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The House voted 121-23 to suspend the attorney general and refer him to the Senate for trial on charges of bribery, abuse of office and obstruction. It was the first such impeachment since 1975.
by Zach Despart and James Barragán

Defying a last-minute appeal by former President Donald Trump, the Texas House voted overwhelmingly Saturday to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton, temporarily removing him from office over allegations of misconduct that included bribery and abuse of office. The vote to adopt the 20 articles of impeachment was 121-23.

The stunning vote came two days after an investigative committee unveiled the articles — and two days before the close of a biennial legislative session that saw significant right-wing victories, including a ban on transgender health care for minors and new restrictions on public universities’ diversity efforts.
Story by James Franey, Senior U.S. Political Reporter For Dailymail.Com

Taxpayers have bankrolled so-called 'air taxis' for the U.S. government to the tune of at least $14 billion since the start of the Trump administration, open source data shows. The USA Spending website indicates officials working during the Trump presidency spent $9.4 billion on ‘non-scheduled chartered passenger air transportation.'

The figures could anger some Republican voters, who have long stressed the importance of restraint in public spending. Cabinet secretaries or members of Congress, for example, can also ask to use military planes, which do not appear in the data for security reasons, when they claim such travel is ‘mission critical.’

One senior U.S. military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, accused Trump administration officials of 'using the US Air Force like a taxi service.' 'There needs to be more done about the abuse of government flights,' the source said. One senior U.S. military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, accused Trump administration officials of 'using the US Air Force like a taxi service.' 'There needs to be more done about the abuse of government flights,' the source said.
Story by Joshua Wilburn • 6h ago

AUFO sighting over a U.S. military base in California left Marine witnesses mystified and perplexed. The incident occurred near Camp Wilson, a 998-square-mile installation at the southern tip of San Bernardino County in the Mojave Desert, the largest Marine Corps base in the world. The sighting included flashing lights and strange objects in the area, caught on film by Jeremy Corbell, the only civilian named during the historic UFO hearing on May 22, 2022.

Sue Gough, a Department of Defense spokesperson, revealed that the Pentagon's office that tracks UFOs, referred to as UAPs, or unidentified anomalous phenomena, does not have any record of this incident. Corbell and his colleague, George Knapp, reviewed the incident's pictures and videos as well as aired interviews with the unidentified Marine witnesses on their podcast. According to Corbell, people shouldn't be surprised by this activity, as events like this have occurred "for decades, not only in the United States, but all over the world."
CBS TEXAS

On Thursday, Stewart Rhodes, the founder and leader of the Oath Keepers, received an 18-year prison sentence for orchestrating an extensive conspiracy aimed at maintaining then-President Donald Trump in office following his defeat in the 2020 election.
By Robert Legare

Oath Keepers defendant Jessica Watkins — a military veteran from Ohio who founded a militia in the area —  was sentenced Friday to 8 and a half years in prison for her role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Last year, a jury convicted Watkins of numerous felony counts including obstructing Congress and interfering with police, but acquitted her of the most severe seditious conspiracy count after she admitted to much of her actions during the riot and disputed any seditious conduct from the stand.

Delivering a prewritten, emotionally raw expression of remorse in court today, Watkins told Judge Amit Mehta —  who on Thursday sentenced Stewart Rhodes to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy —  that she was sorry for her actions on Jan. 6. "My actions and my behaviors that fateful day were wrong and as I now understand, criminal," Watkins said through tears, later saying she was "ashamed" of her conduct. When she testified at trial, Watkins called herself  "another idiot" inside the Capitol building, a part of the mob, and alluded to that testimony on Friday.
Story by Jack Doyle

Despite their best attempts to convince viewers that “woke culture” and “trans agendas” are the biggest threats to the country’s children, Fox News once again proves that the real danger is their own programming.

Greg Gutfeld—the host of the right-wing network’s atrocious late-night “comedy” show—recently used his platform to discuss the merits of teacher/student sexual relationships. In a segment on Tracy Vanderhulst, a high school math teacher recently arrested and charged with the statutory rape of a 16-year-old boy, Gutfeld applauded Vanderhulst’s “heroic” actions. He compared the alleged assault to the Van Halen song “Hot For Teacher,” saying that he “would have died” for the opportunity to have sex with a teacher when he was the victim’s age.
Story by Will Carless, USA TODAY

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who launched his presidential bid this week, was the subject of a USA TODAY investigation this week revealing he appointed a woman who raided the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 to a state oversight board. Meanwhile, a man with a Nazi flag rammed into barriers outside the White House, while the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the Allen, Texas, shooter's neo-Nazi ideology, warning he is part of a growing trend. And what Target pulling Pride merchandise from its shelves after threats says about extremist far-right's fixation with the LGBTQ community. It's the week in extremism.

Appointing an insurrectionist?
Sandra Atkinson, a county Republican chair in Florida, can be seen in videos breaking into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, according to a USA TODAY investigation of footage outside and inside the building, and an interview with a Republican Party colleague. Two months after the insurrection, Gov. De Santis appointed her to the Florida Board of Massage Therapy, where she would spend more than a year overseeing the profession in the state, and granting or taking away practitioners' licenses, often based on their own criminal backgrounds.
By Kaanita Iyer, CNN

CNN — Two employees of Donald Trump moved boxes of papers at Mar-a-Lago a day before the Justice Department visited the former president’s residence to collect classified documents , The Washington Post reported Thursday. The Post, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that investigators view the timing – just before FBI agents and a prosecutor visited the Florida resort to recover the documents sought as part of a subpoena – as a potential sign of obstruction.

Investigators have evidence, the newspaper reported, that the former president kept classified documents in a visible place in his office and had shown them to others. He also allegedly conducted “a ‘dress rehearsal’ for moving sensitive papers” along with his team before they were subpoenaed in May 2022, according to the report.

CNN previously reported that following the May 2022 subpoena – which the former president wanted to fight – federal prosecutors had a June meeting at Mar-a-Lago during which they were returned documents that had been found in a basement room. At the meeting, Trump lawyers turned over an envelope with 38 classified documents, according to court filings.
By JIM VERTUNO and JAKE BLEIBERG

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — After years of legal and ethical scandals swirling around Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, the state’s GOP-controlled House of Representatives has moved toward an impeachment vote that could quickly throw him from office.

The extraordinary and rarely used maneuver comes in the final days of the state’s legislative session and sets up a bruising political fight. It pits Paxton, who has aligned himself closely with former President Donald Trump and the state’s hard-right conservatives, against House Republican leadership, who appear to have suddenly had enough of the allegations of wrongdoing that have long dogged Texas’ top lawyer.

Paxton has said the charges are based on “hearsay and gossip, parroting long-disproven claims.” Here is how the impeachment process works in Texas, and how the 60-year-old Republican came to face the prospect of becoming just the third official to be impeached in the state’s nearly 200-year history:
Story by Aaron Johnson

Ron DeSantis recently announced he'll be running for president in the 2024 election, and he's already been accused of election violation, according to NBC News.

"Officials who work for Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration — not his campaign — have been sending text messages to Florida lobbyists soliciting political contributions for DeSantis' presidential bid, a breach of traditional norms that has raised ethical and legal questions and left many here in the state capital shocked," the report reads.

“The bottom line is that the administration appears to be keeping tabs on who is giving, and are doing it using state staff,” one Florida lobbyist said. “You are in a prisoner’s dilemma. They are going to remain in power. We all understand that.”
Story by Tony Capaccio

(Bloomberg) -- Boeing Co. refused to give the Pentagon cost data for almost 11,000 replacement parts over a year, according to a congressionally mandated report intended to shine a light on some military contractors’ opaque pricing data.

The data denials for 10,659 items under a single contract accounted for 97% of such refusals by contractors during negotiations from October 2020 through September 2021, according to a previously undisclosed Pentagon assessment submitted to House and Senate defense committees.

Boeing’s “refusal to provide basic transparency on cost and pricing information represents a breach of the company’s duty to government, taxpayers and our service members,” Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative John Garamendi, Democratic members of the Senate and House Armed Services committees, wrote in a letter to Boeing Chief Executive Officer David Calhoun dated Wednesday.
Story by kvlamis@insider.com (Kelsey Vlamis)

The Supreme Court issued a ruling Thursday that will limit the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to protect wetlands and address water pollution, with all but one conservative justice, Brett Kavanaugh, signing off on it.

The case concerned a couple in Idaho who wanted to build a home on their property, but the EPA determined the land included wetlands that were protected under the Clean Water Act, subjecting it to the agency's oversight.

All nine justices agreed that the couple's land should not have been subject to regulation, but four justices — the liberal wing and Kavanaugh — sharply disagreed with part of the majority ruling, written by Alito, that could impact what exactly counts as protected "waters of the United States."
Opinion by Pilar Melendez

Moments before being sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy in connection with the Capitol riot, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes went on an unhinged, politically charged rant—and continued to pledge fealty to the former president who landed him in prison in the first place.

“I’m a political prisoner,” Rhodes, clad in an orange prison uniform, said from the podium in D.C. federal court on Thursday. “I feel like I’m the lead character in Kafka’s The Trial.”

Rhodes was found guilty in November of seditious conspiracy and evidence tampering in connection with an insurrection that forced dozens of elected officials into hiding for hours and left several people dead. The far-right leader was convicted of the rare Civil War-era charge alongside Florida Oath Keeper leader Kelly Meggs, who is set to be sentenced on Thursday afternoon.
Ariane de Vogue
By Ariane de Vogue, CNN Supreme Court Reporter

Washington CNN —  The Supreme Court on Thursday cut back on the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate wetlands under the Clean Water Act, with a 5-4 majority rolling back federal safeguards in a long-running dispute between the government and a couple who owns property in Idaho. The decision continues a trend in which the conservative-leaning court has narrowed the reach of environmental regulations, this time with Justice Amy Coney Barrett apparently providing the decisive vote for the majority.

Justice Samuel Alito, writing for himself, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, and Barrett concluded that the Clean Water Act extends only to those “wetlands with a continuous surface connection to bodies that are waters of the United States in their own rights.”

