June 6, 2025 at 10:23 AM EDT
'Jesus warned about hypocrites': Baptist minister slams Mike Johnson in scathing op-ed

Baptist minister and author Brian Kaylor is taking House Speaker and evangelical Christian Mike Johnson to task for parading his religion to the press. The "way he has sought to publicize his faith " violates the founding spirit of a sacred space in the United States Capitol," writes Kaylor in Religion News.

June 5, 2025 at 10:18 PM EDT
'New kind of Achilles heel': Trump's latest law enforcement plan may blow up in his face

In order to accomplish his campaign promise of deporting millions of immigrants during his second term, President Donald Trump is having to dip into other federal law enforcement agencies' personnel. Now, one analyst is suggesting this could prove politically costly for the administration. On Thursday, The New Republic's Greg Sargent wrote that White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller's crusade to deport record numbers of immigrants is resulting in an unexpected shortage of other law enforcement officers elsewhere. Officers from Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Agency, along with some FBI agents, have now been asked to help with immigration enforcement, essentially postponing unrelated criminal investigations that those officers were conducting.

June 5, 2025 at 10:05 PM EDT
'No going back': GOP lawmakers fear Trump-Musk feud puts megabill 'in serious jeopardy'

The Associated Press's White House correspondent Seung Min Kim has said the public feud between President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk could have serious consequences for the president's agenda. While speaking during a segment on CNN Thursday, Kim said she heard some early reactions to the development from some Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill who fear this spat could impact Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill."

June 5, 2025 at 9:14 PM EDT
'Stood tall and took the hits': DeSantis email praises Musk in the midst of Trump feud

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) launched a fundraising campaign Thursday centered around Tesla/SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), coinciding with escalating tensions between President Donald Trump and the tech billionaire. The campaign, distributed via text and email by DeSantis' political committee, Restore Our Nation, urged supporters to back "real conservatives who will finish the job," according to Politico.

June 5, 2025 at 8:48 PM EDT
'Where do we go now?' Ex-RNC chair says Republicans now forced to side with Musk or Trump

President Donald Trump's intensifying public split with Tesla/SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has some conservatives wondering about the future of the legislation that started it. But former Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Michael Steele says the fight shows Republicans may have more to worry about. During a Thursday segment on MSNBC, Steele said that the Musk-Trump feud was illuminating for both CEOs hoping to get into Trump's orbit, as well as for elected Republicans in Congress. He opined that for most corporate executives, the most alarming consequences of the spat was Tesla losing roughly $150 billion in value in one day due to its CEO falling out with the president of the United States.

June 5, 2025 at 8:03 PM EDT
'Crazy and stupid': Trump reportedly blew up at Hegseth for inviting Musk to Pentagon

President Donald Trump was reportedly furious upon learning that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had invited tech billionaire Elon Musk -- a recent Trump ally with whom he had a public falling-out this week -- to a Pentagon briefing. The Atlantic reported Thursday that the meeting, which took place in March, was later described by Trump and Hegseth as a session focused on Musk's role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

June 5, 2025 at 5:18 PM EDT
'Separating a republic from tyranny': How lawmakers could curb Trump's 'coercive' power

In an article for The Bulwark published Thursday, policy analyst Patrick Eddington highlighted the introduction of the MARSHALS Act -- a bill that seeks to transfer the U.S. Marshals Service from the executive branch to the judicial branch. Eddington noted that this legislative move demonstrates that at least some members of the Senate and House are willing to remove "certain armed, coercive law enforcement powers from presidential control."

June 5, 2025 at 5:09 PM EDT
'He is an illegal alien': MAGA leader calls on Trump to deport Musk 'immediately'

The feud between President Donald Trump and Tesla/SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is rapidly intensifying, and now one of Trump's most influential backers is calling on the president to deport the South African centibillionaire. According to a Thursday report by the New York Times' Tyler Pager, Steve Bannon - who went from being Trump's 2016 campaign chairman to Trump's official White House chief strategist during his first term - wants his former boss to send the world's richest man back to South Africa. The MAGA podcaster told the Times that he was convinced that Musk's immigration status should be scrutinized.

June 5, 2025 at 4:25 PM EDT
'The cost does seem a bit steep': GOP senators now railing against Trump's military parade

Next Saturday, June 14, President Donald Trump will turn 79 years old, and his birthday will coincide with the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army. But the military parade Trump has planned next Saturday is now being panned by senators from his own party. Politico reported Thursday that Trump's military parade has turned off several Senate Republicans, who are now complaining about the significant cost of the event. After Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) learned that the parade would cost anywhere from $25 million to $40 million, he said he "would have recommended against" the idea. He added, however, that he wouldn't rule out the benefit of a potential recruiting boost

June 5, 2025 at 3:58 PM EDT
'Electoral suicide': Swing state Senate Republican buried for suggesting Medicare cuts

Senate Republicans are under increasing pressure to identify additional spending cuts to finance their ambitious "Big Beautiful Bill." One potential area of focus is Medicare, according to The Hill. Proponents of this suggestion are reportedly arguing that efficiency improvements could yield substantial savings.

June 5, 2025 at 3:28 PM EDT
Trump's trade war may 'almost double the original retail price' of clothing: analysis

Roughly 97% of all clothing for sale in American stores is made overseas, and most of those imported clothing items are made in China. Now, a new analysis breaks down exactly how much more Americans can expect to pay for basic clothing items if President Donald Trump's tariffs remain in place. CNBC reported Thursday on an analysis from financial services firm AlixPartners that estimated the cost of commonly purchased items that are subjected to the new trade duties Trump has imposed. One item the firm analyzed before and after Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs is the cost of a men's cotton sweater manufactured in China.

June 5, 2025 at 11:02 AM EDT
'He will be finished': George Clooney predicts the end of Trump

George Clooney says most of the people in his circle are worried about being targeted by President Donald Trump, but the threat won't last forever. "Everybody worries about it," Clooney told Anderson Cooper in a Wednesday CNN interview. "We, like everybody, we have a family and we have a life and we try to live and do the things as the best example for our kids," said the Academy Award winning actor and prominent anti-Trumper.