One-half of the country duo Big & Rich laid into Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Wednesday evening over the senator's comments about Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's embattled pick for Pentagon chief.

John Rich, a vocal supporter of Trump — and vehement opponent of Joe Biden who once mocked the president as "Sniffy" over his sniffles — took to the social media site X to voice his displeasure with Republicans waffling on Hegseth's nomination.

"The pro-war RINO's are all against @PeteHegseth and that tells you all you need to know," wrote Rich. "Pete is a threat to the war machine. Recess appointments?"

He added in a separate post, "Don't Kavanaugh our Hegseth," referring to the tough confirmation hearing of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, whose nomination was dogged by a sexual assault allegation and protests.

Rich then set his sights on Graham, who has called the allegations against Hegseth "disturbing."

"I think some of these articles are very disturbing. He obviously has a chance to defend himself here, but some of this stuff is it's going to be difficult..." Graham told CBS News.

Rich unleashed a series of posts on X targeting Graham, including at least two that used a homophobic reference.

"Who do you trust more? (repost for maximum results and hilarious responses:)" Rich asked his followers, providing just two responses: Santa Claus and Lindsey Graham.

"I sat across from Lindsey Graham at dinner with DJT a while back. As I was answering a direct question from POTUS, Lindsey twirled his Chardonnay (pinkies up) and told Trump I was a raging conspiracy theorist. I gave him a look that would hairlip the devil, then dismantled him," Rich later posted.

He added: "I've seen tougher guys at Starbucks."

Rich didn't stop there. He shared Graham's office number to his followers and urged them to let him know their feelings about confirming Hegseth.

"This better have 5k reposts before I go to bed," he challenged his followers.

Within an hour, the post had thousands of reposts.

"Welp, that didn't take long," he followed up.

Chuck Todd ruffled feathers on the left during an interview with fellow journalist Chris Cillizza, in which he unloaded on both President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

During their weekly conversation, Todd, who is the chief political analyst for NBC News, weighed in on the president's widely criticized decision to issue a full pardon for his son, who was accused of federal tax and gun charges.

"Joe Biden's got — needs therapy," said Todd. "And I say this with respect. He has not processed Beau's death. He has an issue. He cannot — he has this issue with Hunter. He second-guesses everything he's done —"

"Raising him," interjects Cillizza.

"Raising Hunter," agreed Todd. "Raising Beau. He, I think, blames himself for Hunter's inability to conduct himself as an adult for a period of time. I think he's better now."

ALSO READ: Will Trump back the FBI’s battle against domestic extremists? He won’t say.

Todd said he knew both Beau and Hunter, and that it was "fair to say" that Hunter "failed at being a human being" in the 2010s.

"Failed at adulting for a variety of reasons," said Todd, adding there was "no doubt" that Joe Biden would do "everything he could" to protect Hunter. "Pure and simple. It's a dad reaction."

Todd added that Joe Biden couldn't face the potential "humiliation" of having President-elect Donald Trump pardon Hunter.

"I understand the decision as a father," said Todd. "I understand the decision personally."

Even so, Todd said Biden's decision will be weaponized by MAGA allies who will say he was "emotionally incapable of being president of the United States and probably never should have run." Todd said he "lost it" with Biden after reading transcripts of the Hunter Biden trial.

"You want to get angry? Just as a — somebody — with all these mixed emotions? You read the Hallie Biden transcript. And that's Beau's widow. Essentially he turned her into a crack addict," said Todd.

Joe and Jill Biden were "so concerned about their family," Todd added, "that they decided to run for president. I — so when you talk about the word selfish — it's almost like the word doesn't — their decision to run for president put the entire Democratic Party and the United States of America in the position that it's in now."

MAGA supporters predictably seized on Todd's comments, with Charlie Kirk — a key member of Trump's inner circle and campaign — saying the NBC host "suddenly grows a conscience and gets angry at Joe and Jill Biden for selfishly running for President while Hunter was busy turning Beau's widow, Hallie, into a crack addict."

"Where was the outrage a few years ago, Chuck?" asked Kirk on X.

Kevin Smith, founder of The Loud Majority show on Rumble, echoed Kirk's sentiments.

"Chuck Todd has suddenly come to the conclusion that Joe Biden is the Most Selfish man in America, a terrible father, and an awful President," he wrote on X.

Todd's comments also outraged the left.

"My god it's @chucktodd and @ChrisCillizza - the Ruth and Gehrig of Trump Sanewashing - blaming Biden for the political crisis that NBC/CNN/et al fed and nurtured and these two brainless fools polished," former MSNBC and SportsCenter host Keith Olbermann wrote on X.

Democratic strategists Chris D. Jackson and Eric Ortner also slammed Todd.

"These are wholly inappropriate comments from @chucktodd. What the hell is wrong with you man?" asked Jackson on X.

He added in a separate post: "@NBCNews do you approve of such vile, personal comments from one of your jouanlists? (sic)"

Ortner replied: "I’ll take the over that Chuck came out on the bad side of the cuts at NBC and is taking advice from his reps on how to dip into the right wing honey pot X. Sad."

