The path to finding an impartial jury in former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial in New York has faced a number of setbacks throughout the week.
On Thursday, two jurors were dismissed after being sworn in on Tuesday, including one who had previously been arrested for tearing down Right-leaning political posters.
Judge Juan Merchan excused juror #4 after a prosecutor from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said the man had been arrested for ripping down “political posters that were on the Right,” Fox News reported. Juror #4’s dismissal came just after another juror — juror #2 — was excused by Merchan following her admission that she could no longer be impartial.
“I definitely have concerns. I don’t think I can be fair,” she said, adding that “outside influence” would “interfere” with her judgment.
The dismissals of jurors #4 and #2 brought the total of those seated down to five, but shortly after they were let go, more jurors were sworn in, bringing the total to 12, according to the New York Post.
Five more jurors must be selected as alternates before the trial can move forward. Thursday marks the third day of the hush-money trial, which is the first criminal trial against a former U.S. president. Jury selection will continue on Friday and with hopes that opening statements will kick off at the beginning of next week.
Dozens of prospective jurors were dismissed on Monday after they said it would be difficult for them to remain impartial throughout the trial.
Trump is being charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to make alleged hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels.
The attempted shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is rapidly reshaping the debate over President Donald Trump’s long-controversial plan to build a new White House ballroom — with even some Democrats signaling a shift in tone.
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), who had previously opposed aspects of the project, acknowledged Monday that lawmakers may now need to reconsider it — not as a political issue, but as a security necessity.
“Do we need a ballroom? Well, that we can discuss that,” Rosen said in an interview. “This isn’t about Donald Trump. It is really about safety. It’s really about safety.”
The $400 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom proposal — which would replace the demolished East Wing — has drawn criticism for months over cost, transparency, and historical preservation concerns. But Saturday night’s attack, in which an armed suspect attempted to storm the event before being stopped, has injected new urgency into the conversation.
President Trump wasted little time connecting the incident to his long-standing push.
“I didn’t want to say this but this is why we have to have all of the attributes of what we’re planning at the White House,” Trump told reporters shortly after the shooting. “It’s actually a larger room, and it’s much more secure.”
Security concerns take center stage
Trump allies argue the incident underscores a glaring vulnerability: Washington lacks a truly secure venue capable of hosting large gatherings of top officials.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is now moving quickly to capitalize on that argument, pushing legislation that would fund the project and include additional security infrastructure beneath the ballroom, including a Secret Service annex.
“It’s very difficult to have a bunch of important people in the same place unless it’s really, really secure,” Graham said. “The times in which we live are unusual… I’ve never felt the sense of threat that exists today.”
The Justice Department echoed that urgency in a late-night court filing, arguing that the shooting should end legal delays blocking the project.
“This Court should never have enjoined this Project, but now, after the Saturday night attempted assassination… reasonable minds can no longer differ — The injunction must be dissolved,” the administration wrote.
The DOJ went even further, warning that halting the project “greatly endangers the lives of all Presidents, current and future.”
Democrats show signs of movement — with caveats
While many Democrats remain skeptical, Rosen’s comments suggest cracks in the previously unified opposition.
She emphasized that large events inherently carry risk and that stronger protections may be necessary.
“You can’t harden each and every [event],” she said, “but you want to try to be sure that they’re as safe as possible.”
Still, Rosen cautioned that the ballroom alone is not a silver bullet.
“One ballroom isn’t the answer to this,” she said.
She also criticized how the project has been handled, particularly the demolition of the East Wing — which housed the first lady’s office and other staff — without what she described as proper congressional process.
“What I object to is it didn’t go through any of those processes before the demolition,” Rosen said. “What was lost… that should have been preserved for history?”
Other Democrats, including Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), have gone further, openly urging their party to reconsider outright opposition to the project.
We were there front and center.
That venue wasn’t built to accommodate an event with the line of succession for the U.S. government.
