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Erika Kirk Says All livestreams ‘On Hold’ Until After Private Meeting With Candace Owens

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Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Erika Kirk announced that she will meet privately with commentator Candace Owens, marking the first direct conversation between the two since a period of public disagreement and discussion following her late husbandโ€™s death.

In a brief statement posted Sunday on X, Kirk said both women have agreed to pause all public commentary until after their meeting.

โ€œCandace Owens and I are meeting for a private, in-person discussion on Monday, December 15,โ€ Erika said.

โ€œ@RealCandaceO and I have agreed that public discussions, livestreams, and tweets are on hold until after this meeting. I look forward to a productive conversation. Thank you,โ€ she added.

The planned meeting reflects a joint effort to move beyond weeks of escalating tension and online conspiracy theories by creating space for a more personal and thoughtful exchange.

Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

During a recent CBS town hall, Erika spoke candidly about the emotional toll of the speculation surrounding her husbandโ€™s passing. When asked what she would say to those spreading unfounded claims, she responded, โ€œStop. Thatโ€™s it. Thatโ€™s all I have to say. Stop.โ€

She also addressed the issue during a Dec. 10 appearance on Outnumbered, saying, โ€œWhen you go after my family, my Turning Point USA family, my Charlie Kirk Show family, when you go after the people that I love, and you’re making hundreds and thousands of dollars every single episode going after the people that I love because somehow theyโ€™re in on this, no.โ€

Despite their earlier collaboration and personal friendship, the relationship between Kirk and Owens has deteriorated sharply in recent months. Their decision to meet privately signals a mutual desire to communicate directly, clear up misunderstandings, and reduce further speculation.

Since the tragic death of her husband, Charlie Kirk, in September, Erika has focused publicly on preserving his legacy while navigating the intense scrutiny surrounding the circumstances of his passing.

Earlier this month, Charlie Kirk Show producer Blake Neff announced that Kirkโ€™s friends will be holding an event to refute Owensโ€™s incendiary claims. Owens has turned down an invitation to attend it in person.

Owens has a reputation for spreading widely debunked conspiracy theories, including once staking her entire professional reputation on the claim that the First Lady of France, Brigitte Macron, is a man. Owens has also suggested that Israel was somehow connected to Charlie Kirkโ€™s death.

Kirk, who founded the pro-Trump student group Turning Point USA, was shot and killed at a Utah university in September, and his alleged assassin is currently awaiting trial on murder charges. Neff called Owensโ€™s claims โ€œeither lies or they are innuendos thrown around with a total, reckless disregard for the truth,โ€ and added, โ€œI would say we have suffered more harassment from these people than we have from Antifa supporters who overtly celebrate Charlieโ€™s murder.โ€

He concluded by saying Turning Point will host a live stream to further debunk Owensโ€™s conspiracies and invited her to participate.

โ€œWe wanted to use this segment at the top of this hour to say something important, something very important. For the past two and a half months, there is a topic that has flooded our Freedom inbox. It has been nonstop on social media, but which we have almost totally avoided on this show. You probably already know what Iโ€™m talking about, which shows just how ubiquitous it has been,โ€ Neff began.

Read his full statement below:

Ever since Charlieโ€™s murder, Candace Owens has leveled a flood of allegations against people at Turning Point USA, people at Turning Point Action, and people who work for this show. She has made them against some of Charlieโ€™s closest friends and against some of his most dedicated employees. She has suggested that Michael McCoy, Charlieโ€™s chief of staff, knew Charlie would be murdered, was happy that he died, and stayed silent because he was told he would be the next Charlie.

She has suggested Michael is not his real name. It isโ€”I have seen his birth certificate myself. She has called it suspicious that Mikeyโ€™s wife, who works at Turning Point, helped plan the campus tour event where Charlie was murdered, which she didnโ€™t, by the way. She doesnโ€™t work on campus events.

