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Air Traffic Controllers May See Pay Raises As Trump Admin. Seeks To Boost Enrollment

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Image via Pixabay

The Trump administration is taking serious steps to boost recruitment numbers for air traffic controllers, including a 30% pay hike.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made the announcement during a press conference at the air traffic controller’s academy in Oklahoma on Thursday. He argued that the pay structure and the technology air traffic controllers are forced to use are outdated.

“Currently, students are paid $17.61 an hour. By the way, you might be able to go to Walgreens and make that, right? So we’re going to bump it up to $22.84 an hour,” Duffy said. 

“And again, I think making sure people have a wage that can allow them to live while they’re going through school. But the real incentive is, again, three years out of this academy, and you’re certified, on average, $160,000 a year. So you can be 24 years old, 23 years old, making a great salary, as an air traffic controller.”

Duffy noted that the pay increase plan will require Congress to approve “billions” in additional funding for the DOT.

Elon Musk also sent out a request for retired air traffic controllers to return to work.

The announcement comes after a string of air travel disasters in recent weeks, though few of them were blamed on air traffic control.

In late January, an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet collided over the Potomac River, killing all 67 people on board.

Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis to Toronto‘s Pearson International Airport experienced a severe incident upon landing last Monday. The aircraft overturned on the runway, resulting in injuries to eight individuals, one critically.

Most recently, a Southwest airliner narrowly avoided a collision with a Flexjet business jet on a runway in Chicago. The Southwest plane was coming in for landing as the Flexjet, allegedly ignoring instructions from air traffic control, crossed the landing strip.

Pilots in the Southwest plane were able to take off again quickly enough to avoid a collision.

Federal Judge Dismisses Indictments Against James Comey and Letitia James

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A federal judge on Monday threw out the criminal indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, ruling that the prosecutor who brought the charges had been improperly appointed.

U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie dismissed the false-statements case against Comey and the bank-fraud case against James without prejudice, meaning federal prosecutors could seek new indictments in the future.

In a sharply worded opinion, Currie wrote: “I conclude that the Attorney General’s attempt to install Ms. Halligan as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was invalid and that Ms. Halligan has been unlawfully serving in that role since September 22, 2025.”

Judge Rules Prosecutor Was Not Legally Installed

The ruling centers on Lindsey Halligan, whom Attorney General Pam Bondi tapped as interim U.S. attorney in one of the Justice Department’s most influential districts. The appointment raised immediate questions because Halligan had no prosecutorial experience and assumed the position just days after the removal of the prior interim U.S. attorney, Erik Siebert.

Halligan personally presented both cases to the grand jury and was the sole lawyer to sign the resulting indictments—an unusual move given the high-profile nature of the cases and the absence of career prosecutors from the Eastern District of Virginia.

Defense attorneys for Comey and James argued that Halligan had no lawful authority to act. Abbe Lowell, representing Letitia James, said Halligan was effectively a “private person” when she entered the grand jury rooms and “completely unauthorized to be in them.”

DOJ Attempted to Ratify the Indictments

The Justice Department has defended Halligan’s installation, and Bondi attempted to ratify the indictments retroactively, an action Currie noted would not have been necessary had the appointment been legally valid.

During a recent hearing, DOJ attorney Henry Whitaker characterized the controversy as “at best a paperwork error.” Currie was not persuaded, signaling skepticism about Halligan’s standing even before issuing Monday’s order.

Currie, a Clinton-era appointee now based in South Carolina, was assigned to the case after Virginia’s federal judges recused themselves due to the unusual procedural issues raised by Halligan’s appointment. The challenges brought by Comey and James were consolidated because they involved identical questions of authority.

High-Profile Cases Scrapped, For Now

The dismissals mark a significant development in two of the most closely watched prosecutions targeting officials long viewed unfavorably by conservatives for their roles in investigations and legal actions against former President Donald Trump. Comey has been a lightning rod for criticism over the FBI’s handling of the 2016 Trump-Russia investigation, while Letitia James led New York’s aggressive civil case against Trump and his business empire.

