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A conservative Haitian pastor who helped marshal support for President Donald Trump spoke out on Wednesday, saying many people in the community are feeling betrayed by an administration that is trying to strip some of their right to live in the U.S., according to a new report. Rev. Daniel Ulysse, who leads the Haitian American Republican Caucus, spoke with Mother Jones about what life has been like for members of his group during the second Trump administration. Last year, the administration abruptly ended Temporary Protected Status for more than 300,000 Haitians, a move that the Supreme Court ruled was legal last week, even though it would force the people to return to a war-torn country.Ulysse told the outlet that it is a "very difficult moment" for his community, which has been compounded by the sense of betrayal they feel. “Nobody’s speaking for Haiti, so I have to devote most of my time, my energy, for Haiti,” Ulysse told Mother Jones."Many of them feel betrayed because they were expecting a better outcome from the Trump administration than Biden," he added. "Many of them voted for Trump. We supported him, and he pledged to help Haiti, to be Haiti’s greatest champion, and that never materialized."Ulysse added that many people in his community would return home if Haiti were stable. "They’re afraid. They are sad. They’re very angry. They wouldn’t mind going back to Haiti, but the place is a mess," Ulysse said. "It’s got worse. It gets worse because of the mercenaries. All they do is create problems, kill people, [and] make money. So it’s a total mess with the American administration right now, where big money makes the decision."

President Donald Trump's primetime speech on Thursday is expected to feature a bombshell allegation against China, according to CBS News.Sources familiar with the speech that Trump teased earlier this week say it will accuse China of election meddling, the report indicated. Trump had only teased that his speech would focus on election security, but didn't reveal much else."Part of President Trump's speech Thursday night is expected to touch on previously unreported alleged Chinese meddling in U.S. elections," CBS News reported, adding that Trump alleges that "Beijing compromised U.S. voter data and evidence the CIA knew about the action." Trump will also say that the CIA "didn't share that information with Mr. Trump during his first term," CBS News added, noting Trump invited the current heads of major intelligence and national security agencies and members of Trump's cabinet."Among those invited are the heads of the CIA, the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Department of Homeland Security," CBS News reported.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the sourcing as speculation when asked by CBS News about the contents of Trump's speech."As usual, anonymous sources are speculating about what President Trump will say during his speech on Thursday evening," Leavitt told CBS News in a statement. "The truth is, nobody knows yet what President Trump will ultimately say, which is why everyone should tune in."

FBI Director Kash Patel and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles "helped personally orchestrate" an investigation into who leaked information about President Donald Trump's Qatari-gifted airplane and its security shortcomings — demanding some officials turn over their phones, according to a new CNN report published Wednesday. Trump was apparently furious that information about the plane, which was meant to be used as Air Force One, went public. Investigators were reportedly seeking information from officials who traveled with the president.A source told CNN that as the investigation was underway, at least one federal agency contacted its employees via email to warn that if they were contacted by outside agencies or groups requesting information or devices, then they should contact their agency's attorneys."The sources said Patel — who had been preparing to travel to Chicago — was diverted to the White House on Friday to take a hands-on role in running the probe, which became public early the next morning when the New York Times reported that the Justice Department had issued subpoenas to four of its journalists who reported on security concerns surrounding the new plane," CNN reported."Patel posted up in an office next to Wiles’ for roughly seven hours, as the two established what one source referred to as a 'war room' in the West Wing," according to CNN.Not all White House officials were asked to turn over their phones. "The effort reflects the extent to which the White House was willing to exert control over a law enforcement investigation — a significant breach of the Justice Department’s historic independence, though one that has become somewhat common in Trump’s administration," CNN reported.

A former Republican strategist blasted President Donald Trump and his "vandals" for betraying Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-SC) last crusade with "nonsense."During an episode of The Warning, Steve Schmidt talked about how Trump is "putting a great deal of money" into Russian President Vladimir Putin's pockets with the Iran war. Late senior Sen. Lindsey Graham had just come back from Ukraine and, as Schmidt noted, was ready to propose sanctions against Russia when he died."Lindsey Graham, a few hours before his death, was talking about his Russia sanctions bill," Schmidt said. "When Donald Trump launched his war with Iran, global oil prices spiked, putting a great deal of money into whose pocket? That's right, Vladimir Putin's pocket."Graham was a loyal Trump ally, Schmidt noted as he blasted "the shallowness, the abject stupidity of MAGA policy and the MAGA senators who are celebrated in too many quarters as statesmen as opposed to imbeciles."Schmidt didn't just go after Trump but also "Jared Kushner and his Abraham Accords, which are a disaster," and Kushner and "Steve Witkoff meddling around the world," calling it all "nonsense" that's leading to another war."They squeeze on the balloon, moving air around it in disruptive ways that are often, in the end, catastrophic," Schmidt said. "America losing a war to Iran means that there will be a bigger, more deadly war sometime in the next decade."Speaking about the bigger war, Schmidt continued, "All of the seeds are being laid for it right now, today, as we speak, by the foolish men and women who have followed Trump to the edge of the abyss and over it."