Candace has suggested the Utah Valley University event was unusual and its details suggested a quote โ€œinside job.โ€ She has claimed that foreign aircraft have followed Erica Kirk around the country and that Turning Point has lied about this happening. She has accused us of lying about Charlie wanting Erica to take over for him if he died. She has suggested Charlieโ€™s security team intentionally denied him first aid after the shooting to ensure that he died. She has raised suspicions about the head of our technical team because he took an SD card out of a camera. She has spread absurd claims that Tyler Boyer, who we just had on the show, sexually abuses male interns. She has suggested that TPUSA Faith-affiliated pastors, like theologian Frank Turek, who weโ€™ll have on in a moment, and Pastor Rob McCoy, are part of a military quote โ€œinfiltrationโ€ of Turning Point, either because they are veterans or because they have family members who are.

Even if not everyone has been named specifically, though, Candace has effectively tarred everyone here with complicity in Charlieโ€™s death by repeatedly saying he was, quote, โ€œbetrayed by,โ€ quote, โ€œeveryone.โ€ She has said Charlieโ€™s murder, quote, โ€œhad to be approved by Charlieโ€™s friends,โ€ and then suggested those friends might have her murdered too for quote โ€œknowing the truth.โ€ She has made claims of financial impropriety and fraud at Turning Point, adding up into the millions of dollars, which again is not true. Charlie made sure the organization was audited by a third party every year. He personally reviewed and signed off on every expense report and literally every single bill paid by the organization down to a single United States dollar. We have never missed a 990 deadline.

Candace has made other, stranger allegations involving French paratroopers in maroon shirts, Egyptian Air Force planes flying out of Provo, Utah, and potential underground assassins traveling through unseen tunnels. At one point in early November, she started wildly throwing suspicion on members of Utah Valleyโ€™s soccer team for wearing hoodies. I could go on. There is always something new coming up, and none of it ever pans out. Because from the start, there has been nothing there.

The attacks and allegations from Candace are either lies or they are innuendos thrown around with a total, reckless disregard for the truth, so that Candace can manipulate and string along an audience of people who donโ€™t realize they are being played. Instead of being able to grieve properly after one of the most heinous murders in American history, a murder many of us had to witness, my friends have had to endure harassment from people who have gotten whipped up by what Candace is saying. I would say we have suffered more harassment from these people than we have from Antifa supporters who overtly celebrate Charlieโ€™s murder. And just like a lot of those Antifa members, many of these people take delight in how gross and unpleasant they can be. What our friends have had to endure is not funny and itโ€™s not insignificant. It is evil. I have seen it.

For months, we have received hundreds, thousands, I suspect, of emails and calls asking us to respond. People have wanted us to invite Candace on the show. But for a long time, our approach was to say nothing. We did that for several reasons. First, we thought that her prevarications were so absurd that nobody would believe them. We shouldnโ€™t have to answer questions about secret tunnels or Egyptian Air Force planes. That sort of thing is justโ€”itโ€™s beneath contempt to respond to. Lastly, we didnโ€™t respond because Charlie always viewed Candace as a friend, and we were holding out hope that she would return that friendship and stop what she was doing.

But a week from now itโ€™s going to be three months since Charlieโ€™s murder. Candace has not changed her behavior. She has continued to spread falsehoods about Charlieโ€™s friends, and she continues to concoct new ones about new people. Sheโ€™s using these falsehoods to enrich herself while dividing the conservative movement at an absolutely critical time for this country. And far too often, we here have heard from ordinary people, people who loved Charlie and who Charlie loved so much in return. These people have expressed the worry that we are staying silent out of cowardice or as some sort of tacit admission that some of the attacks are true. Neither is the case. Our silence has never been, and it will never be, equal to complacency or approval.

Still, we decided Charlie would not allow this to go on. Charlie was not a coward. Charlie was a fighter. Charlie would not allow someone to spread lies about the people closest to him with impunity. And he would feel ashamed if other people were stepping up to defend his friends while he never did so himself. Candace has mentioned several times that the ball is in our court.