The DOJ could appeal Currie’s ruling or choose to bring the charges again—this time through a properly appointed U.S. attorney.

Report: The House Investigated Another Sex Tape Purportedly Made On Capitol Grounds

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Ted Eytan from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Unbelievable…

On the heels of a Senate staffer being fired for allegedly filming a graphic sex tape in a Senate hearing room, Semafor reports that another investigation of another sex tape took place in the House of Representatives last year.

According to reports, an investigation into an alleged sex tape filmed by a staffer for Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) was confirmed by a spokesperson to have taken place in 2022. The purported act apparently took place in Newhouse’s office, but in the end, there was “no conclusive evidence.

Mediaite has more:

However, Goba did find out that a sex tape that made the rounds on Snapchat last year by a user named “Adam J” with the handle “Anjackson2019” appeared to have been filmed on Capitol grounds:

One of the videos, watched by Semafor, featured a man masturbating inside a House office building, which was identifiable by standard Capitol House furniture and carpeting. The desk at which the videographer performed also held a branded congressional mouse pad. A screenshot of a second video obtained by Semafor shows two men engaged in a sex act in an office setting. The participants’ faces are not visible in any of the material viewed by Semafor.

After the videos surfaced, Newhouse’s office was told that a suspected participant was a member of their staff.

Report: Appeals Court Agrees To End Trump’s Classified Documents Case

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On Tuesday, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals granted a request from special counsel Jack Smith to drop President-elect Trump’s Florida documents case

The order fulfills a request from Smith to end an appeal in the case as it relates to Trump though the case continues for his two co-defendants – valet Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos de Oliveira.

The move comes after Smith similarly moved to dismiss without prejudice Trump’s election interference case, in both cases noting Trump’s coming inauguration and a DOJ policy that bars the prosecution of sitting presidents.

In the classified documents case, Smith was fighting a ruling from Judge Aileen Cannon that tossed the case, determining that the special counsel was unlawfully appointed. 

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

New York Attorney General Sues Trump

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

New York attorney general Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against former president Trump and three of his children, alleging business fraud.

The move by James’ office comes on the heels of a years-long civil investigation into the Trump family’s real estate business, the Trump Organization. The investigation has centered on whether the former president’s company misled investors and tax authorities by inflating property values to get investments and subsequently deflating them to get tax and loan benefits.

The lawsuit also targets Trump’s three adult children: Eric, Ivanka, and Donald Jr. who have all held senior executives at the Trump Organization.

The New York AG’s lawsuit comes after she rejected an offer from the former president’s legal team to settle the civil investigation into his business.

If the case goes to trial and Trump loses, a judge could potentially impose financial penalties and restrict the former president’s business operations in New York — all potentially in the midst of a 2024 presidential campaign that he is expected to join.

It is possible that James, as part of her lawsuit, could seek to curtail Trump’s Manhattan real estate portfolio, though she has given mixed signals publicly about what sort of punishment she will seek to impose.

Trump has long dismissed the investigation as a “phony years-long crusade” against him and criticized James for the inquiry.

“Today’s filing is neither focused on the facts nor the law — rather, it is solely focused on advancing the Attorney General’s political agenda,” Alina Habba, a Trump attorney who has represented the former president in New York-based and Trump Organization litigation. “It is abundantly clear that the Attorney General’s Office has exceeded its statutory authority by prying into transactions where absolutely no wrongdoing has taken place. We are confident that our judicial system will not stand for this unchecked abuse of authority, and we look forward to defending our client against each and every one of the Attorney General’s meritless claims.”

This story is developing. Stay with Great America’s News Desk for the latest updates.

Judge Rules Trump Hush Money Case Will Head To Trial

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Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

Bad news for Donald Trump…

On Thursday, a judge rejected Trump’s attempt to have his hush-money case tossed. Instead, the case is scheduled to begin next month.

Judge Juan Merchan said “at this point” he will move ahead with jury selection beginning on March 25 as scheduled, a timeline that would enable a jury to return a verdict well in advance of July’s Republican National Convention and November’s general election.

