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Donald Trump’s Justice Department — effectively perverted into an instrument that serves the president’s personal and political interests— seems to have its sights on Alaska’s Senate race.

Multiple outlets have reported that the DOJ is on what can best be described as a fishing expedition involving the campaign of Dan J. Sullivan, a GOP Senate candidate who has enraged Republicans because his name is similar to the incumbent he’s challenging, Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, R-Alaska.

Republicans have made baseless allegations about Dan J. Sullivan’s bid for office, including that he has received assistance from the campaign of Mary Peltola, the former House Democrat vying to oust the sitting GOP senator. Both campaigns have denied the claim.

Last week, the Alaska Supreme Court defied Republicans’ wishes when it authorized the challenger to appear on the primary ballot. Alaska’s primary, notably, involves a nonpartisan initial round in which all nominees are listed on the ballot and the top four finishers advance to the general election.

And now the Trump administration is looking to get involved, NBC News reported. Per the outlet:

Now, NBC News has learned, the FBI, the Alaska attorney general and the U.S. attorney’s office in Alaska are all investigating whether two or more people conspired to create the Sullivan challenger’s campaign with the intention to confuse voters, hurt the incumbent and boost votes for Peltola.

ABC News also reported that a DOJ investigation is underway, which has not been confirmed by MS NOW.

There’s no need to overcomplicate what’s happening here. Republicans are desperate to hold on to this seat in November’s midterms — elections Trump has mused about not even holding — in their bid to keep control of the Senate. Peltola is seen as a formidable challenger to the Republican incumbent, especially in an environment in which Americans broadly disapprove of Trump and the GOP agenda.

These machinations in Alaska add to the list of actions the president and his allies have taken across the country to put their thumbs on the scale in this year’s midterms — a pattern that has the Trump regime looking as desperate as it is antidemocratic.

The post Trump’s DOJ is reportedly investigating Alaska’s Senate race appeared first on MS NOW.

After 17 years with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, departing music and artistic director Gustavo Dudamel will play a final benefit concert for Venezuela at the Hollywood Bowl on Aug. 23.

Lena Dunham’s not shying away from that reportedly NSFW toast she gave at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding. She took to Instagram Sunday to seemingly acknowledge the commotion she made over the gay porn joke she may have made. The “Girls”…

A judge has ruled that President Trump’s clemency grant for those charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack does not apply to the man charged with planting pipe bombs in D.C.

Un gol sobre el final del partido sentenció el partido ante España en los Octavos de Final de la Copa del Mundo 2026. Estas son las imágenes emotivas del astro portugués.

The purpose of U.S. intelligence is to support our national security in defending our nation. No president or military commander can effectively fulfill their responsibility to the country without good intelligence. Intelligence provides truth to power, defines the threats, analyzes the information provided, and makes clear the consequences of action or inaction. That is the way intelligence is supposed to work.

Every day the president is presented a summary of the critical threats in the world. Intelligence briefers provide a summary of that intelligence, known as the President’s Daily Brief, to the president and his national security team and respond to questions regarding the credibility of the information. That, too, is the way intelligence should be presented to our nation’s leaders.

Intelligence is gathered by professional intelligence officers who are trained to develop sensitive information through the use of human and technological sources. Many of these human sources put their lives on the line every day to gather critical facts about what our adversaries are up to. That information is highly classified because if it were revealed to our enemies, the lives of our spies would be in jeopardy.

It was my experience as director of the CIA that those who serve in intelligence are not Democrats or Republicans; they are good Americans first and foremost. They have a tough job, and they do it because they are committed to protecting our nation.

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Sen. Thom Tillis blasts Pulte firings at DNI: ‘Hot steaming pile of DOGE s–t!’

June 23, 2026 / 08:21

When the president ignores how intelligence is provided and collected, and when he appoints people to sensitive intelligence jobs who have absolutely no experience in intelligence operations, he is gambling with the security of the United States. If the sole purpose of appointees is not intelligence but to fulfill political directives that are focused on personal or partisan goals, they will undermine the fundamental purpose of intelligence. Political hacks do not belong in the job of protecting the security of America.

