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    Former House Speaker Gets Unexpected Endorsement Amid RNC Shakeup

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy delivers remarks at the 2021 Capitol Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in Washington DC, December 1, 2021. USDA Forest Service photo by Tanya E. Flores.

    On Tuesday night multiple outlets reported that Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Ronna McDaniel plans to step down after the South Carolina primary.

    McDaniel has faced pressure from party figures who have expressed dissatisfaction with the direction of the RNC and its lack of finances heading into a 2024 general election. 

    In a statement to The Hill, RNC spokesperson Keith Schipper said, “Nothing has changed. This will be decided after South Carolina.”

    McDaniel has spoken with former President Trump about her resignation, according to The New York Times, which first reported on the news. They met Monday at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s home in Palm Beach, Fla. 

    After reports surfaced that McDaniel may soon leave her post rumors quickly began to circulate that McCarthy could be a candidate to replace her.

    In an unexpected twist, McCarthy’s known rival Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) fully endorsed the idea.

    “I fully endorse Kevin McCarthy for RNC Chair. Kevin is well organized and a very high-revenue fundraiser. He will also be well-liked by the RNC Committee,” argued Gaetz. “The RNC Chair doesn’t make any policy decisions, set any agenda, or negotiate against Democrats, ever. Kevin would be terrific.”

    The RNC’s fundraising dipped in 2023. The committee raised $87.2 million in 2023, but ended the year with $8 million left, according to its year-end filing with the Federal Election Commission.

    Rupert Murdoch Steps Down As FNC Chairman

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    Media mogul Rupert Murdoch announced Thursday he will be transitioning to a new role within his media empire, handing over the reins to his son Lachlan.

    Murdoch, 92, announced the news to colleagues in a letter Thursday, noting he was in good health. He will officially make the transition in November, and his son Lachlan will become the sole chairman of both companies.

    “I am writing to let you all know that I have decided to transition to the role of Chairman Emeritus at Fox and News,” Murdoch wrote. “For my entire professional life, I have been engaged daily with news and ideas, and that will not change. But the time is right for me to take on different roles, knowing that we have truly talented teams and a passionate, principled leader in Lachlan who will become sole Chairman of both companies. Neither excessive pride nor false humility are admirable qualities. But I am truly proud of what we have achieved collectively through the decades, and I owe much to my colleagues, whose contributions to our success have sometimes been unseen outside the company but are deeply appreciated by me.

    “Whether the truck drivers distributing our papers, the cleaners who toil when we have left the office, the assistants who support us or the skilled operators behind the cameras or the computer code, we would be less successful and have less positive impact on society without your day-after-day dedication. Our companies are in robust health, as am I. Our opportunities far exceed our commercial challenges. We have every reason to be optimistic about the coming years – I certainly am, and plan to be here to participate in them.” 

    “In my new role, I can guarantee you that I will be involved every day in the contest of ideas,” he wrote.

    Lachlan Murdoch released an announcement congratulating his father and the legacy he’s left at his enormously influential companies.

    “On behalf of the FOX and News Corp boards of directors, leadership teams, and all the shareholders who have benefited from his hard work, I congratulate my father on his remarkable 70-year career,” said Lachlan Murdoch. “We thank him for his vision, his pioneering spirit, his steadfast determination, and the enduring legacy he leaves to the companies he founded and countless people he has impacted. We are grateful that he will serve as Chairman Emeritus and know he will continue to provide valued counsel to both companies.”

    Murdoch’s media empire includes FOX News Channel, which launched in 1996 under News Corp.

    Murdoch was Executive Chairman of 21st Century Fox from 2015 to the closing of the merger of 21st Century Fox and The Walt Disney Company in March 2019. Murdoch served as CEO of 21st Century Fox from its inception as News Corporation in 1979 until 2015 and as its Chairman from 1991 to 2015.

    DOJ Pauses Investigation as Judge Grants Trump Request for Special Master

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

    A federal judge has approved former President Donald Trump’s request a special master be appointed to review materials seized during the FBI’s raid of Mar-a-Lago.

    U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon approved the request on Monday after the former president’s legal team and Justice Department officials met over the request in court last week. (Related: Florida Judge Responds to Trump Teams Request to Appoint Special Master to Review Seized Materials)

    Judge Cannon said a written ruling will come “in due course.”