In another post, Ortnor pointed to Todd's remarks on Hunter Biden, saying: "Here’s some more dumb s--- Chuck said… (add it to the long list). The message feels commercially driven among other things."

Watch part of Todd's comments at this link.

An Iowa Republican senator acknowledged he was "concerned" Tuesday about the threat of a trade war following inflammatory statements from Donald Trump, but downplayed the president-elect's comments as merely a "negotiating tool."

Trump on Monday said heplans to impose a 25% impose a 25% tariffon all imports from Mexico and Canada, and a 10% tariff on goods from China on his first day in office. The move is meant to stem the flow of drugs coming over the border and illegal border crossings.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Tuesday called the threats a "negotiating tool," Politico reported. Even so, he admitted feeling apprehensive about the prospect of a trade war.

“I think you got to see it as a negotiating tool,” Grassley told reporters Tuesday morning, according to the report.

However, he said he felt "concerned about the potential of it,” when asked whether he was worried about a trade war.

“But right now, I see everything that Trump's doing on tariffs as a negotiating tool,” he insisted. “And we'll have to wait and see how successful he is about that.”

Rupert Murdoch's conservative New York Post took a swipe at President-elect Donald Trump's pick for the Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday night, joking that Mar-a-Lago must be seeing an outbreak of brain-eating worms.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said that in 2010, a worm got into his brain, “ate a portion of it and then died.” At the time, he said he was suffering from cognitive difficulties. Doctors found it was a parasitic infection: A pork tapeworm larva.

The New York Post on Thursday night ripped Trump's selection for HHS secretary, noting that the "overriding rule of medicine" is "First, do no harm" — and that appointing Kennedy to the role "breaks this rule."

The Post pointed to their sit-down interview last year in which he espoused a "head-scratching spaghetti of what we can only call warped conspiracy theories, and not just on vaccines."

ALSO READ: Why Trump voters should be held accountable for their choice

"'Neocons' are responsible for America’s policy ills. 'Pesticides, cellphones, ultrasound' could be driving an upswing in Tourette syndrome and peanut allergies," the Post recalled he said, adding: "He told us with full conviction that all America’s chronic health problems began in one year in the 1980s when a dozen bad things happened."

While social media users might be "gullible" and "hungry" for conspiracy theories, the Post came away thinking "he's nuts on a lot of fronts." People could be harmed or die, the publication warned. Furthermore, it warned Kennedy could send the industry into a disastrous "tailspin."

"We fear the worm that he claims ate some of his brain some years ago is contagious and there’s been an outbreak at Mar-a-Lago," the Post concluded.

Kennedy has called vaccines into question, broadly questioning their safety and efficacy, including claiming, "There's no vaccine that is safe and effective" — and promoting the debunked theory that vaccines cause autism.

Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a powerful concession speech Wednesday afternoon as she pledged to honor the peaceful transition of power — even as she vowed never to concede the "fight that fueled this campaign."

Speaking in Washington, D.C., and dressed in all black, Harris delivered a 12-minute speech to a tearful audience that erupted into chants of "Ka-ma-la!"

As supporters shouted, "We love you!" she replied, "And I love you back." Harris said her heart was "full" despite the election results.

"Hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and we keep fighting," she said.

After thanking her husband Doug Emhoff, President Joe Biden and her team, Harris declared she was proud of the race her campaign ran, highlighting that it was about building community and coalitions "united by love of country with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for America’s future."

"We did it with the knowledge that we have so much more in common than what separates us," said Harris.

She brought some levity to the speech as well, noting “I get it” referring to supporters feeling a dark range of emotions. Even so, she said she'll accept the results of the election.

"A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election we accept the results," she said, a notable break from how now-President-elect Donald Trump handled his election loss in 2020.

Harris said doing so distinguishes a democracy from a monarchy or tyranny.

"Anyone who seeks the public’s trust must honor it," she emphasized.

She later added: "While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign."

That fight, she said, is for freedom, opportunity, fairness and the dignity of all people.

"The ideals that reflect America at our best," she said, adding: "That is a fight I will never give up."

As she closed her speech, Harris told supporters to ignore their doubters.

"Don't you ever listen if someone tells you something is impossible since it has never been done before," she said. "You have the capacity to do extraordinary good in the world."

She offered a gentle word of encouragement, too.

"Do not despair. This is not the time to throw up our hands. It's the time to roll up our sleeves," she said. "Organize and mobilize for the sake of freedom and justice."

She shared an adage that only when it's dark enough can you see stars.

"If it is, let us fill the sky with the brilliant, brilliant billion of stars. The light of optimism, of faith, of truth, and service," she said.

The Republican Party seized control of the Senate late Tuesday as Republican candidates flipped seats in Ohio and West Virginia and fended off a surprising challenge in Nebraska.

Bernie Moreno defeated incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio and Gov. Jim Justice won in retiring independent Sen. Joe Manchin's seat in West Virginia. Incumbent Republican Deb Fischer held onto her seat in Nebraska.

The GOP now has control over the chamber that will confirm the next president’s cabinet, as well as any potential Supreme Court justices.

The news comes as former President Donald Trump led Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race late Tuesday.

Control over the House of Representatives remained unclear late Tuesday, with more than 100 races still uncalled.

