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Judge Makes New Ruling In Jan. 6 Case

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On Tuesday, a federal judge threw out most of the civil counts against former President Donald Trump in connection with the death of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick during the U.S. Capitol riots on Jan. 6.

According to Fox News, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta dismissed three of the five civil counts in a lawsuit filed last January by Sandra Garza, Sicknick’s girlfriend in a 12-page ruling.

Garza’s lawsuit against Trump and Jan. 6 rioters Julian Khater and George Tanios sought damages from all three men for claims of wrongful death, conspiracy to violate civil rights, and negligence per se.

In his ruling Tuesday, Mehta dismissed the wrongful death act count and both negligence per se allegations.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Mark Zaid, an attorney representing Garza, said that they are “considering our next step options” to depose Trump. 

“We are pleased to see that our lawsuit in pursuit of justice for the late Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died in the aftermath of the January 6th insurrection, has been permitted to continue. We are now considering our next step options, to include deposing former President Trump,” Zaid said.

Read the filing below:

While a majority of the counts against trump were dismissed, Garza’s claims against the defendants under D.C.’s Survival Act and the conspiracy to violate a civil rights claim will proceed.

The Survival Act allows an individual’s legal representative to pursue legal action on their behalf after their death.

Report: Trump ‘Workshopping’ Three More Nickname Names For DeSantis, Digging Up ‘Dirt’ On His Wife

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Is this as low as Donald Trump can go?

Former President Trump is reportedly workshopping multiple new disparaging nicknames for Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis as the race for the White House begins to heat up, despite the fact DeSantis has not even thrown his hat into the ring.

According to The Daily Wire, Bloomberg News senior reporter Jennifer Jacobs tweeted a report authored by Nancy Cook which said that Trump is spending “much of his and his team’s time” on complaining about a lack of media coverage, what he claims was a stolen election, and trying to come up with new names for DeSantis, who is widely expected to enter the presidential race in the coming months.

Jacobs said that, according to Trump’s allies, the former president is considering trying to label DeSantis as “Ron DisHonest,” “Ron DeEstablishment,” or “Tiny D.”

The report added that Trump is trying to “dig up dirt” on DeSantis’ wife, recent breast cancer survivor Casey DeSantis, who has three children with the governor.

“If you want to know who Ron DeSantis really is, when I was diagnosed with cancer, and I was facing the battle for my life, he was the dad who took care of my children when I couldn’t,” Casey DeSantis said.

“He was there to pick me off of the ground when I literally could not stand,” she added. “He was there to fight for me when I didn’t have the strength to fight for myself.”

Trump has repeatedly launched attacks against the Florida Governor, sometimes referring to the lawmaker as “Ron DeSanctimonious.”

Last month, a reporter asked if DeSantis’s proposal to make it easier for government officials to sue the media for defamation would address Trump’s “damaging” posts about him. After defending his panel proposals, DeSantis got more direct about Trump’s attack:

“I spend my time delivering results for the people of Florida and fighting against Joe Biden,” DeSantis said to applause. “That’s how I spend my time. I don’t spend my time trying to smear other Republicans.”

Report: Kanye West Asked Trump to be His 2024 Running Mate

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The controversial rapper and fashion mogul “Ye,” previously known as Kanye West, asked Donald Trump to be his vice president in 2024.

The rapper, in a Twitter video posted Thursday evening, said he mentioned a campaign during a recent meeting with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida, also tweeting a series of “Ye 24” graphics, according to The Hill.

“I think the thing that Trump was most perturbed about, me asking him to be my vice president,” Ye said in the video in the Twitter post. “I think that was like lower on the list of things that caught him off-guard.”

Ye went on to say Trump screamed at him during the meeting about a run.

“When Trump started basically screaming at me at the table telling me I was going to lose — I mean has that ever worked for anyone in history,” Ye said in the video. “I’m like hold on, hold on, hold on, Trump, you’re talking to Ye.”

This isn’t the first time Ye has brought out his presidential ambitions, the rapper mounted a failed presidential run in 2020 but has been a longtime supporter of Trump.

Donald Trump recently announced his own 2024 run for president while addressing a crowd at Mar-a-Lago.

Michigan Supreme Court Rules On Trump Ballot Bid

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On Wednesday the Michigan Supreme Court rejected the latest bid to keep Donald Trump off the state’s primary ballot.

A liberal-leaning group had appealed a state appeals court ruling that regardless of whether the 14th Amendment disqualifies Trump from holding office, Michigan’s secretary of state lacks the legal authority to remove him from the ballot.