After witnessing last night, drop the TDS and build the White House ballroom for events exactly like these. pic.twitter.com/eeUBnlSe5y
— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) April 26, 2026
GOP divisions emerge over funding
Despite broad Republican support for the concept, divisions are emerging over how to pay for it.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), a longtime Trump ally, pushed back against using taxpayer dollars, insisting the project should remain privately funded.
“We have $39 trillion of debt,” Scott said. “Maybe we ought to stop spending money.”
Trump has previously maintained that private donors would cover the ballroom’s cost, though critics have raised questions about transparency.
Legal battle intensifies
The project remains tied up in court after a federal judge ruled the administration lacked proper congressional approval, limiting construction to below-ground work while the case proceeds.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued last year after the East Wing was torn down, arguing the project violated preservation laws.
Now, in the wake of the shooting, the administration is urging the court to reverse course — or at least signal it would do so — calling the lawsuit “frivolous” and “dangerous.”
A turning point?
Saturday’s attack — the third assassination attempt against Trump since 2024, according to the administration — may prove to be a pivotal moment in the debate.
What was once dismissed by critics as an expensive and unnecessary expansion is now being reframed by supporters as a critical national security upgrade.
And with even some Democrats beginning to acknowledge the security argument, the political battle over the ballroom may be entering a new phase.
Whether that shift is enough to overcome legal hurdles and funding disputes remains to be seen — but after this weekend, the question is no longer just whether the White House needs a ballroom.
It’s whether Washington can afford not to have one.
Former Vice President Mike Pence shared a harsh message following Donald Trump’s guilty conviction in New York.
Despite Pence’s rocky relationship with the presumed Republican candidate, he slammed the conviction as a “disservice to the nation.”
“The conviction of former President Trump on politically motivated charges is an outrage and disservice to the nation,” Pence told Fox News Digital.
“No one is above the law, but our courts must not become a tool to be used against political opponents,” Pence continued. “To millions of Americans, this was nothing more than a political prosecution driven by a Manhattan DA who ran for office on a pledge to indict the former president and this conviction undermines confidence in our system of justice.”
“This conviction also sends a terrible message to the wider world about the American justice system and only further divides us at a time when the American people are struggling under the failed policies of the Biden administration at home and abroad,” he added.
Pence continued, “Having been convicted in a court of law, the former president has every right to appeal this conviction and I trust it will be overturned on appeal in a manner that will restore public confidence in our system of justice and equal treatment under the law.”
Last week, a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records as part of a hush-money scheme to prevent porn star Stormy Daniels from speaking out about her alleged extramarital affair before the 2016 presidential election.
Following the guilty verdict, the Trump campaign announced a new fundraising record totaling $34.8 million.
“From just minutes after the sham trial verdict was announced, our digital fundraising system was overwhelmed with support, and despite temporary delays online because of the amount of traffic, President Trump raised $34.8 million dollars from small dollar donors. Not only was the amount historic, but 29.7% of yesterday’s donor’s were brand new donors to the WinRed platform. President Trump and our campaign are immensely grateful from this outpouring of support from patriots across our country. President Trump is fighting to save our nation and November 5th is the day Americans will deliver the real verdict.” – Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, Trump Campaign Senior Advisors
Former Congressman Madison Cawthorn was briefly arrested this week in Cape Coral, Florida — yet the setback may not slow what many believe is a mounting effort to reenter national politics.
Authorities took Cawthorn into custody on a warrant stemming from an August 19 citation for driving without a valid license in Naples. He was released shortly thereafter on a $2,000 bond and is expected to appear in court to resolve the matter. Supporters have dismissed the incident as a minor technicality, unlikely to derail his ambitions.
From Conservative Trailblazer to Political Lightning Rod
Cawthorn burst onto the national stage in 2020 as one of the youngest Republicans ever elected to Congress, winning his North Carolina seat at just 25 years old. He quickly became a symbol of youthful conservative energy and unapologetic defiance of the Washington establishment.