A new report flagged what it called a "red flag" for the Trumpcampaign in a key battleground state that could decide the presidential election.

Donald Trump is trailing Kamala Harris in early voting among seniors in Pennsylvania, Politico reported, calling the finding a "warning sign" for him that mirrors data and polling across swing states.

The report comes after Republicans won the constituency in each election since 2004.

The report said adults over 65 account for nearly half of early voters in Pennsylvania. Registered Democrats account for about 58 percent of those votes, and about 35 percent are Republicans. While Republicans have noted that gap is smaller than it was when Joe Biden won in 2020, Politico noted those votes are "in the bank" for Democrats. Republicans are betting that seniors will hit the polls on Election Day.

Democratic strategist Tom Bonier told the outlet it represents a “silver surge."

“Our expectation going into the early vote was that it would, in general, skew substantially more Republican than in 2020,” Bonier said. “There is no more pandemic, Democrats were more Covid conscious … and Republicans have been pushing early voting.”

Pennsylvania recorded about 2.5 million total early votes in 2020, a significant increase over previous elections, partly due to the pandemic. Of those, about 1.2 million were adults over 60.

So far, the state has recorded about 1.6 million early votes, according to the University of Florida's Election Lab. About 56.5% were from Democrats and 32.6% were from Republicans.

The report comes after Marc Short, who served as Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, warned Thursday that an increase in Republican voters during early voting may not be something Donald Trumpshould celebrate.

"There's more evidence of Republicans crossing over than Democrats crossing over," Short told MSNBC. "You are looking at [higher] Republican numbers, but I'm not sure that tells a full story right now."

A former staffer of the Trump administration who shot to fame on "The Apprentice" told CNN on Tuesday her old boss' town hall turned dance party shows he has nothing to say to Americans — and suggested journalists ask specific medical questions as he refuses to release his medical records.

Omarosa Manigault Newman, former director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison during the Trump administration, joined CNN anchor Laura Coates on her show late Tuesday. The two discussed Trump's town hall event, in which the MAGA leader answered a few questions before playing music and dancing for more than 40 minutes.

Newman called the spectacle "one of the most bizarre displays I've ever seen from Donald Trump," emphasizing she's known Trump since 2003.

"It really shows that Donald Trump has nothing to say to America," she said. "He has nothing to offer to America. All he has to offer is weird swaying and dancing. And at a time like this in this nation, we need more than just that. And he cannot deliver."

Coates agreed, noting Trump could've used the time to go on the offense or talk about policy.

"Instead, I'm doing the Y-M-C-A," she said. "And that just seems a very odd waste of political capital 21 days before the election."

When Coates steered the conversation toward Newman's book suggesting that Trump was showing signs of mental decline as early as 2017, Newman shared that in the first year in the White House, Trump was "unable to recall basic figures."

"He would forget the names of his cabinet members. He would forget key details of policy issues that we were talking about as we were preparing for him to go out on stage," she said.

She theorized that Trump is canceling interviews because "once he starts to stumble, he starts to pivot" — and starts attacking.

Coates played a clip of Trump bragging he aced a cognitive test but noted he refuses to release the results of the test. In response, Newman said there's "more there, there." Trump dictated what part of his medical history was released, she said.

"The doctors weren't free to write what they want. They weren't free to write what was really seen in those evaluations," she said.

Savvy reporters, she added, ought to ask "very specific" questions regarding Trump's health.

"I think they should ask about his health in terms of his heart," she said. "They should ask, 'Has Donald Trump had any issues with, for instance, stents?' 'Has he ever had a stent?' I think a journalist should ask that and see if they'll answer the true question. 'Has he had any blockage in his heart?' Wonder if they'll give any true answers about that."

Raw Story reached out to the Trump campaign about Newman's questions and will update when we hear back.

Watch the clip below or at this link here.

A CNN panel devolved into chaos and shouting on Thursday night during a discussion over former President Donald Trump's falsehoods, combatting them, and even whether to agree they were false.

Speaking to her panelists on "NewsNight," host Abby Phillip questioned whether Trump's falsities regarding hurricane relief represented "a different level of politicians behaving badly."

"To use a storm to say, 'Vote for me, not for the other guy,'" she trailed off.

"And suggesting that you have to wait until January for actual real relief when we know that relief is actually on the ground right now in Florida and the Carolinas," chimed in CNN's chief media analyst Brian Stelter.

He said misinformation reporters feel they've "lost" this week.

"There's nothing more to do," he said. "Like, it's become so extreme. So out of control. So many Americans have just lost the plot and lost connection to reality."

When Leigh McGowan, a social media host and content creator, suggested it's time to consider legislating against lies — a "fairness doctrine for the new millennium" because, she said, "you shouldn't be able to just lie to the American public" — the panel pushed back.

"Who decides the lies?" questioned Stelter.

"I'm all for truth but we tried that twice in American history and it was a horrific failure," said T.W. Arrighi, a former communications aide to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

As McGowan listed off right-wing falsehoods about Haitian immigrants and FEMA, she called it a "concerning reality," prompting Arrighi to respond her ideas of "censorship" represent a "concerning reality."

"Who draws the line? Like you said," Arrighi said, pointing to Stelter.

