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Spotting a Bullish Opportunity in Zscaler (ZS) with OptionsPlay Strategy Center

As the cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve with increasing digital threats, Zscaler, Inc. (ZS) stands out as a new opportunity after lagging for most of 2024. Recent chart setups in Zscaler stock suggest ZS may be gearing up for a significant bullish trend.

In this analysis, we will break down the bullish signals and Zscaler’s financials, and then outline an optimal options strategy you can apply to capitalize on this opportunity—all identified instantly using the OptionsPlay Strategy Center within StockCharts.com. We’ve included a video illustrating this tool at the end of this article, which will help you get a better idea of how you can apply it to your options trading.

FIGURE 1. DAILY CHART OF ZSCALER. The stock price has broken out above a significant resistance level, and its performance relative to the S&P 500 is improving.Chart source: StockCharts.com. For educational purposes.

Looking at the daily chart of ZS, there are several bullish factors:

Breakout Above Major Resistance. After trading below $200 since March, ZScaler’s stock price has recently completed a bottoming formation and broke out above this critical resistance level. The prolonged consolidation period below $200 formed a solid base, indicating that selling pressure has subsided with buyers gaining control.Market Outperformance. Relative to the S&P 500 ($SPX), ZS’s performance has been improving, suggesting relative strength and increased investor interest in the stock.

These technical factors collectively point towards a potential continuation higher after breaking out above this key $200 resistance level.

Beyond the technicals, Zscaler’s fundamentals further strengthen the bullish thesis:

Robust Revenue Growth. Zscaler reported a 30% year-over-year increase in revenue, reaching $593 million.Impressive Billings Increase. The company achieved a 27% growth in billings, totaling $911 million.Expanding Customer Base. Zscaler now serves 567 customers with over $1 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR)—a 26% increase—and 3,100 customers with over $100,000 in ARR, marking a 19% growth.High Gross Margin. Maintaining a non-GAAP gross margin of 81% for fiscal year 2024 showcases the company’s operational efficiency and profitability.Strong Free Cash Flow. With a free cash flow margin of 27%, Zscaler demonstrates robust cash generation capabilities, providing financial flexibility for future investments and growth initiatives.

Zscaler’s strong financial performance highlights its potential for continued growth. The company’s focus on innovation and the expansion of its Zero Trust Exchange platform positions it well to capitalize on the increasing demand for cloud-based security solutions.

Options Strategy

To leverage this bullish outlook on ZS, the OptionsPlay Strategy Center suggests selling the Dec 27 $205/190 Put Vertical @ $5.60 Credit.

Sell. December 27 $205 Put Option at $12.15Buy. December 27 $190 Put Option at $6.60

This strategy involves selling a higher strike put and buying a lower strike put, resulting in a net credit of $5.60 per share, or $560 per contract. The trade profits if ZS stays above $199.40 by the December 27, 2024 expiration date, with a 56.92% probability of success.

FIGURE 2. PUT VERTICAL RISK GRAPH. Here, you see the max reward, max risk, and other details of the trade.Image source: StockCharts.com. For educational purposes.

Trade Details:

Maximum Potential Reward. $560 (the net credit received)Maximum Potential Risk. $1,880 (difference in strike prices multiplied by 100 shares per contract, minus the net credit)Breakeven Point. $199.40 (strike price of the sold put minus the net credit per share)

This strategy benefits from time decay and allows for profit even if the stock remains stagnant or rises moderately. It provides a favorable risk-to-reward ratio while aligning with the bullish outlook on ZS.

Real-Time Trade Ideas With OptionsPlay Strategy Center

This bullish opportunity in Zscaler was identified using the OptionsPlay Strategy Center within StockCharts.com. The platform automatically scanned the market, highlighted ZS as a strong candidate for a continuation higher, and structured the optimal options trade in real-time.

FIGURE 3. APPLYING THE OPTIONSPLAY STRATEGY CENTER. ZS was identified as a stock that has potential for a continued move higher. Click the arrow to the left of the stock symbol to view the trade details.Image source: StockCharts.com. For educational purposes.

By subscribing to the OptionsPlay Strategy Center, you can access:

Automated Market Scanning. Effortlessly discover the best trading opportunities based on comprehensive technical and options strategies in real time.Optimal Trade Structuring. Receive tailored options strategies that align with your market outlook and risk tolerance.Time-Saving Insights. Save hours of research with actionable trade ideas delivered in real time, allowing you to make informed decisions swiftly.

