Iran Suffers Major Losses and Israel is Just Getting Started

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. . .Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday night the operation will go on for days.

The first wave of the attacks did significant damage to the Iranian regime.

Israel has attacked nuclear sites with dozens of fighter jets at locations throughout the country, including the main nuclear enrichment site of Natanz in the southeast of Iran.

(Read more from “Iran Suffers Major Losses and Israel is Just Getting Started” HERE)

Federal Judge Orders Trump to ‘Return Control’ of National Guard to California

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A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to “return control” of thousands of National Guard troops that had deployed to Los Angeles to quell anti-ICE riots to the state of California.

Senior San Francisco US District Judge Charles Breyer issued the order after hearing arguments from attorneys for Trump’s Justice Department and California Gov. Gavin Newsom after the Democrat had sued the feds over dispatching roughly 4,000 Guard members to protect officers carrying out immigration enforcement operations.

“At this early stage of the proceedings, the Court must determine whether the President followed the congressionally mandated procedure for his actions. He did not,” Breyer wrote in his order.

“His actions were illegal—both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith.”

“That’s the difference between a constitutional government and King George.” (Read more from “Federal Judge Orders Trump to ‘Return Control’ of National Guard to California” HERE)

Maricopa Recorder Sues County Board for ‘Unlawful’ Seizure of Election Powers

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The Board of Supervisors running Arizona’s largest county is illegally withholding key resources from the locality’s Republican elections chief that allow him to perform his lawfully mandated duties, a lawsuit filed Thursday claims.

Brought by Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap, the legal complaint alleged that the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (BOS) is refusing to “provide the necessary funds for the Recorder to conduct essential duties of his office unless he cedes much of his statutory authority to the BOS and permits the BOS to retain control over the systems and personnel required for the Recorder’s Office to fulfill the Recorder’s statutory functions.” As argued in the suit, “Arizona’s statutes are clear: the Legislature has delegated to the Recorder, and not to the Board of Supervisors, numerous responsibilities for election administration, and the Board of Supervisors has a mandatory duty to fund the Recorder’s conduct of his duties.”

Heap is represented by America First Legal in the matter.

The conflict between Heap and the Maricopa County Board can be traced back to before the former took office in January.

Months after his defeat in Arizona’s July 2024 primaries and weeks before Heap’s eventual victory in the November general election, then-Recorder Stephen Richer — a notable opponent of election integrity efforts — struck a deal with the Board on a new Shared Services Agreement (SSA). As The Federalist previously reported, this new contract effectively stripped key election administration responsibilities and resources from the recorder’s office and gave them to the Board of Supervisors. (Read more from “Maricopa Recorder Sues County Board for ‘Unlawful’ Seizure of Election Powers” HERE)

Embattled DNC Vice Chair Decides Not to Run After Diversity Re-Vote Called

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David Hogg, the 25-year-old progressive firebrand, will not compete in the new Democratic National Committee (DNC) vice chair elections that were decided today after a majority of members voted for a new election.

After three days of submitting electronic ballots, DNC members voted to uphold the Credentials Committee’s resolution proposed by longtime Democratic Party activist Kalyn Free to host a re-election for two vice-chair positions, currently held by Hogg and Malcolm Kenyatta. Seventy-five percent of those who cast a ballot voted in favor of the resolution, while 25% voted against it. A total of 89% of DNC members cast a ballot.

“The DNC will immediately move to administer new ballots for the final two Vice Chair positions, one of which must be held by a male and one of which may be held by a candidate of any gender,” said the DNC’s Deputy Press Secretary Nina Raneses. “The election for the male Vice Chair position will commence tomorrow morning at 10:00AM ET.”

With Hogg’s withdrawal, Kenyatta is now the only candidate for the male vice chair slot.

