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    Report: Judge Considers 4 More Gag Order Violations Against Trump

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
      -
      2
      Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

      The judge overseeing former President Trump’s hush money case will begin the trial Thursday by holding a hearing to consider four more potential violations of a gag order imposed on the former President.

      Trump was already found in contempt of the gag order on Tuesday, where the judge found him in violation for nine separate online posts attacking witnesses, potential jurors in the case. Judge Merchan fined the former President nearly $10,000.

      Prosecutors now say Trump violated his gag order an additional four times.

      Here are the four statements at issue:

      1 – Courthouse hallway statement

      The first statement at issue is one Trump gave to the cameras in the hallway outside the courtroom on April 22.

      “When are they going to look at all the lies that Cohen did in the last trial?,” Trump said, referring to his ex-fixer, Michael Cohen, who is expected to be prosecutors’ star witness.

      “He got caught lying in the last trial. So he got caught lying, pure lying. And when are they going to look at that?”

      2 – Real America’s Voice interview

      After court concluded that day, Trump in the evening gave an interview to conservative channel Real America’s Voice and took aim at jurors.

      “That jury was picked so fast – 95% Democrats,” Trump said. “The area’s mostly all Democrat. You think of it as a – just a purely Democrat area. It’s a very unfair situation, that I can tell you.”

      3 – Local ABC station interview

      The next day, Trump conducted a roughly 12-minute interview with the local ABC affiliate in Philadelphia, when the former president went after Cohen and ex-National Enquirer Publisher David Pecker, who was testifying that day.

      Michael Cohen is a convicted liar and he’s got no credibility whatsoever,” Trump said of his ex-fixer.

      As for the other witness, Trump said moments later, “David Pecker, I don’t know exactly what he’s going to be testifying against but or about, but he’ll be testifying today.”

      4 – Surprise campaign event

      Before coming to court last Thursday, Trump stopped at a construction site in Manhattan, turning it into a campaign stop. He again was asked about Pecker, who hadn’t yet concluded his testimony:

      “He’s been very nice. I mean, he’s been – David’s been very nice. A nice guy,” Trump said.

      Trump Team Fires Back at DOJ’s Special Master Appeal

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
        -
        6
        Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

        Donald Trump’s legal team fired back against the Justice Department’s motion to continue its review of classified documents seized by the FBI during its raid of Mar-a-Lago last month.

        On Monday, Trump’s team filed a motion accusing the DOJ of seeking to “limit the scope of any review of its investigative conduct and presuppose the outcome, at least in regard to what it deems are ‘classified records.’”

        The move came after Florida Judge Aileen Cannon granted Trump’s request a special master be appointed to review the seized materials. However, last week the DOJ filed a motion to appeal Judge Cannon’s decision- specifically regarding the order blocking the government from its review of the records seized that were marked classified.

        Fox News reports:

        “This investigation of the 45th President of the United States is both unprecedented and misguided,” Trump’s lawyers said in the filing. “In what at its core is a document storage dispute that has spiraled out of control, the Government wrongfully seeks to criminalize the possession by the 45th President of his own Presidential and personal records.”

        “The Government should therefore not be permitted to skip the process and proceed straight to a preordained conclusion,” they wrote.

        In the judge’s initial order for the appointment of a special master, Cannon ruled that the special master would be responsible to review the seized property for “personal items and documents and potentially privileged material subject to claims of attorney-client and/or executive privilege.”

        Cannon, though, said the order “shall not impede the classification review and/or intelligence assessment by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (“ODNI”) as described in the Government’s Notice of Receipt of Preliminary Order.”

        Trump’s legal team accused the DOJ of”misinterpreting” the order, and said there is “no indication any purported ‘classified records’ were disclosed to anyone.”

        READ NEXT: Florida Judge Responds to Trump Teams Request to Appoint Special Master to Review Seized Materials >>

        Retired 4-Star Navy Admiral Found Guilty In Bribery Case

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
        -
        1

        A retired four-star admiral who once served as the Navy’s second-highest ranking officer, was convicted of bribery and other conspiracy charges on Monday. The conviction marks the most senior member of the U.S. military ever convicted of committing a federal crime while on active duty.

        Following a five-day trial, retired four-star Adm. Robert Burke, 62, was found guilty on Monday of a scheme to direct lucrative contracts to the training company Next Jump in exchange for a $500,000-a-year job after leaving the Navy, according to a news release from the Department of Justice. 

        Burke is facing up to 30 years in prison for his role in the scheme to direct contracts potentially worth millions of dollars to a New York City-based company that offered training programs to the Navy.

