Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough thinks his bosses lied to him when they told him they would have breaking news all day. He now sees that never happened, and they took them off the air for an unknown reason. Most people believe it was so the hosts and guests wouldn’t say anything stupid. He’s disappointed. […] The post Morning Joe Was Tricked Into Not Showing Up for Work Monday appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was found guilty in federal court on Tuesday on all 16 counts following a two-month criminal trial where he faced charges of corruption, bribery, obstruction of justice, acting as a foreign agent, and conspiracy. Menendez and his wife Nadine, whose trial is delayed as she battles breast cancer, were indicted in September for allegedly accepting bribes from three businessmen in exchange for actions that he took as chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. According to the Department of Justice, the alleged bribes were intended to protect the businessmen and to benefit Egypt. Prosecutors later said in a revised indictment that Menendez also allegedly used his clout to help a friend secure a multi-million dollar investment deal from the Qatari government, in part by taking actions that benefited Qatar. One of the co-conspirators in the case, New Jersey businessman Jose Uribe, testified in the case that he bribed Menendez in exchange for Menendez pressuring prosecutors to not pursue criminal cases against Uribe and his business associates. “I (agreed) with Nadine Menendez and other people to provide a car for Nadine in order to get the power and influence of Mr. Menendez,” Uribe testified. He said that the bribe was intended “to help me get a better resolution for one of my associates who was being charged in a criminal matter and to stop and kill investigations that could lead to my daughter and family members.” Menendez, 70, could end up spending the rest of his life behind bars as eight of the counts that he was convicted of each carries a potential 20-year prison sentence. Prosecutor Paul M. Monteleoni said during closing arguments: “It wasn’t enough for him to be one of the most powerful people in Washington.” “No, Robert Menendez wanted all that power, but he also wanted to use it to pile up riches for himself and his wife,” he said. “So, Menendez sold the power of his office.” This is a breaking news story; refresh the page for updates. 

Eric Trump watched the assassination attempt on his father’s life on live television with his wife and children, he said Monday. Speaking to NBC at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, he described watching the horrific event unfold in real-time. “Two days ago I was on the couch with my children watching my father almost get assassinated on national TV,” Trump said. “It’s always good to remember that these are human beings on both sides,” NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie said. Trump has two small children, Luke, 6, and Carolina, 4, whom he shares with his wife, Lara Trump, who co-chairs the Republican National Committee. Former President Donald Trump narrowly missed being killed by a bullet to the head at Saturday’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The bullet grazed the former president’s right ear, and he ducked behind a podium before being whisked away by Secret Service agents. He raised his fist and shouted, “Fight!” as he exited the stage. Law enforcement returned fire immediately, killing the shooter. At least one rallygoer was killed, and two others were injured. The rally was broadcast live on several television networks. “Were you watching live when this happened? Did you see that unfold live or did somebody call you and say go turn on the television?” Guthrie asked Trump. “No, I saw it live,” Trump responded. “I was there with Lara, I was there with my children, and you know, I clearly understand the sound of a bullet, and I heard the shots, and my eyes went right up to the TV and then just couldn’t believe what I was seeing.” “You instantly see blood, you instantly see somebody on the ground, you don’t know if they were hit multiple times, and you’re just praying to God that they stand up,” Trump said. “And when he got up and he started pumping his fist in the air, saying ‘Fight, fight, fight,’ even though he had blood all over his face, at least we knew he was mobile at that point, and that gave you a little bit of hope that he was going to be okay.” “But those are not fun moments,” Trump added. “It gives a whole different perspective to life and frankly the whole political narrative among the media and among people and among politics that it’s got to get toned down.” Trump said he spoke to his father 45 minutes after the shooting. “It was too close. This cannot happen in America. It’s just absolutely crazy,” he said. Trump’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., told The Daily Signal that he initially got a call telling him, “Your father’s been shot” with no other details. He spoke to his father about 90 minutes later, and in the meantime he was “just trying to get all my kids together.” Guthrie also asked Eric Trump about his father’s decision to scrap his original nomination acceptance speech after the shooting. The former president said his planned speech would have attacked the Biden administration, but his new speech is “a chance to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together.” “I was there when he did that,” Trump said. “His speech is beautiful, it’s inspirational, it’s forward-looking for this country. It’s incredibly positive. It’s exactly what we need right now.” “As a son it’s been an emotional rollercoaster, but I’m just proud of the man. I love the guy to death. He’s the greatest father I could have ever imagined,” Trump said. “His fortitude, his backbone, he’s a tremendous human being and I’m incredibly proud of him.”