So hereโ€™s what is going to happen. In the near future, there will be a livestream here in Phoenix where we address in a clear and comprehensive way the claims and accusations, the false accusations that have been made against Charlieโ€™s family, friends, and the people here at Turning Point. We plan to walk through everything carefully and thoroughly. If Candace is available, we would sincerely welcome her participation in that livestream at our studio here in Phoenix. At this point, we believe the ball is back in her court.

Our motivation for doing this is not out of any obligation to Candace. It is about honoring Charlie. We feel a deep responsibility to protect his legacy, his work, and the truth. I feel that. I owe Charlie everything in my life. I feel it immensely. And that is why we feel compelled to speak clearly and openly now. Weโ€™ll have more on this in the near future.

Report: FBI Thwarts New Years Eve Terror Plot

Federal law enforcement officials announced over the weekend that they successfully disrupted a credible terrorist threat, arresting four alleged members of a radical pro-Palestinian extremist group who were reportedly planning coordinated bombing attacks in Los Angeles on New Yearโ€™s Eve.

According to the FBI, the suspects self-identified as part of a radical offshoot of the Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF)โ€”an extremist organization driven by a combination of pro-Palestinian, anti-law-enforcement, and anti-government ideology.

Federal agents say the group intended to deploy improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in a series of synchronized attacks targeting five separate locations across the Los Angeles area. Authorities believe the suspects were preparing to test explosive devices in Lucerne Valley when they were taken into custody. Each of the four has been charged with conspiracy and possession of a destructive device.

In a related development, the FBI announced Monday that a fifth individual believed to be connected to the same TILF extremist network was arrested in New Orleans in connection with a separate planned attack.

Social media accounts linked to TILF describe the groupโ€™s mission as freeing what they call โ€œTurtle Islandโ€โ€”an Indigenous name used by some activists to refer to North Americaโ€”from the โ€œillegal American empire.โ€ One Instagram post attributed to the group declared: โ€œFree Palestine. Free Hawaii. Free Puerto Rico.โ€ The post continued, โ€œFreeing the world from American imperialism is the only way to a safe and peaceful future.โ€

These arrests come amid a broader pattern of the FBI and other federal agencies disrupting terror plots across the country during President Donald Trumpโ€™s second administration. In recent months, federal authorities have thwarted an alleged ISIS-inspired terror plot in Michigan that involved suspicious encrypted communications and preparations at gun ranges, leading to multiple arrests before a planned attack could take place.

Earlier this year, the FBI also intercepted another potential terror plot in Dearborn, Michigan, charging suspects with conspiracy to provide firearms and ammunition knowing they would be used to commit acts of federal terrorismโ€”again highlighting the agencyโ€™s proactive work in identifying and stopping threats before they materialize.

These disruptions follow a national trend in which federal law enforcement has prioritized identifying and intercepting violent extremist plots before they can harm Americans. According to recent FBI press releases, multiple individuals have been charged or convicted this year for providing material support to foreign terrorist organizations like ISIS and attempting to aid violent extremist causes from within the United States.

Republican leaders have emphasized the importance of strong law enforcement and border security in preventing homegrown terrorism and protecting American communities. The arrests in Los Angeles and New Orleans underscore the ongoing threat from ideologically motivated violent extremists and the need for vigilant counterterrorism efforts.

As the nation enters the holiday season, federal officials say their work will continue to ensure that Americans can celebrate safely, free from the specter of coordinated terror attacks.

Watch:

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

Pulitzer Prize Board Doubles Down On Trump Legal Fight

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

The Pulitzer Prize Board escalated its legal battle with President Donald Trump on Thursday, filing a discovery request in Trumpโ€™s 2022 defamation lawsuit and declaring it will “not be cowed by the president’s attempt to intimidate journalists or undermine the First Amendment.”

