The Aporia · Joe Sommerlad

2026-08-25 · The Independent

Trump lashes out at Ontario Premier Doug Ford calling him ‘less intelligent’ than late brother Rob

🔮 Taking to Truth Social Monday amid the latest twist in his on-again tariff war with Canada, the president wrote: “Lots of ‘bluster’ from Doug Ford, who is the Premier of the Canadian Province of Ontario, but who is better known as the less charismatic, intelligent, and overall unimpressive brother of the late, great, Rob Ford.” The late Rob Ford was an outspoken Toronto city councillor and then its mayor from 2010 to 2014, known for a forthright right-wing populist style that saw him routinely rail at the establishment “gravy train,” an attack echoed in Trump’s own rhetoric calling out the Washington “swamp.” Ford was also celebrated for calling his constituents personally to discuss their problems but later became notorious – and the butt of jokes on late-night TV internationally – for his erratic behavior, which turned out to stem from drink and drugs issues. assertive

2026-08-26 · The Independent

Trump’s special perk for Natalie Harp shocked staffers, author claims

🔮 After the emergence of the letters, in which she also told Trump she felt “unworthy” of serving him, MS NOW reported that Harp had gone more than a year without securing the routine security clearance West Wing staffers are usually expected to obtain, raising concerns about what classified material she might have seen. assertive

2026-08-27 · The Independent

Trump’s Department of Education accidentally compares his administration to Nazi Germany in social post

🔮 However, as any high school history student could have identified, Sir Winston was referring to Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime in making that statement, arguing that the appeasement strategy previously attempted by his predecessor, Sir Neville Chamberlain, had failed and that Britain had no choice but to fight on. assertive

2026-09-04 · The Independent

Melania set to skip Trump’s midterm convention in latest high-profile snub

🔮 Melania Trump will not attend President Donald Trump’s midterms convention in Dallas next week, a major snub as her husband attempts to drum up momentum ahead of November’s elections. assertive

2026-09-07 · The Independent

Republicans in battleground states are ditching Trump from their campaign websites: reports

🔮 At least 45 congressional Republicans – and first lady Melania Trump – have already made their excuses and will not be attending the event and it seems their wariness about being seen associating with such an unpopular commander-in-chief extends to campaigning. assertive

2026-09-09 · The Independent

Ex-priest arrested for allegedly stealing $740,000 from churches, groups - and his own mother

🔮 Perhaps most shockingly, he is accused of stealing “nearly $250,000 from his mother, who was of the age when she could not manage her own finances” and over whom he had power of attorney assertive

2026-09-10 · The Independent

How will Trump’s $5,000 ‘dividend’ work – and is it legal?

🔮 Taking the stage for the opening night of his unusual midterms convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, Trump promised voters: “If Republicans win both the House and the Senate, because of our tremendous economic success, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States for $5,000.” mixed

2026-09-10 · The Independent

Ted Cruz ridiculed for defending Trump 9/11 claims

🔮 The president delivered a speech on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., Tuesday in which he recounted an anecdote about witnessing the United States Steel Building in Manhattan “creaking” days after the infamous terror attack on the World Trade Center, the 25th anniversary of which will be observed Friday. assertive

2026-09-11 · The Independent

Trump sells Argentina Black Hawk helicopters after Falklands spat

🔮 Peter Lamelas, U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, announced the sale on X, writing: “Argentina will receive refurbished Black Hawk helicopters in staggered deliveries, starting with four units, to strengthen defense and respond to emergencies. “ assertive

2026-09-11 · The Independent

Less than half of Americans believe midterms will be counted fairly after Trump rants - poll

🔮 Fifty-five percent of respondents to YouGov’s latest survey answered “no” or “not sure” when asked if they believed the vote would be carried out without interference from bad actors. mixed

2026-09-14 · The Independent

Kennedy Center warns of financial collapse unless Trump’s name reinstated – reports

🔮 The New York Times and Washington Post both cite a 57-page draft resolution circulated to the venue’s board of trustees, which is chaired by Trump himself, ahead of a special meeting Tuesday, which warns it is facing bankruptcy and may soon be unable to pay staff or honor routine maintenance contracts. mixed

2026-09-14 · The Independent

Trump team has deported more than 170 migrants in violation of court orders: report

🔮 Ojeda has since been allowed to return to the Windy City and spoken of his struggle to readjust since his ordeal, fearing he will be sent back again. assertive