The panel devolved shortly thereafter when Arrighi asked, 'If somebody said, 'If this storm hit Charlotte or Palm Beach, not the hollers of western North Carolina, I think the response would be different,' is that a lie? Maybe not! It's an opinion."

He added, "Who's deciding?"

The question prompted the panelists to talk over each other for a few seconds, then devolved again after Marc Lotter, former strategic communications for the Trump campaign, said similar questions are also asked when citizens suggest millions are spent on sports arenas instead of on police and teachers.

"Guys hold on a second," Phillip tries to interject, to no avail. "Everyone, stop talking. Hold on a second. This is not what we're talking about. It's really just not."

Phillip then tired to correct the course of the conversation, and told her panel it's "not that hard to figure out."

"Trump says that they are not getting help in Republican areas. That is just false. It's just false. It's not an opinion. It's just a provably false thing. So let's just agree — can we agree that's a lie?"

Trotter didn't agree.

"I would say, what do the people think?" he asked.

The panel erupted into shouting — and groans — again.

Watch the clip below or at this link.

Critics were baffled by a New York Times headline on Wednesday night that they said missed the mark compared to the report, which put a spotlight on former President Donald Trump's long-held belief in racehorse breeding theory — that strong genes result in superior people.

The paper of record noted that former President Donald Trump is "reviving" an "old habit" — "invoking his long-held fascination with genes and genetics" in the weeks before the election.

"For decades, including long before he became a political figure, Mr. Trump has been publicly obsessed with bloodlines and his stated belief that genetics are the best predictor of a person’s success," he said. "He has repeatedly commented on what he described as his, his family’s and his supporters’ good genes, and on others’ bad genes."

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The report noted that Trump told a conservative podcaster this week that he believes murder is hereditary.

"You know, now, a murderer, I believe this, it’s in their genes. And we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now," said Trump.

While the Trump campaign tried to clarify that the former president was "clearly referring to murderers, not migrants," the comment drew widespread condemnation from Democrats, including Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, who called Trump's statement “vile, disturbing, hateful."

But it wasn't the article's reporting that caught social media's ire. It was the headline, which critics argued wasn't strong enough given the racially-charged report.

"In remarks about migrants, Donald Trump invoked his long-held fascination with genes and genetics," the Times headline read.

The headline was called out by the popular satirical "New York Times Pitchbot" account, which parodies headlines and article ideas from The New York Times.

"Hard to compete with this," the account wrote on X, attaching a screenshot of the headline.

"The sanewashing of Trump continues," wrote former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan.

"Trump’s practically a scientist!!!" exclaimed David Corn, Washington, D.C. bureau chief of Mother Jones.

"This New York Times headline makes it seem as if Trump has a deep intellectual curiosity about genetics instead of stating the obvious fact that he’s simply a racist," wrote Mark Jacob, former editor at The Chicago Tribune & Sun-Times.

"My god," replied foreign policy reporter Laura Rozen.

"Wow. That can’t be real, although I’m sure it is," lamented Paul Biedermann, an adjunct professor of design and comic art.

"JFC @nytimes. JFC," wrote actor Bradley Whitford, who played Josh Lyman, the White House deputy chief of staff, in the 1990s hit show "The West Wing."

Former First Lady Melania Trump praised former President Donald Trump for letting her believe in abortion rights for women.

During a Sunday interview on Fox News, Melania Trump defended disagreeing with her husband when it came to reproductive rights.

"You write it is imperative to guarantee that women have autonomy in deciding their preference in having children based on their own convictions, free from intervention or pressure from government," host Maria Bartiromo explained. "Had you spoken to President Trump about that before you wrote that in the book?"

"Yes, he knew my position and my beliefs since the day we met," Melania Trump replied. "And I believe in individual freedom. I want to decide what I want to do with my body. I think I don't want government in my personal business. I think it's very important."

The former first lady sought to distance her book from the current political campaign, noting that her remarks about abortion were written months ago.

"He knew my beliefs, as I said," she noted. "So he knew it would be in the book. He let me be who I am. And he let me believe what I believe. He let me be my own person, and he respects that."

"And I respect that as I let him be his own person," she added. "He has different beliefs, and he will do what he believes. He will be elected official."

Watch the video below from Fox News.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Former Wyoming Republican Rep.Liz Cheney made the case for why the "party of [Abraham] Lincoln" should join her in casting their ballots this year for Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump, as she scorched the former president over his "depravity" and threat to the republic.

Taking to the podium in Wisconsin, "Thank you, Liz" chants broke out in Ripon, Wisconsin, the birthplace of the party. Cheney shared that Wisconsin is special to her, because in 1966, a very young Dick and Lynne Cheney were graduate students, and she was born in Madison.

"Coming back always feels to me more than a little bit like coming home," she said.

Cheney jabbed the MAGA leader, telling rally-goers she was a Republican "even before Donald Trump started spray tanning," to laughs. She described herself as a "Ronald Reagan conservative," and supporter of low taxes, limited government, a strong national defense, and that family — not the government — is the "most important structure in society."

But Cheney said that security and freedom depend upon a world in which America and its allies lead.