    The Daily Wire reports:

    “Pursuant to the Court’s equitable jurisdiction and inherent supervisory authority, and mindful of the need to ensure at least the appearance of fairness and integrity under the extraordinary circumstances presented, Plaintiff’s Motion [ECF No. 1] is GRANTED IN PART,” Cannon wrote in her order. “The Court hereby authorizes the appointment of a special master to review the seized property for personal items and documents and potentially privileged material subject to claims of attorney-client and/or executive privilege.”

    The Florida judge’s order also temporarily halts the Justice Department’s investigation of the documents.

    During last week’s court hearing the DOJ argued Trump’s request for a special master was “unnecessary” and released shocking photos of the recovered documents.

    “Furthermore, appointment of a special master would impede the government’s ongoing criminal investigation and—if the special master were tasked with reviewing classified documents—would impede the Intelligence Community from conducting its ongoing review of the national security risk that improper storage of these highly sensitive materials may have caused and from identifying measures to rectify or mitigate any damage that improper storage caused,” the filing said. “Lastly, this case does not involve any of the types of circumstances that have warranted appointment of a special master to review materials potentially subject to attorney-client privilege.” 

    Trump’s legal team has argued some records protected by attorney-client privilege and executive privilege, another claim the DOJ has heavily pushed against.

    Top CNN Executive Gets the Axe Amid Network Reorganization

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    CNN Headquarters via Wikimedia Commons

    A top executive is set to leave CNN by the end of the year as the network continues to re-organize under CEO Chris Licht’s new regime.

    CNN’s executive vice president of programming, Michael Bass is departing his role after more than a decade.

    “I’m writing to let you know that Michael Bass has made the decision to leave CNN at the end of this year,” the memo said. “As head of domestic programming, Michael helped create a number of new shows and overhaul legacy programs. His full list of accomplishments is too great to acknowledge in a single memo. But on the heels of the midterms, it’s worth noting that he oversaw coverage of elections, town halls and debates.”

    Bass, whose resume includes previous stints at CBS and NBC, is likely not the last high-profile employee to leave the network in the coming weeks. Last week, Licht revealed more layoffs are expected to come in early December.

    Those who will be laid off will receive anywhere from a 60- to 90-day notice.

    CNN’s new CEO has sent shockwaves through the network as he seeks to implement major changes from the top down. Numerous hosts, including Reliable Sources host Brian Stelter, have left the network while others like Don Lemon have seen their role within the company shift.

    Many have speculated Licht plans to take CNN in a more moderate direction after years of hyper-partisan reporting, however, Licht says that is simply speculation.

    “One of the biggest misconceptions about my vision is that I want to be vanilla, that I want to be centrist. That is bullshit,” Licht told the Financial Times this week. “You have to be compelling. You have to have edge. In many cases you take a side. Sometimes you just point out uncomfortable questions. But either way you don’t see it through a lens of left or right.”

    “We are truth-tellers, focused on informing, not alarming our viewers,” Licht wrote in one of his earliest memos to CNN staffers this summer. “You’ve already seen far less of the “Breaking News” banner across our programming. The tenor of our voice holistically has to reflect that.”  

    Who do you think is next to leave? Tell us in the comments below!

    Report: Judge Dismisses Hunter Biden’s Misdemeanor Tax Charges

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    President Joe Biden hugs his family during the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. (DOD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II)

    The federal judge overseeing Hunter Biden’s case in Delaware dismissed two misdemeanor tax charges against him.

    In a Thursday filing, U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika dismissed the charges after David Weiss, the federal prosecutor leading the case against Biden, moved to dismiss them last week in order to bring charges in Washington, D.C., or California according to The Hill. (RELATED: Attorney General Appoints Special Counsel in Hunter Biden Probe)

    “On Tuesday of this week, Mr. Weiss advised me that in his judgment, his investigation had reached a stage at which he should continue his work as a special counsel, and he asked to be so appointed,” Garland said in a statement on the appointment.

    Weiss’s appointment came amidst an unwinding plea deal in the case, which Biden’s legal team said the government went back on and the Department of Justice said was not standing due to a nonapproval by a probation official. Many Republicans heavily criticized Weiss’s appointment, with 2024 GOP presidential candidate and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott claiming the newly-minted special counsel “cannot be trusted” in an interview on Fox News last week.

    “Appointing David as a special counsel is like keeping the concept of a [Justice Department] protecting Democrats while hunting Republicans,” Scott said. “I can’t think of a more forceful sign that nothing has changed.”

