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After almost nine months at sea, the plight of sailors on the carrier has become more grim, with claims of multiple sailors attempting to go overboard and reports of broken toilets, moldy showers and inadequate food.

But asked on Friday whether family members were concerned about conditions on the ship, Trump replied, “No, they’re not.”

Then came the question of whether the deployment had gone on too long given the mental health risks.

“No, no, no. Not nearly long enough,” he said, before walking off to board Air Force One on a trip to New York.

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The dismissive response came as the Lincoln finds itself at the center of a growing political storm over the human cost of the Trump administration’s war with Iran.

About 200 relatives attended a town hall last week with Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao and other senior military officials, raising concerns about exhaustion, mental health, food and water shortages, plumbing problems, sanitation and disrupted mail.

A pair of military outlets—the Stars and Stripes and the Navy Times—report that several sailors have attempted to go overboard or have gone overboard on the Lincoln, with one sailor reportedly in the water for an hour before being rescued.

Loved ones shared texts with MeidasTouch claiming the ship can’t get any fresh food, and that even some once-frozen meat arrives rotten. A sailor’s family member also told MS NOW that their loved one has been eating “half a cup of rice and two tortillas” a day.

Family members have also described out-of-service toilets and laundry rooms that have been inaccessible for weeks.

The carrier has been at sea for eight-and-a-half months, much longer than the typical deployment of about six months.

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Tyler Boebert, 21, the eldest of the Colorado lawmaker’s four sons, is facing five felony counts in Garfield County District Court: sexual exploitation of a child, induce/entice, sexual exploitation of a child, possession with intent; sexual exploitation of a child, video; and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to Muckrakers Today.

Court records show that the alleged offenses began on January 1, 2024, when Tyler was 18.

The case was filed Aug. 6. Court records indicate that his bail was set at $10,000 Friday and that he was released that day.

No further details were released about the allegations.

Tyler, who became a father at 18 when his son was born in June 2023, has not addressed the charges.

His congresswoman mother said in a statement to the Daily Mail, “I love my son. We take these allegations very seriously and pray for everyone affected during this challenging time.”

Tyler has faced a string of legal troubles in recent years. In September 2022, he received a ticket for careless driving after allegedly flipping his dad’s SUV into a local creek bed, with the vehicle’s passenger suffering severe lacerations to their hand and multiple concussions, Westworld reported.

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With the president’s popularity tanking over soaring prices and the war in Iran, Trump has now lost one of his most effective defenders as he desperately tries to convince voters of his achievements.

Trump made the announcement on Truth Social on Wednesday, in a post that immediately reverberated across Washington.

“Our wonderful White House Press Secretary, and one of my most trusted aides, Karoline Leavitt, will be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect!” he wrote.

The president added that Leavitt would remain one of his “top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party, as we work to defy History, and conclusively win the Midterm Elections.”

But the loss of yet another woman from his inner sanctum - and one who has spent the past 18 months sparring with the White House press corp and going to war with Trump’s critics - is a major blow to Trump’s White House operation.

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Amid growing GOP fears that Democrats could regain control of Congress, paving the way for the president to be investigated and potentially impeached, Trump has hinted that he could invoke extraordinary powers to meddle in the process.

The threat came during a post-midnight interview on right-wing network Real America’s Voice, when host and conspiracy theorist Wayne Allyn Root told Trump he had the “right” to declare a national security emergency if the Senate can’t pass his signature election bill, the SAVE Act.

The Act, which remains stalled in the Senate, would impose new identification restrictions on voting and curb mail-in ballots, but critics view it as another attempt at voter suppression.

“If they never get the SAVE America Act done, you have the right to declare a national security emergency for elections,” Root told Trump, citing a 1983 Supreme Court ruling that he claimed would make it hard for such a move to be overturned without a two-thirds vote in Congress.

“If you do this in the next month, we will get photo ID, proof of citizenship, and a limit to mail-in ballots.”

Trump replied ominously.

“Let me just say, stranger things have happened,” the 80-year-old said. “I’ll leave it at that.”

The U.S. Constitution makes clear that states administer elections and any attempt to expand federal control would certainly be challenged in the courts.

Trump is not going to try to steal the midterms, he is already actively rigging elections with gerrymandering and voter intimidation. We have to stop him.

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Nearly two years ago, villagers in Zvërnec wrote a letter to Jared Kushner’s firm pleading with the president’s son-in-law not to develop a $1.4 billion resort on the allegedly stolen land. The villagers informed the firm that they were involved in decades-long court disputes over the property, which was allegedly stolen by Artur Shehu, a suspected gangster accused of forging Ottoman-era land records, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The site, the villagers alleged, is “owned by the village and its residents.”

