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Report: Chris Licht Out At CNN

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CNN Headquarters via Wikimedia Commons

Embattled CNN boss Chris Licht is leaving his post following an exposé published by The Atlantic that revealed widespread dissent within the ranks.

The New York Times reports:

Mr. Licht’s 13-month run at CNN was marked by one controversy after another, culminating in his exit earlier this week. He got off to a bumpy start even before he had officially started when he oversaw the shuttering of the pricey CNN+ streaming service at the request of its network’s new owners, who were skeptical about a stand-alone digital product. The cuts resulted in scores of layoffs.

Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company, did not respond to a request for comment.

Mr. Licht’s departure represents a dramatic fall not long after he departed as an executive producer of Stephen Colbert’s top-rated late night show and vowed to bring a middle-of-the-road balance to CNN’s journalism. When Mr. Licht took the job, he told friends it was a “calling.”

Puck earlier reported that Mr. Licht was leaving CNN.

Licht hoped to appease CNN’s right-wing critics through the town hall. However, both sides remained dissatisfied with the outcome. Trump’s strongest supporters were upset with host Kaitlan Collins for fact-checking his false claims of election fraud in battleground states. Meanwhile, the network staff and on-air talent were disappointed that the former president received a major platform.

The decision by Licht comes less than a month after the network’s town hall with former President Donald Trump.

Earlier this week, CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy spoke out against Licht’s inability to keep the faith of the employees of the network after an avalanche of bad press.

“There are a wide range of emotions coursing through the halls of CNN. Some staffers are frustrated. Others are angry. Many are sad about the awful state of affairs that has taken hold of an organization they love,” Darcy wrote in his Reliable Sources media newsletter late Monday. “There is one near-universal sentiment, however, that has been communicated to me: Licht has lost the room.”

Puck News’ Dylan Byers reports “Warner Bros. Discovery will announce that Licht will be stepping down as chairman and CEO of CNN” within the next 48 hours.

Byers first reported that Licht had been tapped to lead the cable news network 16 months ago.

Trump Appoints Acting FAA Commissioner

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On Thursday, President Donald Trump appointed Christopher Rocheleau as acting commissioner of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after a passenger plane and an Army helicopter collided midair near Washington, DC Wednesday evening.

“I’m also immediately appointing an acting commissioner to the FAA, Christopher Rocheleau. A 22-year veteran of the agency, highly respected. Christopher, thank you very much, appreciate it,” Trump told reporters in the White House briefing room.

Rocheleau, who is serving as deputy administrator, was in the room for the announcement. Trump had just thanked Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who was just sworn into his post Tuesday, for his work after the crash so far.

“We only have the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system,” the president said.

Trump went on to blame the Biden administration for aviation issues, citing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and blaming former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

“Do you know how badly everything’s run since he’s run the department of Transportation?” Trump said.

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

Trump Admin. Frees American Hostage From Taliban

Gage Skidmore Flickr

Another U.S. citizen is coming home…

On Thursday, the Taliban released American hostage George Glezmann after holding him for more than two years in Afghanistan after negotiations between the Trump administration and Qatari officials, a diplomatic source with knowledge of the release told Fox News Digital.

Glezmann departed the Kabul airport Wednesday evening local time on his way to Doha where he will then be met by U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler along with a team from the Qatari Foreign Ministry.

The release of the 65-year-old American, abducted while visiting Kabul as a tourist on Dec. 5, 2022, comes after Boehler met with officials from the Afghan foreign ministry in direct talks alongside Qatari officials.

The diplomatic source confirmed that Glezmann’s release was done as a “goodwill gesture” by the Taliban as an indication of “trust” in Qatar’s continued role as intermediary between Washington and Kabul. 

