Donald Trump was back to his usual self on Wednesday, reversing his humble acceptance of second place in Iowa to slam Ted Cruz on Twitter.

"Ted Cruz didn't win Iowa, he illegally stole it. That is why all of the polls were so wrong and why he got more votes than anticipated. Bad!" Trump wrote before deleting his tweet and re-posting it without the word "illegally."

Trump's accusation against Cruz likely comes from an email circulated by Cruz's campaign that seemed to imply Ben Carson was dropping out of the race; Carson's team responded to say that no such claim was true. However, The Washington Post points out that because Carson's support was already so low in Iowa, there is no evidence to suggest the email from Cruz's campaign made any difference in the outcome of the caucus:

Even if that had been what sank Carson in the polls, there's nothing illegal about it — much less suggestive that Cruz stole the state. Cruz beat Trump by more than three points, which is a pretty big margin considering the crowded field.

While the focus of the tweet isn't clear (we reached out to the campaign), it's easier to guess why "illegally" was removed. Suggesting without basis that someone broke the law is the sort of thing that lawyers like to argue over during defamation lawsuits. [The Washington Post]

Trump is never one to let a perceived wrong go unaccounted for; you can bet any follow-up will appear on his Twitter. Jeva Lange

The Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James hit back at President Trump on Twitter Saturday morning in response to Trump's tweeted announcement that the Golden State Warriors will not be invited to the White House to celebrate their NBA championship after point guard Stephen Curry criticized Trump's policies and rhetoric. As James sees it, Curry's Friday statement that he does not want to meet Trump means the president had no invitation to rescind:

James, who is vice president of the NBA Players Association, was not the only pro athlete to take issue with Trump's weekend critiques of Curry and Colin Kaepernick, the latter of whom Trump referred to as a "son of a bitch" for his habit of declining to stand for the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice in America.

Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, also pushed back on Trump's remarks, calling Trump's comments "divisive" and demonstrative of "an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL." Bonnie Kristian

Mexico was struck by a 6.2-magnitude earthquake Saturday morning, sparking alarm and suspending ongoing rescue efforts in response to two other recent quakes.

The new tremor follows Tuesday's 7.1-magnitude earthquake, as well as an 8.1-magnitude quake that struck off the coast of Mexico earlier this month. The combined death toll from the earlier quakes has nearly reached 400 people.

Saturday's tremor, believed to be an aftershock of the 8.1 quake, collapsed a bridge in the town of Juchitan and toppled some previously damaged buildings. "Homes that were still standing just fell down," said Bettina Cruz, who lives in Juchitan. "It's hard. We are all in the streets." Bonnie Kristian

Iran has successfully tested a new ballistic missile, state-run media reported Saturday, one day after displaying the weapon at a military parade.

The Khorramshahr missile has a range of 1,200 miles, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani labels it "a deterrent" to guard Iranian security against attack. President Trump has accused Tehran of violating "the spirit" of the 2015 nuclear deal with this sort of test, but Rouhani maintains Iran is committed to upholding the agreement.

The new missile could reach Iranian rivals like Saudi Arabia or Israel and can carry multiple warheads. Bonnie Kristian

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Friday notified 21 states they were targeted for hacking by the Russian government in advance of the 2016 election.

In most cases, this targeting amounted only to research and preparation, and no voting machines were compromised in any state. "What this boils down to is that someone tried the door knob and it was locked," explained Reid Magney of the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

DHS announced the 21-state figure several months ago but had not previously communicated to the states in question. Friday's notification is intended to give the targeted states, a complete list of which has not been released, time to beef up security before 2018. "We heard feedback from the secretaries of state that this was an important piece of information," said Bob Kolasky, acting deputy undersecretary of the National Protection and Programs Directorate at DHS. "We agreed that this information would help election officials make security decisions."

In his Friday night speech in Alabama, President Trump again denied election collusion with Moscow. "No, Russia did not help me, that I can tell you, OK?" he said, calling this "hoax" Democrats' greatest achievement of 2016. Bonnie Kristian

President Trump announced on Twitter Saturday morning that he is no longer willing to host the Golden State Warriors at the White House, a traditional way to honor their NBA championship victory, because of comments from point guard Stephen Curry:

Trump's tweet comes hours after Curry on Friday told reporters he did not wish to meet the president, alluding to Trump's much-criticized responses to the white nationalist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"You can talk about all the different personalities that have said things and done things — from [Colin] Kaepernick to what happened with [Michael] Bennett to all sorts of examples of what has gone on in our country that has led to change," Curry said. "We're all trying to do what we can using our platforms, using our opportunities, to shed light on that. That's kind of where I stand on that. I don't think us going to the White House will miraculously make everything better, but this is my opportunity to voice that."

This is Trump's second clash with professional athletes this weekend. On Friday night, he told a campaign rally crowd that NFL players like Kaepernick, who has knelt during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice, should be fired. "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now?" Trump said. Bonnie Kristian

As-yet unidentified tremors were detected in North Korea early Saturday near the site of previous nuclear weapons tests. While China labeled the 3.4-magnitude quake a "suspected explosion" that could be Pyongyang's second nuclear test in a matter of weeks, an official from South Korea's meteorological agency said initial assessments indicate it was more likely a natural earthquake. North Korea has not commented either way.

On Friday, North Korea's foreign minister, Ri Yong Ho, said his government might test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean. "This could probably mean the strongest hydrogen bomb test over the Pacific Ocean," Ri announced. "Regarding which measures to take, I don't really know since it is what Kim Jong Un does."

Also Friday, President Trump once again called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "Rocket Man," the latest in a series of insults the two men have traded this week. Bonnie Kristian

President Trump issued a profane call to NFL team owners to fire players who engage in peaceful political protest on the field while speaking Friday night at an Alabama rally for Sen. Luther Strange (R). "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now?'" Trump asked his audience. "Out. He's fired. He's fired." The rally crowd responded with cheers.

"You know what's hurting the game?" the president continued. "When people like yourselves turn on television and you see those people taking the knee when they're playing our great national anthem." Trump encouraged his supporters to walk out of the stadium in counter-protest should they ever observe an NFL player's protest in person.

Trump was referring to football players like Colin Kaepernick, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers, who has silently declined to stand for the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice in America.

Trump's comments were widely decried, including by other NFL players, with many noting his words for Kaepernick were harsher than his responses to the white nationalist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. The NFL Players Association issued a statement Saturday vowing to "never back down when it comes to protecting the constitutional rights of our players as citizens as well as their safety."

Watch an excerpt of Trump's comments below, or see the entire speech here. Bonnie Kristian

Editor's note: This article originally incorrectly identified Kaepernick's former team. It has since been corrected. We regret the error.