Kushner’s development group nonetheless went on to complete a deal with Shehu, who shortly afterward was accused by Albanian prosecutors of money laundering, forging historical property deeds, and being part of an international drug ring.

The revelation comes as Kushner’s venture, Sazan Real Estate, has asserted that it had no knowledge of any land disputes, which have been routinely covered in local media.

“We did not see or hear of any dispute at all,” Asher Abehsera, Sazan Real Estate’s chairman, told the Journal.

In a statement, Abehsera stated that the resort would “celebrate Albania’s natural beauty, create jobs, and build something future generations can be proud of.”

“For four years, we have worked toward creating a world-class destination on the Albanian coast—one rooted in thoughtful design, environmental stewardship, and long-term economic opportunity,” he said.

This is of course a lie.

“Its future will ultimately be determined by Albania and the Albanian people.”

A spokesperson for Sazan said that “Partners believe the land acquisitions were conducted lawfully and in accordance with applicable procedures.”

Meanwhile, protests have erupted over the planned resort after bulldozers and barbed-wire fencing appeared on beaches in late May. In a widely circulated video, private security guards for the Kushner-backed group were captured punching a villager in the face and dragging him across the beach, turning the site into a political flashpoint.

“The only thing that I want now is that they give me back my land,” Kostaq Konomi, village leader of Zvernec, told the Journal.

The proposed development has also faced widespread opposition from environmental groups over concerns that it will damage the uninhabited island’s natural landscape. In December 2024, the Albanian Parliament fast-tracked the project by amending legislation that permits construction in environmentally sensitive areas.

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While there’s no evidence that Kushner influenced the legislative changes, Albanian opposition leader Sali Berisha has alleged that Prime Minister Edi Rama may have been “seeking to buy political influence” from Trump by approving the president’s son-in-law’s development plans.

“From start to finish there has been a total lack of transparency,” Aleksandër Trajçe, executive director of the country’s leading conservation group, the Protection and Preservation of the Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA), told The Guardian in June.

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The 80-year-old president was captured in Bedminster, New Jersey on Saturday, attending the LIV Golf New York tournament at his own Trump National course.

Not one to spend too much time on foot while golfing, Trump was photographed slouching in a golf cart, decked out in his bright white, heavily-branded presidential merch.

With his forearms exposed by a polo shirt, Trump revealed bruises of varying sizes, alongside what looked to be a couple of scrapes.

Trump also sported Band-Aids on a couple of fingers of his right hand, which he rested on his knee while squinting forward at the route ahead.

While Trump is known for suspicious bruising, usually it’s the president’s hands—not arm—which draw attention.

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Previously, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed a career of frequent hand-shaking for the bruising on his right hand, which is often slathered in a shiny layer of makeup.

“President Trump is a man of the people and he meets more Americans and shakes their hands on a daily basis than any other President in history,” Leavitt told the Daily Beast late last year.

That explanation fell flat, however, when the bruising spread to his left appendage.

Trump then blamed his large daily dose of aspirin for the blemishes, which thins his blood alongside “chronic venous insufficiency,” which he was diagnosed with last July.

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“After much prayer and reflection, I’ve decided to withdraw from my re-election campaign,” Mr. Edwards wrote on social media at 3:32 a.m. Wednesday. “I will complete my current term.”

The decision came after the House Ethics Committee had recommended on Monday that he be censured for “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.”

The ethics committee report detailed how Mr. Edwards would make “comments” about the women’s “appearance and dress,” shower them with “lavish and recurrent gifts,” invite them to “intimate dinners and vacations” and send notes about his “effusive affection.”

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The 33-year-old Fox News host torched Republicans’ silence over McConnell, who has been missing and unable to fulfill his Senate duties since he was hospitalized on June 14, while speaking with MAGA Rep. Tim Burchett on her podcast.

“How can some of these same people who talked about Joe Biden, Joe Biden, Joe Biden, Joe Biden, don’t say anything about the fact that we’ve got Mitch McConnell having to send proof of life photos with his wife?” Lahren said. “Tim... that should rub everybody the wrong way.”

She then admitted that she has found herself in rare agreement with Andy Beshear, Kentucky’s Democratic governor, who has repeatedly pressed both McConnell’s office and GOP leadership on the senator’s mysterious health crisis in scathing letters.

“I don’t like the fact that I’m like, ‘Oh, I kind of agree with Governor Andy Basher on this,’” Lahren said. “But I think it’s the authentic and transparent thing to do to say, ‘We’re not being served by somebody who literally cannot serve.’”

McConnell’s office has remained extremely tight-lipped about the senator’s health during his nearly seven-week absence beyond two statements and two “proof of life” photographs, which some critics believe are AI-generated. No video or live appearance has been provided, despite demands for greater transparency.

