**The Trump administration is reportedly hoping to deport a sitting Democratic congresswoman, **in a stunning display of performative cruelty before the midterms.
The polls have been crystal clear: Americans are fed up with President Donald Trump’s war with Iran, his era of pricey gasoline, his
flagrant self-enrichment. They’re telling every pollster who will listen that theywant major changeafter the November midterms. Trump’s approval rating has plunged to historic lows across various polls, including onecommissioned by Fox News.
But in response to this call for change, Trump’s doubling down on more of the same. His team is charging forward with some of its most controversial policies yet, including an all-out blitz to find a basis to deport one of Trump’s least favorite congresswomen, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN). The unprecedented move suggests Trump is desperately tossing political red meat to his most depraved supporters, in a last-ditch effort to convince them to turn out and vote for Republicans in the midterms.
The investigation into Omar, a progressive firebrand, kicked into high gear on Monday when federal agents
raided her homein the nation’s capital, removing cardboard boxes. Authoritiesseized her phoneand passport. They issued more than a dozen subpoenas, including to her relatives. The probereportedly focuses onallegations that Omar or her late father lied on decades-old paperwork to secure citizenship.
The Trump administration’s end goal? Build a case to strip Omar, a Somali refugee, of her citizenship — and send her on a plane out of the United States,
according to the. Omar just happens to be the first African refugee elected to Congress, and one of the first Muslim women.Wall Street Journal
“Trump’s push to strip her of her citizenship and deport her has no basis in the law and has no precedent,” Jacklyn Rogers, a spokesperson for Omar, told
What A Day. “This isn’t a legitimate law enforcement action — it is an authoritarian move to silence an opponent right before an election where he and his party will be rejected by Americans in historic proportions.”
Trump has claimed that he isn’t involved with the investigation. “I think she’s a terrible person, but that’s really up to the DOJ,” Trump told reporters after the raid. “I have nothing to do with it.”
**Just in case the racist messaging isn’t heavy-handed enough, get this: **The Trump administration might spend money to encourage white South Africans to move to the U.S.
The State Department barred the vast majority of refugees from entering the United States last year —
except for white South Africansknown as Afrikaners, who are descendants of European colonists. Broligarch Elon Musk (who hails from South Africa) and Trump havepushed the bogus claimof “white genocide” in that country, arguing its supposed victims should move to America.
Trump’s team wants to know why its offer hasn’t received a stronger reception. The State Department is considering spending $335,000 on a research and ad campaign in South Africa, aimed at understanding the situation and encouraging more Afrikaners to move stateside,
according to. Trump officialsThe Guardianalso toldCongress that it intends to prioritize wants Afrikaners for refugee admissions this fiscal year.
The administration’s deep concern for white refugees — and malevolent disdain for Omar and millions of other migrants — underscores the blatant racism fueling many of Trump’s actions ahead of the midterms. Trump remains focused on attacking his foes rather than, y’know, lowering gas prices or ending the war he started in Iran.
Even former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who built her political career bashing Omar and her progressive allies, came to the congresswoman’s defense.
“Me and Ilhan Omar are far apart policy wise,” Greene
𝕏tweetedlast night. “But can someone tell me how pretending to get ready to deport Ilhan Omar is going to bring gas down under $2, make health insurance freaking affordable, make a family’s weekly grocery bill make sense, and stop sending our beloved military off to fight for another fucking foreign war???”
MTG added: “People are so sick and tired of the bullshit.”
** Pentagon officials plan to keep** an internal report about the U.S. strike on an Iranian school, which killed at least 123 children, private until after the midterms, Bloomberg reports. “We should acknowledge our mistakes and fix it to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Mark Esper, who served as Trump defense secretary during his first term, told the outlet.
** Who forked over cash to build Donald Trump’s ballroom?** The
Ukraine resumed strikes on Russia today, after the country accused the U.S. of cutting off intelligence-sharing and access to Starlink satellite services. This is a critical moment in the war: Ukraine is losing faith that the Trump administration has its best interests in mind, after Trump struck a deal with Moscow to supply diesel around the world. Trump’s team is now considering easing sanctions on some shadow tankers that transport oil from Russia and other countries.
** The Pentagon won’t livestream the firing squad execution **of the Fort Hood shooter, Trump announced today. Maybe he saw the
** White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia never passed** the bar exam, even though she claims to be a lawyer. After failing the test in California, she moved to China with her husband to work at a Chinese law firm. To make matters even more confusing, Zacharia told a
** A crypto company called Tether steered millions of dollars** to a business co-owned by Bo Hines, Trump’s 29-year-old crypto adviser, while he crafted landmark legislation that regulates the currency, the
** Sunscreens containing bemotrizinol,** a skin-protecting chemical that’s popular in other countries, are hitting the U.S. shelves, months after the FDA approved the chemical’s use.
** A Massachusetts ice cream shop raised more** than $5,000 in tips for its young employees after a customer screamed at a 16-year-old cashier, all because the customer’s $9 ice cream special rang up to $9.20. The shop owner set up a GoFundMe, which commenters requested following his viral defense of his employees: “I swear to God. STOP YELLING AT MY FUCKING EMPLOYEES,” the owner
** A Rhode Island farmer smashed the record** for growing the world’s largest pumpkin, with his massive squash weighing in at 3,156 pounds. The previous record was 2,856 pounds. Now, the pumpkin gets to bask in the fame. “These pumpkins live a celebrity lifestyle,” the farmer said. “They are put on parade, and they’re the emcee basically at events.”
** On that note, a truly ginormous inflatable pumpkin** broke loose and chased drivers off the road in North Carolina this week. Luckily, it didn’t weigh 3,156 pounds.
** A Jack Russell terrier named Luna was reunited** with her family after she ran away from her family during a vacation to Yellowstone National Park. Luna had been missing for over a month, eluding capture even after being spotted using automatic doors to enter park buildings. She was eventually caught using a trap, which contained scraps from a shirt and pillowcase owned by her family.
** The Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C.** recently welcomed an adorable red panda cub, and zookeepers want help naming her. The options are Dolly (inspired by Parton), Pyra, (meaning heat in Greek) and Dolpa (a red panda-rich region in Nepal).
