Mike Johnson shredded by analyst for 'dumb' move to kick politics' biggest hornet's nest

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) got a tongue-lashing from The Bulwark's Joe Perticone on Thursday for going after one of the most beloved and fiercely-guarded programs in America: Social Security.

“The reason we’re in trouble is because over seventy-four percent of federal spending is on autopilot — mandatory spending, that is your entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and things like Social Security — they have to be adjusted and fixed,” Johnson said on the Moon Griffon Show. “We have a plan to do that next year, and it’s critical, because we’re at $40 trillion-plus in debt. At some point, you get into a hole so deep you can’t climb out of it, so desperate times call for desperate measures.”

Johnson isn't alone in his concerns, as a number of conservatives have argued the way Social Security benefits are structured is unsustainable and even regressive. Nonetheless, he committed an extremely "dumb" sin in saying this, Perticone said, as voters overwhelmingly want to save Social Security benefits and see them as their birthright upon retirement.

"There are a few general rules for survival in politics. Chief among them is to never, ever f--- with Social Security. Suggesting that the widely popular, essential program could be on the chopping block if your party holds the majority is a kind of political malpractice almost unthinkable for how stupid and self-damaging it is," said Perticone. Trump himself has vowed not to ever cut Social Security on the campaign trail.

Additionally, Perticone said, Johnson saw Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) take a thrashing in the press and among voters in 2022 after pushing an 11-point plan requiring all federal programs to "sunset" after five years, and particularly catch outrage because he didn't bother to exempt Social Security from it.

This comes as other Republicans are now being made to answer for Johnson's Social Security comments. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) was even caught faking a phone call to try to get away from being asked about it.

President Donald Trump on Thursday claimed he would take over Washington, D.C. if the mayoral candidate he doesn't want to win gets elected, according to The Washington Post.

Trump made it clear for the first time that he was opposed to democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George winning the Democratic primary next week.

"One of the two leading candidates is running a Zohran Mamdani campaign focusing on socialist policies," a reporter said. "How would you feel if she wins?"

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he "wouldn't like it" if Lewis George wins. He also threatened that his administration “maybe would take back Washington, run it on the federal basis.”

Lewis George, who has been leading in polls and criticized the president throughout the campaign, issued this statement:

“We are not going to get ICE off our streets by fearing this president. We are not going to protect our rights or Home Rule by obeying in advance. Threatening Home Rule because you do not like how residents vote is an attack on democracy itself. The people of DC elect the mayor of DC. And they want someone who will stand up to Donald Trump.”

Trump would need congressional approval to take over Washington, D.C. He has not explained why he is against the candidate.

"While he has authority to seize temporary control of the city’s police department and to deploy the D.C. National Guard, as he did last year, Trump is legally barred from unilaterally revoking the city’s right to self-government, a step that would require an act of Congress," according to The Post.

New Mexico’s top environmental official warned lawmakers Tuesday the Trump administration could curtail the state’s ability to oversee federal facilities around the state — especially at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

At a Santa Fe presentation before the Radioactive and Hazardous Waste Materials interim committee, state Environment Secretary James Kenney outlined the state’s recent actions to require the U.S. Department of Energy, which oversees the nation’s nuclear mission, to address legacy waste cleanup and pollution in New Mexico.

Kenney highlighted regulatory clashes with federal operators this year: The state issued nearly $16 million in fines over legacy waste and issued new requirements for the permit to operate the nation’s sole nuclear waste disposal site in southern New Mexico.

He said while the state remains in talks with contractors and top DOE officials to address next steps, he warned that specific watchdogging of federal facilities at NMED’s Department of Energy Oversight Bureau remains dependent on federal grants.

The office has overseen the water, air and environmental monitoring projects at LANL and Sandia National laboratories since 1990, and later included the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad. Lapsed federal funding threatened the office’s operation in May 2025.

Kenney characterized recent conversations during which U.S. DOE officials “have threatened to pull the money” for the office — which is entirely grant-funded — and noted the grant is up for renewal next year.

“Oversight is happening, and I don’t want anyone to think it isn’t, but I worry for the longevity of our ability to oversee the federal government specifically, Los Alamos,” he told lawmakers. “If they’re don’t like what’s happening from a regulatory standpoint and their answer is, ‘we’re going to modify or take away grant money.’”

In response to a Source NM inquiry about Kenney’s assertions that federal officials had threatened the state’s oversight grants, Justin Doil, a DOE Office of Environmental Management spokesman, said in a statement that the grant is to be used for “non-regulatory activities.”

“Modifying permits is a regulatory activity. Grant recipients are responsible for adhering to the terms of DOE-awarded grants and ensuring staff use grant funds within the scope and conditions of the grant,” he said in the statement.

Kenney urged lawmakers to “demand” the federal government continue funding oversight.

“I think our ability to oversee the federal government needs to be one you’ve all bipartisanly supported, one in which we hold the federal government accountable,” Kenney told lawmakers.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle said they were concerned that New Mexico remains a “dumping ground” for legacy waste, and said the underfunding of cleanup extended through multiple presidential administrations.

Even with that acknowledgement, Sen. Harold Pope (D-Albuquerque) said the action by the executive to potentially remove grant funding puts the state in “unprecedented” circumstances.

“We can all put blame on all the past administrations (for not making these) investments on the clean up, or prevention and remediation,” Pope said. “But I think these are even worse times when in some cases, bills are passed from Congress and grant funding gets pulled by the President, the executive.”

President Donald Trump called "Fox & Friends" to discuss the Iran war, boasting about dropping $250 million of bombs on Iran and claiming the country is in submission.

He complained media coverage suggested the strikes were not hard enough and claimed Iranian officials appreciate American journalists' assistance, according to journalist Aaron Rupar.

Trump indicated reluctance to pursue peace, suggesting he prefers escalating further.

He also mischaracterized U.S. military losses, claiming 13 soldiers lost in the Iran war compared to hundreds of thousands in Vietnam — though Vietnam War deaths exceeded 58,000 American service members, clarified analyst Chris Beauchamp while using a vulgar acronym.

All of Trump's statements on "Fox & Friends" drew immediate criticism.

Analysts highlighted the $250 million expenditure coincided with Republican cuts to the $200 million WIC program supporting pregnant women.

"Legitimately impressed in our collectively rationalize away the fact that the president is insane," Political scientist Josh Zingher wrote on Bluesky.

"We experiencing a level of mass delusion most societies could only dream of."

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