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    Taxpayers May Be Forced To Cover Legal Fees For NY AG Letitia James Amid Fraud Probe

    By
    Seijah Drake
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    4
    Alec Perkins from Hoboken, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    New York taxpayers could soon find themselves footing the legal bill for Attorney General Letitia James as she prepares to defend herself against a federal investigation into alleged mortgage and real estate fraud. Buried in New York’s newly approved operations budget is language that opens a $10 million fund to reimburse state officials — including James — for “reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses” tied to investigations launched by the federal government after January 1, 2025.

    Though the budget provision does not mention James by name, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to The New York Post that the fund was included with her case in mind. The fund could also apply to other state officials targeted by a Trump administration-led Department of Justice as it reopens investigations into political and institutional corruption.

    The controversy stems from a criminal referral issued last month by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), whose director, William Pulte, accused James of falsifying mortgage documents and misrepresenting her residency status. According to the referral sent to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, James claimed a Virginia home — allegedly purchased on behalf of her niece — as her primary residence, a move that could constitute mortgage fraud.

    James, who gained national prominence for her high-profile civil fraud case against Donald Trump, has come under scrutiny for what critics now call a double standard. Once the face of the “no one is above the law” mantra, she now finds herself leaning on state funds and a private legal defense to fight the allegations. A spokesperson for her office called the probe “political retribution” and vowed to fight what they characterized as a “revenge tour” orchestrated by Trump.

    But Republicans are not buying the victim narrative.

    “This is what corruption looks like in plain sight: political insiders rigging the system to protect their own, while hardworking families get shortchanged,” said New York GOP Chair Ed Cox. “Tish James used her office to wage partisan lawfare against her political opponents, and now New Yorkers are footing the bill for the consequences.”

    Critics also slammed what they describe as a legal “bailout” hidden in plain sight. The language in the budget states that any state employee facing a federal investigation related to their duties may seek reimbursement — a clause that could be used broadly and, according to opponents, easily abused.

    The legal support fund is likely to inflame already tense debates over partisanship, misuse of public resources, and institutional trust. With New York’s top law enforcement officer now potentially under federal investigation, questions will continue to mount over the ethical boundaries between public office and political warfare — and who ends up paying the price.

    Report: House Task Force Releases Scathing Assassination Disclosure

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1
    Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    Americans still want answers…

    On Monday, the House Task Force investigating the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania released its initial findings.

    Lack of adequate planning, a narrow field of vision for local snipers, the absence of a unified command post and fragmented communication were among the main findings in the 53-page report that examined how 20-year-old shooter Matthew Crooks was able to climb atop a building with a line of sight to Trump and fire at him. 

    “Although the findings in this report are preliminary, the information obtained during the first phase of the Task Force’s investigation clearly shows a lack of planning and coordination between the Secret Service and its law enforcement partners before the rally,” the report said.

    U.S. Secret Service (USSS) personnel at the event “did not give clear guidance” to state and local authorities about how to manage security outside of their hard perimeter, nor was there a central meeting between USSS and the law enforcement agencies supporting them the morning of the rally – two findings presented as key failures in the 51-page report.

    The House Task Force investigating the attempts on Trump’s life is expected to release its final report by Dec. 13.

    Read the interim report in its entirety:

    5d5fdc40-house-task-force-trump-interim-reportDownload

    Crooks’s bullet came within inches of killing the former president and injured his ear. Shots also killed one rally attendee and seriously wounded two others. 

    The latest report also detailed information about Crooks’ autopsy report and the chain of events that led to release of the remains to the Crooks’s family. The Butler County Coroner’s office released the remains after the FBI concurred that no additional evidence was necessary, the report said. 

    The autopsy report found that Crooks died from one gunshot wound to the head, found negative results for alcohol or drugs of abuse, but was positive for antimony, selenium, and lead. Heightened levels of lead could have been due to time spent at the shooting range, the Allegheny County Chief Medical Examiner said.

    The House force is made up of a bipartisan group of lawmakers and has also been assigned to investigate the September apparent assassination attempt on Trump in at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida. 

    “The Task Force will continue to rigorously investigate the July 13 assassination attempt in the coming months,” the report said, adding that it is “in the process of conducting more than 20 transcribed interviews of federal officials and others who may have knowledge relevant to the events of July 13.” 

    This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.

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    Report: Jan. 6 Rioter Convicted In Plot To Kill Federal Agents

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Tyler Merbler, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    A convicted Jan. 6 rioter has now been found guilty of planning to kill federal agents who were investigating his role in the Capitol attack.