The Democrat-controlled court let that lower ruling stand, stating in an unsigned order that it was “not persuaded that the questions presented should be reviewed by this Court.”

The Hill has more:

In a solo dissent in Michigan on Wednesday, Justice Elizabeth Welch wrote that it was “important” for the state court to issue a decision on the merits given the gravity of the legal questions at issue.

But she likened the case to Minnesota, while drawing contrast to Colorado.

“Significantly, Colorado’s election laws differ from Michigan’s laws in a material way that is directly relevant to why the appellants in this case are not entitled to the relief they seek concerning the presidential primary election in Michigan,” Welch wrote.

Welch also noted that Tuesday’s ruling leaves open the possibility that the plaintiffs could renew their efforts for the general election if Trump becomes the Republican nominee, which polling indicates is very likely.

The ruling is a significant win for Trump as he seeks to appeal the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The 14th amendment prohibits someone from holding “any office … under the United States” if they engaged in insurrection after taking an oath as “an officer of the United States” to “support” the Constitution.

Former President Trump celebrated the Michigan Supreme Court’s ruling on Truth Social.

“The Michigan Supreme Court has strongly and rightfully denied the Desperate Democrat attempt to take the leading Candidate in the 2024 Presidential Election, me, off the ballot in the Great State of Michigan,” Trump wrote Wednesday in a Truth Social post. “This pathetic gambit to rig the Election has failed all across the Country, including in States that have historically leaned heavily toward the Democrats.”

This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.

Biden Remains Defiant In Letter Shared With Congressional Democrats

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He’s in it to win it…

Despite a bevy of public pleas, President Joe Biden informed colleagues that he would not bow out of the race according to a letter sent to Congressional Democrats.

“I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump,” the president wrote in the letter.

Biden posted the letter himself to his X account.

Biden, 81, said he’s had “extensive” talks with Democrat leaders and he’s heard the “concerns” about his chances at beating Trump amid concerns about his age.

Numerous lawmakers have publicly called for Biden to remove himself from the ballot this November.

Texas Democrat Rep. Lloyd Doggett became the first sitting Member of Congress to publicly encourage Biden to step down earlier this week. In a more damning appearance, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi switched from accusing Trump of having dementia to validating questions about Biden’s mental acuity, further fueling the debate over his capacity to lead. 

Last Monday, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D) seemed to signal support for the idea of Biden stepping away from the race and seemed to promote himself as an alternative candidate. 

Read the full text of the letter below:

JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR.
July 8, 2024

Fellow Democrats,

Now that you have returned from the July 4th recess, I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump.

I have had extensive conversations with the leadership of the party, elected officials, rank and file members, and most importantly, Democratic voters over these past io days or so. I have heard the concerns that people have — their good faith fears and worries about what is at stake in this election. I am not blind to them. Believe me, I know better than anyone the responsibility and the burden the nominee of our party carries. I carried it in 2020 when the fate of our nation was at stake. I also know these concerns come from a place of real respect for my lifetime of public service and my record as President, and I have been moved by the expressions of affection for me from so many who have known me well and supported me over the course of my public life. I’ve been grateful for the rock-solid, steadfast support from so many elected Democrats in Congress and all across the country and taken great strength from the resolve and determination I’ve seen from so many voters and grassroots supporters even in the hardest of weeks.

I can respond to all this by saying clearly and unequivocally: I wouldn’t be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024.
We had a Democratic nomination process and the voters have spoken clearly and decisively. I received over 14 million votes, 87% of the votes cast across the entire nominating process. I have nearly 3,900 delegates, making me the presumptive nominee of our party by a wide margin. This was a process open to anyone who wanted to run. Only three people chose to challenge me. One fared so badly that he left the primaries to run as an independent. Another attacked me for being too old and was soundly defeated. The voters of the Democratic Patty have voted. They have chosen me to be the nominee of the party.

Do we now just say this process didn’t matter? That the voters don’t have a say?

I decline to do that. I feel a deep obligation to the faith and the trust the voters of the Democratic Party have placed in me to run this year. It was their decision to make. Not the press, not the pundits, not the big donors, not any selected group of individuals, no matter how well intentioned. The voters — and the voters alone — decide the nominee of the Democratic Party. How can we stand for democracy in our nation if we ignore it in our own party? I cannot do that. I will not do that.

I have no doubt that I — and we — can and will beat Donald Trump. We have an historic record of success to run on. From creating over 15 million jobs (including 200,000 just last month), reaching historic lows on unemployment, to revitalizing American manufacturing with 800,000 jobs, to protecting and expanding affordable health care, to rebuilding America’s roads, bridges, highways, ports and airports, and water systems, to beating Big Pharma and lowering the cost of prescription drugs, including $35 a month insulin for seniors, to providing student debt relief for nearly 5 million Americans to an historic investment in combatting climate change.

