A decorated U.S. Army combat veteran took to the pages of The Wall Street Journal on Thursday to deliver a thunderous beatdown to Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, exposing the presumptive nominee as a keyboard coward who rooted for the Taliban to kill American soldiers. Purple Heart recipient Teddy Daniels eviscerated Platner, calling him an “entitled brat” and an elitist phony who pretends to be a working-class champion while secretly harboring deep contempt for blue-collar Americans. The fury erupted after investigative reports unearthed a shocking digital paper trail from Platner’s past. Using the anonymous Reddit handle “P-Hustle,” Platner left a trail of 1,800 comments — including a stomach-churning June 2019 post in which he watched a viral helmet-cam video of Daniels getting shot multiple times during a 2012 Taliban ambush in Afghanistan. Instead of showing respect for a wounded soldier, Platner mocked him. “This video never gets old. Dumb motherf*cker didn’t deserve to live,” Platner wrote online, mocking the bleeding soldier as a “mouthbreather” who only survived due to “poor marksmanship on the Taliban’s part.” “I received a Purple Heart for my injuries, but Mr. Platner cheered for my death from behind a keyboard,” Daniels wrote. Daniels used his Journal op-ed to rip the mask off the 41-year-old Democrat. “The tough-talking Marine veteran struts around in a Carhartt jacket and jeans … He also plays up his job as an ‘oyster farmer,’ but the only client mentioned in his federal financial disclosure was the restaurant his mother owns.” “I couldn’t care less about the comments he made about me, but they are a reflection of his character,” Daniels wrote, comparing Platner to “Tim Walz on steroids” and pointing out that Platner has also used his keyboard to trash-talk Navy SEAL Chris Kyle and Vice President JD Vance. “I never thought I’d see the day when Democrats would even consider backing a candidate like this.” The disgusting revelations have added another scandal to Platner’s campaign just two weeks before the Maine primary, drawing a furious rebuke from incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Collins, speaking at a fire station groundbreaking in Auburn, Maine, revealed that outraged veterans from all across the United States have been flooding her office to voice their disgust. For Collins, the insult is deeply personal — her own father was a World War II veteran who earned two Purple Hearts at the Battle of the Bulge, where he was wounded just after turning 19. “You have Graham Platner using profanity and saying that this wounded soldier doesn’t deserve to live,” a visibly appalled Collins told reporters. “These are men and women who are risking their lives for our country … for him to ridicule this soldier and saying that he doesn’t deserve to live is just appalling.” Platner tried to salvage his campaign by releasing a frantic video statement, attempting to blame Collins for sending him to war because of her 2002 vote to authorize military action in Iraq. But Collins instantly nuked that defense, pointing out that Platner wasn’t drafted — he voluntarily enlisted twice long after the war had already begun, and then chose to cash in by working for the controversial private mercenary firm Blackwater. The U.S. Senate primary in Maine is on June 9. Platner is expected to cruise to victory in the Democratic primary after his main opponent, Democratic Governor Janet Mills, suspended her campaign.

A Blue Origin rocket exploded Thursday night in Florida, causing immense damage to its billion-dollar launch pad and complicating NASA’s plans to build a base on the moon.  The explosion rocked Blue Origin’s launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as the space company ran a ground test on one of its rockets. The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined.  “We experienced an anomaly during today’s hotfire test. All personnel have been accounted for. We will provide updates as we learn more,” Blue Origin said on social media.  Videos posted online showed a rocket sitting on the launch pad before becoming completely engulfed in flames after a massive explosion.  Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Blue Origin, said it was too early to know what prompted the explosion.  “All personnel are accounted for and safe. It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it,” Jeff Bezos said. “Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.” “Sorry to see this, I hope you recover quickly,” said Elon Musk, who runs the rival space exploration company SpaceX.  “Most unfortunate. Rockets are hard,” Musk added. Blue Origin was preparing to send out 48 low-Earth orbit satellites used by Amazon Leo, a high-speed internet provider rival of Musk’s Starlink. The satellites were set to be carried out by Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, a heavy-lift rocket designed to be reusable. The rocket was named after American astronaut John Glenn.  The explosion did extensive damage to Blue Origin’s Launch Complex 36. The launch complex cost more $1 billion to build and was completed in 2021. Costs from New Glenn have been estimated to be around $68 million per launch, according to Space Insider.  Space Force issued a statement on Thursday warning the public that debris from the explosion may wash up on the shores in the next few days and weeks. It warned people not to touch the materials, but alert the authorities.  The explosion could impact NASA plans for space exploration as Blue Origin was set to be involved in transporting NASA astronauts to the surface of the moon out of lunar orbit. NASA is supposed to test its spacecraft integration with landers from Blue Origin and SpaceX for the Artemis III mission.  “Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult,” said NASA administrator Jared Isaacman. “We will work with our partners to support a thorough investigation of this anomaly, assess near-term mission impacts, and get back to launching rockets.
We will provide information on any impacts to the Artemis and Moon Base programs as it becomes available.”  Space Force issued a statement on Thursday warning the public that debris from the explosion may wash up on shore in the next few days and weeks. It warned people not to touch the materials and to alert the authorities.

