Author: Sky York Journal

Sky York Journal This article first appeared at ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Thousands of companies are jockeying for billions of dollars in Defense Department contracts to build a shield designed to intercept and destroy missiles launched against the United States. But amid the intense competition, a handful of firms have an important inside connection. At least four of the companies awarded contracts so far are owned by Cerberus Capital Management, a private equity firm founded by billionaire Steve Feinberg, who until last year ran the company…

Sky York Journal Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) dropped his reelection bid Thursday night, just a day after publicly acknowledging he had an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide. “After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election while serving out the rest of this Congress with the same commitment I’ve always had to my district,” Gonzales said in a late-night social media post. Gonzales’ announcement came just hours after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House GOP leadership put out a joint statement calling on the…

Sky York Journal Vice President JD Vance already had a perilously thin tightrope to walk.  As the 2028 frontrunner, he has three years to figure out how to stay in complete lockstep with President Trump (anything less is heresy) while also somehow carving out his own lane —  particularly if the administration continues its popularity nosedive.  It’s a habitual problem for vice presidents young enough to harbor Oval Office ambitions — look at former VP Kamala Harris — and a uniquely potent one for the vice president serving Trump, a president who will brook no defiance, even in the name…

Sky York Journal We’ve been getting reports all morning that Trump is about to fire DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and has been asking around about what various allies think of the idea. Just minutes ago, he broke the news on Truth Social that Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) will take over for Noem, “effective March 31, 2026.” Presumably that means he is Trump’s nominee to be Senate-confirmed. Noem will be shuffled into a “special envoy” position. Here’s Trump’s full announcement. I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will…

Sky York Journal Until two minutes before Montana’s 5 p.m. filing deadline, Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) was running to keep his seat.  He’d filed for reelection in late February, had $4.9 million stashed in his war chest.  Six minutes before Daines withdrew on Wednesday evening, Montana U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme, who has never run for anything, filed his candidacy. He was met with a rush of endorsements, including one from President Trump on Truth Social.  In a video announcement, standing before a scenic mountainous backdrop, Daines said he had been “wrestling with this decision for months.” He did not address…

Sky York Journal Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) publicly admitted for the first time Wednesday evening to having a sexual relationship with his former staffer, who later died by suicide. “I made a mistake, and I had a lapse in judgment, and there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions,” Gonzales said during an interview with radio host Joe Pagliarulo. “Since then, I’ve reconciled with my wife Angel,” he added. “I’ve asked God to forgive me, which he has.” The Texas congressman had previously denied the allegations of an affair on several occasions and said…

Sky York Journal The Trump administration is waging war on Iran without congressional authorization, violating a key constitutional principle while further sidelining a supposedly co-equal branch of government, experts told TPM. But there’s one veto Congress retains to stop Trump’s ongoing assault in Iran: appropriations. It’s the biggest and sole remaining source of real leverage that Congress has to compel an end to the war with Iran, Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at International Crisis Group and a former lawyer in the State Department’s Office of the Legal Adviser, told TPM. “The ultimate war power is the power of the…

Sky York Journal About an hour into the Republican gubernatorial debate in Iowa earlier this year, Adam Steen, who is one of the leading candidates in the primary, made an eye-popping claim.  “We need to decimate the chemical abortions,” Steen said. “You talk about water quality, what’s happening in our water because of that, those chemical abortions that are coming through there.” The comment received relatively little notice apart from a few mentions on social media. However, Steen’s claim was notable both as an indication of how far to the right the GOP gubernatorial hopefuls are running in a state…

Sky York Journal This article is part of TPM’s ongoing “Creating the Enemy Within” project, tracking the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on dissent. As the Trump administration brings anti-Trump activists up on terrorism charges, it’s finding that one state has already cleared a path.  In Texas, state prosecutors are using a 2023 anti-terrorism law to investigate and charge what the Trump administration has deemed an “Antifa cell” in a parallel federal prosecution. The investigations center on events surrounding a July 2025 demonstration outside the Prairieland, Texas, ICE detention facility during which a responding police officer was shot. Trial…

Sky York Journal On Sunday, two days after President Donald Trump ordered the start of “Operation Epic Fury” against Iran, John Hagee, the 85-year-old televangelist and founder of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), delivered a sermon at his Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas. Standing in front of a banner that read “God’s Coming… Operation Epic Fury,” Hagee thanked Trump, “whose wisdom and courage has crushed the enemies of Zion.” He then quickly pivoted to a familiar refrain for anyone who — like me — has followed Hagee’s career since he founded CUFI in 2006: that the American and Israeli…