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Mitch McConnell Will Not Seek Senate Re-election

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A stunning development…

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Thursday will announce that he is not seeking reelection in 2026, bringing an end to the longest-serving Senate leader’s political career.

“Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate,” McConnell will say, according to prepared remarks.

“Every day in between I’ve been humbled by the trust they’ve placed in me to do their business here. Representing our commonwealth has been the honor of a lifetime. I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last.”

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

Judge Criticizes DOJ and FBI as He Rejects Argument to Keep Affidavit Under Wraps

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Marine One lifts-off after returning President Donald J. Trump to Mar-a-Lago Friday, March 29, 2019, following his visit to the 143-mile Herbert Hoover Dike near Canal Point, Fla., that surrounds Lake Okeechobee. The visit was part of an infrastructure inspection of the dike, which is part of the Kissimmee-Okeechobee Everglades system, and reduces impacts of flooding for areas of south Florida. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian) [Photo Credit: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

A federal judge criticized the FBI and DOJ as he rejected a DOJ argument to keep the affidavit for the search warrant at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago under wraps.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart said the DOJ did not meet the government’s required burden of proof to keep the document sealed, The Daily Caller reports.

Reinhart wrote in his ruling that the government had a to show if it has a compelling governmental interest and the denial of access is “narrowly tailored to serve that interest.” 

The DOJ argued that the unsealing “would jeopardize the integrity of its ongoing criminal investigation,” and that there were privacy concerns with unsealing it.

In response, unsealing the document would “unsealing the Affidavit would promote public understanding of historically significant events. This factor weighs in favor of disclosure.”

However, Reinhart has the government did show a compelling interest in not unsealing the whole affidavit but that there was an alternative between unsealing the whole thing or not unsealing anything.

Reinhart has given the agency until August 25th to propose the redactions of the document they would like.

[READ NEXT: Trump Makes Fun of Failed CNN Host and Liz Cheney]

Trump’s Ex-Wife Nominates Herself For VP

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A shocking turn of events…

Former President Donald Trump’s ex-wife, Marla Maples, recently said she was open to being his running mate during an interview

“I’m open. I’m open to whatever way that I can serve,” Maples said in an interview with the U.K. publication, The Evening Standard, released Monday.

“Right now everyone [in the Trump family] is just seeing how we can help,” she said when asked about potentially being the 45th president’s VP pick.

Maples, who has largely stayed out of politics during Trump’s first term, says she’s not longer afraid of the consequences and is ready to “step out more.”

“I’ve never been a fan of politics. I see how it can separate and divide us,” Maples told The Evening Standard.

“At the same time, I found myself in the throes of it,” the “Dancing With the Stars” alum said.

Maples and Trump were married from 1993 to 1999 and are parents to daughter Tiffany Trump. 

But now, Maples said, “I’m ready. I am available if needed and I’m not sitting back anymore.”

 “I want to step out more, share more and not be afraid of positive or negative outcomes that come from speaking out,” she said. 

Despite Maples’ throwing her hat into the ring, Trump is more likely to choose a running mate with more firsthand political experience.

According to a report from The New York Post, Donald Trump is now seriously considering two candidates to become his running mate: Ohio Senator J.D. Vance and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. Florida Senator Marco Rubio is also reportedly being considered.

One source close to Trump gave a slight edge to Burgum being the 45th president’s running mate, saying the North Dakotan had a 50-50 chance of being selected and Vance had a 30% chance, with Rubio and the field each having a 10% percent chance.

A different source close to the Trump campaign said the choice was “gonna be JD, Marco or Burgum” and that they didn’t “see a scenario where one of those three doesn’t end up getting it.”

“I would give Burgum and JD a little more of an edge than Marco,” the source added, handicapping that “Marco still has a shot” and that “Burgum and JD have an equal shot.”

“JD because that’s who Don Jr. and Trump’s inner orbit seem to be pushing for,” this person said. “Donors [are] pushing Burgum for stability.”

