SINCERETALK

President Donald Trump's own inner circle was shocked by the news that he had signed off on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's order of public execution against Nidal Malik Hassan. It's America's first public execution in nearly a century. "The idea seemed to shock even some of his colleagues in the administration," reported The New York Times' Peter Baker on Friday . "Vice President JD Vance cast doubt that it would be livestreamed, telling reporters that “I don’t know that that’s going to happen” and adding that he would not watch if it does." Baker added, "But Mr. Trump said he signed off on it. 'Did I approve' he said. 'Absolutely I did.'" He pointed out that "no public execution has been conducted in the United States in 90 years, and the decision to conduct this one in front of an audience would put the country in the company of Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea and Somalia." Baker also quoted a Republica...

President Donald Trump sees the stock market as a referendum on his performance, and by many accounts the numbers are high. But don’t fool yourself into thinking the market is sailing on a wave of glory. This thing is “lousy for most,” says Bloomberg Analyst Jonathan Levin. The market is largely getting buoyed by one industry — and most Americans are not making money on it. Worse, they have plenty to lose if it all goes south. “Although the S&P 500 Index closed at an all-time high this week, it did so on the strength of a handful of companies focused on the booming artificial intelligence sector, papering over signs of growing vulnerabilities in the economy and financial markets,” wrote Levin on Friday. “With the midterm elections less than a month away, what Trump sees as an asset for Republicans may in fact be a liability. The economy, he warned, is actually “reeling from inflation that remains stubbornly high and unchecked fiscal budget deficits” while average hourly earnings ...

President Donald Trump repeatedly refers to the economy as a "golden age" under his administration — yet a recent report indicates the opposite may be true. In fact, there is a flashing red light when it comes to a key sector indicating economic health or a lack thereof. "Five years ago borrowing costs were so low that public debt looked almost costless," wrote The Economist on Thursday . "Today, with investors dumping their bonds, many big rich-world governments pay more to borrow than at any time since the 1990s or 2000s. Because the public debts of big advanced economies are about double, relative to GDP, what they were at the turn of the century, the result is immense pressure on budgets." After detailing the ways in which the American economy is strong, The Economist proceeded to explain how the bond market is a potential giant weakness. "President Donald Trump has recently mused that inflation can reduce debts 'very rapidly' and renewe...

Six years after Republican secretary of state Brad Raffensperger defied President Donald Trump, the Georgia official is still scrutinizing polls and making sure the voting process is not the “ third world ” mess that Trump claims it is without proof. “He’s still battling many of the same issues that initially made him a target of President Donald Trump and his allies, with fellow Republicans sowing doubt about election administration in Georgia and nationally, despite a lack of evidence,” reports NBC News . “So Raffensperger is pulling out all the stops to demonstrate the voting process will be safe, secure and accurate ahead of the November election.” Raffensperger was thrust into the front lines of the nation’s voting wars in 2020, after Trump tried to claim the state was stolen from him and went to Biden. It is an argument that Trump stubbornly spreads to this day — but the secretary of state and his metaphorical clipboard is overseeing his final election in the key battleground st...

Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle's scandal is spreading as her $100,000 shakedown of Eric Deters, a campaign donor to President Donald Trump makes the rounds, but Deters told CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Thursday that Guilfoyle's brand of grift is nowhere near the end of the corruption choking the Trump administration. Speaking with Tapper, Deter outlined a dismal smear of exploitation, repeating that Guilfoyle is “wicked” and “knows plenty” about Trump-era corruption. “That's just common sense. I mean, when Don Jr. and her broke up, she gets the Greek ambassadorship. That was throwing her a bone,” said Deter. “She could find herself a Greek billionaire. And the Trumps could have peace. However, it's not working out very good because she's been flying around Europe with an energy lobbyist, and now she's having to deal with the allegations that I've brought forward against her.” According to a Wednesday Wall Street Journal report , Guilfoyle needed Deters, a fo...

President Donald Trump enjoys inciting a crowd with talk, whether or not it has any ground beneath it. Much, of it, say critics, has to do with insulting others. And Trump’s insults came hot and fast in San Antonio, Texas, at a rally with Senate candidate Ken Paxton and House candidate Carlos De La Cruz. Paxton is running a close race against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in one of the highest-profile matches of the midterms. And Trump lit into Talarico and his fellow Democrats by calling them ‘Dirty.” But not just dirty — filthy in every sense of the word. No. 1. Dems Dirty Doorknobs. “Texas has been the state people flee to escape the economic and social collapse of Democrat run California, New York, and other failing blue states, but if Talarico and the Democrats get their way, all of that squalor and misery, poverty, homelessness [will come to Texas],” Trump told the roaring crowd. “When the blues get in everything becomes dirty,” said Trump. “The streets become dirty. The ...