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    Trump Files Motion To Halt Hush Money Case Sentencing

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    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.

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

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    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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    Report: Trump Expected To Fire U.S. Attorney

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    President Donald Trump is expected to fire the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after his office was unable to find incriminating evidence of mortgage fraud against New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to sources. 

    Federal prosecutors in Virginia had uncovered no clear evidence to prove that James had knowingly committed mortgage fraud when she purchased a home in the state in 2023, ABC News first reported earlier this week, but Trump officials pushed U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert to nevertheless bring criminal charges against her, according to sources.

    Alec Perkins from Hoboken, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    The president has reportedly been leaning on federal prosecutors to bring charges against James for alleged mortgage fraud. She has been accused of falsely claiming her house in Virginia as her primary residence despite being legally required to live in New York as an elected official there.

    ABC News reported on Wednesday that Siebert, who is the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was having difficulty finding enough evidence to sustain a conviction against James. On Thursday, the outlet said Trump is expected to fire the prosecutor.

    “Administration officials have told Siebert of Trump’s intention to fire him, sources familiar with the matter said,” ABC News stated. “Siebert’s last day on the job is expected to be Friday.”

    Trump nominated Siebert for the job in May.

    “The decision to fire Siebert could throw into crisis one of the most prominent U.S. attorney’s offices, which handles a bulk of the country’s espionage and terrorism cases, and heighten concerns about Trump’s alleged use of the DOJ to target his political adversaries,” ABC News stated.

    In May, the FBI opened an investigation into the notorious prosecutor. James has denied wrongdoing and called the investigation politically motivated, pointing to her office’s civil fraud case against Trump. That case ultimately resulted in a $354 million judgment against the president, which also bars his

    During her 2018 campaign for attorney general, James publicly stated she intended to pursue legal action against Trump and investigate his business dealings in New York.

    While campaigning, James vowed to shine a “bright light into every corner” of Trump’s “real estate dealings.” Her critics — including Trump himself — would later argue that her civil lawsuit against him was a political witch hunt.

    In announcing the probe, US Attorney John A. Sarcone III took a swipe at James’s 2018 campaign rhetoric about investigating President Donald Trump.

    The US attorney said James “unethically ran around the state campaigning on getting Donald Trump,” and essentially accused her of finding a criminal target without an alleged crime.

    He added:

    We stand prepared to act in the capacity that we need to when and if we are informed there’s a charge to be made. Unlike Letitia James, who unethically ran around the state campaigning on getting Donald Trump… my office conducts itself in a manner that is proper and professional.

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    Trump Considers Labeling Tesla Vandals As Domestic Terrorists

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    Tesla

    After a string of attacks targeting Elon Musk’s Tesla company, President Donald Trump is considering labeling the vandals as domestic terrorists.

    On Wednesday, when a reporter asked Trump about the issue, saying,  “Some say they should be labeled domestic terrorists,” Trump responded. “I will do that. I’ll do it. I’m gonna stop ‘em (if) we catch anybody doing it. Because they’re harming a great American company.”

    President Trump lined Tesla vehicles up on the White House driveway as he was accompanied by Tesla CEO Elon Musk while purchasing the Tesla S.

    “Let me tell you, you do it to Tesla, and you do it to any company, we’re going to catch you, and … you’re going to go through hell,” Trump added. “White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said “ongoing and heinous acts of violence against Tesla by radical Leftist activists are nothing short of domestic terror,” .

    Although Trump stated he was not allowed to drive while he was president, he bought a Tesla S, saying he purchased it for his staff.

    Earlier this month, authorities responded to multiple Tesla superchargers being set ablaze in Massachusetts. (RELATED: Trump Hater Accidentally Sets Himself On Fire While Trying To Destroy Tesla Station)

    A total of seven chargers were damaged, police said. 

    On Saturday, NBC News noted, “There have been at least a dozen [acts] of vandalism against Tesla vehicles, dealerships or charging stations in recent weeks, according to police and local reports.” (RELATED: Woman In Custody After Explosives Discovered At Tesla Dealership)

    The incidents come months after a Tesla cybertruck exploded in front of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas.