The decision is a victory for Chantell and Michael Sackett, who purchased a vacant lot near Idaho’s Priest Lake. Three years later they broke ground, hoping to build a family home, but soon got entangled in a regulatory dispute. As they began backfilling the property with 1,700 cubic yards of sand and gravel to create a stable grade, the EPA sent them an order halting construction.
Story by People Staff

Among the officers who moved to Florida for the program, a new report claims, at least two dozen had previously been subject to complaints, with allegations ranging from excessive force to racial profiling. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proudly championed a $13.5 million police relocation program — and according to a new report, it led to the state hiring a handful of police officers with violent records.

The program began in 2021 and was meant to incentivize law enforcement officers outside Florida to move to the state amid the COVID-19 pandemic, offering them bonuses of upwards of $5,000 to do so. In April, DeSantis announced that at least 530 officers had relocated from other states and territories to Florida due to the program. More than 1,750 new recruits, he said, had received bonuses through the program.

“I’m proud to announce that more than 1,750 new law enforcement officers have received bonuses through the Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Program,” DeSantis said in April, calling Florida "first in the nation in law enforcement recruitment because of our focus on back-the-blue initiatives that make our law enforcement officers feel supported by their communities."
By Samantha Delouya, Clare Duffy and Donie O'Sullivan, CNN

New York CNN — Twitter’s livestream event with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis crashed and was delayed on Wednesday as hundreds of thousands of users logged on to hear DeSantis announce his bid for the White House. Sound from the livestream event — which was held on Twitter Spaces and hosted by owner Elon Musk and tech entrepreneur David Sacks — cut in and out in the first minutes after starting.

“We’ve got so many people here that we are kind of melting the servers,” Sacks said at one point. More than 500,000 Twitter users joined the event, which was ultimately ended and then restarted, delaying DeSantis’ announcement by nearly half an hour. When the event was relaunched using Sacks’ account, only around 250,000 users ultimately listened in.

Twitter has faced a variety of outages and technical issues since Musk took over the platform late last year. Shortly after acquiring the company, Musk laid off large numbers of technical and other staff and reduced Twitter’s server capacity in an effort to cut costs.
Story by Ron Dicker

Former GOP Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich suggested Wednesday that Donald Trump communicates better than Ron DeSantis ― but it didn’t come off as complimentary to many. (Watch the video below.)

“One of Trump’s great advantages is he talks at a level where third, fourth and fifth grade educations can say, ‘Oh yeah, I get that. I understand it.’” Gingrich told host Laura Ingraham on her Fox News show.

The comment drew mockery from online critics. “The fact that [Trump] speaks to the children says everything you need to know about the educational level the Right is shooting for,” one person on Twitter wrote. “I don’t see where that’s good for somebody that’s running a country. SMH,” another commented.
Story by Jeremiah Budin

Tesla employees allegedly engaged in egregious violations of customers’ privacy, according to a disturbing report released by Reuters.

What Happened?
According to Reuters, Tesla employees were able to access video footage from the cameras built into Teslas to assist in driving. They shared those videos and images in an internal company messaging system, often to mock customers.

This information was supplied to Reuters by nine ex-Tesla employees, some of whom said that they could even access footage from the cameras when the Teslas were parked in a garage and ostensibly turned off. This allowed the employees to essentially see inside customers’ homes without consent.
Story by Brian Bennett

Five months after House Republicans launched an investigation into President Biden’s son Hunter and other members of his family, they have so far failed to identify any business dealings that may have influenced his decisions as Vice President or President.

But Rep. James Comer, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the House Oversight Committee, said on Monday that his committee’s public airing of overseas business transactions by Hunter Biden and other Biden relatives was helping Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. During an interview on Fox News, Comer linked the Republicans’ investigation into Joe Biden’s relatives to Donald Trump’s poll numbers.

A Fox News anchor asked Comer, “do you think that because of your investigation, that is what’s moved this needle with the media?”
Story by Igor Derysh

Special counsel Jack Smith's team issued a subpoena for information about former President Donald Trump's foreign deals since he took office, according to The New York Times.

Smith's team overseeing the investigation into Trump's handling of classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago has "cast a wider net than previously understood as they scrutinize whether he broke the law" by taking documents home from the White House and failing to comply with a subpoena for their return, according to the report.

The subpoena specifically sought details on the Trump Organization's real estate licensing and development deals in China, Saudi Araba, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Kuwait, Oman and France dating back to 2017.

PHOENIX (AP) — A judge on Monday dismissed the only remaining legal claim in Republican Kari Lake’s challenge of her loss in last year's race for Arizona governor, affirming the election of Democrat Katie Hobbs. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter A. Thompson said Lake failed to prove her claim that Maricopa County did not verify signatures on mail ballots as required by law.

Lake was among the most vocal of last year’s Republican candidates promoting former President Donald Trump’s election lies, which she made the centerpiece of her campaign. She has built a loyal following among Trump supporters and is openly considering a run for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Kyrsten Sinema, an independent and former Democrat. Lake is also often mentioned as a potential vice presidential pick for Trump. While most other election deniers around the country conceded after losing their races in November, Lake did not. She has touted her legal battle in fundraising appeals and speeches around the country.
Opinion by Amanda Marcotte

On Friday night, Fox News' Laura Ingraham did something nearly unheard of on the propaganda-masquerading-as-news network: She admitted that a story Fox had been hyping was wrong.

For a week, Fox News and other right-wing outlets had been heavily hyping claims that "homeless veterans" were being forced out of a hotel in upstate New York to make room for Central American refugees. Due to diligent reporting from local reporters at the Mid Hudson News, however, the story quickly unraveled. The hotel denied the claims and had receipts to refute the right-wing narrative. By the end of the week, the Mid Hudson News had a group of homeless men ready to talk about how Sharon Toney-Finch, the source of this tale and the head of a veteran advocacy group, had recruited them to pretend they were the displaced veterans. The whole thing was a hoax.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Police have arrested a Missouri man they believe intentionally crashed a U-Haul truck into a security barrier at a park across from the White House.

The box truck's driver smashed into the barrier near the north side of Lafayette Square on Monday at around 10 p.m., Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. He was identified as a 19-year-old from Chesterfield, a St. Louis suburb. No one was injured in the crash.
Story by By LARRY NEUMEISTER, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — E. Jean Carroll, the advice columnist who won a $5 million sexual abuse and defamation award against former President Donald Trump, is seeking at least $10 million more in a court filing Monday that seeks to hold him liable for remarks he made after the verdict.

The amended lawsuit was filed in Manhattan by Carroll's lawyers, who said Trump “doubled down” on derogatory remarks about the former Elle magazine columnist during a cable television appearance a day after the verdict.

"It is hard to imagine defamatory conduct that could possibly be more motivated by hatred, ill will, or spite,” they wrote of Trump's remarks at a CNN town hall. “This conduct supports a very substantial punitive damages award in Carroll’s favor both to punish Trump, to deter him from engaging in further defamation, and to deter others from doing the same."
By Aliza Chasan

The NAACP issued a formal travel advisory for Florida on Saturday in response to what the organization described as Gov. Ron DeSantis' "aggressive attempts to erase Black history and to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Florida schools." The civil rights organization is the latest to caution travelers against visiting Florida; the League of United Latin American Citizens and LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Florida previously issued travel advisories.

"Under the leadership of Governor DeSantis, the state of Florida has become hostile to Black Americans and in direct conflict with the democratic ideals that our union was founded upon," NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson said. "He should know that democracy will prevail because its defenders are prepared to stand up and fight. We're not backing down, and we encourage our allies to join us in the battle for the soul of our nation."
Story by Milla

Based on his social media posts, several experts warn that what Donald Trump proposes for the military, homeless people, or immigrants is dangerous and, often, illegal. Trust Social posts on Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg Trump warned there would be “death and destruction” if he is indicted. Manhattan DA’s office received an alleged death threat, and ...
Story by Shanthi Rexaline

Shortly after Tesla CEO Elon Musk strongly voiced his opinion against the work-from-home culture, “Shark Tank” investor Kevin O'Leary suggested that he has no issue with remote work.

What Happened: Working from home is not morally wrong, O'Leary said in an interview with CNN on Thursday. The world, the economy and the ethics of work have changed, he said. The pandemic necessitated a move away from working in the office and toward working from home, the latter of which had been considered too risky in the past, the Canadian entrepreneur explained. “Now, it's a proven method of project management,” he said.
Story by Thomas Kika

Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, was asked on Fox News about his party's history of raising the debt ceiling under Donald Trump with no budget cut requirements.

Democrats and Republicans in Congress are engaged in a heated back and forth over the United States' debt limit, putting the country at risk of defaulting on its debt and imperiling the world economy as soon as June 1. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has stated that his House majority will not vote in favor of a debt ceiling raise without Democrats and President Joe Biden agreeing to spending cuts.
Story by Milla

Michigan is one step closer to living in the XXI century. The punishment for unmarried couples living together was one year of prison time. The state Senate voted to repeal the law 29:9, and all nine were Republicans. Stephanie Chang of Detroit sponsored to repel the bill The bill, written nearly 100 years ago, prohibited ...
Story by Tom Boggioni

Appearing on MSNBC with fill-in host Charles Blow, former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele dropped the hammer on House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan's latest FBI "weaponization" hearing and laughed at how poorly his hearings have all gone. As Steele told the host, the Ohio Republican is inadvertently making the case that the real problems lie within the years Donald Trump was president and his own DOJ.

Above all, Steele claimed Jordan is running a "dog and pony show" that is not convincing anyone that there was a conspiracy against conservatives and Trump. "Michael, did Jordan's performance during these hearings actually help Democrats prove their point, the only party weaponizing the government is the Republican Party?" host Blow asked.
Story by Daniel Coposescu

Palm Beach, Florida - A former lawyer for Donald Trump has fired shots at the ex-president's legal team and the way it has handled the Mar-a-Lago classified documents scandal. Tim Parlatore, who quit as Trump's attorney this week, told CNN that he'd had enough of the infighting and opposing strategies within the legal team defending their client in the Mar-a-Lago classified materials case.

The reason Parlatore left, he said, is "because there are certain individuals that made defending the president much harder than it needed to be." He then singled out one particular legal advisor, who he suggested had obstructed the search for sensitive materials at Trump properties in Florida. "In particular, there is one individual who works for him, Boris Epshteyn, who had really done everything he could to try to block us – to prevent us from doing what we could to defend the president," Parlatore told CNN.

