No more exclusion, calls Kretschmer.

In the run-up to the September elections, failing German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is promoting a reshuffle in his government, trying to get things on track to face the growing danger of the right-wing Alternative for German (AfD) party.

In the meantime, a key Merz ally has kicked off a major controversy by suggesting that the establishment conservatives should break the ‘firewall’, and cooperate with the country’s most popular party AfD.

Politico reported:

“Michael Kretschmer, premier of the eastern state of Saxony and a member of the chancellor’s center-right Christian Democratic Union, is challenging Merz’s insistence on keeping the country’s firewall against the surging AfD ahead of crucial elections in September that could put the far-right party in charge of a region for the first time.

‘Anyone who still talks about firewalls hasn’t recognized the signs of the times’, Kretschmer, who leads a minority government in Saxony, told the Handelsblatt newspaper in an interview earlier this week. ‘We need to talk to anyone who wants to talk’.”

As a ‘good’ globalist ‘leader’, Merz has ruled out cooperation with the AfD right-wingers.

But in eastern Germany, the polls show that the AfD has a chance of winning an outright majority in Saxony-Anhalt, and perform well in Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania and Berlin.

“At the national level, POLITICO’s Poll of Polls puts the AfD as the single most popular party with 28 percent support, with the Christian Democrats on 22 percent.

[…] The former communist East has long been a stronghold for the far-right force. It is also in this region that the AfD is known to be most radical, both in terms of personnel and the positions it represents. Out of the five regions in Germany’s East, four regional party branches are classified as right-wing extremist organizations by domestic intelligence agencies.”

In Saxony may reach a parliamentary majority, allowing it to take power at state level for the first time since its foundation in 2013.

Read more:

Gestapo Tactics: German State Starts Banning AfD Candidates from Running for Office Because They Might Win

The post NO MORE FIREWALL? Key Ally of German Chancellor Merz, Saxony Premier Michael Kretschmer Ignites Controversy by Suggesting a Collaboration With Rightwing AfD appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

President Trump on Thursday said he is “close to making a decision” on a “massive” bombing campaign against Iran as he threatens to hit Iranian transportation and energy infrastructure, including in Tehran. 

President Trump declared the US-Iran ceasefire was “over” earlier this month with harsh words for the Iranians after repeated violations of the memorandum of understanding signed last month. “I don’t want to deal with them anymore. They’re scum,” Trump said days before the now-13-day bombing streak started, describing Iranian leaders as “sick people” and “vicious, violent people.”

US forces are expected to continue bombing Iran tonight for a 14th consecutive day.

“I am considering a massive attack, bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it,” the President said in an interview with Axios yesterday.

“They haven’t received enough pain yet.”

Trump also said Israel “would join in two minutes if I ask them to.” Trump added, “We don’t need anybody” to join the attacks. He further described his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “very good,” adding, “I would meet with him if he is here.” Netanyahu is expected to attend the late Senator Lindsey Graham’s funeral wake in Washington next week. 

This comes after Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said this week that Israel has “no interest” in joining the ongoing US campaign.

“Right now, Israel has no interest in joining the conflict. The current situation, where there’s a war between Iran and the US, is actually the best scenario for us,” Smotrich said.

“The best way to bring about the regime’s downfall is to crush it economically,” he added. “Therefore, the current situation works in our favor, and we have no interest in pushing ourselves into it.”

Trump also put Iran on notice that “any and all damages done to Ships, Cargo, or anything related thereto, will be paid for by Iranian Money that the United States has in its possession, and controls.”

President Trump threatened earlier on Thursday to “hold Iran responsible” and inflict “major military punishment” upon Iran and the Houthis after the Iran-backed group began targeting shipping in the Red Sea on Wednesday.

A day earlier, the President issued new warnings against Iran, threatening to hit one power plant or bridge for every ship they hit in the Strait of Hormuz after Iran attacked another tanker near the coast of Oman on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Iran is now threatening to escalate the conflict beyond the Middle East, issuing threats against the United Kingdom on Thursday. The British government responded, saying it “stands ready 24/7 to defend itself.”

MORE:

BREAKING: Iran Threatens the UK – UK Says it “Stands Ready 24/7 to Defend Itself” 

The post Trump Says He’s “Close to” Ordering “Massive Attack, Bigger Than Ever Before” Against Iran – “They Haven’t Received Enough Pain Yet“ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham is refusing to back down.

