SINCERETALK

Everything from this week’s edition of City Press in one convenient place. from News24 News24/TopStories/rss https://ift.tt/bo3NlBK via sinceretalk

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, was killed in the opening salvo of a massive US and Israeli attack that extended into a second day on Sunday, as the two powers seek to topple the Islamic republic. from News24 News24/TopStories/rss https://ift.tt/nhKOXw9 via sinceretalk

Dispatch senior editor Michale Warren says Trump isn’t hearing much bad news inside that thick White House bubble of his, and that’s too bad for him. “Trump likely isn’t hearing much about [his] disappointing poll numbers at his periodic Cabinet meetings, during which his top advisers sit around the table, taking turns praising the president for his greatness while the cameras roll,” said Warren. “There is the introduction of more pro-Trump media outlets to prominent placements in the White House press corps, most of whom are less interested than the rest of the news media in pressing Trump and his spokespeople with difficult questions. And there is Trump and his aides’ steady media diet of friendly television news and social media that reinforces the false idea that Trump is actually popular.” Warren said Trump’s White House team “prefers to keep him in these safe spaces, even as his approval rating sits nearly 15 points below water and Americans are increasingly abandoning him o...

President Donald Trump reportedly played a key role in guaranteeing Warner Brothers Discovery (WBD) was sold to the pro-Trump Ellison family rather than Netflix — yet some conservatives think Trump overestimates what he won in that bargain. “Trump’s head is stuck in the 80s so he may not have noticed that cable is dying,” conservative commentators Tim Miller and Amanda Carpenter wrote in their Friday podcast episode for The Bulwark . “All he can think about is getting his greedy little hands on CNN so he can make them say nice things about him. But independent outlets—like The Bulwark— are changing the media space and are beyond the reach of a corrupted FCC. Nevertheless, our screens are going to be filled with vast quantities of pro-MAGA propaganda.” Later in the podcast, Miller speculated that even if Trump prevails in saturating the media landscape with his point of view, his narrative ultimately will not prevail. Instead Miller speculated that kids are “gonna be in high school,...

Former FBI agent Michael Feinberg told MS NOW anchor Nicole Wallace the difficulty President Donald Trump has in outright overthrowing state elections in November is no reason to dismiss the possibly of him using the federal government to tamper his way into a victory for himself or his political party. “I think people are giving themselves a false sense of comfort by saying it would be too difficult for him to steal the election. ‘You would have to do a lot in a lot of states, in a lot of cities, and it's just too complicated.’ He doesn't need to steal it. He needs to throw it into confusion,” said Feinberg, a former FBI Assistant Special Agent in a fellow of the “Lawfare” blog. “If you throw it into confusion and you are the federal government and you control law enforcement, you control intelligence, you have a bully pulpit unlike no other — that is enough to undermine the process,” continued Feinberg. “And if he has a director of national intelligence like Tulsi Gabba...

Legal and voting rights experts are sounding the alarm after a Washington Post bombshell report revealed that President Donald Trump — who has been insisting on federalizing voting and has issued an executive order to pressure states to require proof of citizenship for voter registration — is now being urged by activists to sign an executive order declaring a voting "emergency." The proposed 17-page order would "unlock extraordinary presidential power over voting,” the Post reported, noting that the proposal "claims China interfered in the 2020 election" which would be the "basis to declare a national emergency." Former Trump national security official Miles Taylor warned that the "biggest electoral crime in American history might be unfolding." "The president cannot seize control of state-run elections by declaring a fake 'emergency.' There’s no statute that permits it," wrote Fair Fight Action communications dir...