But his meteoric rise ran into turbulence during his lone term. In early 2022, he alleged that some D.C. elites had invited him to a cocaine-fueled “orgy,” a claim that drew sharp criticism from GOP leadership. Weeks later, police body camera footage showed him being pulled over while driving a car he mistakenly believed he owned, and he was also cited for bringing a firearm through airport security — his second such incident in less than a year.
Republican leadership, once supportive, gradually distanced themselves. The controversies overshadowed his legislative work and contributed to his loss in the 2022 Republican primary.
Florida Could Offer a Second Act
Now, Cawthorn may be plotting a political revival — this time from Florida’s 19th Congressional District, where Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) is expected to step down to run for governor. Axios recently reported that Cawthorn has been exploring a run to fill the soon-to-be-open seat, potentially offering him a clean slate and new political base in one of the country’s most Republican-leaning regions.
If he enters the race, Cawthorn could return to Washington older, more seasoned, and still armed with the anti-establishment instincts that made him a grassroots favorite. For many conservatives, his resilience — and willingness to challenge entrenched power — could be the very qualities the GOP needs in its next generation of leadership. for the second time in nine months.
A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration from revoking the legal status and work permits of the more than 530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who flew into the United States during former President Joe Biden’s time in office.
The migrants came to the U.S. under Biden’s controversial CHNV mass humanitarian parole program.
In her order, Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, wrote that each migrant needs to have an individualized, case-by-case review.
“The Termination of Parole Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, 90 Fed. Reg. 13611 (Mar. 25, 2025), is hereby STAYED pending further court order insofar as it revokes, without case-by-case review, the previously granted parole and work authorization issued to noncitizens paroled into the UnitedStates pursuant to parole programs for noncitizens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (the “CHNV parole programs”) prior to the noncitizen’s originally stated parole end date,” she wrote.
Biden created the CHNV program in 2023 via his executive parole authority. The program was launched in 2022 and initially first applied to Venezuelans before it was expanded to additional countries.
The Biden administration argued that CHNV would help reduce illegal crossings at the southern border and allow better vetting of people entering the country amid an influx of migrants.
The program was temporarily paused due to widespread fraud.
Officials with the Department of Homeland Security and the Trump administration told Fox News that Talwani essentially ruled that Trump can’t use his own executive authority, the same authority Biden used, to revoke the parole that Biden granted.
“It is pure lawless tyranny,” a Trump administration official told Fox News.
In March, the roughly 532,000 migrants under the CHNV program were told to leave the U.S.
A recently launched PAC pressuring former Fox News host Tucker Carlson to run for president has gone silent after receiving a legal threat from Carlson’s lawyer.
Carlson’s lawyer, Harmeet Dhillon, sent the PAC officers a cease-and-desist letter Monday.
“Mr. Carlson will not run for President in 2024 under any circumstances, and therefore your misrepresentations are damaging to Mr. Carlson and defrauding his supporters,” Dhillon wrote in the letter, obtained by The Hill. “If you do not immediately cease and desist your efforts to solicit money to ‘draft’ Mr. Carlson, we will use every legal means at our disposal to vindicate his rights and protect his supporters from these misrepresentations.”
Dhillon added that the PAC did “not have Mr. Carlson’s permission or support to use his name, image, or likeness in your efforts,” accusing them of doing so “for your own benefit” to later sell donor lists, and that taking funds would lead to donors’ “disappointment and frustration.”
The move came days after the PAC aired a political ad on the conservative outlet Newsmax.
Chris Ekstrom, the PAC’s chairman and one of its financial backers, told The Hill that the ad had raised only $212 online so far and that he contributed $35,000 of his own money. He noted that the PAC will either donate the funds raised to a charity that Carlson supports or refund it to those who contributed.
Following the letter, the Draft Tucker PAC said it asked Newsmax to pull the Draft Tucker PAC ads currently running on the network.
“Tucker’s attorney has contacted us to let us know that Tucker is not a candidate for president nor has any intentions of running and asked us to cease all activities on his behalf. We are going to honor that request,” spokesman and GOP consultant Charlie Kolean said in a statement.
