President Donald Trump signs Executive Orders, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)
Hamas has drafted a letter to President Donald Trump, asking the American president to guarantee a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the immediate release of half of the hostages being detained within Gaza, Fox News reports from a senior Trump administration official and a second source directly involved in negotiations.
The letter is expected to be delivered to Trump this week.
Trump has sought to serve as a peacemaker on the global stage since the beginning of his second presidential term and has previously called for Hamas to release all the hostages it took captive during the heinous Oct. 7, 2023 attack against Israel.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
A federal judge on Friday tossed out Donald Trump’s $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times over its content, calling it a “decidedly improper” effort to attack an adversary.
A federal judge in Florida threw out President Trump’s lawsuit against the New York Times on Friday, saying the complaint his attorneys filed earlier this week against the newspaper is too long and needs to be truncated to be considered.
“A complaint is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a passionate oration at a political rally or the functional equivalent of the Hyde Park Speakers’ Corner,” Judge Steven Merryday, an appointee of former President George H. W. Bush, wrote in the order, saying his court was not a venue for Trump to “rage against an adversary.”
A complaint should “fairly, precisely, directly, soberly, and economically inform the defendants … of the nature and content of the claims,” Merryday wrote. “A complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective – not a protected platform to rage against an adversary.”
Merryday gave Trump 28 days to file an amended complaint of no more than 40 pages.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump filed a $15 billion defamation and libel lawsuit against The New York Times, accusing the paper of being a virtual “mouthpiece” for the Democrat Party and making an illegal “campaign contribution” in 2024 to opponent Kamala Harris.
Trump announced the lawsuit late Monday on Truth Social and said it would be brought in Florida. This marks yet another legal action taken by the president against a major media organization after forcing settlements with ABC News and CBS News over the past year.
“Today, I have the Great Honor of bringing a $15 Billion Dollar Defamation and Libel Lawsuit against The New York Times, one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the History of our Country, becoming a virtual ‘mouthpiece’ for the Radical Left Democrat Party. I view it as the single largest illegal Campaign contribution, EVER,” he wrote. “Their Endorsement of Kamala Harris was actually put dead center on the front page of The New York Times, something heretofore UNHEARD OF!”
President Donald Trump is expected to fire the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after his office was unable to find incriminating evidence of mortgage fraud against New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to sources.
Federal prosecutors in Virginia had uncovered no clear evidence to prove that James had knowingly committed mortgage fraud when she purchased a home in the state in 2023, ABC News first reported earlier this week, but Trump officials pushed U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert to nevertheless bring criminal charges against her, according to sources.
Alec Perkins from Hoboken, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The president has reportedly been leaning on federal prosecutors to bring charges against James for alleged mortgage fraud. She has been accused of falsely claiming her house in Virginia as her primary residence despite being legally required to live in New York as an elected official there.
ABC News reported on Wednesday that Siebert, who is the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was having difficulty finding enough evidence to sustain a conviction against James. On Thursday, the outlet said Trump is expected to fire the prosecutor.
“Administration officials have told Siebert of Trump’s intention to fire him, sources familiar with the matter said,” ABC News stated. “Siebert’s last day on the job is expected to be Friday.”
Trump nominated Siebert for the job in May.
“The decision to fire Siebert could throw into crisis one of the most prominent U.S. attorney’s offices, which handles a bulk of the country’s espionage and terrorism cases, and heighten concerns about Trump’s alleged use of the DOJ to target his political adversaries,” ABC News stated.
In May, the FBI opened an investigation into the notorious prosecutor. James has denied wrongdoing and called the investigation politically motivated, pointing to her office’s civil fraud case against Trump. That case ultimately resulted in a $354 million judgment against the president, which also bars his
During her 2018 campaign for attorney general, James publicly stated she intended to pursue legal action against Trump and investigate his business dealings in New York.