Don’t let valuable trading opportunities pass you by. Subscribe to the OptionsPlay Strategy Center today and empower your trading journey with tools designed to keep you ahead of the market. Access real-time trade ideas like the one discussed in this article and find the best options trades within seconds daily. Let OptionsPlay be your partner in navigating the markets efficiently and effectively.

Learn more about the OptionsPlay Strategy Center features and how to apply them to your trading in the video below!

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Dabo Swinney can no longer deny it’s not working at Clemson. Can he change?

There have been flashpoint moments in the last three Clemson seasons, where change arrives and there’s no option but to evolve.

Yet Dabo Swinney keeps pushing forward, foraging through the obvious blind spot with a steel tank of coaching capital.

Clemson lost seven games from 2015-2020, won two national titles and played for two others. Clemson has lost 12 games since the beginning of the transfer portal era in 2021, and hasn’t returned to the College Football Playoff.

Every other FBS program uses the transfer portal to supplement its roster. Clemson does not.

It’s not that difficult to figure out.

“We’ve talked about how great it would be to finish 7-1 in our league,” Swinney said earlier this week. “We put ourselves in position. We weren’t in position last year.”

How’s that for evolving and raising the bar of expectation? 

Clemson, once the darling of the College Football Playoff era, is fired up to finish third in the ACC. 

Because if the Tigers win at Pittsburgh Saturday – and that’s a big IF – the best that can come of this season is watching two other teams play for the ACC championship.

WEEK 12 HIGHLIGHTS: The seven games you should watch this Saturday

WEEKEND FORECAST: Expert picks for every Top 25 game in Week 12

One of those teams, Miami, has never won the ACC title. The other, SMU, paid $100 million last year to join the league after playing footsie for decades in various Group of Five conferences.

Meanwhile there is Clemson, trying to recapture the glory of CFP past by grinding against the grain.

The talent on the Clemson roster isn’t what it once was during the early years of the College Football Playoff, when the Tigers were as big and bad as Alabama. It doesn’t matter if it’s recruiting misses or player development, Clemson isn’t winning games of significance because the other team has better players.

It’s a fairly simple deduction, and one that has played out over and over since the 2021 season, when the NCAA opened the doors to the perfect storm of the transfer portal, NIL and free player movement ― and the game changed forever. Everywhere, that is, but Clemson.

Look, maybe this thing works out. Maybe Clemson beats Pitt, and Miami or SMU loses another league game and the Tigers reach the ACC championship game and win it. Hello, CFP — goodbye change.

Frankly, that’s the worst thing that could happen.

This has become more than losing to North Carolina State and Pittsburgh in 2021, or losing to a bad South Carolina team in 2022, and getting blown out by a Tennessee team playing a backup quarterback.

More than an embarrassing 21-point loss to Duke to start an anticipated bounce back season of 2023, and then losing three more ACC games. 

It’s more than missing on a five-star quarterback recruit, or missing on replacing successful assistant coaches.

This is philosophical. There’s a potential answer to Clemson’s most glaring problem — a lack of playmakers on both sides of the ball — and Swinney refuses to embrace it. 

Before we go further, Swinney is elite at what he does. Coaching and developing players on the field, and investing and pouring himself into the future of players long after football. 

He’s exactly what you want from a college football coach. But the transfer portal blind spot is eroding his legacy.

It’s easy to say there’s no Deshaun Watson or Trevor Lawrence, and that’s a completely fair assessment. But it’s so much more than that. 

Clemson hasn’t had a receiver that can win consistently on the outside and put defenses in conflict since 2020. The elite defensive line, the foundation of the program under Swinney, no longer controls games. 

The tough and talented but nationally overlooked recruits of the past – the overachievers like Hunter Renfrow, James Skalski and K’Von Wallace – aren’t developed anymore.

An answer – not the answer – is right in front of Swinney. Nick Saban embraced the portal. So did Kirby Smart and Jim Harbaugh and Ryan Day and every other coach playing for a national title since the transfer portal and free player movement arrived. 

There are potential locker room chemistry issues, and future complications of relying too much on the portal. But this isn’t about wholesale changes. 

This isn’t TCU going from playing in the national championship game, to a Big 12 afterthought a year later. Or Florida State winning 19 straight, then losing 10 of 11. 

