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Trump MIA as Lithuania’s President Honors Fallen U.S. Soldiers
President Donald Trump is under fire for choosing to skip the dignified transfer of four U.S. soldiers who died during a training mission in Lithuania—opting instead to jet from D.C. to Florida to attend the Saudi-owned LIV men’s professional golf tournament, while the nation of Lithuania, including its President, held ceremonies honoring the fallen Americans.
“Lithuania’s political and religious leaders joined thousands of people on Thursday to bid farewell to four American soldiers who died during a training exercise in the Baltic nation,” the Associated Press reported. “President Gitanas Nausėda and other dignitaries were among those who stood in respect as hearses carried the bodies of the four young Americans to Vilnius airport before being flown to the United States for burial.”
Some in the U.S. had already been offended when the Commander-in-Chief, asked about the four soldiers who were missing but not confirmed dead, told a reporter that he was unaware of the situation.
“Have you been briefed about the soldiers in Lithuania? Who are missing?” the reporter asked. Appearing both uninformed and unconcerned, Trump simply replied, “No I haven’t.”
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After a lengthy search, all four were found and identified.
Dignified transfers of American service members who have died are solemn events often closed to the media. Presidents do not attend each, but occasionally do when multiple service members have died.
“President Trump will remain in Florida and will not travel to Dover AFB for the dignified transfer of 4 American soldiers who died during a training exercise in Lithuania,” Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin reported Friday. “The LIV Golf tournament begins today. Trump just arrived at his golf club. Defense Secretary Hegseth will travel to Dover Air Force Base mid-morning to participate in the dignified transfer of four U.S. soldiers who died last week in Lithuania.”
Late Friday morning Punchbowl News senior congressional reporter Andrew Desiderio wrote that a “group of senators is attending the dignified transfer in Dover today of the four U.S. troops who died during a training exercise in Lithuania, per sources. The group includes Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin and Sens. Duckworth & Coons. Others may be attending as well.” The names mentioned are all Democrats.
Lithuania had gone to great lengths to honor the four soldiers.
After a week of posting updates to social media on the search for the U.S. soldiers, the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense has been posting tributes this week.
On Friday, in a post with photos, they wrote: “Today, Lithuania honoured and bid farewell to the four US soldiers who tragically lost their lives in Pabradė. We will never forget them. The people of Lithuania prayed relentlessly for their fate, as we feel profound solidarity and regard American soldiers as our own.”
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In another post they added: “We bid farewell to the fallen U.S. soldiers with respect and gratitude. Because, as we have said many times, they are our soldiers too. In this moment of tragedy, we stood together. It is a testament to the strength of unity even in the darkest times.”
Lithuania’s Embassy in Washington, D.C. also expressed sorrow and unity, “For the Lithuanian people it feels like a loss of our own. In this difficult moment, our thoughts and prayers are with the fallen and their loved ones. We mourn together with the [American] nation.”
Lithuania honored and bid farewell to the fallen U.S. soldiers. For the Lithuanian people it feels like a loss of our own.
In this difficult moment, our thoughts and prayers are with the fallen and their loved ones. We mourn together with the 🇺🇸 nation.pic.twitter.com/dRiNRYTTK4
— Embassy of Lithuania in DC | #StandWithUkraine (@LTembassyUS) April 3, 2025
The U.S. Embassy to Lithuania also honored the fallen, thanking “everyone who contributed to bringing them home.”
“Today,” the U.S. Embassy to Lithuania’s social media post read, “Lithuania paid homage to our fallen with a solemn and dignified farewell. In the heart of Vilnius, leaders, Allies, and many supporters gathered in remembrance, honoring the four U.S. Soldiers who are finally returning to their families.”
“In this time of profound sorrow, we are reminded of the indomitable bond between our nations. The compassion, respect, and unwavering support demonstrated by Lithuania and all who stood with us will echo for years to come.”
“To our Allies, fellow service members, and everyone who contributed to bringing them home—our deepest gratitude,” it concluded.
Today, Lithuania paid homage to our fallen with a solemn and dignified farewell. In the heart of Vilnius, leaders, Allies, and many supporters gathered in remembrance, honoring the four U.S. Soldiers who are finally returning to their families.
In this time of profound sorrow,… pic.twitter.com/8FPtNWvlZP
— U.S. Embassy Vilnius (@USEmbVilnius) April 3, 2025
One social media commentator seemed to sum up the thoughts of several users, writing: “When our allies show more respect and honor for fallen U.S. servicemen than the President of the United States, this is what it looks like. It’s shameful their own President can’t be bothered.”
Other critics continued to blast President Trump.
“Trump goes off to golf. Meanwhile, our allies lined the streets to pay their respects,” remarked The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols, a retired U.S. Naval College professor.
Moe Davis, the retired U.S. Air Force colonel, attorney, educator, and former administrative law judge, slammed Trump, writing that the President “skips today’s dignified transfer in Delaware of the remains of 4 U.S. service members who died in Lithuania in order to attend a Saudi Arabia Blood Money Golf Tour dinner in Florida that pays him millions of dollars.”
See the social media posts above or at this link.
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Image via Shutterstock
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Maine Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Graham Platner is under fire after releasing a video declaring that new allegations against him are false, yet he is “taking time to reflect” on a path forward.
Politico on Monday afternoon reported that a woman who dated Platner, Jenny Racicot, “says he forced her to have sex with him nearly five years ago despite her repeated objections, an allegation Platner denies.”
“Racicot said she had an on-and-off relationship with Platner,” Politico reported, “for more than two years before he entered her rural Maine home uninvited one night in late 2021, deeply intoxicated, and forced himself on her while she repeatedly told him to stop. She said she cut off contact with him after telling him the encounter was not consensual.”