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Miller, who earned an endorsement from the president for his reelection bid for Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, is facing abuse allegations raised by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, the daughter of Republican Senator Bernie Moreno who recently called for his ex-son in law to resign.

Bernie Moreno wrote on Twitter Sunday that Miller “needs serious psychological help” and fails the “basic standards of character required to hold elected office.”

Trump said of Max Miller “I know Max. He’s a good person. I mean, I always thought he was a very good person, and I’m going to let the families figure that out (…) Those families, I know they’re working on it. It’s a very sad thing, especially when you know somebody so well, to be going through that. But it’s accusations, and I’m going to let them figure that out.”

MAGA continues to be the party of criminals with a pedo-protector as their President.

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For weeks, speculation has mounted that Monday, August 3, marked the deadline for Beshear to call a special election if McConnell were to vacate his seat.

With the seat still filled on Monday - and Beshear under pressure to act - the Democratic governor insisted on Twitter that date carries “no legal impact”. He also pointed out that McConnell’s absence could actually benefit Democrats.

“I know there are a lot of folks wondering about the significance of August 3 regarding a potential Senate vacancy. I want everyone to know that this date has no legal impact on my options should there be a vacancy this year,” Beshear wrote.

“Worth a reminder, right now, there’s one less vote for the SAVE Act, Trump’s war with Iran, or the potential replacement of a SCOTUS justice.”

McConnell was admitted to George Washington University Hospital on June 14 after a 911 call suggesting he’d had a heart attack, was unconscious, and had received CPR.

But McConnell’s office has offered little information during his nearly seven-week absence beyond two statements and “proof of life” photographs, which some critics believe are AI-generated.

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Moreno’s daughter Emily Miller has accused the congressman of horrific episodes of abuse against her and their young daughter. Moreno initially said “I don’t know,” when asked by a reporter if Miller was fit to stand for reelection. Sunday, however, Moreno went scorched-earth against Miller on social media.

“As a father and husband, I can tell you the last two years have been pure hell for my wife Bridget, our daughter Emily, me, and our entire family in the aftermath of Emily’s divorce,” Moreno wrote, continuing:

Moreno’s post came after Miller posted a “special announcement” livestream to his own Twitter account, where he blamed the “left-wing media” for skewing the truth.

Miller denied ever abusing his two-year-old child, and claimed that his ex-wife had “significant mental health challenges.”

In addition, Miller said, “I categorically deny abusing my former wife.”

Emily Moreno has accused Miller of having “scalded her chest and stomach by throwing hot water from a skillet at her body; held a gun to her head; pushed her against a wall and hit her head; and fractured their daughter’s collarbone and bruised her shoulder,” according to a New York Times report.

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Harp, 34, was all smiles at Maryland’s Hagerstown Regional Airport, about 20 miles from the typically discreet presidential retreat, which—according to Trump—hosted its first televised Cabinet meeting.

Harp, who has been described as being at 80-year-old Trump’s beck and call for social media posting and searching for positive stories about the president, was clutching two laptops and two phones. A travel bag was over her other shoulder.

After the Camp David meeting, Trump and Harp were in the air again. Later, she was spotted leaving Air Force One in New Jersey, this time holding a pair of laptops and four phones. Trump is spending the weekend at his Bedminster golf club, as the war in Iran, which he had said would last four to five weeks, heads into its sixth month.Harp, a former One America News Network host whom Trump named executive assistant on his first day back in the White House, is apparently crazy about him.

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“You are all that matters to me,” she once wrote in a letter to the president, New York Times White House correspondents Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan reported in Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump.

Trump, in turn, has boasted to staffers that Harp will “never leave” him.

Harp’s apparent infatuation with the president—which sparked security concerns within the Secret Service—was reportedly due in part to how Harp’s homeschooling parents taught her about “American exceptionalism,” her estranged brother, Preston, told the Daily Beast.

“She thinks that the whitewashing of history is actually a ‘correction,’ like Trump,” he said. “My sister and I were raised to believe in U.S. exceptionalism from childhood through high school, and that is exactly what Trump embodies.”

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Jeanine Pirro, in a motion late Friday, moved to dismiss the charges against David Hearn, 67, a former Olympic canoeist who competed in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Olympics. Heard pleaded not guilty to a single count of destruction of property.

In a devastating blow to the 80-year-old president’s claims that damages to the newly renovated pool were caused by “radical” vandals, Pirro cited the “flawed installation by the contractor” tasked with renovating the pool, as well as the Department of Interior’s “failure to fully and accurately provide information” to Pirro’s prosecutors.

In a statement, Hearn’s lawyers said Pirro never had a case.

“The Trump administration’s case against Davey Hearn should have never been brought,” said Norm Eisen of Democracy Defenders Fund, Mary Dohrmann of the Washington Litigation Group, and Steve Levin of Steptoe LLP. “Its dismissal today does not erase the abuse of government power in arresting and charging a patriotic American who did nothing wrong. The government’s approach was ready, fire, aim. The administration owes Mr. Hearn an apology.”