    Edward Kelley, 35, was convicted Wednesday by a jury of conspiracy to murder federal employees, solicitation to commit a crime of violence and influencing a federal official by threat following a three-day trial per The Hill.

    gov.uscourts.tned.107879.85.0Download

    Federal prosecutors said Kelley developed a “kill list” of FBI agents and others who participated in the investigation into his conduct on Jan. 6, hatching a plan to murder them while awaiting trial in his Capitol attack case. 

    A defendant who pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors testified that he and Kelley plotted attacks on the FBI field office in Knoxville, Tenn., using car bombs and explosives attached to drones, according to the Justice Department. They also discussed assassinating FBI employees in their homes or public places, like movie theatres.

    Prosecutors showed a recording at trial of Kelley stating “every hit has to hurt.”

    In his Capitol riot case, Kelley was convicted of 11 counts following a two-day bench trial, including obstructing law enforcement officers during a civil disorder; assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers; and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or ground.

    He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison at sentencing in May.

    Rosie O’Donnell Asks For Prayers As Daughter Chelsea Faces ‘Scary Future’ In Prison

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    By David Shankbone - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3937757

    TV personality Rosie O’Donnell is appealing for prayers as her daughter Chelsea faces what she calls a “scary future.”

    O’Donnell posted on Instagram: “My child Chelsea Belle – before addiction took over her life – I loved her then, I love her now as she faces a scary future – prayers welcomed. #addiction awareness #love #family.”

    According to court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital, Chelsea had her probation revoked on October 22 and was sentenced to serve time in prison.

    In a written statement, O’Donnell said, “I have compassion for those struggling with addiction — Chelsea was born into addiction and it has been a painful journey for her and her four young children. We continue to love and support her through these horrible times. Prayers welcomed.”

    Last year, authorities charged Chelsea with two counts of felony possession of methamphetamine and felony possession of narcotic drugs, along with two counts of possession/illegally obtaining prescription drugs and resisting or obstructing an officer. Her arrest followed a traffic stop in Niagara, Wisconsin, where officers pulled over a vehicle for loud exhaust — they recovered a clear smoking device on Chelsea’s person that tested positive for methamphetamine, and a prescription pill bottle containing a handful of pills and a crystal-like substance was found in her possession. At the time, Chelsea was out on bond for separate charges including child neglect and drug possession.

    O’Donnell’s Instagram post on December 3 responding to Chelsea’s earlier arrest read: “So yes this is true – after being bailed out by her birth mother – Chelsea was arrested again – and is facing many charges related to her drug addiction – we all hope she is able to get the help she needs to turn her life around.”

    Bring in the Trump context

    It’s worth noting that Rosie O’Donnell has for years been a vocal critic of Donald Trump, and the public feud between them has become almost legendary. Back in December 2006, while hosting the daytime talk show The View, O’Donnell called Trump out over his handling of the Miss USA controversy and mocked him as no moral authority for young people — saying, “This is not a self-made man… left the first wife, had an affair, left the second wife, had an affair…” People.com+2The List+2

    Trump responded with scorn, calling O’Donnell “a woman out of control” and a “loser,” threatening legal action though he never followed through. People.com+1 Over the years he repeatedly used her name as a punchline — during the 2016 Republican primary debate when asked about his language toward women he quipped, “Only Rosie O’Donnell.” The New Daily+1

    In recent years their feud escalated further: After O’Donnell announced she had moved to Ireland following Trump’s second inauguration (January 2025), Trump publicly floated the idea of revoking her U.S. citizenship, calling her “a Threat to Humanity” and saying “she should remain in the wonderful country of Ireland, if they want her.”

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    Bill Bar Calls On Prosecutors To Drop Cases Against Trump

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    The United States Department of Justice, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Former Trump Attorney General Bill Barr encouraged prosecutors to drop pending charges against President-elect Trump.

    “The American people have rendered their verdict on President Trump, and decisively chosen him to lead the country for the next four years,” Barr said in an interview with Fox News, after the White House race was called for Trump.

    “They did that with full knowledge of the claims against him by prosecutors around the country and I think Attorney General Garland and the state prosecutors should respect the people’s decision and dismiss the cases against President Trump now,” he added.

    Trump was convicted in New York on 34 felony charges related to his hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and still faces indictments in three other trials. His actions to block the peaceful transfer of power after his 2020 loss sparked federal charges as well as a case in Georgia, while the former president also faced federal counts for retaining classified documents at his Florida estate, before the case was indefinitely postponed by the judge.

    Trump is set to face sentencing in the New York case later this month but has also sought to toss the case after the Supreme Court ruled that former presidents retain broad immunity after leaving office.

    The Justice Department (DOJ) under a second Trump administration, is widely expected to move to drop both federal cases against the president-elect.