While campaigning, James vowed to shine a “bright light into every corner” of Trump’s “real estate dealings.” Her critics — including Trump himself — would later argue that her civil lawsuit against him was a political witch hunt.
In announcing the probe, US Attorney John A. Sarcone III took a swipe at James’s 2018 campaign rhetoric about investigating President Donald Trump.
The US attorney said James “unethically ran around the state campaigning on getting Donald Trump,” and essentially accused her of finding a criminal target without an alleged crime.
He added:
We stand prepared to act in the capacity that we need to when and if we are informed there’s a charge to be made. Unlike Letitia James, who unethically ran around the state campaigning on getting Donald Trump… my office conducts itself in a manner that is proper and professional.
Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Just in…
President Donald Trump has filed an emergency appeal with the United States Supreme Court seeking to stay a lower court order temporarily blocking the removal of Lisa Cook as governor on the Federal Reserve Board.
A House Democrat has drafted articles of impeachment for Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel.
A source familiar confirmed Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas) has drafted the measures after making a social media post accusing both of lying, according to The Hill.
The articles come as Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said she would file a motion to strip Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) of her committee assignments.
“If @NancyMace (soon to be a sucker and loser in her governors race) wants to strip @Ilhan of her committees for words she never said, MANY people are saying we should impeach the incompetent Kash Patel and Pam Bondi for the lies they ACTUALLY TOLD!!” Veasey wrote on the social platform X.
If @NancyMace (soon to be a sucker and loser in her governors race) wants to strip @Ilhan of her committees for words she never said, MANY people are saying we should impeach the incompetent Kash Patel and Pam Bondi for the lies they ACTUALLY TOLD!!
It’s unclear what the basis for the impeachment is, or when the articles might be filed.
His post references Bondi’s pledge to release case files related to Jeffrey Epstein, and Patel’s announcement of an arrest in the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. While the “subject” Patel announced the arrest of was found to have no connection to the shooting and was later released, his statements on the matter were factual.
The impeachment of a Cabinet member has only happened twice in U.S. history. The House voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas last year, the first such measure to be taken up in more than 100 years. It was swiftly rejected by the Senate.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
Alec Perkins from Hoboken, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Senior officials in the Trump administration are pressing federal prosecutors to take action against New York Attorney General Letitia James, who has long been seen by conservatives as a politically motivated adversary of President Donald Trump.
According to a new ABC News report, Trump has personally urged Department of Justice leadership to investigate and pursue charges, while top officials like Ed Martin — head of the DOJ’s Weaponization Working Group — and Bill Pulte — director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency — are pressing the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia to file charges.
Their focus: alleged mortgage fraud involving a Virginia property that James claimed as her primary residence in 2023, despite being required by law to reside in New York while serving as attorney general. Officials argue that James may have misled a financial institution to secure favorable mortgage terms, which would constitute a federal offense.
Although a five-month investigation has so far yielded what some career prosecutors say is “no clear evidence” of fraud, Trump allies argue that the matter deserves a full and transparent examination. They point out that politically connected Democrats often avoid scrutiny, while conservatives are aggressively pursued over far less.
The FBI’s criminal investigation into James was formally launched in May. At the time, U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III emphasized that his office will not shy away from its duty if evidence emerges:
“We stand prepared to act in the capacity that we need to when and if we are informed there’s a charge to be made. Unlike Letitia James, who unethically ran around the state campaigning on getting Donald Trump… my office conducts itself in a manner that is proper and professional.”
Georgia National Guard from United States, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) has officially entered the race for governor, setting the stage for a competitive Republican primary to succeed outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp (R), who is term-limited. In a two-minute campaign launch ad released Wednesday, Raffensperger portrayed himself as a principled conservative willing to take tough stands, vowing to uphold the Constitution and defend Georgia values.
“I’m a conservative Republican, and I’m prepared to make the tough decisions,” Raffensperger declared in the ad. “I follow the law and the Constitution, and I always do the right thing for Georgia, no matter what.”