"And above all else, I know that the most conservative of conservative values is fidelity to our Constitution," she said.

Cheney added: "I have never voted for a Democrat. But this year I am proudly casting my vote for Kamala Harris," she said to loud applause and more, "Thank you, Liz" chants.

"Mostly," she continued, "we're not going back."

Harris is "standing in the breach during a critical moment" in the nation's history, said Cheney, and is trying to unite what she called reasonable people across the political spectrum. Cheney praised Harris for dedicating her life to public service and said Harris loves the country and will be a president for all Americans.

"I am honored to join her in this urgent cause," said Cheney.

Cheney then launched into a desperate plea to her party, saying the "republic faces a threat unlike any we have faced before." She slammed Trump for trying to stay in power and refusing to accept lawful results confirmed by dozens of courts.

"In this election, putting patriotism ahead of partisanship is not an aspiration, it is our duty," she declared, noting that the peaceful transition of power is "at the very heart of our republic's survival."

"Violence does not and must never determine who rules us," she said. "Voters do."

Among the president's "solemn" obligations is to ensure and guarantee that power, she said. That obligation has been honored each election since the beginning of the republic until Trump lost the 2020 election.

"I don't care if you are a Democrat or a Republican or independent. That is depravity. And we mustn't become numb to it. Any person who would do these things can never be trusted with power again," said Cheney.

"He is petty and he is vindictive and he is cruel," she said.

Lawyers for former President Donald Trump are urging a federal judge to dismiss two of four counts in special counsel Jack Smith's superseding indictment in his election subversion case — and claim the two others are "fatally" undermined.

In the filing Thursday afternoon, Trump's attorneys said the special counsel "cannot ignore or hide" from "binding precedent," and pointed to the Supreme Court decision Fischer v. United States as "yet another key application of the rule of law to reject lawfare overreach" targeting the MAGA leader.

The case, Trump's team argued, "requires the dismissal of Counts Two and Three of the Superseding Indictment, and its logic undermines Counts One and Four as well."

The filing comes after U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan unsealed a 165-page filing from Smith's office that described the former president's pressure campaign on Pence and other Republicans as part of a sprawling effort to overturn his 2020 election loss.

The judge must determine which actions should be shielded from prosecution under the Supreme Court's immunity ruling.

Read the filing here.

A judge dealt former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows a blow on Monday, rejecting his request to move his criminal charges in Arizona to federal court.

U.S. District Judge John Tuchi wrote Monday that Meadows failed to "present good cause for his untimely filing" of his removal request, and that he failed to "demonstrate that the conduct charged in the state's prosecution relates to his former color of office as Chief of Staff to the President."

In April, an Arizona grand jury indicted 18 people on nine felony counts in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Prosecutors have said Meadows worked with the Trump campaign to "coordinate and implement the false Republican electors' votes in Arizona" and "was involved in the many efforts to keep [Trump] in power despite his defeat at the polls."

Meadows has argued that the case ought to be moved to federal court because the allegations that he essentially facilitated communication to and from the president related to the Election was within the scope of his official duties.

But the judge wasn't buying it — and laid into the argument.

"Mr. Meadows has not so much removed the State’s indictment as rewritten it," wrote Tuchi.

"Contrary to Mr. Meadows’s assertions, the State has not indicted Mr. Meadows for merely facilitating communication to and from the President or for simply staying abreast of campaign goings-on," Tuchi added. "Instead, the State has indicted Mr. Meadows for allegedly orchestrating and participating in an illegal electioneering scheme. Few, if any, of the State’s factual allegations even resemble the secretarial duties that Mr. Meadows maintains are the subject of the indictment."

Meadows also faces charges in Georgia in the scheme to overturn the 2020 election. He has pleaded not guilty in both states.

Vice President Kamala Harris slammed former President Donald Trump early at their first debate on Tuesday night during a back-and-forth on the economy.

When asked if Harris would like to respond to Trump's attacks on the economy with what he called record inflation under the Biden administration, she retorted "let's talk about what Donald Trump left us."

"Donald Trump left us the worst unemployment since the Great Depression. Donald Trump left us with the worst public health epidemic in a century. Donald Trump left us with the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War. And what we have done is clean up Donald Trump's mess."

Harris said she intends to build on Americans' aspirations and hopes — and then warned Americans will hear the "same old tired playbook."

"A bunch of lies, grievances and name-calling. What you're going to hear tonight is a detailed and dangerous plan called Project 2025 that the former president intends on implementing if we are elected again.

Watch the clip below or at this link.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

New audio shows former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney endorsing Kamala Harris for president, citing the "danger" posed by former President Donald Trump and saying the country doesn't have the "luxury" to write in a third candidate.

Cheney, who is the daughter of former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney, made the endorsement at a Duke University public policy event, audio posted Wednesday evening on X.

"Because we are in North Carolina I think it is crucially important for people to recognize not only is what I just said about the danger that Trump poses, something that should prevent people from voting for him, but I don't believe that we have the luxury of writing in candidates names, particularly in swing states," Cheney told an auditorium. "As a conservative and someone who believes and cares about the Constitution, I have thought deeply about this, and because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump but I will be voting for Kamala Harris."