Noelle Dunphy is suing attorney Rudy Giuliani for wage theft and says she had access to thousands of his emails, including correspondence with former President Trump. “#SistersInLaw” podcast hosts Barbara McQuade, Kimberly Atkins Stohr, Joyce Vance and Jill Wine-Banks discuss the potential for “blockbuster testimony” from Dunphy and share why they’re expecting a Trump indictment in August.
Story by Christopher Rhodes

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is again being dragged across the internet for questionable comments. This time, the congresswoman is getting mocked for her attempts to paint Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., as an aggressive Black man for two recent confrontations the legislators have had.

Greene took time during comments to reporters on Thursday as she launched a longshot bid to impeach President Joe Biden to call out Bowman by name for two “aggressive” incidents. She referenced Bowman as one of many angry New Yorkers who heckled Greene in New York City last month when she came to support Donald Trump during the former president’s indictment. Greene also referenced a meeting between herself and Bowman on the steps of Capitol Hill this week, claiming she “felt threatened by him” as they exchanged words.

Of course, the “aggressive” Capitol Hill confrontation was captured on camera and posted by numerous sources. Both Bowman and Greene talk loudly and gesticulate during the conversation. Bowman calls for “no more MAGA” and warns Greene the Republicans are “hanging by a thread,” while Greene chants “impeach Biden” and calls Bowman “not very smart” for not believing right-wing talking points. But neither makes any aggressive or violent moves toward the other.

“She ain’t worth it, bro,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who approached Bowman at the end of the clip, said.
Story by Josh Marcus

Alumni are criticising a small New York Christian university for firing two employees who refused to remove gender pronouns from their email signatures. In April, Raegan Zelaya and Shua Wilmot, residence hall directors at Houghton University, were fired from their positions, after they put “she/her” and “he/him” in their signatures

In a widely circulated termination letter for Ms Zelaya, the school wrote it fired her shortly before the end of the semester “as a result of your refusal to remove pronouns in your email signature” and because she criticised the decision in the student newspaper.

A spokesperson for the university, which is affiliated with the conservative branch of the Methodist Church, told The New York Times on Friday the school “has never terminated an employment relationship based solely on the use of pronouns in staff email signatures.” “Over the past years, we’ve required anything extraneous be removed from email signatures, including Scripture quotes,” the spokesperson said.
If republican are tough on crime why do they support killers and attack victims?

Story by kbalevic@insider.com (Katie Balevic)

Some conservatives love a mascot for vigilante justice, and they seem to have found their newest poster boy in Daniel Penny.

Republican 2024 presidential candidates are lining up in support of Penny, a 24-year-old retired Marine who placed Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man, in a chokehold on the New York City subway that ultimately killed him. The Manhattan district attorney's office charged Penny with manslaughter on May 12 after a medical examiner ruled Neely's death a homicide.

Lawyers for Penny said he was acting in self-defense and "could not have foreseen" Neely's "untimely death." Witnesses to the incident said while Neely was agitated, he never touched anyone on the train. A former prosecutor called the killing an example of the kind of "vigilante justice" plaguing the United States.
Story by Tom Boggioni

According to Stephen Vladeck, a professor at the University of Texas Law School, the Supreme Court experienced a sea change when it came to issuing emergency rulings that helped Donald Trump get his way without the court having to explain their legal reasoning.

In an interview with Politico, Vladeck, whose book "The Shadow Docket" explains how the court is hiding how they arrive at the rulings, said that under the Trump administration emergency petitions for rulings went through the roof, with the court repeatedly siding with the former president.

Speaking with Politico's Ian Ward, the legal expert explained that Trump circumvented lower court rulings by rushing to the nation's highest court for relief.

As he told Ward, "...the real shift in 2017 was that all of a sudden, the court was inundated with a flurry of applications for a particular type of shadow docket ruling — application for emergency relief — from the Trump administration."
Story by Luc Olinga

Even for the master and ace of communication that he is, it is bad publicity that he could have done without. Because there is publicity that smells of sulfur and can destroy even the best reputations. This is the exception that all publicity is good.

Elon Musk finds himself in one of those unenviable situations. The name of the billionaire entrepreneur has just appeared in the resounding Jeffrey Epstein scandal. A woman, whose identity has not been released, and the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands, sued JPMorgan in late 2022, alleging that the bank facilitated the actions of Jeffrey Epstein, accused of sexual crimes against minors.
Story by Jack Birle

Lawyers for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) filed a motion on Friday to have the judge presiding over the lawsuit filed against him by Disney disqualified from the case.

In the court filing, DeSantis's team argues Judge Mark Walker should be moved off of the case due to prior comments he made about DeSantis's actions against Disney being "an example of state retaliation."

"Those remarks—each derived from extrajudicial sources—were on the record, in open court, and could reasonably imply that the Court has prejudged the retaliation question here. Because that question is now before this Court, and because that question involves highly publicized matters of great interest to Florida’s citizens, the Court should disqualify itself to prevent even the appearance of impropriety," the filing said.

The lawyers provided examples of Walker allegedly calling the Florida governor's actions against Disney retaliation in comments he made in Link v. Corcoran and Falls v. DeSantis.
Story by Dan Mangan

A former employee of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management pleaded guilty in Washington, D.C., federal court on Friday to steering more than $10 million worth of OPM contracts to companies associated with her or her husband over the course of 12 years, authorities said. The former OPM worker, 54-year-old Sheron Spann, is due to be sentenced Sept. 21.

Spann pleaded guilty to one felony count of taking actions affecting a personal financial interest. The maximum sentence for the charge is five years, but the recommended sentence is zero to six months. Spann admitted at her plea hearing Friday that as early as 2011 she began steering OPM "information technology contracts to companies under control of Spann and her husband without disclosing the nature or extent of her relationship to the companies," the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said in a press release.
ABC News

Jim Brown, a preternatural talent on the football field and later both a movie star and civil rights activist, has died. He was 87 years old.

His wife, Monique Brown, announced his death on Instagram.

"It is with profound sadness that I announce the passing of my husband, Jim Brown," she wrote. "He passed peacefully last night at our LA home. To the world he was an activist, actor, and football star. To our family, he was a loving and wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. Our hearts are broken."

"It’s impossible to describe the profound love and gratitude we feel for having the opportunity to be a small piece of Jim’s incredible life and legacy," the Cleveland Browns, the only team he played for in the NFL, said in a statement. "We mourn his passing, but celebrate the indelible light he brought to the world."
Story by Eric Garcia and Andrew Feinberg

Apair of federal law enforcement veterans who accused the FBI of drumming them out of service because of their conservative political beliefs have admitted to receiving money from a prominent ex-aide to former president Donald Trump, Kash Patel.

The shocking admission came during a Thursday hearing of the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponisation of the Federal Government. The GOP-led panel has largely devoted its time to investigating conspiracy theories about social media companies’ cooperation with law enforcement, as well as advancing allegations that the Department of Justice probes into prominent Republicans who may have committed crimes are politically motivated.

The Thursday session was chaired by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R - Ohio) and was devoted to exploring allegations that the FBI has unlawfully retaliated against alleged whistleblowers who have complained about the bureau’s treatment of suspects charged with crimes stemming from the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Story by Zachary Cohen

An early Biden administration initiative to root out extremism in the military was designed to identify people like Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old Air National Guardsman with a long-history of violent and racist behavior now accused of perpetrating one of the biggest leaks of classified documents in modern history. But more than two years after the Countering Extremism Working Group was formed inside the Pentagon, the effort has vanished virtually without a trace.

As the Pentagon grapples with the aftermath of the leak, the working group’s stated objectives look eerily prescient, and, in some cases, tailor-made to zero-in on the sort of anti-government, White supremacist behavior and views espoused by Teixeira.

CNN interviews with multiple sources familiar with the working group reveal that the Pentagon largely abandoned the effort to combat extremism in its ranks, as senior officials folded under political pressure from Republicans who lashed out at the initiative as an example of so-called wokeism in the military.

Of the six recommendations the working group made at the end of 2021, only one has begun to be implemented across the Defense Department, a Pentagon spokesperson told reporters on May 18.
Story by Candice Ortiz

Radio host Charlamagne Tha God blasted “bigoted Barbie” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) for comparing the term “white supremacist” to the “n-word” on Thursday during a Capitol Hill press conference. The conversation took place on the Friday edition of The Breakfast Club where Charlamagne discussed Greene’s verbal spat with Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) on Wednesday outside the Capitol building. The exchange occurred after disgraced Rep. George Santos (R-NY) gave an interview on the Capitol steps on Wednesday and Bowman walked by and shouted for Santos to resign, saying, “New Yorkers need better.”

Greene rushed to the defense of Santos and engaged with Bowman who she later claimed called had “threatened” her with his “mannerisms.” Greene was asked about the encounter by reporters later in the day, where she also said he had called her a “white supremacist” in the past and then she compared the label to calling someone the n-word. Charlamagne reacted to Greene’s comments on the Friday edition of his show, calling Greene “out of her White devil damn mind” and proudly named her “Donkey of the Day.”
If Trump and the GOP really cared about America why would they crash the American economy?

Story by Brad Reed

Former President Donald Trump on Friday piled pressure on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to default on the national debt and wreck the American economy unless Democrats cave and give Republicans "everything they want."

In an all-caps Truth Social post, the former president laid out a stark choice for Republicans as they try to negotiate a way to raise the national debt ceiling.

"REPUBLICANS SHOULD NOT MAKE A DEAL ON THE DEBT CEILING UNLESS THEY GET EVERYTHING THEY WANT (Including the 'kitchen sink')," the former president wrote. "THAT’S THE WAY THE DEMOCRATS HAVE ALWAYS DEALT WITH US. DO NOT FOLD!!!"

Democratic-led Houses passed clean debt ceiling increases multiple times during Trump's presidency despite the fact that he was racking up record annual budget deficits.
Story by Haley Britzky

Newly released memos revealing that Air Force leadership repeatedly warned Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira about inappropriately accessing classified intelligence have left former and current defense personnel baffled at how he retained his security clearance and was able to continue sharing classified information for months.

“This is negligence on the part of the chain of command,” said Jason Kikta, a former Marine Corps Officer and former member of US Cyber Command. “They had a clear pattern of behavior,” adding he “should have been cut off at the second incident.”