More importantly, we have an economic vision to run on that soundly beats Trump and the MAGA Republicans. They are siding with the wealthy and the big corporations and we are siding with the working people of America. It wasn’t an isolated moment for Trump to stand at Mar-A-Lago and tell the oil industry they should give him $1 billion and he will do whatever they want.

That’s whose side Trump and the MAGA Republicans are on. Trump and the MAGA Republicans want another $5 trillion in tax cuts for rich people so they can cut Social Security and Medicare. We will never let that happen. It’s trickle-down economics on steroids. We know the way to build the economy is from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down. We are finally going to make the rich and big corporations pay their fair share of taxes in this country. The MAGA party is also still determined to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which could throw 45 million Americans off their coverage. We will never let that happen either. Trump got rich denying rental housing to Black people. We have a plan to build 2 million new housing units in America. They want to let Big Pharma charge as much as they want again. What do you think America’s seniors will think when they know Trump and the MAGA Republicans want to take away their $35 insulin — as well as the $2,000 capon out-of-pocket prescription costs we Democrats just got them? Or what do you think American families are going to think when they find out Trump and the MAGA Republicans want to hit them with a new $2,500 national sales tax on all the imported products they buy.

We are the ones lowering costs for families — from health care to prescription drugs to student debt to housing. We are the ones protecting Social Security and Medicare. Everything they’re proposing raises costs for most Americans — except their tax cuts which will go to the rich.

We are protecting the freedoms of Americans. Trump and the MAGA Republicans are taking them away. They have already for the first time in history taken away a fundamental freedom from the American people by overturning Roe v. Wade. They have decided politicians should make the most personal of decisions that should be made by women and their doctors and those closest to them. They have already said they won’t stop there — and are going after everything from contraception to IVF to the right to marry who you love. And they have made it clear they will ban abortion nationwide. We will let none of that happen. I have made it clear that if Kamala and I are reelected, and the nation elects a Democratic House and Senate, we will make Roe v. Wade the law of the land again. We are the ones who will bring real Supreme Court reform; Donald Trump and his majority want more of the same from the Court, and the chance to add to the right-wing majority they built by subverting the norms and principles of the nomination and confirmation process.

And we are standing up for American democracy. After January 6th, Trump has proven that he is unfit to ever hold the office of President. We can never allow him anywhere near that office again. And we never will.

My fellow Democrats — we have the record, the vision, and the fundamental commitment to America’s freedoms and our Democracy to win.

The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now. And it’s time for it to end. We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump. We have 42 days to the Democratic Convention and 119 days to the general election. Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us. It is time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump.

Sincerely,

Joseph R. Biden Jr.
President of the United States of America

Report: Obama Admin. ‘Manufactured’ Intelligence To Establish Russian Collusion Narrative

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Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Friday released a cache of newly declassified documents that she says contain “overwhelming evidence” showing how the Obama administration laid the foundation for the yearslong investigation into alleged collusion between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia—despite intelligence assessments that contradicted key claims.

The declassified material includes a Presidential Daily Brief (PDB) prepared on December 8, 2016, by the Department of Homeland Security in coordination with the CIA, FBI, NSA, State Department, and others. That report stated explicitly: “Russian and criminal actors did not impact recent US election results by conducting malicious cyber activities against election infrastructure.”

The PDB also confirmed that although Russian-linked hackers likely compromised a voter registration database in Illinois and attempted similar efforts in other states, those actions were deemed “highly unlikely” to have changed any state’s official vote results. The assessment emphasized that the real aim appeared to be psychological—undermining confidence in the electoral system—rather than directly influencing the outcome.

Earlier intelligence assessments leading up to the 2016 election echoed this view, consistently stating that Russia was “probably not trying to influence the election by using cyber means.”

Internal FBI communications show that the bureau raised concerns about the December 8 PDB, drafting a formal dissent and urging the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to delay publication. The brief, originally scheduled for release on December 9, was held back following “new guidance,” according to redacted internal ODNI emails.

A White House Situation Room meeting convened that same day—December 9, 2016—brought together senior national security officials to address the sensitive issue. A source familiar with the meeting confirmed that the unpublished version of the PDB clearly stated there was no Russian impact on the election outcome through cyberattacks.

Despite these internal conclusions, top Obama-era officials allegedly leaked conflicting information to the press, suggesting Russia had interfered in the election and possibly swayed the outcome—a narrative that helped ignite the Trump-Russia investigation.