The crowd erupted into applause as Cheney finished her statement.

Watch the clip below or at this link.

A top volunteer for Donald Trump's campaign in Massachusetts lost his position after he emailed fellow volunteers and said neighboring New Hampshire was "no longer a battleground state" and encouraged supporters to instead direct their efforts on winning Pennsylvania.

Tom Mountain wrote in the email, obtained by The Boston Globe, that Trump was “sure to lose by an even higher margin” this year in New Hampshire than he did in 2016 and 2020. Mountain cited “campaign data/research," according to the Globe.

Republicans in the region scrambled to push back against Mountain's comments and emphasize his comments were the opinion of a volunteer and not the party's official strategy.

Brian Hughes, senior advisor to the Trump campaign, told the Globe that Mountain was not a “leading volunteer” and that “due to this ridiculous misrepresentation of our ongoing operation in New Hampshire, he will no longer have any involvement going forward.”

He added that the Trump campaign still has a presence on the ground in the state with staffers and offices.

Meanwhile, Steve Stepanek, leader of the Trump campaign in the state, said Mountain "obviously has no idea what is going on in NH because he is from Massachusetts."

Mountain notably resigned in 2021 as vice chairman of the Massachusetts GOP over a "scurrilous and demeaning" blog post. At the time, Mountain did not identify the blog post in question, but the Boston Globe noted a story posted by Turtleboy Sports titled, "Vice Chairman Of Mass GOP Leaves Tons Of Creepy Comments For Women On Facebook Including Underage Girls, Claims He Was Hacked."

The story alleged that Mountain had left "creepy comments" about an intern for Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL), some of of which were left when she was 14 and 15 years old.

A former White House communications director for Donald Trump believes her old boss may back out of the Sept. 10 debate — and that Democrats are pining to debate with hot mics in hopes that he becomes "unhinged."

Alyssa Farah Griffin, former Trump White House communications director, spoke Monday night with CNN anchor Anderson Cooper on "Anderson Cooper 360°" and noted that Trump's waffling on the debate shows how much the "calculation" has changed for Trump now that Kamala Harris is in the race instead of President Joe Biden.

"Kamala Harris is a confident debater," said Griffin. "A former prosecutor. And I think their calculation is they want to see Donald Trump get a little unhinged. They want the American public to hear if there's cross-talk, if there's name-calling, if there's some kind of, you know, goading her into something while she has the floor."

Griffin also noted this would be a change from the agreed-upon rules, but said Trump appears to be laying the groundwork on his social media site Truth Social to back out altogether.

"He's been going after the moderators, he's been going after the rules. He knows this is a very different candidate than he's ever had to debate before. She's the younger candidate, she's got the momentum. It's not going to be expected to be against."

Griffin said she sees no reason the Harris campaign will back out. Not so for Trump.

"I think Donald Trump's keeping that door open," she said.

Watch the clip here or at this link.

Facing intense backlash for walking back his commitment to appear at a scheduled Sept. 10 debate on ABC, former President Donald Trump took to his app Friday night to declare he's agreed to a new debate — on a different network.

"I have agreed with FoxNews to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 4th," the MAGA leader wrote late Friday on Truth Social. "The Debate was previously scheduled against Sleepy Joe Biden on ABC, but has been terminated in that Biden will no longer be a participant, and I am in litigation against ABC Network and George Slopadopoulos, thereby creating a conflict of interest."

Trump added that the FoxNews debate will be held in Pennsylvania, but that the site has not been determined.

"The Moderators of the Debate will be Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, and the Rules will be similar to the Rules of my Debate with Sleepy Joe, who has been treated horribly by his Party – BUT WITH A FULL ARENA AUDIENCE!…"

Trump said that if Harris fails to appear "for any reason" — "is unwilling or unable to debate on that date" — that he has agreed to do a town hall on Fox News on the same Sept. 4 date.

"My preference would be the Debate, but the Townhall will be very exciting also," he wrote. "I look forward to seeing everybody, and especially Kamala Harris, on September 4th, in the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania!"

In a separate post, Trump accused Democrats of unconstitutionally — and "unceremoniously" — swapping President Joe Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris.

"This has never been done before, and is a Threat to Democracy, but I am totally prepared to accept the results of this 'coup,' and replace Joe on the Debate stage with Crazy Kamala Harris," he said.

Trump complained that he spent hundreds of millions of dollars, time, and effort campaigning against Biden, boasted that he won the debate between the two, only for Democrats to toss a new candidate into the ring.

"Not fair, but it is what it is! Nevertheless, different Candidate or not, their bad Policies are the same, and this will be strongly revealed at the September 4th Debate."

Trump's latest rant comes after goading from the Harris campaign.

This week, Harris led the crowd at a packed rally in Atlanta in jeering Trump for reneging on his promise to debate Sept. 10.

"So, the momentum in this race is shifting," Harris at the rally. "And there are signs that Donald Trump is feeling it. You may have noticed. So last week, you may have seen he pulled out of the debate in September he had previously agreed to."

The crowd booed.

"So here's the thing," she said. "Here's the funny thing about that. So he won't debate, but he and his running mate sure seem to have a lot to say about me. And by the way, don't you find some of their stuff to just be plain weird? Well, Donald, I do hope you'll reconsider to meet me on the debate stage. Because as the saying goes, if you got something to say, say it to my face."