After an ESPN profile in which the 29-year-old star said she wants to “protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” the radical left predictably lost its mind. Accusations of “hate” and “transphobia” poured in.

Speaking to reporters before Wednesday’s game against the Connecticut Sun, Cunningham made it crystal clear she is not walking anything back.

“I said what I said. I think it’s kind of common sense,” she declared. “I think I’ll always believe in that. It’s really important to protect children. And that’s little girls, who are also involved in that category. I stand by what I said and I’ll always believe that.”

She added: “I’m not a very political person, but I do have beliefs. I have morals, and I’ll always stand on those.”

Cunningham pointed to Title IX as the reason women’s sports even exist. Without sex-based categories rooted in biological reality, she argued, the entire purpose of women’s athletics collapses.

In the original ESPN interview that triggered the left’s rage, Cunningham rejected the smear that she “hates” transgender people.

“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” she said. “I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”

WATCH:

Sophie Cunningham responds to criticism over her recent comments to ESPN about wanting to protect women’s sports from “biological men.”

“I said what I said. I think it’s kind of common sense.

When it comes just to protecting young girls in sport and women in sport, I feel very… pic.twitter.com/2uh0MWj8zM

— Genevieve Gluck (@WomenReadWomen) July 23, 2026

The radical left’s hysterical reaction only proved her point. Instead of engaging with the obvious biological advantages males hold over females in competitive sports, strength, speed, bone density, lung capacity, activists and their media allies immediately reached for the “bigot” label.

This is the same crowd that spent years pretending Lia Thomas was a fair competitor and that female athletes should simply “be kind.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also came to Cunningham’s defense during Thursday’s press briefing.

“Men should not be playing in women’s sports. It’s completely ludicrous that anyone could support that,” Leavitt said. “It’s even more ludicrous that you do have Sophie Cunningham, a female athlete herself, very accomplished in her own right, coming forth and speaking that truth… The backlash she is receiving from Democrats and left-wing figures across the country is astonishing. They are clearly very out of touch with the American public on this issue, which again is an 80/20 issue. It’s common sense.”

Cunningham became a favorite among WNBA fans after defending teammate Caitlin Clark during a brutal June 2025 game against the Connecticut Sun. After Clark was poked in the eye, shoved, and knocked to the floor, Cunningham later grabbed Jacy Sheldon and pulled her down during a hard foul.

As The Gateway Pundit reported at the time, Cunningham quickly earned a reputation as Clark’s “enforcer.”

Now she is displaying that same courage off the court.

But Cunningham’s appeal extends far beyond basketball and politics.

She is also an amazing singer.

Via Sherri Unfiltered.

I knew Sophie Cunningham could play basketball …

I had NO idea she could sing like this!

What an incredible voice and such a beautiful surprise.
pic.twitter.com/xvqzWt2WhW

— Sherri Unfiltered (@FFT1776) July 22, 2026

The Special Olympics kids love her.
Via WISH-TV.

CHECK THIS OUT: Five players from the Hendricks County Special Olympics Basketball program were super excited to meet Sophie Cunningham at today’s Indiana Fever practice.

“I like when you do this !”

All five players signed one-day contracts with the team. pic.twitter.com/omwtzInodb

— WISH-TV News (@WISHNews8) July 20, 2026

The UFC fans love her.

Same energy @BlessedMMA | @sophaller pic.twitter.com/xkHBAPQjSv

— UFC (@ufc) July 12, 2026

The girls love her.

This is what it’s about.

If the league was smart, they’d lean in to Sophie. Fans love her & young athletes look up to her! https://t.co/dAYQiRhV9A

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) July 20, 2026

The late night audience loves her.

We’ve found the next official WNBA logo and its Sophie Cunningham.@sophaller pic.twitter.com/ud9ocKJPDh

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 8, 2026

Stephen A. Smith supports her.

Sophie Cunningham Said What Others Are AFRAID to Say!

