Marjorie Taylor Greene has been pivoting away from the MAGAsphere in recent months.
And now, she’s dropping a bombshell that’s sure to anger the Trump faithful even more.
In response to a tweet claiming that JD Vance was the true architect of the recent strike on Iran, Greene alleged that Vance is simply the Trump administration’s favorite scapegoat.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) speaks alongside former US President and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump at a campaign event in Rome, Georgia, on March 9, 2024. (Photo by ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images)
“VP JD Vance reportedly swayed President Trump to launch a large attack with the purpose of toppling the Iranian government rather than a smaller, limited strike intended to spur negotiations,” reads the original tweet from America First Post.
“Ohhh. @JDVance did it. They hate JD. They don’t ever want him to be President,” Greene replied:
“So now that they f–ked up so bad and they are getting our military members killed for Israel, it’s JD’s fault. Not Trump’s fault. Or any of the neocons screaming 24/7 in his ear. What’s the truth?”
Elsewhere in the AFP post, General Dan Caine claimed that the military “proposed both options” to Trump on February 18.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks during his remarks at the Georgia state GOP convention at the Columbus Convention and Trade Center on June 10, 2023 in Columbus, Georgia. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“Before Vance weighed in, Trump was partial to the smaller, limited strike,” the account wrote.
“Caine warned that the second option could drain US munitions, result in American casualties, and spiral out of control.”
Not surprisingly, Greene’s post attracted quite a bit of criticism from Trump supporters:
“You called MAGA a ‘lie’ after your grand exit? Please. Trump’s turning promises into action, Vance is the loyal wingman crushing neocons from within. Real patriots stick around for the fight – you bailed. MAGA’s thriving without the drama queens. Winning!” one commenter wrote (via Radar Online).
Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) listens to a speaker during a campaign rally at 2300 Arena on August 6, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
“Dang, Laura Loomer is so vindicated by your behavior,” another critic claimed, going on to call Greene an “absolute disappointment,” another added.
“JD Vance will be president. Unlike you, who will forever be a joke,” a third chimed in.
This is not the first time that insiders have suggested that Vance has been scapegoated for the decisions of the Trump administration.
Throughout January, Vance defended the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti before the Trump administration pulled an about-face by withdrawing ICE troops from Minnesota.
Was Vance put up to the task?
We may never know. But whatever the case, he’s now the poster boy for some of Trump’s most unpopular endeavors.
Now, meanwhile, in the first trailer for Welcome to Plathville Season 8, we hear Lydia decree on air: “Everyone’s stepping into a whole new chapter in their lives.”
She does so as we check out footage of newlyweds Lydia and Zac Wyse, the latter of whom was unwittingly involved in family drama last season after Isaac and Micah Plath got into a brawl at his wedding.
“I’ve been angry,” Lydia says in the trailer. “I’ve been really upset at my family for what they did.”
The preview also feature Plath matriarch Kim returning to the family farm in Georgia, ready to concentrate on her future and her rekindled relationship with boyfriend Ken Palmer.
While Kim seems happy in this relationship, though, she’s well aware that things are very fractured between her and Lydia. She’ll try to mend fences in a number of uncomfortable ways.
Kim and Barry Plath are featured in this confessional from their reality show. (TLC)
“I smoked pot in college, also known as a doobie,” Kim tells a confused Lydia during one of their mother-daughter bonding attempts.
In another scene, the two have a more serious discussion about their strained connection.
“You and I used to be really close before the divorce,” Kim says, to which Lydia (who has often slammed her loved ones as fake Christians) responds:
“Whenever I would talk to you, it just felt like I was talking to a brick wall.”
(TLC)
Season 7 of Welcome to Plathville wrapped up with Kim and Barry Plath celebrating the official end of their 24-year marriage and the news that they had at last finalized their divorce.
On future episodes, fans will see what Barry acts like as a single man while searching for a potential partner that has “the Sandra Bullock look,” according to the patriarch.
“I’m single and ready to mingle,” a back-on-the-dating-scene Barry declares.
For his part, Ethan Plath will make a “bold move” in the hopes of maintaining his relationship with girlfriend Teegan… while younger brother Isaac fears his relationship with girlfriend Kaylynn is moving too quickly.
Elsewhere: Micah Plath will be trying to rebuild his life after splitting from Veronica Peters; and Moriah Plath will be hoping to find peace in Montana.
Welcome to Plathville Season 8 premieres March 31 on TLC.
But while the mentally ill are more likely to be the victims of a violent crime than to commit one, some murderers seem like they have something going on.
Is paying for liquor using blood-soaked bills and then gouging out your eyes enough to avoid a trial?