The DNC’s decision is the latest political blow to Hogg, who stirred up intraparty divisions this year for his $20 million pledge to support primary challenges against older House Democrats in safe blue districts he said are “asleep at the wheel” through his outside political action group, Leaders We Deserve. (Read more from “Embattled DNC Vice Chair Decides Not to Run After Diversity Re-Vote Called” HERE)

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New Evidence Suggests FBI Agent Involved With Crossfire Hurricane Was Foreign Spy

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The U.S. Department of Justice has reopened a case against a former top FBI counterspy. Charles McGonigal was Special Agent in Charge of Counterintelligence at the New York field office. He left the FBI in 2018, joined the massive Brookfield asset management fund as a vice president for global security, and was arrested and convicted in 2023.

But not for espionage. McGonigal quickly pled guilty to corruption-related crimes. He is serving six-and-a-half years in federal prison.

His prosecution and admission seem suspiciously tidy.

McGonigal was part of the FBI’s discredited CROSSFIRE HURRICANE “counterintelligence” operation led by his boss, Peter Strzok, against Donald Trump and his supporters in 2016.

As the former senior spy-hunter at the Bureau’s largest field office, McGonigal barely defended himself from charges relating to illegally accepting money from Albanian businessmen tied to that tiny country’s intelligence service, and for ties to a sanctioned Russian oligarch.

He received a light sentence and $40,000 fine. (Read more from “New Evidence Suggests FBI Agent Involved With Crossfire Hurricane Was Foreign Spy” HERE)

UPDATED: GOP Sen. Rand Paul Accuses the White House of Being ‘Incredibly Petty’ After Being Disinvited to the Annual Picnic

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By Newsweek. Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky excoriated the White House and President Donald Trump on Wednesday after saying he and his family had been disinvited from the annual White House picnic. . .

Paul suggested he was snubbed from the picnic because of his staunch opposition to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Trump-backed reconciliation package that’s under debate in the Senate.

The proposal delivers on Trump’s top priorities, including more funding for immigration and border security and cementing the tax cuts that were implemented as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

Paul is among a handful of congressional Republicans who have vehemently opposed the fiscal plan, with the Kentucky senator saying he will only consider supporting it if it does not raise the federal debt ceiling. (Read more from “GOP Sen. Rand Paul Accuses the White House of Being ‘Incredibly Petty’ After Being Disinvited to the Annual Picnic” HERE)

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Senator Rand Paul has been “Un-uninvited” to the White House Picnic

By Ryan King. President Trump publicly offered Paul (R-Ky.) the chance to attend Thursday night’s congressional picnic, held on the South Lawn, after the lawmaker claimed he had been snubbed.

Paul, 62, told reporters that he attempted to retrieve his tickets Wednesday but was informed that he wasn’t invited, prompting him to accuse Trump of being “incredibly petty” over Paul’s opposition to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

“Of course Senator Rand Paul and his beautiful wife and family are invited to the BIG White House Party tonight,” Trump clarified on Truth Social Thursday. “He’s the toughest vote in the history of the U.S. Senate, but why wouldn’t he be?”

“Besides, it gives me more time to get his Vote on the Great, Big, Beautiful Bill, one of the greatest and most important pieces of legislation ever put before our Senators & Congressmen/women. It will help to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! I look forward to seeing Rand. The Party will be Great!”

Paul has been the most prominent opponent of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in the Senate, having voted against the blueprint for it earlier this year due to his concerns about its impact on the national debt. (Read more from Sen. Rand Paul being re-invited to the White House HERE)

Walmart Heiress Christy Walton’s Anti-Trump Ad Fuels MAGA-Led Call for Boycott of Retailer

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Walmart could become the target of a MAGA-led boycott after an heiress to the retail fortune funded a full-page ad in the New York Times promoting a nationwide protest movement against President Trump.

The ad, run by the “No Kings” movement, calls on Americans to “mobilize” on Saturday — Flag Day and Trump’s birthday — in order to “reject authoritarianism.”

Trump is planning to hold a massive military parade in Washington, DC on that day.

The heiress, Christy Walton, is the widow of John T. Walton, son of Walmart founder Sam Walton.

Though she holds no active role in Walmart’s operations, she retains a roughly 1.9% stake in the company and has an estimated net worth of $19.3 billion, according to Forbes.