Trump sued the Board after it awarded the 2018 National Reporting Pulitzer Prize to The New York Times and The Washington Post for their coverage of allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russiaโ€”allegations Trump has long argued were baseless and politically motivated.

Pulitzer Board Pushes Discovery, Demands Proof of Harm

In its filing in Okeechobee County Circuit Court in Florida, the Pulitzer Board requested documentation supporting Trumpโ€™s claims that the award caused him reputational or financial harm.

The Board insisted the president must meet the same legal standards as any plaintiff:

“Just like any other plaintiff, the President must articulate and prove his claims with evidence. This filing is a standard step in the discovery process to assess a claim of damages and test their validity. The Pulitzer Board will not be cowed by the president’s attempt to intimidate journalists or undermine the First Amendment,” the organization told Fox News Digital.

Trumpโ€™s lawsuit argues that the Pulitzer-winning stories relied on a โ€œdemonstrably false connectionโ€ between his campaign and Russia and that this flawed premise was the basis for awarding the prize.

Award Recognized Reporting Later Undermined by Federal Investigations

The Times and Post were honored for โ€œdeeply sourced, relentlessly reported coverage in the public interest that dramatically furthered the nationโ€™s understanding of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and its connections to the Trump campaign, the President-electโ€™s transition team and his eventual administration.โ€

However, Trumpโ€™s complaint highlights several developments that have since cast doubt on the original reporting:

  • Special Counsel Robert Mueller failed to establish evidence of criminal collusion.
  • A Department of Justice Inspector General report identified significant misconduct and inaccuracies in the federal investigation into Trumpโ€™s campaign.

These findings reinforced the belief among many conservatives that the Russia-collusion narrative was politically driven and amplified by a sympathetic media establishment.

Trump Team Predicts Victory

A spokesperson for Trumpโ€™s legal team said the president remains confident:

“President Trump is committed to holding those who traffic in fake news, lies, and smears to account, and he will see this powerhouse lawsuit through to a winning conclusion. This case has always been about correcting the record, revealing the truth, and vindicating the president and his supporters against the lies told to the American people by the Democrats and their PR machine known as ‘legacy media.'”

Trump previously sought a full correction or retraction from the Pulitzer Board, along with the rescinding of the 2018 awards, but the Board has repeatedly refused.


Additional Context: Trump and the Nobel Peace Prize

While Trump now challenges the Pulitzer Board over media accountability, he has also pursued global recognition for his foreign policy accomplishmentsโ€”particularly through nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize.

  • In 2020, Trump received several nominations for brokering the Abraham Accords, historic peace agreements that normalized relations between Israel and multiple Arab nations.
  • He also received nominations for facilitating Serbiaโ€“Kosovo economic normalization, as well as for his administrationโ€™s efforts in the North Korea diplomatic initiative.
  • Despite support from some foreign officials and conservative lawmakers, the Nobel Committee ultimately awarded the prize elsewhere, prompting many Republicans to argue that Trumpโ€™s diplomatic breakthroughs were undervalued for political reasons.

Dem Rep. Rips Kristi Noem In Opening Remarks, Demands Resignation

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) called on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign Thursday during opening remarks at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on โ€œWorldwide Threats to the Homeland.โ€

โ€œYou have systematically dismantled the Department of Homeland Security, put your own interests above the department, and violated the law. You are making America less safe,โ€ Thompson said. โ€œSo rather than sitting here and wasting your time and ours with more corruption, lies and lawlessness, I call on you to resign. Do a real service to the country and just resign. That is, if President Trump doesn’t fire you first.โ€

As Noem began delivering her opening statement, several protesters opposed to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) interrupted the proceedings, shouting, โ€œGet ICE off our streets,โ€ and, โ€œStop terrorizing our community.โ€ Capitol Police escorted the protesters out and detained them outside the hearing room.