Carlson has repeatedly said that he would not run for president in 2024 but his influence on the right coupled with his recent ouster from Fox News has left some supporters wondering if he could ultimately change his mind.
The ex-primetime host has teased the return of his show on Twitter but has yet to share specific details on the venture.
Carlson and his team have discussed the possibility of moderating a candidate forum outside of the traditional protocols surrounding the GOP primary debate system, according to two people familiar with the considerations. These people said the setup — as well as Carlson’s availability to take on that kind of role, given the noncompete constraints of his contract with Fox — remain unclear. But Carlson has personally expressed enthusiasm about the idea, according to people familiar with his comments. At least one major candidate — Trump — has told Carlson he’s interested, according to a person familiar with the exchange.
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 Friday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the appointment of special counsel David Weiss in the Hunter Biden probe.
“I’m here today to announce the appointment of David Weiss as a special counsel consistent with the Department of Justice regulations governing such matters. In keeping with those regulations, I have today notified the designated members of each House of Congress of the appointment,” Garland said.
Weiss is the federal prosecutor who has investigated the business dealings of President Biden’s son and brought charges against Hunter Biden in Delaware.
Garland said on Tuesday that Weiss told him that “in his judgment, his investigation has reached a stage at which he should continue his work as a special counsel, and he asked to be appointed.”
“Upon considering his request, as well as the extraordinary circumstances relating to this matter, I have concluded it is in the public interest to appoint him as special counsel,” Garland said.
On Tuesday, Fox News host Steve Doocy suggested former President Trump may have been behind the leak of an audio recording showing Trump talking about his handling of classified documents.
In newly obtained audio former president Donald Trump can be heard discussing classified documents with people not cleared to have access to the highly sensitive information.
On Monday’s edition of Anderson Cooper 360, the host claimed that the audio from 2021, exposes Trump sharing US military war plans against Iran despite the former president telling Fox News host Bret Baier earlier this month that there was no such document. (RELATED:Trump Responds After New Audio Tapes Discussing Classified Docs Surface)
“You know what? If Trump thinks it’s an exoneration of him, perhaps somebody on his side actually did the leaking to CNN and Maggie Haberman,” Doocy said Tuesday morning.
“That makes sense,” co-host Brian Kilmeade chimed in.
Trump was federally indicted earlier this month in connection to his handling of classified documents. He said Monday night the audio is “actually an exoneration” and accused the Department of Justice of intentionally leaking the recording.
“The Deranged Special Prosecutor, Jack Smith, working in conjunction with the DOJ & FBI, illegally leaked and ‘spun’ a tape and transcript of me which is actually an exoneration, rather than what they would have you believe,” he said in a post on Truth Social.
The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Presidential candidate Nikki Haley said on Thursday that, if elected president, she would pardon former President Trump, arguing it would be “in the best interest of the country.”
“I would pardon Trump,” Haley said at a campaign event, according to a video captured by NBC News.
“If he is found guilty, a leader needs to think about what’s in the best interest of the country,” Haley said. “What’s in the best interest of the country is not to have an 80-year-old man sitting in jail, that continues to divide our country.”
“What’s in the best interest of the country would be to pardon him, so that we can move on as a country and no longer talk about him,” she added.
Wow. Nikki Haley goes full MAGA, says she would pardon Trump if he were convicted of a crime in a court of law.
She says it’s not in “the best interest of our country to have an 80-year-old man sitting in jail.” pic.twitter.com/cpoAWLXMBz
By The White House - https://x.com/RepMTG/status/1925525961656717605/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=178898214
Former Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene married conservative media personality Brian Glenn in Las Vegas on Tuesday, beginning a new chapter after her dramatic break with President Donald Trump and departure from Congress.
“Last night, surrounded by our families, @brianglenntv and I said ‘I do,’” Greene announced Wednesday on X, sharing several photographs from the ceremony.
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) July 29, 2026
The images showed Greene carrying a colorful bouquet and wearing a white wedding dress as she embraced Glenn, a former White House correspondent for the conservative Real America’s Voice network.