2026-09-14 · The Independent

Trump reveals striking detail in ‘first’ look at White House ballroom’s interior

🔮 One of the images suggested it would have imposing wooden doors like those at the Kremlin but, overall, the impression was much more Mar-a-Lago than Moscow, more Liberace than Lenin. assertive

2026-09-15 · The Independent

Trump’s latest Truth Social rants on AI inspire new calls for his removal under 25th Amendment

🔮 A further five posts about the AI “HOAX” followed, along with others blaming high gas prices on Russia’s war with Ukraine and Joe Biden, but not his war with Iran, which has seen the Strait of Hormuz blockaded and global oil shipping badly disrupted as a result. The president also used his platform to insist there was no U.S. missile shortage – contrary to the conclusions reached by a new report from the Department of Defense’s inspector general – insist his $5,000 “Trump Dividend” rewarding midterms voters for backing Republicans “will happen” and to hail his new White House helipad and last week’s GOP convention in Texas. assertive

2026-09-15 · The Independent

US defense chiefs warn of munitions shortfall over Iran war

🔮 The F-35A plane is the first of its type to be compromised by enemy fire, according to CNBC, and would cost $92 million to replace. mixed

2026-09-15 · The Independent

Trump is ‘compromised’ over AI, Jon Ossoff warns in latest attack on president’s plans

🔮 Trump has lashed at critics of artificial intelligence several times in recent days, rubbishing concerns about its potential for harm and arguing that any slowdown in its development would hand China a competitive edge. assertive

2026-09-16 · The Independent

Trump’s Truth Social MAGA crowd aren’t buying his spin on AI

🔮 Amid growing concerns about the technology’s potential being allowed to develop unchecked, Trump insisted on his platform: “AI, and Data Centers, will be the Greatest Economic Development Engine in History – Bigger than Oil, Gold, Diamonds, or even the Internet.” assertive

2026-09-17 · The Independent

JD Vance heaps praise on Emily in Paris: ‘The Shakespeare of our time’

🔮 “The fact that they keep on making atrocious decisions is kind of like the best bit of cultural commentary, I would say cultural criticism of my generation, the millennials. assertive

2026-09-17 · The Independent

Trump spotted looking at ‘Kennedy Center DEMOLITION’ booklet as his pouting over name change grows

🔮 In May, Washington, D.C., Cooper ruled that Congress had made it “crystal clear” the venue was only intended to memorialize Kennedy and “cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial” based on a “unilateral say-so.” assertive

2026-09-17 · The Independent

Pentagon demands only fittest and most ‘impeccably’ groomed troops attend Hegseth speech: report

🔮 The email states that the soldiers – who will be invited to participate in a workout with Hegseth – would be expected to pass the Army’s preferred waist-to-height ratio and fitness tests and have “impeccable grooming and uniform standards (no exception),” according to the Journal. assertive

2026-09-18 · The Independent

Trump threatens ‘dirty dogs’ who keep leaking: ‘You will pay a big price!’

🔮 As the conflict Trump claimed would be over in six weeks drags into its seventh month, insiders have repeatedly claimed the president was warned against taking action by his own advisors. “Keep on leaking you dirty dogs! assertive

2026-09-18 · The Independent

Holdout juror in Lindsay Clancy trial breaks silence: ‘I didn’t have any doubts’

🔮 With a unanimous verdict needed to secure a conviction, Michael P Desronvil held firm in his view she was guilty, leaving the jury deadlocked 11-1 after more than 40 hours of deliberations and ultimately forcing Judge William Sullivan to declare a mistrial on September 3. assertive

2026-09-18 · The Independent

Trump appeared in just 12 of more than 500 Republican TV ads ahead of the midterms: report

🔮 The president has urged conservative voters to “pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot” in the hope of encouraging MAGA turnout and last week headlined an unorthodox midterms convention in Texas at which he promised the public $5,000 checks if the GOP held onto Congress and forecast a bleak second-half to his term if the opposition prevailed. assertive

2026-09-18 · The Independent

RFK Jr shredded for telling anti-vaxxers he is investigating ‘chemtrails’

🔮 Dr Neil Stone, an infectious diseases expert, suggested Kennedy might like to look into “leprechauns and unicorns” next and called him “a fool.” assertive

2026-09-28 · The Independent

‘Lightning rod’ AOC told to ‘stay away’ from swing states ahead of midterms: report

🔮 However, a spokesperson for the former healthcare official’s campaign indicated she would make a fresh appearance at his side in the coming weeks, telling Axios: “There are a lot of Michiganders who can’t wait to have AOC back in town.” mixed

2026-09-28 · The Independent

Trump has filled his Cabinet with ‘head-nodders’ who are just there to smile and carry out his whims

