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    Mitch McConnell To Step Down As GOP Leader

      By
      Madeleine Jackson
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      Mitch McConnell via Gage Skidmore Flickr

      On Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced he will step down from his leadership position in November.

      McConnell, who turned 82 this month, is announcing the decision in a speech on the Senate floor.

      The news was first reported by The Associated Press, which obtained a copy of his prepared remarks.

      “One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter,” McConnell said in prepared remarks obtained by the AP. “So I stand before you today … to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate.”

      Biden To Make Unannounced Visit To Walter Reed Hospital

        By
        Madeleine Jackson
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        2
        President Joe Biden delivers remarks in National Statuary Hall on the one-year anniversary of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Thursday, January 6, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Cameron Smith)

        On Wednesday, President Biden revealed that he is making an unannounced trip to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for a physical exam.

        Earlier this month, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, does not believe a cognitive test is necessary. She said O’Connor believes Biden proves his cognitive ability “every day [in] how he operates and how he thinks.” 

        “Does the White House think that the idea of the president taking a cognitive test as a part of this physical is a legitimate idea?” a reporter asked.

        “I’m just gonna say what Dr. O’Connor said to me about a year ago when [Biden’s physical] was released,” Jean-Pierre responded. “The president proves every day [in] how he operates and how he thinks, by dealing with world leaders, by making difficult decisions on behalf of the American people – whether it’s domestic or it’s national security.”

        Biden received his last physical on Feb. 16 of last year, when his physician gave him a clean bill of health in a letter that said Biden was “fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.”

        The Wednesday physical will likely be the final update on Biden’s health before the November presidential elections.

        Walter Reed, the hospital used by all presidents for routine medical care and examinations, is located in Bethesda, Maryland.

        The President’s health and age have been contentious topics throughout his presidency.

        Trump, Biden To Make Dueling Border Visits This Week

          By
          Madeleine Jackson
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          2
          Trump at the border wall via Wikimedia Commons

          On Thursday, both President Biden and Donald Trump plan to visit the U.S.-Mexico border as illegal immigration continues to be a central topic through the 2024 election.

          Biden will travel to Brownsville, Texas to meet with U.S. Border Patrol agents, law enforcement, and local leaders, according to a White House official. 

          That same day, Trump is delivering remarks in Eagle Pass, Texas, Fox News previously confirmed. 

          Brownsville and Eagle Pass are about 325 miles, or about a 5-hour-20 minute drive, apart. 

          According to a Fox News analysis published last week, nearly 7.3 million migrants are known to have illegally crossed the southwest border since Biden took office. 

          That number is greater than the population of 36 individual states. It comes from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which has already reported 961,537 border encounters in the current fiscal year, which runs from October through September. If the current pace of illegal immigration does not slow down, fiscal year 2024 will break last year’s record of 2,475,669 southwest border encounters — a number that by itself exceeds the population of New Mexico, a border state. 

          The total number of southwest land border encounters since Biden assumed office in 2021 is 7,298,486, CBP data shows. 

          Biden Challenger Signals Openness To Being Haley’s VP

            By
            Madeleine Jackson
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            1

            Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips could turn this election on its head…

            During a recent interview the long-shot primary challenger to President Biden said he was open to running alongside Nikki Haley as a “unity ticket.”

            “I think it’s a conversation that Ambassador Haley and I should have, if that’s what this comes down to,” Phillips said in a Thursday interview on Minneapolis’s News Talk 830 WCCO, first highlighted by Mediaite. 

            Phillips said “in the event of a Donald Trump victory this November,” he thinks “any American who opposes that, should celebrate, encourage and inspire an alternative that can actually win and lead our country in the way that people want, and I think anybody, including myself, should keep open minds and hearts about that.”

            “I hope Nikki Haley does, and I think America could be very well served by some type of a bipartisan ticket that restores faith in government and most importantly, demonstrates to the world — to the world — that America can work together and restore its extraordinary brand around the entire world,” Phillips said.

            The Minnesota Democrat repeatedly argued that Democrats should nominate someone else to take on Biden before ultimately jumping into the race himself.

            Former NYC Mayor Appeals $148M Defamation Verdict

              By
              Madeleine Jackson
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              0
              Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

              Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani appealed a jury’s verdict ordering him to pay $148 million to two Georgia election workers for defaming them following the 2020 presidential election.

              Giuliani filed for bankruptcy shortly after the verdict was handed down freezing the election workers’ case and their efforts to collect the staggering sum from the lawyer who previously represented Trump.

              The Hill has more:

              “We very much appreciate the judge’s expeditious consideration of this matter and look forward to proceeding accordingly,” Ted Goodman, political adviser to Giuliani, said in a statement earlier in the day after the bankruptcy judge’s ruling.

              A Washington, D.C., jury ordered Giuliani to pay $148 million to the two election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, after they became a focal point of the Trump campaign’s claims of mass voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

              Prior to the trial, Giuliani was found liable for failing to turn over discovery. The jury then decided how much he must pay.

              “The absurdity of the number really underscores the absurdity of the entire proceeding,” Giuliani said after the verdict was handed down, also doubling down on his baseless claims about the two women.

              It remains unclear how much money the mother-daughter duo would be able to recover from Giuliani, even if his appeal fails.

              Haley Answers If She Will Pardon Trump if Elected

                By
                Madeleine Jackson
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                0
                The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

                On Sunday, Nikki Haley said she plans to pardon Donald Trump if she is elected to the White House.

                Asked the question directly by an audience member at a Fox News town hall in South Carolina, where she once served as governor, Haley said a pardon would be in the country’s “best interest” so Americans can work to “leave the negativity behind” without being further divided.

