America's best-run cities revealed...and there isn't a Democrat lawmaker in sight
Provo, Utah, has been declared the most efficient city in the United States thanks to its safe streets and the quality of its government services.
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Daily Mail
29 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Opinion: Trump's behind-the-scenes fears over Musk's betrayal
Grab the popcorn — or maybe just your Tesla key fob and a MAGA hat — because the long-teased ego cage match between Donald Trump and Elon Musk has entered the Thunderdome. And if you're feeling déjà vu, you're not alone. This is Round Two of the 'Reconciliation Rumble,' a sequel so eerily similar to the original you'd think a C-level Hollywood scribe ghostwrote it. Back then — by which I mean like, three weeks ago — Musk was waving fiscal responsibility flags like a libertarian hype man, railing against Trump's reconciliation bill as a pork-stuffed monstrosity. Fast-forward to now and Elon is back at it - even as the BBB passed the Senate on Wednesday and barrels towards a final House sign-off by July Fourth - recycling the same complaints with the passion of a man who just discovered his HOA fees went up. He's promising to bankroll a new 'America Party,' a politically ambiguous catch-all that sounds like it was named by Grok. The goal? Flood the ballot with fiscally conservative candidates and kneecap any Republican who dares vote for Trump's signature budget bonanza. In any other universe, this would be a bold, heroic stand by a billionaire against a president who was just a few episodes ago his boss and BFF. But in our particular corner of the multiverse — where Twitter is now X, and Mar-a-Lago and Bedminster are the twin nerve centers of American life — it feels more like a subplot from 'Succession' if Logan Roy were played by a Bayonne, New Jersey, dinner theater mainstay and Kendall had a flamethrower and a fleet of satellites. But that doesn't mean the feels aren't real. Sources close to Trump describe the president as dismayed that the man he grew so close to during the campaign and in the White House has turned so publicly against him once more. But White House advisers staunchly believe that their boss prevailed in the early battles with Musk and that Trump will win again now, with the passage of the reconciliation bill and based on their sneering confidence that Musk can no more successfully start a third party or beat Trump's candidates in Republican primaries than he could turn a Tesla into a turkey. As for Elon? Even two of his close associates share Team Trump's skepticism about his follow through on the whole third party thing. And they don't quite get the rationale for Musk's taunting a president in a manner that is more likely to further depress the value and stock price of his own companies than to derail Trump's pet legislation. But Musk is not exactly panicking. He's playing a virtual war game on X, where every tweet is a bullet and every meme a missile. Trump, by contrast, is fighting in meat space — at rallies, in committees, through backroom threats and backhanded coercion. Musk's strategy feels more like Call of Duty; Trump's feels like Mafia Wars. Indeed, Trump is doing what Trump does best: going full scorched earth. In public appearances and via all-caps Truth Social screeds, he's casually suggesting that maybe, just maybe, Musk's citizenship isn't quite as nailed down as we think. Elon came here with a dream… and with a lot of taxpayer subsidies, Trump winked, in the tone of a man preparing to turn Elon into AOC as a target of derision. The same guy who used to praise Elon's genius for putting rockets on Mars is now sounding like a progressive activist ranting about corporate welfare. 'DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon,' Trump said at one point in the back and forth on Tuesday, referring to the program meant to reign in government spending that Musk himself, until recently, headed. Musk went on his own X platform and wrote in reply, 'I am literally saying CUT IT ALL. Now,' daring Trump to whack his subsidies. The billionaire later added that he could ratchet up the conflict with Trump but said, 'I will refrain for now.' So, Donald Trump, the man who wants to cut taxes for the wealthy, is now threatening to deport Elon Musk because SpaceX accepted a government contract . Somewhere, Elizabeth Warren just dropped her kombucha in delight. And yes, she likely is in some manner cheering Musk on, at least for now. So are Freedom Caucus Congressman Chip Roy and a handful of House conservatives who agree the reconciliation bill is a Frankenstein's monster of spending. But, really, they're nodding, bobble head style, at Musk's rhetoric, even as they prepare to quietly vote for the bill anyway. Principles are nice but staying on Trump's good side and reelection are nicer. But let's be clear: this isn't just two billionaires screaming at each other across social media platforms like college freshmen beefing over a group project. These are two of the most influential people in America waging a war over the future of the Republican Party — one wielding memes and money, the other raw political control and a slavishly loyal base. What's fascinating — okay, darkly hilarious — is that both men have real arguments. This isn't petty. It's not about who has the better Gulfstream or whose social platform has better reach. Trump's legislative package is a fiscal Rube Goldberg machine, and Musk's warning that it will balloon the debt is, on paper, more than arguably true. Trump, in turn, is right that threatening a sitting president with an Astro-funded hostile takeover of his own party isn't exactly either etiquette or a winning formula. So will anything actually happen? Probably not. Starting a political party isn't just creating a logo and hiring Joe Rogan's cousin as communications director. It's ballot access, it's legal hurdles, it's logistics that make even Tesla's factory problems look like a childhood lemonade stand. And Trump? For all his barking, he's not exactly shaking in his gold-plated boots. His grip on the Republican Party remains tighter than the Spanx on the older attendees at CPAC. If Musk thinks he can spend his way into that kind of control, he's underestimating just how sticky the MAGA brand really is. GOP primary voters aren't exactly foaming at the mouth for a party led by the guy who tried to make Cybertruck happen.