Three Air Force memos documenting Teixeira’s misconduct were released publicly on Wednesday as part of the prosecution’s argument in favor keeping him detained pending trial.
After Jan. 6, Lt. Shane Lamond said he supported the group and didn't "want to see your group’s name or reputation dragged through the mud," an indictment alleged.
By Ryan J. Reilly

WASHINGTON — A Metropolitan Police Department lieutenant who supervised the intelligence branch of the Washington, D.C., police was indicted this week, charged with tipping off former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio about a pending warrant for his arrest just ahead of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Tarrio, the former chair of the Proud Boys, was recently found guilty of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Capitol attack, along with other members of the far-right group. Tarrio was not in Washington on Jan. 6 after his arrest in connection with the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner, as he was banned from the city by a judge the day before the attack.

Shane Lamond, 47, was indicted on one count of obstruction of justice and three counts of making false statements, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said Friday. A federal grand jury charged Lamond with obstructing the investigation into the burning of the banner Dec. 12, 2020, when the Proud Boys were roaming the streets of Washington for a pro-Trump event.
Story by Katherine Tinsley

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were caught in a terrifying car chase on Tuesday, May 16. The couple's safety was compromised after 12 paparazzi photographers followed them around Manhattan, and now, a witness shared his perspective from the well-publicized night.

"I think that’s all, you know, exaggerated. I don’t think I’d call it a chase," an unnamed person told an outlet. "They were heading east on 57th Street and came to a stop at a red light at 8th Avenue." "It’s two lanes of traffic in each direction and they pulled out on to the opposite side of the road into oncoming traffic. But they got stuck in the middle of the road. It caused absolute chaos," the source added.

MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell explains how Jim Jordan uses semantic infiltration to lie about the work his House committee is doing

Alex Wagner looks at how Newt Gingrich's encouragement of his Republican colleagues to be more nasty has come to fruition over the years, making the party more difficult for subsequence speakers to lead and more dangerous to the stability of the United States.

Republican strategist Rina Shah weighs in on Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s latest comments, in which she compared being called a white supremacist to being called the n-word.
The right is banning books and threatening librarians with prison time

Story by Alex Henderson

In the Netherlands and other European democracies, comprehensive sex education starts at an early age. Dutch officials reason that the more youths know about sex, the more likely they are to avoid unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.

But in the United States, the Religious Right has a radically different viewpoint. Far-right white evangelical Christians who oppose abortion often oppose any time of sex education.

According to the Washington Post's Hannah Natanson, MAGA Republicans in state legislatures have been pushing bills threatening librarians with either heavy fines or prison time if they give minors a book they consider "obscene." And material doesn't have to be explicit to fit the Religious Right's definition of obscenity.
Story by Connor Surmonte

More than 50 years after the notorious Zodiac Killer terrorized California, the murderous monster has finally been unmasked, RadarOnline.com has learned. A task force of 40 retired lawmen led by ex-FBI famed for solving cold cases has identified the elusive psycho as Gary F. Poste, who worked as a union painter in the San Francisco area for 40 years.

Tom Colbert, leader of the team known as the Case Breakers, said: “Poste confessed to six people that he was indeed the Zodiac Killer. That includes three people in court affidavits.” As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the infamous Zodiac Killer was a maniac who shot, stabbed, or choked to death as many as ten people between 1962 and 1970.

He murdered at least five known victims in the San Francisco Bay area and claimed to have slain a total of 37 people. The madman taunted police and the public by sending a series of letters and encoded messages to newspapers during his reign of terror. But he was never caught.
Sarah Whitten

Disney has abandoned plans to open up a new employee campus in Lake Nona, Florida, amid rising tensions with the state’s governor. Citing “changing business conditions” and the return of CEO Bob Iger, Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney’s parks, experiences and products division, penned a memo to employees Thursday, announcing that the company will not move forward with construction of the campus and will no longer be asking more than 2,000 California-based employees to relocate to Florida. “This was not an easy decision to make, but I believe it is the right one,” D’Amaro told employees.
Story by Kimmy Yam

Anew law in Florida mandates the teaching of Asian American and Pacific Islander history in public schools. But many Asian Americans are not celebrating, pointing to how other marginalized communities are being impacted by the state heavily limiting the instruction of systemic racism and gender identity in the classroom.

Asian American academics and civil rights organizations are speaking out after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill last week, requiring that Asian American and Pacific Islander history to be included in the K-12 curriculum. The measure coincides with another bill signed into law on Monday to no longer permit public colleges to  spend money on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. It also limits the way race and gender will be taught in the state’s higher education institutions.

Gregg Orton, national director of National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, a coalition of 38 AAPI organizations, said the history law is far from a “win” for the Asian American community, adding that “racial justice can’t be a zero-sum game for communities of color.”
Story by Angel Saunders

Today (May 18), far-right conspiracy theorist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stood before reporters and made shocking comparisons that have social media users talking. Her speech was in response to an incident that took place in front of the Capitol yesterday (May 17) with Democratic congressman Jamaal Bowman.

“Jamaal Bowman [was] shouting at the top of his lungs, cursing, calling me a horrible — calling me a white supremacist, which I take great offense to. That is like calling a person of color the N-word, which should never happen. Calling me a white supremacist is equal to that. And that is wrong,” Greene said while standing at a podium before members of the press. She also claimed the Black man was behaving aggressively, which made her feel threatened.
Story by Emily St. Martin

As school library book bans proliferate across the country, the resistance is becoming more organized. This week, a book publisher — the largest in the world — entered the fray. A lawyer for the publishing conglomerate Penguin Random House told The Times it was suing to stop "one of the most unsubtle attempts at viewpoint discrimination" ever seen.

Joined by free-speech advocacy group PEN America and several authors and parents, Penguin Random House filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the Escambia County School District and its school board, alleging they were violating the 1st Amendment by scrubbing library shelves of books based on a political or ideological disagreement with the ideas the books express.

They also allege a 14th Amendment violation citing the Equal Protection Clause, because the challenged books are disproportionately titles by nonwhite and/or LGBTQ+ authors and explore diverse stories and themes.
Story by Arthur Delaney

WASHINGTON – Two FBI agents Republicans have championed as “whistleblowers” interfered with or refused to participate in investigations related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, the FBI told lawmakers this week.

At a hearing on Thursday, Republicans led by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) alleged the agents were victims of a broader “weaponization” of the U.S. Justice Department against Catholics, concerned parents, conservatives and former President Donald Trump. “If you’re one of the good employees of our government to talk about the targeting, you become a target, you face retaliation,” Jordan said at the hearing.

Christopher Dunham, FBI assistant director, told Jordan in a letter that one of the former agents ― Marcus Allen, a staff operations specialist suspended from his job at the FBI’s field office in Charlotte, North Carolina ― tried to convince his FBI colleagues that the Capitol riot had been orchestrated by the government.
Story by Tatyana Tandanpolie

House Democrats slammed Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., who was indicted on 13 felony charges last week, during the Oversight and Reform Committee's hearing about crime in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday.

The Justice Department criminally charged the freshman congressman with seven counts of wire fraud, one count of theft of public funds, three counts of money laundering and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives last Wednesday, following an investigation prompted by reports that he had fabricated parts of his biography during his 2022 campaign.

During Tuesday's hearing, Santos' fellow congressional newcomer, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat from Texas, admonished House Republicans for failing to take action against Santos even after his indictment.

"My Republican colleagues want to talk about keeping DC streets crime free. They can't even keep the halls of Congress crime free," she began, adding "My freshman colleague has just been indicted on 13 counts — 13 felony counts — but have they exhibited any courage to say, 'You know what, we will disallow this in our body, we will make sure that we expel this individual.' They have not."
Story by Sarah K. Burris

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) began his weaponization committee hearing on Thursday by heralding the FBI whistleblowers who lost their security clearance due to their Jan. 6 sympathies. They have since been helped financially by Republican donors and allies of former President Donald Trump. Jordan praised the men, highlighting their service to the country and in some cases, military service. He called them heroes.

Rep. Stacey E. Plaskett (D-VI) questioned the implication that anyone in military service or public service could do no wrong. She brought up the Air Force member in Massachusetts who was recently arrested for allegedly leaking classified documents and asked if he's still a "hero." "Because someone served our country in the military and that they work from a federal agency does not exempt them immediately from being somebody who could potentially commit espionage," she explained.
Story by Inside the Magic

The Reedy Creek battle between the Walt Disney Company and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis continues, and it turns out that Disney’s prime witness is… Ron DeSantis. The DeSantis/Disney feud began when the company spoke out against the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” Bill. The Governor then made motions to remove the board in charge of Walt Disney World’s special Reedy Creek Improvement District to ensure he controlled them.

Disney responded to the new board by creating a contract with the former board, giving the company control of the Reedy Creek Improvement District until the last living descendent of King Charles III passed away. Currently, said descendent is two years old. This has since been followed by attacks from both sides, with DeSantis threatening to build a prison next to Walt Disney World, Disney suing the Governor and the state of Florida, and the newly named Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board counter-suing Disney.

This whole conflict has led to the potential Presidential nominee losing support within his own party. To make matters worse for the Florida Governor, the Walt Disney Company has found an unlikely ally: Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.
Story by Matthew Chapman

Failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake put forward a "star witness" at Wednesday's trial in which she is seeking to throw Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who defeated her in the 2022 midterm election, out of office on grounds of supposed election fraud.

The only problem, wrote Laurie Roberts for The Arizona Republic, is that her witness actually torpedoed her case.

"Her attorney, Kurt Olsen, told the judge he’d be presenting evidence that Maricopa County didn’t verify the voter signatures on 'hundreds of thousands' of early ballots, instead hiring signature reviewers who just went through the motions while the county looked on," wrote Roberts. As proof, he called signature reviewer Jacqueline Onigkeit, who "spent more than an hour explaining the lengths to which county went to verify signatures — the weeklong training of workers, the two shifts of level one reviewers, three levels of signature review, the admonition to get it right."
Story by Inside the Magic

Yet another afflicted party is speaking up in the battle between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Walt Disney World Resort’s Reedy Creek Improvement District.

DeSantis’s hand-picked Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board held its second-ever meeting on Wednesday, pressing forward despite the hastily-passed King Charles clause. Before transferring power to the new board, Reedy Creek essentially made itself powerless effective until 22 years after the death of the last current living descendant of King Charles III.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Disney Springs business owners appealed to DeSantis’s board for help. Representatives from Wine Bar George, Splitsville, T-Rex Cafe, Yak and Yeti, The Boathouse, and more were present at the meeting to express their concerns after the board voted to void an agreement between the State of Florida and Disney Springs tenants, upping their taxes to fund the battle between DeSantis and Reedy Creek.
Story by Carron J. Phillips

Never go anywhere you aren’t invited. This week, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis did his best to uninvite anyone that isn’t white to the state’s colleges and universities. It’s time educators of color, Black athletes, and the NCAA boycott baby Trump.

