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Ex-GOP operative appalled as Trump builds 'barrier of corruption' for donor's payout
Jul 1, 2026 - World 
A former Republican operative flagged how badly President Donald Trump damaged a relationship with a close U.S. ally to help a donor.Steve Schmidt focused on Canada for his Wednesday episode of The Warning to mark July 1, which is Canada Day. He talked in particular about the Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Windsor, Ontario, with Detroit."Look at this bridge. It's brand new, paid for by Canada, though the American side gets to keep half the revenue," Schmidt explained. "It is a vital pipeline, an artery for commerce that flows back and forth, a trillion dollars a year."The bridge also "sustains jobs" and "creates opportunity across both sides of the border," Schmidt continued. However, Schmidt was only talking about the bridge's potential because Trump "will now not allow the Gordie Howe Bridge to open," he said.Schmidt noted that Matthew T. Moroun, a Detroit billionaire, owns the nearby Ambassador Bridge. He claimed that Moroun "donated $1 million to Donald Trump," and blamed that connection for the reason the Gordie Howe Bridge has yet to open."The Ambassador Bridge is jam-packed. It's a toll bridge," Schmidt explained. "When the new bridge opens, it will diminish the traffic and decrease the profit for the ownership group on the [Ambassador] bridge."Schmidt blasted the refusal by Trump to open the bridge, and noted the soured relationship between the U.S. and Canada is even "killing the bourbon industry."He said, "The next president has an absolute moral obligation to repair this relationship." He called on Americans to "look north and think this thought: we're sorry," for Canada Day."Donald Trump has erected a barrier of corruption as if he's generalissimo of some banana republic, and it's appalling," Schmidt said. "He has vandalized a relationship that is steeped in friendship that goes back beyond the moment of his birth, and it is appalling."
Navy searches for missing crew member after helicopter makes emergency Arabian Sea landing
Jul 1, 2026 - World 
The U.S. Navy was searching for a missing crew member after a helicopter made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea, CNN reported on Wednesday.Three of the four crew members were reportedly rescued, and searchers were trying to find one more person, according to CNN.U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet shared the following information in a post on X. "On July 1 at 3:30 a.m. ET, the aircrew of an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) conducted an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea. There is no indication that the emergency was caused by hostile action. Three of the helicopter’s four crew members have been recovered and are in stable condition aboard George H. W. Bush. U.S. Navy assets in the region are currently searching for other aircrewmen still missing. The cause of [the] incident is under investigation."Additional details around the search are developing. On July 1 at 3:30 a.m. ET, the aircrew of an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) conducted an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea. There is no indication the emergency was caused by hostile action. Three of the helicopter’s four crew…— U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet (@US5thFleet) July 1, 2026
Onlookers astonished by JD Vance's latest attempt to dunk on Pope Leo: 'Excommunicate him'
Jul 1, 2026 - World 
Vice President JD Vance's most recent jab at the pope backfired as onlookers shot back at him.During an appearance on Fox News, Vance questioned decisions by the American Pope Leo, who has emerged as a vocal advocate for immigrants and directly challenged the Trump administration's sweeping immigration crackdowns."I don't see Pope Leo as an anti-capitalist. I do think some of the things that have come out of the Vatican on the immigration issue, in particular, have been troubling," Vance said. "What I would hope the Catholic leadership has learned from some of the things that me and Marco [Rubio] and the president have said about immigration is, it's not just about the dignity of the immigrant, it's about the dignity of the native born."Vance has criticized Pope Leo's comments about immigration before, but this time, online critics were ready to respond and share their unhappiness with Vance's comments."You have to have some deep, unregistered pretentiousness to try to dunk on the pope," wrote political commentator Juan Escalante on Bluesky."Come on, Pope Leo," pleaded journalist Thor Benson. "Excommunicate him. Do it for me.""I hope the scholars at the large hadron collider have learned from my many assorted thoughts on particles," joked political scientist Anjali Dayal, summing up Vance's argument."More Catholic than the Pope, eh?" asked progressive political commentator Wajahat Ali.Journalist Patrick A. Reed wrote that Vance gave off the "same energy as all those dudes who think they could win a point against Serena," referring to tennis champ Serena Williams.You have to have some deep, unregistered pretentiousness to try to dunk on the pope[image or embed]— Juan Escalante (@juanescalante.com) June 30, 2026 at 6:05 PM
'It's incredible': CNN analysts stunned by 'enormous implications' of Trump crypto profits
Jul 1, 2026 - World 
CNN analysts stressed the gravity of revelations of Trump's major profits from cryptocurrency.According to a New York Times report, the Trump family profited to the tune of $1.4 billion through their cryptocurrency business. CNN anchor Anderson Cooper described the revelations as "incredible" and "stunning" as he spoke with other analysts. According to the Times report, Trump reeled in more than $2.2 billion in total revenue in 2025."It really is hard to overstate just how unusual and how historic this is," New York Times investigative reporter Eric Lipton told Cooper.According to Lipton, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar bought half of the Trump family's crypto business. Lipton pointed out that the sons of Steve Witkoff, who was involved in negotiations with Iran, were also invested."We're talking about billions of dollars of financial ties between the UAE and the Trump family, at the same time as he is negotiating, sharing some of the most advanced technologies humans have ever created, and these AI chips with the UAE," Lipton explained. "There are enormous implications in foreign policy that are mixed up with the personal financial interests of the president."Veteran tech journalist Kara Swisher said the Trump administration is "a coin-operated presidency, really. You just put money in to give to him, and then he gives you other things, and this is exactly what's happening with the crypto stuff."She described the news of Trump's crypto profits as "astonishing," and mentioned that Trump's family is also profiting from a recent mining deal with Kazakhstan."It's a vig," Swisher said, using a loansharking term. "They go around from country to country shaking people down."
'Off the Richter scale': Presidential historian raises red flags about Trump mining deal
Jul 1, 2026 - World 
A presidential historian is sounding the alarm about a recent mining deal that's expected to enrich the Trump family."The audacity is so off the Richter scale," Douglas Brinkley said about a deal between the Trump administration and Kazakhstan to access one of the world's largest untapped reserves of tungsten.The New York Times reported on the $1.6 billion tungsten mining deal with the Central Asian country. The Times noted that the sons of both Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stand to benefit. Tungsten is used in "missile warheads, fighter jets, computer chips, and other critical goods," the Times noted.Brinkley reacted to details of the deal as reported by the NY Times during an appearance on The Jim Acosta Show on Tuesday."People aren't sure what's even going on," Brinkley said. "You have to hope the law will eventually hold President Trump accountable if he did some things that are illegal and illicit, but the law moves slowly."Brinkley agreed with host Jim Acosta's assessment that Trump's self-enrichment during his second term is unprecedented."Just think, not that long ago, there was a scandal because Jimmy Carter's brother Billy had a beer, or you know, Neil Bush got involved with a bit of a hedge fund banking thing run a little bit amok," Brinkley said. "They're so small, and then this is such a huge wake-up call, people."The way Brinkley sees it, "you're having a president of the United States using the White House for personal self-enrichment of a kind of mind-boggling audacity," adding that "it's a crisis, but we've got to get through it."Read on Substack