                “If you’re talking about pardoning Trump, it’s not a matter of innocence or guilt at that point, because that means he would have already been found guilty,” Haley said at the town hall, hosted by John Roberts. “I believe, in the best interest of bringing the country together, I would pardon Donald Trump. Because I think it’s important for the country to move on.”

                “We’ve got to leave the negativity and the baggage behind,” she added. “I don’t want this country divided any further. I don’t think it’s in the best interests for America to have an 80-year-old president sitting in jail and having everybody upset about it. I think this would be the time that we would need to move forward and get this out of the way.”

                Trump currently faces four criminal indictments, including two on the federal level brought by special counsel Jack Smith

                In January, Haley said she would not consider a preemptive pardon for Trump but would issue a pardon if he were found guilty.

                “I think you only do it if someone’s found guilty. So, you know, what I’ll say is this is about moving the country forward, and the last thing we want to see is an 80-year-old former president sitting in jail,” she said on Fox News when asked if she would pledge to pardon Trump preemptively or only if he was found guilty. 

                “Instead, we want to say, ‘OK, how do we put the past behind us and move forward as a country?’ And I think that by pardoning him, that absolutely would move the country forward, instead of dividing it further. And so I think you always have to look at what’s in the best interests of the country,” she added.

                Judge Delivers Ruling In Trump Business Fraud Trial

                  By
                  Madeleine Jackson
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                  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.

                  Republican Congressman Ends Senate Campaign Days After Launching Bid

                    By
                    Madeleine Jackson
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                    1

                    Days after announcing his campaign for Senate, Congressman Matt Rosendale (Mont.) is ending his campaign.

                    On Friday, Rosendale released a statement explaining the quick decision to end his campaign.

                    “Instead of one of those phony statements from politicians, here’s my statement on why I’m withdrawing my candidacy for the U.S. Senate,” Rosendale said in a statement. “As everyone knows, I have planned to run for the U.S. Senate and to win both the primary and the general election. However, the day I announced, President Trump then announced that he was endorsing a different candidate.”

                    “I have long been a supporter of the president, and remain so,” he continued. “But I have been forced to calculate what my chances of success would be with Trump supporting my opponent. This race was already going to be tough, as I was fighting against Mitch McConnell and the rest of the Republican establishment in Washington. But I felt like I could beat them, as the voters do not agree with them choosing who would be the next U.S. Senator from Montana.”

                    Rosendale said that Trump’s endorsement of retired U.S. Navy SEAL and businessman Tim Sheehy meant that he would not have the resources needed to win the primary.

                    Rosendale shared he spoke with Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and they agreed that it was best for the party’s chances to regain control of the U.S. Senate if he ended his campaign.

                    Daines responded to Rosendale’s announced on X, writing: “I appreciate Matt’s many years of service to Montana. It will take all Republicans working together to defeat Jon Tester in November.”

                    House Votes To Impeach Alejandro Mayorkas

                      By
                      Madeleine Jackson
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                      1
                      NEW YORK CITY (September 11, 2022) Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas lays flowers for USSS Master Special Officer Craig Miller and participates in the September 11th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony at Ground Zero in New York City, NY. (DHS photo by Sydney Phoenix)

                      The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to impeach Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday evening.

                      Members voted 214-213 to approve a resolution that made Mayorkas the first Cabinet secretary to be impeached since 1876.

                      In response to his impeachment, leftist DHS spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg released a statement that made political attacks against House Republicans.

                      “House Republicans will be remembered by history for trampling on the Constitution for political gain rather than working to solve the serious challenges at our border,” the statement claimed. “While Secretary Mayorkas was helping a group of Republican and Democratic Senators develop bipartisan solutions to strengthen border security and get needed resources for enforcement, House Republicans have wasted months with this baseless, unconstitutional impeachment.”

                      “House Republicans have falsely smeared a dedicated public servant who has spent more than 20 years enforcing our laws and serving our country,” she claimed.

                      House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) opened an investigation into Mayorkas last year as the country has grappled with an explosion in illegal aliens flooding into the U.S. and Mexican drug cartels fueling deaths across the U.S. with fentanyl.

                      Democrats have largely panned the impeachment proceedings as a “political stunt.”

                      Supreme Court Hands Special Counsel New Deadline In Trump Immunity Case

                        By
                        Madeleine Jackson
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                        1
                        Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

                        On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court imposed a deadline for Special Counsel Jack Smith to respond to former President Trump’s request to keep his federal Jan. 6 trial on hold as he appeals his immunity claims.

                        In a brief order, the high court ordered Smith to respond by Tuesday, Feb. 20.

                        According to The Hill, Trump filed an emergency motion Monday urging the justices to block a lower ruling that he doesn’t have presidential immunity from the indictment, an argument that has enabled Trump to delay his trial date as the appeals process proceeds.

                        The Supreme Court’s forthcoming decision on Trump’s motion is poised to have outsized influence on whether the former president’s trial will take place before this year’s elections. The trial was originally scheduled for March 4 but was shelved as Trump appealed the immunity issue.

                        Smith has aimed to take Trump to trial quickly to avoid the possibility of Trump first returning to the White House and then pardoning himself or ordering his Justice Department to drop the case.

                        By next Tuesday, the special counsel will now have to respond to Trump’s latest tactic: requesting his trial be kept on hold until he can ask the full District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals to review his immunity claims, and then, if needed, the Supreme Court.

                        Trump is charged in the case with four federal felonies that accuse him of conspiring to subvert the 2020 election results. It is one of four criminal cases he faces. Trump has pleaded not guilty.

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