Warning: this story contains upsetting details including a brutal murder and act of self-mutilation.
Accused murderer Robert Keller had both eyes and (presumably) all of his tongue when he was first jailed. (Photo Credit: Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office)
Robert Brandon Keller is in a world of trouble
On October 14, 2024, 43-year-old Bruce Dupree was found dying on the side of the road.
He had numerous stab wounds.
The injuries included his torso, his head, his hands, his arms, and his neck.
First responders raced into action to attempt to save Dupree’s life.
Unfortunately, they were unable to do so, and Dupree passed away from his injuries a short time later.
Robert Keller is facing a litany of serious charges. (Image Credit: Oxygen/YouTube)
When a break in the case came, it doesn’t appear to have been the result of super-sleuthing.
A liquor store employee contacted authorities after a man with literal blood on his hands paid for purchases with cash that was also covered in blood.
Police responded to the tip and arrested 32-year-old Robert Brandon Keller.
They charged him with two counts of murder, armed robbery, hijacking a motor vehicle, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm or knife in the commission of a felony.
The crime for which Keller is accused is already unthinkable — ending a life for so little. But a new, gruesome twist was soon to come.
During his incarceration, Robert Keller reportedly removed both eyes and bit off part of his tongue. (Photo Credit: Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office)
This is where the story takes another gruesome turn
According to court documents, Keller took a ghoulish action during custody that most would find unthinkable.
He allegedly gouged out both of his eyes and bit off part of his tongue.
Naturally, the court ordered psychological exams to determine whether he was competent to stand trial after this seemingly deranged behavior.
Competency to stand trial has very specific standards. It goes beyond someone doing something clearly irrational — such as paying for alcohol in blood-soaked bills, or mutilating yourself.
Shockingly, two psychologists determined that Keller is competent to stand trial.
Dr. Jeremy Gay determined that Keller “was not suffering from either a delusional compulsion at the time of the crime or an inability to distinguish right and wrong at the time of the crime.”
Dr. Daniel Fass attested that Keller’s mental capacity and ability to represent his interests in court “were much better than a lot of the people” whom he evaluates.
Another piece of evidence may have been a deciding factor for the court.
A jailer testified at a February hearing that Keller “was not mental and that he said he heard voices to cover his ass.”
The trial has not yet been scheduled. All things considered, Keller may have a long time in the dark to contemplate his situation.
Tomato toast shines by letting a few simple ingredients take center stage, but its fresh flavors are elevated even further by a savory, fishy addition.
Kaley Cuoco is doing the common celebrity thing where she’s revealing how another star was rude to her on set early in her career.
But unlike most actors who spill that sort of tea, Kaley is naming names!
Yes, during her recent appearance on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast, Kaley spoke about being rudely snubbed by Rose McGowan during her time on “Charmed.”
Kaley Cuoco attends Peacock’s “Meet Cute” New York Premiere on September 20, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Kaley joined the cast in the show’s eighth season, and she says she was not warmly greeted by Rose, who was one of the show’s three stars since day one.
“You know when you do so many things and you just forget about terrible moments? Imagine this: I’ve never met anyone. It’s their gallery shoot,” Cuoco said, adding:
“I’m the new girl. You’ve got Alyssa Milano, Rose McGowan, and Holly Marie Combs. I’ve never met them. Think about that. I’m joining their family photo, and I’m 21.”
Kaley went on to say that things were awkward with Rose right from the jump:
“I walk in that gallery, and I am so freaking nervous. It’s on their lunch break. They’re all in the corners eating,” she said, adding:
Rose McGowan attends SeriesFest: Season Two at Sie FilmCenter on June 23, 2016 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jason Bahr/Getty Images for SeriesFest)
“I walk in, Alyssa Milano sees me, and – I will always tell this story about her – she got up, ran over to me, and welcomed me to the show, gave me the biggest hug in the world, so happy, so kind. I will never forget that.”
“Rose [was] maybe not as happy. I don’t know. I still don’t know if she likes me.
“I don’t know. But Alyssa was amazing. I was terrified. It’s a weird thing coming into a show with them in year eight, and I only did the one season.”
This is not the first time that Kaley has hinted at friction with Rose:
“I came into ‘Charmed’ really not thinking anything other than I got this cool job. It was intense and difficult,” she said in a recent interview with The Independent.
Kaley Cuoco attends the Los Angeles special screening of Prime’s “Role Play” at Culver Theater on January 11, 2024 in Culver City, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
“There were a few people on that show that were wonderful to me, and there were a few people that weren’t. I remember them both very clearly.”
Well, we now know at least one person who falls into the “not wonderful” column.