Veteran Republican strategist Karl Rove knows how to win elections. He says he also knows what losing them looks like, and he says Trump is on his way to losing big. Strangely, the Republican Party’s master of partisan politics claims Trump is being too partisan, as indicated by the direction he took at his State of The Union speech. “Almost everything the president said energized his MAGA hard core. But they aren’t enough to stave off a shellacking this fall,” Rove told the Wall Street Journal . “Mr. Trump should have fixated more on those of his 2024 voters who have since become disenchanted: Those represented by his approval rating’s almost 8-point slide in the RealClearPolitics average since re-entering office,” said Rove. “That isn’t a large slice of the electorate, but those swing voters will decide which party controls Congress for Mr. Trump’s final two years in the White House.” Trump’s speech, like Trump himself, was “angry, pugnacious, and hence less effective,” said Ro...

President Donald Trump promised during his Tuesday State of the Union message to stop members of Congress from profiting from insider trading — and, in a rare moment, received bipartisan support. During a dramatic moment in his speech, Trump declared that Congress should “ensure that members of Congress cannot corruptly profit from using insider information,” adding they should “pass the Stop Insider Trading act without delay.” Even though Democrats joined Republicans in applauding and delivering standing ovations, Trump then tried to make the issue into a partisan one by singling out a prominent Democrat. “Let’s also ensure that members of congress cannot corruptly profit from using insider information,” Trump said, then adding: “Did Nancy Pelosi stand up? ... Doubt it.” Trump referenced the former House Speaker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who has been accused of insider trading . In response, Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) shouted in response, “You do it yourself. What about yo...

When Homes Depot suffers its state headquarters feels the pain — and swing state Georgia is definitely taking notice of the 800 jobs the company reported lost in January. Now the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports the company, whose founders are supporters of President Donald Trump , are reeling from a 4.4 percent net earnings decline from $14.8 billion in fiscal year 2024, thanks to the president’s sputtering housing industry. “The current mortgage rate environment and significant increase in home prices since 2019 have impacted housing affordability,” Home Depot Chief Financial Officer Richard McPhail said during a conference call with investors on Tuesday. “Housing turnover has remained at historical lows since 2023, which has significantly reduced demand for projects and other purchases associated with buying and selling a home.” “Our customers also tell us they have concerns over general economic uncertainty, including inflation, growing job concerns and higher financing c...

The editor-at-large at a prominent right-leaning magazine is blasting President Donald Trump’s “debased state” — in particular, thinking he can dupe the American people out of their economic woes. “In our debased state of national politics we have become accustomed to presidents making promises they cannot possibly hope to deliver on, particularly just months before they become a lame duck,” Reason Magazine’s Matt Welch wrote on Tuesday . Pointing out that two-term presidents tend to spend their sixth-year State of the Union message boasting, Welch warned that “as the ghost of Joe Biden can attest, woe unto the POTUS who points to the cloudy economic sky and declares it blue.” Trump is “shouting into political headwinds considerably stiffer than those faced by” the last similarly scandal-ridden president, Bill Clinton, whose approval rating averaged to 60 percent during his 1998 State of the Union. By contrast, Trump has been in the high 30s in three recent national polls. “Like p...

I’m a bit sad that the Winter Olympics are over, but downright joyful I won’t be hearing that stupid, meaningless “U-S-A, U-S-A …” chant every evening while watching the games. It should have been retired many decades ago shortly after its birth in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. That’s the year a bunch of pimply-faced American kids knocked off the vaunted Big Red Russian hockey machine on their way to winning gold, 4-3, in what is now referred to as the Miracle on Ice. As that American amateur men’s team, composed of college kids, and recent grads, skated to one victory after another, it became clear something special was happening in that northern New York town tucked hard in the middle of the Adirondacks. Our country was in desperate need of a spark that made us all feel good about ourselves and brought us together, even if we really didn’t know it at the time. We were being suffocated by bad news, and a malaise that President Jimmy Carter eloquently addres...

