by Steve Benen | Nov 5, 2026 | 2026 election, elections, Maddowblog
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s tenure has been scandalous for a great many reasons, but among the former Fox News host’s more controversial moves is the aggressive purge campaign he’s led. Just two months ago, The New York Times reported that Hegseth’s firings have been so dramatic that he’s left the U.S. Army “essentially rudderless” during an ongoing war in the Middle East.
Political scientist Caitlin Talmadge, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who specializes in foreign policy and military operations, noted via social media earlier this year, “Firing senior officers for cause is one thing. Firing them repeatedly on this scale and with no explanation is unprecedented in our nation’s history.”
The list is not short, though among the notable names is retired three-star Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, who led the Navy Reserve and whose lengthy and decorated career came to an abrupt and unexpected end in August 2025, when Hegseth fired her without cause.
“I was one year into what is normally a four-year job [and] was notified that I was being relieved, effective immediately,” Lacore later told MS NOW’s Jen Psaki. “I struggled to figure out what was next for me. But the one thing I couldn’t shake was this feeling that I wasn’t done serving.”
Lacore added, “I can’t sit on the sidelines. I can serve differently.”
At that point, the retired Navy admiral took on a different kind of challenge: She decided to launch a Democratic congressional bid in an open South Carolina district. The odds were most definitely against her. Outgoing Republican Rep. Nancy Mace was re-elected by nearly 17 points in this same district two years earlier. Donald Trump
by Chris Walker | Nov 5, 2026 | 2026 Elections, Donald Trump, election integrity, elections, midterms, News, Trump election fraud claims
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump told reporters that he would only accept the results of the 2026 midterm elections if he felt they were “honest” — echoing statements he’s made in the past while peddling baseless claims of widespread voter fraud. When asked by journalists if he would “respect” the results of the midterms, Trump indicated his response may depend on the elections’ outcome.
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by The Associated Press | Nov 5, 2026 | News, World, World News
PARIS (AP) — Multiple flights in Europe made emergency landings on Thursday after being diverted because of bomb threats, authorities said. The incidents followed hoax bomb threats earlier this week that prompted searches, diversions and in one case a military escort.
At least eight flights from Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, Madrid, Milan and Warsaw were confirmed to have been targeted with bomb threats, most diverted to other airports for emergency landings while others landed safely at their destinations. So far inspections have not turned up hazardous or suspicious materials.
Czech police said they deployed at Prague’s Vaclav Havel Airport to prepare for the landing of four planes after receiving a threat of explosive devices on board. Police said that “all necessary security measures have been activated.”
Earlier, a flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to a military air base in western France because of a bomb threat, the French prime minister’s office said. The flight landed safely at the base in Evreux in Normandy, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office said. All 151 passengers and six crew members were safe and military bomb disposal teams were examining the plane, the office said.
It added that it was following the situation in real time. No other information was immediately released.
A LOT Polish Airlines flight from Warsaw to Brussels landed at its destination, where inspections found no hazardous or suspicious items, the airline said. A Wizz Air flight from Milan to Bucharest landed safely in Bucharest following a bomb threat, airport spokesman Teo Postelnicu said.
Finnair said that Flight 1761 from Helsinki to Rome was targeted by a bomb threat, but nothing out of the ordinary was found
by Sharon Zhang | Nov 5, 2026 | 2026 election, 2026 Elections, Corruption, DOGE, Donald Trump, elections, Elon Musk, Michigan, Mike Rogers, News, Republicans
The world’s first trillionaire, Elon Musk, recently took another record: He is now the largest single political donor in modern American history, according to an analysis by The Washington Post, after pouring nearly half a billion dollars into backing Republicans in this year’s midterm elections. This has contributed to an enormous gap between Republican and Democratic political spending this…
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by Sharon Zhang | Nov 5, 2026 | Department of Justice, Deportations, Donald Trump, Fascism, immigration, Ken Paxton, News, Supreme Court, Texas
The Supreme Court stripped immigration judges of the ability to pause certain deportation proceedings on Tuesday, declining to block a deal slammed as “egregious collusion” between the Justice Department and the state of Texas. The unsigned order on Tuesday halts the practice known as “administrative closure,” which allows judges to pause deportation cases. The practice affects thousands of…
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