News From Around the Web
#1 McConnell’s Health Emergency Sparks Questions on Whether He Will Return to Senate - Alexander Bolton for The Hill, Mike Lee/Mila Joy, Kentucky Girl, Laura Loomer/Desirée Townsend, Clyp Keeper, and TMZ/Wajahat Ali on X
Emergency dispatch audio indicating that someone at Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) home in Washington, D.C., suffered “cardiac arrest” earlier this month has raised questions about when the former GOP leader will return to the Senate or whether he will return at all. McConnell’s office has provided few details about his health status, but reported a few days ago that he “appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital.” His office on Thursday also said the 84-year-old senator “continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”
#2 Schumer Joins Calls for Platner’s Withdrawal as Dem Support Collapses - Hans Nichols and Holly Otterbein for AXIOS/MSN, John Solomon, Sean/defunder, SaltyGoat, @GlobalRightWatch, Pascal Najadi (USSF), and wes Bledsoe on X
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Graham Platner to "immediately" end his campaign, throwing the Maine Senate race into chaos just four months before Election Day. Maine was the Democrats' best opportunity to flip a Senate seat. Now, it has become Schumer's worst nightmare. Schumer and his fellow New York Democrat, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, joined a growing list of state and national Democrats urging Platner to drop out. But only Platner can make that decision. "Graham Platner needs to immediately withdraw as the Democratic nominee for Senate and allow Maine Democrats the opportunity to choose a new candidate who can defeat Susan Collins," Schumer and Gillibrand said in a joint statement. "The DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot."
#3 Charlie Kirk’s Family Leaves Courtroom Before Testimony About Shooting Video and the Sound of the Fatal Shot - Jessica Schreifels for The Salt Lake Tribune, Fox News/reckless truth, Nick Adkison, ᴄʜʀɪsᴛᴏᴘʜᴇʀ ᴀʀɴᴇʟʟ, PatPeters,PhD. and Darby/The Artist known as Jess on X
The crack of the rifle shot that killed Charlie Kirk and the screams that followed were heard in a Provo courtroom Monday — but the judge barred those in the courtroom from seeing video of the shooting, saying Kirk and his family deserved “respect and dignity.” Instead, 4th District Court Judge Tony Graf watched the footage himself from multiple angles — including videos recorded by a spectator, by Turning Point USA, and by Utah Valley University security cameras — while audio was played in court.
#4 NATO Summit: President Erdogan Welcomes Trump in Turkey - Fox News, The Patriot Oasis™, Nick Sortor, The White House, Breaking 911, and Commentary Tom Homan on X
President Trump steps off Air Force One in Turkey, where he's greeted warmly by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ahead of this week's NATO summit. Alliance leaders are expected to discuss defense spending, Ukraine, and tensions over Iran during the two-day meeting.#5 French Court Allows Far-Right Leader Marine Le Pen to Run for President With Ankle Tag — a Condition She Rejects - Chantal Da Silva for NBC News, Susanne*Roellchen, Bernie, Alex Salvi, Politics Global, and Disclose.tv on X
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen will be able to run in France’s presidential election next year, though her involvement remained in doubt Tuesday after a Paris appeals court upheld her conviction for misusing European Union funds. The court shortened her ban on running for elected office, potentially reopening the path for her to run. However, it ruled she must wear an electronic ankle tag for a year, making a campaign both logistically and politically difficult. Le Pen herself appeared to rule out a run if she was forced to wear a tag. “If I’m allowed to be a candidate but am effectively prevented from campaigning freely, then you understand that wouldn’t be possible,” she said in an interview last week...#6 French President Emmanuel Macron Safe After Bomb Blasts Near His Hotel in Damascus - CBS News, Mario Nawfal, Walid Abu Haya, CNN, and Kevork Almassian on X
France's President Emmanuel Macron escaped what may have been an attempted assassination Tuesday during a visit to Syria's capital. The French presidential palace, the Elysee, said in a statement that Macron was safe and would continue his visit to Damascus after two bombs exploded outside the hotel where he spent the night. Macron had left the hotel when the explosions took place Tuesday, and he was in the Syrian presidential palace for a meeting with his counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa and their respective delegations, according to the French presidency...
#7 Judge Rules Alleged Jan. 6 Pipe Bomber Not Covered by Trump’s Blanket Pardons - Alexander Mallin for ABC News, Heather in KY, FOX 5 DC, super dics, NEWSRADIO 630 WLAP, KRCG 13, and Steve Friend on X
A federal judge ruled Monday that President Donald Trump's sweeping clemency grant for all of the individuals charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol does not apply to the man charged last year with planting pipe bombs outside of the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters. U.S District Judge Amir Ali rejected arguments from defense attorneys for alleged pipe bomber Brian Cole Jr. that he should be covered by President Trump's pardons on the basis that his actions were allegedly related to Congress' convening of the joint session the next day...
#8 China Test-Launches a Ballistic Missile in the South Pacific and Raises Regional Concerns - Associated Press/npr, The New York Times, CNN, Loong of the east,
OSINTdefender, and Sputnik on X
China's navy test-launched a long-range ballistic missile Monday from one of its nuclear-powered submarines in the South Pacific, a rare act that drew protests and concern from countries in the region and the United States. The missile carried a dummy warhead, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. China last conducted a missile test in the Pacific two years ago, firing an intercontinental ballistic missile with a dummy warhead, the first since 1980. The 2024 launch mirrored the testing the United States conducts for its own ballistic missile fleet, which experts viewed as an assertion of China's growing superpower status... #9 Trump Reveals New White House Helipad Project - Will Weissert and Konstantin Toropin for AP, MEAWW News, Ryan Fournier, Rapid Response 47, Mario Nawfal, and Acyn on X
President Donald Trump said Monday that he’s building a granite helipad on the White House lawn, insisting that the landing area is needed to accommodate new, more powerful presidential choppers. Confirmation of the project came as construction crews had already begun working on the helipad on the South Lawn, where the president had UFC build a temporary arena for a cage fight celebrating his 80th birthday. He said the project would be privately funded and estimated its cost at up to $6 million...
#10 The Puppy Mill Industrial Complex - Tracy Beanz and Michelle Edwards for The HighWire, Gigi Bowman, Cher78/ASPCA, amy brenna, and Emma Hitchcock on X
Nobody in their right mind would seriously defend the puppy mill operations that exist in the United States. Yet, like so many other seemingly well-intentioned causes captured by the nonprofit industrial complex (which, let’s not forget, often profits from a problem rather than solving it), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) deserves our attention. Indeed, it appears the group is running the same playbook as Big Pharma and others, despite professing its goal is to protect animals from puppy mills. We’ve seen the ads. A Sarah McLachlan song plays softly in the background while images of sad, shivering animals flood the screen and break our hearts, causing donations to pour in. Since 2008, the ASPCA has raised over $2 billion on the strength of those heart-wrenching ads. But most donors have no idea where that money actually goes—and what it is being used to build...And Now for Something Special 
God Bless this poor little dog...