Watch:
The announcement pits Raffensperger against prominent GOP contenders including Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who has received former President Donald Trump’s endorsement, and Attorney General Chris Carr, both of whom have strong support among grassroots conservatives. The winner of the GOP primary will likely face a high-profile Democratic opponent next November.
Revisiting the 2020 Election Clash With Trump
Raffensperger became a household name during the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, when Georgia became a critical battleground. After President Trump narrowly lost the state to Joe Biden by just under 12,000 votes, Trump and his allies raised concerns about election irregularities and widespread allegations of voter fraud. Raffensperger, as the state’s chief elections officer, found himself at the center of the storm.
Despite mounting pressure from Trump and many Georgia Republicans to challenge or overturn the results, Raffensperger maintained that his office’s audits and recounts showed no evidence of widespread fraud that would change the outcome. In a now-famous phone call, Trump urged Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to change the result — a conversation that later became a flashpoint in national debates over election integrity and presidential power.
While Raffensperger’s stance drew praise from Democrats and corporate media, it also alienated many in the Republican base, who felt he failed to investigate potential irregularities aggressively enough. That divide has lingered within Georgia GOP politics and is certain to shadow his gubernatorial campaign. Many grassroots conservatives remain skeptical of Raffensperger, while others credit him for adhering to the letter of the law during an unprecedented political firestorm.
A Crowded Field on Both Sides
The Republican primary is shaping up to be one of the most watched in the nation. With Raffensperger, Jones, and Carr already in the race, GOP voters will have a clear choice between different brands of Republican leadership — from establishment-minded governance to more populist, Trump-aligned approaches.
On the Democratic side, the field is also taking shape. Declared candidates include former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former GOP Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former state Sen. Jason Esteves, state Rep. Derrick Jackson, former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, and former pastor Olu Brown. There is also persistent speculation that Stacey Abrams could enter the race again, potentially setting up a dramatic rematch after her narrow 2018 and 2022 defeats.
Georgia has transformed into a true political battleground over the last decade, with Republicans still holding most statewide offices but Democrats making steady gains. The 2026 gubernatorial race will be pivotal in determining whether Georgia remains under GOP control or flips blue.
The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates Kemp’s seat a “toss up.”
Can Raffensperger manage to make peace with Trump and secure his endorsement? Tell us what you think in the comments below!
The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday ended Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s bid to remain on the election interference prosecution against former President Donald Trump and his allies, issuing a 4–3 decision that leaves the high-profile case in limbo.
The justices declined to review a lower court’s ruling that disqualified Willis over what it called a “significant appearance of impropriety” tied to her romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, a top prosecutor she had appointed to the case.
This decision effectively halts the sprawling racketeering prosecution brought by Willis against Trump and more than a dozen associates for allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. Trump and most defendants have pleaded not guilty.
Future of the Case Uncertain
While Georgia’s Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council could assign a new prosecutor to take over the case, that process could take months, leaving the matter stalled indefinitely.
Willis, in a statement to The Hill, said that although she disagrees with the court’s decision, she accepts it.
“I hope that whoever is assigned to handle the case will have the courage to do what the evidence and the law demand,” Willis said, adding that her office would turn over case materials to the council.
Trump Team Applauds Decision
Trump’s lead attorney in Georgia, Steve Sadow, called the decision correct and overdue.
“Willis’ misconduct during the investigation and prosecution of President Trump was egregious and she deserved nothing less than disqualification. This proper decision should bring an end to the wrongful political, lawfare persecutions of the President,” Sadow said.
How the Case Unraveled
The case began to unravel after revelations that Willis was romantically involved with Wade, whom she had hired to help lead the prosecution. A trial judge ruled that either Wade or Willis would have to leave the case; Wade resigned. But an appeals court later ruled that the “appearance of impropriety” meant neither could continue.
Court Says Broader Issue May Be Revisited
Justice Andrew Pinson, explaining the decision not to review Willis’s appeal, noted the public scrutiny surrounding the case and acknowledged the broader legal question at stake.
