‘Is JD Vance aware that a small village in rural Tyrone is his ancestral home? Very unlikely, but I would love him to visit Coagh'
A Stormont department insists it has found a potential link to back claims by US Vice President JD Vance that his ancestral roots have Ulster Scots links.
The research is also backed up by a local historian who has traced the Vance family back to the Tyrone village of Coagh.
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The Independent
10 hours ago
- The Independent
JD Vance's veiled threat to deport the man behind a popular menswear X account using Jack Nicholson meme
Vice President JD Vance appeared to suggest he would deport a man who runs a popular X account focused on menswear after the user shared his experience living as an undocumented immigrant in the United States. On the social media platform, the user, known as 'derek guy,' posted a long message encouraging people not to view undocumented immigrants as 'MS-13 members', as the Trump administration has characterized many, but instead as 'neighbors' such as himself. As a result, people on X tagged Vance, telling the vice president he has the 'opportunity to do the funniest thing ever' – an indirect way of suggesting he deport the X user. Vance responded with a meme of actor Jack Nicholson shaking his head 'yes' menacingly. 'Derek guy,' also known as 'menswear guy,' uses his X account to share his thoughts on current trends and comment on people's clothing. He has previously critiqued Vance for his clothing choices, including pants that are 'too slim,' jackets that 'don't hug him very well,' and a tie that was 'a distraction.' But on Monday, 'derek guy' chose to use his popular account to recount his own experience with immigration in the U.S., admitting that his mother brought him into the U.S. over the Canadian border when he was a baby. 'Derek guy' said his parents fled their home in Vietnam after the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War. After landing in Canada, his parents tried to find jobs to support their family. Ultimately, his father came to the U.S. to work, and shortly after, his mother followed, he said. 'Since I came here without legal documentation, I eventually fell into the category of being an undocumented immigrant. Yet, I've been in the United States since I was a baby. My identity and roots are very much based in this country, no different from anyone else,' the menswear guru wrote on X. 'The lack of legal immigration has totally shaped my life. It has made every interaction with the law much scarier. It has shaped which opportunities I could or could not get. It has taken an emotional toll, as this legal issue hangs over your head like a black cloud,' he added. His comments come as the Trump administration's immigration raids in Los Angeles make headlines due to the counterprotests that have emerged in opposition to Trump's mass deportation agenda. 'Derek guy' called the current immigration sweeps 'inhumane' and encouraged those opposing them to do more to support pro-immigration groups and follow career paths which could help people who are suddenly being deported. He said he hopes that his story will make people think more empathetically of undocumented immigrants. As a final blow to Vance's suit choices, 'derek guy' replied to the vice president's veiled threat with images of Vance in poorly-fitted suits. 'I think I can outrun you in these clothes,' he wrote.
NBC News
11 hours ago
- NBC News
White House struggles to hire senior advisers to Pete Hegseth
Hegseth will testify before lawmakers on Capitol Hill three times this week, his first appearance since his confirmation hearing. His testimony is scheduled to focus on the Pentagon budget, but no Defense Department budget has been provided to Congress as of yet. Vance, Wiles and others have looked for job candidates in some of the traditional places, including inside the White House and on Capitol Hill, according to the second former U.S. official, a defense official and a congressional aide. Some candidates have been judged politically problematic, the former U.S. official and others familiar with the process said. For example, the White House personnel office has disqualified some for not being MAGA enough, according to the former U.S. official and a current U.S. official familiar with the process. In addition to trying to assist him with hiring, the White House has taken multiple other steps to help — and manage — Hegseth. 'Vice President Vance has had Secretary Hegseth's back since the day President Trump nominated him, and he fully supports the incredible work Pete's doing at the Pentagon to improve military readiness and drive recruitment numbers to record highs,' Vance spokesman William Martin said in a statement. Another White House official said it was typical for the White House to be involved in staffing for key roles across government. Anna Kelly, a spokeswoman for the White House, said Hegseth enjoys 'the full support' of Trump. But last month White House officials directed Hegseth to cancel a trip to the Middle East after they learned he planned a stop in Israel, according to a current and a former official. Instead, they put Hegseth on Air Force One to travel with President Donald Trump, who did not include Israel in his itinerary. A different Cabinet official, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, visited Israel several weeks later and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Trump's request. A person familiar