Noem, joined at the hearing by National Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent and Michael Glasheen, operations director of the FBIโ€™s National Security Branch, noted that one of her grandchildren in the audience was upset by Thompsonโ€™s comments.

โ€œI don’t think she agreed with him,โ€ Noem said jokingly.

She defended her departmentโ€™s record, telling lawmakers, โ€œDHS is eradicating transnational organized crime and the stopping of deadly drugs from continuing to be funneled into our communities. We’re ending illegal immigration, returning sanity back to our immigration system, and we’re defending against cyberattacks against our critical infrastructure.โ€

Addressing global threats โ€” including those posed by domestic extremists and radical Islamic terrorism โ€” Noem said the United States should prepare for heightened risks as it readies major events in 2026, such as the World Cup and the nationโ€™s 250th birthday.

Watch:

โ€œThese large-scale events will be potential targets for a range of bad actors, and they come with an increased level of risk. DHS is using every tool and authority we have to ensure the safety of U.S. citizens, and our visitors can enjoy next year’s events,โ€ she said.

Rumors had circulated in recent days that President Donald Trump was considering replacing Noem as head of DHS. Trump dismissed the speculation on Wednesday, telling reporters that Noem has been โ€œfantastic.โ€

Noem also addressed the rumors in an interview with Fox News ahead of the hearing.

โ€œOh, that’s absolutely not true,โ€ she said. โ€œPresident Trump and I are doing wonderfully. I’m so proud to work for him, and I’m going to continue to serve at his pleasure.โ€

Democrat Drafts Articles Of Impeachment Against HHS Sec. RFK Jr.

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

On Wednesday, a House Democrat announced she is drafting articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) announced the move on Wednesday, arguing Kennedy has failed in his role. Stevens had previously vowed to file the articles in September.

“Today, I formally introduced articles of impeachment against Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. RFK Jr. has turned his back on science and the safety of the American people. Michiganders cannot take another day of his chaos,” she wrote in a statement posted on social media.

“Secretary Kennedy remains focused on the work of improving Americansโ€™ health and lowering costs, not on partisan political stunts,” Nixon said.

By Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America – Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., CC BY-SA 2.0,

The move comes just days after Stevens’ fellow Democrat, Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) filed articles of impeachment against War Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Thanedar cited reports that Hegseth issued orders to “kill everybody” onboard a small vessel that was allegedly involved in drug trafficking.

“Pete Hegseth has been using the United States military to extrajudicially assassinate people without evidence of any crime,” said Thanedar. “Former military attorneys have come out and asserted that his conduct constitutes war crimes. We cannot allow his reprehensible conduct to continue, which is why I have filed these articles to impeach him.”ย 

He added, โ€œAnd if both parties, if Republicans are willing to look at this for the merit of this case and not just their loyalty to President Trump, this can be done.โ€

Thanedar pointed first to Hegsethโ€™s use of the encrypted messaging app Signal to discuss a pending strike on Houthi targets in Yemen. A Pentagon inspector general report made public this week faulted Hegseth for using an unapproved channel to share sensitive strike-related information and warned the practice could have endangered U.S. personnel if intercepted.

The Signal thread drew additional scrutiny after The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg was inadvertently included in the chat, alongside senior administration officials. Investigators said that exposure of operational detailsโ€”such as timing and other strike specificsโ€”could have put U.S. forces at risk.

Thanedar also cited reporting around a separate episode involving a Sept. 2 strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean. According to that reporting, Hegseth ordered military leaders to โ€œkill everybody,โ€ and a follow-up strike occurred even after survivors were seen in the waterโ€”raising questions about targeting decisions and command accountability.

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

Suspects Charged In Plot To Kill Top Noem Deputy

Police image via Pixabay free images

Two brothers from Absecon, New Jersey, were arrested Tuesday and charged in connection with alleged online threats targeting Tricia McLaughlin, the Department of Homeland Securityโ€™s Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and a top public-facing spokesperson for Secretary Kristi Noem, authorities said.

