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FBI fires analyst who worked 2017 case of shooting at congressional baseball practice

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FBI fires analyst who worked 2017 case of shooting at congressional baseball practice

FBI Director Kash Patel last week fired a senior intelligence analyst who played a role in the FBI’s 2017 assessment of the motives of the gunman who attacked a House Republican baseball practice, a report that drew the ire of the GOP because it did not label the incident as domestic terrorism.

Four people familiar with the matter said Deputy Assistant Director Emily Morales received a letter from Patel on Friday ending her FBI employment, after which she turned in her badge and was “walked out” by FBI security, as is standard practice.

Morales could not be reached for comment.

It was unclear whether the letter cited her role in the 2017 assessment, but the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss a personnel matter, said her removal was widely perceived inside the bureau as the latest in a series of firings of nonpartisan FBI agents who did their jobs in a way that drew disfavor from President Donald Trump or Republicans.

MS NOW reported five months ago that Tonya Ugoretz, who was the assistant director in charge of the Intelligence Directorate, was removed because of her role in withdrawing a thinly sourced intelligence report alleging that China tried to flood the United States with fake driver’s licenses in order to promote fraud in the 2020 election.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has boasted that the FBI forced out every agent who worked on the criminal investigations of Trump that resulted in indictments. Former acting director Brian Driscoll and other former agents are suing the bureau and Patelalleging they were fired for political reasons. The FBI Agents Association has asserted that many of these firings were illegal.

The FBI declined to comment on personnel matters.

In June 2017, James Hodgkinson opened fire on a Republican congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, shooting four people, including two Capitol Police officers and Congressman Steve Scalise. Hodgkinson was shot and killed by police.

Although he had a history of criticizing Republicans and was carrying a list of Republican lawmakers in his pocket, the FBI initially did not label Hodgkinson a domestic terrorist. An FBI official briefing Congress described what happened as “suicide by cop,” according to a report by House Republicans issued last March.

In 2021, the FBI provided a statement to the House Appropriations Committee which read, “The shooter was motivated by a desire to commit an attack on Members of Congress. … This conduct is something that we would today characterize as a domestic terrorism event.”

Then-FBI Director Christopher Wray explained to Congress that the incident did not fit the FBI’s definition of domestic terrorism at the time, but that the definition had evolved.

The report by House Republicans was deeply critical of the FBI, saying, “The FBI case file makes clear this case was a premeditated assassination attempt on Republican congressmen by a radical, left-wing political extremist, who was seeking to affect the conduct of our government.”

In a statement to MS NOW, Ugoretz lamented Morales’ firing.

“Tactical reports give an understanding of information as it’s known at the time. Anyone with crisis response experience knows that information can change, and usually does,” she said.

“The FBI’s actions are choking the capabilities that help it stop criminals, spies, hackers, and terrorists before they act. I don’t know if they’re doing it intentionally or out of ignorance, and I don’t know which is worse,” Ugoretz said.

Ken Dilanian is the justice and intelligence correspondent for MS NOW.

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The Dictatorship

Trump is seeing doctors for his annual physical. What the public finds out is up to him

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Trump is seeing doctors for his annual physical. What the public finds out is up to him

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump had another medical exam on Tuesday, putting his health under renewed public scrutiny after he has worked to dismiss concerns over his age and stamina.

The 79-year-old president spent more than three hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for what the White House described as preventive medical and dental checkups. It was Trump’s fourth publicly disclosed medical exam since he returned to office for a second term, and it comes as he tries to project strength ahead of midterm elections that will test his sway with voters.

In a social media post after the visit, Trump said that he had just finished his “6 month physical” and that “Everything checked out PERFECTLY.”

President Donald Trump walks down the stairs of Air Force One upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday, May 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

President Donald Trump walks down the stairs of Air Force One upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday, May 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

The White House did not immediately release a written report from Trump’s doctors.

For decades, administrations have released selected results from presidential physicals, offering the public a glimpse at the commander-in-chief’s health. But the results are filtered through the White House and must be approved by the president, raising questions about what the public does and doesn’t get to see.

Trump, a Republican, turns 80 next month and was the oldest person elected U.S. president. His immediate predecessor, President Joe Biden, a Democrat, was 82 when he left office, dropping out of the 2024 presidential race because of widespread concerns he was too old for the job.

A Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted in April found that less than half of U.S. adults think Trump has the mental sharpness or physical health to serve effectively as president.

“I think concern for the president’s physical health is probably at an all-time high, and I think advanced physical age is the No. 1 concern,” said Dr. Jeffrey Kuhlman, who served as a White House physician for more than a decade under Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

For a president of Trump’s age, a complete physical would be expected to include advanced heart testing, screening for common cancers and a cognitive assessmentalong with basics like height, weight and blood pressure, Kuhlman said.