The “No Kings” movement is planning roughly 1,500 protests nationwide to counter Saturday’s military parade — but notably absent from the list of protest sites is DC. (Read more from “Walmart Heiress Christy Walton’s Anti-Trump Ad Fuels MAGA-Led Call for Boycott of Retailer” HERE)

Iran Promises to Retaliate Against Any Military Conflict With Missile Attacks on U.S. Bases, Some in Europe; U.S. Evacuating Nonessential Personnel

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The United States is evacuating diplomatic personnel from Iraq and military family members from the Middle East following threats from Iran‘s defense minister that Tehran would target U.S. bases if negotiations broke down.

“If a conflict is imposed on us … all U.S. bases are within reach,” Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned on Wednesday, just days before the latest U.S.-Iranian nuclear negotiations.

Later in the day, the State Department confirmed its decision to reduce its footprint in Iraq, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth authorized the voluntary departure of military families across the Middle East on Wednesday, a U.S. defense official told the Washington Examiner.

“The safety and security of our service members and their families remains our highest priority, and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East,” the official said. “CENTCOM is working in close coordination with our Department of State counterparts, as well as our allies and partners in the region to maintain a constant state of readiness to support any number of missions around the world at any time.”

A State Department official told the Washington Examiner, “President Trump is committed to keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad. In keeping with that commitment, we are constantly assessing the appropriate personnel posture at all our embassies. Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce the footprint of our Mission in Iraq.” (Read more from “Iran Promises to Retaliate Against Any Military Conflict With Missile Attacks on U.S. Bases, Some in Europe; U.S. Evacuating Nonessential Personnel” HERE)

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How JD Vance Emerged Unscathed From Elon Musk’s West Wing Frenzy

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Taking shots at President Donald Trump usually results in fire and fury from his second-in-command, Vice President JD Vance. Yet Vance, widely regarded as the president’s pit bull, was notably measured when responding to Elon Musk’s scathing attacks on his boss — a posture informed by his own relationship with Musk as well as direction from Trump, sources tell the Daily Caller.

It was the latest example of Vance deftly navigating the precarious Musk-Trump relationship. While other administration officials saw their names peppered in news reports about massive West Wing blow-ups with Musk, Vance emerged from the rubble mostly unscathed.

Vance’s careful positioning in the Trump-Musk feud was by design, one source familiar indicated, noting that Vance had a sense that the partnership wouldn’t last and thus was careful not to get too involved in the day-to-day shifting sands.

Days before his damaging public blow-up, Musk was in the Oval Office for a press conference celebrating his final days in the administration. Trump awarded Musk with a giant gold key to the White House as a thank you.

The press conference was celebratory in nature. But Musk’s graceful exit quickly devolved with a series of attacks on Trump. (Read more from “How JD Vance Emerged Unscathed From Elon Musk’s West Wing Frenzy” HERE)

Major Christian Denomination Calls on High Court to Overturn Same-Sex Marriage Decision

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A resolution has been adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant group in America, that seeks the reversal of the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in which a single-vote majority created without a link to the U.S. Constitution the “right” to same-sex marriage across the nation.

A resolution, “On Restoring Moral Clarity through God’s Design for Gender, Marriage, and the Family,” calls for the overturning of “laws and court rulings, including Obergefell v. Hodges, that defy God’s design for marriage and family.”

It seeks “laws that affirm marriage between one man and one woman, recognize the biological reality of male and female, protect children’s innocence against sexual predation, affirm and strengthen parental rights in education and healthcare, incentivize family formation in life-affirming ways, and ensure safety and fairness in athletic competition.”

The Supreme Court, at the time it unleashed the stunning creation of rights not mentioned in the Constitution, admitted it was unrelated to America’s founding document. The minority on the court, taking a more conservative position, warned, too, that the ruling, even though it “recognized” the rights of Americans to not support the alternative sexual lifestyle choice, would be used to attack Christians in America, which it has.

For example, officials in just one state, Colorado, have gone to the Supreme Court twice already trying to impose a state-adopted religious belief, which is anti-Christian, on its residents. (Read more from “Major Christian Denomination Calls on High Court to Overturn Same-Sex Marriage Decision” HERE)

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