Trump's so-called war on fraud looks wildly selective when you realize he's pardoned over 70 allies and donors convicted of the exact same kinds of crimes he's supposedly cracking down on.
Pardons for the biggest fraudsters imaginable
Philip Esformes ran a $1.3 billion Medicare fraud scheme.
Trump commuted his 20-year sentence back in 2020.
Salomon Melgen ripped off taxpayers for $42 million via Medicare.
Both got clemency despite massive government program theft.
Clemency conveniently follows donations and loyalty
Trevor Milton donated over $1.8 million before getting pardoned.
Julio Herrera Velutini's daughter gave $3.5 million to MAGA Inc.
Devon Archer's pardon came after fueling the Biden family probe.
George Santos got pardoned...
The FBI opened a leak investigation into Joe Kent before he even resigned, and the White House is now running a full-court press to paint him as untrustworthy and disloyal.
FBI probes Kent for possible intelligence leaks
The FBI launched a leak investigation into Joe Kent.
That probe predated his Tuesday resignation from government.
Trump's DOJ has routinely targeted the president's political critics.
Kent served as director of the National Counterterrorism Center.
Kent doubles down on anti-war stance
Kent told Tucker Carlson that Iran posed no imminent threat.
He blamed Israel for pressuring America into the conflict.
Kent demanded that Trump bar Israel from offensive operations entirely.
He still praised Trump's prior actions...
A Newsmax news director just got tapped as Voice of America's deputy, one day after a federal judge ordered 1,000-plus fired journalists back to work.
Newsmax veteran named VOA deputy director
Christopher Wallace was appointed VOA's new deputy director.
Wallace spent roughly 20 years at conservative news channels.
VOA journalists worry about editorial independence threats from this pick.
The agency's internal email vowed to uphold the VOA charter.
Judge already torched Trump's VOA shutdown
A federal judge nullified nearly all administration actions against VOA.
Over 1,000 journalists and staff were ordered reinstated by March 23.
Kari Lake's appointment to lead the parent agency was ruled invalid.
Chase Untermeyer questioned whether...
That viral photo of a 5-year-old in a bunny hat surrounded by federal agents didn't slow anything down, because the government is still pushing to deport his entire family.
The Trump administration pursues Liam's deportation
Liam Conejos Ramos and his family face active deportation efforts.
The government dismissed their asylum case without a hearing.
Their lawyers filed an appeal on Wednesday seeking reconsideration.
The Board of Immigration Appeals is stacked with Trump appointees.
How the family ended up here
Liam and his father were detained during a Minneapolis sweep.
They got sent to a family detention center in Dilley, Texas.
A federal judge ordered their release, blasting the operation.
The family entered legally as asylum...
Pam Bondi dodged a straight answer on whether she'd sit for a deposition in the Epstein probe, offering only a vague promise to follow the law.
Bondi won't commit to Epstein deposition
Pam Bondi refused to explicitly agree to the deposition.
A bipartisan group forced the subpoena over Comer's objections.
James Comer sent it reluctantly and sees no need for it.
Bondi told reporters she would simply follow the law.
Democrats walk out of the briefing
Robert Garcia said Bondi wouldn't commit to testifying under oath.
Democrats accused her of dodging their direct questions.
They argued the briefing was a ploy to sidestep the subpoena.
Multiple lawmakers left before the session even ended.
Comer downplays the whole confrontation
Comer...
Senate Republicans killed another Democratic attempt to rein in Trump's Iran war powers, and the administration still hasn't held a single public hearing on the conflict.
War powers vote fails along party lines
Senate Republicans blocked the Iran war-authorization measure 53-47.
Rand Paul was the sole Republican voting with Democrats.
John Fetterman was the only Democrat opposing it.
Cory Booker sponsored the resolution with Tim Kaine's backing.
Democrats demand transparency on the war
Chuck Schumer said nobody knows Trump's goals or timeline.
Thirteen service members have died in just 18 days.
Over 200 Americans have been wounded in the conflict.
Zero public hearings have been held on Capitol Hill.
Military campaign keeps...
The Chavez allegations hit California's political women like a mirror, with many recognizing the exact same impossible choice Dolores Huerta faced for decades.
Women in politics see their own stories
Zahra Hajee said Huerta's account deeply resonated with her.
Hajee publicly disclosed her own assault in 2024.
California Women's List found that 65 percent of women faced harassment.
Stalking affected 42 percent of female candidates surveyed.
Huerta's silence struck a painful nerve
Eunisses Hernandez called the weight Huerta carried immense.
Hernandez survived sexual violence as a college freshman.
Speaking out against powerful men brings blame, she noted.
She stressed movements should uplift people, not individuals.
Political leaders...
Tulsi Gabbard basically told senators that only Trump gets to decide what counts as a threat, torching the entire concept of independent intelligence analysis in one Senate hearing.
Gabbard punts threat assessment to Trump
Tulsi Gabbard said determining threats isn't her job.
Jon Ossoff pushed back hard, calling that absurd.
Joe Kent's resignation letter triggered the whole confrontation.
Kent wrote that Iran posed no imminent danger whatsoever.
Gabbard's testimony contradicted her own paperwork
Her written statement called Iran's nuclear program obliterated.
Oral testimony admitted Iran had been trying to rebuild.
Mark Warner accused her of omitting Trump-contradicting details.
She blamed the discrepancy on running long during the...
Mail-in voting is staring down a potential kill shot from congressional Republicans, even though eight states run elections almost entirely by mail and voters in both parties rely on it.
GOP pushes to gut mail-in voting
Congressional Republicans are pushing to effectively ban mail-in voting.
Eric Schmitt is spearheading the Senate crackdown effort.
Trump blames mail ballots for his 2020 election loss.
Narrow exceptions would cover military, disability, and hardship cases.
The proposal faces serious internal friction
Susan Collins refused to back Schmitt's absentee restrictions.
Maine's elderly population depends heavily on mail-in ballots.
Eight states run near-exclusively on vote-by-mail systems.
Mike Lee thinks his own state...
