Pete Buttigieg, the former U.S. Transportation Secretary and a notable figure within the Democratic Party, revealed that law enforcement arrived at his home following false allegations. He believes this incident, which briefly separated him from his children, was likely politically motivated. Buttigieg, considered a potential candidate for the 2028 presidential race, shared these details on Friday.

As an openly gay politician and a prominent advocate for LGBTQ rights within the Democratic Party, Buttigieg expressed feelings of “rage and sadness” over the incident. He suggested that the situation may have stemmed from homophobia, as it involved his twin 4-year-olds in an ordeal he sees as a targeted attack on his family.

“They are four years old. Four,” Buttigieg emphasized in a blog post. “They have no knowledge of what it means to be a Democrat or a Republican. They’re unaware of politics and are blissfully ignorant of hatred. Their biggest concern should be choosing what type of ice cream they’ll enjoy, not undergoing interviews with strangers or wondering why I’m unavailable for their bedtime stories.”

In the blog post, Buttigieg recounted how, just days earlier, his Michigan residence was visited by a Child Protective Services representative and a police officer. They informed him of an allegation connected to his young twins that necessitated interviews with the children without his presence, followed by a separate interview with him.

During the investigation, Buttigieg was instructed not to be alone with his children without supervision. Consequently, he and his husband, Chasten, arranged for their children to stay with their grandparents temporarily.

“The twenty-four hours until they returned are among the darkest hours of my life. I tried to get my head around the idea that I had been accused of something so serious that I couldn’t be alone around my own children, and had consented to have them interviewed by strangers, without my knowing where the accusation had come from or even what it contained,” Buttigieg wrote.

“Many times over the years, I have been denounced, yelled at, protested, threatened, and heckled. I’ve been through political attacks in office, death threats in public life, and rocket attacks in war,” the military veteran added. “But this is the ugliest thing that has happened to me since my career in service began.”

Buttigieg wrote that he later found out from police while being interviewed that someone who claimed to have met him at a conference had said that Buttigieg had told her he had “committed unspeakable violent crimes,” and so that his children were at risk.
He added that both police and CPS appeared to find the allegations unsubstantiated, and that he was soon allowed again to be around his children unsupervised.

Michigan State Police confirmed that the anonymous report from the person was false.

“False reports are dangerous and divert law enforcement officers and Child Protective Services workers from responding to legitimate emergencies and protecting vulnerable children and families,” Michigan State Police said in a statement.

Buttigieg praised the police and CPS officials as “courteous and professional,” writing that they and the interviewers “were just following procedure and doing their jobs – admirable jobs that must be incredibly difficult every day, protecting the most vulnerable children from the most horrible threats … their time and resources were wasted in a cruel, politically motivated hoax that harmed our family.”

Buttigieg, during his time in President Joe Biden’s White House, moved to his husband’s hometown of Traverse City, Michigan.

“Everyone knows politics is ugly these days. It’s always been ugly, but now it feels more and more like bloodsport. Cruelty, lies, and even deadly violence have been directed at political figures across the ideological spectrum. Generally everyone agrees this has to stop, even as our country (and public figures) get all too used to it,” Buttigieg wrote. “Even so, this is different… Now our family is left to deal with the aftermath. I worry about any unseen effects this had on our kids, on Chasten and me, and on the rest of our family.”

He later added, “I don’t know who did this, or exactly what prompted them to try. It’s not lost on me that this happened soon after we shared photos of our family on social media for Father’s Day. Or that this occurred during a month meant to make families like ours feel welcome and safe. We’re used to nasty, hateful, and sometimes violent things being said about us and even about our family. But this is the first time someone managed to invade our lives like this – and drag our children into it.”

Buttigieg said he is exploring pressing civil or criminal charges over the incident.

It’s pretty bad, to put it mildly.

Watching Larry David’s latest attempt at capturing American life in HBO’s new series “Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness,” dedicated to the country’s 250th anniversary, left me contemplating a personal secession.

For decades, viewers have been trained, much like Pavlov’s dogs, to burst into laughter at the mere sight of David, the brilliant mind behind “Seinfeld” and the beloved cynical character starring in “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

This time, however, the familiar bringer of laughs, whose real-life persona inspired George Costanza, is greeted with uncomfortable silence. The usual comedic spell breaks in this jarring seven-episode series, notably brought to life by the production team of comedy heavyweights Barack and Michelle Obama.