    A U.S. Army soldier drove the Cybertruck, which he rented from Turo, outside of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Monday morning. Upon arriving, the vehicle was detonated by explosives in the car.

    Investigators found fireworks, gasoline canisters and camping fuel in the remains of the vehicle. The soldier was believed to have fatally shot himself shortly before the explosion.

    On the day of the attack, Musk commented on X that the individual “picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack” because the “Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards.”

    Republican Lawmaker Gets Into Physical Altercation Outside US Capitol

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    Ted Eytan from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    Things were heated on Capitol Hill this week…

    Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) was caught in a run-in outside the Capitol on Thursday with a protester who challenged him over his stance on Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

    The Republican reportedly shoved the man, who he later claimed had intentionally “bumped” into him after being approached near the Longworth House Office Building, according to Politico.

    The incident occurred shortly after lawmakers wrapped up their final votes of the week.

    Burchett’s spokesperson Will Garrett defended the congressman’s reaction in a comment to Politico, saying the protester had crossed a line.

    “Everyone has a right to their opinion, and they can say all of the filthy stuff they want. But they don’t have the right to bump the congressman,” Burchett spokesperson Will Garrett said in a statement to The Hill. 

    Capitol Police briefly detained and questioned the protester, though the department has not commented publicly.

    Burchett, meanwhile, dismissed the confrontation with characteristic bite, telling reporters the activist “had bad breath.”

    Last year, Burchett introduced a resolution to reject the United Nations’s decision to place the Israeli military on a list of child’s rights abusers.

    “Israel is our greatest ally in the Middle East and their leadership tries to protect life. Hamas, on the other hand, hides behind innocent civilians like a bunch of cowards. We need to make it clear to the United Nations that the United States completely supports Israel’s efforts to wipe these terrorists off the map,” Burchett said at the time. 

    Trump Commutes Prison Sentence Of Hunter Biden’s ‘Fall Guy’

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    President Joe Biden hugs his family during the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. (DOD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II)

    On Tuesday, President Donald Trump commuted the sentence of Jason Galanis, a convicted ex-business associate of Hunter Biden, whom Trump officials described as the “fall guy” for the former first son’s business dealings. 

    Galanis was sentenced in 2017 to 189 months, or 14 years, in prison, after pleading guilty to securities fraud based on bonds issued by a company affiliated with a Native American tribe in South Dakota. 

    The funds were reportedly supposed to be used for certain projects, but were instead used for his personal finances. 

    A Trump administration official told Fox News Digital that Galanis served eight years and eight months of his sentence and had an “unblemished record while in prison.” The official also said Galanis was sexually assaulted by a security guard while in prison. 

    The Trump official told Fox News Digital that Galanis “basically was the fall guy for Hunter Biden and Devon Archer.” The official noted Galanis was “extremely cooperative” during the 2024 House impeachment inquiry into the Biden family. 

    “After serving eight years and eight months in prison on good behavior, the administration felt it was time for him to regain his liberty and go on into his private life,” the official told Fox News Digital. 

    Congressional investigators interviewed Galanis while he was in prison to gather information on the Biden family’s business dealings and any “access” to then-Vice President Joe Biden. 

    Galanis testified that Joe Biden was considering joining the board of a joint venture created by Hunter Biden and his business associates with ties to the Chinese Communist Party after he left the vice presidency.

    Trump Announces ‘Permanent Pause’ On Migration From ‘Third World Countries’ After DC Shooting

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    2
    President Donald Trump signs Executive Orders, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

    President Donald J. Trump announced Thursday that he will “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries” after two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot in Washington, D.C., earlier this week. “I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover,” he wrote on his social-media platform.

    Earlier on Thursday, the administration revealed plans to re-examine green cards issued to immigrants from 19 countries. The June memo lists these countries — including Afghanistan, Burma, Cuba, Somalia, Venezuela and others — as of concern.