The Independent
36 minutes ago
- The Independent
First immigration detainees arrive at Florida center in the Everglades
The first group of immigrants has arrived at a new detention center deep in the Florida Everglades that officials have dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' a spokesperson for Republican state Attorney General James Uthmeier told The Associated Press. ' People are there,' Press Secretary Jae Williams said, though he didn't immediately provide further details on the number of detainees or when they arrived. 'Next stop: back to where they came from,' Uthmeier said on the X social media platform Wednesday. He's been credited as the architect behind the Everglades proposal. Requests for additional information from the office of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which is building the site, had not been returned early Thursday afternoon. The facility, at an airport used for training, will have an initial capacity of about 3,000 detainees, DeSantis said. The center was built in eight days and features more than 200 security cameras, 28,000-plus feet (8,500 meters) of barbed wire and 400 security personnel. Immigrants who are arrested by Florida law enforcement officers under the federal government's 287(g) program will be taken to the facility, according to a Trump administration official. The program is led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and allows police officers to interrogate immigrants in their custody and detain them for potential deportation. The facility is expected to be expanded in 500 bed increments until it has an estimated 5,000 beds by early July. Environmental groups and Native American tribes have protested against the center, contending it is a threat to the fragile Everglades system, would be cruel to detainees because of heat and mosquitoes, and is on land the tribes consider sacred. It's also located at a place prone to frequent heavy rains, which caused some flooding in the tents Tuesday during a visit by President Donald Trump to mark its opening. State officials say the complex can withstand a Category 2 hurricane, which packs winds of between 96 and 110 mph (154 and 177 kph), and that contractors worked overnight to shore up areas where flooding occurred. DeSantis and other state officials say locating the facility in the rugged and remote Florida Everglades is meant as a deterrent — and naming it after the notorious federal prison of Alcatraz, an island fortress known for its brutal conditions, is meant to send a message. It's another sign of how the Trump administration and its allies are relying on scare tactics to try to persuade people in the country illegally to leave voluntarily. State and federal officials have touted the plans on social media and conservative airwaves, sharing a meme of a compound ringed with barbed wire and 'guarded' by alligators wearing hats labeled 'ICE' for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Republican Party of Florida has taken to fundraising off the detention center, selling branded T-shirts and beer koozies emblazoned with the facility's name. _____
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Trendy 00s lead singer forced to make shock u-turn after banning Trump supporters from his shows
The lead singer of rock band The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus permanently banned Christian Donald Trump supporters from coming to his shows... but seems to have backtracked just days later. Ronnie Winter, 42, has been vocal about his stance on the president for years and last month pleaded with any fans who voted for Trump to not attend his gigs. In a video shared on his social media page on June 15, Ronnie declared: 'Hi, I'm Ronnie Winter. I sing for The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and I actually follow what Jesus says. 'If you're a Christian and you're watching this and you voted for Donald Trump, shame on you. You are not allowed to come to my shows. I don't want you there. 'Don't come to my shows. It's awesome that you love Face Down, but it's not for you. It's not your song.' He continued: 'If you voted for Donald Trump, do not come to my shows ever. Don't come to my shows because you're going to hear a lot of woke propaganda and you're gonna hear the actual words of Jesus, you're gonna hear a lot of acceptance from all areas of life and races, and you're gonna see a lot of harmony. 'That's not what you're about, 'kay, don't come. Refunds available. 'Forever don't come.' However, two days later, on June 17, a separate post appeared to U-turn on his initial position. 'God's invitation of love into its heavenly kingdom is open to everyone,' a caption read. 'Let's stop trying to manipulate the Heavenly father's invitation. For a second didn't it feel weird to not be invited to our events? Let it sink in guys. 'Obviously, everyone is invited to our events, but leave the dividing topics out.' In the weeks that have followed, Ronnie has revealed he has had to reschedule tour dates due to an onslaught of abuse and death threats from Trump supporters. Speaking out about the response in a TikTok posted on July 1, he said: 'The extreme left think I'm not woke enough, and the extreme right think I'm too woke, that's where we're at.' Fans of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus are seemingly split over Ronnie's comments, with some praising them for being outspoken. Others, however, criticized the singer for sharing his politics. Taking to the comments on TikTok, one argued: 'You're a musician. Keep politics to yourself. You said Trump supporters shouldn't listen to your music. Ok cool. I'll stop listening to your two hits.' 'It's unfortunate that you couldn't separate your personal life with your musical career,' another posted. 'I loved your music. It helped me get through some through times. So being told I'm not welcome to be a fan anymore because I voted for someone that I believed it is hateful and hurtful.' Others said: 'Even more support from this fan now!' On asked: 'Ronnie I just want to know, am I still welcome to see y'all in September? Yes I voted for Trump, yes there's things I don't agree with that he's done and things I do agree with. 'I'm not the type to show my political opinions or beliefs. But I'm just curious if I'm still allowed to attend. Btw, I grew up with Green Day and still listen to them daily.' Responding to the comment, Ronnie said: 'You can [say] sorry for making a mistake. Then you may come.' The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is a rock band formed in Middleburg, Florida, in 2003. Ronnie is a current member alongside Joey Westwood, Josh Burke, Randy Winter, John Espy, and Nadeem Salam. Their hits include Face Down and False Pretense, both released on their 2006 album Don't You Fake It.