It’s unclear exactly when Trump will officially announce his choice for vice president but speculation is building around his upcoming rally in Pennsylvania and the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

Trump Attorney Addresses Jan. 6 Plea Deal Speculation

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Former President Trump’s attorney John Lauro says there is no chance he will accept a plea deal in connection with the federal Jan. 6 case.

After being charged with four federal counts related to Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election last week Trump’s attorney joined CBS News’ “Face The Nation” to discuss the case. Lauro told host Major Garrett there was no condition where Trump would accept a plea deal.

When asked if he planned to file a motion to dismiss the case, Lauro said he “absolutely” plans to, but did not reveal exact details.

“Hundred percent. Well, within the time permitted,” Lauro said. “This is what’s called a Swiss cheese indictment. It has so many holes that we’re going to be identifying and litigating a number of motions that we’re going to file on First Amendment grounds, on the fact that President Trump is immune as president from being prosecuted in this way.”

Lauro also said that cases similar to this case brought against Trump do not go to trial “before two or three years.” He also emphasized how he will be pushing to change the venue, saying West Virginia would be an “excellent venue to try this case

“Well, the problem with bringing a case like this in the middle of a campaign season is statements are going to be made in the context of a campaign,” he said. “We expect a fair and just trial in the District of Columbia. And — and my role — my role is simply to ensure that President Trump’s rights, just like every American’s rights, are protected every step of the way, and I’m going to do that.”

Trump Donation Page Crashes After Verdict

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Former President of the United States Donald Trump speaking with attendees at the 2022 Student Action Summit at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida. [Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons]

Trump has made history again…

Immediately after the Manhattan jury in the Trump criminal hush money case found the former President guilty of 24 counts a wave of donations overwhelmed the Trump campaign website.

“The American people see through Crooked Joe Biden’s rigged show trial,” Trump’s campaign posted on the social platform X. “So many Americans were moved to donate to President Trump’s campaign that the WinRed pages went down. We are working on getting the website back online as quickly as possible.”

Trump’s campaign website redirected visitors to WinRed, the official GOP fundraising site. But the page to donate to the former president said it was under maintenance. The campaign briefly redirected to a different donation processor amid the technical difficulties.

Trump campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita urged supporters to “log back on and try again” if they received an error message.

On Friday, the Trump campaign announced a new fundraising record totaling $34.8 million.

“From just minutes after the sham trial verdict was announced, our digital fundraising system was overwhelmed with support, and despite temporary delays online because of the amount of traffic, President Trump raised $34.8 million dollars from small dollar donors. Not only was the amount historic, but 29.7% of yesterday’s donor’s were brand new donors to the WinRed platform. President Trump and our campaign are immensely grateful from this outpouring of support from patriots across our country. President Trump is fighting to save our nation and November 5th is the day Americans will deliver the real verdict.” – Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, Trump Campaign Senior Advisors

Trump is expected to appeal the verdict.

Despite Trump becoming the first President to be convicted of a felony the verdict is not expected to dissuade voters.

The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist national poll showed 67% of registered voters nationally wouldn’t be swayed by a guilty verdict against Trump, while 15% said it would make them more likely to vote for him. Another 17% said a guilty verdict would make them less likely to vote for Trump.

According to the Washington Examiner, among Republicans surveyed in the poll, 25% said a guilty verdict would make them more likely to vote for the former president, while 10% said it would make them less likely to vote for him. Only 7% of Democrats said a guilty verdict would make them more likely to vote for Trump, and 27% said it would make them less likely to vote for Trump.

Among coveted independent voters, 15% said a guilty verdict would make them more likely to vote for Trump, and 11% said it would make them less likely.

In contrast, 76% of all voters said a not-guilty verdict wouldn’t affect their votes.

Arizona Republican Reveals New Plan to Become House Speaker

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

House Freedom Caucus chairman Rep. Andy Biggs (Ariz.) announced on Tuesday that he plans to challenge Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for the Speakership on the House floor in January.