In the inaugural episode of “Unhappiness,” which certainly lives up to its name, not even a hint of amusement crossed my face. Instead, frowns, glowers, and scowls dominated my expression, prompting a personal twist on a familiar national tune: And the critic’s red glare! The jokes bursting on air!

The show’s shtick is that it plops David and his usually hilarious modern gripes and grievances into major moments in American history: the writing of the Declaration of Independence, the trenches of World War I. 

In one scene, he plays telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell as he first demonstrates his device. But the chatty guy on the other end, played by Richard Kind, is so annoying that Bell hangs up.

Another imagines Rosa Parks (Jurnee Smollett) on an earlier bus ride than the pivotal one that sparked a movement. She sits next to David’s character Murray, who jabbers on so much that she voluntarily moves to the back to shake him.

The skits are more amusing when described than viewed because a synopsis takes 10 seconds, not five minutes. 

Onscreen, the segments arrive at their obvious destination fast and then linger there far too long — a personal quality that “Curb” Larry would surely not approve of. 

It also does the vignettes no favors that they are all borderline identical and, unlike in a great “Curb” episode, don’t add up to a big payoff.

I can understand why David signed onto this. The series was the brainchild of stand-up-comic legend President Obama. It’s hard to say “no” to a previous commander in chief (who’s embarked on a weird Hollywood career), even when you play a character beloved for saying “no” to pretty much everybody else. 

Also, one of David’s biggest inspirations early in his career was Mel Brooks. Maybe he thought that “Unhappiness” would be his very own “History of the World: Part I.” 

Well, he wound up with something closer to Brooks’ 2023 Hulu show, “History of the World: Part II” — hated by the few people who actually watched it.

How depressing. To my mind, David is just about the funniest man on the planet. This feels like a kidnapping. 

And if he was so intent on making more semi-improvisational TV that takes advantage of his grouchy persona — using the same bits from “Curb,” by the way — he should’ve just made another season of “Curb.” That series’ worst episode is ten times better than this.

David had an unique path to celebrity. He made his fortune with “Seinfeld” behind the scenes and then became famous playing a fictionalized version of himself for an impressive 24 years. In the minds of audiences, he and his TV double have merged. 

So, wherever he goes, he always portrays amped-up “Larry David” — his Bernie Sanders on “Saturday Night Live” was that with hiked-up shoulders — because that’s what he knows and what people want.  

Yet, as his disappointing latest HBO effort proves, Larry’s bitter, picky antics don’t fit in everywhere. Really, I’m convinced 2024’s terrific finale of “Curb” should have marked the end of them.

Alas. 

For David’s sake, let’s hope that “Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness” winds up a footnote in his own history.

On Thursday, a man who confessed to setting a Virginia city council member ablaze due to suspicions of an affair, received a 40-year prison sentence.

In April, Shotsie Buck-Hayes admitted to charges of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated malicious wounding following his assault on Danville City Council Member Lee Vogler.

Eyewitnesses recounted to the court that on July 30, 2025, Buck-Hayes burst into Vogler’s office in Danville, doused him with gasoline, then chased him outside before igniting him, as reported by Cardinal News.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Newman informed reporters that during the sentencing, Buck-Hayes spoke, presenting what he termed an apology, and attributing his actions to an alleged romantic involvement between Vogler and Buck-Hayes’ wife, Mary Alice.

Mary Alice filed for divorce in mid-July 2025, about two weeks before the attack, according to court records cited by Cardinal News.

In September 2025, during the grand jury phase of the case, Sgt. Gerrit Clay with the Danville Police Department testified that Buck-Hayes intended to kill the married father of two over this alleged affair, an accusation that has never been substantiated.

Blair Vogler, the council member’s wife, testified that the attack left her husband with second- and third-degree burns across 60% of his body.

After the attack, Vogler was immediately airlifted to the burn unit at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and spent months recovering.

“In order to correct those burns, they had to take an additional 35% of his skin, so there was a time when he was 95% open,” Blair Vogler testified, according to Cardinal News. “That has led to infections, he’s had burn shock, septic shock… a smoke inhalation injury, and burns to his lungs, so he had pneumonia.”

Circuit Judge James Reynolds sentenced Buck-Hayes to life in prison. He gave him 10 years for attempted murder and a life sentence for aggravated malicious wounding, but suspended part of both sentences, giving him a 40-year term.

Attorneys for Buck-Hayes say they are planning on appealing his sentence. They also said he is not a U.S. citizen and that in the future, he will likely return to his home country, the United Kingdom, according to ABC11.