🔮 The outlet explains that it spoke to as many members of the current Cabinet as possible and quotes Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin as saying: “If you bring a problem up to the president, and it’s not exactly in your lane, and it’s really not in anybody else’s lane, but there’s a problem, you will inherit that problem. assertive

2026-09-29 · The Independent

Trump advisor admits president is wrong and midterms will be ‘f***ing rough’ for GOP

🔮 An advisor to President Donald Trump has broken with the upbeat messaging coming out of the White House concerning the midterms and warned it is unlikely to turn out well for Republicans. “It’s obviously going to be f***ing rough,” the unnamed Trump aide told CNN, saying they believed the best possible outcome would be a mirror-image repeat of the 2022 elections, when incumbent president Joe Biden lost the House of Representatives but did cling on to the Democratic majority in the Senate. mixed

2026-09-30 · The Independent

One demographic is ‘ripping the heart out of Trump’s presidency,’ pollster warns

🔮 However, Trump himself posted a clip of Enten on Truth Social Tuesday in which he could be seen marveling at how solid his support is with MAGA die-hards, with whom he retains a 98 percent approval rating, down just one percent in two years, their faith seemingly unshakeable. assertive

2026-10-01 · The Independent

Inside ‘Satanic panic’ teen murder that put Christa Pike on death row for 30 years

🔮 However, Slemmer’s mother, May Martinez, has said she wanted the execution to go ahead, stating that she has waited decades to see Pike’s sentence carried out. assertive

2026-10-01 · The Independent

Family of Renee Good files wrongful death lawsuit over ICE shooting

🔮 “Administration officials told agents to force confrontations with observers like Renee and led agents to believe they would face no consequences for using force.” assertive

2026-10-02 · The Independent

Christa Pike latest: Killer’s lawyers condemn ‘chemical torture’ after seven needles used in botched execution

🔮 Trump says executing death row inmates 'shouldn't be difficult' on Christa Pike case Donald Trump has responded to the botched execution of Christa Pike, calling it an “interesting situation”. Asked by reporters whether he would push for changes to capital punishment following the failed execution in Tennessee, the US president said the matter was for state authorities. assertive

2026-10-02 · The Independent

Mother of Christa Pike’s victim says she wanted to finish killer off herself after botched execution

🔮 May Martinez – who was in the witness room with her husband, Raul Martinez Jr, expecting to see justice served on her daughter’s behalf 31 years on – has since told People: “If I could have gotten in that room, I would have taken the box cutter and cut her up like she did Colleen.” mixed

2026-10-05 · The Independent

Trump says voting in America is ‘corrupt’ in late-night elections rant ahead of the midterms

🔮 In Detroit, Philadelphia, California, and numerous other U.S. Cities and States, the results, with much smaller numbers, will often take weeks to Rig, I mean, calculate. assertive

2026-10-06 · The Independent

Even Laura Ingraham wants to know where Dr Oz shops to get a stick of butter for a buck

🔮 “Well, I just bought this, so it’s close to that,” Oz chuckled, going on to joke: “Maybe I got it – maybe it’s going bad.” assertive

2026-10-07 · The Independent

Remains found in Texas river identified as missing flight attendant murdered in 2025

🔮 The 47 year-old’s Fort Worth roommate Dennis William Day, 67, was arrested last year and charged with murder. mixed

2026-10-07 · The Independent

Christa Pike has no memory of botched execution after ‘medically unprecedented’ survival, expert says

🔮 “It could take weeks before that’s more clear. assertive

2026-10-07 · The Independent

Christa Pike’s advisor reveals what happened when she woke up from botched execution

🔮 “It could take weeks before that’s more clear. assertive

2026-10-08 · The Independent

Trump swats away female journalist after she asks him to explain ‘take out’ LA and San Diego comment

🔮 The comments drew outrage, particularly from California Democrats including Gov. Gavin Newsom, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, who accused the president of being “deranged and dangerous” and reminded him that American lives are not expendable. assertive

2026-10-08 · The Independent

US military planes worth up to $3.3 billion now lost or damaged in Iran war, Congress report says

🔮 The total cost of the Iran conflict is more difficult to calculate but, one month into the war, analysts predicted that the U.S. was burning through $500 million a day on it. assertive

2026-10-13 · The Independent

Mike Johnson warns livestream execution could be ‘a recruiting tool for future terrorists’

🔮 Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has added his voice to building concerns about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement last week that the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will be livestreamed. assertive