Trump’s lawyers then began insisting the trial be delayed, noting Trump’s other cases, quickly turning the hearing into a fiery back-and-forth.

“We have been faced with extremely compressed and expedited schedules in each and every one of those trials,” said Trump attorney Todd Blanche.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) charged Trump in the case with 34 counts of falsifying business records last spring over reimbursements Trump made to his then-fixer, Michael Cohen.

Cohen had paid porn actress Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an affair she alleged to have had with Trump. The indictment accuses Trump of improperly deeming the reimbursements a legal retainer to conceal damaging information from the public ahead of the 2016 presidential election. 

Trump, who denies the affair, pleaded not guilty.

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

Trump Offers Explanation In First Comments Since Democrats’ Election Success

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

President Donald Trump offered an explanation on Wednesday morning after Democrat candidates swept the 2025 elections.

In his first remarks since the elections, President Donald Trump said that the ongoing government shutdown was partly to blame for Republican losses on Election Day.

Trump told reporters during a breakfast with GOP lawmakers at the White House that election night on Tuesday “was not expected to be a victory,” and provided the 36-day government shutdown as one of two possible reasons.

“I think, if you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor,” Trump said. “Negative for the Republicans, and that was a big factor.”

Trump added: “And they say that I wasn’t on the ballot and was the biggest factor. But I don’t know about that. But I was honored that they said that.”

His remarks come after Democrats won resoundingly in multiple states on Tuesday, with exit polls showing economic worries were very much on the minds of voters.

“I don’t think it was good for Republicans,” Trump said of the election results. “I don’t think it’s good. I’m not sure it was good for anybody.”

Some major losses for Republicans included the New York City mayoral race, and contests for governor in New Jersey and Virginia. Democrats also secured another expected win in California, where voters approved a new congressional map that is designed to help their party win five more U.S. House seats in next year’s midterm elections.

On the morning following the defeats, Trump called on lawmakers to bring the 36-day government shutdown, now the longest on record, to an end. 

“We must get the government open,” Trump said, going on to push Republican senators to end the filibuster.

“It’s time for Republicans to do what they have to do,” he said. “Terminate the filibuster.”

Big Tech Accused Of Election Manipulation After Omitting Trump Shooting

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Google users searching for the attempted assassination of former President Trump are having difficulty accessing information…

Instead, the website autocomplete feature omitted the results of the July 13 shooting, prompting accusations the Big Tech giant is trying to influence the presidential election. 

Screenshots from Google instead showed recommended search results of the failed assassination of Ronald Reagan and the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, the shooting of Bob Marley and the failed attempt on former President Ford. 

Even the keywords “Trump assassination attempt” yielded no additional terms from Google, according to users. 

“Big Tech is trying to interfere in the election AGAIN to help Kamala Harris,” Donald Trump Jr. wrote on X. “We all know this is intentional election interference from Google. Truly despicable.”

A Google spokesperson told FOX Business that there was no “manual action taken on these predictions.”

“Our systems have protections against Autocomplete predictions associated with political violence, which were working as intended prior to this horrific event occurring,” the spokesperson wrote. “We’re working on improvements to ensure our systems are more up to date.”

The company spokesperson said the autocomplete feature is “just a tool to help people save time” and they can still search for anything they want. 

“Following this terrible act, people turned to Google to find high quality information – we connected them with helpful results, and will continue to do so,” the company said. 

X owner Elon Musk chimed in on the surprising results.

“They’re getting themselves into a lot of trouble if they interfere with the election,” he wrote in a follow-up post.

Trump Reacts To Surprise Biden Pardon

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

President Biden’s sudden decision to pardon his troubled son Hunter has sent shockwaves across the nation.

Following the shocking news on Sunday, President-elect Donald Trump reacted to Biden’s surprising decision.

“Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years?” Trump wrote. “Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!”

The Trump transition team also reacted to the shocking news.

“The failed witch hunts against President Trump have proven that the Democrat-controlled DOJ and other radical prosecutors are guilty of weaponizing the justice system,” Trump’s incoming White House communications chief Steven Cheung said in a statement to Fox News.

