U.S. and Israeli Military Leaders Hold Pentagon Talks as Tensions With Iran Escalate 
Medvedev Warns World Is Growing More Dangerous but Says Russia Seeks to Avoid Global Conflict 
Democrats Score Surprise Texas State Senate Win, Fueling Momentum Ahead of 2026 Midterms 
Putin Envoy Kirill Dmitriev to Visit Miami for Talks With Trump Administration Officials 
U.S.–Venezuela Relations Show Signs of Thaw as Top Envoy Visits Caracas 
Trump’s Iraq Envoy Mark Savaya Ousted Amid U.S.-Iraq Tensions Over Iran Influence 
U.S. Approves Over $6.5 Billion in Military Sales to Israel Across Three Defense Contracts 
Israel Intensifies Gaza Airstrikes Amid Ceasefire Tensions 
Peter Mandelson Resigns from Labour Party Amid Renewed Jeffrey Epstein Links 
Trump Says Fed Pick Kevin Warsh Could Win Democratic Support in Senate Confirmation 
Christian Menefee Wins Texas Special Election, Narrowing GOP House Majority 
U.S. Accuses Cuba of Harassing Top Diplomat Amid Rising Tensions 
Minnesota Judge Rejects Bid to Halt Trump Immigration Enforcement in Minneapolis 
Laura Fernandez Set to Become Costa Rica’s Next President, Promising Sweeping Political Change 
Zelenskiy Awaits U.S. Details as Ukraine Prepares for Possible Peace Talks Next Week 
Pierre Poilievre Retains Conservative Leadership After Election Defeat in Canada 
U.S. Government Enters Brief Shutdown as Congress Delays Funding Deal 
For ultimately refusing to go along with former President Donald Trump’s bidding, now-former vice president Mike Pence was among the targets of the pro-Trump mob on Jan. 6. Pence recently defended the Republican National Committee’s statement referring to the insurrection as “legitimate political discourse.”
Pence defended the RNC resolution that censured Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for being part of the Congressional committee investigating the insurrection which the RNC called “legitimate political discourse.” Pence was pressed on the resolution following his speech at Stanford University. The resolution was widely criticized, including condemnations from fellow Republicans.
The former vice president said the RNC made “a very clear statement after the fact that said we were talking about what’s happening in Washington today with the Jan. 6 committee.”
“They maintained, and I believe them, they were not talking about people that engaged in violence against persons or property that day, that they were speaking about a whole range of people that have been set upon by this committee,” Pence added. “And I believe them, they’re good people. And I believe that’s what they meant.”
Pence has previously described Jan. 6 as “a dark day” while trying to downplay the events at the same time. The pro-Trump mob called for Pence to be hanged for refusing to overturn the 2020 election results. Even Pence’s own top aide, Marc Short, said that there was no legitimate political discourse when the insurrection took place.
Prior to his Stanford speech, Pence made a very public rebuke of his former boss in saying that he had no authority to overturn an election.
A report by CNN, however, revealed that Pence did not initially plan on publicly condemning his former boss at the Federalist Society event. Pence felt compelled to speak following Donald Trump’s statements on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1, doubling down on his claim that Pence had the authority to reject the electoral votes and send the results back to the states.
Someone close to the vice president said that while Pence was not looking for his rebuke to be the main story, he will immediately clarify what is said about him if it is false.