The couple held their ceremony at the Bellagio’s Terrazza di Sogno after having dinner at Spago, according to TMZ. Family members joined the newlyweds as they celebrated by playing craps, roulette and slot machines inside the resort.
Clark County records reportedly show that Greene and Glenn applied for a marriage license on July 24.
The pair announced their engagement in December, shortly before Greene’s departure from Washington.
“She said ‘yes,’” Glenn wrote at the time.
“Happily ever after!!!” Greene responded. “I love you @brianglenntv!!!”
Trump’s Cutting Remark
Glenn stepped down from his position at Real America’s Voice in May, one week after Trump took a public swipe at Greene while praising Glenn inside the Oval Office.
“You know, you act so good. I love this guy. He’s a great guy, even though I don’t love his girlfriend too much,” Trump said after Glenn asked him a question, according to Mediaite.
When Glenn later announced that he was leaving the network, he said he wanted to focus on his health, neglected family relationships and his future with Greene.
“And of course, Marjorie and I, planning a wedding likely before the end of the year,” Glenn told Real America’s News host Eric Bolling. “Focus on that, but really focus on each other.”
The couple reportedly met at a Trump rally in 2022 and began dating in 2023 after their respective marriages ended.
From Trump Loyalist To Fierce Critic
The wedding follows a tumultuous political year for Greene, who entered Congress in 2021 and quickly became one of Trump’s most recognizable and combative supporters.
That alliance collapsed in spectacular fashion in late 2025.
Greene publicly challenged the president over his foreign policy, the conflict in Gaza, health insurance costs and the release of government records connected to Jeffrey Epstein. She also accused Republican leaders of sidelining Congress and allowing bills she championed to sit “collecting dust.”
Trump withdrew his endorsement and branded Greene a “traitor,” while signaling that he would support a primary challenger against her in Georgia’s deeply Republican 14th Congressional District.
Greene responded by announcing that she would resign on Jan. 5, 2026—approximately one year before the end of her term.
“I have too much self respect and dignity, love my family way too much, and do not want my sweet district to have to endure a hurtful and hateful primary against me by the President we all fought for,” she wrote in her resignation statement, according to CBS News.
“I refuse to be a ‘battered wife’ hoping it all goes away and gets better,” Greene added.
The resignation temporarily narrowed the Republican Party’s already fragile House majority and ended Greene’s five-year career on Capitol Hill.
Her feud with Trump, however, did not end there. Greene has continued criticizing the president’s foreign policy and accusing Republican leaders of abandoning the “America First” voters who put them in power.
In June, she declared that she was finished supporting what she called the “America LAST Republican Party,” while stressing that she had no intention of becoming a Democrat.
Is A Political Comeback Coming?
Despite leaving Congress, Greene may not be finished with politics.
TIME reported in November that Greene had privately discussed the possibility of running for president in 2028 with allies. Greene did not publicly confirm the report or announce a campaign.
More recently, she revealed that she has participated in conversations about launching a new political party capable of challenging both Republicans and Democrats.
“I am in talks with people and there are serious conversations happening, looking at what are the mechanics of that and the reality of it,” Greene told Piers Morgan in June, according to Mediaite.
Greene said such an effort could unite “serious players from the right and the left” around what she described as a genuinely America-focused movement, although she acknowledged that building a competitive third party could take multiple election cycles.
The former congresswoman has also launched a video series called “Life With MTG,” allowing her to remain visible and continue weighing in on national politics from outside Washington.
For now, Greene insists she does not miss Congress and is enjoying what she calls “Normal People World.” But her ongoing political commentary, reported interest in a presidential campaign and involvement in potential third-party organizing suggest her time outside the arena may not be permanent.
Even Trump appeared to leave that possibility open after her resignation.
“It’s not going to be easy for her” to revive her political career, Trump told NBC News in November. “But I’d love to see that.”
He added that Greene first needed to “take a little rest.”
With her congressional career behind her and her Las Vegas wedding now complete, Greene may soon have to decide whether that rest is coming to an end.