The declassified documents also point to the now-discredited Steele Dossier as a key influence in shaping the subsequent Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA). Officials acknowledged that some of the information used in that assessment was “manufactured” or “deemed not credible” at the time it was circulated.

Further, sources told Fox News Digital that key agencies—such as the FBI and NSA—had expressed “low confidence” in attributing the Democratic National Committee (DNC) email leaks to the Russian government, even as the ICA concluded otherwise.

Gabbard characterized the entire episode as a “treasonous conspiracy,” accusing senior Obama-era officials of weaponizing intelligence and launching a coordinated campaign to delegitimize Donald Trump’s presidency

“This is not a partisan issue,” Gabbard told Fox News Digital. “The information we are releasing today clearly shows there was a treasonous conspiracy in 2016 committed by officials at the highest level of our government. Their goal was to subvert the will of the American people and enact what was essentially a years-long coup.”

She warned that the actions of these officials represent “an egregious abuse of power and blatant rejection of our Constitution,” which she believes undermines the integrity of the democratic system itself.

Gabbard and ODNI officials indicated that further investigation is ongoing and that more declassified materials may be released in the coming months.

Read:

Trump Pressures Zuckerberg to Address Account Freezeout

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Photo via Pixabay images

Former President Trump appears ready to rejoin social media.

According to NBC News, Trump’s campaign is formally petitioning Facebook parent company META to unblock his accounts.

Facebook and Twitter banned Trump a day after a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol as lawmakers certified Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.

Facebook ultimately decided to institute a limited ban on Trump that would come up for review after two years, starting Jan. 7 of this year.

“We believe that the ban on President Trump’s account on Facebook has dramatically distorted and inhibited the public discourse,” Trump’s campaign wrote in its letter to Meta on Tuesday, according to a copy reviewed by NBC News.

Trump’s campaign didn’t threaten a lawsuit, as some sources close to Trump thought he would. It instead talked about the importance of free speech and petitioned Meta for a “meeting to discuss President Trump’s prompt reinstatement to the platform.”

A Meta spokesperson declined to comment about Trump beyond saying the company “will announce a decision in the coming weeks in line with the process we laid out.”

According to a Trump adviser, who has spoken with him about Facebook and shared the gist of the private conversation with NBC News on condition of anonymity, explained that his campaign is cautiously optimistic Facebook will ultimately honor the two-year ban. However, the source noted the campaign is prepared to engage with House Republicans to advocate on Trump’s behalf and pressure Meta. The adviser said Congress is likely to examine Section 230 of the federal law affecting social media companies.

“If Facebook wants to have this fight, fine, but the House is leverage, and keeping Trump off Facebook just looks political,” the adviser said, noting that House Democrats like Adam Schiff of California told Facebook last month to keep Trump off the platform.

Tucker Carlson Quietly Preparing for ‘War’ Against Fox News

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Looking east towards 6th Avenue along north (48th Street) side of Fox News building on a snowy afternoon. [Photo Credit: Jim.henderson, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons]

Recently ousted primetime Fox News host Tucker Carlson is preparing to go to “war” against Fox News.

Carlson, who has largely stayed out of the spotlight since his unceremonious ouster, is reportedly partnering with allies as he prepares to fight the network over his contract.

According to Axios, Carlson is in the early stages of launching his own right-wing network to rival Fox News. However, Carlson is still bound to his contract which expires in January 2025, well past the next presidential election.

Carlson has reportedly told those close to him to settle the conflict with Fox News “quiet and clean,” Axios reported.

“Now, we’re going from peacetime to Defcon 1,” a source reportedly said. “His team is preparing for war. He wants his freedom.”

Carlson’s attorney, Bryan Freedman told Axios, “The idea that anyone is going to silence Tucker and prevent him from speaking to his audience is beyond preposterous.”

The ousted host “knows where a lot of bodies are buried, and is ready to start drawing a map,” said a Carlson source who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly.

The Daily Caller co-founder has reportedly been offered positions by Newsmax and Rumble, which both offered to pay him more than Fox News, the outlet reported. The former Fox News star is also reportedly in talks with Twitter owner Elon Musk about a potential partnership.

Two days after being booted, Carlson teased in a Twitter video posted at 8 p.m. ET, counter-programming his former show: “See you soon.” The two-minute video has racked up 24 million views.

Trump Secures Release Of American Citizen Held By Taliban

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

The Trump administration announced Sunday it had successfully secured the release of Amir Amiry, an American wrongfully held by the Taliban in Afghanistan — a move underscoring President Donald Trump’s ongoing push to bring home every U.S. citizen detained abroad.