In a video posted to social media eleven minutes after the Politico story dropped, Platner says, “I wanted to directly address the troubling, serious, and false allegations against me. Any accusation of nonconsensual behavior is categorically false.”
He said he and his supporters “were united in a love of Maine, a belief that our politics must change, in a focus on defeating Susan Collins.”
“So, regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful the political reality will inflict, we are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to, and the goal of defeating Susan Collins.”
“Those were the goals when we launched this campaign. And they remain my goals today.”
“Throughout it all, you never turned your back on me. And I will not turn my back on you now. Every one of you deserves to see that vision come to fruition and see Susan Collins defeated. And we will use every tool at our disposal to do so.”
The Bulwark’s Tim Miller, a political commentator who served as the communications director for the Jeb Bush 2016 presidential campaign, blasted Platner.
“I’m sorry but ‘we are taking time to reflect on the best path forward’ is not an option on the table,” Miller wrote. “Either it’s false and you campaign with vigor or it’s true and you get out / apologize to everyone you let down.”
Journalist Ryan Grim, commenting on Platner’s video, noted that Platner “strongly suggests he is considering dropping out. Already Troy Jackson and Chellie Pingree, both gubernatorial candidates, are being kicked around in Maine circles as potential replacements.”
Several others, including Puck News’ Peter Hamby, predicted Platner will be dropping out.
Platner had postponed several campaign events before the Politico story was published.
— Graham Platner for Senate (@grahamformaine) July 6, 2026
President Donald Trump is facing backlash after posting a video of children — including showing their unblurred faces — graduating from kindergarten, with some of the girls purportedly wearing hijabs.
“President Trump posted a captionless video of graduating kindergarteners on Truth Social on Monday, goading his supporters into verbally attacking little children simply for being Muslim,” The New Republic reported. “The clip is from Gateway STEM Academy, a majority-Black K-8 public charter school in St. Paul, Minnesota. It shows about 21 children in caps and gowns on stage singing a song together. Most of the girls are wearing hijabs.”
The original post of the video which Trump reposted reads: “Public school in St. Paul, Minnesota. Every girl is in a hijab … in kindergarten.”
Trump did not add any comments. TNR called the post “Islamophobic, weird, and creepy,” while noting that the comments section of Trump’s post was filled with calls “by racist, xenophobic MAGA supporters” to “deport the children and ban hijabs.”
TNR also noted that it “should come as no surprise that Trump isn’t above attacking children who just learned how to read, but this post is still particularly discomforting—and will certainly contribute to the already potent level of anti-Muslim sentiment in the U.S. and in Minnesota.”
Critics blasted Trump.
“There is something deeply unsettling about the president of the United States—the most powerful person in the world—going after kindergarten schoolchildren in Minnesota because they wore hijabs, as Trump has done this morning on his website,” The Bulwark’s Sam Stein wrote.
One social media commentator wrote, “Trump posted an unblurred video of more than a dozen Muslim kindergartners to Truth Social, exposing the children’s faces while targeting them for their religion.”
Another added, “Trump is a bigot. The president took to Truth Social to attack kindergarteners in hijabs. These are little kids. The president isn’t just a bigot, he’s also a coward.”
The original video was posted to the X social media platform in June.
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) at the time commented, “If you are in a public school in America, you should be speaking english.”
Image via Reuters
President Donald Trump’s apparent efforts to delay releasing the $5.8 million civil judgment to E. Jean Carroll are being met with a warning by the journalist’s legal team, who suggest there could be a legal maneuver for Trump to employ to forgo paying the judgment in either of the two cases he lost.
According to The Guardian, on July 4, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered Trump to release the $5.8 million judgment, which is in escrow, to Carroll by this coming Tuesday — or explain why he would not do so.
Carroll’s attorneys think Trump may be trying to buy time to mount another legal strategy, telling the judge that Trump’s request for an extension “appears to be little more than yet another play for time.”
“The case is separate from Trump’s appeal of a Manhattan civil jury’s 2024 award of $83.3m to Carroll for defamation,” The Guardian explains. “But her lawyers have suggested a legal scenario in which the president might seek to conjoin the cases and further delay payment of both.”
Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan (no relation to the judge) wrote, “We can only assume that defendant is seeking … to buy time so he can try to concoct some new basis to put off paying plaintiff presumably in connection with his forthcoming petition and motion for a rehearing.”
Trump’s former attorney, Justin Smith, in one of his final acts, wrote to the Supreme Court suggesting that his client would be appealing the $83.3 million civil judgment.
Smith argued that the Supreme Court “may wish to consider the petitions together,” given they involve the same parties.
The larger judgment case involves possible questions of presidential immunity, and that has Carroll’s attorneys concerned.
“A conjoined case, Carroll’s lawyers fear, could result in both judgments being wiped out,” The Guardian reports.
The president has also made clear he is no fan of Judge Kaplan, after the jurist made several rulings that “angered” Trump.
“What else can you expect from a Trump Hating, Clinton appointed judge, who went out of his way to make sure that the result was as negative as it could possible be,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in 2023, “speaking to, and in control of, a jury from an anti-Trump area which is probably the worst place in the US for me to get a fair ‘trial’.”
Image via Reuters
Platner Scorched Over ‘Taking Time’ Video After New Accusation
Trump Sparks Fury Online After Posting Unblurred Video of Muslim Kindergartners in Hijabs
One Legal Maneuver Threatens to Undo Everything E. Jean Carroll Won
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