Trump administration insists Iran strikes worked amid media skepticism
Guests:
Saul Montes – Political analyst
Gabriel Noronha – Executive Director of POLARIS National Security and former Special Advisor at the US State Department for Iran
Trent Murray – Correspondent
Patrick Fok – Correspondent
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Texas gop lawmakers lead summer sprint to redraw us house maps and address deadly floods
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Democrats appeared Monday for a special session but left open the possibility of walking out as a means to derail an unusual summer redrawing of US House maps that would help protect Republicans' slim majority in the 2026 elections. President Donald Trump wants Republicans in the coming weeks to engineer as many as five more winnable congressional districts in Texas–a high-risk, high-reward redraw that would put them on better footing before the midterm elections, when the party of the incumbent president often loses House seats. At the Texas Capitol, Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows gaveled in a 30-day session and appointed a committee to oversee what is already escalating into a contentious battle over the state's voting maps. Democrats promised to fight the redraw, but they are heavily outnumbered in the Texas Legislature, leaving them with few paths of resistance. 'Democrats are going to keep all options open and will do whatever is necessary to protect our communities,' said Democratic state Rep. Gene Wu of Houston, the House Democratic leader. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott added redistricting to a lengthy agenda he gave to lawmakers in ordering them back to the Texas Capitol. That list includes addressing Texas' catastrophic floods that killed at least 135 people and has put Kerr County officials under scrutiny over why residents were not given more warning. Abbott, a three-term governor, cited constitutional concerns brought by the Justice Department for redrawing the maps, which is typically done once every 10 years. The letter claims four districts in the Houston and Dallas metro areas–key Democratic strongholds–were racially gerrymandered the last time the maps were drawn in 2021. During a debate to begin the redistricting process, Republican Sen. Phil King, who is chair of the committee, fielded queries from Democrats who questioned the purpose of creating new maps. 'The intent that we are here about today is to respond to the governor's call that we take up congressional redistricting in this special session,' he said. 'I have the highest level of confidence that we're not going to pass a bill out of the committee or off this floor that violates the Voting Rights Act.' Democratic party leaders on Monday identified filibusters or walking out–which would deny Republicans enough members for a quorum–as some of their limited options to block redistricting efforts, which they said will disenfranchise Democratic voters. Texas Democrats in 2021 gridlocked the state Capitol for 38 days by refusing to come to work in protest of proposed voting restrictions. When they returned, the measure passed. Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton has threatened to arrest those who attempt to walk out on top of the 500 a day fines lawmakers face for breaking a quorum. Andrew Mahaleris, an Abbott spokesperson, did not comment on redistricting in a statement Monday. 'While partisan activists focus solely on political issues, Governor Abbott is dedicated to delivering results on issues important to Texans, such as flood relief, property tax cuts, and the elimination of the STAAR test,' he said, referring to a standardized exam for Texas students. There are some concerns that rigging the map too much, known as gerrymandering, could backfire on Republicans. If too many Democratic voters are sifted into Republican districts, it could make them more competitive than they otherwise would be. The state is also tangled in litigation with civil rights groups who allege the maps were racially gerrymandered in 2021. Texas currently holds 38 seats in the House, of which 25 are held by Republicans and 12 by Democrats, while one seat remains vacant from the late Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner and will be filled in a special election later this year. Ohio Republicans are also considering redrawing their House maps, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom floated the idea of his state doing the same, although that authority rests with an independent commission rather than the legislature in the Democratic-controlled state.
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
New Trump human resources czar distances himself from Elon Musk
WASHINGTON: The new chief of the agency spearheading efforts to slash the federal workforce said on Monday he had no personal ties to tech billionaire and former Trump adviser Elon Musk, pledging to faithfully execute President Donald Trump's agenda. 'I have zero personal relationship with Elon Musk. I have talked to Elon Musk once on the phone in my life,' Scott Kupor, who was sworn in to lead the Office of Personnel Management earlier this month, told reporters. The comments underscored lingering questions about the loyalties of Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs among Trump administration officials following a public spat between Trump and Musk that led to a deep rift between the two former allies. Kupor said he had told Trump and other people in the White House that 'my job is to do the agenda that the president lays out to the best I can.' 'But I'm not going to do it consistent with someone else's objectives that are inconsistent with what the president wants to do,' he added. Musk, who spent over a quarter of a billion dollars to help Trump win November's presidential election, led the Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to slash the budget and cut the federal workforce until his departure in late May to refocus on his tech empire, including electric vehicle maker Tesla . While Trump hailed Musk's tenure upon his departure, the president quickly pulled the nomination of Musk ally and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Reuters previously reported that Musk was disappointed by Isaacman's removal. The president also threatened to cancel billions of dollars worth of contracts between the federal government and Musk's companies after Musk denounced Trump's tax-cut and spending bill as a 'disgusting abomination.' Prior to taking the helm at OPM, Kupor was a partner at Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, which invests in Musk's AI startup Xai as well as SpaceX.
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
White House restricts WSJ access to Trump over Epstein story
WASHINGTON: The White House on Monday barred The Wall Street Journal from traveling with US President Donald Trump during his upcoming visit to Scotland, after the newspaper reported that he wrote a bawdy birthday message to his former friend, alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The move comes after Trump on Friday sued the WSJ and its media magnate owner Rupert Murdoch for at least $10 billion over the allegation in the article, which Trump denies. The Trump administration's handling of the Epstein case has threatened to split the Republican's far-right Make America Great Again (MAGA) base, with some of his supporters calling for a full release of the so-called 'Epstein Files.' The punishment of the Wall Street Journal marks at least the second time the Trump administration has moved to exclude a major news outlet from the press pool over its reporting, having barred Associated Press journalists from multiple key events since February. 'As the appeals court confirmed, The Wall Street Journal or any other news outlet are not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in his private workspaces,' said Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. 'Due to The Wall Street Journal's fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the thirteen outlets on board (Air Force One).' Trump departs this weekend for Scotland, where he owns two golf resorts and will meet with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Earlier this month, the US Department of Justice, under Trump-appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi, said there was no evidence suggesting disgraced financier Epstein had kept a 'client list' or was blackmailing powerful figures before his death in 2019. In its story on Thursday, the WSJ reported that Trump had written a suggestive birthday letter to Epstein in 2003, illustrated with a naked woman and alluding to a shared 'secret.' Epstein, a longtime friend of Trump and multiple other high-profile men, was found hanging dead in a New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges that he sexually exploited dozens of underage girls at his homes in New York and Florida. The case sparked conspiracy theories, especially among Trump's far-right voters, about an alleged international cabal of wealthy pedophiles. Epstein's death — declared a suicide — before he could face trial supercharged that narrative. Since returning to power in January, Trump has moved to increase control over the press covering the White House. In February, the Oval Office stripped the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) of its nearly century-old authority to oversee which outlets have access to certain restricted presidential events, with Trump saying that he was now 'calling the shots' on media access. In a statement, the WHCA president urged the White House to 'restore' the Journal to the pool. 'This attempt by the White House to punish a media outlet whose coverage it does not like is deeply troubling, and it defies the First Amendment,' said WHCA President Weijia Jiang. 'Government retaliation against news outlets based on the content of their reporting should concern all who value free speech and an independent media.'
