Ric Grenell, the Trump administration’s former acting director of national intelligence and ambassador to Germany, is joining Newsmax as a vice president and analyst.

The former Fox contributor becomes the latest media figure to switch to the growing conservative cable channel.

Grenell told Secrets, “The future is cutting the cable cord and streaming. There isn’t a single young person that I know who pays for cable. It was important for me to join a platform that is accessible to everyone with internet access. I would also say that Newsmax’s brand internationally is growing, and I’m excited to help grow it.” …

  • Former President Donald Trump has been telling fans that they will be “happy” when he finally announces his 2024 plans. And he has been dropping several hints along the way. The latest is suggesting that having Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on the ticket would be a winner. DeSantis regularly ranks a distant second to Trump in election polls. …
  • A growing number of 2022 GOP Senate candidates are voicing opposition to keeping Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in charge of the Republican caucus. The latest is Alaska candidate Kelly Tshibaka. She has been endorsed by Trump to run against incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski. …
  • Montana Sen. Steve Daines and South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds have placed a bet on the weekend playoff game between the teams of their alma maters, the Montana State University Bobcats and the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits. After agreeing that the loser will give the winner beef jerky, Daines said, “I’ve never seen a bobcat run from a jackrabbit,” prompting Rounds to reply, “You’ve never seen a South Dakota jackrabbit, have you?”