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    Trump Appeals Hush Money Criminal Conviction 

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    President Trump appealed his New York hush money criminal conviction and has brought on a new team of attorneys to represent him. 

    The five-attorney team from elite law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, which will be led by Robert Giuffra, submitted a notice of appeal dated Tuesday, formally beginning the appeals process in Trump’s 34-count felony conviction. 

    “President Donald J. Trump’s appeal is important for the rule of law, New York’s reputation as a global business, financial and legal center, as well as for the presidency and all public officials,” Guiffra said in a statement.  

    “The misuse of the criminal law by the Manhattan DA to target President Trump sets a dangerous precedent, and we look forward to the case being dismissed on appeal,” he continued. 

    The team will be rounded ou by attorneys Matthew Schwartz, James McDonald, Jeffrey Wall and Morgan Ratner. All of whom are former Supreme Court clerks. 

    The team will replace Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, Trump’s mainstay trial attorneys who are now set to serve in the No. 2 and No. 3 top posts at the Justice Department, respectively, if confirmed by the Senate. Bove is serving as acting deputy attorney general in the meantime. 

    A New York jury found Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records for covering up a $130,000 hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016 as part of an intended conspiracy to unlawfully influence that year’s presidential election. 

    Trump’s felonies remain on his record, and his legal team has sought to dismiss the case entirely. 

    According to The Hill, the top-notch legal team will next bring their efforts to the Appellate Division, First Department. The court previously rejected Trump’s various pre-trial appeals, but his sentencing now enables the appeals bench to confront the historic case in normal course. 

    It remains unclear if the appeal will proceed while Trump is in the White House. Legal experts largely agree a sitting president is protected from criminal prosecution. 

    Federal prosecutors in Florida moved to dismiss the appeal in the Mar-a-Lago prosecution, pushing to bring an end to the Trump classified documents case.

    The motion, which comes after the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the state assigned a new prosecutor to the case, still needs to be approved by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

    But doing so signals an end to an appeal ignited by former special counsel Jack Smith, as he fought a lower court ruling from Judge Aileen Cannon finding he was unlawfully appointed.

    The move is more broadly set to unwind charges against President Trump’s two co-defendants in the case, who the Biden administration still wished to prosecute if Cannon’s order was reversed.

    The motion noted that valet Walt Nauta and property manager Carlos de Oliveira, who were accused of aiding Trump in concealing boxes of documents from prosecutors and his own attorney, did not oppose the move.

    By moving to dismiss the appeal with prejudice, prosecutors would be barred from relaunching any similar efforts in the future.

    Democrat Senator Announces He Won’t Seek Re-election

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2

    Michigan Democrat Sen. Gary Peters announced he will not seek re-election when his term ends in Jan. 2027.

    Peters, a two-term senator and former congressman, told the Detroit News that he will start a “new chapter,” spending more time with family after nearly two decades of public service. 

    “I always thought there would be a time that I would step aside and pass the reins for the next generation. I also never saw service in Congress as something you do your whole life,” Peters told the outlet. 

    “And that goes back to 2008 when I first won that House seat. I thought it would be for a matter of a few terms that I would serve, and then I would go back to private life.” 

    His decision to retire leaves open a senate seat in a state President Donald Trump won in 2024.

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

    Kristi Noem Confirmed By Supreme Court Justice After Bible Snafu

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Over the weekend, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem hit a slight bump in the road to confirmation.

    Kristi Noem was sworn in as the Secretary of Homeland Security Saturday by Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas after she was so late to the ceremony Vice President JD Vance left, according to a report from POLITICO.

    The agency said in a statement, “[Saturday], Kristi Noem was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a vote of 59-34 and sworn in as the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. ”

    The department shared several photos of Noem with Thomas as well as a statement from the new secretary.

    Noem said:

    It is such an honor to be sworn in as the United States Secretary of Homeland Security. It was made even more meaningful by being sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas at his home. Thank you, President Trump for putting your trust in me to help keep America safe.

    While the DHS website made no mention of any delays or drama, Politico reported Thomas was tapped to swear the former South Dakota governor in at his own home in because Vance bailed out after waiting for her for 25 minutes. Per the report, Noem was late because she was not in possession of a personal family Bible she wished to place her hand on:

    DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Noem’s late arrival resulted from a delay in the arrival of her late father’s Bible; Noem was originally expected to win confirmation from the Senate today, not yesterday.

    McLaughlin said:

    Secretary Noem has used this sentimental bible to be sworn into every office she has ever held. Secretary Noem was honored to be sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas at his home with her dad’s bible. We are grateful to the Vice President and his office and are encouraged that POLITICO is finally paying such close attention to a Secretary of Homeland Security. We wish they would have for the last four years.

    Colombian President Immediately Backtracks After Trump Threat

    By
    Seijah Drake
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    1

    Colombian President Gustavo Petro has backed down from his earlier declaration that he would not accept deportation flights from the United States. After initially refusing two repatriation flights containing 160 deportable migrants, Petro announced that he would instead send his presidential plane to personally pick up deported individuals, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.