President Donald Trump’s preferred candidate in a key Texas congressional race is facing increased calls from prominent political and media to drop out of the race. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) is fighting for political survival after the candidate’s late staffer was revealed by the San Antonio Express-News to have once texted, “I had an affair with our boss and I’m fine.” The staffer in question later committed suicide. “@RepTonyGonzales, RESIGN!” Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) declared on the social media platform X . "Seems pretty clear at this point that if Trump suffers a political loss next Tuesday, it’ll be in TX-23," wrote Matthew Klein from Cook Political Report on X . "He has backed Rep. Tony Gonzales, who is under fire for having an affair with a now-deceased staffer. The developments have been utterly unrelenting." In what was allegedly an open secret in his office , Gonzeles — a Republican facing opposing from YouTuber and far right-winger Brandon H...

Gold climbed to a three-week high on Monday as uncertainty stoked by ⁠the US Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a vast swathe of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs pressured the dollar and pushed investors to the safety of bullion. from News24 News24/TopStories/rss https://ift.tt/Z9dhS1f via sinceretalk

King Charles III faces a critical challenge after his brother Andrew’s arrest, marking the first modern royal arrest and intensifying scrutiny on the monarchy. from News24 News24/TopStories/rss https://ift.tt/l57n9Bo via sinceretalk

The high cost of patented GLP-1s and absence of generics remain a major impediment to access in SA, where the medicines are unavailable in the public sector and often unaffordable. from News24 News24/TopStories/rss https://ift.tt/BZ7G4aj via sinceretalk

A Grassy Park medical practice’s water use jumped from a steady 4kL a month to a wild 63kL – with no leaks. The City later replaced the faulty meter, but still pushed for payment. from News24 News24/TopStories/rss https://ift.tt/9GPipon via sinceretalk

Here is what we know so far about the links between the late financier who died in a US jail in 2019 and the ex-prince who has enjoyed a life of luxury and privilege. from News24 News24/TopStories/rss https://ift.tt/8Y9myv5 via sinceretalk

Everything from this week’s edition of City Press in one convenient place. from News24 News24/TopStories/rss https://ift.tt/pamwkGi via sinceretalk

A traditional healer’s dream of buried treasure has sparked a gold rush in an Ekurhuleni settlement, with hundreds of desperate job-seekers paying to dig for their fortune. But is there really gold beneath the kraal, or just hope in hard times? from News24 News24/TopStories/rss https://ift.tt/fy3Vzjt via sinceretalk

New York Times Colunist and podcaster Ezra Klein asked two people familiar with the Trump White House and past administrations to describe how the late-night diving and social media-obsessed President Donald Trump spends his days. “He wakes up late,” said Atlantic staff writer Michael Scherer. “[Former President Barack] Obama would start work very early in the Oval Office and work until dinnertime, and then he’d go back to the residence. Trump comes down later in the morning. I think on an average day he’s in front of live cameras, if he’s at the White House … one to three hours in a day. … And I think the rest of the time is much more freeform. I don’t think the drive towards efficiency and structure is something that interests him.” “He plays a lot of golf on the weekends,” said Atlantic writer Ashley Parker . “He goes to his private clubs — Mar-a-Lago in the winter, [or his New Jersey private golf club] Bedminster sometimes when it’s nicer — where he holds court. … But it’s muc...

Let it be said that President Donald Trump’s people know how to put on a show New York Times reporter Chris Cameron noted that The White House “turned down the lights for President Trump’s news conference on Friday after the Supreme Court decision that struck down his sweeping tariffs, ” as if in response to the president’s smoldering mood. Cameron cited White House spokesman Steven Cheung saying in a social media post that “President Trump will not be stopped.” His post highlighted the shadowy lighting, which Cheung described as the tonal shift “Dark MAGA.” The tactic might be a throwback to former President Joe Biden attempt to invoke an atmosphere of seriousness and warning, as he did when he sought to paint “a dark portrait of a democracy on the brink .” Speaking outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Cameron recalled Biden’s stage and the hall being darkly lit, with Biden flanked by “Marine guards silhouetted in shadow against the building.” “The dim stage lights were ...