And the fact is, when the president allows politics to control his decisions on national security, he is betraying his responsibility as commander-in-chief. He is weakening the nation and sending a message to our adversaries that he cares more about petty politics than national defense.

In other words, he is hurting himself. He needs good intelligence. The operation in Venezuela to capture Nicolás Maduro would not have happened were it not for outstanding intelligence. If highly qualified intelligence personnel are fired because of the political whims of the president, he and his administration will bear the consequences. 

Added to these concerns is the demand by the president that American intelligence officials turn over the names of all foreign espionage targets, including suspected spies and potential recruits, to create a master list that intelligence officials fear will be misused or compromise operations.

Again, valuable intelligence is gathered by spies who are often located in sensitive, high-level positions among our adversaries. Their purpose is to provide critical information on potential threats to U.S. security. 

There is no question that assembling our most important assets in one list could fatally compromise long-running intelligence investigations and operations. The identities of these spies are carefully protected secrets, walled off from other personnel even inside their own agencies.

Assembling such a list would make it easy for our adversaries to identify these sensitive sources and jeopardize not only their mission but also their lives. The first responsibility of a president is to protect those brave enough to put their lives on the line for their nation.

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Trump loyalist Bill Pulte takes over as Acting DNI, now has access to most secret U.S. intel

June 19, 2026 / 08:32

In the CIA building at Langley, there are two important sights that greet every visitor. On the wall to the left of the entrance is an inscription from the bible: “and the truth shall set you free.” On the wall to the right of the entrance is a growing group of stars that represent those intelligence officers — many of their names still classified — who gave their lives on behalf of their country. Intelligence is about speaking truth to power. That truth is gathered by brave and courageous intelligence officers who are willing to risk their lives for their country. The president needs to understand those missions cannot be sacrificed to politics. 

The U.S. has the strongest intelligence officers and agencies in the world. We are living with threats from Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and terrorism. It makes no sense to undermine those on the front lines of our defense, who swore an oath to preserve, protect and defend our Constitution. Our nation, not our politics, must come first.

The post Politics cannot be allowed to undermine U.S. intelligence appeared first on MS NOW.

Eni Popoola knows how to command the room. The Nigerian-American blogger is from one of the loudest cities in the world, New York. She graduated Harvard University with a government and sociology degree, commanded the classroom as a 7th grade teacher in Harlem, and is now a student at Columbia Law School. 

From being the authority of vocal pre-teens and attending prestigious universities, to being a trusted voice for beauty and lifestyle tips in her Eni Given Sunday blog, knowing how to speak is a skill she’s developed for years. “Being a teacher hands down is the most important experience I’ve had in terms of developing communication skills,” Popoola said during her communication clinic on ESSENCE Festival’s Beautycon stage. “Being a teacher is being a public speaker.”

Like most 13 year olds, her students were blatantly honest about the lessons that interested them. So, learning how to make topics interesting as a content creator was a skill she adapted from the classroom. “Asking people a question or making people feel seen or a part a conversation,” she says about pulling her audience in while speaking. 

While social media users (and kids) have short attention spans, her communication style was all about getting her point across regardless if the video is longer or not. However, as her audience grew to what is now almost 700,000 followers on TikTok, responding to discourse in the comments is a part of communication even on shorter videos. Meanwhile, she says some videos are just about seeing where her message lands. 

From going live to setting up her camera and forgetting its there, to expanding across platforms, “[TikTok] rewarded authenticity,” she said, as opposed to Instagram. Meanwhile, YouTube is “high effort and very high reward.” Whether it’s a 15 second video or an hour-long video, knowing how to engage her audience depending on who her audience is a part of finding your voice. 

This skill has landed her brand partnerships, but she only accepts the one’s aligned with her voice. But, unlike the products she’s using, some information isn’t meant for being online. “I don’t post what I don’t invite commentary on,” she said, like family and dating. “In choosing what stories I want to share, I also ask myself if I’m done experiencing it.” 

Enforcing strong boundaries and only sharing personal details when she’s ready, Popoola tells stories that are already complete. “I’m really big on purpose in everything I do,” she said. As for the purpose behind her communication? “I want to add to a space, I want to help uplift, and I want to be helpful above all else.”