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Hearn previously told NBC that, while on a June 19 bike ride, he stopped at the pool and touched a piece of coating that was already detached.

Pirro’s office had argued that Hearn was seen “forcefully and violently pulling up and removing the bottom liner.”

But during grand jury proceedings, one of the government’s witnesses “could not quantify any loss” due to Hearn, and said that repairs were already necessary “before the defendant interacted with the pool.”

“Simply put, the government’s witness could not identify any additional cost caused by Mr. Hearn’s alleged conduct,” the filing from Hearn’s lawyers said. “Indeed, the witness did not even say or suggest that the alleged conduct had compromised the liner at all.”

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Trump said he could renominate Blanche after Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, the primary voices of opposition, have left the Senate in the new year. But that itself is a gamble, as the makeup of the Senate could shift in ways that would make Blanche’s confirmation even more difficult.

“I have no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd’s name, if they do not do the right thing, and putting him back after Cornyn and Tillis are out of office,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump’s announcement puts Blanche’s nomination in even further peril, escalating a battle between the administration and GOP lawmakers over a controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and an agreement that shields Trump and his family from government action over tax issues.

Already, Cornyn and Tillis had signaled they were unwilling to support Blanche’s nomination if the administration would not take action to unwind the fund and modify the settlement agreement, and the nomination cannot move forward without their support. And responding to Trump’s announcement, Cornyn suggested Thursday they were not alone.

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“POTUS is mistaken if he believes concerns about the provisions in his tax lawsuit settlement are limited to me and Senator Tillis,” he wrote.

Earlier on Thursday, Cornyn had accused the White House of standing in the way of a deal to help Blanche win confirmation. The nomination hit another, major setback Wednesday evening when the Senate Judiciary Committee was forced to postpone a vote to advance it amid resistance from Cornyn and Tillis.

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Mitch McConnell has released yet another “proof of life” photo that does not really show that he’s alive; it also doesn’t set a hard date for when he’ll come back to Congress.

It comes as Republicans are twisting and contorting Trump’s top election priority into something that could pass the Senate. Though McConnell has voted against the bill before, he would be a key player in crafting what it would look like in the upper chamber.

“That could be an issue,” said Senator Ron Johnson “I think there are a lot of issues.”

That’s because McConnell is chair of the Senate Rules Committee, which will likely be responsible for drafting the version of the SAVE America Act that could pass muster in budget reconciliation, the process that Trump is pushing the GOP to use to pass the bill.

Senate Republican leadership is also privately urging rank-and-file lawmakers and their staffers to throw cold water on the prospect of passing President Donald Trump’s voting restrictions bill anytime soon, according to an internal strategy memo obtained by USA TODAY.

Another loss for Donald Trump.

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In a massive shift from his previous alliance with President Donald Trump, the 52-year-old Jones has made an impassioned plea for Congress to remove the president from office via the 25th Amendment.

“The big issue is how to stop Trump,” Jones said in a livestream on Twitter. “We have to have Congress go for the War Powers [Resolution]. They have three times tried to vote War Powers—they’re supposed to authorize a war. This is a war; they’re getting the draft ready. If this isn’t a war, nothing’s a war.”

He continued, irked by Trump’s prolonged war with Iran, “This is absolutely out of control, and so I’m calling for it right now—25th Amendment, impeachment, whatever needs to happen to get this front and center to get control of our country,” he added.

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Jones also spurned Trump’s support of the trillion-dollar National Defense Authorization Act, which includes a major joint tech integration of the U.S. and Israeli militaries. He said that measure is “impeachable alone,” given the president’s support of such a measure.

“If you think it’s crazy now, imagine what’s coming with this: they want us in a total war so they can censor and take our freedoms and nationalize everything, and push us aside with AI,” Jones said on his podcast. “This is a disaster. We are facing tyranny that the public’s awakening. We’ve gotta come together and transcend left and right, and we have to say no to an expanded war that will definitely destroy the economy, kill a bunch of our troops.”

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The president was partway into a speech filled with his usual tirades on everything from transgender athletes to the Iran war when a man in the crowd started yelling.

“Pedophile protector! Pedophile protector!” he boomed from the other side of the venue.

The 80-year-old president, a former friend of child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, ignored the protester at first and continued to talk up his agenda, including the “historic tariffs” he had placed on foreign producers.

But as the heckles went on, Trump eventually returned fire, looking over at the man and declaring “He’s a communist! We’re running against communists,” while his fans in the crowd chanted “USA! USA!” in unison.

A second group of protesters also unfurled a banner that read “Stop Data Centers” before being removed by security personnel.

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