“If this question — whether conduct creating an appearance of impropriety alone is grounds for disqualifying a prosecutor — is presented by future cases, we may well need to take it up in one of them,” Pinson said.
However, Pinson added that this particular case did not meet the threshold for review because the appeals ruling was “case-specific.”
“But, in my view, that possibly cert-worthy question is not presented by this case, at least not as it appears before this Court,” he said.
President Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion defamation and libel lawsuit against The New York Times, accusing the paper of being a virtual “mouthpiece” for the Democrat Party and making an illegal “campaign contribution” in 2024 to opponent Kamala Harris.
Trump announced the lawsuit late Monday on Truth Social and said it would be brought in Florida. This marks yet another legal action taken by the president against a major media organization after forcing settlements with ABC News and CBS News over the past year.
“Today, I have the Great Honor of bringing a $15 Billion Dollar Defamation and Libel Lawsuit against The New York Times, one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the History of our Country, becoming a virtual ‘mouthpiece’ for the Radical Left Democrat Party. I view it as the single largest illegal Campaign contribution, EVER,” he wrote. “Their Endorsement of Kamala Harris was actually put dead center on the front page of The New York Times, something heretofore UNHEARD OF!”
Trump accused the Times of engaging in a decadeslong campaign of “lying” about him, his business, family, and the MAGA movement.
“I am PROUD to hold this once respected ‘rag’ responsible, as we are doing with the Fake News Networks such as our successful litigation against George Slopadopoulos/ABC/Disney, and 60 Minutes/CBS/Paramount, who knew that they were falsely ‘smearing’ me through a highly sophisticated system of document and visual alteration, which was, in effect, a malicious form of defamation, and thus, settled for record amounts. They practiced this longterm INTENT and pattern of abuse, which is both unacceptable and illegal. The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW! The suit is being brought in the Great State of Florida. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
In the lawsuit, Trump said he had to overcome “persistent election interference from the legacy media,” that was led by the Times.
“All across our country, Americans from a wide array of backgrounds saw the truth about him and voted accordingly—the same truth that the New York Times refused to recognize as it continued spreading false and defamatory content about President Trump,” the suit states.
The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for Florida’s Middle District. The named defendants are the New York Times Company, reporters Susanne Craig, Russ Buettner, Peter Baker and Michael S. Schmidt, and Penguin Random House, which published “Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success,” which was authored by Craig and Buettner.
The New York Times endorsed Harris in 2024, no surprise in that its editorial board leans sharply to the left and has not endorsed a Republican for the White House since 1956. In its explanation, the board began by panning Trump as dangerously unfit rather than praising Harris.
“It is hard to imagine a candidate more unworthy to serve as president of the United States than Donald Trump. He has proved himself morally unfit for an office that asks its occupant to put the good of the nation above self-interest,” the board wrote.
The 85-page lawsuit called the endorsement “deranged” and also said “Lucky Loser” was a false and defamatory book. In 2023, a judge dismissed a lawsuit that he brought against the New York Times in 2021 for its prior reporting on his finances and claims he’d engaged in suspect tax maneuvers.
President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered a second military strike on a Venezuelan boat on Monday, claiming that the vessel was carrying “confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela.”
Regarding this new strike, Trump described the strike as targeting “positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” the U.S. Southern Command responsible for the command and control of American military forces in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.
According to Trump, the boat was traveling from Venezuela to the U.S., in international waters, was “transporting illegal narcotics,” and three male “terrorists” were killed in the strike. No U.S. service members were harmed.
The president added a warning to those who are “TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS,” writing “WE ARE HUNTING YOU!”
This morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the U.S. These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests. The Strike resulted in 3 male terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this Strike. BE WARNED — IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU! The illicit activities by these cartels have wrought DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES ON AMERICAN COMMUNITIES FOR DECADES, killing millions of American Citizens. NO LONGER. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