        Burke, who served aboard attack and ballistic missile submarines, rose through the ranks to eventually become chief of naval personnel in 2016 followed by vice chief of naval operations in June 2019. He then took command of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and Allied Joint Forces Command in June 2020 before retiring in summer 2022.

        Yongchul “Charlie” Kim and Meghan Messenger, co-CEOs of Next Jump, allegedly participated in the scheme to get a government contract in exchange for offering Burke a position with the company.

        Kim and Messenger were each charged with bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery, according to the case’s unsealed indictment. They face trial in August, which is when Burke will be sentenced. 

        Kim and Messenger, via their company Next Jump, provided a workforce training pilot program to a small component of the Navy from August 2018 through July 2019. However, the deal appeared to go downhill and the Navy terminated a contract with the company in late 2019 and directed it not to contact Burke.

        The Hill reports:

        But in summer 2021, Messenger and Kim met with Burke in Washington, D.C., to reestablish their company’s business relationship with the Navy. While at the meeting, the two “agreed that Burke would use his position as a Navy Admiral to steer a contract” to their firm — as well as influence other Navy officers to award another contract to the company — in exchange for his future employment there, according to the Justice Department. 

        Burke in December 2021 then ordered his staff to award a $355,000 contract to Next Jump to train personnel under Burke’s command in Italy and Spain, which the company performed in January 2022. 

        In October 2022, Burke began working at Next Jump with an annual salary of $500,000 and a grant of $100,000 in stock options. 

        Burke was accused of making several false and misleading statements to the Navy to conceal the scheme, such as implying that his discussions to join Next Jump began months after the contract was awarded.

        “When you abuse your position and betray the public trust to line your own pockets, it undermines the confidence in the government you represent,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro wrote in a post on X following the conviction. 

        Trump Urged To Intervene After Vance Relative Reportedly Denied Organ Transplant Over Covid Vax

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
        -
        3

        President Donald Trump is facing pressure to use his executive power to block hospitals from denying organ transplants for people not vaccinated against COVID-19 after reports emerged that Vice President JD Vance’s 12-year-old relative was reportedly denied a heart transplant over her COVID-19 vaccination status

        In a letter to President Trump, Rep. Michael Rulli (R-Ohio) alongside Rep. Erin Houchin (R-Ind.) called on Trump to take action. Rep. Rulli said he was partially moved to act after hearing about Vance’s relative.

        The letter, signed by Rulli, Houchin and five other House Republicans, cited Trump’s executive orders ending COVID-19 vaccine mandates in schools and reinstating military service members who were discharged for not getting the vaccine. (RELATED: Trump Reinstates Service Members Discharged Over COVID-19 Vaccine In Executive Order Flurry)

        “Over the past week, it has come to light that multiple desperate Americans have been denied life-saving organ transplants due to their COVID-19 vaccination status,” the letter said. “This outrageous denial of care has affected some of our most vulnerable citizens – including a child from Indiana and a veteran from Ohio.”

        Houchin told Fox News, “Patients – especially children – should never be turned away from care due to government-imposed mandates. This effort urges President Trump to take action to ensure no hospital or transplant center can discriminate against patients based on their decision to decline the COVID-19 vaccine.”

        “President Trump has done such a great job recently on executive orders,” Rulli told Fox News Digital in an interview. “And I am asking President Trump if he sees this, to please do an executive order… because you could save someone’s life today.”

        “The timing is everything. If we don’t get this done, people’s lives could be at risk.”

        Read:

        signatures-encouraging-equal-transplant-access-version-2-02-26-2025-@-02-16-pmDownload

        The girl’s mother, Jeneen Deal, told the Daily Mail that giving her daughter the vaccine would violate the family’s religious beliefs.

        Vance said in comments to the Daily Mail that he would try to help.

        “I guess it’s been circulating on social media, but I was made aware of a couple days ago, and we’re trying to dig in and trying to help, obviously, as much as possible,” he said.

        ‘Young Turks’ Founder Announces Presidential Campaign

          By
          Madeleine Jackson
          -
          5
          Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

          “Young Turks” founder Cenk Uygur is challenging Joe Biden.

          On Wednesday, the progressive commentator announced on this talk show that he is running for president simply saying “Biden is not going to win.”

          “[Biden] is not going to win,” Uygur said during the announcement. “It should not have been me, it should have been somebody else, but unfortunately it was not anyone else. There’s only four months left. We must change course. He has at best a 10 percent chance of winning. I’m running as a proxy. I am running to win. But I am also running as a proxy for any other candidate.” 

