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The Voting Rights Act is now essentially a “toothless law,” one legal expert said of the ruling.

President Donald Trump’s indictments against his perceived political enemies are getting so flimsy, even he’s not sure he believes in them.On Wednesday, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked Trump about the Department of Justice’s most recent target: former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump already tried and failed to throw in jail last year. (That case was thrown out after the courts discovered Trump’s prosecutor had been illegally appointed. Brilliant move, Mr. President.)This recent indictment is built on a photo Comey posted on Instagram last year, in which seashells on a beach were arranged to write out “86 47.” The term “86” is often used in the restaurant industry to get rid of or cancel a dish, so the DOJ is jumping to the very reasonable conclusion that this constituted a threat to Trump’s life.Collins asked Trump whether he actually thought Comey was threatening his life with the post.“Well if anybody knows anything about crime, they know ‘86,’” Trump said. “It’s a mob term for ‘kill ’em.’ You ever see the movies? … I think of it as a mob term. I don’t know.”Trump then began talking about mobsters before Collins wisely cut him off: “Do you really think your life was in danger?”“Probably, I don’t know,” Trump replied. “People like Comey have created tremendous danger, I think, for politicians and others. You know, Comey is a dirty cop. He’s a very dirty cop. He cheated on the elections.”COLLINS: Do you really think that Comey was threatening your life with that post?TRUMP: Well if anybody knows anything about crime, they know '86' is a mob term for 'kill 'em.' You ever see the movies? pic.twitter.com/jeZixGF9Ks— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 29, 2026Entertaining as Trump’s rambling monologues are, “Probably, I don’t know,” isn’t going to hold up in court. Comey can very easily defend himself by arguing his seashell art just meant he wanted to be rid of the president.Even some congressional Republicans have expressed reservations about the Comey indictment, as it becomes clear average Americans care little about Trump’s revenge tour. North Carolina’s Thom Tillis, who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, expressed skepticism that the Comey case held water.“I’ve used ‘86’ a lot of times,” Tillis told The Washington Post. “I’ve never said it with the intent of killing somebody.”Representative Troy Nehls called the case “a stretch,” adding, “you can indict anybody for anything.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s blind loyalty to the Trump administration has put him at odds with his own beliefs.During a House Armed Services Committee hearing Wednesday, New Hampshire Representative Maggie Goodlander asked Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine if he agreed with a statement that America’s “military won’t follow unlawful orders.” Without hesitation, Caine answered: “I do.”Hegseth, however, was quick to pick a bone with the benign principle—an inclination that immediately morphed into a liability for the Pentagon chief as he tripped over what turned out to be a quote from his own mouth.“Mr. Hegseth, do you agree with that statement?” asked Goodlander.“I do, but understand what you’re insinuating is a partisan point,” said Hegseth.“I’m not, I’m actually quoting you directly, Mr. Hegseth, from April 12, 2016, and I appreciate that on the record you’ve clarified this important principle,” Goodlander said.GOODLANDER: Do you agree with the statement, 'the military won't follow unlawful orders'?HEGSETH: I do, but--GOODLANDER: I'm actually quoting you directly, Mr Hegseth, from April 2016 pic.twitter.com/wKQPFbpQsa— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 29, 2026At the time, Hegseth had told an audience that he believed there “had to be consequences for abject war crimes.”“That’s why the military said it won’t follow unlawful orders from their commander-in-chief. There’s a standard, there’s an ethos. There’s a belief that we are above so many things that our enemies or others would do,” Hegseth said in footage uncovered by CNN.But Hegseth’s belief system has obviously morphed in the decade since. Last November, six Democratic members of the House and Senate—a coalition of veterans and former national security professionals that included Goodlander and Senator Mark Kelly—urged U.S. service members not to “give up the ship.” In a video statement posted to Facebook, the bloc repeated that America’s military and intelligence communities “can” and “must … refuse illegal orders,” echoing Hegseth’s prior remarks. They made no reference to disobeying the Trump administration directly, only reminding people to uphold the Constitution.The White House did not take the missive in stride. Instead, Donald Trump called for the coalition’s execution, writing on Truth Social that their behavior was “punishable by DEATH!”Hegseth then attempted to censure Kelly, claiming that the retired U.S. Navy captain should not be afforded the same First Amendment protections as the general population. A judge did not agree, and the case was tossed in February.

The senator is heading up a rare discussion with international scientists Wednesday evening to address the “existential threat” posed by AI.

When pressed on timing, Jerome Powell said: “I will leave when I think it's appropriate to do so.”

The former head of Mossad, once central to Israel’s security doctrine, now argues the country’s greatest threat lies not abroad—but in the unchecked violence and policies unfolding at home. Joshua Scheer A rare critique has emerged from within Israel’s own security establishment. Former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo—a veteran intelligence figure who once helped shape the […]

Increasingly desperate negotiations. A plea from the president himself. An eleventh-hour sleight of hand, followed by a surprise vote in the dead of night.  Over the past month, chaos has unfolded on Capitol Hill as House Republicans fracture over a central question: Should the federal government need a warrant to spy on US citizens? According […]

Hegseth pledged that the military is showing “no quarter” to its enemies. Experts say that’s a war crime.

Joshua Scheer Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has delivered a rare rupture in official Washington’s script: accusing Israel of carrying out a genocide in Gaza—and acknowledging that the United States is not a bystander, but a participant in its outcome. Speaking to Bloomberg, Sherman pointed directly to the policies of Israeli Prime […]