2026-10-13 · The Independent

Trump’s floundering Senate pick partied in Dubai with mistress and two US fugitives: report

🔮 Trump endorsed the state AG in May – helping him to beat the incumbent, Sen. John Cornyn, in the GOP primary – despite reportedly being warned against doing so by advisers in light of the candidate’s history of scandal in public office. mixed

2026-10-19 · The Independent

National Guardsman injured in DC shooting after attempting to break up street fight

🔮 He added that the MPD’s Internal Affairs and Criminal Investigations divisions were on the scene and that there was no further threat to the public. Chief Carroll said the suspect was the only participant in the shooting but that investigators would still like to speak to the other participants in the initial witnesses, who fled the scene when the shooting began, and any other eyewitnesses who could elaborate on how it started. The incident comes almost a year on from the shooting of two members of the West Virginia National Guard in D.C. Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe 24 – part of President Donald Trump’s federal deployment of Guardsmen to Washington – were fired on in an ambush near Farragut West metro station on November 26, 2025, just two blocks northwest of the White House. assertive

2026-10-19 · The Independent

Katie Zacharia ripped for ‘photoshopped’ pic of her family in the Oval Office

🔮 Other comments went on to suggest the pictures may have been altered using photoshop or AI. assertive

2026-10-20 · The Independent

Trump team ready to fine Americans who default on their student loan payments: report

🔮 The Washington Sun reports the policy could even see the Treasury hire private debt collectors to help reclaim the money from former students who are behind on their obligations. mixed

2026-10-20 · The Independent

Katie Zacharia reveals her biggest lessons from doomed White House press secretary stint

🔮 “Zacharia’s real sin may have been to irritate the wrong people.” mixed

2026-10-20 · The Independent

Inflation has hit a new group of goods: Trump merch

🔮 The latest pre-midterms poll from The Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos put the president’s approval rating at just 33 percent and found that 37 percent of the public would rather see a Democrat in charge of the economy. assertive

2026-10-21 · The Independent

‘All he’s doing is hurting Republicans’: Some strategists beg Trump to stay in White House and not campaign

🔮 Log in President Donald Trump’s decision to hit the road to campaign ahead of November’s midterms has been met with a mixed reception from political strategists, with some wishing he would keep a lower profile. assertive

2026-10-22 · The Independent

White House demands Politico retracts articles and apologize to Trump or ‘face the consequences’: report

🔮 In a letter from Counsel to the President William Scharf to Politico’s Global Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Greenberger dated Monday, the outlet is accused of publishing “a series of demonstrably false and defamatory articles in an apparent effort to manufacture a narrative of dysfunction and infighting in the White House” while ignoring denials from senior officials and Trump himself. assertive

2026-10-22 · The Independent

Pentagon whistleblowers ready to ‘spill their guts’ to oust Hegseth after midterms: report

🔮 The opposition has been widely predicted to win back the House of Representatives at next month’s midterms, which would see it regain control of its powerful investigative committees and enable its members to make life much more difficult for President Donald Trump’s administration. mixed

2026-10-23 · The Independent

Kaitlan Collins tears into Trump’s defense of Vivek Ramaswamy attack ad

🔮 In one exchange, Trump was asked whether personal matters should be “off limits” when campaigning and mused with a grin: “I know one thing: if my mother said that about me, it would be a major news story. assertive

2026-10-26 · The Independent

Woman charged after rabbi stabbed with syringe in NYC with another Jewish man assaulted minutes later

🔮 Judge Capitti warned the defendant she could face a “serious sentence” if convicted. mixed

2026-10-28 · The Independent

Trump rants about ‘loving meat’ and claims solar power fries animals during Texas midterm rallies: Live updates (cloned)

🔮 He will be in Ohio Wednesday to campaign with Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Jon Husted, whose body he has taken to admiring lately. mixed

2026-10-28 · The Independent

Silicon Valley bracing for Democratic takeover of Congress and likely hearings on Trump and AI

🔮 But now they could face consequences for going all-in on Trump and face accusations of allowing artificial intelligence to advance unchecked. assertive

2026-10-28 · The Independent

Another top Trump prosecutor has been serving in role unlawfully, judge rules

🔮 Seabright wrote in his decision that Essayli “is unlawfully serving as a ‘de facto’ United States Attorney,” although his order to step aside will not come into effect until his court rules on the government’s motion for a stay pending appeal. assertive

2026-10-29 · The Independent

The chaos inside Hegseth’s defense department that left Trump ‘concerned’ by scale of purge