    The Florida case was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on technical grounds involving Smith’s appointment.

    The GOP presidential nominee has pledged to fire special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the election interference cases, “within two seconds.”

    “He’ll be one of the first things addressed,” Trump said last month.

    Barr added that Smith and the DOJ should drop the cases before Trump even takes office.

    “Further maneuvering on these cases in the weeks ahead would serve no legitimate purpose and only distract the country and the incoming administration from the task at hand,” he said.

    “The public interest now demands that the country unite and focus on the challenges we face at home and abroad. Attorney General Garland and all the state prosecutors should do the right thing and help the country move forward by dismissing the cases,” the former attorney general added.

    Trump Announces Plan To Seek Death Penalty For D.C. Murders

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    4

    President Trump said Tuesday the federal government would seek the death penalty for murders committed in Washington, D.C.

    “Anybody murders something in the capital, capital punishment,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. “Capital, capital punishment. If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, D.C., we’re going to be seeking the death penalty. And that’s a very strong preventative.”

    The District of Columbia hasn’t executed anyone since 1957, after Robert Carter was convicted of fatally shooting an off-duty police officer.

    CBS News reported that previously, D.C. had mandatory death sentences for first-degree murders, a policy the Supreme Court later voided in the 1972 case Furman v. Georgia when it found that the death penalty was being applied in an unconstitutionally arbitrary manner. Four years later, the high court allowed capital punishment to be reinstated with clearer sentencing guidelines. The D.C. City Council, however, abolished the death penalty in 1981. 

    Washington went 12 days without a murder during the federal government’s crime crackdown, a streak broken early Tuesday with the killing of a 31-year-old man in Southeast D.C., according to the Metropolitan Police Department. 

    Vice President JD Vance, a day earlier, said the capital typically averaged one murder every other day, before commending the president on saving 6-7 lives since deploying the National Guard

    On his first day in office, the president signed an executive order directing the attorney general to seek the death penalty in cases involving the murder of a law enforcement officer or “a capital crime committed by an alien illegally present in this country.”

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    Suspect Arrested After Ramming Car Into White House Barricade

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1

    A man was arrested Tuesday night after driving his vehicle into a security gate at the White House complex, the United States Secret Service (USSS) announced. According to the agency, at approximately 10:37 p.m. on October 21, the individual drove his vehicle into the Secret Service vehicle gate located at 17th and E Streets NW in Washington.

    Arrest image via Pixabay

    Uniformed Division officers of the Secret Service immediately arrested the driver. The vehicle was assessed in coordination with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and was “deemed safe.”

    The agency said the investigation into the cause of the collision is ongoing, and no motive has yet been publicly identified.

    While officials noted there was no known breach of the core residence or threat to the President’s safety at the time, the incident raises fresh questions about security.

    Since President Trump returned to office for his second term, the nation has witnessed a number of alarming incidents—some narrowly averted, some still under investigation. Two recent events in particular stand out:

    1. The hunting-stand incident near Air Force One
    Over the weekend, the Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched a federal probe after agents discovered a “hunting stand” positioned in a tree with a direct line of sight toward where Air Force One touches down at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida, ahead of President Trump’s arrival at his estate in Mar-a-Lago.

    While officials stressed that no individuals, ammunition or explosives were found at the site, the discovery of an elevated platform within view of the presidential aircraft sparked serious concern. It comes on the heels of past assassination attempts targeting the Republican President.

    2. The July-and-September 2024 assassination attempts
    On July 13, 2024, while President Trump was speaking at a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, a gunman climbed onto a rooftop and fired multiple shots; one grazed Trump’s ear and a spectator was killed.

    Then on September 15, 2024, at the Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach in Florida, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh was spotted hiding in shrubbery with a rifle aimed at Trump. Secret Service agents intervened and arrested him later that day.

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    Trump Files Motion To Halt Hush Money Case Sentencing

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1
    Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    Time is running out…

    On Monday, President-elect Donald Trump’s legal team filed a motion urging Judge Juan Merchan to hold off on sentencing him on Jan. 10 in his New York criminal conviction.

    Last week, the New York judge announced sentencing would move forward this Friday despite his imminent return to the White House

    Trump’s attorneys told Merchan they are appealing his recent rulings upholding the jury’s guilty verdict and argued the judge must pause the case in the meantime. 

    “By virtue of President Trump’s filing of appellate proceedings raising his claims of Presidential immunity, all proceedings in this Court are automatically stayed by operation of federal constitutional law,” Trump’s attorneys wrote in the new filing, which was made public Monday. 