President Donald Trump announced Monday that the United States will reinstate its naval blockade of Iran and be "reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped" through the Strait of Hormuz, a levy he did not explain.Trump said the strait itself would stay open to every country other than Iran. Hours earlier, in a call-in to Fox News, he said: "We're taking over the strait. They've got nothing." He added that the US would "probably run it" and "get paid for guarding it — a lot of money."“The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving. All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.“The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,’ but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World. The process and formation will begin immediately.”Trump’s announcement comes amid a flare-up of violence in the Middle East, and two days after Iranian officials declared the Strait of Hormuz to be “closed.”The United States launched strikes at Iran Saturday in response to an attack on a container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran claimed violated the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement. Iran responded early Sunday morning with strikes targeting major U.S. allies in the region.

Add to the growing list of conservatives who have been turned off by Vice President JD Vance: influential Jewish donors with deep pockets who are furious about his criticisms of Israel.According to a report from Politico, Vance is facing a brewing rebellion from powerful Republican donors and pro-Israel activists who view his foreign policy positions as a betrayal of the party's traditional unwavering support for the Jewish state.The tension centers on Vance's role in brokering a ceasefire agreement with Iran and his public criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government—stances that have alarmed major GOP fundraisers who helped bankroll Donald Trump's return to power."It's hard to find any support for him at all in the Jewish community," said Eric Levine, a prominent Republican bundler and board member of the Republican Jewish Coalition, told Politico.According to the report, high-profile conservative voices have begun openly questioning Vance's leadership on Israel. Media personality Mark Levin condemned the Iran memorandum of understanding, while former NCAA basketball coach Bruce Pearl announced he won't support Vance's anticipated 2028 presidential bid unless he "breaks" with Tucker Carlson, who has split from the Republican Party.Multiple pro-Israel GOP insiders, speaking anonymously, told Politico there is widespread concern about Vance within their networks. "There's angst among a significant majority of pro-Israel Republicans, Christians and Jews alike," one major donor said. "Overwhelmingly, I'm seeing unease, and it could be even worse than that."The friction threatens to fracture the Republican coalition as Vance positions himself as Trump's likely successor in 2028—an election expected to shatter fundraising records. Politico is reporting that Vance's credibility problems with pro-Israel conservatives extend beyond his Iran diplomacy. Last fall, after leaked messages showed Young Republicans praising Hitler and making Holocaust jokes, Vance dismissed the incident, calling it kids "doing stupid things." During a Turning Point USA event in Mississippi, Vance failed to challenge a student who claimed Judaism was inherently hostile to Christianity and questioned why America supports Israel."When I talk to people in the pro-Israel space about Vance, the Turning Point event comes up in almost every conversation," one veteran GOP strategist involved in pro-Israel advocacy told Politico.

The decision by the Trump administration to go after New York Times reporters with subpoenas after they reported on the critical vulnerabilities with a Qatari plane gifted to the president was hammered on MS NOW on Monday morning. Appearing on “Morning Joe,” an incensed Jim VandeHei, founder of Axios, claimed the decision to fly the luxury jet into the Middle East put the president and the nation at risk. Then he blasted conservatives who are applauding the DOJ investigation.MS NOW contributor Katty Kay prompted VandeHei with, “Jim, you and I were talking during the break about how this seems like overkill from the White House to issue these subpoenas. Is this just because the president was embarrassed about the reporting when we knew that this plane wasn't ready in a defensive capacity?”“Yeah, I think it's both dumb and dangerous, right?” he shot back. “It's dumb in that it was pretty widely known that this aircraft wasn't up to the standards of Air Force One. That usually goes to a two-year period of being built and being vetted, and everybody knew that this was gifted by the Qataris. Everyone also knows that the Iranians are trying to actively assassinate the president of the United States, and he's in the Middle East.” "And so this idea then is that you go after the reporters — and they wrote about it after the fact — the only way you'd actually have a plausible case is if you put the president's life at risk or you really jeopardize national security because you reported it before it happened,” he continued before repeating, “They reported it after it happened.”“And anybody out there who's like, ‘Oh, yeah, but oh, it's the New York Times, I hate the New York Times,’ again, you have to always think about imagine that the other party does this,” he cautioned. “Any time that you don't like a story, that you send agents of the federal government to their home to try to intimidate them because they wrote something that made you feel uncomfortable, that was actually authentically, really, really important to the safety of the president of the United States, whether you like him or not, matters profoundly. And so when you start doing these things, you start normalizing these things, and if anybody cheers it, you better cheer it when they come after you.” - YouTube youtu.be

Sam Neill, the popular New Zealand actor whose career spanned five decades and encompassed more than 150 film and television roles, has passed away in Sydney. The actor, best recognized for portraying paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant across multiple "Jurassic Park" installments, was 78.His family shared the news through a social media announcement, noting that Neill "passed with the dignity that has characterized his whole life" while surrounded by loved ones, The New York Times reported.Neill had battled angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma following his diagnosis in early 2022.Originating in Northern Ireland before relocating to New Zealand during his childhood, Neill launched his acting journey in the late 1960s, becoming known for his striking appearance and distinctive vocal delivery.His body of work included critically acclaimed New Zealand features such as "The Piano" and "Hunt for the Wilderpeople," popular entertainment franchises including "Thor: Love and Thunder," and the acclaimed British drama series "Peaky Blinders."Australian political leaders paid tribute to Neill's cultural impact, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese highlighting the actor's connection to the country, writing on X: “Wry and dry, thoughtful and laconic, Sam fought illness with the same dignity, humor and conviction that gave strength to his every performance.”