Pope Leo XIV has officially dissed Catholic JD Vance’s formal invitation to the upcoming July 4th 250th festivities in the United States. Instead, the Pope, formerly of Chicago, will be celebrating that day “on the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa — a migrant gateway in the Mediterranean,” reports Christopher Hale, who chronicles the Vatican’s doings with his “Letters from Leo” reports. “… [B]ack in May 2025, JD Vance personally invited Pope Leo to take part in the anniversary celebrations. Many assumed Trump and Vance would welcome the first American pope with open arms during this historic jubilee. But Pope Leo never accepted the offer,” reports Hale, adding that the rejection came days after the Vatican also rejected an invitation to President Donald Trump’s “ Board of Peace .” Worse, the Vatican quietly confirmed the pope has no plans to visit the United States at all in 2026. “Instead, on the very day of America’s 250th, [the pope] will kneel on a rocky outcrop closer to Tun...

The Daily Beast reports high-grossing MAGA podcaster Shawn Ryan appeared shaken at President Donald Trump’s meandering stumbles and senior citizen behavior at Thursday’s meeting of his "Board of Peace," unofficial gathering of countries. Trump presided over the meeting attended by many nations with questionable human rights history, including Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Israel. Trump also sent invitations to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, both of whom have arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes. But what unnerved Ryan was the painfully aged appearance and behavior Trump revealed during his introduction speech. “I’m proud to officially name the undispuut ...” Trump said before muttering unintelligibly for a couple of seconds, according to the Beast. “When did this come out? Mr. Speaker,” he later proclaimed before getting back on track. Beast reports Trump also “bragged about his...

President Donald Trump expressed frustration with the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, telling steel workers that he has had to wait "many months" for a decision on the tariffs case, even though tariffs are still being collected. The court hear oral arguments on November 5 — three and a half months ago — and a decision could come as soon as Friday. It is not unusual for the justices to take many months to decide a case. The court, reports stated, appeared skeptical of Trump's authority to impose sweeping tariffs via executive orders without Congress. "And to think I have to be, in the United States Supreme Court for many, many months, waiting for a decision on tariffs — without tariffs, this country would be in such trouble right now," Trump said at the Coosa Steel Corporation in Rome, Georgia, in a speech at a GOP-ticketed event . "Without tariffs, this country would be like your company was two years ago," he told workers. "What a differen...

Former DHS Chief of Staff Miles Taylor says President Donald Trump is endangering himself by conducting an illegal search of ballots in Fulton County Georgia. Weeks ago, Trump sent members of the FBI to raid Fulton County of its 2020 ballots in an effort to prove that he actually won the election in Georgia over former president Joe Biden. But Taylor — who worked in Trump’s first administration and wrote the executive order that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is now using to conduct the raid — said there is no federal rule protecting Trump from the consequences if a Georgia jury proclaims him guilty of an illegal search. “People forget when they hear about this story that [Trump] was indicted on 13 felony counts in Fulton County for trying to meddle in that election. Five years later, he's back at it. They claimed it was [because of] foreign interference. They said it was regulatory irregularities in an affidavit. And then Trump said the truth in that intervi...

The City of Johannesburg’s tanker contracts are in jeopardy after the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg declared them “invalid”. from News24 News24/TopStories/rss https://ift.tt/pwIN6oh via sinceretalk

A candidate for Republican House speaker in Alabama is facing ouster after his “profane tirade” about the Republican Party got leaked to the press. AL.com reports Stan Cooke, a candidate for chairmanship of the Alabama Republican Party, announced on Facebook that he would move to expel House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter from the party if he wins the chairmanship because of a comment Ledbetter let fly during a closed GOP House caucus meeting. The shadow of an unpopular National Republican Party brand may be crashing against Alabama Republicans appeal among their constituents, and affecting the party’s chances of maintaining its comfortable majority in the House and Senate. “My concern is you. We need to do what’s best for this body, period,” Ledbetter raged during the course of the meeting. I could give a s--- about the Republican Party.” Cooke, who is also a pastor, said the comment could not stand. “When Elected, I will place a measure before the Steering Committee and the Exe...