This is more about Saban adding Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams. Or Harbaugh adding fourth- and fifth-year starting offensive linemen. Or Day adding the best defensive player (Caleb Downs) and running back (Quinshon Judkins) in the game. 

It’s admitting you’ve made a mistake in high school evaluation (and/or development), and finding a temporary answer. It’s a handful of players who can be the difference between returning to the CFP ― or getting blown out at home to a decent Louisville team.

“There’s a whole lot of soul searching to be done when you have as horrible a performance as we had,” Swinney said after the Louisville disaster.

Now here we are at another inflection point. Watch how it plays out Saturday, when the Clemson offensive line deals with the Pitt pass rush and the Clemson receivers have to win on the outside in man coverage. 

The Clemson staff knows Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi’s affinity for pressuring quarterbacks and forcing decisions. They’ll put the game in the hands of Clemson QB Cade Klubnik, who has completed only 54 percent of his passes and been sacked six times in the last two weeks against the aggressive defenses of Louisville and Virginia Tech.

The offensive line must protect. The receivers must win. The quarterback must make quick, correct decisions. 

All the things that have been problematic since 2021. The same things that could prevent Clemson from reaching the CFP for the fourth consecutive season.

The same things that Swinney was apologizing for only two weeks ago, after Clemson fans filed out of Death Valley early to beat the traffic.

“We feel like we let a lot of people down, but that’s college football,” Swinney said. “There’s no hope for a better yesterday.”

But there’s a plan for a better tomorrow. Maybe it’s time to embrace it.

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Chiefs kicker out for key matchup against Bills

The Kansas City Chiefs will be without another key figure as they put their undefeated record on the line Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.

Kicker Harrison Butker was placed on injured reserve with a left knee injury, ruling him out for at least the next four games. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Butker was having surgery to trim his meniscus, with a return expected toward the end of the regular season and playoffs.

Butker posted about his surgery on social media Friday, saying it ‘went great!’

Kansas City signed Spencer Shrader off the New York Jets’ practice squad to take over kicking duties, the Chiefs said.

Butker, whose career 89.21% field goal conversion rate ranks him third in league history, has made 18 of 20 field goal attempts this season, with his lone misses coming from beyond 50 yards.

All things Chiefs: Latest Kansas City Chiefs news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

An undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame, Shrader made all three of his extra-point attempts for the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1 before being waived. He signed to the Jets’ practice squad on Oct. 30 and was elevated to the active roster for last week’s 31-6 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, in which he kicked two field goals.

The Chiefs, who are already without top receivers Rashee Rice and Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown, are navigating additional key injuries ahead of their matchup with the Bills. Running back Isiah Pacheco has practiced in a limited capacity after having his 21-day return window activated, but coach Andy Reid said he is not expected to play Sunday as he continues to recover from a fractured fibula that has sidelined him since Week 2. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, however, could be on track to play after being a full participant on Thursday despite his hamstring injury.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Bengals WR Tee Higgins injury update ahead of Week 11

The latest Tee Higgins injury update has all signs pointing in the right direction for the Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver.

Head coach Zac Taylor told reporters on Friday that he expects Higgins to play in the Bengals’ Week 11 ‘Sunday Night Football’ meeting with the Los Angeles Chargers.

The wideout had missed Cincinnati’s last three games as he dealt with a quad injury sustained during a practice in late October. Higgins returned to practice for the first time since the injury on Wednesday, where he participated in a limited capacity. He was a limited participant again in both Thursday and Friday practices.

Higgins’ last game was in Week 7 against the Cleveland Browns. He caught four passes for 82 yards and a touchdown in the Bengals’ 21-14 win. Cincinnati has gone 1-2 in the three games since losing its receiver and is 4-6 overall this season.

All things Bengals: Latest Cincinnati Bengals news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Herbert, Burrow meet on ‘SNF’ – but LA defense may be real story

El SEGUNDO, Calif. – Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert are forever linked.

Burrow was the top pick in the 2020 NFL draft and Herbert was selected No. 6 overall. Both have enjoyed record-setting starts. Burrow is the Bengals’ single-season passing yards leader and currently tops the NFL in passing yards. Herbert has the most completions by a quarterback in a players first five seasons, and also holds an NFL record for most passing yards by a QB in their first four seasons.

The two elite quarterbacks are a huge reason why the NFL flexed the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Los Angeles Chargers into primetime on Sunday night.