The White House has not disclosed what the visit entailed but expressed confidence in what it will show.

“President Trump is the sharpest and most accessible President in American history who is working nonstop to solve problems and deliver on his promises, and he remains in excellent health,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement.

No law requiring presidents to disclose their medical records

In the weeks leading up to his visit, Trump has been saying he feels as good as he did five decades ago — even as he jokes about his fondness for fast food and his minimal exercise regimen. Yet he’s also sensitive to perceptions about his age, noting that he takes extra caution descending the steps from Air Force One to avoid headlines about a stumble.

President Donald Trump, right, with White House aide Natalie Harp, left, walks to the White House after viewing the construction of the ballroom, Saturday, May 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump, right, with White House aide Natalie Harp, left, walks to the White House after viewing the construction of the ballroom, Saturday, May 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

There is no law requiring presidents to publicize their health records, and the degree of transparency has varied by administration. Trump’s past reports have been criticized for offering scant detail and for providing statistics that some medical experts have viewed with skepticism.

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One, Friday, May 15, 2026, at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One, Friday, May 15, 2026, at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

At public appearances, Trump is often seen wearing makeup to conceal bruising on his handswhich the White House attributes to handshaking and regular aspirin use. He has sometimes appeared drowsy during meetings and closed his eyes for long stretchesthough he denies having fallen asleep.

President Donald Trump's right hand is seen as he speaks to the press after returning and stepping off Air Force One, Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., after speaking at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy commencement. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Donald Trump’s right hand is seen as he speaks to the press after returning and stepping off Air Force One, Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., after speaking at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy commencement. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Trump often boasts of having “aced” cognitive tests while frequently deriding Biden, who faced questions about his mental acuity. Biden and his aides pushed back aggressively against doubts raised about his fitness for office.

Some of Trump’s previous physicals have included the Montreal Cognitive Assessmentused to screen for dementia and cognitive impairment. Trump’s physicians reported a score of 30 out of 30 for him at his 2018 and 20 25 checkups.

Yet critics have pointed to Trump’s meandering speeches and sometimes bellicose rhetoric as evidence of cognitive decline.

Last month, a statement from more than 30 neurologists, psychiatrists and other medical experts — who acknowledged they’ve never examined him — said Trump was mentally unfit to serve and warned of an “increasingly dangerous decline” in his behavior based on what they called “objectively observable signs of serious medical concern.″

“Any so-called medical professionals engaging in armchair diagnosis or false speculation for political purposes are clearly breaking the Hippocratic Oath they’ve sworn to,” Ingle said.

Just like any other patient, presidents get to choose what’s disclosed about their health, said Sara Rosenthal, a bioethicist at the University of Kentucky who studies presidential health. Questions about transparency have become more acute as America elects aging presidents like Trump and Biden, she said.

“I think we can expect very little disclosure about the true health status of any president unless they’re in perfect health,” said Rosenthal, who has suggested an independent medical organization to review and report on the health of the president and those in the line of succession.

‘Nothing should be hidden’

Trump’s first medical report in his second term was released last April. In July, he was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiencya common condition in older adults that causes blood to pool in his veins. Photographs have shown the president with swollen feet, ankles and calves, described by the White House as a symptom of chronic venous insufficiency leading to “mild swelling” in his lower legs.

The left foot and swollen ankle of President Donald Trump are pictured as he sits with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in the Oval Office of the White House, July 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

The left foot and swollen ankle of President Donald Trump are pictured as he sits with Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in the Oval Office of the White House, July 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Following his last publicly disclosed exam, described as a routine follow-up last OctoberTrump’s physician issued a one-page summary saying the president was in “exceptional health” without divulging many specific results.

The frequency of Trump’s medical checkups is not uncommon for someone his age, according to S. Jay Olshansky of the University of Illinois-Chicago, who has studied the health of past presidents. It’s part of a strategy to catch problems while they’re still treatable, Olshansky said.

Olshansky says the public deserves to see more than White House medical summaries that “may be subject to editorial discretion.” Full, unredacted medical records should be made public, he said: “Nothing should be hidden.”

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Trump says Iran deal should include additional countries joining Abraham Accords

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Trump says Iran deal should include additional countries joining Abraham Accords

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations with Tehran were “proceeding nicely.”

The strikes were done “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” but the military was “using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” Capt. Tim Hawkins, the spokesman for the U.S. military’s Central Command, said in a statement.

Further details were not immediately available, including more specifics on the threats from Iran and what this means for negotiations. There was no official response from Iran, which had sent its parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf to Qatar for negotiations over the possible deal with the U.S.

Qatar, which faced intense attacks from Iran during the war, holds billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds.