Former “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd on Sunday accused President Trump of ruining the Fourth of July celebration of the country’s 250th birthday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Todd said on his podcast “The Chuck ToddCast” that the president took over the celebration originally to be held by America250, which was established…

Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner said Monday his campaign is considering “the best path forward” after Politico reported that a woman he previously dated had accused him of sexual assault, an allegation the candidate denies.

Jenny Racicot, 41, of Maine said that Platner — whom she said she had casually dated on and off from 2019 to 2021 — entered her home one night late in 2021, uninvited and deeply intoxicated, and forced her to have sex despite her telling him to stop, according to the news outlet.

Racicot also detailed the allegations in a lengthy interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, describing the accusations after they were first reported by Politico.

In a statement provided to Politico and subsequently obtained by MS NOW, Platner called the allegations “troubling, serious, and false.”

“Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue,” he said.

The scandal-plagued candidate repeated that statement in a video posted to X shortly after the Politico story published, in which he also said his campaign is “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward.”

Under Maine law, a candidate nominated for office has until the second Monday in July to withdraw for any reason, giving Platner a week to make a final decision.

Racicot previously spoke to the New York Times for a story published last month in which she described Platner’s behavior as “unsettling” and “reckless,” but did not detail the allegations that were reported by Politico on Monday.

Racicot gave details on her latest allegations to Politico in a series of three interviews over the past two weeks, the outlet reported. Politico also said it had reviewed a recent email exchange between Racicot and her therapist in which she discussed talking to the media about her relationship with Platner and what she described as the “sa/rape,” using an abbreviation for sexual assault. The outlet said it also had reviewed private Facebook messages Racicot had exchanged with an acquaintance in 2023 warning them not to get involved with Platner. According to Politico, in those messages Racicot described the now-candidate as “consensually careless,” saying he “doesn’t listen to you when drunk.”

The leadership of the Maine Democratic Party called on Platner to withdraw from the race following the Politico report, saying in a statement that they stand “with women and survivors, and that principle does not bend based on party affiliation.”

“This Senate race comes at a pivotal moment in the struggle against a government, supported by Senator Collins, that serves the interest of the wealthy and powerful at the expense of ordinary Maine people,” the officials said. “It is essential that we refocus this campaign on that struggle.”

That statement followed a call from former Democratic National Committee interim chair Donna Brazile for Platner to drop out. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., also said in public statements that they were rescinding their endorsements of him.

DNC Chair Ken Martin called the allegations against Platner “deeply disturbing” and urged him to end his campaign so Maine Democrats can choose a new nominee.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, whom Platner is seeking to unseat, described the new allegations as “appalling” in a statement to MS NOW.

“These allegations are appalling. Nevertheless, it is not up to me to choose the Democratic nominee for Senate,” Collins said.

Planned Parenthood Action Fund rescinded its endorsement over the “damning” and “disqualifying” accusations.

“Mainers deserve a candidate who has the moral integrity worthy of the office they are seeking,” PPAF said in a statement.

Platner, an oysterman and Iraq War veteran with no political experience before mounting his Senate campaign, won the Democratic primary last month after Maine Gov. Janet Mills dropped out of the race. His campaign has been beset by controversies and scandal for months, but his allies — and many Maine voters — have largely continued to publicly support him. Many of those allies, however, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from MS NOW Monday afternoon about whether they believe he should stay in the race following the latest Politico report.

Over the course of his campaign, Platner has admitted to sending sexually explicit text messages to women while he was married; apologized for writing derogatory comments on Reddit about women and victims of rape; denied an allegation he physically threatened a former girlfriend; and denied an allegation that he knew a former tattoo that he has since had covered up resembled a Nazi symbol.

Kevin Frey, Mychael Schnell and Ebony Davis contributed reporting.

The post Woman accuses Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner of sexual assault appeared first on MS NOW.

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España sorprendió con un tiro libre rápido en el tiempo agregado y armó una gran jugada colectiva. Ferran Torres filtró el pase final para Mikel Merino, quien quedó mano a mano y definió con calma para adelantar a La Roja ante Portugal.

Ahead of this evening’s World Cup match between the U.S. and Belgium, the drama about the eligibility of U.S. striker Folarin Balogun continues to swirl following his red card in the previous match.