“Got a lot of respect for him. I met him at the combine, he’s a great guy,” Herbert said of Burrow. ”I think he makes plays. He’s done such a great job of playing in timing and rhythm and being able to make those off schedule plays where it’s very tough on a defense.”

Burrow shared similar sentiments when asked about Herbert this week.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

“I think Justin is great. He’s got one of the strongest arms in the league. He plays football the right way. He can run around and make plays when he needs to. A big strong guy that can make plays with his legs. A tough guy that’s gonna stand in there and take hits. I’ve always had a ton of respect for him,” Burrow said to local Cincinnati reporters.

“We got to know each other a little bit at the combine. He’s fun to be around. I liked his personality. I think we’d be friends if we ever spent time together.”

The two have only faced each other once as starting NFL quarterbacks. Herbert got the better of Burrow and the Bengals, 41-22, in 2021.

This year, Burrow and the Bengals could be the Chargers’ first signature win of the season. The Chargers have the No. 1 scoring defense in the NFL, allowing just 13.1 points per game. They are the fourth team since 1990 to allow 20 points or fewer in each of their first nine games of a season. The defense has produced 18 sacks the past three games.

That said, the Chargers’ six victories have come against teams with average or below average quarterbacks (Gardner Minshew, Bryce Young, Bo Nix, Spencer Rattler, Jameis Winston and Will Levis).

The team’s three losses have come versus Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, the Pittsburgh Steelers with Justin Fields under center and a Kyler Murray-led Arizona Cardinals squad.

On Sunday night, the Chargers have an opportunity to make a statement win as they enter a daunting stretch where they face some of the NFL’s premier quarterbacks in Burrow (Week 11), Lamar Jackson (Week 12), Kirk Cousins (Week 13) and Mahomes (Week 14).

“November is the football you remember,” Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack said. “Just got to be hitting on all cylinders and keep elevating week by week.

“Those games show you who you are competitively, especially from a mental standpoint. …It’s gonna be a challenge and I love challenges.”

If the Chargers hold Cincinnati to 20 points or fewer, they will become only the fifth team since 1970 to allow 20 points or less in each of its first 10 games of a season.

While the two standout quarterbacks will garner most of the pregame attention, a strong performance from the top scoring defense in the league could be the key to the Chargers’ first signature win.  

‘Joe Burrow is a quarterback that’s just in complete control. He has a really good understanding of how you’re trying to play him, sees the coverage as well. Not a whole lot of tricks going on with Joe. He’s such an elite player, elite quarterback,” Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said.

“We are excited for the challenge, excited for the opportunity and look forward to putting our best stuff out there.”

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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NCAA violations allow USC to fire Lincoln Riley and escape mega contract

The NCAA sheriff handed down some law at Southern California on Wednesday, and the next three weeks just got vitally important for coach Lincoln Riley. 

In the simplest terms, the NCAA gave USC a get out of jail free card to fire Riley and escape his mega contract.

The NCAA placed the school on probation for one year, and fined it $50,000 for on- and off-field coaching by non-coaching analysts on staff.

More potentially damning to Riley, whose teams have lost nine of their last 12 games: Southern California agreed with the NCAA that Riley violated “head coach responsibility” rules. This means the school could fire Riley with cause and not have to pay off tens of millions in contract commitments.

That’s right, fire Riley and not owe him a penny.

I don’t want to get into the semantics of why the “head coach responsibility” charge isn’t as damaging because the rule was given more teeth in 2023 (two years after the Trojans hired Riley). All you need to know is there’s now a off ramp for USC in this growing mess. 

No more former players ripping Riley and the program on social media. No more longtime Big Ten punching bags stealing USC’s conference thunder.

No more days of a top five program in all of college football middling around and losing to the Minnesotas and Marylands of the world.

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BIZARRO WORLD: Tennessee enters Georgia showdown with better defense

“You see the level of penalties that were levied,” Riley said. “If it’s something serious, they’re going to suspend the head coach.”

This, everyone, is the crux of the problem with Riley at Southern California. Every problem isn’t as big as it seems. Or isn’t his fault.

Can’t stop anyone on defense? No big deal, we’ll hire a new coordinator. 

Can’t win one-possession games? No big deal, we’re only a handful of plays away from being unbeaten. 

Can’t win games consistently in the Big Ten? We knew this would be a tough transition. 

There’s always an excuse, always an out. The latest: QB Miller Moss keeps throwing the ball to the other team. 

So now UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava takes over (he probably should’ve been playing earlier) to make it right in what has become an untenable situation. 