Doctors in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) say that the Ebola virus is spreading at an “alarming” rate with over 1,000 suspected cases. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control says the virus, which has a fatality rate of roughly 50%, has “increasing numbers of confirmed and suspected cases and deaths being reported.” As of Friday morning, there are 125 total confirmed cases and 906 suspected cases with 17 confirmed deaths and 223 suspected deaths. “The outbreak is completely out of control,” said Dr. Richard Kojan, the president of the Alliance for International Medical Action, during an interview from the DRC’s Ituri Province. Dr. Richard Lokudi, director of the main hospital in Mongbwalu, explained in another interview that the virus was spreading “at an exponential speed.” The difficulty of containing this virus is due not only to it being the Bundibugyo virus, a strain of Ebola with no approved vaccine, but also because of disputes over local customs. Dr. Kojan said there is a “deep mistrust” among some local communities, hampering containment efforts. Residents have also become angry with health workers over the medical protocols for handling victims’ bodies, resulting in a “clash with local burial rites.” Three attacks have been launched against health centers in Ituri by residents. Lokudi in an interview said that seven patients suspected of having Ebola escaped, creating ”chains and chains of contamination.” On Wednesday, the Trump administration said that Americans who were exposed to Ebola will be treated in a Kenya facility instead of flying home. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States.” Rubio explained that there are multiple agencies involved, tracking people to prevent Ebola cases from entering the country. “We feel like we’ve got good efforts in place to do that and America should feel assured that the president and his administration is doing everything we can to protect them all on that front,” Rubio said at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Spencer Pratt is showing receipts after Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass repeatedly dismissed him as a “former reality TV star.” Pratt fired back by posting a decades-old Los Angeles Times article that referenced Bass traveling to Cuba in the 1970s with the Venceremos Brigade, a communist-linked activist group that intelligence documents accused of teaching “terrorist tactics and guerrilla warfare.” “When I was in my 20s I was on a TV show,” Pratt wrote on X. “When Karen Bass was in her 20s, she was training in terrorist tactics and guerrilla warfare with communists in Cuba. Back when the L.A. Times was still in L.A., and used to tell the truth…” The resurfaced Los Angeles Times article from 1983 stated Bass traveled to Cuba with the “6th Contingent of the Venceremos Brigade.” When I was in my 20’s I was on a TV show. When Karen Bass was in her 20’s, she was training in terrorist tactics and guerrilla warfare with communists in Cuba. Back when the LA Times was still in LA, and used to tell the truth… pic.twitter.com/ISrTcfVRv9 — Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) May 28, 2026 According to the report, a 1973 intelligence document described the brigade as a group that “trains revolutionary-prone Americans in terrorist tactics and guerrilla warfare while claiming to harvest sugar cane.” The article also stated Bass, who was described as a brigade leader, “returned from Cuba to the U.S.A. bringing back propaganda literature,” though the report noted the document did not cite the source of that information. Bass denied wrongdoing at the time and reportedly said her trips to Cuba were educational and “had nothing to do with terrorism.” Pratt’s post quickly spread across social media, especially in conservative circles where critics accused Bass and her allies of trying to reduce Pratt to a punchline while treating Bass’ own political history with far more caution. Pratt’s attacks on Bass have escalated since California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom endorsed her. During an appearance on Fox News’ “Saturday in America,” Pratt accused Bass and Newsom of failing Californians while billions were spent on homelessness programs. “It’s not shocking because they’re alleged criminal partners,” Pratt said. “They’re both complicit in laundering $24 billion to actually increase homelessness.” Pratt also argued that Los Angeles residents can clearly see conditions worsening despite years of spending and promises from state leaders. “Anybody with eyeballs in the state of California or Los Angeles knows that there has not been a reduction in one homeless person,” Pratt said. “Actually there’s been an increase of naked drug addict zombies in front of every kid’s playground, every kid’s school, every coffee shop.” The exchange marks the latest escalation in the increasingly personal political fight between Bass and Pratt as the Los Angeles mayoral race continues heating up.

Another red state is kicking Pride Month to the curb. In Arkansas, Republican Governor Sarah Sanders is instead declaring June as Fidelity Month.  “Here in Arkansas, June is Fidelity Month: fidelity to family, fidelity to country, fidelity to God,” Sanders told The Daily Wire. In a declaration reviewed exclusively by The Daily Wire, President Donald Trump’s former press secretary says that Fidelity Month will be a time for Arkansans to celebrate the “values of faith, liberty, and patriotism.”  The resolution highlights the state’s goal of creating a healthy society by sowing faithfulness to “God, family, community, and country.” Arkansas aims to provide an opportunity to return to and reflect on its commitments to the values and virtues found in the nation’s founding documents. June is declared as a time to renew dedication to these core principles.  The nod to traditional values mirrors actions in Tennessee, where Republican Governor Bill Lee declared June “Nuclear Family Month.” The resolution celebrates the traditional family with “one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted, or fostered children.” Pride Month celebrations were notably less prevalent in 2025 after the election of President Donald Trump, who made clear in the first year of his presidency that there would be no national pride designation from the White House. Pride parades across the country folded up due to lack of financial support from large corporations, which pulled away from the LGBTQ movement that they overtly supported during the Biden administration.  While certain cities in Arkansas hold pride events, the state has never formally recognized pride month. The declaration by Arkansas this year, however, is a clear statement in opposition to pride month that had not been done in past years. Instead, Sanders says, she’s choosing to use the month to nod to the nation’s founding principles. “The United States of America was founded on the values of faith, liberty, and patriotism as acknowledged in its founding documents and in the statements of its Founding Fathers,” her declaration states. “The commitment of Arkansas to spiritual and civic institutions is at the core of the State’s collective identity. Cultivating fidelity to God, family, community, and country contributes to human flourishing and supports a healthy, stable, well-ordered society.” Under Sanders, Arkansas has been a leader in countering radical gender ideology that has become synonymous with the LGBTQ movement.