    The sharper policy response comes after the suspect in this week’s attack was identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national. He entered the U.S. in 2021 under the humanitarian resettlement program launched following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

    The Washington, D.C. Shooting: What Happened

    On Wednesday afternoon near the White House, Lakanwal allegedly ambushed two West Virginia National Guard members. The victims, 20-year-old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and 24-year-old Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, were shot during what prosecutors are calling a “brazen, targeted attack.”

    Beckstrom died from her injuries late Thanksgiving Day, President Trump said. Wolfe remains in critical condition.

    According to prosecutors, Lakanwal drove cross-country from Washington state for the sole purpose of carrying out the ambush. He allegedly fired 10–15 rounds from a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver, striking one Guardsman, then leaning over to shoot a second time, and then firing on the other. Authorities said the remaining National Guard member then returned fire, and Lakanwal was apprehended.

    This horrific attack unfolded while hundreds of National Guard troops remain deployed across D.C., under Mr. Trump’s 2025 strategy to restore public safety in the capital.

    Administration Response: Immigration Crackdown

    In response to the ambush, President Trump not only called for a complete halt to migration from unspecified “Third World Countries,” but late Thursday the administration also announced an indefinite pause on Afghan immigration. Officials said they would conduct a sweeping review of green card approvals tied to the 19 countries flagged in June.

    In his statement, Trump did not list which additional countries would be subject to the pause — though the 19-country list already includes several nations the administration deemed high risk.

    Why This Matters — and What It Signals for National Security

    Supporters of the president’s crackdown argue that the D.C. ambush underscores the danger of lax vetting under previous administrations. The suspect in this case reportedly worked in a CIA-backed unit during the U.S. war in Afghanistan, then obtained resettlement under a program from the prior administration.

    Speaker Johnson is calling on America First patriots — and we need you NOW. Democrats are rewriting maps, banning voter ID, and flooding the system with billions to take back power in 2026. The Left is mobilizing — and so must we.

    Trump Acting Attorney Files Charges Against Lawmaker Involved In ICE Facility Raid

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    2
    Image via Pixabay images

    Ouch…

    On Monday evening, acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced that her office had charged Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) in connection with the congresswoman’s visit to an ICE detention facility in Newark.

    McIver, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D) and Reps. Rob Menendez (D-NJ)and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) visited the center on May 9. Baraka was arrested on that day, and shortly afterward, Habba hailed his arrest. But on Monday, Habba announced she is dropping the charges against the mayor and will proceed with the prosecution of McIver, alleging the lawmaker “assaulted, impeded, and interfered with law enforcement.”

    On X, Habba wrote, “Today my office has charged Congresswoman McIver with violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111(a)(1) for assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement.” In a statement, she added:

    I take my obligations as U.S. Attorney seriously. I understand the responsibility that comes with my position, and I will work diligently to uphold the law and deliver justice to the people of New Jersey.

    After extensive consideration, we have agreed to dismiss Mayor Baraka’s misdemeanor charge of trespass for the sake of moving forward.

    In the spirit of public interest, I have invited the mayor to tour Delaney Hall. The government has nothing to hide at this facility, and I will personally accompany the mayor so he can see that firsthand.

    The citizens of New Jersey deserve unified leadership so we can get to work to keep our state safe.

    The dismissal against the mayor is not the end of this matter.

    Congressional oversight is an important constitutional function and one that I fully support. However, that is not at issue in this case.

    Representative LaMonica McIver assaulted, impeded, and interfered with law enforcement in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1 1 1 (a)(1). That conduct cannot be overlooked by the chief federal law enforcement official in the State of New Jersey, and it is my Constitutional obligation to ensure that our federal law enforcement is protected when executing their duties. I have persistently made efforts to address these issues without bringing criminal charges and have given Representative McIver every opportunity to come to a resolution, but she has unfortunately declined.

    No one is above the law — politicians or otherwise. It is the job of this office to uphold justice impartially, regardless of who you are. Now we will let the justice system work.

