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Trump Attacks The Pope Over His Critiques
President Donald Trump posted a lengthy Truth Social post attacking Pope Leo XIV on Sunday after the religious leader previously condemned a threat he made against Iran.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote in a meandering rant that took aim at the Pope for his willingness to critique the president’s positions.
“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela,” Trump said. “I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do.”
Last week, Leo decried Trump's threat to destroy a “whole civilization” in Iran.
“Today, as we all know, there has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran. And this is truly unacceptable,” Leo told reporters last Tuesday evening.
He’s also called for Trump to look for an off-ramp to the U.S. war on Iran and criticized war more broadly.
“Enough of the idolatry of self and money!” Leo said in remarks on Saturday. “Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!”
Trump repeated aspects of his post when reporters asked why he went after Leo during a gaggle on Sunday.
"I don’t think he’s doing a very good job," Trump said. "He's a very liberal person...I'm not a fan of Pope Leo."
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Multiple Lawmakers Say They Would Vote To Expel Swalwell And Gonzales From Congress
In press statements on Sunday, multiple House lawmakers said they’d vote to expel both Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Tony Gonzales (R-Tex.) from Congress in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations that the two men have faced.
“I would,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said when asked if she’d support Swalwell’s expulsion during an appearance on NBC News’s “Meet the Press.” Jayapal said that she’d back the same action for Gonzales and stressed that Congress needed to send a message with its response to the allegations.
“This is also important for staffers across the Capitol to see that their bosses don't get to do this to them,” Jayapal said.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fl.) similarly said he’d back expulsion for both lawmakers during an interview on “Meet the Press.”
“That vote comes to the floor, I will be voting yes on both measures,” he said. “As far as I'm concerned, both gentlemen need to go home.”
Multiple women have accused Swalwell of sexual assault and misconduct, allegations he’s denied. A second former staffer has also accused Gonzales of sending her sexually explicit text messages after he reportedly had an affair with another former staffer who later died by suicide. Gonzales’s office did not provide comment to the San Antonio Express-News or NBC News, both of which reported on the second allegation.
Spokespeople for Swalwell and Gonzales did not immediately respond to a HuffPost request for comment.
There have been a growing number of calls for both Swalwell's and Gonzales’s resignations and expulsions.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fl.) said this weekend that she plans to file a motion to expel Swalwell and that she’ll try to pair it with one on Gonzales.
“Reps. Gonzales and Swalwell are not fit to serve. They must resign. If they do not, I will vote to expel them,” Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) also wrote in a statement shared to social media on Sunday.
GOP Lawmaker Stumbles To Defend Trump's Erratic Messaging On Iran
Rep. Mike Turner stumbled on air Sunday trying to defend President Donald Trump's dangerous, erratic and ever-changing messaging on the administration's strategy in Iran – with the lawmaker choosing to defer to the president instead of conducting congressional oversight.
The Ohio Republican, who sits on both the House Armed Services and Oversight Committees, told Margaret Brennan on CBS' "Face the Nation" that Trump has been clear about his goals in his war with Iran. But Brennan swiftly fact-checked the congressman, citing a laundry list of flip-flopping talking points the president has made on how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
"Can you see here why the public doesn't think that the president has a clear strategy?" the host told Turner, who then repeated the claim that Iran was "weeks away" from having a nuclear weapon.
"There has not been a single congressional hearing on this issue, no one's disagreeing it's an important one," Brennan said. "Since this war began you have been in session for 11 days, congressman. Do you think this is adequate oversight of this war?"
Turner said there have been classified briefings before closing the interview by telling Brennan to defer questions to the president.
Tim Kaine Says Trump Should Have Respected U.S. Allies If He Wanted Their Help In Iran
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said that President Donald Trump should not be surprised that NATO allies aren't joining him in demanding Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz, given that he has spent much of this term trash-talking them and imposing tariffs.
"He's really hurt NATO," the senator told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, mentioning Trump's hostility toward allied countries. "Then he starts a war without consulting with them that has a huge effect on NATO allies' economy, and then gets mad they won't join in."
Trump continues to blast NATO allies for not helping him in the war. While a U.S. president can't unilaterally pull out of the alliance, Kaine said he's concerned Trump may still try to weaken it by withdrawing American troops.
"You don't sucker punch somebody in a bar and then blame your buddies when they don't join the fight with you," the senator said. "If the president wanted the support of allies, he should have valued allies and respected them, rather than putting tariffs on their economies and trash-talking them."
'LOCKED AND LOADED': Trump Announces U.S. Navy Blockade Of Strait Of Hormuz, Threatens Iran After Failed Talks
ISLAMABAD (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday said the U.S. Navy would “immediately” begin a blockade to stop ships from entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, after U.S.-Iran peace talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement.
Trump sought to exert strategic control over the waterway responsible for the transportation of 20% of global oil supplies before the war, hoping to take away Iran’s key source of economic leverage in the fighting.
The president added that he has “instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran. No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas.”
Trump also said the U.S. was ready to “finish up” Iran at the “appropriate moment,” stressing that Tehran’s nuclear ambitions were at the core of the failure to end the war.
Face-to-face talks ended earlier Sunday after 21 hours, leaving a fragile two-week ceasefire in doubt.
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Swalwell Staffers Issue Statement Standing By Accusers, Call Allegations 'Abhorrent'
Staffers from Rep. Eric Swalwell's congressional office and campaign released an unsigned joint statement pledging support for the women who have come forward alleging assault and misconduct, multiple news outlets reported.
“We stand with our former colleague, and the other women who have come forward,” the statement said. “We believe you should stand with them, too. The behavior detailed in these reports is abhorrent, beneath the dignity of those serving in public office and betrays the trust of all Californians.”
The statement comes a day after bombshell reports from The San Francisco Chronicle and CNN with multiple women accusing the lawmaker of sexual assault and misconduct.
In a video message posted late Friday, Swalwell denied the allegations, calling them "false" and said that he had "made mistakes in judgment" in the past.
China Is Helping Iran Stock Up On Weapons: Report
China is getting ready to send weapons to Iran in the next few weeks, CNN reported Saturday, citing U.S. intelligence sources.
China was a mediator in the ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. that was reached Tuesday, according to the Washington Post. But now Iran may be using the two-week ceasefire to load up on weapons with the help of China.
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Manhattan DA's Office Is Investigating Rep. Eric Swalwell For Alleged Sexual Assault
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office is investigating Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) for sexual alleged assault, the office confirmed Saturday to HuffPost.
The investigation comes after CNN reported that one of his former staffers alleged that after a night of drinking with Swalwell in New York City, she woke up in his hotel bed to him having sex with her.
"We urge survivors and anyone with knowledge of these allegations to contact our Special Victims Division at 212-335-9373," the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said in a statement to HuffPost. "Our specially trained prosecutors, investigators, and counselors are well-equipped to help you in a trauma-informed, survivor-centered manner."
In a video shared on social media, Swalwell denied all sexual assault and misconduct allegations against him.