Oncast News · Washington

Thompson Bids for Homeland Security Gavel

· Fact-checked before it aired. Unconfirmed claims from this segment are not shown.

The Patriots announced Rob Gronkowski as their latest team Hall of Fame inductee, and his induction weekend is taking place as described.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, has formally launched a bid to become chairman.

Al Jazeera reported that President Donald Trump acknowledged the war on Iran contributed to the Republican election losses.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Democrats won control of Congress after a campaign dominated by high cost-of-living concerns.

Turkey's government said EU comments about its rights record and judiciary were prejudiced and unfair, according to Reuters. A political operative's boast and an opinionated election-rating post; not a verifiable factual claim. Opinion/conspiracy narrative about election litigation and Democratic cheating; no specific factual claim to check. Opinion/commentary about right-wing influencers; not a factual claim.

Fact-check

VERIFIED TRUE

The Patriots announced Rob Gronkowski as their latest team Hall of Fame inductee, and his induction weekend is taking place as described.

From @TheAthletic: This is the legend of Gronk. As the Patriots get set to induct legendary tight end Rob Gronkowski into their Hall of Fame this weekend, we asked his coaches and teammates for their best Gronk stories. This is what they told us. https://t.co/wdzDpO165K

Original post · The New York Times (@nytimes)

[boston.com](https://www.boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2026/04/29/rob-gronkowski-new-england-patriots-nfl-football-hall-of-fame-induction/) NAMES: None

VERIFIED TRUE

Al Jazeera reported that President Donald Trump acknowledged the war on Iran contributed to the Republican election losses.

US President Donald Trump acknowledged the Republicans’ crushing defeat was partly due to the war on Iran. https://t.co/fqc6VlgEwY

Original post · Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish)

[aljazeera.com](https://aljazeera.com) NAMES: None

VERIFIED TRUE

The Wall Street Journal reported that Democrats won control of Congress after a campaign dominated by high cost-of-living concerns.

Americans’ long-simmering frustrations over the high cost of living boiled over. Voters decisively swept Democrats to power in Congress after two years of rising prices, a deepening housing crisis and the everyday pain of filling up a gas tank. 🔗 https://t.co/LXjfMFG6Dn https://

Original post · The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ)

[wsj.com](https://wsj.com) NAMES: None

VERIFIED TRUE

Turkey's government said EU comments about its rights record and judiciary were prejudiced and unfair, according to Reuters. A political operative's boast and an opinionated election-rating post; not a verifiable factual claim. Opinion/conspiracy narrative about election litigation and Democratic cheating; no specific factual claim to check. Opinion/commentary about right-wing influencers; not a factual claim.

Turkey says EU comments on its rights record, judiciary are 'prejudiced, unfair' https://t.co/ohnujKBQx1

Original post · @Reuters

[reuters.com](https://reuters.com) NAMES: None POST 2118077880533917733: NOCLAIM N/A NAMES: None POST 2118077879409893489: NOCLAIM N/A NAMES: None POST 21180778

Sources

What the hosts said

BBennie Thompson just made it official—he wants the Homeland Security gavel.
BOf course he does. He chaired the January 6 committee, now he wants the whole department.
BPolitico says the Mississippi Democrat filed his bid today. Top Democrat, former chair.
BHe's run it before. It's not like he's some newcomer reaching.
BThat's exactly the problem. He ran it as a partisan weapon, not a security committee.
BA partisan weapon? Or he did the oversight voters just asked for?
BNo, come on—under Thompson it was subpoenas and press conferences, not the border.
BVoters just punished Republicans on ICE raids, or so the argument goes. Thompson is the obvious answer.
BSo you put the most anti-ICE Democrat in charge of enforcement? That's a gridlock circus.
BOr it's accountability, Brian. Democrats promised a check on Trump's immigration enforcement. This is the check.
BA gavel isn't a megaphone. National security means briefings, not just viral clips.
BHe's been on that committee for years. You don't like him, but he knows the portfolio.
BTrue—he knows the levers. But every hearing becomes a sequel to January 6.
BAnd after what happened, maybe that sequel deserves air.
BNot at the expense of ports, cyber threats, the border. It can't be a Trump-shaming operation.
BIt won't be. But don't pretend the old Republican chair wasn't a rubber stamp for the White House.
BFine. There are other Democrats who'd get the same oversight without the lightning rod.
BNow you're picking Democratic chairs? That's a new look.
BI'm picking a functioning committee. Big difference.
BHere's Ryan Jones on X: Latino support for Republicans dipped ten points, first time since Obama's last election.
BTen points is a lot. I'd want the exit poll, but it's directionally believable.
BThe ten-point number is his claim—I haven't seen a clean crosstab yet.
BHe says the fix is shutting down Stephen Miller's 'violent ICE campaign.' That's a slogan, not a policy.
BIt's a very clear policy to a lot of voters: stop the raids, stop the fear.
BBut what do you do with someone who crosses tomorrow? You can't just say 'no enforcement.'
BThat's exactly my point—Democrats just won by refusing to be the border police.
BThey won because groceries were expensive, not because they promised open borders.
BIt's not open borders. It's flipping the focus from mass raids to status for people already here.
BThat's amnesty. I don't think it wins swing districts, not in 2024 and not now.
BBut the Latino swing suggests the old approach already failed them.
BI'm not ignoring it. Win them back with lower prices and jobs, not abolishing ICE.
BYou sound like a pollster from last cycle.
BAnd you sound like a campaign consultant who thinks a hashtag is a plan.
BNo—I'm watching a realignment. Raids at churches do more damage than any price drop can fix.
BFair. But policy has to answer border chaos, or it's a gift to the next Republican wave.
BMaybe. Start with Dreamers and farmworkers, build something. Ryan's post is the left edge.
BAnd the right edge says the border is still a crisis. Neither side has a clean answer.
BThat's the first thing we've agreed on all hour.
BOverconfidence leaves a trail. James Singer posted a May ratings chart with a GOP super PAC leader saying, 'Democrats are delusional.'
BThat quote—'We're going to beat the hell out of them'—just entered the aged-like-milk hall of fame.
BThe full line was 'We welcome their effort to waste resources in states they're never going to win.'
BIn fairness, that was May. The map shifted, and some seats people called safe suddenly weren't, at least by some accounts.
BBut the bravado is the story. This is what overconfidence looks like before a wave.
BAnd the best part—this isn't from an opponent's research dump. It's a Democrat posting the receipt.
BReceipts are the political currency now.
BThey always were. Now they just live on X forever.

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