Ricardo Antonio Roman-Flores and Emilio Roman-Flores, who are twins, were taken into custody after investigators alleged they posted violent statements on X about McLaughlin and federal immigration officers, including an alleged call to โ€œShoot ICE on sight,โ€ according to the account of the case shared by law enforcement officials.

Investigators allege one brother responded to McLaughlin with: โ€œ[The Second] Amendment is in place for moments like this. Shoot ICE on sight,โ€ followed by: โ€œWe Americans should find you, tar you, feather you, and hang you as we did to anyone serving tyrants before the Revolutionary War.โ€ A second, partially redacted post attributed to the other brother reportedly read: โ€œShoot ICE on sight.โ€

Prosecutors say the threats went furtherโ€”allegedly escalating to talk of torturing and killing McLaughlin โ€œin a medieval fashion.โ€ McLaughlin has been front-and-center defending DHS enforcement actions on TV and online, and sheโ€™s repeatedly framed threats against officers as downstream of increasingly incendiary politics around immigration.

The charge sheet, as described, splits like this:

  • Emilio: unlawful possession of an assault weapon, possession of prohibited weapons, conspiracy, terroristic threats, criminal coercion and cyber harassment.
  • Ricardo: one count of conspiracyโ€”terroristic threats.

ICE Director Todd Lyons said the arrests came within three days of the alleged posts and warned that threats against federal officials will be prosecuted. โ€œWe will find you, we will arrest you, and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. We are not afraid of you,โ€ Lyons told Fox News Digital. He added: โ€œIf you threaten our law enforcement or DHS officials, we will hunt you down, and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.โ€

DHS is trying to make a broader point: this isnโ€™t just one ugly thread onlineโ€”itโ€™s part of a threat environment they say has intensified alongside the administrationโ€™s border crackdown. In a DHS release dated Oct. 30, 2025, the department claimed ICE personnel have faced an โ€œ8,000% increase in death threats,โ€ citing harassment and threats aimed at officers and their families.

The issue has also surfaced in recent disputes over whether public-facing tools that track immigration enforcement activity endanger federal officers. In a Reuters report published Monday, a developer sued the Trump administration after an app that let users share locations of immigration agents was removed from Appleโ€™s store; the administration cited safety concerns for federal officers, while the developer argued the app relied on public observations.

Trump Defends Justices Alito, Thomas From Calls To Resign From Supreme Court

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Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Not so fast…

President Donald Trump called on Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas to rebuke demands to step down from critics, calling the justices “fantastic.”

Trumpย made the remark to Politicoย this week as the outlet reported that some members of the Republican Party are hoping the court’s two oldest conservatives consider stepping down before the midterm elections. Their decisions to step down from the bench would enable Trump to nominate conservatives to take their place while the Republican Party is still guaranteed control of the Senate.

“I hope they stay,” Trump said, adding, “‘Cause I think theyโ€™re fantastic.”

Alito, 75, has no plans to retire from the Supreme Court anytime soon, a source close with close knowledge of the justice toldย The Wall Street Journalย in November 2024 after Trump was elected.

“Despite what some people may think, this is a man who has never thought about this job from a political perspective,” a person close to Alito said to the newspaper.

“The idea that heโ€™s going to retire for political considerations is not consistent with who he is,” this person added. 

Alito was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2006 by Presidentย George W. Bush.

Thomas is 77 years old. He was appointed to the court by President George H.W. Bush in 1991.

Sonia Sotomayor, appointed by President Obama in 2009, is 71. 

In 2022, Thomasย faced widespread calls to step down from the bench or be impeachedย because he would not recuse himself from cases related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Investigators on the Jan. 6 select committee revealed that the justice’s wife, Ginni Thomas, sent text messages to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows urging him to challenge Donald Trump’sย 2020 election loss.