Not only is the season over for the Trojans, the remaining three games are against teams that need it more. 

Nebraska hasn’t played in a bowl game since 2016, and this week changed its offensive coordinator. The Huskers need one win to reach bowl eligibility. 

Crosstown rival UCLA, which beat USC by 18 points last season, has won its last three games after finding its footing under first-year coach DeShaun Foster. 

Rival Notre Dame can’t afford another loss if it expects to reach the College Football Playoff.

Riley is 23-13 at USC without a conference championship, and the coach he replaced (Clay Helton) was 26-10 in his first 36 games — with a Pac-12 championship and Rose Bowl win, and a Cotton Bowl appearance.

The high-water mark with Riley: 11 wins in 2021, and a loss to Tulane in the Cotton Bowl.

Southern California is a private school, and details of Riley’s reported $110 million deal from 2021 haven’t been publicly released. But every coaching contract has a clause in it, specifically outlining firing for cause if the program is placed on NCAA probation.

A sports agent familiar with college coaching contracts who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said USC would’ve been foolish to not include the specific NCAA clause. Without it, Riley would be free to flout NCAA rules without repercussion. 

This wouldn’t be the first time a university used NCAA violations to get out from under a contract. Tennessee in 2020 all but invited the NCAA to investigate its program under former coach Jeremy Pruitt, who was accused of giving recruits cash in paper bags. Among other things.

Tennessee didn’t want to pay Pruitt $12 million in walkaway money (a pittance by today’s standards), and used the NCAA clause in his contract to fire him for cause ― then accepted an $8 million fine,

Paying the NCAA $8 million in one thing. Paying a coach $12 million to not coach is where you draw the line.

This brings us back to Riley, who was one win from the College Football Playoff in Year 1, dipped to eight wins in Year 2 despite having the best player in college football (Caleb Williams), and this season has lost five of seven league games in USC’s first season in the Big Ten. 

Southern California didn’t suspend Riley after the NCAA violations. But that doesn’t mean the Trojans can’t fire Riley if another disappointing season ends badly.

Especially now that it has a get out of jail free card. 

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Trump said to lift all military restrictions on Israel on 1st day in office according to reports

Amid escalating tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, President-elect Donald Trump has promised to lift all restrictions and delays on the supply of military equipment and ammunition to Israel immediately after his inauguration, Israeli Channel 12 News reports.

The assurance from Trump’s team came as Israel is considering a 60-day cease-fire with Hezbollah, which would provide a window until Trump takes office and implements the promised changes.

Sources indicate that this commitment from Trump’s administration clarifies Israel’s willingness to temporarily halt military actions, with the understanding that support will resume without delay once Trump is in office.

Unnamed Israeli officials have confirmed the reports from Israeli media to Fox News Digital.

Currently, U.S. restrictions include an embargo on a certain weapons shipment and limitations on various combat-related equipment, even if they do not involve explosive ordnance. This embargo has impacted Israel’s defense capabilities, especially as the military now contends with active fronts in both Lebanon and Gaza, requiring strict control over ammunition and supply use.

This pledge to lift all military supply restrictions, starting from Trump’s first day in office, would allow Israel to replenish its stockpiles and alleviate current constraints. With the 60-day cease-fire, Israel aims to temporarily suspend hostilities until the new administration takes office, enabling a resumption of full military operations if necessary, without the existing limitations.

On Thursday, the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon submitted a draft truce proposal to Lebanon’s Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri to halt fighting between armed group Hezbollah and Israel, two political sources told Reuters, without revealing details.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is increasing military pressure in Lebanon, operating along the second line of villages to further diminish Hezbollah’s capabilities, alongside airstrikes in Syria and Beirut’s Dahiya district.

IDF spokesperson Brigadier General Daniel Hagari commented on the truce negotiations, stating, ‘The IDF’s role is to clear out terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon and ensure that Hezbollah cannot threaten Israeli citizens from there. This is our duty, and we must create the conditions that enable the political echelon to take diplomatic action.’

Channel 12’s chief political analyst, Amit Segal, who first reported the story, told Fox News Digital that ‘The Trump administration’s commitment grants Israel greater operational freedom—whether to pursue a cease-fire in Lebanon or, if needed, to take more decisive action with U.S. backing and no restrictions.’