In Iran, the news website Tabnak, believed to be close to former Revolutionary Guard chief Mohsen Rezaei, identified four dead Guard troops it said had been killed in American strikes on boats. Iranian state television separately reported blasts around Bandar Abbas, a city on the Strait of Hormuz home to a military port and a dual-use airport.

The strikes were the latest attacks to shake the weekslong ceasefire in the war. The Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of all crude oil and natural gas traded once passed, remains effectively in Iran’s chokehold, disrupting global energy markets.

Trump brings up recognition of Israel

Earlier, Trump said any agreement to end the Iran war should include a requirement for several additional countries, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, to join the Abraham Accordsthe U.S.-brokered agreements from Trump’s first term aimed at normalizing relations with Israel.

The proposal came as the emerging Iran deal faced criticism from fellow Republicans who favor a harder line on Iran, and it could add new diplomatic complications to the negotiations.

Trump pointed to Saudi Arabia and Qatar as countries that should “immediately” sign on. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates became the first countries to join in 2020, diplomatically recognizing Israel.

He wrote that “after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords.”

Trump has long hoped Saudi Arabia would join. Saudi Arabia in particular has for decades called on Israel to return to its 1967 borders and allow the formation of a Palestinian nation with east Jerusalem as its capital. Israel’s conduct in the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip also has alienated Gulf Arab states and the wider Muslim world as well.

Pakistan remains key mediator

Recognition of a Palestinian state also remains key for Pakistan, which is among the countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

Islamabad-based analyst Syed Mohammad Ali said Pakistan’s position on Israel remains unchanged despite Trump’s latest proposal.

The president said he brought up the Abraham Accords plan with leaders during negotiations on Saturday. He said he would accept “one or two” countries declining to sign, but said most should be willing. Egypt and Jordan already formally recognize Israel and have long-standing peace treaties. Turkey first recognized Israel in 1949.

Masood Khan, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States, said it remains to be seen how workable the proposal might be for the countries on Trump’s list.

“The invocation of the Abraham Accords at this stage gives an altogether new dimension to the diplomatic and mediatory processes because this issue was not on the agenda,” he said, pointing to the domestic pressure Trump is facing to strike a favorable deal.

Still, Khan said, “the diplomatic track is still working, and I believe Pakistan is very much at the center of it, supported by regional countries.”

It remains unclear when or how any deal with Iran might be completed. Trump suggested even Iran could eventually sign on to the accords, if an agreement is reached.

The accords are a series of diplomatic, economic and security agreements created with U.S. influence during Trump’s first term, which also saw Sudan, Morocco, and, more recently, Kazakhstanjoin.

___

Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.

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Rep. Menefee defeats longtime Rep. Green in Texas Democratic House runoff shaped by redistricting

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Rep. Menefee defeats longtime Rep. Green in Texas Democratic House runoff shaped by redistricting

Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Texas, defeated veteran Democratic Rep. Al Green in Tuesday’s runofffor Texas’ 18th Congressional District, according to the Associated Press.

Menefee, 37, prevailed in a high-profile incumbent versus incumbent showdown created by Republican-led redistricting that placed the two Democrats in the same heavily Democratic Houston-area district.

The runoff was forced after neither Green nor Menefee secured more than 50% of the vote in the March Democratic primary. Menefee’s victory ends Green’s more than two decades in Congress and signals a generational shift in Houston-area Democratic politics.

Menefee emerged as one of Texas Democrats’ rising stars before launching his congressional bid. He became Harris County attorney in 2021, making history as the youngest person and first Black person elected to the position.

As county attorney, Menefee gained attention for legal battles against Republican state officials and outspoken opposition to conservative policies advanced by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Menefee first won the congressional seat earlier this year in a special election held after the death of former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who briefly represented the district following the death of longtime Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in 2024.

The race was largely viewed as a test of whether younger Democratic voters were ready to move on from longtime party figures.

Green, 78, represented the Houston-based 9th Congressional District for more than two decades. He built a national profile as one of Congress’ most outspoken liberals and an early advocate for impeaching President Donald Trump during his first presidential term. Before Congress, Green spent years as a Harris County justice of the peace and became a prominent figure in Houston civil rights and Democratic politics.

But Menefee capitalized on growing calls for generational change and strong support among younger demographics and newer Democratic activists in the Houston area.

The race exposed generational divides within Houston-area Democratic politics. Menefee performed strongly with younger voters and in parts of Harris County during the March primary, while Green maintained support among older Black voters and longtime Democratic constituencies.

Polling leading into the runoff suggested a highly competitive race, with Menefee appearing to gain momentumin the final weeks.

Menefee is expected to easily hold the safely Democratic seat in November.

The contest marked the latest chapter in a turbulent period for the district, which has seen multiple elections in less than a year following the deaths of Jackson Leeand her successor, Turner.

Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at BLN as a campaign reporter covering elections and politics.

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