🔮 Brown, who had made history as the Air Force’s first African American chief of staff, had been in the post for 16 months and had expected to continue his term until the fall of 2027. assertive

2026-10-29 · The Independent

Trump whines that Vivek Ramaswamy is being treated ‘very unfairly’ for using controversial ad

🔮 “If Mary MacLeod ever said, ‘My son Donald is a liar and he lied about his opponent and other things’, I would say the press would be getting Pulitzer Prizes if they reported it,” Trump hypothesized. assertive

2026-10-29 · The Independent

The Trump purge: Nearly 1 in 5 federal workers left their roles since president took office

🔮 DOGE placed a particular emphasis on removing “DEI” employees – meaning people supposedly hired in the interests of promoting diversity, rather than on merit – and a planning guide cited singled out 225 offices for closure and described how their staff might by removed via firings, administrative leave or reassignment. assertive

2026-10-30 · The Independent

Vivek Ramaswamy pulls controversial attack ad after Trump defends it as 'fair game'

🔮 Vivek Ramaswamy's controversial attack ad featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Dr. Amy Acton, is off the air after the Republican spent about a quarter of what his campaign initially said it would invest to run it. assertive

2026-10-30 · The Independent

Pope Leo has registered to vote in US midterms: report

🔮 Pope Leo XIV has registered to vote in next week’s midterms and will become the first pontiff ever to cast a ballot in an American election if he submits his ballot, according to a report. mixed

2026-10-30 · The Independent

Republicans are bracing for Democratic blowout on Tuesday: ‘It could be quite a brutal evening’

🔮 “It could be quite a brutal evening,” one senior Republican strategist told Politico. mixed

2026-10-30 · The Independent

A Minnesota prison was for sale at $75M. ICE paid nearly $500M for it

🔮 The immigration agency, which answers to the Department of Homeland Security, paid $495.6 million in August for the vacant Prairie Correctional Facility in small-town Appleton in response to President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration on the assumption that more holding space for inmates would be needed. assertive

2026-11-02 · The Independent

Concern mounts for Democrat Haley Stevens after ‘trainwreck’ CNN interview over Republican endorsement

🔮 During a joint appearance on Fox 2 Detroit, Dingell said she had talked to Stevens on Saturday and been assured she was not about to change horses, only for Stevens to do precisely that, while McMorrow noted that the latter’s fiance had publicly backed Rogers and suggested he might have influenced her decision. assertive

2026-11-02 · The Independent

Trump to deliver ‘closing argument’ for midterms in front of his once-botched Reflecting Pool: Live updates

🔮 President Donald Trump is set to deliver his “closing argument” to midterm voters at the iconic Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. - a site dogged by the administration’s botched repair job. assertive

2026-11-02 · The Independent

Trump’s favorite CNN pollster delivers devastating news just before midterm elections

🔮 A fresh round of polling data in the final hours before Election Day shows Democratic candidates leading virtually every battleground state that will likely determine which party controls the Senate. mixed

2026-11-02 · The Independent

Hegseth is painting Iran war in ‘rosy terms’ to keep Trump happy: report

🔮 The duo was the most resoundingly upbeat about the war in its earliest stages but neither has held a press conference since May. assertive

2026-11-03 · The Independent

Michael Douglas urges officials to fight any attempts to undermine ‘a free and fair election’

🔮 “Please stand firm against any directive that would undermine our constitutional right to a free and fair election. assertive

2026-11-03 · The Independent

Election Day arrives with Americans deciding control of Congress for Trump’s final two years: Live updates

🔮 Some polls are open for Tuesday’s crucial midterm elections, which will decide majority control of Congress for the final two years of Donald Trump’s presidency. assertive

2026-11-03 · The Independent

What happened to Trump in his last midterm elections?

🔮 President Donald Trump is facing a potentially disastrous midterms Election Day Tuesday, with his Republican Party set to lose its majority in the House of Representatives and perhaps the Senate too, according to current polling. mixed

2026-11-03 · The Independent

Trump is going to get ‘trounced’ in the midterms, Anthony Scaramucci predicts

🔮 President Donald Trump and his Republicans are about to get “trounced” in Tuesday’s midterm elections, former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci has predicted. assertive

2026-11-04 · The Independent

Trump’s just been handed a huge midterms defeat. Here’s how he reacted last time

🔮 Trump may struggle to repeat that feat this time, with his full-throated endorsement of data centers and dismissive attitude towards affordability concerns much more likely to frustrate conservatives who expected more help from him. assertive

Forward-looking sentences extracted from their articles, oldest first. Nothing here checks whether any of it turned out to be right.

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