Trump Calls Off Iran Strikes At Last Minute – After Iran shot down a US drone operating near it’s airspace, retaliatory missile strike plans were drawn up on Thursday and approved by President Trump. But minutes before they were to take place, Trump told the military to stand down. In a series of tweets Friday morning, Trump said that the military was “cocked and loaded” to bomb three Iranian sites in retaliation, but he called off the operation after a general told him the strikes could cause up to 150 Iranian casualties, a heavy price to pay which Trump says is not a proportionate response to shooting down a drone. Iran claims the unmanned aircraft crossed into it’s airspace, while the US contends that it was over international waters when shot down. Earlier in the week, the Pentagon announced the deployment of 1,000 troops to the Persian Gulf to act as a deterrent to Iran, as tensions continue to simmer in the region.
Trump Launches Reelection Campaign – At a rally held in a packed arena in Orlando, Florida, President Trump launched his 2020 reelection campaign, promising to continue his fight to “Make America Great Again”, the motto of his 2016 campaign which will remain his slogan for the 2020 election. In his speech at the rally, Vice President Mike Pence warmed up the crowd by regaling them with the story of Trump’s political rise and his accomplishments as president. Trump then took the stage where he thanked his supporters for sticking with him as he fought to “drain the swamp” in Washington. In the day following the kickoff of his campaign, the Trump team brought in over $25 million in donations, a staggering number. The closest any Democrat opposing Trump brought in within the first 24 hours of their campaign was $6.8 million by Joe Biden, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.
Drama Among Democratic Candidates – Democratic presidential candidates Cory Booker and Kamala Harris slammed frontrunner Joe Biden over comments he made regarding working with segregationist Senators decades ago. Biden was boasting how he has the ability to “bring people together” when he reminisced over his collaboration with Senators James Eastland of Mississippi and Herman Talmadge of Georgia. Booker has been the most vocal over Biden’s comments, publicly demanding he apologize. Biden has refused to do so, saying he was referring to being able to work with people he disagrees with and that he doesn’t have a “racist bone in my body.”
OAC Says US Running Concentration Camps – In comments made during an Instagram live show on Monday evening, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the Trump administration was running “concentration camps” in reference to the detention facilities holding illegal immigrants while they await trial. After a massive outcry by Jewish organizations and Republicans, Ocasio-Cortez defended her comments, saying they should know the difference between a “death camp” and “concentration camp”. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as usual declined to condemn the remarks by AOC, probably out of fear of riling up the “progressive” wing of the Democratic party, of which Ocasio-Cortez is seen as a leader.
US Hacking Russian Power Grid? – A report in the New York Times claimed that the United States had planted bugs in Russia’s electric power grid as a warning and deterrent to Russia’s interference attempts into US elections. The report also claimed that President Trump was not fully briefed on the details of the matter due to concerns that he would leak them to Russian officials. Reacting to the report on Twitter, Trump vigorously denied the claims, saying “Do you believe that the Failing New York Times just did a story stating that the United States is substantially increasing Cyber Attacks on Russia. This is a virtual act of Treason by a once great paper so desperate for a story, any story, even if bad for our Country. ALSO, NOT TRUE! Anything goes with our Corrupt News Media today. They will do, or say, whatever it takes, with not even the slightest thought of consequence! These are true cowards and without doubt, THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE!” The Times released a statement standing by their report, and saying National Security Council officials were consulted before it’s release.