    “In the alternative, even if such a stay were discretionary, the Court should grant such a stay. The Court should vacate the sentencing hearing scheduled for January 10, 2025, and suspend all further deadlines in the case until President Trump’s immunity appeals are fully and finally resolved, which should result in a dismissal of this case, which should have never been brought in the first place,” they continued. 

    They asked Merchan to notify the parties by 2 p.m. EST Monday whether he will cancel the sentencing and said they would be filing two appeals Monday in state court. 

    “The Supreme Court’s historic decision on Immunity, the state constitution of New York, and other established legal precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be immediately dismissed,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung, who is set to become White House communications director, said in a statement. 

    A New York jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment made to adult film performer Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election so she would keep an alleged affair secret.  

    It is the only one of Trump’s criminal prosecutions to have reached trial.

    Trump’s sentencing in New York comes after the judge rejected two of his attempts to dismiss the case.

    In scheduling Friday’s sentencing, Merchan rejected a proposal to delay the proceeding until after Trump’s White House term, calling it “less desirable” and citing a need for finality in the case.

    FBI Arrests Turning Point Table Flipper For Alleged Threats Against Trump

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    5

    A 27-year-old former graduate teaching assistant at Illinois State University, Derek Lopez, has been arrested by a joint operation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Secret Service (USSS) after allegedly making threats against President Donald Trump. According to official materials, the investigation followed online postings and in-person activities that triggered federal criminal charges.

    What Happened:
    Federal officials say a month-long probe, aided by local law enforcement and the university police, uncovered threats directed at the sitting president. An FBI memo obtained by Fox News Digital states that Lopez “recently made threats against a sitting President, which prompted the current federal charges.”

    “The arrest follows a month-long investigation coordinated with the above agencies, which also included the Illinois State University Police Department, regarding Lopez’s online and in-person activities,” according to an FBI memo obtained by Fox News Digital. “Lopez is alleged to have recently made threats against a sitting President, which prompted the current federal charges.”

    The FBI described the threats as “heinous” and issued a public message that threatening violence against public officials—or any American—is unacceptable.

    Lopez appeared in federal court on Wednesday afternoon and is now in custody pending further proceedings.

    What Preceded The Arrest:
    Before the federal case emerged, Lopez — then a graduate student and TA at ISU — had already drawn attention for disrupting conservative student activity on campus.

    On October 17 he was arrested by ISU police on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property after confronting a tabling event by the conservative student group Turning Point USA and flipping their table.

    In the viral video, he is seen telling a student, “Well, you know, Jesus did it, so you know I gotta do it, right?” before overturning the table. He then walked away, saying, “Thanks guys, have a great day.”

    The university later confirmed that Lopez had been relieved of his duties as a graduate teaching assistant “pending further investigation.”

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    North Carolina Democrat Resigns After Tampering Trump Election Materials

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    0

    A local Democrat Party chair in North Carolina resigned after he was arrested for allegedly ripping out and stealing roadside signs supporting former President Donald Trump. 

    Lowell Simon, the now former chair of the Moore County Democrat Party, who is also running for North Carolina House in November, was charged with two counts of misdemeanor larceny of political signs. 

    The Moore County Democratic Party announced in a Facebook post on Monday that 68-year-old Simon had resigned as chair “following recent allegations and arrest related to the theft of political signs.” 

    The Moore County Sheriff’s Office said a deputy working in the West End area observed Simon removing campaign signs from the roadside along Seven Lakes Drive at approximately 5:25 p.m. Thursday. 

    Fox News reports:

    “The deputy, who was responding to an unrelated call at the time, later followed up at Simon’s residence, where the signs were found in his vehicle,” according to the office. “Simon admitted to removing the signs, which were then recovered and returned to their original owner.” 

    A warrant for Simon’s arrest was issued Saturday. He was released “under a written promise to appear in court,” according to the sheriff’s office, and his first court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 30. 

    “While we appreciate the hard work and dedication he has shown to the Democratic Party and the community, the Moore County Democratic Party cannot and will not condone the tampering of political signs or any other illegal activity,” the local party wrote on Facebook. “Mr. Simon has offered an apology for his actions, as well as his resignation, both of which have been accepted by the MCDP.”

    “My worse angels got the better of me and I removed the signs,” Simon said. “I shouldn’t have done that. I didn’t do it in the stealth of night or anything. I did it when it was five o’clock in the afternoon.”

    “We believe in the importance of freedom of expression and speech, and hope that local law enforcement will continue to enforce such laws that protect those freedoms fairly and without bias across party lines,” the local party added. “As we move forward, our focus will remain on electing Democrats up and down the ballot in this critical election. Together, we are committed to promoting the values of justice, fairness, and freedom that our Party holds dear, and we look forward to building a better future for all in Moore County.”

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