My Full Take in the Comments. pic.twitter.com/dsiXtxNwyE

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 23, 2026

The post After Backlash From Radical Left — Sophie Cunningham Doubles Down on Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports: “I Said What I Said” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Hollywood’s latest TDS patient, Reacher star Alan Ritchson, went full unhinged on a podcast this week, spewing vulgar accusations against President Donald Trump while demanding the Epstein files, files that only saw daylight because of Trump.

The unhinged rant came during an appearance on Josh Horowitz’s “Happy Sad Confused” podcast as the actor raged about the Epstein files.

Ritchson, the same self-proclaimed Christian who previously labeled Trump a “rapist and a con man” and attacked Christians who support him, could barely contain himself.

“People, I think, are a little bit afraid of me because they’re like, he’s a loose cannon. And I’m not. I’m just saying the sh*t that everybody should say if they give a sh*t about humanity,” Ritchson said.

“Everybody else should feel like I feel. The world is on fire… Like all mad about the way things are and the abuses that are happening.”

Ritchson, who claims to be a devout Christian, then launched into a full meltdown over the Epstein files.

“The Epstein files, the f**king Epstein files. Goddamn it. Where are they?” Ritchson ranted. “It’s a f**king law, b*tch. Show it, you f**king pedophiles.”

“I shouldn’t say ‘f**k’ because I’m a Christian, and people are gonna go, like, ‘How can you say “f**k” when you’re a Christian?’ Because that is something that should make you want to say ‘f**k.’ You know—sorry, God. I’m sweating now… This is my f**king politics, dude.”

Ritchson continued, insisting he would “railroad these f**kers” and get the files out “in two seconds.”

“I would get those Epstein files out in two seconds. Yeah, dude, two seconds. F**king move out of the way. Like, get out of there. I don’t care what room they’re in, b*tch, move. Like, give me the f**king manila envelope. I will get you the Epstein files.”

Ritchson’s unhinged rant quickly spiraled from demanding transparency into a reckless personal attack against President Trump.

“Don’t you want to see what’s in there so that we can hold people accountable? These fking rapists, we’re just cool with it? That bch has the keys to the nuclear— he’s like, like, all up into 13-year-olds. Like, dude, what? Go to jail. Go to jail.”

WATCH:

“Reacher” star Alan Ritchson calls President Trump a “f**king rapist” in a tirade about the Epstein files.

“That b*tch has the keys to the nuclear codes. He’s, like, all up into 13-year-olds. Like, dude, what? Go to jail.” pic.twitter.com/7EqEWfFUBW

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) July 24, 2026

No criminal charge has been filed against President Trump in connection with Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. Trump has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and has said he was unaware of Epstein’s sexual abuse and trafficking operation.

An anonymous woman filed a civil lawsuit in 2016 accusing Trump and Epstein of assaulting her when she was 13. The lawsuit was voluntarily withdrawn before the allegations were tested in court, and Trump denied the claims.

President Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law in November 2025. The Department of Justice has already released roughly 3.5 million pages of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein under the law. Yet Ritchson is still screaming that the files are being hidden by “pedophiles” and that Trump somehow needs to “go to jail.”

The same Hollywood that spent years ignoring Epstein’s connections to their own industry and Democrat power brokers is now clutching pearls and inventing new accusations against the man who actually signed the bill forcing the files into the open.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, Ritchson attacked Christians who support Trump in 2024 while branding Trump a “rapist” and a “con man.”

“Trump is a rapist and a con man, and yet the entire Christian church seems to treat him like he’s their poster child, and it’s unreal,” Ritchson said at the time.

“Christians today have become the most vitriolic tribe,” he added while lecturing millions of Christian Trump supporters.

The Gateway Pundit also reported in March on Ritchson’s violent confrontation with a Tennessee neighbor in front of children. Police ultimately determined that the actor acted in self-defense and closed the investigation without filing charges.

Ritchson is free to demand transparency concerning the Epstein files. Millions of Americans agree that every lawfully releasable document should be disclosed and every criminal should be held accountable.

But demanding transparency does not give a Hollywood actor license to publicly accuse the President of raping children without presenting evidence. Ritchson may want to lawyer up.

The post “Reacher” Actor Alan Ritchson Melts Down, Calls President Trump a “F**king Rapist” Who Is “All Up Into 13-Year-Olds” in Deranged Epstein Rant appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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The post Earn A $200 Bonus And Pay No Interest Until Nearly 2028 appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.