          The progressive media host has called for Biden to drop out of the race, stating repeatedly that democracy is on the line, referring to former President Trump’s 2024 run. 

          “We have got to get Biden out of the race,” Uygur said. “Thank you for winning in 2020. But if he loses this time around, it’s not just his problem, it’s all of our problems. I actually think democracy is on the line, and so if it takes me running, that’s what I’m gonna do.

          However, Uygur has a big obstacle to overcome in his run for the White House. Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Uygur immigrated to the U.S. at 8 years old. He believes that the Constitution’s “Natural Born Citizen” clause will not prevent him in his effort, believing that he can win the battle in the Supreme Court.

          “I have lawyered up,” Uygur said. “I have the same lawyer [Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)] used in both of his presidential runs. And my guess is I’m going to have some strong allies in this. Arnold Schwarzenegger. I’m going to the Supreme Court. Either I’m going to win or I’m going to lose. Now this case is on our side. The precedent is definitely on our side. So, what are you going to do, brother?“ 

          “Marianne Williamson has been in there but unfortunately, she hasn’t broken through,” Uygur said. “I have nothing but respect for her courage and her policies, but at this point, we’re not at progressives versus establishment. We’re at four months left, and things must change. Otherwise, we’re almost definitely going to lose to Trump.”

          Recently, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. switched his affiliation from Democrat to Independent after seeing little support.

          Judge Delivers Ruling In Trump Business Fraud Trial

            By
            Madeleine Jackson
            -
            1
            Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

            On Friday, a New York judge ordered former President Donald Trump to pay $354 million in penalties stemming from the civil fraud case against his business empire.

            Engoron also barred Trump from serving as a corporate officer or a director of a company in the state of New York for three years. There was one silver lining in the ruling for the Trumps: the judge did not issue an order revoking the Trump Org’s certificate to do business, which has commonly been referred to as the “corporate death penalty.”

            According to The Hill, Judge Arthur Engoron’s 92-page decision came just weeks after closing arguments in the case following a months-long trial last year during which Trump frequently lambasted the judge and the prosecutor who brought the case. 

            Engoron previously ruled that Trump committed fraud in his real estate empire and he is expected to issue a penalty ruling Friday, according to sources familiar with the matter.

            In addition to a $370 million financial penalty, James has asked Engoron to ban Trump from New York’s real estate business for life.

            New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) sued Trump in 2022, alleging he falsely altered his net worth on key financial statements to receive tax and insurance benefits. The documents, which detailed the value of the Trump Organization’s various assets, were sent to banks and insurers to secure loans and deals, which the state purports is evidence of fraud.  

            This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

            Report: Trump Signs Order Slashing Funding For NPR, PBS

              By
              Madeleine Jackson
              -
              0
              President Donald Trump signs Executive Orders, Monday, February 10, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House photo by Abe McNatt)

              President Trump signed an executive order Thursday that would strip funds from NPR and PBS.

              “No media outlet has a constitutional right to taxpayer subsidies, and the Government is entitled to determine which categories of activities to subsidize,” Trump wrote in the order, instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to cease indirect and direct federal funding for the two outlets.

              The president has accused both organizations of projecting biased viewpoints to the public.

              “Which viewpoints NPR and PBS promote does not matter. What does matter is that neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to tax paying citizens,” he wrote in the order.

              NPR receives about 1 percent of its funding directly from the federal government, while its 246 member institutions — operating more than 1,300 stations — receive on average 8 percent to 10 percent of their funding from CPB, according to the outlet.

              “The big impact would be on rural stations, stations in geographies that are quite large or complex in order to be able to receive broadcast or infrastructure, costs are very high,” NPR CEO Katherine Maher said in an interview on the network earlier this month.

              “You could see some of those stations really having to cut back services or potentially going away altogether,” she added.

              Her counterpart echoed those concerns.

              “There’s nothing more American than PBS, and our work is only possible because of the bipartisan support we have always received from Congress,” PBS CEO Paula Kerger said in a statement. “This public-private partnership allows us to help prepare millions of children for success in school and in life and also supports enriching and inspiring programs of the highest quality.”

              Trump’s executive order comes weeks after the administration attempted to dismantle Voice of America and affiliated news services. A federal judge blocked the effort.

              It’s unclear whether PBS or NPR will file a lawsuit over potential funding cuts ordered by the president, however, both entities say the public is in dire need of their services.

              “About 20 percent of Americans live in an area without any other local news coverage other than their local public radio station,” Maher said.