“Clarence Thomas should resign,” Ocasio-Cortez said at the time. “If not, his failure to disclose income from right-wing organizations, recuse himself from matters involving his wife, and his vote to block the Jan. 6th commission from key information must be investigated and could serve as grounds for impeachment.”

Democrats took no action against Thomas.ย 

Aย ProPublicaย investigation also found that Thomasโ€™ close friendship with real estate developer Harlan Crow allowed him to accompany the Texas billionaire on luxury vacations on his private jet and yacht, as well as enjoy free stays on Crowโ€™s vast vacation property, among other perks. He reportedly failed to disclose the vast majority of Crowโ€™s gifts.

The ProPublica report prompted several Democratic lawmakers to demand that a strict code of ethics be imposed on the Supreme Court by Congress.

During his first term, Trump had Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett confirmed to the Supreme Court, along with over 200 federal judges.

Watch Politico’s full interview with Trump below:

Alina Habba Resigns As Top New Jersey Prosecutor

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A key Trump appointee has handed in her resignation…

On Monday, Alina Habba announced she is stepping down from her role as top prosecutor in New Jersey after an appellate court found that Attorney General Pam Bondi had improperly appointed her asย U.S. attorney.

Bondi also announced Habba would serve as the attorney general’s senior adviser, while three Department of Justice officials would take on additional jobs overseeing various activities in the New Jersey court district in the wake of Habba’s exit.

Habba served as President Donald Trump’s personal defense lawyer before the president installed her this year as the temporary head of the New Jersey office.

Once Habba’s term expired, the administration took a series of unconventional steps to attempt to reinstate her, however a three-judge panel found last week that federal vacancy laws did not permit Trump and the DOJ to sidestep the Senate confirmation process to keep Habba in charge.

Fox News reports that the DOJ plans to delegate the U.S. attorney responsibilities in New Jersey to three separate officials, Philip Lamparello, Jordan Fox and Ari Fontecchio.

“I have full confidence in each of these exceptional attorneys and look forward to our continued collaboration as we make New Jersey and America safe again,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.

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

Federal Grand Jury Declines To Re-Indict New York AG Letitia James

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A federal grand jury declined Thursday to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James after the Justice Department presented an alleged mortgage-fraud-related case to the panel for a second time.

Another source familiar with the matter cautioned against celebrating too soon, noting the Justice Department could attempt to seek an indictment a third time.

James welcomed the decision and again denied wrongdoing.

โ€œAs I have said from the start, the charges against me are baseless. It is time for this unchecked weaponization of our justice system to stop,โ€ James said in a statement Thursday.

โ€œI am grateful to the members of the grand jury and humbled by the support I have received from across the country. Now, I will continue to do my job standing up for the rule of law and the people of New York.โ€

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

The decision comes amid intensifying national debate over whether federal law enforcement is being used for political ends, a concern frequently raised by Republican voters and officials in recent years. James, a prominent Democratic officeholder and a frequent political target of former President Donald Trump, had faced allegations that prosecutors said involved false statements to a financial institution and bank fraud. She previously pleaded not guilty to one count of making false statements to a financial institution and one count of bank fraud.

Late last month, a federal judge threw out the initial charges, ruling that the prosecutor leading the cases had not been properly appointed.

In that decision, Judge Cameron McGowan Currie said Lindsey Halligan, described as Trumpโ€™s handpicked prosecutor, was unlawfully appointed as an interim U.S. attorney and that the cases against James and another Trump political opponent, former FBI Director James Comey, had to be dismissed.

โ€œAll actions flowing from Ms. Halliganโ€™s defective appointmentโ€ including the indictments against Comey and James โ€œwere unlawful exercises of executive power and are hereby set aside,โ€ Currie ruled.

The judge dismissed the cases โ€œwithout prejudice,โ€ leaving open the possibility that prosecutors could bring the same allegations again under a properly appointed official. That legal posture created a pathway for the Justice Departmentโ€™s rapid return to the grand jury, underscoring the governmentโ€™s determination to keep the matter alive even after the initial dismissal.

