National Security Breach & Policy Violation - The Pentagon's Inspector General report indicates Pete Hegsth shared information in a Signal chat, potentially endangering mission operations and servicemen in Yemen [1] - Hegsth violated department policies by using Signal, a commercial messaging app, for sharing classified information [1] - The shared information included detailed timing of US warplanes over targets in Yemen [1][2] - The Inspector General's report states the information was classified when Hegsth received it from US Central Command [2] Potential Consequences & Double Standards - Lower-level employees would face military discharge and potential criminal prosecution for similar actions [1] - The situation creates an impression of two sets of rules: one for leadership and one for everyone else [1] Information Shared & Operational Security - Hegsth shared real-time updates on a military operation, including launch times for F-18s and strike drones [4] - The shared information included "Time now 11:44 Eastern time The weather is favorable I just confirmed with Sentcom we are a go for mission launch" [3] - The texts also mentioned "12:15 Eastern time F-18's launch first strike package 1345 so 145 triggerbased F-18 first strike window starts target terrorist is at his known location so should be on time also strike drones launch" [4] - The real-time sharing of information posed a risk to pilots if it had fallen into the wrong hands, such as the Houthis [14] Justification & Context - Hegsth may claim he declassified the information before sharing it [2] - However, sharing with individuals who already possess high-level security clearances negates the need for declassification [5][7]

Political Landscape & Midterm Elections - Trump's approval rating has dropped to 36%, the lowest in his second term, and Republican support in Congress has fallen to 23%, also a low for Trump's terms [1] - The GOP is in defense mode with less than a year until the crucial midterm elections [1] - A special election in Tennessee's seventh congressional district is approaching, with potential implications for the GOP's House majority [1] - Trump is reportedly panicking about the Tennessee race, a district he won by 22 points, where polls now show a much tighter race [10] - Losing the Tennessee seat would be a significant blow to Trump and the Republican party [11] Economic Issues & Affordability - The cost of living has increased by 25% since the beginning of the pandemic [1] - 76% of Americans view the economy negatively, including a significant portion of Republicans [3] - The cost of electricity is up 40% since 2020 [5] - Expiring ACA subsidies could affect 22 million Americans, potentially impacting the midterm elections [15] AI & Technology - Data centers powering AI are contributing to rising electricity costs [6] - AI is creating jobs, particularly in the construction industry, presenting a double-edged sword [7] - Politicians may use AI and big tech as scapegoats for rising electricity prices [26]

Congress is set to return from the holiday break next week. And after Marjorie Taylor Green's shocking resignation announcement, House Republicans are reportedly preparing for more to come. A senior House Republican told Punch Bowl News this week, quote, "More explosive early resignations are coming. It's a tinder box. Morale has never been lower.Mike Johnson will be stripped of his gavvel and they will lose the majority before this term is out. " H even former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agrees with this ...

Conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson launched a precious metals company with a North Dakota-based gold dealer, the latest business venture for the conservative firebrand who has also launched a streaming media company and tobacco pouch brand after leaving his role at Fox News.https://t.co/acmLTXC6lg (Photo: Rich Polk/Getty Images for Politicon) ...

We begin this hour with President Trump's week that went from bad to worse as the stinging losses and embarrassing setbacks piled up. Congress nearly unanimously rejected his effort to stop the bill to release the Epstein files after he reversed course to support the bill amid mass Republican defections. He signed it into law Wednesday. Then he suffered a major blow on his redistricting hailmary as a federal court in Texas blocked a new Republicanfriendly congressional map. Although Supreme Court Justice Sa ...

Good evening from New York. I'm Chris Hayes. Well, today was a wild day at the White House.Donald Trump brought New York City Mayor Alex Zoram Donni to the White House. It seemed like it was set up to be an ambush. The White House clearly planned to sandbag the guy like they did with Ukrainian President Vimir Zalinski earlier this year.Remember that. In fact, when announcing the visit itself, Trump called Mani a communist, and his administration handpicked the White House pool and stocked it with right-wing ...

Good evening from New York. I'm Chris Hayes. Well, today was a wild day at the White House.Donald Trump brought New York City Mayor Alex Zoram Donni to the White House. It seemed like it was set up to be an ambush. The White House clearly planned to sandbag the guy like they did with Ukrainian President Vimir Zalinski earlier this year.Remember that. In fact, when announcing the visit itself, Trump called Mani a communist, and his administration handpicked the White House pool and stocked it with right-wing ...

Rev. Al Sharpton, President of the National Action Network, Molly Jong Fast, New York Times Contributing Opinion Writer and John Heilelmann, Puck News Senior Political Contributor joins Nicolle Wallace on Deadline White House with reaction to the Oval Office press conference with NYC Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani and President Trump and how Trump contradicted nearly all of the talking points and messaging from Fox News and most of the Republican party about the NYC Mayor Elect. » Subscribe to MS NOW: https://w ...

So, normally MAGA influencers would be salivating over a new email dump from Jeffrey Epstein. Salivating, but not, it seems, when Donald Trump is in them. Epstein wrote in 2011 to Gileain Maxwell, who's serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for her role in grooming Epstein's victims.It read, quote, I want you to realize that the dog that hasn't barked is Trump. That email, which was one of more than 20,000 documents released this week by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, went on to say that Tr ...

RT Chris Rossini (@ChrisRossini)Tucker Carlson is a no-go for Fox News. Even with the highest ratings of anyone.Former Al-Qaeda?In-studio. ...