“We cannot let this all too rare opportunity to effectuate structural change pass us by because it is uncomfortable to challenge the Republican candidate who is a creature of the establishment status quo, or because the challenge is accompanied by some minimal risk,” Biggs wrote in an op-ed for The Daily Caller. 

The Arizona Congressman previously mounted a challenge to McCarthy last month but Biggs was defeated by a margin of 188 to 31.

This story is breaking. Stay with Great America News Desk for the latest updates.

Trump Floats Holding Republican National Convention Before Midterm Elections

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Former President of the United States Donald Trump speaking with attendees at the 2022 Student Action Summit at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida. [Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons]

This could be big…

On Thursday, President Trump floated the possibility of holding a Republican National Convention ahead of the midterm elections.

While Trump did not offer any details about where the convention would take place or what would happen there, he touted various statistics that have been beneficial for the Republican Party this year.

The GOP is fighting to maintain control of both the House and Senate in 2026.

“The Republican Party is doing really well. Millions of people have joined us in our quest to MAKE AMERICA, GREAT AGAIN. We won every aspect of the Presidential Election and, based on the great success we are having, are poised to WIN BIG IN THE MIDTERMS,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“We have raised far more money than the Democrats, and are having a great time fixing all of the Country Destroying mistakes made by the Biden Administration, and watching the USA heal and prosper. The results are incredible, a record pace!!! In that light, I am thinking of recommending a National Convention to the Republican Party, just prior to the Midterms. It has never been done before. STAY TUNED!” he added.

Historically, midterms have been tough elections for the party controlling the White House, typically losing roughly 25 seats in the House. Trump and the Republicans lost 41 House seats in the 2018 midterms.

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

Report: Rubio Says State Had Dossier Accusing Trump Cabinet Member Of Disinformation

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(Miami - Flórida, 09/03/2020) Presidente da República Jair Bolsonaro durante encontro com o Senador Marco Rubio..Foto: Alan Santos/PR

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department under President Biden had labeled one of President Trump’s now-cabinet officials as a purveyor of disinformation and had collected a dossier on their social media posts. 

Rubio did not identify the individual, revealing the information during a round-table meeting of Trump’s cabinet officials, but said it was someone at the table. He said he would hand over the information to the person and allow them the decide whether to make it public.

An unidentified person in the room shouted out, “Was it me or Elon?” referring to Elon Musk, owner of the X social media site, who has used his platform to amplify conspiracy theories and promote falsehoods on political, social and foreign policy issues. 

“We had an office in the Department of State whose job it was to censor Americans,” Rubio said, referring to previous administrations.

“And by the way, I’m not gonna say who it is, I’ll leave it up to them. There’s at least one person at this table today who had a dossier in that building of social media posts to identify them as purveyors of disinformation,” he added.

“We have these dossiers. We are going to be turning those over to these individuals.”

Rubio appeared to be referring to the now-shuttered Global Engagement Center, initially a bipartisan effort to track foreign disinformation online campaigns abroad, but that Republicans accused of policing Americans’ social media activity.

Report: Trump Administration Secures Release Of US Veteran Held In Venezuela

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President Donald J. Trump is presented with a 10th Combat Aviation Brigade challenge coin following an air assault and gun rain demonstration at Fort Drum, New York, on August 13. The demonstration was part of President Trump's visit to the 10th Mountain Division (LI) to sign the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019, which increases the Army's authorized active-duty end strength by 4,000 enabling us to field critical capabilities in support of the National Defense Strategy. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Thomas Scaggs) 180813-A-TZ475-010

An American patriot is coming home…

The family of a U.S. Air Force veteran who was wrongfully detained in Venezuela since November 2024, on Tuesday, said he was released.

St. Clair served four tours in Afghanistan. He was honorably discharged in 2019, however struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression while trying to reenter civilian life. He sought treatment in South America, and was arrested by Venezuelan authorities on the border of Venezuela and Columbia in October.

“This news came suddenly, and we are still processing it—but we are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude,” said Scott and Patti St. Clair, Joseph’s parents.

The details surrounding St. Clair’s release were not disclosed.