Segal added that a cease-fire with Lebanon at this stage signals that Israel’s northern objectives have been met, effectively decoupling the northern and southern fronts. While there may be progress toward calm in the north, he clarified, this development does not extend to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump transition team for comment on the Ch. 12 report but did not get a response. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Rep Moulton says fellow Dems ‘privately’ agree with his criticism of party

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., suggested he has gotten more support than publicly known from fellow House Democrats after speaking out about how the party handles dissent within its ranks.

Moulton sparked a progressive firestorm after he made comments to The New York Times expressing concern about transgender student athletes playing alongside biological females. He said most Democrats were afraid to come forward with similar views for fear of retribution.

Progressives at the local, state and federal level condemned the remarks — including House Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who called them ‘offensive’ on CNN.

‘Look, I understand people have different opinions and different perspectives, and that’s my whole point. The comments were not meant to be offensive, but we… ought to be willing to have a debate. And that’s exactly what I’m willing to do,’ Moulton told Fox News Digital on Thursday.

‘While a few, a handful, maybe just a couple members of Congress have spoken out against the comments, I’ve got an awful lot more who will go up to me privately and say thank you.’

His initial comments, which he has since doubled-down on multiple times, prompted the Democratic Party in his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts, to threaten to recruit a challenger against him in 2026.

‘It’s a democracy. If you want to run against me, go for it,’ Moulton told Fox News Digital of the threat, though he added it was ‘not going to be very helpful for winning elections.’

‘What we need to do is defeat Republicans, not fellow Democrats,’ he said.

The party has been busy soul-searching in the days since the Democrats’ devastating performances in the presidential, Senate and House elections.

Moderates like Moulton and Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., have accused the Democratic Party of overly catering to its furthest-left base at the expense of trying to relate to a broader swath of everyday Americans and their issues.

Moulton argued Democratic policies were better for those Americans than Republican policies but suggested the left had a messaging problem because of ‘too much preaching and not enough listening.’

‘People think that this is exactly the kind of debate that we need to have. And it’s not just on trans issues, it’s on the economy. Why are we out of touch with Americans on the economy when Trump’s plan is going to dramatically raise grocery prices… How is it that we’re so out of touch on immigration when we’re the ones who proposed a bipartisan immigration deal?’ Moulton said.

‘It seems like Democrats do have a lot of good solutions for working Americans, and yet we’re really out of touch. So we’ve got to ask ourselves that question. Why have we lost touch with so many people across America?’ 

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Elon Musk blasts John Bolton as ‘staggeringly dumb warmonger’ after criticism of Trump AG pick Matt Gaetz

Business tycoon Elon Musk excoriated former National Security Adviser John Bolton after Bolton blasted President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to tap Matt Gaetz as attorney general.

During an appearance on ‘Meet the Press NOW,’ Bolton said the pick ‘must be the worst nomination for a Cabinet position in American history.’ 

Musk pushed back in a post on X, calling Bolton ‘a staggeringly dumb warmonger,’ saying that Bolton’s opposition to someone is ‘a great sign!’

‘Gaetz will be great,’ Musk added.

‘Just do the opposite of whatever Bolton recommends,’ Musk wrote in another post, capping his comment off with the face with tears of joy emoji.

Bolton also called Gaetz ‘totally incompetent’ for the position and described him as ‘a person of moral turpitude.’

‘The Senate’s new leadership should tell the President-elect that he is endangering Republican Senators by forcing a vote in favor of Gaetz’s nomination. The leadership should insist that this nomination be withdrawn,’ Bolton declared in a post.

During an appearance on CNN, Bolton indicated that he thinks the Senate should unanimously vote against confirming Gaetz and Tulsi Gabbard, who Trump tapped to serve as director of national intelligence. 

Gaetz ‘issued his resignation letter effective immediately,’ House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Wednesday. 

Gaetz had just been re-elected last week. He served in the House of Representatives since 2017.

Bolton also shared his scathing criticism of Gaetz on X, but the former lawmaker responded with a joke, writing, ‘We’ll mark John down as a ‘maybe.”

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Meet Pete Hegseth: The ‘recovering neocon’ and Pentagon critic who’s been tapped for Defense secretary

President-elect Donald Trump sent shock waves through the national security establishment when he nominated Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary.

The plain-speaking former Army National Guard officer would set himself apart from other Defense secretaries with his prolific record of criticism of the institution he has been tapped to run. A culture warrior, on-air commentator and author, the paper trail of his publicly shared views will be on full display in his confirmation hearing.  