“If you look at the way this has actually been implemented across the country, DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) is better viewed as standing for discrimination, exclusion, and indoctrination,” DeSantis said at a news conference earlier in the week. “And that has no place in our public institutions. This bill says the whole experiment with DEI is coming to an end in the state of Florida.”

The state will no longer spend money on DEI initiatives at its public institutes of higher learning. In case you didn’t know, DEI programs help predominantly white institutions (PWIs) increase diversity amongst their faculty and student body. Race, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status all fall under the DEI umbrella. Florida is joining 19 other racist states where politicians have aimed at similar programs. The only saving grace is that the new law doesn’t affect schools spending money on DEI programs if they’re federally mandated.
Story by Inside the Magic

If you’ve been following our coverage of the DeSantis versus Disney drama, you’ll already know that Florida’s Governor isn’t exactly Florida’s most popular resident. With many his attempts to take on the Walt Disney Company and a full-fledged vendetta against the Magic Kingdom, many might start to wonder how his voters are feeling about his behavior.

The phrase “cut off your nose to spite your face” is certainly one that’s been used to describe the governor’s actions regarding the feud with Disney and Walt Disney World, and many can agree that DeSantis is no longer looking out for his voters’ best interests. So, what do they have to say about it?

What Voters Say About DeSantis V. Disney
@meetthepress shared a very telling video on TikTok of Florida residents expressing how they feel about the state of Ron DeSantis’ war on Disney. There are the expected responses of “go woke, go broke,” but there are also some speaking up for Disney’s favor. That said, the correct choice isn’t always the most supported.
Story by Gideon Rubin

A North Carolina Republican lawmaker’s cringeworthy remark sent a state House debate over school choice off the rails.

Rep. Jeffrey McNeely during the debate suggested that his Democratic colleague Abe Jones, who is a Black Harvard graduate, wouldn’t have been admitted to the prestigious school if he wasn’t a minority, video posted on Twitter by freelance journalist Bryan Anderson shows.

“I understand that you went to public school and that you went to Harvard and Harvard Law, and the question I have is would you have been able to maybe achieve this if you were not an athlete or a minority, or any of these things,” McNeely said.

An incredulous Rep. Robert Reives II responded saying: “OK, I’m hoping I’m not the only one who got shocked by that comment that the only reason you went to Harvard is because you were Black and an athlete?”
Story by Disney Fanatic

On February 27, after a nearly year-long battle, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially dissolved the Reedy Creek Improvement Act, which stripped Disney of its right to self-govern. For years, Disney and the state of Florida had maintained a good relationship, with Disney paying millions in taxes, along with all the jobs Walt Disney World Resort brought to the state. That all changed when former CEO Bob Chapek spoke out against Florida’s controversial Parental Rights in Education Bill.

With the dissolution of the Reedy Creek Improvement Act, Governor DeSantis has appointed a board to oversee the area. The board is called the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. The Board consists of those appointed directly by DeSantis, including some who have donated to his campaign. One of the board members is Ron Peri. With those on the board now coming into the spotlight, some of Peri’s past contentious comments are coming back into the light. Per reporting from CNN:
Story by Robert Barnes

The Supreme Court ruled for Google and Twitter in a pair of closely watched liability cases Thursday, saying families of terrorism victims had not shown the companies “aided and abetted” attacks on their loved ones.

“Plaintiffs’ allegations are insufficient to establish that these defendants aided and abetted ISIS in carrying out the relevant attack,” Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in a unanimous decision in the Twitter case. The court adopted similar reasoning in the claim against Google.

The court’s narrowly focused rulings sidestepped requests to limit a law that protects social media platforms from lawsuits over content posted by their users, even if the platform’s algorithms promote videos that laud terrorist groups.

In the Twitter case, American relatives of Nawras Alassaf said the company failed to properly police its platform for Islamic State-related accounts in advance of a Jan. 1, 2017, attack at the Reina nightclub in Turkey that killed Alassaf and 38 others. In the Google case, the family of an exchange student killed in an Islamic State attack in Paris said Google’s YouTube should be liable for promoting content from the group.
Story by Disney Fanatic

Another day, another dramatic move in the state of Florida involving controversial governor Ron DeSantis and Florida Republicans. According to reports, Florida State Senator Jason Brodeur — a Republican — has proposed a bill that would require bloggers who write about certain politicians to register with the state. Brodeur’s bill also states that those bloggers would have to report how much they are being paid for those posts — positive or negative. Larger corporations, like newspapers, would be exempt from registering with the government.

According to the bill, a “blog” is defined as “a website or webpage that hosts any blogger and is frequently updated with opinion, commentary, or business content. The term does not include the website of a newspaper or other similar publication.” Here is more on what the Florida bill would require, per Deadline:
David Edwards

Rep. Jim Jordan's (R-OH) hearing on the "weaponization" of government turned chaotic on Thursday after Republicans refused to turn over witness testimony. Following witness statements in a Judiciary Committee hearing, Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) demanded to know why some testimony had not been shared with Democrats.

"It's my understanding that the minority in this committee under the rules is entitled to the same testimony, information, documents that the majority is entitled to," Wasserman Schultz noted. "So I mean, I'm not aware that you're able to withhold information from the minority." "When it comes to [FBI] whistleblowers, you're not," Jordan shot back. "That's not right," one Democrat complained. "We gave you all the information we had."
Story by Disney Fanatic

Every day, new information about the Disney vs. DeSantis dispute comes to light, further complicating an already fraught situation. By this point, Disney Fanatics are well aware of the battle that rages on in the Sunshine state relating to the Central Florida mainstay, the Walt Disney World Resort. Ever since the “Don’t Say Gay” debacle that took hold of the Disney community last year—first for then Disney CEO Bob Chapek not speaking out as many believed he should, to then many criticizing him for getting involved in Florida’s political issues—it has been cropping back up time and again.

This situation has developed so much that outlets have even taken to writing satirical articles about what’s going on, raising the valid question of whether this situation has dragged on far too long. However, irrespective of what we do or don’t believe about this current fight Disney has found itself embroiled in with Governor DeSantis and the specially appointed board, the latest is that it will cost a pretty penny for the board to sue the Mouse House as it’s threatened.
Story by Disney Dining

In a bold move on Monday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced his plans to introduce legislation that will effectively crush Disney’s plans to build a fifth theme park at The Walt Disney World Resort.

It might just be the most powerful move made by Gov. Ron DeSantis in the ongoing battle between the Florida legislature and The Walt Disney Company–a move so bold it could stop any plans Disney World has for adding a fifth theme park to the Resort located in Central Florida near Orlando.

During a press conference on Monday, Gov. DeSantis said that new legislation aimed at revoking a development agreement passed by the Reedy Creek board before the state of Florida took over the district would be introduced in the legislature and voted upon in a matter of days.
Story by Disney Fanatic

While Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s feud with the Walt Disney Company rages on, many have started calling out the governor for how he has handled the situation. Some fellow politicians have called him “not a conservative” and insisted he hasn’t been able to handle the controversy well. At the same time, some critics have asked the Governor to focus on Florida’s “real needs.” There are also those who believe that Governor DeSantis needs to “just take the loss” and move on, leaving Walt Disney World be.

This is especially considering how central the Disney Resort is to Florida’s tourism. In fact, even many locals love the ability to drive to Disney World—Florida’s Turnpike System (while a long drive) does offer easy access from Miami to Orlando and Walt Disney World.

Recently, however, this has been up in the air due to the gas shortage currently experienced in South Florida. As reported by CNN, “More than half of gas stations in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area were without gasoline… after flooding from last week’s massive storm caused a wave of panic buying by drivers topping off their gas tanks.”
Story by Matthew Chapman

Support from right-wing politicians for a former Marine accused of killing New York City homeless man Jordan Neely with a chokehold on the subway is the latest in a surge in celebrations of "vigilante 'justice,'" the Washington Post wrote Tuesday.

The backing of Daniel Penny after he was hit with second-degree manslaughter represents "a new low" for GOP extremism, wrote Greg Sargent and Paul Waldman for The Washington Post on Tuesday. A GoFundMe fundraising effort for Penny has raised more than $2 million, with several Republicans publicly donating.

"When Ron DeSantis defended Daniel Penny, the former Marine accused of killing a man suffering from mental illness on a New York City subway, the Florida governor didn’t just laud Penny as a hero. He also cast the law enforcement apparatus prosecuting Penny as presumptively illegitimate," they wrote.

"In so doing, DeSantis joined many on the right seeking to transform Penny into a martyr being punished by the 'deep state' for supposedly defending civil order. But this is particularly sobering coming from DeSantis; it suggests the two leading contenders for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination — DeSantis and former president Donald Trump — are open celebrators of vigilante 'justice.'"
Story by Milla

When a former Marine, Daniel Penny, allegedly killed a New York City homeless man, Jordan Neely, it seemed impossible that someone would want to make him a hero. It turned out it was a portion of the GOP, “The Washington Post” journalists shared. GOP’s extremism Greg Sargent and Paul Waldman reported a tragic insight into ...
Story by David Oliver, USA TODAY

Actions speak louder than words. But words spouted through literal and figurative megaphones can still be heard for miles – especially in a polarized political climate. Take GOP Sen. John Kennedy's comments about Mexico at a recent hearing.

"Without the people of America, Mexico, figuratively speaking, would be eating cat food out of a can and living in a tent behind an Outback," the Louisiana congressman said. He was questioning Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Anne Milgram and inquired about fentanyl moving from Mexico to the U.S. while also comparing the countries' economies.

The Mexican ambassador to the U.S., Esteban Moctezuma, called Kennedy's words "vulgar and racist." Experts say these comments are a reflection of our current political era – but people need to remember that words have consequences. A small ripple could soar into a tidal wave, especially if speakers have a high-wattage platform.
Story by Travis Gettys

Awriters group and major publisher have sued a Florida school district over its Ron DeSantis-sanctioned removal of books about race and LGBTQ+ identities.