The family also thanked President Donald Trump, as well as his administration, for securing St. Clair’s release. Trump, Ambassador Ric Grenell, Adam Boehler and Sebastian Gorka, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, had worked to secure Joseph’s release.

“We remain in prayer and solidarity with the families of those who are still being held,” the St. Clairs added per Fox News. “We will never stop loving and supporting them as they continue their fight to be reunited with their loved ones.”

“Joe St. Clair is back in America,” Grenell posted to social media along with photos of himself and the Air Force veteran. “I met Venezuelan officials in a neutral country today to negotiate an America First strategy. This is only possible because @realDonaldTrump puts Americans first.”

In February, St. Clair’s father got a call from the Colombian consulate telling him neighboring Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro’s regime had his son hostage.

St. Clair is the seventh American to be released from Venezuela since January. Six others were released from the South American nation on Jan.31, 2025, after Grenell met with Maduro.

Nine other Americans remain in Venezuelan custody. St. Clair and eight of the remaining prisoners were declared wrongfully detained by the U.S. State Department on March 3. The ninth is expected to be designated wrongfully detained soon, WSJ reports.

Musk Trolls Trump Over Epstein Case As Feud Escalates

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UK Government, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Détente is over…

Elon Musk reignited his very public, and very messy, feud with President Donald Trump, announcing plans to launch a third major political party just hours after Trump signed the $3.3 trillion One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law.

But Musk didn’t stop there.

By early Monday, the billionaire tech mogul was back to openly mocking the president following new reporting on the Department of Justice’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s death.

On X, the platform he owns, Musk posted a meme titled “The Official Jeffrey Epstein Pedophile Arrest Counter.” The image read “0,” with Musk captioning it:

“What’s the time? Oh look, it’s no-one-has-been-arrested-o’clock again …”

The DOJ and FBI concluded their joint probe into the disgraced financier’s 2019 death, reaffirming the official narrative that the child sex offender died by suicide and that there’s no evidence of a blackmail scheme or a so-called “client list.” The two-page memo, first reported by Axios late Sunday, noted that no further arrests are expected.

According to the memo, surveillance footage revealed no unauthorized access to Epstein’s cell, aligning with the medical examiner’s determination of suicide. The administration is also releasing footage showing no movement in Epstein’s section of the jail the night of his death.

But millions remain skeptical.

Dr. Michael Baden — a former New York City chief medical examiner hired by Epstein’s brother — disputes the ruling. Baden said several fractures in Epstein’s neck, including to the hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage, were “extremely unusual” in suicide cases and more consistent with homicide. He also said he had never seen injuries like Epstein’s in his 50 years of investigating prison deaths.

Despite that, the DOJ insists the matter is closed.

Musk himself added to the speculation last month, claiming in a now-deleted tweet that Trump was implicated in the Epstein files.

“[Trump] is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,” Musk wrote.

He followed with: “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”

Trump has vigorously denied any involvement with Epstein’s nefarious activities, insisting, “I was never on Epstein’s Plane, or at his ‘stupid’ Island.”

Responding to Musk’s Epstein files claim, the president reposted a statement from Epstein’s former lawyer David Schoen, who insisted Epstein had “no information to hurt President Trump.”

While Trump’s name does appear in Epstein’s flight logs, no documented evidence of impropriety has emerged. Trump has acknowledged a past friendship with Epstein, which he says ended in the mid-2000s.

Unlike last month’s spat, Trump hit back immediately at his former ally.

In a post Sunday, the president called Musk’s behavior “off the rails,” accusing him of becoming a “TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks.” He slammed third parties as agents of “Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS” and said the U.S. system isn’t built to accommodate them.

“We have enough of that with the Radical Left Democrats, who have lost their confidence and their minds!” Trump wrote.

Trump turned up the heat over the weekend, threatening to revoke Musk’s government contracts — a bold strike at the heart of his rival’s wallet.

So far, Ghislaine Maxwell remains the only person convicted in connection with Epstein’s sex trafficking operation. She is currently serving a 20-year sentence.