One Indiana Republican Stands Firm After Trump’s Elections Revenge

Trump’s biggest target, Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, wasn’t affected in the elections bloodbath.

At least one Indiana Republican is still standing firm in his opposition to Trump after the president successfully enacted his revenge on the state’s Republicans blocking his redistricting efforts.

Trump-endorsed candidates won five of the seven state Senate primary races on Tuesday, a resounding victory for the president in an openly confrontational primary. But even in the face of a MAGA takeover in his state, Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray—whom Trump has been lambasting for months as a “total loser”—plans to stay and fight for his party, confirming his intentions to run for reelection in 2028.

“I do plan to run for pro tem again. And I, at this point, I need to make the case for whether, if I’m the right person to lead the caucus and the Senate, and we’ll see where that goes. I don’t make a forecast on that,” Bray told Politico on Wednesday.

Bray said he still believes he’s the right person to lead the Republican Party in Indiana, and refused to comment further on what the purging of his colleagues on Tuesday night means for the wider party.

But whether he’ll say so publicly or not, Bray will certainly have an uphill battle, as the target on his back and the momentum Trump has will make it hard to win his state back,.

Trump Embarrasses His Own Officials as He Ditches Latest Iran Plan

President Trump has abandoned his own plan to fix the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, much to the surprise of his Cabinet.

President Trump’s about-face on Iran caught his Cabinet members off guard.

Trump announced Tuesday evening that he was pausing “Project Freedom,” his plan for U.S. Navy ships to escort other vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz, for a “short period of time” in order to help negotiations with Iran.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said that “we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

But only hours before, administration officials were publicly explaining and praising the plan.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio each touted the idea to reopen the strait in press conferences earlier in the day on Tuesday.

“Two U.S. commercial ships, along with American destroyers, have already safely transited the Strait, showing the lane is clear. We know the Iranians are embarrassed by this fact. They said they control the Strait. They do not,” Hegseth said, claiming that “hundreds more ships from nations around the world are lining up” to leave the strait with U.S. help.

“We maintain the upper hand, and Project Freedom only strengthens that hand,” Hegseth added, only for Trump to shelve the plan hours later.

At a different press conference, Rubio said the plan was key to ending the war with Iran.

“Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation,” Rubio said. “We’re not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What the president would prefer is a deal.”

Rubio said that Project Freedom would be offensive, and that the U.S. would not fire at Iran “unless we’re shot at.”

But yet again, Trump has changed his mind and hung his surrogates out to dry. The fate of the Iran war continues to be uncertain as the president claims that the war is over, yet swings between offering threats and new updates in negotiations.

DOJ Walks Back One of Todd Blanche’s Main Accusations Against SPLC

Blanche initially claimed the Southern Poverty Law Center had not shared information with law enforcement.

Donald Trump’s Department of Justice was forced Tuesday to clean up acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s outrageous lie about the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Speaking to Fox News on April 21, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche claimed that the government had “no information” to suggest the SPLC had “shared what they learned” from their undercover informant program in hate groups such as the KKK with law enforcement.

The SPLC hit back at Blanche’s claim with a motion to retract his false statement, and refrain from making any others like it.

In a filing Tuesday, the DOJ cited a statement Blanche made days later on Fox News Sunday with Shannon Bream. “It is true that over the years they have selectively shared with law enforcement. That’s well documented and there’s no dispute there. They aren’t charged with any of that conduct,” Blanche said.

“To the extent that any clarification was needed, Acting Attorney Todd Blanche’s remarks on a major Sunday television program certainly suffice,” the filing stated.

This is just the latest bit of graceless leadership from Blanche, who actively undermined the Justice Department’s flimsy case against former FBI Director James Comey on Sunday, and is part of a larger trend of unprecedented prosecutorial missteps in the department, undermining numerous civil and criminal cases.

Marco Rubio Rushes to Claim Trump Didn’t Threaten the Pope

Donald Trump’s one-sided beef with Pope Leo is escalating, and his team is hurrying to defend it.

Even the president’s Cabinet is having a hard time subscribing to what Donald Trump is saying about Pope Leo........

© New Republic