PEN America and Penguin Random House filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the Escambia County School District and its school board alleging a violation of their First Amendment rights for removing 10 books from library shelves, reported the Associated Press.

“Books have the capacity to change lives for the better, and students in particular deserve equitable access to a wide range of perspectives. Censorship, in the form of book bans like those enacted by Escambia County, are a direct threat to democracy and our Constitutional rights,” said Nihar Malaviya, CEO of Penguin Random House.
Story by Jenna Gleespen

The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, who previously served as trusted advisers and confidantes to former President Donald Trump during his administration, have been subpoenaed by the special counsel in charge of investigating Mr. Trump. In Hot Water Despite being the ex-president’s daughter and son-in-law, respectively, they are...
Story by Gideon Rubin

Marjorie Taylor Greene on Tuesday falsely claimed that a Georgia activist killed a state trooper earlier this year in what the far-right congresswoman from claims is part of a growing trend of violent left-wing extremism, The Independent reports. “Being a police officer is a target for antifa,” Greene said Homeland Security Committee meeting titled “Mostly Peaceful’: Countering Left-Wing Organized Violence."

“They actually murdered someone there. They actually murdered a police officer. Oh, you don’t know. That’s right, because you don’t study left-wing extremism,” Greene said. Greene falsely claimed that Manuel Teran killed a state trooper during a protest over the construction of a controversial police training facility called “Cop City.” “That was this year, you’re right, not last year, it was this year, so left-wing extremism is definitely on the rise and murder is a big part of it,” Greene said. Actually, it never happened.
Story by Sahil Kapur

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump took credit Wednesday for the elimination of Roe v. Wade, embracing his role in selecting the Supreme Court justices who were instrumental in ending the half-century precedent that protected abortion rights nationwide.

“After 50 years of failure, with nobody coming even close, I was able to kill Roe v. Wade, much to the ‘shock’ of everyone,” Trump, the former president and front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, said on his social media platform.

Trump said his actions have “put the Pro Life movement in a strong negotiating position” against proponents of abortion rights, giving himself credit for the various bans that are being advanced by conservatives across the country. More than a dozen states have enacted abortion limits since Roe was overturned last summer.

“Without me there would be no 6 weeks, 10 weeks, 15 weeks, or whatever is finally agreed to. Without me the pro Life movement would have just kept losing,” Trump added.
How much tax payer money and pension funds has Ron DeSantis Misused?

Story by Matthew Cunningham-Cook

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has been putting huge sums of state retirement money into underperforming private equity firms that have donated to his campaign efforts. Florida governor and Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis has been crusading against “woke” investments for allegedly threatening his state employees’ retirement funds. But the most imminent threat to Florida public employees’ retirement dollars appears to be the massive state pension investments that have gone to some of the Republican Party’s Wall Street donors under DeSantis’s watch.

Despite a federal anti-corruption rule designed to prevent donors from receiving pension investments, private equity executives have donated millions to political groups supporting DeSantis, all while the governor oversaw the transfer of more than $1 billion of Florida public employees’ retirement dollars into these donors’ high-fee, high-risk “alternative investments.”

Our review found that had the state pension fund instead been invested in a simple, low-cost index fund, compared to its present mix of holdings, teachers, police officers, and other state employees would have about $10 billion more in their retirement funds.

“From a distance, it sure looks like the pensioners are getting hurt here,” Kathleen Clark, an ethics expert and professor at the Washington University in Saint Louis School of Law, told us. “It certainly seems like it raises the distinct possibility that the decisions that the pension board is making may be serving DeSantis’ political interests and not the pensioners’ interest.”
Story by Milla

Florida universities were told to prioritize diversity, but with one signature, Governor DeSantis banned state funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at the state’s public universities. Ceremony at the New College of Florida DeSantis signed three bills that, he claims, would give students foundational skills and prevent people from imposing orthodoxies at public universities. ...

Ceremony at the New College of Florida
DeSantis signed three bills that, he claims, would give students foundational skills and prevent people from imposing orthodoxies at public universities. DeSantis held a ceremony at the New College of Florida while signing the legislation.
Story by Travis Gettys

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough ripped conservative media outlets for misrepresenting findings by special counsel John Durham.

The Republican-appointed Durham finally issued a report in his years-long investigation into the origins of the Donald Trump-Russia probe that turned up no bombshell findings and included only minor recommendations for FBI reform, although several outlets owned by Fox News boss Rupert Murdoch suggested otherwise.

"I don't want to say their name in a critical light because they are the paper of record for 'Morning Joe,' but there is a certain tabloid in New York, you know, sort of like [suggested] it is true, Hillary spied on Trump," Scarborough said. "Wall Street Journal editorial page, which is my paper, I read it every day, they were going all in... George W. Bush once said, 'Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, won't get fooled again.'" They obviously don't follow Bushisms."

The other panelists cracked up as Scarborough read a headline from the New York Post, which blared that Trump had been the victim of a "whack job" by his political enemies.
Story by Ken Meyer

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy accidentally praised President Joe Biden’s administration by saying it was far more effective at catching suspected terrorists than Donald Trump’s was.

McCarthy spoke to reporters on Tuesday after a White House meeting to reach a deal on the debt ceiling. As McCarthy moved on to slam the current administration’s handling of illegal immigration with the expiration of Title 42, he said that over the weekend, an Afghanistan national on the terrorist watch list was detected while attempting to cross the U.S. Southern border.
Story by Henry Austin

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase" with paparazzi in New York City, a spokesperson for the couple said Wednesday. The pair, together with Meghan’s mother, were followed by photographers after leaving a charity event in New York on Tuesday night.

“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers,” the spokesperson said in a statement. They added that the “near catastrophic car chase” came “at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi.”
Story by Matthew Chapman

Donna Deegan, a Democrat and former TV news anchor, pulled off a shockupset to win the open mayoral election in the traditionally Republican city of Jacksonville, Florida, Tuesday – a city that has not elected a Democratic mayor in roughly three decades. She defeated Daniel Davis, a right-wing candidate backed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who had raised quadruple the money she had.

DeSantis' bloody nose delighted former President Donald Trump, who took to his Truth Social platform on Wednesday morning to use the result to mock DeSantis as a loser. "Wow! In a big upset, the DeSanctimonious backed Republican candidate for Mayor of Jacksonville, Florida, LOST," wrote Trump. "This is a shocker. If they would have asked me to Endorse, he would have won, easily. Too proud to do so. Fools! This is a BIG LOSS for the Republican Party. Remember, 'Rob' only won because of me!!!"
Story by Joe DePaolo

Former President Donald Trump is laying the groundwork to claim a rigged 2024 election by accusing the DOJ of “ELECTION INTERFERENCE.” In a Wednesday morning all-caps post to Truth Social, Trump railed against the DOJ over the various investigations into his actions and the criminal indictment against him in New York.

“I WAS BEING FRAMED BY THE FBI AND THE DOJ,” Trump wrote. NOW IT CONTINUES WITH THE BOXES HOAX, THE ‘PERFECT’ PHONE CALL IN ATLANTA, THE MANHATTAN D.A., AND THE NEW YORK STATE A.G. SCAM. WHAT A GROUP, BUT ALL REPORT TO THE DOJ IN WASHINGTON. IT’S JAMES COMEY AND THE SLEAZEBAGS ALL OVER AGAIN.”

Trump went on to argue that the actions of the various investigators and prosecutors constitute “ELECTION INTERFERENCE” and went on to denounce those responsible as “CHEATING LOWLIFES.”
Matthew Chapman

A city councilman in Cranston, Rhode Island who chaired the local Republican Party was arrested on Monday for drug possession after police found him smoking a mix of crack cocaine and fentanyl in his car, reportedThe Providence Journal this week. Matthew Reilly, 41, a first-term council member, a licensed attorney and a youth soccer coach, was found by cops sitting in his car Monday, the Journal reported.

"The police found Reilly around 11:30 a.m. in a parked SUV after a passerby told a patrolman that a man was possibly choking in a parking lot," according to the report. "'He appeared to be sleeping or unconscious while having difficulty breathing/choking,' patrolman Luis A. Collado wrote in a police report. 'I opened the door and had to shake him in order for him to wake up. At that point I noticed that he had a glass pipe that's typically used to smoke crack cocaine from in his hand and a lighter.'"
Opinion by Michael Hiltzik

A confession: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is living in my head. For nearly three years now, I've been fascinated by the performance art of this blustering pettifogger. My first column, published in June 2020, covered DeSantis' truculent defense of his management of the COVID-19 pandemic in his state.

At the time, he complained that criticism of his record on COVID was nothing but a "partisan narrative." Within days, Florida would see a record surge in cases. To this day, DeSantis has continued to claim success against the virus, never mind that his state has notched one of the worst COVID death rates in the country.
Story by Sarah K. Burris

WASHINGTON — Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has found himself caught in the middle of a scandal of his own making after he told a reporter that white nationalists serving in the military were nothing more than Americans. Speaking to Raw Story on Tuesday, Tuberville said that he wasn't sure about an increase in terrorism from white supremacists.

"We got a lot of Americans. I try to be an American," said Tuberville. Raw Story quoted the statistics to him with the most recent numbers the FBI revealed about the increase in hate crimes, and the one-year anniversary of the attack on the Tops supermarket in Buffalo.
Story by Christian Paz

The videos from Florida aren’t hard to find: Dozens of clips of empty fields, abandoned construction sites, and scores of truck drivers calling for boycotts of the state have racked up hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok and Twitter over the last month. The common thread? Fear and frustration over the state’s newest anti-immigrant law, signed a week ago by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, which mandates that businesses with 25 or more employees verify the citizenship status of workers through the federal online portal E-Verify or face stronger penalties, among other new restrictions.

The new law, which goes into effect on July 1, is the latest move by DeSantis to capitalize on immigration politics as he prepares for a likely but as-yet-unannounced 2024 presidential campaign. The law, one of the most stringent state immigration measures in the US, seems intended to contrast President Joe Biden’s handling of immigration policy as the controversial pandemic-era health rule Title 42 expired last week. But the impact of the bill, critics say, will amount to a wide-ranging and intrusive crackdown on the state’s large immigrant communities, which stand to face the brunt of the new rules.
Story by Alayna Treene

An IRS whistleblower who claims to have information about alleged mishandling and political interference in the ongoing criminal probe into Hunter Biden has been removed from the investigation into the president’s son, attorneys for the whistleblower have told key congressional lawmakers.