    This came after former President Donald Trump, who has consistently criticized Petro’s handling of immigration matters, responded with a series of strong retaliatory measures, including the imposition of emergency 25% tariffs on Colombian goods and the threat of a broader diplomatic and economic crackdown.

    The Colombian president had originally indicated that he would accept deportation flights from the U.S. but changed his tune resulting in two flights being halted. The public explanation offered was that the U.S. treated Colombian migrants as “criminals,” which he argued violated basic human rights, though some doubted the sincerity of his rationale.

    In his announcement, Petro demanded that the United States “establish a protocol for the dignified treatment of migrants before we receive them.” 

    Petro was met with swift and fierce condemnation from former President Trump, who argued that Petro’s refusal to accept the flights jeopardized U.S. national security. Trump highlighted the seriousness of the issue in a post on Truth Social.

    In response to Petro’s decision, Trump wasted no time in outlining a series of retaliatory measures aimed at pressuring the Colombian government into complying with U.S. demands. On Sunday, Trump announced that his administration would implement “emergency 25% tariffs” on all Colombian imports to the U.S., a figure he vowed would escalate to 50% within one week.

    These tariffs are expected to impact a wide range of goods, from agricultural products to textiles, and could severely harm Colombia’s economy, which relies heavily on exports to the U.S. Trump’s statement also included plans for a travel ban and visa revocations targeting Colombian government officials, along with their allies and supporters.

    Trump emphasized that these actions were just the beginning, stating, “We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the criminals they forced into the United States.”

    In a further escalation of tensions, a U.S. official revealed that the U.S. Embassy in Colombia would close on Monday following Petro’s refusal to honor his previous commitment. While no further details were provided regarding the closure, this move is likely to further strain the relationship between the two nations. The embassy’s closure could have a significant impact on diplomatic and consular services, including visa processing.

    Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News

    Federal Judge Blocks Pardoned J6 Defendants From DC, Capitol Building

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    12
    Tyler Merbler, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    A federal district judge has issued an order barring certain January 6 defendants with commutations from entering Washington, D.C., or the U.S. Capitol building. 

    The filing says the order is effective at noon on Friday. 

    Fox News reports:

    In the filing, Judge Amit P. Mehta specified the order applied to “Defendants Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins, Roberto Minuta, Edward Vallejo, David Moerchel, and Joseph Hacket” – whose sentences were commuted. Those pardoned are not subject to the order.

    The order states “You must not knowingly enter the District of Columbia without first obtaining the permission from the Court” and “You must not knowingly enter the United States Capitol Building or onto surrounding grounds known as Capitol Square.”

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

    Republican Proposes Amendment To Allow Trump To Serve Third Term

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    P0120021CK-1111: President Joe Biden delivers his inaugural address Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

    Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) proposed an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would allow President Trump to serve a third term in the White House

    Ogles proposed an amendment Thursday that says, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than three times, nor be elected to any additional term after being elected to two consecutive terms, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”

    Like other U.S. presidents, Trump is barred from running for a third White House term by the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution.

    “President Trump’s decisive leadership stands in stark contrast to the chaos, suffering, and economic decline Americans have endured over the past four years,” Ogles said in a Thursday statement. “He has proven himself to be the only figure in modern history capable of reversing our nation’s decay and restoring America to greatness, and he must be given the time necessary to accomplish that goal.”  

    Trump floated the prospect of running for a third term in an apparent joke to House GOP lawmakers during a meeting in Washington before the conference had internal leadership elections. 

    “I suspect I won’t be running again, unless you do something,” Trump said a week after winning the 2024 presidential election, The Hill reported. “Unless you say, ‘He’s so good, we have to just figure it out.’”

    “That was a joke. It was clearly a joke,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said at the time. “I leaned over to somebody beside me, [Arizona Rep.] Andy Biggs, and I said, that’ll be the headlines tomorrow, ‘Trump trying to thwart the Constitution,’ which — there’s nothing further from the truth.”

    Trump has previously told news outlets that he would not pursue a third term if he won the 2024 election. 

    “I wouldn’t be in favor of a challenge. Not for me. I wouldn’t be in favor of it at all. I intend to serve four years and do a great job. And I want to bring our country back. I want to put it back on the right track,” Trump told Time magazine in April last year. 

    Senate Confirms Trump CIA Pick

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    On Thursday, the Senate confirmed John Ratcliffe to lead the Central Intelligence Agency in an overwhelming bipartisan fashion, making him the second member of President Trump’s national security team to be approved by the upper chamber.

    Senators confirmed Ratcliffe in a 74-25 vote. Twenty-one members who caucus with Democrats voted with every present Republican. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) did not vote.

    “He will bring valuable knowledge and experience to his new post,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said on the floor earlier this week, pointing to Ratcliffe’s tenure as Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and on the House Intelligence Committee. “Mr. Ratcliffe brings the right experience and the right approach to the CIA, and I look forward to working with him in his new position.” 