“That system of justice must be fixed and due process must be restored for all Americans, which is exactly what President Trump will do as he returns to the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the American people.”

On Sunday, Biden accused Republicans of unfair treatment and claimed Hunter was “treated differently” by prosecutors in a lengthy statement announcing the pardon. Hunter Biden was convicted of three felony firearm offenses in a Delaware trial earlier this year, and then pleaded guilty to multiple felony tax offenses in September. 

“From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” the president’s statement read.

Biden had previously denied any intent to pardon his son after Hunter was convicted earlier this year.

“I am not going to do anything,” Biden said after the conviction. “I will abide by the jury’s decision.”

Trump previously told Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin that, if elected, he “wouldn’t do anything that would be overt” regarding Hunter Biden’s cases, calling the first son’s legal woes “a sad situation.”

While Trump supporters’ negative reaction to the news was to be expected a number of Biden supporters have also attacked the decision and noted that the President likely traded his own legacy to protect his family’s reputation.

MSNBC contributor Charlie Sykes quoted a “smart person” that texted him, agreeing that Trump probably can’t “believe his own dumb fucking luck at this point.”

The Atlantic’s deputy executive editor Yoni Applebaum quoted an article by his publication’s newest addition, Jonathan Chait, who said Biden “chose to prioritize his own feelings over the defense of his country.”

Rudy Giuliani Seriously Injured In Car Crash

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Photo via Pixabay images

Over the weekend, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani was rushed to the hospital for injuries sustained in a car crash.

Giuliani, who previously served as President Trump’s personal attorney, was transported to a nearby trauma center, according to the statement, “where he was diagnosed with a fractured thoracic vertebrae, multiple lacerations and contusions, as well as injuries to his left arm and lower leg.”

Ragusa said Giuliani’s business partner Maria Ryan, a nurse practitioner, was contacted and arrived at the hospital shortly after the crash.

In a statement provided to The Hill, the New Hampshire State Police confirmed they were “investigating a crash that left three people injured, including a passenger identified as former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.”

“Just before 10 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, Troopers assigned to the Troop B barracks were investigating a reported domestic violence incident on Interstate 93 southbound in Manchester when a two-vehicle crash occurred across from them on the northbound side of the interstate. As a result of the collision, both vehicles went into the median and were heavily damaged,” the state police said.

“Troopers and fire personnel, who were at the scene of the first incident, witnessed the collision and quickly crossed the interstate to render aid,” they added, saying Giuliani was a passenger in the struck vehicle.

Shortly before the car crash, according to Ragusa’s statement, Giuliani was “flagged down by a woman who was the victim of a domestic violence incident.”

“Mayor Giuliani immediately rendered assistance and contacted 911. He remained on scene until responding officers arrived to ensure her safety,” the statement said. 

Ragusa told the New York Post that the car crash “occurred after he re-entered his vehicle, which was then hit from behind at high speed.”

“The mayor is in great spirits. He’s a beast. He survived 9/11,” he said.

“He’s getting further tests and stabilization of his injuries,” Ryan told the Post.

Shortly after releasing the official statement, Ragusa followed up on social media to attempt to nix conspiracy theories.

He said Giuliani was in a rental car, adding, “No one knew it was him.” 

“This was not a targeted attack. We ask everyone to respect Mayor Giuliani’s privacy and recovery, and refrain from spreading unfounded conspiracy theories,” Ragusa said in a subsequent post. 

Once celebrated as “America’s Mayor” for his leadership after 9/11, Rudy Giuliani later became a prominent figure in President Trump’s challenges to the 2020 election. He pushed to investigate irregularities and raised concerns about election integrity—efforts that resonated with many conservatives who believed serious questions remained unanswered, even as courts and officials dismissed those claims.

Since then, Giuliani has faced major legal and professional setbacks. A jury in Georgia handed down a massive $148 million judgment in favor of two election workers who accused him of defamation, a decision many on the right view as excessive and politically motivated. He was also permanently barred from practicing law in Washington, D.C., a move that critics argue reflects the increasingly partisan use of professional licensing against high-profile conservatives.