After James Talarico won the Democratic Senate nomination in Texas, Republicans are racing to paint him as too progressive. Conservatives started flooding social media with old clips highlighting his comments on gender, immigration and race. Republican strategists believe they can use his comments as fodder for attack ads in the general election. On Wednesday, Talarico warned supporters that powerful elites will smear him because they find him threatening. Although Talarico gained prominence through viral videos, Republicans hope to use years of on-camera musings against him.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is urging Latin American countries to take a more aggressive approach against drug cartels. He's warning that the Trump administration would be forced to act by itself if those governments fail to effectively combat criminal organizations that directly threaten the United States and border security. Hegseth's comments came Thursday in Miami at what the Pentagon billed as the first “Americas Counter Cartel Conference.” Representatives from Argentina, Honduras and the Dominican Republic were among more than a dozen conservative governments closely aligned with President Donald Trump.
On its own, the phrase “Christ is king” sums up a core tenet of the Christian faith, that Jesus is the divine ruler of the universe. Many churches celebrate a Christ the King Sunday each year. But the ancient proclamation can morph into something political, controversial or even sinister, depending on the context. In recent years, “Christ is king” and similar phrases have been chanted at political rallies, posted on social media and proclaimed in speeches by voices on the right. At times the phrase is used to support the notion of America as a Christian nation. At other times, activists have paired the phrase with anti-Zionist or negative Jewish stereotypes.
AP Wire
The House Oversight Committee has voted to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi to answer questions over the Justice Department’s handling of files related to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation. Five Republicans joined Democrats on Wednesday support the subpoena proposed by GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina in a sign of continued frustration with the department’s review and release of a tranche of documents regarding the wealthy financier. The Justice Department had no immediate comment on the subpoena.
AP Wire
State Rep. James Talarico topped Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in Texas' closely watched Democratic Senate primary. He'll face the winner of a May runoff for the Republican nomination between Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton. Cornyn and Paxton were the top finishers in a three-way contest Tuesday with Rep. Wesley Hunt. No GOP candidate hit the 50% vote threshold needed to win outright. Texas, along with North Carolina and Arkansas, on Tuesday kicked off midterm elections with control of Congress at stake and against the backdrop of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
Texas Democrats have picked James Talarico as their Senate nominee, and the state lawmaker now becomes a national voice against President Donald Trump. Talarico won the primary Tuesday over Jasmine Crockett, and the congresswoman is urging Democrats to stay united. Talarico says his victory was driven by a push to change politics. He's emphasized unity, faith language and a “top versus bottom” message. Some voters did prefer Crockett’s sharper attacks on the Republican president. Talarico now faces a tough general election in a state where Democrats rarely win statewide. He will face either Sen. John Cornyn or state Attorney General Ken Paxton in November.
Some of the sharpest criticism President Donald Trump has faced in the early days of the Iran war has come from once-loyal media figures more accustomed to singing his praises. The conservative media infrastructure has grown so influential and valuable to the Republican president when everything runs smoothly that it's noticeable when there's discontent. Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and Matt Walsh are among the notable figures to express some dismay, much of it centered around the influence of Israel. Walsh has also said the messaging around the war was muddled. Trump says he knows MAGA best and these objections don't reflect the views of his supporters.
Anglicans face a looming choice about whether their global church family can stay united. This week, conservative leaders will meet in Nigeria where they are expected to debate a plan that could loosen or even end ties to the archbishop of Canterbury. Many within the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, or Gafcon, opposed liberal shifts on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ+ clergy that have taken place in some Western churches. On Monday, leaders of the historic Anglican Communion announced their own restructuring plan that aims to keep cooperation alive despite deep disagreements.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has told U.S. House lawmakers that she had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s or Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes at the start of two days of depositions that will also include former President Bill Clinton. The deposition on Thursday was paused after Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert sent a photo of Hillary Clinton in the room to a conservative influencer who posted it on social media, violating the committee’s rules for depositions. The incident prompted the former secretary of state to repeat her longstanding demand that the deposition be made open to reporters. The closed-door questioning lasted over six hours Thursday. The Clintons agreed to testify after their offers of sworn statements were rebuffed.
The Republicans and former Republicans who gathered in suburban Washington this weekend are warning that President Donald Trump and his allies in Congress are tearing at the very fabric of U.S. democracy. It’s unclear how many people are listening. The main convention hall at the sixth annual Principles First summit was half empty. Not a single sitting Republican elected official participated in the two-day speaking program. This is what remains of the Grand Old Party’s Never Trump movement. Despite the weak attendance, there was a slight sense of optimism that Trump and his party will be defeated in this fall's midterm elections.