    Georgia Prosecutors Weighing RICO Charges In Trump Probe

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Gage Skidmore Flickr

    As criminal charges loom over former President Donald Trump from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, prosecutors under Atlanta DA Fani Willis (D) are weighing racketeering and conspiracy charges against those who conspired to overturn Trump’s 2020 electoral defeat in Georgia.

    A source close to the investigation says prosecutors have compiled substantial evidence related to a conspiracy. They added that the work shows the effort didn’t originate in Georgia.

    CNN further reports:

    Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could make decisions on charges this spring, the source said. Willis will bring her charging recommendations to the regularly seated grand juries, who each serve two-month terms. Two regular Fulton County grand juries were seated in early March, and the next batch of two are scheduled to be sworn-in early May.

    Investigators have at least three recordings of Trump pressuring Georgia officials, including a phone call that he made to the Georgia House speaker to push for a special session to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in the state.

    There is also a recording of Trump’s call to a top investigator with the Georgia Secretary of State’s office in December 2020, while they were looking into quashed allegations of irregularities with signature-matching in Cobb County in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

    Prosecutors in multiple criminal investigations in different jurisdictions face difficult and politically consequential choices over what to charge Trump with if they decide to indict him.

    In Atlanta, the Republican-controlled Georgia House of Representatives pushed legislation through this month that would create an oversight mechanism for county prosecutors. The investigatory panels would take disciplinary action against prosecutors who neglect their duties.

    Meanwhile, Trump posted on his social media site early Saturday morning, claiming that the Manhattan DA’s office would arrest him on Tuesday.

    Behind the scenes, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies are preparing for a possible indictment in New York, as American Liberty News reported last week:

    NBC News is reporting that law enforcement agencies are preparing for what was, until recently, largely considered unthinkable.

    The indictment of a former president of the United States.

    According to five senior law enforcement figures speaking on the condition of anonymity, local, state and federal agencies are discussing security plans involving the Manhattan Criminal Court if New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg decides to charge Trump for his alleged connection to hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels.

    Report: Ex-Obama Official Arrested, Charged With Hate Crime

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    Arrest image via Pixabay

    Former national security adviser Stuart Seldowitz was charged with a hate crime after his rant at a New York City food vendor was recorded and went viral online.

    Seldowitz has pleaded not guilty.

    Mediaite has more:

    Seldowitz, a former National Security Counsel chief to former President Barack Obama, was launched into public infamy this week when he was filmed spewing racist and insulting comments at a man working at a halal food cart. Videos posted online showed that Seldowitz had been accosting the vendor for weeks, and his abusive comments included him calling the vendor a “terrorist,” saying the killing of 4,000 Palestinian children in the Israel-Hamas war “wasn’t enough,” and calling the Islamic prophet Muhammad a “rapist.”

    After the media identified Seldowitz, he was disowned and ostracized by his business associates while claiming he made his comments “in the heat of the moment.” He was arrested on Wednesday, and CNN cited the NYPD to report that he faces preliminary charges of hate crime/stalking, second-degree aggravated harassment, stalking causing fear, and stalking at employment.

    Islamophobic and anti-Semitic incidents have seen a global spike since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War.

    Report: Georgia DA Planning to Indict Trump Next Month

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is reportedly planning to indict former President Trump next month on racketeering charges.

    Left-leaning publication The Guardian’s Hugo Lowell cited two sources close to the matter in an exclusive report detailing the possibility of racketeering charges, which would be based on “influencing witnesses and computer trespass.

    “The racketeering statute in Georgia requires prosecutors to show the existence of an ‘enterprise’ – and a pattern of racketeering activity that is predicated on at least two ‘qualifying’ crimes,” Lowell explains.

    The report added that while the “specific evidence was not clear” the “charge regarding influencing witnesses could include Trump’s conversations with Georgia’s secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger.” Trump was recorded asking Raffensperger to “find” 11,780 votes, his losing margin in the state, in order to be declared the victor. Lowell also details the potential computer trespass charges:

    For the computer trespass charge, where prosecutors would have to show that defendants used a computer or network without authority to interfere with a program or data, that would include the breach of voting machines in Coffee county, the two people said.

    The breach of voting machines involved a group of Trump operatives – paid by the then Trump lawyer Sidney Powell – accessing the voting machines at the county’s election office and copying sensitive voting system data.

