News From Around the Web
#1 Fetterman Walks Back Support for MAGA Voter Suppression Law and Admits Key Claim ‘Just Not True' - Matthew Chapman for Raw Story, CBS News, Honeybunny, 𝔉𝒏 Karoline Leavitt/music man, Ruben Garcia, and Tois Lane on X
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) ruffled feathers in his own party last month when he became the only Democratic senator who appeared to back President Donald Trump's SAVE America Act, a bill that would impose draconian new restrictions on the right to vote. In an interview with CBS's Major Garrett, released on Wednesday, however, he appeared to walk back that approval. While the bill has "some truths" in it, Fetterman said, “I don't support [it], in its current state.”#2 Epstein’s Longtime Accountant Testifies on His Wealth and Business Ties - Stephen Groves for PBS News, Julian Assange, Stephen Barry, Camila A Chica Ortiz, Dr.Sam Youssef Ph.D.,M.Sc.,DPT., and Alicia B on X
House lawmakers were digging into Jeffrey Epstein's sprawling financial portfolio on Wednesday as a committee deposed his former accountant and tried to understand his connections to some of the world's wealthiest men. Richard Kahn, who worked closely with Epstein for years and now serves as an executor of his estate, appeared for the closed-door deposition on Capitol Hill. He told lawmakers that he had not personally seen evidence of Epstein's sexual abuse, but provided a fuller picture of how Epstein acquired his wealth. The wealthy financier made hundreds of millions of dollars over two decades, during which he struck up friendships with some of the world's most powerful men...
#3 Minnesota Human Services Officials Skip Fraud Hearing as Walz Promises Reform - Charles Creitz for Fox News, Cath, Jupiter Rising, chetbtester, Thomas Smith, Nick Shirley/Dustin Grage, HIS GLORY, and BeBest/Frieda Speech on X
Minnesota Department of Human Services (MNDHS) officials skipped a key hearing this week held by a state House fraud prevention panel, earning the ire of its chairwoman as Gov. Tim Walz separately promised reform. MNDHS was expected to face tough questions at the hearing, which featured a former judge and Catholic diocesan official appointed by Walz to investigate "program integrity" in the state. "I’m incredibly frustrated that they ghosted us," House Fraud Prevention Committee Chair Kristin Robbins said, as she has since sent a letter to the department demanding answers...
#4 First 6 Days of Iran War Cost $11.3 Billion, Pentagon Tells Congress - NBC News, Afghanistan News24, Julius Alagbe, The Truth International, Peter Crownfield, NewsWire, and Ja on X
Defense Department officials told senators in a closed-door briefing Tuesday that they estimate the first six days of the war in Iran cost more than $11.3 billion, according to three sources familiar with the briefing.Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told reporters Wednesday that he believes the amount is even higher, as the current figure does not include every aspect of the war. “I expect that the current total operating number is significantly above that,” Coons said. “If all you’re looking at is the replacement cost for the munitions used, it’s already well beyond $10 billion.” Reached for comment, a Pentagon spokesperson said: "We do not comment on closed-door discussions or matters. Regarding the cost of Operation Epic Fury, we won't know the cost until the mission is complete." The briefing was first reported by The New York Times...
#5 Pro-Iran Hackers Claim Cyberattack on Major US Medical Device Maker- Sean Lyngaas for CNN, 7News DC, Tony Cleal CISSP, SSCP, CISA, CISM, GCIH, Irish Channel, GAZI غازی, and CybSecWorld on X
A cyberattack claimed by pro-Iran hackers has caused a “global network disruption” to a major US medical device maker, according to a company statement. Michigan-based Stryker “is experiencing a global network disruption to our Microsoft environment as a result of a cyberattack,” the company said in a statement to CNN. “We have no indication of ransomware or malware and believe the incident is contained. Our teams are working rapidly to understand the impact of the attack on our systems. Stryker has business continuity measures in place to continue to support our customers and partners.” Stryker makes a range of hospital equipment, from defibrillators to ambulance cots. The company’s computers in Ireland were also hit by the cyberattack, according to local media reports. Stryker says it serves more than 150 million patients through its health equipment and services...
#6 SNAP Recipients Sue Over Limits on Sugary Drinks, Candy - NEWSMAX, KMB971, Audens, Dr. Mike, ABC15 Arizona, and The Dallas Express News on X
Food stamp recipients sued the Department of Agriculture on Wednesday to undo Trump administration efforts to prevent them from using benefits to buy products such as sugary drinks, energy drinks, and candy. In a complaint filed in the Washington, D.C. federal court, five plaintiffs said the restrictions "destabilize food access" for participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the 22 states where the department has approved "food restriction" waivers. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have endorsed the waivers as part of the "Make America Healthy Again" movement.
#7 In Massie’s Kentucky District, Trump Attacks GOP Congressman as ‘Disloyal to America' - Isabella Murray and Emily Chang for ABC, Karl K. Wuckert, Daily Wire (community note(s)/Don Hoffman, Maxi Global, Right Angle News/Weird Report, TruthSeeker, Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social/HardyOnTheBeach, and Mike Horan/Hodgetwins
President Donald Trump on Wednesday traveled to the home district of his longtime political target, Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, where he spoke on the economy and the Iran war but also spent much of his speech attacking Massie as "disloyal" while endorsing his GOP primary opponent. "We got to get rid of this loser. This guy is bad," Trump said in Hebron, Kentucky. "He's disloyal to the Republican Party. He's disloyal to the people of Kentucky. And most importantly, he is disloyal to the United States of America."
#8 Senate to Vote Again on Funding DHS as Tempers Flare Over Impasse - Kaia Hubbard for CBS News, Craig Caplan, Dan Sebastian/Teapot Dome was Amateur Hour!, Bucks County Courier Times, Senate Republicans/Sen. John Barrasso/PKK, and Newport Daily News on X
The Senate will vote again Thursday on a measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security as an impasse over how to reform immigration enforcement agencies has grown ugly, nearly a month into a partial shutdown. Since the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents in Minnesota in January, Democrats have blocked all funding for DHS, holding out for reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. Democrats and Republicans alike say they are nowhere near an agreement...
#9 Democrats Flip New Hampshire House Seat in Special Election - Julia Mueller for The Hill, Tony Heller, Drew C, Aaron Pepelis, Lesley Abravanel, and NH Public Radio on X
Democrats on Tuesday flipped a seat in the New Hampshire House, adding to the party’s string of special election wins as the midterm cycle kicks into high gear. Democrat Bobbi Boudman defeated Republican Dale Fincher for Carroll County House District 7, according to a projection from Decision Desk HQ, filling a vacancy after Republican Glenn Cordelli resigned late last year. Boudman challenged Cordelli unsuccessfully in 2024, losing to the Republican by roughly 14 points. The district sided with President Trump by 9 points in 2024, according to data from The Downballot. Republicans have a trifecta of control over New Hampshire’s state government, with majorities in both chambers of the legislature and Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) in the governor’s mansion...
#10 House GOP Leader Launches Senate Bid as Trump Taps Markwayne Mullin for DHS - Elizabeth Elkind and Alex Miller for Fox News, The Washington Times, aWare News, GOP Candidate Campaign Ads, NBC News, and ConservativeLibrarian on X
A member of House GOP leadership is jumping into the open race for a Senate seat likely being vacated by Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., after he was tapped to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). House GOP Policy Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, R-Okla., is officially launching his campaign for the Senate on Wednesday with support from at least four Republicans in the upper chamber. "The American dream is under threat by the radical left and RINO Republicans who oppose President Trump’s America First agenda and want to turn the United States into a third-world country," he says in his campaign debut video...
