President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress are at a fork in the road as they decide on how to proceed with regard to a Ukraine-Russia war that appears to have no end in sight. President Donald Trump on Tuesday was questioned on reports that arms shipments from the Department of Defense to Ukraine had been cut off. He affirmed that he intended to send Ukraine more weapons, a few months after he began to pursue peace efforts in the conflict. “We’re going to send some more weapons. We have to,” he said. “[The Ukrainians] have to be able to defend themselves. They’re getting hit very hard now. They’re getting hit very hard. We’re going to have to send more weapons, defensive weapons primarily.” At the Cabinet meeting, he also accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of not pursuing peace, as strikes on Ukraine have continued despite peace talks.  “We’re not happy with Putin. I’m not happy with Putin, I can tell you that much right now. Because he’s killing a lot of people … . We get a lot of bulls–t thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth. He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.” The war is still raging, with Russia launching hundreds of drones in an attack on the Kyiv region of Ukraine that went into Wednesday. President Trump on Russian President Vladimir Putin: “We get a lot of bullsh*t thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth. He's very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.” “I’m looking at [sanctions].” pic.twitter.com/xc1lfwjg13— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) July 8, 2025 The Senate currently has a bill before it to introduce aggressive sanctions against Putin. On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he wished to move ahead with the measure. “I hope that we can get it on the floor before the August recess. We are working with the administration, with the House, to try and get it in a form where it’s ready,” Thune said.  Given the fact that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., also supports the bill, it might have a veto-proof majority if Trump were to oppose it. However, Thune, who has been a team player since his election as Senate and GOP leader, is waiting on bringing the bill to the floor until Trump gives his thumbs up. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who determines the voting schedule on the Senate floor hopes to impose sanctions on Russia and its allies who fund the invasion of Ukraine through energy purchases within the next 2 weeks. https://t.co/rj0QucHbvQ pic.twitter.com/p9YWo5BAOh— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) July 9, 2025 “In my view, the sooner we can execute on that, the better. But I also understand that in order for this to work, it’s got to be something that the White House, the House, our colleagues are all bought in to,” the South Dakota lawmaker said. Trump agrees. At the Cabinet meeting Tuesday, he would not make a final decision on the sanctions package, but suggested it was at his discretion. “It’s an optional bill,” he said. “It’s totally at my option. They pass it totally at my option and to terminate totally at my option. And I’m looking at it very strongly.” The post Trump Hits Fork in Road on Russia-Ukraine War appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Conservative pundits have been highly critical of the Trump administration and Attorney General Pam Bondi, specifically, regarding their conclusions about the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case and Epstein’s ultimate suicide.  After years of speculation that the government was withholding information about the disgraced financier, his “client list” of powerful people across the world to whom he trafficked underage girls, and his suicide, the administration has concluded that there was no government cover-up and that there is little to no new information to report. In response, talk show host Glenn Beck has called for Bondi to resign, other commentators blame Bondi for suggesting there was a mountain of forthcoming evidence on Epstein and then releasing very little new information, while another called the conclusions the “biggest fumble” of the Trump administration. Megyn Kelly wants more answers. Meanwhile, Daily Wire host Ben Shapiro has said he believes the Trump administration’s Justice Department did an honest investigation. The White House is defending the attorney general.  “President Trump is proud of Attorney General Bondi’s efforts to execute his Make America Safe Again agenda, restore the integrity of the Department of Justice, and bring justice to victims of crime,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.  “The continued fixation on sowing division in President Trump’s Cabinet is baseless and unfounded in reality,” Leavitt continued.  On his show “War Room” on Wednesday, Steve Bannon, who advised President Donald Trump’s first campaign and was a White House adviser during part of Trump’s first term, said, “The Epstein thing, whether they have it or not, it’s a central front in the taking down of the deep state. It must be done.” BANNON: The real fight here is dismantling the deep state.Epstein, Ukraine, the Middle East, the CCP infiltration: it's all connected to that same apparatus.And we only have a few years to take it apart brick by brick. pic.twitter.com/xcd3Njodqh— Bannon’s WarRoom (@Bannons_WarRoom) July 9, 2025 The Justice Department and the FBI concluded that Epstein did not have a “client list.” And after much speculation of foul play in his death, federal law enforcement also concluded Epstein committed suicide in his prison cell. During a Tuesday Cabinet meeting, a reporter asked several questions about Epstein, prompting Trump to be dismissive.  “We have [the floods in] Texas, we have this, we have all of the things, and are people still talking about this guy, this creep?” Trump asked. He later added, “I can’t believe you’re asking a question on Epstein at a time like this when we are having some of the greatest success and also tragedy with what happened in Texas. It just seems like a desecration.” Liz Wheeler, a conservative host and commentator, posted on X, “President Trump snaps at reporter who asks him Epstein question. Trump is massively misreading his base on this.” President Trump snaps at reporter who asks him Epstein question.Trump is massively misreading his base on this. pic.twitter.com/yIsUa9wxw0— Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) July 8, 2025 During the Cabinet meeting, Bondi gave a detailed answer to the reporter, addressing several points, including a question about one minute of missing video from outside Epstein’s cell in federal prison the night he committed suicide.  “The minute missing from the video. We released the video showing definitively—the video wasn’t conclusive—but the evidence prior to it was showing he committed suicide,” Bondi said. “What was on that, there was a minute that was off the counter. What we learned from the Bureau of Prisons is that every night, they redo that video. It is old, from like 1999. So, every night, the video is reset, and every night should have the same minute missing. So, we are looking at that video to be released as well showing that a minute is missing every night.” This wasn’t a satisfactory answer for Beck, who questioned Bondi’s competence.  “Pam Bondi should resign—not because of a cover-up, but for incompetence,” Beck posted on X. “Not only is there a minute missing from the Epstein cell video, BUT IT WASN’T EVEN THE RIGHT CAMERA ANGLE. What the DOJ gave us was a partial view of the facility, which JUST MISSES Epstein’s cell.” Pam Bondi should resign—not because of a cover-up, but for incompetence.Not only is there a minute missing from the Epstein cell video, BUT IT WASN’T EVEN THE RIGHT CAMERA ANGLE.What the DOJ gave us was a partial view of the facility, which JUST MISSES Epstein’s cell. We've… pic.twitter.com/CFo3pSpsaG— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) July 8, 2025 Beck, of BlazeTV, continued: “We’ve known for years there wasn’t a working camera on his cell, so WHY RELEASE THIS VIDEO? And why not tell us there’s a video glitch in advance of the release?! This isn’t about whether Epstein killed himself or not. What matters more is REAL transparency and justice. But instead, what we got was absolute INCOMPETENCE in the Attorney General’s Office.” Shapiro, of the Daily Wire, questioned why so many people doubted findings that Trump’s FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino stand behind. “If you are willing to throw that over and claim they are lying, I would like to see you present your evidence that they are in fact lying,” Shapiro said. “I know Dan. I don’t think Dan Bongino is lying to me. I know Kash Patel a little bit. I don’t think Kash Patel is lying to me.“  But Jack Posobiec, senior editor of Human Events, said on Real America’s Voice TV that Bondi led Americans to believe there was more to come in the Epstein case.  “People aren’t asking questions for no reason. People are asking questions because you told them that you had the answers,” he said Tuesday. “No one forced you to say all of these things. You did. And you went on TV night after night after night. You invited people into the White House and acted like you had troves and troves of information. You personally handed me a binder that said ‘Phase 1 of the Epstein Files,’ as in, there’s going to be two, three, four, and however many more. Now, you’re saying there’s nothing? So don’t sit there and say ‘case closed’ when your own actions are what led to this point.” .@JackPosobiec to @AGPamBondi: "You, personally, handed me a binder that said 'Phase 1 of the Epstein files'…now you're saying there's nothing? So don't sit there and say 'case closed' when your own actions are what led to this point." pic.twitter.com/7AGukQnbbA— Real America's Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) July 8, 2025 Megyn Kelly, a former Fox News and NBC News host who now has one of the largest podcast audiences in America, said the administration handled the matter poorly. She suggested Bondi, Patel, and Bongino answer more questions on her show to dispel any conspiracy theories. “I’m a supporter of the president. But this is not going well. They need a shift in strategy,” Kelly said. She added, “I’ll sit down with all three of them. Give me Bondi, Patel, and Bongino for two hours. No holds barred. I can ask anything. Then the audience can see whether they are truth-tellers.” She spoke well of all three, but added, “This is why you have to keep some distance between yourself and the administration, even when they are your friends. You have to be able to report honestly on them, and to call out bull—- when you think you smell it, and I think I smell it.”  During an interview with host Jesse Watters on Fox News Tuesday, popular podcast host Patrick Bet-David called this the “biggest fumble” by the Trump administration.  “This is by far—and I’m a supporter; three times I voted for this man—this is by far the biggest fumble of the administration they’ve had thus far,” he said.  NEW: @patrickbetdavid says not releasing the Epstein Files was the “BIGGEST FUMBLE” of the Trump Administration, and his cabinet MUST DO BETTER. pic.twitter.com/U3banB7yNZ— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) July 9, 2025 “Why are you fumbling this? Why are you not having an emergency meeting together to conversate to say, we’re going to be together on the same page with messaging on this,” he added. “All you have to do is send a message to everybody saying, ‘Guys, let’s have a conference call. Here’s what we are going to be saying about this.’ Because this was a very important issue to not 80% of voters that voted for President Trump, but I think 20% of voters wanted to know what would happen with Epstein, and it’s a big letdown.” Trump supporter Laura Loomer, often considered a more colorful commentator, posted on X, “Today, Pam Blondi lied and said the U.S. government has ‘no knowledge’ of Jeffrey Epstein being a spy or agent for an intelligence agency,” referring to Bondi by a nickname she gave her. Today, Pam Blondi lied and said the US government has “no knowledge” of Jeffrey Epstein being a spy or agent for an intelligence agency.This is a lie. FBI documents from 2008 prove that Epstein PROVIDED INFORMATION FOR THE FBI “AS AGREED UPON”. Epstein had an agreement with… pic.twitter.com/lmg5eFur32— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) July 8, 2025 The Daily Signal reached out to the Department of Justice for comment but has not heard back as of publication time. The post White House Defends Bondi Amid Epstein Criticism From Right appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday announced sanctions on United Nations special rapporteur Francesca Albanese.   Rubio cited “her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt [International Criminal Court] action against U.S. and Israeli officials, companies, and executives,” in the announcement of the sanctions.   The position of special rapporteur is appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council and is responsible for following and reporting on the human rights situation in Palestine.   “Albanese’s campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel will no longer be tolerated,” Rubio said. “We will always stand by our partners in their right to self-defense. The United States will continue to take whatever actions we deem necessary to respond to lawfare and protect our sovereignty and that of our allies.”   The sanctions are likely to prevent Albanese from traveling to the U.S. and would block any assets she has in the country, the BBC reported. Today I am imposing sanctions on UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt @IntlCrimCourt action against U.S. and Israeli officials, companies, and executives. Albanese’s campaign of political and economic…— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 9, 2025 Neither Albanese nor the U.N. Human Rights Council responded to The Daily Signal’s request for comment. Among the 47 current members of the Human Rights Council are human rights-abusing communist China, Cuba, and Vietnam. Following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel, Albanese said the attack needed to be placed in the “context of decades of oppression imposed on the Palestinians.”  Albanese has repeatedly accused Israel of “genocide” against the Palestinian people and claimed “Israel’s repression of Palestinian people has been scaffolded by corporations, fully aware of and yet indifferent to, decades of human rights violations and international crimes.”  Albanese was also one of a number of “U.N. experts” to condemn the U.S. attack on Iran’s three key nuclear sites last month.   Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., who is Jewish, celebrated Rubio’s announcement on the social media platform X on Wednesday, calling Albanese “a full-throated supporter of Muslim terror,” adding that the special rapporteur “embodies the moral rot that is the [U.N.].”  In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. “Albanese has directly engaged with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel, without the consent of those two countries,” Rubio said in a press release Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, Albanese wrote on X that the “governments of Italy, France, and Greece must explain why they provided airspace and safe passage to ICC-wanted Benjamin Netanyahu, whom they are obligated to arrest.”   “Francesca Albanese is the tip of the spear for antisemitism at the U.N.,” the Republican majority on the House Foreign Affairs Committee wrote on X in response to Rubio’s announcement. “Sanctioning her sends a clear message that if you target America or our allies—you will pay the price.”   The new sanctions against Albanese come just after Netanyahu met with President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday and Tuesday. The two world leaders discussed how to secure freedom for the 50 hostages who still remain in Gaza and a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. No formal deal was announced immediately after the meetings.   Netanyahu also met with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday. The two men, along with a handful of DoD and military personnel, discussed the recent military campaign against Iran’s nuclear program.   The post Rubio Imposes Sanctions on UN Special Rapporteur appeared first on The Daily Signal.

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A popular social media troll who was prosecuted for meme-based election interference had his conviction tossed out for lack of evidence.Douglass Mackey ran a popular right-wing account on social media that posted memes in 2016 telling supporters of then-candidate Hillary Clinton that they could vote for her by sending a text message on their phones. Prosecutors alleged that the posts constituted election interference.There was a lack of evidence that Mackey communicated directly with other accounts that conspired to deprive others of their voting privilege.Two days after Biden was inaugurated in 2021, Mackey was indicted for the scheme, and a jury later found him guilty in 2023. He was sentenced to seven months in prison.On Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit overturned the conviction on the basis that there was not enough evidence to support the allegation.