    The report notes that the copied data was then “uploaded to a password-protected site from where election deniers could download the materials as part of a misguided effort to prove the 2020 election had been rigged.”

    Report: Tucker Carlson Mulling New GOP Debate Forum With Trump

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    Tucker Carlson via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Is Tucker Carlson already eyeing his way back into the spotlight?

    Nearly two weeks since Carlson’s sudden exit from Fox News and new reports indicate what the primetime star’s next move could be.

    According to a report from The Washington Post, Carlson has been speaking with former President Donald Trump about moderating a forum for 2024 Republican presidential candidates.

    From the report:

    Carlson and his team have discussed the possibility of moderating a candidate forum outside of the traditional protocols surrounding the GOP primary debate system, according to two people familiar with the considerations. These people said the setup — as well as Carlson’s availability to take on that kind of role, given the noncompete constraints of his contract with Fox — remain unclear. But Carlson has personally expressed enthusiasm about the idea, according to people familiar with his comments. At least one major candidate — Trump — has told Carlson he’s interested, according to a person familiar with the exchange.

    The former Fox host’s interest in a debate is said to stem in part from its potential to loosen the Republican National Committee’s grip on the process, as well as to challenge the role traditionally played by the major television networks. “He could go straight to the candidates, stream it live, invite the networks but maintain control over the process,” said one person familiar with the discussions.

    The Post notes that Carlson’s Fox contract was originally supposed to run until the end of 2024, potentially limiting his options for establishing a new media presence if he intends to collect the millions the network is still legally obligated to pay him.

    However, sources told the Post that Carlson could be willing to forfeit millions if it means he’ll be able to publicly re-establish himself.

    Carlson has reportedly spoken with Trump because one of his biggest ideas is to moderate his own Republican primary debate outside the bounds put in place by the Republican National Committee.

    Last month, Trump indicated he plans to boycott any debates during the primaries. (RELATED: Trump Signals He Won’t Participate In Any Republican Debates)

    “I see that everybody is talking about the Republican Debates, but nobody got my approval, or the approval of the Trump Campaign, before announcing them,” Trump said to his Truth Social account. “When you’re leading by seemingly insurmountable numbers, and you have hostile Networks with angry, TRUMP & MAGA hating anchors asking the “questions,” why subject yourself to being libeled and abused? Also, the Second Debate is being held at the Reagan Library, the Chairman of which is, amazingly, Fred Ryan, Publisher of The Washington Post. NO!”

    Manhattan Grand Jury Shares New Announcement -Delaying Potential Trump Indictment

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    Gage Skidmore Flickr

    The Manhattan grand jury weighing an indictment against former President Donald Trump will reportedly not meet again until late April, delaying any potential charges.

    A source close to the matter told POLITICO that the grand jury investigating the alleged hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels isn’t expected to hear evidence in the case for the next month largely due to a previously scheduled hiatus.

    However, District Attorney Alvin Bragg can adjust the schedule and ask the grand jury to reconvene if prosecutors want the panel to meet during previously planned breaks.

    POLITICO reports:

    The grand jury, which heard testimony in the Trump case on Monday, isn’t meeting Wednesday and is expected to examine evidence in a separate matter Thursday, the person said. The grand jury, which typically meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, is scheduled to consider another case next week on Monday and Wednesday, the person said, and isn’t expected to meet Thursday due to the Passover holiday.

    The following two weeks are set to be a hiatus that was scheduled when the grand jury was first convened in January, the person said.

    The unprecedented indictment hanging over Trump’s head stems from a $130,000 hush money payment he allegedly made to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.

    Prosecutors are expected to charge Trump with a felony by arguing that the alleged crime was committed to hide an illegal campaign contribution. The potential problem for Trump centers around how his company reimbursed former attorney Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to related charges and served time in prison.

    The payment to Daniels was listed as a legal expense and Trump’s company cited a retainer agreement with Cohen. The retainer agreement did not exist and the reimbursement was not related to any legal services from Cohen, thus setting up a potential misdemeanor criminal charge of falsifying business records. A report by NBC News said that Trump personally signed several of the checks to Cohen while he was serving as president.

    Prosecutors can elevate the misdemeanor to a felony if they can prove that Trump’s “‘intent to defraud’ included an intent to commit or conceal a second crime.”

    Prosecutors argue that the second crime is that the $130,000 hush payment was an improper donation to the Trump campaign because the money was used to stop a story to benefit his presidential campaign.

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