After the attack, doctors believed Vogler would have to stay in the hospital for six months. According to his GoFundMe, he was discharged from the hospital on Oct. 21, 2025, roughly three months earlier than expected.

That same day, Vogler attended his first city council meeting since the attack and was warmly welcomed back by his colleagues.

“Recovery remains a long road—months to years—and will include orthopedic surgeries for a condition called heterotopic ossification, as well as future cosmetic and laser procedures to improve functionality, range of motion, and everyday independence,” Blair Vogler wrote in a December 2025 update on the GoFundMe. “One of Lee’s greatest challenges right now is working to regain use of the left hand due to nerve damage.”

Vogler was elected to the city council in 2012 at the age of 24, making him the youngest person to ever be ascend to that position.

Phil Mickelson, a six-time major winner, has chosen to withdraw from the upcoming Open Championship. This decision follows the significant controversy surrounding accusations of sexual misconduct.

Recently, Mickelson has been largely absent from professional golf, participating in only one event on the LIV Golf tour this year. He attributed his absence to a family health emergency.

Mickelson’s decision to skip the Open at Royal Birkdale signifies that he won’t be taking advantage of his exemption as a former champion, a privilege granted until he turns 60. Mickelson last claimed the title back in 2013 at Muirfield.

The Telegraph has noted that Mickelson made this decision a fortnight ago, making it the first time in 17 years that he will miss the Open Championship.

The announcement of Mickelson’s absence closely follows a revealing report on his personal life by Skratch, authored by renowned golf writer Alan Shipnuck. This report delves into the allegations that have marred Mickelson’s public image.

In the piece, Mickelson is accused of allegedly showing a naked photograph of himself with an erect penis to the wife of fellow Tour professional Pat Perez during a tournament in 2015.

Ashley Perez, who was married to Pat from 2014 to 2023, told the outlet the incident occurred during the Barclays tournament in New Jersey, when Mickelson arranged for the couple to join him at his villa at Liberty National Golf Course.

While Pat had excused himself to use the restroom, leaving Ashley and Mickelson alone on the patio, she claims the six-time major champion produced his phone and showed her a full-body image of himself naked and aroused.

‘Phil says to me, “I’m going to leave my bedroom door open tonight. When Pat falls asleep I want you to come see me”,’ Ashley told Shipnuck.

According to the outlet, she said she declined his advances and did not immediately tell her husband, saying she had not wanted to create a scene mid-tournament. 

When Perez was eventually told, he confronted Mickelson – who the outlet reports ultimately apologized during a corporate outing at the Madison Club in La Quinta, California.

The allegation became central to Perez’s now-notorious comments on Claude Harmon’s podcast in November 2022, when he said: ‘I have a different hate for Phil than most people. 

‘Phil crossed the line with me that is just uncrossable and unforgivable. He knows that he screwed up. He apologized for the action, but I cannot forgive him for it.’

Ashley Perez says she has a recording of a subsequent 26-minute phone call between Pat and Mickelson. During it, she claims, Mickelson alternated between contrition and saying he could not remember the details of the evening. Shipnuck also reports he has listened to the recording.

When Pat told him he had shown Ashley ‘a naked photo’, Mickelson is alleged to have responded: ‘You mean topless?’

Without fully admitting what had happened, Mickelson is said to have told the couple: ‘I can’t tell you how disgusted and embarrassed I am in myself.’

The allegations against Mickelson, 56, come amid a separate and already-public scandal involving the six-time major champion. 

Earlier this month, Golf Digest reported that Mickelson had been removed as a member of The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California, amid allegations of inappropriate physical contact with a female staff member. 

According to multiple sources, Mickelson approached the employee in the clubhouse, made non-consensual and inappropriate physical contact with her, and he was confronted by club officials mid-round before being told to vacate the premises. 

A representative confirmed he had resigned from the club.

The Skratch report paints the incidents as part of a deeply entrenched pattern of behavior. Mickelson had previously departed two other high-end clubs – the Madison Club and The Bridges, also in Rancho Santa Fe – with sources at both saying personal conduct was a primary factor.

A woman who attended a tournament dinner with Mickelson during the same period describes an encounter she characterizes as deeply disturbing. 

‘Out of nowhere, Phil started asking the most inappropriate questions about my personal life and then propositioning me in graphic detail,’ she told Skratch. 

‘He went on and on about how he had been fantasizing about me and all the things he wanted to do to me. It was horrible.’

Ashley Perez also describes a separate dinner – predating the nude photo incident – at which she claims Mickelson ‘kept taking’ conversation ‘somewhere very dark and sexual’, making graphic gestures at the table.