Officials credited Qatar with helping facilitate the release alongside the State Department’s Bureau for Hostage Affairs and the National Security Council’s counterterrorism directorate.

“While this marks an important step forward, additional Americans remain unjustly detained in Afghanistan. President Trump will not rest until all our captive citizens are back home,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement.

Rubio, who also serves as National Security Advisor, said the release showed “a significant step by the administration in Kabul” to advance efforts to free other Americans unjustly held.

Amiry was reportedly detained by the Taliban in December 2024, though details surrounding his imprisonment remain limited.

The development highlights a rare but meaningful diplomatic opening between the United States and the Taliban, who took control of Afghanistan in August 2021 following the Biden administration’s chaotic U.S. troop withdrawal.

The Trump White House has not released specifics about what, if anything, the U.S. provided in exchange for Amiry’s freedom — but officials stressed the President’s priority is the safe return of all Americans.

According to CNN, at least three Americans remain detained in Afghanistan, including Paul Overby, believed to be deceased.

For families of those still missing, the breakthrough offers hope. Ahmad Habibi, brother of Mahmood Habibi — a U.S. citizen held by the Taliban for more than three years — told the Associated Press his family was “grateful” to see progress.

“We are grateful that senior officials at the State Department and National Security Council have repeatedly assured us that any deal they do with the Taliban will be ‘all or nothing’ and they have explicitly assured us that they will not leave my brother behind,” Ahmad Habibi said.

Mahmood Habibi, an Afghan-American business owner and Kabul-based contractor, disappeared in 2022. His family and the FBI believe the Taliban is holding him, though the group has denied it.

President Trump has prioritized returning Americans detained overseas and recently signed an executive order to increase pressure on regimes and groups who wrongfully detain U.S. citizens. The order expands the administration’s ability to label governments and actors as “state sponsors of wrongful detention,” triggering sanctions and other consequences.

The release of Amiry underscores the Trump administration’s focus on protecting American lives abroad and standing up to hostile regimes — with clear signals that the White House won’t stop until every detained U.S. citizen comes home.

Republican Party Halts Ad Spending For Embattled Trump-Backed Candidate

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The Republican Party has confirmed it is pulling financial support for Trump-backed North Carolina gubernatorial candidate, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.

Robinson’s campaign has been in steep decline since revelations surfaced that he allegedly left racist comments on a porn website’s message board. Following calls from North Carolina Republicans for him to step down and the resignation of several high-ranking staffers – including his campaign manager and deputy campaign manager – Robinson has now lost the financial backing of the Republican Governors Association (RGA).

RGA spokesperson Courtney Alexander told National Review (NR), “We don’t comment on internal strategy or investment decisions, but we can confirm what’s public – our current media buy in North Carolina expires tomorrow, and no further placements have been made.”

The RGA’s spending update follows a CNN report Thursday afternoon connecting Robinsons’s email to comments on a porn-site messaging board, where he allegedly called himself a “black Nazi” and made other unsavory sexual and race-related comments years before he was elected to statewide office. Robinson has denied the allegations, as NR first reported last Thursday.

The news comes as the Robinson campaign continues to bleed staff. On Sunday, Robinson’s campaign sent out a press release announcing that four employees resigned from his campaign: general consultant Conrad Pogorzelski III, campaign manager Christopher Rodriguez, finance director Heather Whillier, and deputy campaign manager Jason Rizk.

“I appreciate the efforts of these team members who have made the difficult choice to step away from the campaign, and I wish them well in their future endeavors,” Robinson said in a press release. “An announcement of new incoming staff members will be forthcoming from the campaign soon.”

Four additional staffers not listed in that press release have also resigned, according to Pogorzelski, Robinson’s former general consultant. “The reports are true that I, along with others from the campaign have left of our own accord,” he said in a text message to National Review that listed several other staff departures, including deputy finance director Caroline Winchester, political director John Kontoulas, political director Jackson Lohrer, and director of operations Patrick Riley.

Even though North Carolina was seen as one of the RGA’s top pickup opportunities this election cycle, public polling had shown that Robinson was trailing Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein.

A Cook Political Report and BSG survey released on Aug. 15 revealed that Stein held a seven-point lead over Robinson. When undecided voters were included, Stein’s lead increased by another point. This marked a significant shift from May when polling showed the race tied.

As of Friday, Trump had no plans to withdraw his endorsement of Robinson, but he did not mention him once at a rally in North Carolina over the weekend.

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