first Black U.S. senator from Kentucky and fifth Republican of color to serve. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Edward Brooke III, Hiram Revels and Blanche K. Bruce are the only Black Republicans who served.
“I’m going to be an ‘America First’ senator and it’s time for a new generation of leadership,” Cameron told the AP in a phone interview Thursday evening.
If Gov. Andy Beshear decides to run for the Senate, it could be a challenging task for Democrats to win over voters.
The opportunist Daniel Cameron wants to replace McConnell.
McConnell’s retirement announcement began the epilogue of a storied career as a master strategist, one in which he helped forge a conservative Supreme Court and steered the Senate through tax cuts, presidential impeachment trials and fierce political fights. Yet with his powerful perch atop committees, and nearly two years remaining in his term, McConnell vowed to complete his work on several remaining fronts.
No.
He denied former president Barack Obama his third Supreme Court nominee in an election year. In an election year, McConnell and Republicans rushed through Trump’s three Supreme Court nominees without hesitation.
McConnell made it his mission to undermine Obama. In his first term, he said that his goal was to make Obama a one term president. In his second term, McConnell vowed to grind government to a halt to stop Obama from getting things done.
McConnell was a racist.
“I have some unfinished business to attend to,” he said.
McConnell walked gingerly to the podium, sporting a walking boot. Senators from both sides of the political aisle seemed to listen most intently as he told them that while there are any number of reasons for pessimism, the strength of the Senate is not one of them.
“The Senate is still equipped for work of great consequence,” he told them.
As he concluded, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., motioned for the audience of senators, staff and Capitol visitors be allowed to applaud, which is usually not allowed under Senate rules.
Trump got rid of the obstruction to his agenda.
Republican senators then lined up to greet McConnell, beginning with Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who hugged him, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who patted him on the back. He took out a tissue and made a joke, prompting the group to laugh. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota gave him a warm handshake, and a dozen others senators soon did so as well.
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said McConnell reshaped the American judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court. “He has a lot to be proud of, and I am sure he will work hard to the very end of his term,” Graham said.
Changing dynamics in the GOP
McConnell, first elected in 1984, intends to serve until his term ends in January 2027. The Kentuckian has dealt with a series of medical episodes in recent years, including injuries sustained from falls and times when his face briefly froze while he was speaking.
The famously taciturn McConnell revered the Senate as a young intern long before joining its back benches as a freshman lawmaker in the mid-1980s. His dramatic announcement comes almost a year after his decision to relinquish his leadership post after the November 2024 election.
McConnell’s looming departure reflects the changing dynamics of the Trump-led GOP. He’s seen his power diminish on a parallel track with both his health and his relationship with Trump, who once praised him as an ally but has taken to criticizing him in caustic terms.
In Kentucky, McConnell’s departure will mark the loss of a powerful advocate and will set off a competitive GOP primary next year for what will now be an open Senate seat. Beshear, seen as a rising star in his party for winning statewide office in Republican territory, has said he has no interest in the Senate. Beshear’s chief political strategist, Eric Hyers, reiterated that stance Thursday, posting on X, “He is not running for the Senate.”
Another prominent Kentucky Republican considering the race quickly weighed in. U.S. Rep. Andy Barr said he would decide soon about his future. Also looming as a GOP candidate is businessman Nate Morris.
One common denominator among them — their professed loyalty to Trump.
I bet McConnell miss them days with Obama.
McConnell, a diehard adherent to Ronald Reagan’s brand of traditional conservatism and muscular foreign policy, increasingly found himself out of step with a GOP shifting toward the fiery, often isolationist populism espoused by Trump.
McConnell still champions providing Ukraine with weapons and other aid to fend off Russia’s invasion, even as Trump ratchets up criticism of the country and its leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The senator made it clear Thursday that national defense remains a priority for him.
He and Trump were partners during Trump’s first term, but the relationship was severed after McConnell blamed Trump for “disgraceful” acts in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack by his supporters. A momentary thaw in 2024 when McConnell endorsed Trump didn’t last.
Last week, Trump referred to McConnell as a “very bitter guy” after McConnell, who battled polio as a child, opposed vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation as the nation’s top health official. McConnell referred to Trump as a “despicable human being” and a “narcissist” in a biography of the senator by The AP’s deputy Washington bureau chief, Michael Tackett.
Shifting the Supreme Court
Before their falling out, Trump and McConnell pushed through a tax overhaul largely focused on reductions for businesses and higher-earning taxpayers. They joined forces to reshape the Supreme Court when Trump nominated three justices and McConnell guided them to Senate confirmation, tilting the high court to the right.
Damn shame he did not fall out of wheelchair.
McConnell set a precedent for hardball partisan tactics in 2016 by refusing to even give a hearing to Democratic President Barack Obama’s pick of Merrick Garland to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Putting the brakes on the Senate’s “advise and consent” role for judicial nominees, McConnell said the vacancy should be filled by the next president so voters could have their say. Trump filled the vacancy once he took office, and McConnell later called the stonewalling of Garland’s nomination his “most consequential” achievement.
Later, when liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died weeks before the 2020 presidential election won by Democrat Joe Biden, McConnell rushed Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation through the Senate, waving off allegations of hypocrisy.
McConnell also guided the Senate — and Trump — through two impeachment trials that ended in acquittals.
In the second impeachment, weeks after the deadly Capitol attack by a mob hoping to overturn Trump’s 2020 reelection defeat, McConnell joined all but seven Republicans in voting to acquit. McConnell said he believed Trump couldn’t be convicted because he’d already left office, but the senator also condemned Trump as “practically and morally responsible” for the insurrection.
McConnell over the years swung back and forth from majority to minority leader, depending on which party held power. He defended President George W. Bush’s handling of the Iraq war and failed to block Obama’s health care overhaul.
McConnell, the longest-serving senator ever from Kentucky, ensured that the Bluegrass State received plenty of federal funding. Back home he was a key architect in his party’s rise to power in a state long dominated by Democrats.
He is married to Elaine Chao, and they have long been a power couple in Washington. The senator referred to her as his “ultimate teammate and confidante.” Chao was labor secretary for Bush and transportation secretary during Trump’s first term, though she resigned after the Capitol insurrection, saying it had “deeply troubled” her.
McConnell's first wife and daughters are progressive.
