Sen John Kennedy Says Only ‘God’s Perfect Idiot’ Would Have Thought Bill Cassidy Could Survive Louisiana PrimaryMay 17, 2026

Republican Sen. John Kennedy invoked his characteristically folksy charm as he explained Sundaywhy fellow Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy’s primary defeat was inevitable.

Cassidy failed to qualify Saturday for the June 27 Republican runoff for the Louisiana Senate seat he currently holds, finishing third behind Republican Rep. Julia Letlow and Republican Treasurer John Fleming with just 25% of the vote.Kennedy said he had no plans to “weigh in” on the runoff, describing Letlow and Fleming as “fine people.”

“Unless you’re God’s perfect idiot, the result was predictable. I mean, ‘ground control to Major Tom,’ the polls have shown for well over a year that Senator Cassidy was in trouble,” Kennedy told “The Sunday Briefing” host Peter Doocy.

“I think the president’s endorsement of Congresswoman Letlow was sort of the icing on the cake.Bill knew that, but he decided to run anyway. I respect that. I thank him for his service, he was very gracious in his concession speech.”

“We now got a runoff between two fine people,” Kennedy continued. “For what it’s worth, I don’t plan to get involved. A wise man once said nothing. Why? Because he’s a wise man. But I don’t plan on weighing in, and, you know, if one of them starts talking about my mama, I might, otherwise I’m just going to vote like everybody else.”

Cassidy was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial, which took place after the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.Cassidy also repeatedly clashed with Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over a vaccine advisory commissionand other issues.

“President Trump’s endorsement had a huge, huge impact — there’s no question about that — but there were other factors,” Kennedy told Doocy.“And, as I said, Bill’s been in trouble politically for over a year and he knew that. And I don’t think anybody was especially surprised, especially after President Trump weighed in.”

The winner of the June 27 runoff will be heavily favored to win in November’s general election.

https://dailycaller.com/2026/05/17/john-kennedy-reacts-bill-cassidy-louisiana-republican-senate-primary-loss-fox-news-peter-doocy/

Citizen Free Press

@CitizenFreePres

Actual video from an armed robbery last week.==

Weird!

8:31 PM · May 17, 2026

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https://x.com/CitizenFreePres/status/2056170671575535660?s=20

Republicans revise ballroom security fundingafter parliamentarian meeting

“Technical adjustments” are necessary after conferring with the Senate rulekeeper, a GOP panel said.

Jordain Carney

JORDAIN CARNEY

05/15/2026, 10:16PM ET

Republicans are redrafting a provision in their immigration enforcement billthat would direct security funding toward parts of President Donald Trump’s ballroom project, according to four people granted anonymity to report details of the talks.

The decision comes after a bipartisan meeting Friday with the Senate parliamentarianon the portion of the bill that could inject taxpayer funding into the controversial project. Republicans and Democrats madetheir respective cases for and against $1 billion in Secret Service funding— roughly$220 millionof which,according to administration estimates, could go toward the East Wing “hardening.

Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough hasn’t yet delivered a formal ruling on the Judiciary Committee-drafted text,but Republicans are making changes in response to the hourslong meeting. Even after the initial ruling,Republicans will need to defend the revised textin a meeting with MacDonough, meaning talks will likely go through the weekend.

“Technical adjustments are a standard part of the budget reconciliation process. Revisions and conversations with the parliamentarian are ongoing to ensure the text is fully Byrd compliant,” Judiciary Committee Republicans posted Friday night on X.

A Senate Democratic aide, granted anonymity to disclose the talks, said that“Democrats will continue to challenge every line of new bill text that is shared with Democrats.”

In addition to the changes being made because of discussions with the parliamentarian,Senate GOP leaders have also been discussing potential changes to the Secret Service and East Wing language. That is to address concerns from some Republican members, who have been uneasy with taxpayer funding going toward the construction project and want more details from the White House.

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/05/15/congress/republicans-parliamentarian-ballroom-security-00925161

46 minutes ago

Russian envoy hints Moscow wants Ghalibaf overseeing Iran ties

Russia’s envoy to international organizations in Vienna appeared to suggest Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibafshould be give a similar role overseeing relations with Moscow after he was appointed special envoy for China affairs.

“Isn’t it equally relevant to think about something similar in relations with Russia?” Mikhail Ulyanov wrote on X while reacting to reports about Ghalibaf’s new role.

Iranian media reported Sunday thatGhalibaf had been appointed to oversee relations with Chinaby President Masoud Pezeshkian and approved by supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

1 hour ago

Russian tanker crossed US blockade line repeatedly - TankerTracker

Shipping monitor TankerTrackers saidthe US-sanctioned, Russian-flagged handymax tanker PEGASUShas repeatedly moved in and out of the US blockade perimeter around Iran “just out of spite.”KEK

The group said multiple satellite images confirmed the vessel’s movements were genuine and “not an AIS spoof,” referring to falsified ship-tracking signals.

The reported crossings come as tanker traffic near the Strait of Hormuz remains under close scrutiny amid enforcement of the US-led blockade and continued tensions over Iranian oil exports.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/liveblog/202605153417

5 hours ago

UK media company with Iran links ‘brings migrants to Britain’ - Telegraph

An Iran-linked company in London sponsored skilled worker visas to bring migrants to Britain, The Telegraph reported.

The company, RAD Media World, is connected to Iranian government-linked entities including Press TV and Hispan TV, according to the report.

(They are doing it because of the protest)

4 hours ago

Trump meets security team on Iran - CNN

President DonaldTrump met with senior members of his national security team on Saturday to discuss the path forward in the Iran war, CNN reported, citing a source familiar with the meeting.

The gathering at Trump’s Virginia golf club included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to the report.

The meeting took place hours after Trump returned from a high-stakes visit to China, which maintains close ties with Iran.

CNN reported that Trump has grown increasingly impatient with Tehran’s handling of diplomatic negotiations and remains frustrated by the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its effect on global oil prices.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/liveblog/202605153417

California sees massive surge in Republican votes as more than 900K ballots already returnedKatie Jerkovich Sat, May 16, 2026 at 8:04 PM EDT 3 min read

Could the state of California actually be turning red?

Early voters in the Golden State have already returned more than 900,000 ballots ahead of the June 2 Primary, showing a massive surge in Republican votes compared to four years ago for the governor’s race.

A post on Saturday from the research firm Political Data (PDI) showed that out of 905,889 ballots that have been returned, 37% were from Republicans, with Republican returns up 11% compared to the same stage of the 2022 midterms.

More shocking is the fact that the data showed 41% of Democrats who have returned their ballots, down 13 points from the same moment in the primary election four years ago.

“Republicans are potentially returning their ballots at a pre-2020 rate, before [President Donald]Trump and other leaders discouraged it,” Mitchell told The Post

And the second, he said that “some Democrats are holding on to their ballot to make sure their vote isn’t wasted, so that they get to vote for someone that makes it to the top two.” A post on X from Central Valley Politics celebrated the early voting results mapping out how each county is faring, showing huge swaths of the state blood red for Republicans….

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/california-sees-massive-surge-in-republican-votes-as-more-than-900k-ballots-already-returned-000414580.html