with Hegseth's planning said Noem's trip reflected the White House's desire to have Netanyahu meet with a trusted messenger. An unexpected purge When they arrived at the Pentagon early this year, two senior advisers to Hegseth, Dan Caldwell and Darin Selnick, were seen as his close allies — previous colleagues of his, even friends, whom he had brought in to staff key roles. Caldwell was a senior adviser to Hegseth; Selnick was Hegseth's deputy chief of staff. But in April, security escorted Caldwell and Selnick, as well as Colin Carroll, the chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, out of the Pentagon in connection with an investigation into allegations of a leak of sensitive information. In a joint statement, the three men called the way were treated 'unconscionable' and argued that they were not given any information about the investigation, any leak allegations against them or any evidence that had been found. A little less than a week later, the turmoil around Hegseth worsened. The New York Times reported that he had shared sensitive information about an ongoing U.S. military operation in Yemen on a Signal chat that included his wife, his personal attorney and his brother, along with others close to him. The revelation came a month after national security adviser Mike Waltz mistakenly added the editor of The Atlantic to a separate Signal group chat with Hegseth, Vance and other senior administration officials focused on the same military operation in Yemen. Two days after the Times' story was published, Hegseth went on Fox News and accused Caldwell, Selnick and Carroll not only of leaking information while they were employed at the Pentagon, but also of having given the paper the information about the Signal chat. Hegseth did not publicly describe the evidence against them. The drama continued in May when White House officials removed Hegseth and his personal attorney, Tim Parlatore, also a Navy official, from overseeing the investigations into the three suspended aides, according to a current official and a person familiar with the probe. White House officials shifted responsibility for the probe to the deputy defense secretary, Stephen Feinberg, with whom such an investigation would normally reside. That move, according to two sources familiar with the investigation, was a sign that there is a growing lack of confidence in Hegseth's ability to objectively oversee the investigation of his former aides. After no evidence against the former aides emerged and it became increasingly clear that the three men were not guilty of leaking, administration officials began to question whether their firings had been hasty, two former administration officials and a current official said. Infighting among the Hegseth advisers who remain continued, meanwhile, according to the defense official and a former administration official. And Hegseth himself remains largely isolated, relying on a small group of advisers, the defense official said. Hegseth now leans heavily on a former military aide, Ricky Buria, who retired from the military in April hoping he could serve as Hegseth's chief of staff, a civilian position. But White House and Pentagon officials view Buria as a political novice who had reportedly been critical of Trump and Vance in private. (A Defense Department spokesman did not respond to a request for comment from Buria.) As a result, White House officials rejected Hegseth's plan to hire Buria as his chief of staff, one of the defense officials and an administration official said. Despite that, Buria was seen with Hegseth during his recent trip to Asia in a workout video posted on social media. Successes and setbacks Since Hegseth joined the administration in January, he has had successes. He expunged diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs from the Pentagon and the military services. Recruiting, particularly in the Army, is up on his watch, continuing a trend that began before Trump's election but gained strength under Hegseth, according to Trump administration officials. "There has never been more enthusiasm to serve under Secretary Hegseth's leadership at the DoD,' said Parnell, the Chief Pentagon Spokesman. And during his recent trip to Asia, Hegseth was seen as effective in messaging to Beijing to stop any potential aggression in the region, according to current and former administration officials.
The Independent
14 hours ago
- The Independent
White House reportedly can't find people willing work for Pete Hegseth
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is reportedly struggling to fill vacant chief of staff and senior advisory roles, with several candidates declining the positions, according to NBC News. Vice President JD Vance and Donald Trump 's White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles are assisting with the recruitment efforts due to the difficulty in attracting qualified personnel. Hegseth's nomination was contentious, marked by accusations about his drinking and an allegation of sexual assault, and his tenure has been plagued by scandals, including the 'Signalgate' incident and the sharing of sensitive material. The departure of Hegseth's chief of staff and spokesperson, coupled with the suspension of three aides later found innocent of leaking classified material, has fueled upset within the Department of Defense. Hegseth's competence has been questioned, leading to his replacement on a visit to Israel by Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