McGowan has yet to respond to her former co-star’s allegations of rudeness. But she has a reputation as a bit of a firebrand, so we wouldn’t be surprised if she claps back soon!
A group of men inspects the ruins of a police station in Tehran, Iran, on March 3, 2026. AP Photo/Vahid Salemi
When the bombing of Iran began on Feb. 28, 2026, the Trump administration had not informed the American people exactly what it was prepared to achieve.
Was the attack intended to degrade Iran’s nuclear program? Trump had declared that “obliterated” after last June’s bombing.
Was it to show support for Iran’s opposition, as Trump’s earlier “HELP IS ON ITS WAY” posts on Truth Social suggested? A bombing campaign that was bound to kill innocent Iranians, including 175 people at a girls elementary school near a military base, seemed an odd form of support.
I am a scholar and former practitioner of intelligence and national security policy in the White House. I believe there are lessons in effecting political change in Iran that can be taken, ironically, from the very U.S.- and British-led clandestine campaign in the mid-20th century that set Iran on the road to the intense anti-Western and anti-American sentiment that has characterized its government policy for decades.
How does this end?
President Trump has said he wants regime change in Iran but has articulated no strategy for achieving that end.
Strategy is the connection between means and ends. For waging a war, it means asking whether the military means available match the desired military outcome. In trying to effect political change, it means asking whether the instruments employed will produce the desired change.
Mossadegh had moved to nationalize the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company – effectively, British oil interests. Britain responded with an an oil embargo and a severe economic squeeze on Iran.
By early 1953 the U.S. government, under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, authorized the CIA to prepare a covert plan to remove Mossadegh and restore effective power to the shah, who at the time held a more ceremonial role. British intelligence had been pushing a similar agenda, and the two services collaborated on both the strategy and its implementation.
Men alleged to be communist spies await death before a firing squad in the Ghasr army barracks in Tehran in October 1954. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images
It was composed of three elements. First it funded newspapers and printed propaganda designed to discredit Mossadegh, portraying him as corrupt or sympathetic to communism. The propaganda also promoted fears of instability and communist infiltration.
Second, according to declassified histories, agents staged “false flag” incidents – attacks attributed to communists, for example – to stoke fear and backlash against Mossadegh among religious and conservative groups.
Third, the coup planners attempted to engage influential clerical leaders and organizations to amplify anti-Mossadegh sentiment.
Iranians crowd the main square in Tehran in August 1954 to celebrate the first anniversary of the arrest of former Premier Mohammad Mossadegh. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images
Shaping the crowds on Tehran’s streets proved critical to the operation. The CIA organized demonstrators to pose as pro-shah protesters, including paying individuals to chant slogans and confront Mossadegh supporters.
These orchestrated demonstrations climaxed on Aug. 19, 1953, when pro-shah forces and sympathetic leaders in the Iranian military – with CIA financial and logistical backing – seized key points of the country, confronted Mossadegh loyalists and helped topple his government. Estimates suggest around 200 to 300 people were killed in the chaotic fighting in Tehran.
What might have been, and what might be
The Mossadegh coup occurred in a less transparent world. However – and regardless of how you feel about it – the coup suggests the value of having a strategy to accomplish political change and, beyond Israel, bringing allies along if possible.
So far, Trump has called for the Iranian military and the Revolutionary Guard to lay down their arms. But the Trump administration has provided no guidance on how to do so, or to whom to do so.
Surely, the administration should be able to devise a plan for potential political change in Iran. It has insight from the years it has spent negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran. Recent events suggest the extent of Israeli, if not American, penetration of Iran.
Iranians participate in a funeral in Tehran for Revolutionary Guard commanders, Iranian nuclear scientists and civilians who were killed in Israeli attacks on June 28, 2025. Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images
In June 2025, Israel conducted covert drone operations deep inside Iran, in concert with airstrikes on Iranian missile and military infrastructure. Mossad reportedly established an undercover drone network and launched explosive drones to neutralize air defenses and missile launchers before the main attack.
The successful targeting of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his close associates in the latest round of airstrikes suggests the extent of likely Israeli monitoring of Iranian communications by Mossad and the CIA.
Crises tend to put pressure on governments to open communications channels, and the take from any successful eavesdropping might be passed to opposition groups to help them organize and avoid capture.
If Israel can smuggle explosive drones into Iran, it should be able to make the satellite internet provider Starlink and its kin available to enable the opposition to better – and more safely – organize.
It is late in the day to emulate the Mossadegh coup with information operations, and it is probably more difficult in an era of ubiquitous social media, not newspapers. But it’s not too late to try.
I believe those brave opposition elements in Iran, who have been killed by their government and bombed by the United States and Israel, deserve no less.
Gregory F. Treverton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