              Trump Responds To DeSantis’ Decision To Convene Special Session On immigration

                By
                Madeleine Jackson
                -
                0

                Mending fences…

                Donald Trump commended Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for calling for a special state legislative session to implement the president-elect’s immigration agenda. 

                “Thank you Ron, hopefully other governors will follow!” Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday. 

                The president-elect was responding to DeSantis’s decision to call for a special session on Jan. 27 in a post on X.

                “State and local officials in Florida must help the Trump administration enforce our nation’s immigration laws,” DeSantis told reporters on Monday. “In order to do that effectively we are going to need legislation to impose additional duties on local officials and provide funding for those local officials. There also needs to be measures to hold people accountable for violating our anti-sanctuary policies and that Florida needs to make sure that we don’t have any lingering incentives for people to come into our state illegally.”

                The exchange between the two is another indication the working relationship between Trump and DeSantis continues to mend after theywent head-to-head in the Republican presidential primary.

                However, DeSantis’s announcement was immediately met with criticism by some state Republicans.

                “Florida’s constitution compels our attendance at a special session unilaterally called by the Governor,” Florida state Senate President Ben Albritton (R) and state House Speaker Daniel Perez (R). “However, the power to convene a special session also resides with the presiding officers. As the people’s elected representatives, the Legislature, not the Governor, will decide when and what legislation we consider.” 

                DeSantis responded to the criticism in a post on X, saying “State and local officials in Florida will actively facilitate the Trump Administration’s policies against illegal immigration, and to do that we need to immediately set aside and approve the necessary funding and resources now.

                “As part of the special session I called for January 27, the week after President Trump is sworn in, I am calling on the legislature to appropriate funding for detention, relocation, transportation infrastructure, local law enforcement support, and everything else needed for Florida to carry out this mission.”

                Potential VP Pick To Join Trump In NYC Court

                By
                Madeleine Jackson
                -
                2
                Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

                Could this be a sign of who Trump plans to pick as his running mate?

                On Tuesday, conservative tech mogul Vivek Ramaswamy will join Donald Trump at the Manhattan courthouse as part of the ongoing hush money trial.

                He will spend the entire day with Trump as the former president’s criminal trial continues, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy confirmed to Fox News Digital.

                “The best proof that the Trump trial is a sham: if DJT had done the exact *opposite* of the alleged crime, they’d still be prosecuting him & have an even stronger case,” Ramaswamy said in a statement. 

                “Every one of these prosecutions… is backfiring,” Ramaswamy said during an April appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity.” “These people are sick and tired of being lied to. They’re sick and tired of the lawfare.”

                “I’ve talked to many Democrats who disagree with Donald Trump on many policies but believe we’re not a country where you’re supposed to use prosecutorial power to eliminate your opponents,” he added.

                Other allies of the former president have attended court proceedings in a show of support, including U.S. Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Al.)

                Vance is widely considered to be a contender for Trump’s potential running mate. Tuesday would be the second straight day when a potential vice presidential nominee contender shows up in support of Trump.

                “The thing that the president is prevented from saying, which is a disgrace, is that every single person involved in this prosecution is practically a Democratic political operative,” Vance said outside the courthouse Monday during a morning break.

                Trump is being charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to make alleged hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels.

                Actor Dennis Quaid Says Why He’s Voting For Trump

                  By
                  Madeleine Jackson
                  -
                  1

                  He’s team Trump…

                  Well-known actor Dennis Quaid said in a recent interview that he plans to vote for Donald Trump in the November election.

                  The celebrity announced his support of the Republican candidate during an interview with Piers Morgan on British television when asked by Morgan what he thought of Trump.

                  “I think I’m gonna vote for him in the next election,” the actor said. “It just makes sense. I was ready not to vote for Trump, until what I saw is, more than politics, I see a weaponization of our justice system and a challenge to our Constitution.”

                  “Trump is the most investigated person, probably in the history of the world, and they haven’t been able to really get him on anything,” he added.

                  Quaid went on to reference many of Trump’s accomplishments…

                  “What he did with Korea, with Rocket Baby, the way he defeated ISIS in three weeks,” he continued. “You know, people don’t even remember, it happened so fast. How he stood up for us overseas. The way he responded to China. He stands up to people and that’s what makes him a leader. Rather than, what I kind of compare it to, what was going on in Jimmy Carter’s administration, where we’re trying to be everybody’s friend and pal.”

                  “And there’s some evil people and bad actors in this world and so, you know, people might call [Trump] an a**hole but he’s my a**hole,” Quaid said. “I’ll tell you one true thing about him is that I really feel that he is working for the American people. That’s what he’s all about, and I do believe that to be true and sincere.”

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