Marjorie Taylor Greene says Israel-Iran conflict splitting Trump’s MAGA base

WASHINGTON — As President Donald Trump considers whether to use America’s military might to help Israel destroy nuclear facilities in Iran, he is facing sharp criticism from some of his closest and highest-profile allies.

Georgia U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has joined other notable MAGA figures, such as former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, conservative commentator Tucker Carlson and former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, in saying that the U.S. should not get involved in Iran. Doing so, they say, would violate Trump’s commitment to an “America First” foreign policy approach.

“The campaign was ‘America First,’ and it was ‘America First’ unapologetically,” Greene, R-Rome, said during an interview with Gaetz this week on the far-right One American News Network. “And that means something to me, because that’s what people voted for.”

She has focused her criticism on fellow Republicans who she said are giving Trump bad advice as they encourage him to get involved in Israel’s war with Iran.

—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

LA faith leaders come together to defend immigrant communities amid federal raids

LOS ANGELES — More than a dozen religious leaders from an array of faiths marched to the steps of the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday night, flowers in hand, calling for an end to the federal immigration raids they say have torn families apart and resulted in racial profiling.

At the start of the procession in Plaza Olvera, Rev. Tanya Lopez, senior pastor at Downey Memorial Christian Church, recounted how last week she watched as plainclothes federal agents swarmed a constituent in the parking lot of her church. Despite her attempts to intervene, she said, the man was detained and she doesn't know where he is now.

"All of our faith traditions teach us to love our neighbor, to leave the world with less suffering than when we find it, and this is creating trauma that will be unable to be undone for generations," Lopez said.

Federal enforcement actions have played out across Southern California this week as the Trump administration carries out its vows to do mass deportations of immigrants in the country without documentation.

—Los Angeles Times

Minnesota Gov. Walz pivots from saying Democrats need to be ‘meaner’ to calling for civility after shooting of lawmakers

MINNEAPOLIS — Not long before the fatal shooting of a prominent Minnesota legislator left Gov. Tim Walz pleading for a more civil discourse, he was arguing that Democrats need to “be a little meaner” as his party fights for political relevance.

In March, Walz criticized Elon Musk as a “dipshit” and an “unelected South African nepo baby.” At the end of May, he compared Trump’s administration to “wannabe dictators and despots,” saying Democrats need to “beat the hell out of these dictators” in the polls.

Now, following the fatal shooting of state Rep. Melissa Hortman, Walz is calling for more civility and sounding reflective about the impact of his sharper rhetoric.

“It’s not about hatred, it’s not about mean tweets, it’s not about demeaning someone,” Walz said Sunday evening, hours after law enforcement apprehended the alleged gunman.

—Star Tribune

Romania nears deal to form government after weeks of deadlock

BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania’s pro-European parties closed in on an agreement to form a government as leaders set out to rein in a budget deficit that’s become the widest in the European Union.

The National Liberal Party put forward its leader, Ilie Bolojan, to be prime minister. The long-dominant Social Democrats, which declined to designate a candidate, said a coalition accord between the main parties and two smaller partners is likely as negotiators put the final touches on a deal.

“It’s hard to say at this moment that we’re at a 100% probability for a four-party ruling coalition, but I think we’re at about 80-90%,” Sorin Grindeanu, the Social Democrats’ interim leader, told reporters in Bucharest.

President Nicusor Dan, a centrist who beat back a far-right challenge to win the country’s highest office last month, is expected to nominate a prime minister on Friday, according to people familiar with the plans who asked not to be identified as talks take place behind closed doors.

—Bloomberg News