“The jury’s verdict and the resulting judgment of conviction must be set aside,” Chief Judge Debra Ann Livingston wrote.Among the evidence shown to the jury was a meme of a black woman in front of a sign for African-Americans supporting Clinton. The text on the meme read, “Avoid the Line. Vote from Home,” and “Text ‘Hillary’ to 59925," as well as, “Vote for Hillary and be a part of history.”Prosecutors said that thousands of texts were sent to the number, ostensibly from those fooled by memes like the one posted by Mackey. His account had 58,000 followers at the time and was considered one of the more influential accounts in the election.However, the appeals court found that no evidence showed that any voter was influenced by the memes that Mackey posted to his account. The court also said there was a lack of evidence that Mackey communicated directly with other accounts that conspired to deprive others of their voting privilege.RELATED: Trump-supporting social media figure convicted of election interference, conspiracy over 2016 tweets "Praise God. God is good. Now we sue,” Mackey responded in a series of posts on social media.Mackey was accused of posting racist and anti-Semitic messages in his campaign to support then-candidate Donald Trump's first presidential campaign. His account had a profile image of "Ricky Vaughn," the fictional Cleveland Indians pitcher from the "Major League" movie franchise.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Over the Fourth of July weekend, Matthew Peterson, Blaze Media editor in chief and co-host of “Blaze News: The Mandate,” celebrated true Americanism by attending the Claremont Institute’s 2025 Statesmanship Award ceremony, which honored Vice President JD Vance.“This is an award they don't give out every year because, as you may surmise ... there aren't a lot of statesmen out there,” says Peterson, who’s long been associated with the Claremont Institute. “So the Statesmanship Award is a special one, and the fact that they gave it to the vice president, JD Vance, who is so young in his career, is notable.”During his keynote speech, Vance beautifully defined what it means to be an American and warned what will happen if we lose sight of this definition. “American citizenship must mean belonging to a nation that guards the sovereignty of its people, especially from a modern world that's hellbent on dissolving borders and differences in national character,” he said. “That means having a government that vigorously defends the basic qualities of sovereignty, that secures the border from foreign invasion, that protects its citizens and their enterprises against unfair foreign tax schemes, that erects tariff walls and similar barriers to protect its people's industry, that avoids needlessly entangling them in prolonged distant wars.”“It also means preserving the basic legal privileges of citizenship — things like voting, including in state and local elections, or access to benefits, like certain state-run health care programs for citizens,” he continued, noting that “most of the howling about the Big Beautiful Bill reduces to the fundamental fact that President Trump believes that Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security ought to go to the American people, not to illegal aliens.”“When states ... start handing out these benefits to illegal aliens, they cheapen the very meaning of citizenship, and a nation that refuses to make that distinction will not stay a nation for very long,” he warned.However, he clarified that citizenship isn’t just about what Americans get; it’s also about what they give.“Citizenship in the 21st century necessarily means building. ... Our ancestors realized that to carve a successful nation from new land meant creating new tangible things — new homes, new towns, new infrastructure — to tame a wild continent. That is our heritage as Americans,” he said, noting that this American innovation not only blossomed here in the United States, it spread across the globe.“Our innovations — American innovations — revolutionized communications, medicine, and agriculture, extending human lifespan decades at a time, and none of that would be possible if our citizens believed we lived in a postindustrial era.”Sadly, there are many today who believe that very thing — that we live in a time of irreversible decline in American manufacturing and industry.Vance made it clear that he rejects this notion.“The 21st century is a time to build. We need to make great things here for the betterment of our fellow Americans but also for our posterity. We need to continue to invent groundbreaking innovations and to leave homes and libraries and factories that our descendants will look at someday and feel a sense of awe,” he encouraged.However, if we want to get back to this place of American building, our nation needs to return to being the kind of place where creators and dreamers can thrive. “Getting to the moon required a lot of brilliant scientists” and “very talented engineers and welders and custodians,” but “it also required a national system of education that produced that level of genius, that fostered that level of genius, that inspired young graduates to look to the stars and want to go there on behalf of their nation,” said Vance.“To be a citizen in the 21st century must mean that we should be thinking about the future in similar ways and building similar projects as an American family,” he said, clarifying that this can be done without “importing millions and millions of low-wage surfs,” contrary to what “Democrat politicians” and “corporate oligarchs” argue.“We can do it with American citizens. We've just got to have the will to actually try.”To hear more of Vance’s speech and the Blaze News panel’s analysis, watch the video above.Want more from 'Blaze News: The Mandate'?To enjoy more provocative opinions, expert analysis, and breaking stories you won’t see anywhere else, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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