The internet mocked former President Donald Trump on Monday over his "cringe" interview on Fox News alongside new vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance.

Trump and Vance talked with Jesse Watters in a clip that interviewed Monday night. When Watters asked a soft-ball question — "Why did you pick J.D. Vance?" — Trump gave a curious answer.

"We've always had a good chemistry," said Trump. "And originally, J.D. was probably not for me but he didn’t know me. And then, when we got to know each other, he liked me. Maybe, more than anybody liked me. And he would stick up for me and he would fight for the worker as much as I fight for the worker."

He added: "We just had an automatic chemistry."

Vance, notably, in a 2016 article Vance described Trump as an "idiot" and a "moral disaster," stating that he could potentially become an "American Hitler." Vance also argued that Trump's rise to power would be detrimental to the Republican Party, warning that he could "destroy the GOP."

The internet mocked the former president's remarks on X.

"Nobody likes Trump, JD Vance is using him for political expediency… that is all that is," wrote @ImKnotTheOne.

"Such a low bar of qualifications, but whatever works I guess," scoffed @franklinisbored.

"JD Vance needed a political career. That’s what happened," wrote @democracywill13.

"JP, is that you?" questioned @BlueATLGeorgia.

"Oh. This is cringe!" exclaimed @PauletteParis1.

"It’s love affair! With a different kind of porn star!" proclaimed @KimDonovanK2.

"Why are they laughing?! I was told that laughing is bad." wrote @DailyTrix.

Watch the clip below or at this link.

The type of military-style rifle used in former President Donald Trump's assassination attempt over the weekend — and numerous other mass shootings — is being given away as a raffle prize at the Republican National Convention.

Trump on Saturday was left with a bloodied ear after being grazed by a bullet fired from an AR-15 by shooter Thomas Crooks, authorities have said.

Days after the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, rally, which left two dead including the shooter, MAGA supporters in Milwaukee can enter a free giveaway at the convention to win their very own AR-15, Rolling Stone reported.

A Daniel Defense assault rifle is available at an outdoor space designated as “ConventionFest," the news outlet reported. A convention vendor called the U.S. Concealed Carry Association is sponsoring the giveaway.

The brand of AR-15 used at Trump's rally wasn't immediately known. Daniel Defense rifles were used in the Uvalde school shooting, and several were discovered in an arsenal belonging to the Las Vegas shooter, the news outlet noted.

AR-15-style rifles are one of the most popular guns in the nation and can fire multiple shots in quick succession. Its cousin is the M-16, which has been used by U.S. troops since Vietnam.

Some military assault rifles are fully automatic, bit civilians are banned from owning such weapons in most circumstances.

The rifles fire high-velocity bullets that travel at three times the speed of a handgun round. They're also highly accurate over long distances and leave devastating wounds to soft tissue and internal organs.

Jon Stewart blasted President Joe Biden and Democrats on "The Daily Show" on Monday night, emphatically rejecting the "get on board" with Biden campaign post-debate.

Stewart's tirade began right where he left off post-debate: with "anger and despair."

As some Democrats have come out and expressed doubts, questions and concern over Biden's ability to run a campaign that can defeat former President Donald Trump, others, he noted, believe "they should shut the f--- up."

Stewart's team then queued up clips across major networks of pundits and experts collectively demanding that those who've expressed concerns publicly cease and desist. That includes the so-called pearl-clutchers, handwringers and bed-wetters.

"We panicked and p---ed our pants," said Democratic U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.

The metaphor, Stewart chided to laughs, was probably a poor one.

Read also: Jon Stewart is back — and he's got the videos of Trump's memory problems in interviews

"First of all, I'm not sure incontinence is the metaphor you want to go with," blasted Stewart, a dig at the 81-year-old Biden's age.

Stewart then laid out why some have, in his eyes, valid concerns from the bed-wetting side of the party. He pointed to troubling moments of "disconnect" and held up a chart showing the number of "huh?" moments over time.

The comedian's first exhibit: a clip of Biden last year asking "Jackie, you here? Where's Jackie?" He appeared to be asking about Indiana Rep. Jackie Walorski, who had died.

"Unfortunately, Jackie was dead," said Stewart. "It's something the president seems to have known six weeks earlier when he released a condolence statement about her death."

One mark for the "huh?" chart.

Stewart then played a clip of Biden seeming to forget another major death. Biden told a crowd in Las Vegas in February he recently met with French president Francois Mitterrand — who died in 1995.

That remark earned a second mark on the "huh?" chart.

Stewart eventually concludes the debate was a "shocking display of cognitive difficulty — recognizable to, unfortunately, anybody who's dealt with aging parents. And it's a hard watch."

The host then pointed out that while Trump's own "huh?" chart is full of its own marks, Trump "delivered at the debate to expectation."

"We expect him to be f----ing crazy," he said. "But Biden's performance and inability to articulate at times was stunning. Like, I could not believe what I was watching."

Stewart called the post-debate explanations — such as Biden had a cold and jetlag — "blatant bull----."