In the statement provided to Skratch, a spokeswoman for Mickelson said: ‘Some of the allegations circulating about Mr Mickelson are false, and others revisit mistakes he has already acknowledged, publicly or privately. Recovery is not a straight line. Mr Mickelson’s priority is to become the husband, father, and man his family deserves.’

Mickelson has not competed since LIV Golf’s South Africa event in March and has cited a private family health matter for his absence. 

He missed the Masters, skipped the PGA Championship, and – his five-year exemption from the 2021 PGA Championship having now expired – was not extended a special invitation to this week’s US Open at Shinnecock Hills.

A display of his achievements in The Farms clubhouse has since been removed.

In a statement provided to The California Post on Friday, Mickelson’s attorney, Tom Clare, offered a scathing assessment of the allegations. 

‘A small segment of the golf media has decided that because Mr. Mickelson is a successful golfer, every detail of his private and family life is theirs to exploit,’ the lawyer said. 

‘Recycling mistakes he has already acknowledged as new reporting, and dragging private family matters into public view, is reckless. It is the pursuit of clicks at the expense of the truth. Do better.’ 

The Daily Mail has reached out to Mickelson’s representatives for comment. 

During a family trip in the Bahamas, a 12-year-old boy faced a harrowing encounter with nature. While swimming 60 miles offshore, young Parker Roll found himself in a dire situation after being attacked by a shark. Fortunately, his older brother became his rescuer.

Parker, hailing from Friendswood, Texas, was enjoying a boat excursion with his brother Jack, 16, touring the breathtaking Exuma Cays. What started as a peaceful family getaway quickly shifted into a scene of terror.

The adventurous brothers decided to explore a bay near Staniel Cay island, leaving their family behind momentarily. It was then that Parker noticed the large predator, an eight-to-ten-foot shark, moments before it struck.

“I called out to [Jack],” Parker recounted to Click2Houston. “I said, ‘Look at this rock. It looks like a humongous shark.’”

Jack, observing the creature from a few feet away, initially dismissed it as harmless. This brave yet potentially misleading moment soon turned into an urgent rescue mission as Jack sprang into action to save his younger brother from the perilous encounter.

“I just hear this ear-piercing scream, and the clearest blue water turned to the murkiest red,” Jack told the outlet.

Parker managed to swim to shore before the agonizing pain took over.

“I looked down and I could see my bone. It just felt like a knife stabbing over and over, then twisting,” Parker said.

Jack wasted no time coming to his brother’s aid. He yelled for everyone else to get out of the water as he took off Parker’s swimsuit and tied it tightly around his leg to stop the bleeding.

Another group member helped fend off the shark until the boat crew arrived at the scene. It was unclear which species of shark attacked Parker. In the summer, aggressive tiger sharks, hammerheads and bull sharks all swim where the boy was attacked.

But Jack and Parker roamed far along the island, so rescuers had to carry Parker around the shoreline while keeping his leg above water, Click2Houston reported.

On the remote island, there was no cell service or radio signal, the Roll family said. It took about 45 minutes for the crew to regain service.

When they finally docked, an ambulance was waiting for Parker. He was treated for severe injuries to his leg and foot. His mother Katherine told The Post he needed roughly 30 to 40 stitches.

“I didn’t lose my leg, but there was a high possibility if I kept bleeding and it wasn’t stopped,” Parker told the outlet.

Doctors also told him that if his brother didn’t swoop in and stop the bleeding, the grim attack could have been fatal. Parker is expected to make a full recovery.

“I’m also glad I didn’t just bleed out there,” Parker told Click2Houston. “Especially when you’re that far offshore.”

Nigel Farage recently asserted that mass migration has significantly altered the fabric of the nation. According to the Reform UK leader, the resignation of Prime Minister Keir Starmer underscores that the United Kingdom’s political framework is “completely broken.” Farage advocates for a new general election, expressing confidence that his party stands a strong chance of emerging victorious.

During an exclusive conversation at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference in London, a gathering dedicated to discussions on culture, Western civilization, and Judeo-Christian values, Farage remarked that Starmer’s resignation is not an isolated incident. Instead, he views it as a continuing repercussion of Brexit, the political upheaval that reshaped British politics a decade ago.

“Ten years ago yesterday, we experienced a political earthquake in the UK known as Brexit,” Farage commented. “The traditional parties have struggled to adjust to this change.”

As a leading figure in the Brexit campaign and now the head of Reform UK, Farage has persistently argued that Britain’s political elite has failed to meet voters’ demands for stricter immigration controls and enhanced national sovereignty.