At the same time, Jamesโ€™ legal team and allies have continued to argue that the prosecution itself is politically motivated. Before the judge tossed the case, James raised claims that she was being singled out and targeted for selective and vindictive prosecutionโ€”arguments that could resurface if prosecutors attempt to refile.

James and Comey have pointed to public statements by Trump calling for investigations and prosecutions of political adversaries, and James has accused the government of โ€œtransforming the Department of Justice into the Presidentโ€™s personal agents of revenge.โ€

Their attorneys cited one of Trumpโ€™s Truth Social posts, directed at Attorney General Pam Bondi in September.

โ€œPam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, โ€˜same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam โ€˜Shiftyโ€™ Schiff, Leticia??? Theyโ€™re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done,โ€™โ€ Trump wrote, referring to Comey, James, and Sen. Adam Schiff of California.

House Democrat Announces Articles Of Impeachment Against Hegseth

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The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) said Thursday he plans to file articles of impeachment targeting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, arguing the Pentagon chief should be removed over what he described as two separate controversies inside the Defense Department.

โ€œThis secretary has to go,โ€ Thanedar told Fox News host Josh Breslow. โ€œHeโ€™s incompetent. Heโ€™s, you know, violated โ€” he has committed war crimes. He must go.โ€

He added, โ€œAnd if both parties, if Republicans are willing to look at this for the merit of this case and not just their loyalty to President Trump, this can be done.โ€

Thanedar pointed first to Hegsethโ€™s use of the encrypted messaging app Signal to discuss a pending strike on Houthi targets in Yemen. A Pentagon inspector general report made public this week faulted Hegseth for using an unapproved channel to share sensitive strike-related information and warned the practice could have endangered U.S. personnel if intercepted.

The Signal thread drew additional scrutiny after The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg was inadvertently included in the chat, alongside senior administration officials. Investigators said that exposure of operational detailsโ€”such as timing and other strike specificsโ€”could have put U.S. forces at risk.

Thanedar also cited reporting around a separate episode involving a Sept. 2 strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean. According to that reporting, Hegseth ordered military leaders to โ€œkill everybody,โ€ and a follow-up strike occurred even after survivors were seen in the waterโ€”raising questions about targeting decisions and command accountability.

What are the โ€œtwo scandalsโ€ Hegseth is facing?

1) The Signal/Yemen strike controversy

  • The Pentagon inspector general concluded Hegseth violated DoD policy by using Signal on a personal device to share sensitive information about impending Yemen strikes, warning it could have jeopardized service members and the mission.
  • Reporting also noted limits to what investigators could directly review from Signal and that Hegseth declined an interview with the inspector general, while denying wrongdoing.

2) The Caribbean โ€œdrug boatโ€ strike controversy

  • Reporting has centered on whether a second strike was ordered or permitted after survivors were apparent, and whether the rules/protocols around such engagements were properly followed; Hegseth has said he did not โ€œstick aroundโ€ after giving the order for the first strike and learned of the later events afterward.

Other attempts to impeach Cabinet officials

Impeaching Cabinet members is rare historicallyโ€”only a small number of federal officials have ever been impeached by the House, and Cabinet officials are a tiny subset of that list.

A few notable modern-era examples or efforts:

  • Alejandro Mayorkas (Homeland Security): The House impeached Mayorkas in 2024; the Senate later dismissed the articles, ending the case.
  • Donald Rumsfeld (Defense): In 2004, a House resolution (H.Res. 629) sought to impeach Rumsfeld; it was referred to committee and went nowhere.
  • Merrick Garland (Attorney General): Multiple impeachment resolutions were introduced against Garland in the 117th Congress (including H.Res. 743 and H.Res. 1318).
  • Antony Blinken (Secretary of State): An impeachment resolution (H.Res. 608) was introduced in the 117th Congress.