The exchange differs from the release of two other Americans freed earlier this year, including Ryan Corbett and William Mckenty, who were released in exchange for a Taliban member in U.S. custody in a final-hour deal struck by the Biden administration. (RELATED: Report: Officials In Talks Over Potential US-Russia Prisoner Swap)

Last month, the Trump administration also secured the release of multiple Americans being held prisoner in Russia, including Pennsylvania teacher Marc Fogel. (RELATED: Trump Secures Release Of Second American While Revealing Details Of Russian Prisoner Swap)

Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania, was serving a 14-year prison sentence after his arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport for being in possession of drugs, which his family and supporters said were medically prescribed marijuana. 

Anne Fogel, his sister, told “Fox & Friends” that she is “so happy to have this massive boulder” lifted off her shoulders with her brother’s release. 

“I am so incredibly grateful to the president,” she added. “Just amazing.” 

Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News

Rep. Greene Files Impeachment Resolution Against Joe Biden

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) is cleaning house.

The pro-Trump lawmaker is reportedly planning to introduce articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden on Thursday. According to The Hill, Rep. Greene alleges the President has violated his oath of office by not securing the country’s borders and protecting national security. 

Greene said at a press conference this will be the “first set” of articles she introduces against Biden.

“It is with the highest amount of solemnity that I announce my intention to introduce articles of impeachment today on the head of this America-last executive branch, that has been working since Jan. 20, 2021, to systematically destroy this country, the president of the United States, Joseph Robinette Biden,” Greene said.

The move by Greene comes after the Republican filed impeachment resolutions earlier this week against FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland.

“In his conduct as Attorney General of the United States, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of the Attorney General of the United States, and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend, the Constitution of the United States, Merrick Brian Garland continues to materially endanger the justice system of the United States and empower President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., to persecute his political adversaries at will,” the articles read.

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

Trump Says FBI Was After Documents That Would Exonerate Him: REPORT

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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]

A new report from The Daily Caller indicates that former President Trump believes the FBI was after documents that would exonerate him.

The report says that the FBI was seeking documents that Trump believes would exonerate him from Russian collusion claims.

We reported yesterday that the unit that conducted the raid was the same one involved in investigating the Trump-Russia hoax. [READ MORE: FBI Unit Investigating Trump has a Bias Problem]

Along with the Russia evidence Trump also believes that the FBI was looking for election-related evidence.

The FBI also collected passports from Trump which Trump claimed were stolen.

The passports were outside the scope of the warrant and the DOJ admitted that the FBI overstepped the authority granted to them in the search warrant.

The passports are reportedly being returned.

[READ NEXT: DOJ Admits FBI Violated Trump’s Rights]

Ex-IRS Contractor Who Leaked Trump Taxes Sentenced To Prison

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On Monday, the former contractor for the Internal Revenue System (IRS) responsible for leaking former President Donald Trump’s tax returns finally received his sentence.

Judge Ana Reyes sentenced Charles Littlejohn to five years in prison.

“The press tells us Democracy dies in darkness. It also dies in lawlessness,” the judge said. “There are numerous lawful means to bring things to light. Trump was under no obligation to expose his returns. People could vote for someone else. They could run against him.”

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

No Labels Ends 2024 Unity Ticket Plan

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Missvain, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Despite voting to proceed with its bid to shake up the 2024 presidential election, the centrist group No Labels announced Thursday that it is scrapping its plans to field a third-party candidate this year.

“Americans remain more open to an independent presidential run, and hungrier for unifying national leadership, than ever before,” stated the organization. “But No Labels has always said we would only offer our ballot line to a ticket if we could identify candidates with a credible path to winning the White House. No such candidates emerged, so the responsible course of action is for us to stand down.” (RELATED: Popular Dem Strategist Blames ‘Preachy Females’ For Disappointing Polls)

Last month, 800 delegates from all 50 states convened for a private meeting to approve the organization’s increasingly desperate plan to push an independent ticket.

In a press release, No Labels National Convention Chair Mike Rawlings asserted that voters remained extremely dissatisfied with Joe Biden and Donald Trump, making a case for a third-party candidacy.