‘I’ve been a recovering neocon for six years now,’ Hegseth, a former Fox News host, told the ‘Shawn Ryan Show’ podcast. 

He said he was a huge proponent of the Iraq War ‘at the time,’ but ‘in retrospect, absolutely not.’

‘The hubris of the Pentagon is they want to now tell other countries how to do counterinsurgency based on what we did in Iraq and Afghanistan. The trust that our political leaders and our generals would have our best interests in mind is totally broken,’ he explained. ‘At the same time. I’m fearful of what happens when the institution gets abandoned.’

In a past life, Hegseth ran Vets for Freedom, a pro-Iraq War advocacy group. He then pivoted and became CEO of Concerned Veterans for America, a restraint-minded advocacy group that was heavily focused on reforming the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. 

He has not served any senior-level leadership roles at the Defense Department – leaving some hawks skeptical that he has the experience to lead the U.S.’s largest government agency and a fighting force of more than 1.3 million active duty troops. 

‘He is the least well-prepared secretary to be nominated,’ said Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Corps colonel and a senior adviser to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank. 

‘He has superb military credentials as a junior officer, excellent academic credentials in Harvard, but he has no eye-level national security experience. He has no experience running a large organization, no experience working with Congress, and I mean, a good but very short relationship with the president.’

Prior to his current role, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was head of U.S. Central Command, vice chief of staff of the Army and commander of the U.S. forces in Iraq. After retiring from the armed services, he joined the board of Raytheon. 

Hegseth, a 44-year-old infantry officer in the Minnesota National Guard, served as the platoon leader at Guantanamo Bay. He also led a platoon in Baghdad and later served as a civil-military operations officer in Samarra. 

‘Something that a lot of people will point to as a weakness is he’s young,’ said Steve Bucci, former deputy assistant secretary of Defense during the George W. Bush administration. ‘He did serve very effectively as a junior officer and a combat leader, but you know, he hasn’t been part of the institutionalized process going up to be general officer and all the staff positions in between.’ 

‘That will free him to think outside the box,’ Bucci mused. ‘Austin, a four-star, frankly, was not known for new ideas.’ 

‘It’ll drive a lot of people crazy.’ 

Hegseth has made it clear he will work to fight ‘woke’ programs in the Pentagon that promote diversity, equity and inclusion. He has also spoken out against women in combat roles. 

‘I’m straight up just saying that we should not have women in combat roles,’ Hegseth said on the ‘Shawn Ryan Show’ podcast. ‘It hasn’t made us more effective, hasn’t made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated.’

Additionally, in 2019, he successfully lobbied Trump to pardon three service members convicted or accused of war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

Trump may have looked ahead to sparing himself the headache this role caused him during his first administration – only Jim Mattis and Mark Esper lasted more than a year, three others served in an acting capacity. 

Hegseth has also called for the firing of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. C.Q. Brown. Brown has become a target of conservatives who claim he advances a ‘woke’ agenda, and Hegseth has suggested Brown, who is Black, is a DEI hire. 

‘That would be a huge problem,’ Cancian predicted. ‘He’s got a very strong military record and, you know, it would put [Hegseth] at war with the military.’

Democrats are expected to hammer him for lack of experience and his background as a co-host of ‘Fox and Friends.’

‘Hegseth is not remotely qualified to be Secretary of Defense,’ Rep. Jason Crow, a national-security-minded Colorado Democrat wrote on X. ‘The SecDef makes life-and-death decisions daily that impact our 2 million troops around the globe. This is not an entry-level job for a TV commentator.’

Hegseth would likely be the first-ever Defense secretary nominee previously barred from a presidential inauguration. Hegseth told Ryan he volunteered in his National Guard capacity to work at President Biden’s inauguration in 2020. However, he said he was one of a number of National Guard members told to ‘stand down.’ 

‘I was deemed an extremist because of a tattoo by my National Guard unit in Washington D.C. and my orders were revoked to guard the Biden inauguration.’

‘My commander called me a day before, tepidly, and was like, Major, you can just stand down. We don’t need you, we’re good. I’m like, what do you mean? Everybody’s there. He said like, no, no ,no…he couldn’t tell me.’

Hegseth said the tattoo is a Jerusalem cross rather than an extremist symbol. It was a popular symbol used during the Crusades. 

‘Twenty years in the military I loved, I fought for, I revered … spit me out,’ Hegseth wrote in his book of the incident. 

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