Starmer announced his resignation,on Monday paving the way for Britain to have its seventh leader in a decade. Reuters reported on June 24 that Andy Burnham appeared positioned to succeed him, with the Labour leadership contest expected to begin July 9.

Farage said that Starmer’s defeat was sealed in local elections earlier this year, when Reform UK made sweeping gains in former Labour strongholds. Farage said those voters were the same people who powered Brexit — and that immigration remained central to their anger.

“All of those were Brexit voters,” he said. “Starmer wants to take us closer back to the EU. But one of the reasons we voted Brexit was immigration and border controls. So the boats certainly did him harm.”

He said Starmer’s reported strained relationship with President Donald Trump was not the direct cause of his resignation, but added that it contributed to the image of a leader who had lost control.

“I don’t think the breakdown of his relationship with Donald Trump impacted directly,” Farage said, “but it was part of a picture of a prime minister who’d lost control.”

Farage then delivered one of his sharpest assessments of Britain’s political instability.

“And can you believe it, but when Mr. Burnham becomes our next prime minister, it’ll be our sixth prime minister in seven years,” he said. “So our political system is completely broken.”

He argued that Burnham, if he entered Downing Street through a Labour leadership contest rather than a national election, would lack a public mandate. “I don’t even know what his policies are. Literally, I don’t,” he said.

“So I think for all of those reasons, there ought to be a general election and a fresh mandate,” he added, “and I certainly think Reform would have every chance of winning. Yes, I do.”

Farage also used the interview to cast Britain’s political turmoil as part of a broader Western crisis over borders, national identity and traditional values. He delivered a warning for Americans, saying the U.S. should avoid what he described as mistakes Britain made in diversity policies, policing and justice and immigration.

“Mass migration has changed this country, certainly in many of our cities, literally beyond recognition,” he said. “We’ve not been selective about who’s been able to come into the country. That is a major contributory factor.”

“I think the pendulum has swung so far in the DEI direction,” he said, “and we finished up, no doubt, in this country, with two-tier policing, with two-tier justice.”

“My message to Americans is that political change is coming,” he said. “All of this nonsense will get reversed.”

“But also, we’ve just lost our way,” he continued. “Our leaders do not want to stand up and defend any sense of traditional values.”

Asked about the relationship with the United States, Farage said he believes Britain should move closer to America, particularly on trade and financial services.

“My whole adult life has been closely intertwined with the United States of America,” he said, noting that his first job in 1982 was with the Wall Street firm Drexel Burnham Lambert.

“I think I can get on well with American leaders,” he said. “I hope and believe they can get on well with me.”

Farage said the two countries remain bound by investment, language and culture.

“You are the biggest foreign investor in Britain, and we’re still just about the biggest foreign investor in America,” he said. “And we share so much, not just language, but culture and so much else.”

“I really believe that a closer relationship with America, particularly breaking down some of the trade barriers in financial services, as an example, would be really good for both of us,” he said.

Farage also dismissed any serious push to take Britain back into the European Union.

“The price of going back into Europe would be giving up the currency, paying a massive membership fee every year,” he said. “So no, there is no demand for it, other than those stuck in the Westminster bubble who seem to be obsessed by it.”

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, Farage framed the American Revolution as a predecessor to the Brexit movement he championed.

“America was the first Brexit,” he said. “You struck out on your own, the first Brexit, and you became the most successful country in the world.”

In a heated exchange with JD Vance, Bill Maher revealed that his decision on who to vote for in the 2028 presidential election remains undetermined. The discussion turned contentious as Vance accused Big Tech of manipulating the 2020 election results by suppressing information and hindering the uninhibited exchange of ideas.

The highly charged topic of the 2020 election, still a sore point for President Donald Trump, resurfaced during Maher’s conversation with Vance on the latest episode of HBO’s Real Time, broadcasted on Friday.

Maher challenged Vance regarding Trump’s steadfast refusal to acknowledge his loss in the 2020 election. He directly questioned whether Vance would support efforts to steer the nation towards a more moderate political path and would concede graciously if an election result were justly lost.

However, Vance’s remarks seemed to resonate strongly with the audience, who reacted with enthusiastic applause.

Vance began his response with, “Alright, Bill, here’s where I might lose you…” acknowledging the potential divide in their views.

The vice president said candidates should accept defeat in legitimate elections, but argued the 2020 vote was not simply an ordinary contest defined only by Trump’s refusal to accept the results. 