A jovial President Donald Trump hosted a Black History Month celebration on Wednesday, ad-libbing many remarks that drew online criticism . 'He's Not a Racist. He's My Friend' "Talk about a piece of work, but he could fight, couldn't he, huh?" Trump said . "Mike Tyson, boy, I tell you, Mike has been loyal to me. Whenever they come out, they say, 'Trump's a racist.' You know, it's like a saber. 'Trump's a racist.' Mike Tyson goes, 'He's not a racist. He's my friend.' He's been there from the beginning. Good times and bad. But Mike Tyson's a great guy, and he was so loyal, always been loyal." Trump went on to mention his "great friend," former NFL player Lawrence Taylor, "the greatest defensive player, probably, in the history of football, he's a great friend of mine." Historically Black Colleges and Universities Trump called Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhil...

Arkansas’ primary and non-partisan judicial elections are officially underway. Tuesday was the start of early voting, and an increasing number of Arkansans are casting their ballots well ahead of Election Day. Here’s what Arkansans said about the issues and candidates on the ballot as they early voted: Veteran critical of Trump, Hill Alex Reyes, an Army veteran who served as a medic in the 1970s, expressed broad discontent with President Donald Trump and Arkansas’ Republican delegation to Congress. But the Pulaski County voter said the party he voted for was less important to his vote than the party he voted against. U.S. Rep. French Hill, the Republican who represents central Arkansas’ 2nd District, “aligns himself with the current administration,” Reyes said. “And I see job losses. I see costs going up. I don’t agree with the Big, Beautiful Bill, I thought that was terrible,” he said, referring to the tax cut and spending cut legislation Trump signed into law last year. “I s...

PsyPost reports that a new study published in the journal Advances in Psychology suggests that White people who personally perceive themselves as ranking at the bottom of the racial economic hierarchy or “tied” with Black Americans were the most likely to support President Donald Trump. Previous research identified a phenomenon known as “last place aversion,” where people fear being at the very bottom of a social hierarchy — and Trump voters apparently feel the sting of smallness more acutely than others, whether or not they are actually at the bottom rung of the ladder. Surprisingly, researchers found that these attitudes were not driven by actual poverty. The researchers controlled for objective indicators of socioeconomic status, such as income and education levels. They found that belonging to the “last place” profile predicted Trump support and anti-DEI attitudes regardless of how much money or education the participant actually had. “We … [expected] a subset of non-Hispani...

President Donald Trump's administration is creating a reputation for itself of frequently teeing itself up for embarrassing losses in court. Now, the Wall Street Journal's editorial board is arguing that its unprecedented record in the federal judiciary may be a deliberate strategy. The Journal observed Monday that the Trump administration's failed attempt to prosecute Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) was merely the latest example of the DOJ bringing a flimsy case before a grand jury only to be sent home empty-handed. The Rupert Murdoch-owned paper pointed out that after Trump accused Kelly of "seditious behavior, punishable by death" for urging military service members to remember their duty to disobey illegal orders, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth jumped to action, with the Journal commenting that Hegseth "takes tango lessons whenever Mr. Trump says dance." Trump's Pentagon chief sent Kelly a "letter of censure" and attempted to dock his re...

President Donald Trump's once impressive edge with young voters has dried up at an "astonishing" rate, according to noted conservative pollster Sarah Longwell, as he bleeds support from them faster than any other voting bloc. Longwell, who left the Republican Party last year following Trump's reelection, dissected the latest findings from the Cook Political Report in a Monday piece for The Atlantic . She noted that, while voters aged 18-29 still broke for Democrat Kamala Harris overall in the 2024 election compared to 2020, they made a major swing towards Trump. This swing was driven particularly by young men. Early on in Trump's first term — March 1, 2025 — this young voter bloc disapproved of him by an approximate seven-point margin, per Longwell. Now, according to new findings as of February 1, his disapproval with those voters has exploded to a margin of 31.8 points. "It’s tempting to think that this is all happening because of this administration’s ...