The group indicated that they were open to both Democrats and Republicans and would ideally serve as a “unity” option for anyone disillusioned by partisan politics.

However, on March 18, former Georgia Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan (R) announced his withdrawal from consideration to run on a third-party presidential ticket backed by No Labels. (RELATED: Former Republican Lieutenant Governor Tells CNN Trump Has Values Of ‘Axe Murderer’)

“It was an honor to be approached, and I am grateful to all those who are engaged in good-faith efforts to offer Americans a better choice than the Trump vs. Biden re-match,” Duncan said in a statement.

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has chosen to run for the U.S. Senate as a Republican instead of launching a third-party bid for the White House. Additionally, former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley (S.C.), Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) all made clear they were not interested in running.

Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News

Michigan Judge Rules On Trump Ballot Challenge

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On Tuesday, a Michigan judge rejected a liberal group’s attempt to keep former President Donald Trump’s name off the state’s 2024 primary ballot.

Michigan Court of Claims Judge James Redford rejected the argument the former president is ineligible for office under the 14th Amendment due to his links to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

“The judicial action of removing a candidate from the presidential ballot and prohibiting them from running essentially strips Congress of its ability to ‘by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such a disability,'” Redford wrote.

“The question of whether he is ineligible due to Section 3 of the 14th Amendment presents a political question that is nonjusticiable at the present time,” the judge continued. “The question of whether Donald Trump is qualified or disqualified from appearing on the 2024 general election ballot in Michigan is not ripe for adjudication at this time.”

Numerous groups across the country have made similar attempts to keep Trump off the ballot however, none of the attempts have been successful.

According to Fox News, currently pending is a decision out of a Colorado lawsuit. Watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and six Colorado voters filed their lawsuit in September to block Trump from appearing on the primary ballot, citing the 14th Amendment. 

NYC Mayor Ditches Democrats – Announces Re-election Bid As An Independent

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via Wikimedia Commons

Shaking things up…

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced his re-election campaign but with a big caveat: he’s running as an Independent.

Adams told Politico on Monday that he wants to “mount a real independent campaign,” saying that the federal bribery charges, which have been dismissed, “handcuffed him.” The New York City Mayor said he’d be “uninhibited” while campaigning.

“I’m in the race to the end. I’m not running on the Democratic line. It’s just not realistic to turn around my numbers and to run a good campaign (from) where we are right now,” Adams said. “It hurts like hell.”

Adams faces an uphill battle in his re-election campaign. Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on March 1 that he’d be running for New York City mayor.

U.S. District Judge Dale E. Ho on Wednesday dismissed federal charges against Adams, which alleged he used his position to receive luxury travel and illegal campaign contributions from Turkish foreign nationals.

Adams has maintained his innocence and argued that the case was politically motivated by his criticism of the Biden administration’s immigration policy. 

Quinnipac University survey that was conducted just before and just after Cuomo announced his run for mayor found the former governor enjoying 31% support among New York City Democrats, while Adams garnered 11%.

During the interview, the incumbent New York City Mayor slammed Cuomo for signing bail reform measures into law which he says led to a rise in crime during the coronavirus era.

“Look at bail reform — that’s Andrew,” Adams said. “He can’t say, ‘I’m going to save the city from the far left’ when he surrendered to the far left.”

Adams told the outlet that he would submit the required 3,750 signatures on May 27, which would put him on the ballot for November’s election.

“Now I need this runway until November to redefine and remind people: This is why you elected me in the first place,” Adams said.

Trump Announces Pause On Tariffs, Except For China

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Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

On Wednesday, President Trump raised tariffs on China to 125 percent and implemented a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs against all other trading partners, causing a major surge in the markets.

“At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable,” Trump posted on his Truth Social media platform.

Trump’s decision to pause the higher reciprocal tariffs that he announced last week, which hit about 60 countries on Wednesday morning, caused an immediate market surge.

Moments after his social media post, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising by 2,000 points after days of major losses on Wall Street.

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