Attorneys for the whistleblower sent a letter on Monday to a series of House and Senate Committee chairmen informing them of the change, adding that the whistleblower’s investigative team has also been taken off the case, according to a copy of the letter obtained by CNN.

The attorneys — including Tristan Leavitt, President of Empower Oversight, and Mark Lytle — added that the whistleblower was “informed the change was at the request of the Department of Justice.” The letter states that it is an investigation of a “high-profile, controversial subject,” which sources familiar with the matter have previously confirmed to CNN was Hunter Biden.

Federal prosecutors have spent years, spanning three attorneys general, investigating Hunter Biden and have weighed bringing charges against him for alleged tax crimes and a false statement, CNN has previously reported. So far, no charges have been filed. Hunter Biden has denied wrongdoing.
Story by Reuven Fenton, Priscilla DeGregory

Aprominent Brooklyn drill rapper used his music career to fuel bloodshed in the borough by offering up cash and jewelry in exchange for acts of violence, prosecutors alleged Tuesday — as they announced a 140-count indictment against more than two dozen gang members.

Rapper Michael Williams — whose stage name is “Sheff G” — was among 32 members of the 8 Trey Crips and affiliate gang the 9 Ways hit with charges, including second-degree murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, weapons possessions, assault, attempted assault, kidnapping, gang assault and related raps, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.

“Instead of using his fame and his fortune for the betterment of himself and his family and those close to him, we allege that he used that fame and fortune to elevate gang violence in Brooklyn,” DA Eric Gonzalez said at a press conference announcing the takedown.

Williams, 24, known as a leader in the Brooklyn drill movement, encouraged gun-fueled gang violence by offering incentives like money and expensive jewelry to his pals, prosecutors alleged.

And two days after an Oct. 21, 2020 ambush by 8 Trey Crips in rival Folk Nation territory killing one and injuring five others, Williams treated members of the two affiliate gangs to a lavish dinner at a Manhattan steakhouse to celebrate the shooting spree, the DA’s office claimed.
Story by Gabriella Ferrigine

Awoman employed by former New York City mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani alleged in a lawsuit filed on Monday that Giuliani talked about selling pardons and shared plans to flip the 2020 presidential election.

Noelle Dunphy in a 70-page complaint stated that Giuliani repeatedly sexually assaulted and harassed her, often engaged in racist and antisemitic language, and did not pay her. Dunphy, who is seeking $10 million in damages, also says Giuliani kept her employment "secret" once she was hired, only paying her around $12,000 and owing her nearly $2 million in unpaid compensation.

"Mayor Rudy Giuliani unequivocally denies the allegations raised by Ms. Dunphy," a Giuliani spokesperson said. "Mayor Giuliani's lifetime of public service speaks for itself and he will pursue all available remedies and counterclaims."
Story by Rebecca Shabad and Frank Thorp V

WASHINGTON — U.S. taxpayer money that was "misused" by former Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton was repaid to the federal government by withholding the amount from his final paycheck, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa., said on Tuesday.

In a letter shared by Grassley, ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, Acting Architect of the Capitol Chere Rexroat said in April that about $12,500 was withheld from Blanton's final paycheck after he didn't cooperate and repay the money himself. The remaining amount, about $1,400, was contributed by an insurance company.

"When dealing with trillions of dollars in government spending, a dozen-or-so thousand can seem like an insignificant amount. However, this amount would be important to a family struggling to make ends meet in a time of record inflation and price hikes," Grassley said in remarks on the Senate floor.

The GOP senator recounted a report by the inspector general that found that Blanton had engaged in "unauthorized vehicle use, misrepresentation as a law enforcement officer, ethics violations, and lastly appropriations violations." Blanton had driven more than 29,000 miles using government vehicles instead of the allotted roughly 10,000 miles, the report said.
Story by insider@insider.com (John L. Dorman)

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton on Tuesday said that foreign leaders saw former President Donald Trump as a "laughing fool" and rejected his ex-boss's claims that he could have stopped Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine had he still been in office last year.

During an interview on CNN's "This Morning," Bolton — an experienced diplomat and defense hawk who served under Trump from April 2018 to September 2019 — pushed back against assertions that the former president made about Ukraine last week as he participated in the network's controversial town hall. While speaking with journalist Kaitlan Collins, Trump said that Russia would not have invaded Ukraine had he been in the Oval Office and also said that he could "settle" the conflict in 24 hours if voters send him back to office — both highly questionable claims for a war the US is not a direct participant in.

Bolton, while speaking with Collins and journalist Poppy Harlow, quickly rejected such talk. "Trump has this impression that foreign leaders, especially adversaries, hold him in high regard — that he's got a good relationship with Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un," Bolton said of the leaders of China, Russia, and North Korea, respectively.

"In fact, the exact opposite is true," he continued. "I have been in those rooms with him when he met with those leaders. I believe they think he's a laughing fool and the idea that somehow his presence in office would have deterred Putin is flatly wrong."
Story by Nick Mordowanec

Proud Boys members want to know if Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a potential Republican presidential candidate, would pardon their criminal charges if he was elected in 2024.

GOP front-runner Donald Trump, during his CNN town hall last week, called January 6 a "beautiful day" and praised what he deemed as the "largest crowd" he has addressed. He told CNN's Kaitlan Collins that he would look into issuing full pardons for Proud Boys and other rioters who have been criminally charged for their roles.

Trump has continued to defend the actions of those who participated in riots in and around the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, even as he is being investigated by special counsel Jack Smith for his direct role in the entire ordeal.
Story by Sarah K. Burris

Former special counsel John Durham released his final report on Monday in which he criticized the FBI for investigating ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. But the details of the report are likely to disappoint Trump and his supporters, according to one expert.

Speaking to MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace shortly after the over 300-page report was released, Politico reporter Betsy Woodruff Swan walked through her observations. She began with something she said was like a kind of disclaimer directed to Donald Trump himself. The report explained that there were a number of people who probably had bad judgment but that they didn't break the law.
Story by By SCOTT BAUER, Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin judge on Monday refused to break up a lawsuit filed against 10 fake electors for former President Donald Trump and two of his attorneys, saying the case could proceed in the county where it was filed.

The lawsuit seeks $2.4 million from the fake electors and their attorneys, alleging they were part of a conspiracy by Trump and his allies to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential race. It also seeks to disqualify the Republicans from ever serving as electors again.

Fake electors met in Wisconsin and other battleground states where Trump was defeated in 2020, attempting to cast ballots for the former president even though he lost. Republicans who participated in Wisconsin said they were trying to preserve Trump’s legal standing in case courts overturned his defeat.
Story by Matthew Chapman

CNN is reeling from overwhelmingly negative reviews of last week's town hall with former President Donald Trump at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, during which he aggressively talked over moderator Kaitlan Collins, told a series of lies too fast to fact-check, and spoke to a hand-picked audience of hardcore Republicans who, while they were instructed not to boo the former president, were allowed to cheer and laugh as he mocked author E. Jean Carroll's account of how he allegedly raped her.

Now, according to The Daily Beast's Confider newsletter, CNN's chief Chris Licht is trying to force employees to toe the company line about it — and his threats and heavy-handedness are beginning to anger staffers. The drama began after top CNN reporter Oliver Darcy publicly criticized the town hall.
Story by Jeff Burlew and William L. Hatfield, USA TODAY NETWORK

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Federal prosecutors in the Andrew Gillum corruption case are moving to dismiss charges against the former Florida mayor and his political mentor. In a Monday morning filing in U.S. District court, the government "respectfully moves that this court dismiss the indictment against the Defendants Andrew Gillum and Sharon Lettman-Hicks."

The government did not comment on the move, which came after the Tallahassee Democrat, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported that jurors overwhelmingly favored acquitting the two and urged prosecutors to drop the case. Charges against Gillum, the 2018 Democratic nominee for governor and former Tallahassee, Florida mayor, and his longtime advisor, Lettman-Hicks, involved the misuse of campaign funds. And after five days of deliberations earlier this month, jurors found Gillum not guilty of lying to the FBI about gifts he had received from undercover FBI agents in New York.
Opinion by Rex Huppke, USA TODAY

Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor, did the white thing Monday, signing a bill that pulls all state funding from diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the state’s public universities. For people who have never once had to worry about or value diversity, equity or inclusion, this was definitely the white move. It protects students who don’t want to be told things they don’t want to hear from potentially hearing things they don’t want to learn.

Ron DeSantis is merely asking the most diverse generation ever to forget this whole 'diversity' thing
That’s what DeSantis and his supporters would call “progress,” and they’re absolutely white. If there’s one thing we know about the current crop of Generation Z college students, according to the Pew Research Center, it’s that they “are more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation.”
By Jacob Shamsian

Rudy Giuliani asked an employee to delete all communications and avoid speaking to the FBI — before later asking her "for help in Googling information about obstruction of justice," according to a new lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed Monday by Noelle Dunphy, alleges Giuliani serially sexually assaulted her throughout 2019 and 2020 while she worked for him . The lawsuit claims that, after finding out Dunphy was separating from a partner amid a domestic violence dispute, Giuliani promised her a high-paying job. Throughout her employment as an assistant, Giuliani frequently harassed her and pressured her into sex, Dunphy alleges.

Dunphy's work for Giuliani overlaps with an FBI counterintelligence investigation into Giuliani that began in 2019 and ended last year without any charges. According to the lawsuit, around May 2019, Giuliani told Dunphy to delete her messages with him.
By Andrew Feinberg

A former aide to former Trump attorney Rudolph Giuliani says he told her the ex-New York City mayor and then-president Donald Trump were offering to sell presidential pardons for $2 million apiece, according to court documents.

The bombshell allegation was levied in a complaint filed against Mr Giuliani by Noelle Dunphy, a New York-based public relations professional who is suing him for “unlawful abuses of power, wide-ranging sexual assault and harassment, wage theft, and other misconduct” committed while she worked for him in 2019 and 2020.

The lawsuit also claims that she was subjected to sexual assault, harassment, wage theft and other misconduct by Mr Giuliani, and alleges that she was forced to perform sex acts on him and work in the nude.
Story by Milla

Florida is awaiting Ron DeSantis to sign a bill allowing death sentences on jury votes of 8-4 rather than unanimously. This will put Florida on the map as the most extreme death penalty state, and people are not happy about it. DeSantis has been pushing for this bill since the Parkland shooting In Stoneman Douglas ...