    Ratcliffe’s nomination cleared the Senate Intelligence Committee, 14 to 3. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the panel’s vice chairman, was among Ratcliffe’s backers. 

    During his confirmation hearing, he specifically told Democrats that he would keep the CIA apolitical and would not fire any agency employees based on political leanings or opposition to the president. 

    He’s also received bipartisan high marks for his stance on China, having been a long-time proponent of combating the Chinese Communist Party — a topic that came up during his confirmation hearing last week. 

    “Understand that the nation who wins the race of emerging technologies of today will dominate the world of tomorrow,” Ratcliffe said at the time. “Which brings me to the need for the CIA to continue and increase an intensity to focus on the threats posed by China and its ruling Chinese Communist Party. As DNI, I dramatically increased the intelligence community’s resources devoted to China.”

    The vote comes after the chamber unanimously confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio and puts half of Trump’s initial national security team in place, with Senate Republicans planning on moving on the other half “in the coming days,” according to Thune.

    Republican Senator To Vote ‘No’ On Trump Defense Pick

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2

    Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Ak.) said on Thursday she can’t support Pete Hegseth to be President Donald Trump’s secretary of Defense. 

    “Given the global security environment we’re operating in, it is critical that we confirm a Secretary of Defense, however, I regret that I am unable to support Mr. Hegseth,” she concluded in a lengthy statement posted to X. 

    In her reasoning, Murkowski cited infidelity, “allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking” and Hegseth’s previous comments on women serving in the military. 

    The behaviors that he has admitted to alone, she said, show “a lack of judgment that is unbecoming of someone who would lead our armed forces.”

    While Hegseth has admitted to past infidelity, he has denied claims of excessive drinking and sexual assault.

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

    Trump Nominates Head Of His Personal Security Detail To Lead Secret Service

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    President Donald Trump formally nominated Sean Curran, the head of his personal Secret Service security detail, to serve as director of the U.S. Secret Service Wednesday.

    Curran, one of several agents who rushed on stage to protect Trump during a July 13 assassination attempt, was already expected to be named to the position.

    In a Truth Social post Wednesday, Trump wrote that it was an “honor” to appoint Curran.

    “Sean is a Great Patriot, who has protected my family over the past few years, and that is why I trust him to lead the Brave Men and Women of the United States Secret Service,” the president wrote.

    Trump called Curran a “brilliant leader, who is capable of directing and leading operational security plans for some of the most complex Special Security Events in the History of our Country, and the World.

    “He proved his fearless courage when he risked his own life to help save mine from an assassin’s bullet in Butler, Pennsylvania,” Trump said. “I have complete and total confidence in Sean to make the United States Secret Service stronger than ever before.”

    Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned following the failed assassination attempt of Donald Trump.

    Cheatle herself called the Secret Service’s performance that day its “most significant operational failure in decades,” though she only begrudgingly referred to it as a “colossal failure.”

    Trump announced other nominees on Wednesday, including Andrew F. Puzder, the president’s pick for U.S. ambassador to the European Union.

    In a separate statement Wednesday, Trump announced that conservative writer L. Brent Bozell III has been named to run the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). Trump said that “few understand the Global Media landscape in print, television, and online” better than Bozell.

    “He and his family have fought for the American principles of Liberty, Freedom, Equality, and Justice for generations, and he will ensure that message is heard by Freedom-loving people around the World,” Trump wrote. “Brent will bring some much needed change to the U.S. Agency for Global Media.”

    Trump Issues Pardons For J6 Defendants

    By
    Patrick Houck
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    8
    Tyler Merbler, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    President Donald Trump has granted pardons to approximately 1,500 individuals charged in connection with the January 6 Capitol riot. He also announced several commutations for those who committed violent acts during the event.

    Reports indicate that most participants in the January 6 protest and riot at the U.S. Capitol in 2021 are being released from prison tonight, including those who have not yet gone to trial or received sentences.

    The sweeping pardons signify the conclusion of one of the most extensive FBI investigations in history.

    As The Hill reports:

    “What they’ve done to these people is outrageous,” Trump said while signing various orders from the Oval Office, his first time in the White House since he was inaugurated early in the day.

    He briefly said Monday night that he would grant roughly 1,500 pardons for rioters charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. There have been 1,583 total defendants charged.

    They came just hours after former President Biden in the 11th hour of his presidency issued preemptive pardons for members and staff of the House Jan. 6 committee, which investigated the riot.  

    Following his Inauguration, the president signed executive orders at the Capitol One Arena that include:

    • A freeze on all further regulations
    • A freeze on all federal hiring, except for military personnel and certain other categories
    • A requirement for all federal employees to return to in-person work full-time
    • A directive to all federal agencies and departments to address the cost of living crisis
    • A directive for the government to restore freedom of speech and eliminate government censorship
    • A directive to end the weaponization of the government against former presidential administrations

    Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News

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