He later added that authoritarianism and Trump aren't the only threats to democracy.

"An arthritic status quo, unable or unwilling to respond in any way to the concerns of voters, who just received new and urgent information about their candidate, also erodes confidence and faith in the system of government," he railed. "Get on board or shut the f--- up is not ... a particularly compelling pro-democracy bumper sticker."

Watch the clip below or at this link.

Former President Donald Trump reportedly began efforts Monday to have his hush money felony conviction in Manhattan thrown out — and his looming sentencing delayed — citing the controversial U.S. Supreme Court ruling that presidents have broad immunity from prosecution when it comes to "official" actions.

A person with knowledge of the matter told The New York Times on Monday that Trump's lawyers asked for permission from Judge Juan Merchan to file a motion to set aside the verdict. The request came in a letter that will not remain secret until at least Tuesday, the Times reported. Prosecutors will be able to respond thereafter.

Trump is set to be sentenced July 11 and prosecutors were expected to give the judge their recommended sentence Monday. However, prosecutors didn't give the judge a sentencing recommendation about Trump's possible punishment, according to the Times.

Jurors convicted him on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records stemming from allegations he paid hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who has said the two had a tryst while his wife was pregnant.

Trump’s lawyers asked Merchan to push back his sentencing — where he faces up to four years in prison — as Merchan decides how the Supreme Court ruling impacts the New York City case.

Notably, the Supreme Court justices said prosecutors cannot charge a president for any official acts. The hush money was allegedly paid during then-presidential candidate Trump's 2016 run.

If it happens, the sentencing in New York will likely be the only criminal sentence Trump faces of any of the four cases he faces before the Nov. 5 election.

A far-right lawsuit accusing President Joe Biden's administration of coordinating with social media companies to help tamp down COVID-19 misinformation proved too much even for the right-leaning Supreme Court — but as an expert put it, a conservative justice's dissenting opinion was simply out of this world.

In a majority decision, Justice Amy Coney Barrett slapped down the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday in the Murthy v. Missouri case, finding the right-wing parties had no standing to sue. The high court's decision reversed the conservative Fifth Circuit, which said communications between government officials and social media platforms meant that the government officials were regulating content-moderation decisions for the platform.

The Fifth Circuit was "wrong to do so," wrote Barrett.

“To establish standing, the plaintiffs must demonstrate a substantial risk that, in the near future, they will suffer an injury that is traceable to a Government defendant and redressable by the injunction they seek,” Barrett wrote. She added: “because no plaintiff has carried that burden, none has standing to seek a preliminary injunction.”

The Fifth Circuit's decision hinged on many factual findings that "unfortunately appear to be clearly erroneous," she wrote.

But conservative Justice Samuel Alito wrote in a pithy dissent that “for months, high-ranking government officials placed unrelenting pressure on Facebook to suppress Americans’ free speech."

"Because the Court unjustifiably refuses to address this serious threat to the First Amendment, I respectfully dissent," he said.

Writing for MSNBC on Wednesday, former Manhattan prosecutor Jordan Rubin said it appeared Alito's dissenting opinion was "seemingly written from another planet."

"Wednesday’s ruling continues one theme of this term in the high court needing to check the rogue circuit, which sometimes goes too far, even for this court," he said. "Still, the three-justice dissent shows that, with additional Republican appointees, the Supreme Court could become more like the 5th Circuit."

Daily Show host Jon Stewart slammed corporations Monday night for exploiting the "decades-long struggle of gay people for acceptance and equality."

The blistering takedown came during Stewart's opening segment, in which he blasted companies like Burger King, Skittles and Target for financially exploiting Pride Month.

"Remember when you were fired from that bank job after you were outed? Well, Burger King does," Stewart said to laughs, "with a burger that has two bottom buns!"

Stwart said the example was very much real — "not a funny make 'em up."

He then set his sights on candy giant Skittles.

"Scarred by conversion therapy? Skittles is releasing a colorless version of Skittles," Stewart said, again to laughs, "apparently not wanting to confuse gay people with competing rainbows."

He then showed an ad for Oreo, about a family "overcoming a father's deep conservative values." In the ad, a woman named Amy is introduced to her partner's family, including her partner's apparently disapproving father. At the end of the video, the father seems to have had a change of heart — painting a rainbow flag on their fence.

"Did I do it right?" the father asks.

An incredulous and bewildered Stewart can't help but ask, "What the f---?"

"The next time you waste an enormous amount of paint to apologize to your daughter for making her and her girlfriend walk on f---ing eggshells all f---ing weekend, not even saying anything, just standing there with your little glowering beard face, in the shadows ... you paint the fence and give her an Oreo?"

Stewart then launched into Target, which said it would scale back Pride Month merchandise this month.

"What? How will I learn to 'live, laugh, lesbian?'"

He then asks the difficult question, of why Target is "apparently less proud of pride this year," and plays a CNN clip which reports the retail giant has faced backlash over recent collections that celebrate LBTQ people.

"That's the burden corporations must bear," Stewart said. "They care almost too much about the human condition, often finding themselves in the crosshairs of ideologues and fundamentalists. But they stand by their values. Sometimes for a couple of months!"

Watch the full clip below or click here.

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