DeSantis has been pushing for this bill since the Parkland shooting
In Stoneman Douglas high school shooting in 2018, Nikolas Cruz shot 14 students and three staff members. Cruz, who was 19 then, received 34 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. The case was closed in November 2022, and since then, DeSantis has been pushing for a death sentence without a unanimous jury.
Story by Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats promised this week to pursue stronger ethics rules for the Supreme Court in the wake of reports that Justice Clarence Thomas participated in luxury vacations and a real-estate deal with a top GOP donor. Republicans made clear they oppose that effort strongly. Sen. Dick Durbin, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said lax ethical standards have created a lack of public confidence in the nation’s highest court.
Story by Matthew Chapman

Anewly-signed bill by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that sharply cracks down on the ability of immigrants to work is setting off alarm bells in the state's agriculture industry which relies heavily on immigrant labor, reported Scripps News West Palm on Monday.

"From farming to construction, the law is expected to have a wide-ranging impact on a number of industries vital to Florida's economy," said the report. "Some farm workers are already too scared to go to work and are considering leaving the state, which could cause a huge staffing crisis for Florida agriculture."

Among other things, the bill institutes new state-level penalties for transporting undocumented immigrants to Florida, imposes new requirements on certain companies to check immigration status, and renders out-of-state driver's licenses issued to undocumented immigrants void in the state.

It also adds another $12 million to the "migrant relocation" program that DeSantis controversially used to round up migrants in Texas and fly them to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
Story by Alex Henderson

Justice Clarence Thomas has been controversial throughout his 32 years on the U.S. Supreme Court, but he has suffered especially bad publicity in 2022 and 2023 — so bad that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) has even been calling for his impeachment.

First came revelations that his wife, far-right GOP activist Ginni Thomas, had tried to help Republicans overturn the 2020 presidential election results despite the fact that President Joe Biden defeated former President Donald Trump by more than 7 million votes. Then came a series of reports from ProPublica focusing on Justice Thomas' relationship with billionaire megadonor Harlan Crow.

According to ProPublica, Justice Thomas has, for "over 20 years," been "treated to luxury vacations" by Crow and failed to report them. Nor did the justice report that Crow bought property from him and paid his grandnephew's tuition in a private boarding school.
by Aleks Phillips

Claims that a member of Republican congressman Paul Gosar's staff has "extensive" links to far-right personality Nick Fuentes and his America First movement have raised questions.

A report by the independent news outlet Talking Points Memo on Sunday alleged that the digital director of the Arizona representative, Wade Searle, was a "devotee of Fuentes" who had appeared as a supporter at a rally of his.

Gosar has previously faced criticism for attending Fuentes' conferences and has been accused of promoting antisemitic content—which his team has denied, arguing the congressman is an ardent supporter of Jews.

The latest allegations raise questions as to whether Gosar was aware of any of the alleged links between his staff and Fuentes, the extent to which Searle was or is involved in the America First movement, and how Gosar will respond to the allegations.
Story by Steve Benen

As the debt ceiling deadline approaches, and anxieties grow that this might be the time that congressional Republicans push the nation over the default cliff, President Joe Biden routinely tries to remind the American public about the significance of the danger. The Democrat published a tweet on the subject on Saturday morning.

“Default would erase millions of jobs, trigger a recession, hit retirement accounts, and increase borrowing costs,” Biden wrote. “It’s not an option.” This didn’t seem especially controversial. In fact, every word of the message was true. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was nevertheless unimpressed, publishing this tweet on Saturday, which read in part:

In other words, as the Georgia Republican sees it, Covid lockdowns created the same conditions in 2020 that the president is warning about now: erasing millions of jobs, triggering a recession, etc.
Story by Tom Boggioni

GOP lawmakers attempting to dent President Joe Biden's re-election prospects have been increasing their attacks on him by blaming him for an assortment of ills that will inflame their followers, MSNBC political analyst Steve Benen pointed out Monday.

The only problem, he said, is that the sins they claim Biden has been committing were actually policies that occurred on Donald Trump's watch.

In his column for MSNBC, he noted that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) attacked Biden as she worried about the loss of jobs as the debt crisis worsens, by writing, "You did all of that during your Communist COVID shutdowns. Don’t do it again to the American people Joe.” However, as Benen pointed out, the lockdowns happened during the Trump administration.
Republican deregulation hurts American’s more than regulation
Story by Milla

The 2018 deregulation of Dodd-Frank freed some banks from policies placed in the late 2000s to try to stop banks and the financial system from collapsing. Banks with at least $50 billion in assets were required to undergo an annual Federal Reserve “stress test,” maintain certain levels of capital and liquidity, and file a “living will” plan for their immediate and orderly dissolution if they failed. The 2018 deregulation eliminated the $50 billion threshold and made the improved regulations standard only for banks with over $250 billion in assets.

Deregulation of Dodd-Frank
The bill eased regulations imposed by Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. It was described as a significant victory for banks below the $250 billion threshold, including Silicon Valley Bank, whose CEO, Greg Becker, had urged Congress to raise the threshold. On May 24, 2018, Trump signed the Economic Growth Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act into law.
Opinion by Milla

E. Jean Carroll’s case against Donald Trump ended with the jury finding the former president liable for assault and defamation. The civil lawsuit brought up another alleged story on the surface.

Carroll, in her lawsuit, alleged that Trump raped her in a New York City department store in the 90s. However, she sued over calling her “a liar.”

One lawsuit never got enough attention and was quickly dropped since the alleged victim was a 13-year-old virgin.

The charges were dropped in 2016, and the woman remained Jane Doe or Katie Johnson, likely her real name. However, the severity of this case was never truly examined since the elections occupied the media.
Story by Sarah K. Burris

Last week, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) fumbled some comments about white supremacy in the military. According to Tuberville, they're nothing more than Americans. Since then, he's tried to explain away the comments. First, he asked how one defines a white nationalist. He then claimed he was just being sarcastic. Finally, he pivoted to another topic, complaining that people call supporters of Donald Trump white nationalists.

Speaking to MSNBC on Sunday, the political panel lamented that Republicans have grown increasingly accepting of radical right-wing extremism and extremists themselves. Democratic Strategist Don Calloway explained Tuberville's "entire career has been made on the backs of mostly Black, unpaid labor."
Story by Igor Derysh

House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., claimed on Sunday that the panel cannot track down a key informant in the Republicans' probe into the Biden family's business dealings. Republicans have repeatedly pushed corruption allegations against the Bidens that have frustrated even Fox News hosts. "You don't have any facts," host Steve Doocy told Comer last week.

Fox News host Maria Bartiromo pressed Comer on the evidence on Sunday. "You also spoke with an informant who gave you all of this information," she said. "Where is that informant today? Where are these whistleblowers?" "Well, unfortunately, we can't track down the informant," Comer replied. "We're hopeful that the informant is still there. The whistleblower knows the informant. The whistleblower is very credible."
Story by Tom Boggioni

After watching a clip of House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-KY) admitting on Fox News on Sunday that he has "lost" his key "informant" in his pursuit of President Joe Biden's family to a stunned Maria Bartiromo, the MSNBC "Morning Joe" panel reacted with a mixture of incredulity and laughter at his blundering efforts to date.

After sharing the clip, "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough sat and laughed before referencing Tom Clancy's "The Hunt for Red October," and smirking, "So, comrade, you're telling me you lost another submarine?"

"I mean, come on," he continued. "You lost an informant? You lost the informant! The guy you claimed gave you all this information, that you built this entire charade on?"

Conservative Charlie Sykes jumped in with another literary reference, adding, "Yeah, the hunt for the great white whale isn't going well, is it?"
Story by Ewan Palmer

The deadline for Donald Trump and others involved in a tax fraud lawsuit against the Trump Organization to confirm under oath that they have handed over all necessary documents ahead of the upcoming trial has now passed.

New York Attorney General Letitia James' lawsuit alleges the company inflated or undervalued the worth of a number of assets for financial benefit.

In April, New York Judge Arthur Engoron ordered the former president and others who are named in James' $250 million lawsuit—Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric Trump plus two senior executives at the family real estate business —to complete by May 12 the process known as discovery by handing over information and evidence that will be used against them in trial.
Story by Travis Gettys

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is clearing a path to the presidency by altering Florida law to allow him to campaign for the White House while remaining governor and to help shield his political spending and travel.

The Republican state legislature passed a new bill that would exempt DeSantis from a law requiring him to resign before running for president, along with a slate of sweeping new voting restrictions, and he has already signed a bill that exempts all of his past and future travel from disclosure, as well as the names of people he meets, reported The Guardian.

“It’s un-fricking-believable,” said Barbara Petersen, executive director of the Florida Center for Government Accountability. “It will be virtually impossible to hold this governor accountable without access to those kinds of records.” Peterson said the security concerns the bill purportedly addresses are "bogus."
Story by Andrew Stanton

Fox News host Arthel Neville asked Representative Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican, about the difference between Hunter Biden and Ivanka Trump profiting from their businesses while their fathers were in office on Sunday.

Republicans, who won a majority of seats in the House of Representatives this past November, have focused their efforts on investigating the Biden administration, including probes into the Biden family's businesses. Specifically, they have emphasized the foreign financial dealings of Hunter Biden, the president's son, raising concerns about corruption.

The Republican-led House Oversight Committee on Wednesday released a 36-page memo accusing members of the Biden family of earning millions of dollars from foreign businesses, including those associated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during Biden's term as vice president under former President Barack Obama. Democrats, however, have disputed that the report found any evidence of misconduct from the president.
Story by Andrew Stanton

Videos posted to social media showed hundreds of members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front march to the United States Capitol carrying shields and battle drums on Saturday.

At least 150 members of the far-right group, wearing masks to conceal their identity, were seen marching along the National Mall and in downtown Washington, D.C. Videos posted to Twitter showed them carrying American flags and holding signs that read, "Reclaim America."

The march comes as experts warn about the rise of white supremacist groups and sentiment in the United States. According to a study from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) published in March, there was a 38 percent increase in white supremacist activity from 2021 to 2022, with more than 6,700 incidents reported throughout the year.

In the videos, police officers were seen escorting Patriot Front members in order to separate them from counter-protesters. Police had not publicly said whether any arrests were made or if there were any incidents during the march.
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