Army Ranger veteran Sean Parnell shared a photo on Tuesday showing just how close Donald Trump’s would-be assassin was able to get to the former president at a Butler, Pennsylvania, campaign rally on Saturday. The shooter was able to attain an elevated position on a roof less than 150 yards from where Trump was speaking and fired on the rally. In addition to shooting the former president’s right ear, he shot and killed firefighter Corey Comperatore and injured two others. “Everyone needs to see this photo to appreciate the tactical negligence that occurred during the assassination attempt on DJT,” Parnell, who spoke at the rally ahead of Trump, posted along with a photo from Saturday’s event. “This photo was taken just minutes before the first shots were fired. DJT is oriented towards the shooter at this point.” “Look in the upper left of this photo. That is the building. Look how f***ing close it was. Direct line of sight to DJT. You can see my wife & I to the right of the SS agent in the front row,” he continued. “There is no excuse to not have someone on that roof. None. It amounts to the most stunning incompetence & negligence in a tactical situation that I have ever been a part of. Ever.” “It’s simply incomprehensible to me how this happens. The only thing that is more incomprehensible to me is how the Director of the Secret Service still has a job,” he concluded. Everyone needs to see this photo to appreciate the tactical negligence that occurred during the assassination attempt on DJT. This photo was taken just minutes before the first shots were fired. DJT is oriented towards the shooter at this point. Look in the upper left of this… pic.twitter.com/llrXNfYYTb — Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellUSA) July 16, 2024 Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle has responded to the controversy by saying she has no intention of leaving her position. “This is an event that should have never happened,” she conceded, and agreed that “the Secret Service is responsible for protection of the former president.” “The buck stops with me, I am the director of the Secret Service. It was unacceptable and it shouldn’t happen again,” she vowed, but she made it clear that she did “plan to stay on.”

The hosts of ABC’s “The View” made it clear on Tuesday’s show that they were fine with inflammatory rhetoric as long as it was aimed at people or parties they disliked — primarily Republicans and former President Donald Trump. In the face of multiple calls from both sides — and even from President Joe Biden, who claimed that it was only Republicans who were guilty of such incendiary rhetoric — to “lower the temperature” of American political discussions, the hosts argued that because they believed themselves to be “calling out the truth” it wasn’t important that they were feeding into the very divisiveness they complained about. “I just think that calling out the truth is not turning up the heat, right?” co-host Sunny Hostin said, claiming that Biden was right when he said it was fine to call Trump evil and an existential threat while demanding that Republicans tone things down. “Tone matters, words matter, but facts matter too.” WATCH: The View defends using incendiary and inciting rhetoric against Trump even after it led to an assassination attempt. Sunny Hostin: “I just think that calling out the truth is not turning up the heat, right…Tone matters, words matter but facts matter too.” pic.twitter.com/sUgBTeFSbm — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) July 16, 2024 Co-host Sara Haines argued that “intention” mattered more than tone, saying she too believed it was telling the truth to attack Republicans and only inflammatory if it was directed at Democrats. “It’s not we’ve got to storm the Capitol. Like, there’s a difference…I see a very clear difference in the rhetoric.” WATCH: Faux conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin say Trump is the one who needs to show he can tamp down the rhetoric: “It’s an opportunity for the former president to take the temperature down on Thursday and show that…he’s capable of that. “Whoopi says he’lll lose his mind again. pic.twitter.com/xVsMAQx6ld — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) July 16, 2024 Alyssa Farah Griffin, a self-described Republican who previously worked in the Trump administration, made no mention of Biden’s incendiary comments and argued that the burden was on Trump — who had survived an assassination attempt just days earlier — to make the first move in lowering the temperature. “It’s an opportunity for the former president to take the temperature down on Thursday and show that…he’s capable of that,” she said.

'The tweet shows Barron Trump at his father's July 9 campaign rally in Doral, Florida.'

'A great day for Justice!'

A post shared on social media  purportedly shows a video of the missing U.K. teen Jay Slater being beaten shortly before his disappearance. (WARNING: Graphic content) Verdict: False The video is over a decade old and was uploaded to a Russian social media site. Fact Check: A body was found near where Slater went missing, but […]

'I'm the guy that's been able to pull together'