    McIver responded with her own statement:

    “Earlier this month, I joined my colleagues to inspect the treatment of ICE detainees at Delaney Hall in my district,” McIver said. “We were fulfilling our lawful oversight responsibilities, as members of Congress have done many times before, and our visit should have been peaceful and short. Instead, ICE agents created an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation when they chose to arrest Mayor Baraka.

    Last week, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) warned against repercussions for his fellow Democrat lawmakers who clashed with federal agents at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility at Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, last week after Trump’s border czar Tom Homan issued a warning to the lawmakers that charges could soon follow.

    During an exchange with Fox News reporter Chad Pergram, Jeffries repeatedly said “they’ll find out” when pressed what might happen if the House Democrats involved in the incident were to be arrested by federal authorities or get sanctioned.

    Secret Service Employee Fired Over Charlie Kirk Comments

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    2

    A U.S. Secret Service employee has been placed on immediate administrative leave after reportedly celebrating the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk in a social media post, Fox News Digital confirmed Friday.

    “The U.S. Secret Service will not tolerate behavior that violates our code of conduct. This employee was immediately put on administrative leave, and an investigation has begun,” a Secret Service spokesperson told Fox News when asked about the employment status of Anthony Pough.

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

    According to Real Clear Politics, Pough had posted on Facebook celebrating Kirk’s death, accusing the conservative leader of spreading “racism.”

    “If you are Mourning [sic] this guy .. delete me. He spewed hate and racism on his show,” Pough wrote, according to the outlet. He also referenced the recent Evergreen High School shooting in Colorado that left two students injured, writing, “Especially when we should be mourning the innocent children killed in Colorado.”

    Pough further claimed that Kirk’s death was “karma,” writing, “At the end of the day, you answer to GOD and speak things into existence. You can only circumvent karma, she doesnt [sic] leave.”

    Kirk was attending a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon when a single shot rang out and struck Kirk in the neck. He was transported to a local hospital and was pronounced dead just hours later. 

    Real Clear Politics reported that Pough was in “Phase 2” of his career with the Secret Service, a stage where agents are focused on protective assignments. He had not yet been assigned to any regular detail protecting former President Donald Trump. According to the agency’s website, Phase 3 typically involves post-protective field, protection, or headquarters assignments.

    Kirk was shot Wednesday afternoon while attending a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University. He was struck once in the neck and later pronounced dead at a local hospital. He is survived by his wife, Erika, and their two young children, ages 1 and 3. The couple married in 2021. (RELATED: MSNBC Fires Analyst Matthew Dowd For ‘Unacceptable’ Charlie Kirk Comments)

    Kirk leaves behind his wife, Erika Kirk, as well as their two children, ages 1 and 3. The Kirks married in 2021.

    Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance accompanied Kirk’s casket back to Arizona, where he resided with his family, on Thursday via Air Force Two. 

    READ NEXT: Report: Homeland Security Confirms Probe Into Immigration Status Of Boston Lawmaker

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    Authorities Apprehend Suspect In Trump Campaign Office Burglary

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    2
    Arrest image via Pixabay

    A suspect accused of breaking into a Donald Trump campaign office outside of Washington, D.C. has been arrested, according to reports.

    Toby Shane Kessler, 39, was detained on Saturday by the University of California, San Francisco Police Department for squatting in a campus dorm, the Loudoun County sheriff’s office said in a release on Thursday. 

    Kessler was allegedly behind the break-in at a Trump campaign office in Ashburn, Va., in August. He broke in through the back door of the office and spent a “brief” period of time there before exiting, according to the Loudoun County sheriff’s office. 

    The office is also used as the Virginia 10th District Republican Committee’s headquarters.

    The sheriff’s office said that Kessler faces burglary charges, though law enforcement did not say if he took anything from the office. 

    “It is rare to have the office of any political campaign or party broken into,” Sheriff Mike Chapman said at the time the incident took place. “We are determined to identify the suspect, investigate why it happened, and determine what may have been taken as well as what may have been left behind.”

    In mid-August, the Loudoun County sheriff’s office said Kessler has a “history of criminal behavior and appears to have been in the Washington metropolitan area at least since 2018.” 

    Trump has not commented on the arrest.

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