Instead of directly answering, he pivoted to what he described as problems surrounding the election – particularly claims that media companies portrayed conservatives differently from liberals and shaped how information reached voters. 

‘Set to the side the stuff that really gets you and your audience very angry, about whether the count was legitimate in Georgia or Pennsylvania or any of these other states,’ Vance said.

Those allegations – fake ballots, voter-counting fraud, Dominion voting machines and key swing states – were heavily investigated and litigated, with no evidence found that widespread fraud changed the outcome of the election.

But Vance argued the election was ‘rigged’ not because votes were wrongly counted, but because social media companies censored and boosted certain stories, shaping what Americans saw before heading to the ballot box. 

‘The sense in which I think the election in 2020 was rigged, is that you had technology companies that were putting their thumb on the scale in a way that completely obliterated the real open exchange of ideas,’ he said.

‘By the way, it didn’t happen in 2024 but it happened in 2020 and it was a problem.’

Tech giants including Meta, Google, YouTube, TikTok and X continued to moderate and algorithmically promote content in both 2020 and 2024, though their policies have since evolved. 

The aftermath of the 2020 election triggered a wave of lawsuits from Trump and his allies alleging fraud – claims repeatedly rejected in court. 

Both sides were affected by platform moderation, although conservatives have argued it appeared to hit them harder amid a wave of election-related claims. Platforms deny any bias, insisting rules are applied evenly across the board.     

Since then, tech policy has shifted amid the fallout from the 2020 election, the January 6 Capitol riot, the COVID misinformation surge and growing regulatory pressure. 

But the interview didn’t stop there. Maher pressed Vance on a string of Trump administration issues, including DEI-related firings and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. 

Vance appeared to land another rare win with Maher’s anti-Maga audience during another war of words over Pentagon staffing under Hegseth.

Maher accused him of race-based firings, saying: ‘Did they go too far, probably, in the Pentagon with DEI and… yes, and now Pete Hegseth is like firing everyone who’s not whiter than an albino.’

‘No, he’s not! Come on, Bill!’ the vice president fired back, before Maher argued it ‘certainly looks that way.’

‘I disagree with that,’ Vance said. ‘I think sometimes things land right where they should but you take the story about Pete Hegseth.’

‘Obviously I’m biased, I like Pete, but if you look at the actual promotions we’ve done, there have been a lot of people from all walks of life,’ he added.

‘There have been some high profile people, where he said, you know what, I don’t think they merited a promotion. But the idea we are not promoting minorities in the Pentagon under Pete Hegseth, it’s just not true.’

Vance once again turned to the media, claiming they ‘actually obfuscate or conceal the truth rather than reporting what’s actually going on,’ a line that drew another round of applause.

Maher appeared to agree. ‘Of course they do, they all do!’ he said. ‘That’s why you have to read both sides.’

However, Hegseth has fired or sidelined nearly three dozen senior military officers as part of a broader campaign to purge the Pentagon of leaders he has called ‘foolish,’ ‘reckless’ and ‘woke,’ according to several outlets including NPR and The New York Times.

Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, claimed in recent Senate testimony that nearly 60 percent of senior officers removed under Hegseth have been female or black. 

‘You are hollowing out the military’s bench of experience and highest-performing senior officers, while making young officers wonder if they should continue to serve,’ Reed told him at a recent hearing.

In March, Hegseth blocked the promotions of four Army colonels – two women and two Black men – to one-star general, despite recommendations from the Army Secretary. 

Earlier this month, he removed nine Navy officers from a one-star promotion list – among them three women and two Black men. The revised 22-person list contained no women and just two non-white officers. 

Both current and former defense officials said the moves are highly unusual, explaining that officers are typically only removed for moral, mental, physical or professional failings. 

Taken together, the moves could reshape the military’s top ranks for years to come.

Meanwhile, by the end of the interview, Maher made a surprise revelation, admitting he could see himself voting for either Vance or Marco Rubio if the Democratic Party were taken over by socialists.

The late-night host said: ‘If this is where the Democratic Party is going, where this Democratic socialist, this obsession with Israel, with the Jew hating, they don’t believe in capitalism, no prisons…’

‘If this is where they’re going, my vote is in play,’ he added, to which Vance replied that he ‘likes to hear that.’

‘It actually always has been. Every year, I don’t make my decision by who has an R or a D, I actually always came to the conclusion that the Democrat was probably better and voted for them,’ Maher continued.

‘And Trump can’t run again and he’d be a little too exciting for me anyway. So it’s either going to be you or Rubio.’