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Retired Conservative Judge Says American Democracy ‘In Peril’ Due to Trump

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Gage Skidmore Flickr

Retired federal judge J. Michael Luttig says that America’s democracy is at risk due to the current state of the Republican Party.

Luttig, a conservative-leaning former judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals, joined CNN This Morning on Wednesday to discuss the “decay” of the Republican Party under Donald Trump’s leadership.

“What do you think has happened to your party?” Harlow asked Luttig.

His answer:

Frankly, I don’t care about the Republican Party at all, except to the extent that the two political parties in America are the political guardians of democracy in our country. American democracy simply cannot function without two equally healthy and equally strong political parties. So, today, in my view, there is no Republican Party to counter the Democratic Party in the country. And for that reason, American democracy is in grave peril.

“There is no Republican Party?” Harlow asked him. Luttig explained by outlining his view that “a political party is a collection, an assemblage of individuals who share a set of beliefs and principles and policy views about the United States of America.”

“Today there is no such shared set of beliefs and values and principles, or even policy views, within the Republican Party for America,” Luttig determined. “Until or unless the Republican Party can pull itself together into a credible Republican political party, we simply don’t have two competing parties in America.”

Report: Jan. 6 Rioter Convicted In Plot To Kill Federal Agents

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Tyler Merbler, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

A convicted Jan. 6 rioter has now been found guilty of planning to kill federal agents who were investigating his role in the Capitol attack.

Edward Kelley, 35, was convicted Wednesday by a jury of conspiracy to murder federal employees, solicitation to commit a crime of violence and influencing a federal official by threat following a three-day trial per The Hill.

Federal prosecutors said Kelley developed a “kill list” of FBI agents and others who participated in the investigation into his conduct on Jan. 6, hatching a plan to murder them while awaiting trial in his Capitol attack case. 

A defendant who pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors testified that he and Kelley plotted attacks on the FBI field office in Knoxville, Tenn., using car bombs and explosives attached to drones, according to the Justice Department. They also discussed assassinating FBI employees in their homes or public places, like movie theatres.

Prosecutors showed a recording at trial of Kelley stating “every hit has to hurt.”

In his Capitol riot case, Kelley was convicted of 11 counts following a two-day bench trial, including obstructing law enforcement officers during a civil disorder; assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers; and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or ground.

He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison at sentencing in May.

Trump Shares Altered Photo Targeting Candace Owens, Escalating Feud

By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54581054338/, Public Domain,

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has intensified his ongoing feud with conservative commentator Candace Owens by sharing a doctored TIME magazine-style cover portraying her as “Vile Person of the Year,” along with fresh personal insults.

The image, posted on Trump’s social media platform, depicted Owens on a mocked-up TIME cover — a format often used for satire or political messaging — and labeled her with the inflammatory title. Trump also referred to Owens as “low IQ” in accompanying remarks.

As Mediaite reports:

“Candace Owens’ stock, which was never very high, has fallen a long way,” wrote Trump. “Her attack on the First Lady of France is despicable. I believe, in this case, without verification, she is an extremely Low IQ individual!”

Screenshot via @realDonaldTrump on Truth Social

The attached image was clearly meant to show Owens in an unflattering light, with raised exposure and a black-and-white filter. Along with the title “Vile Person of the Year,” other text on the cover reads, “Candace Owens lies, lies, lies,” “uses rich white men,” “0% fact check ratio on all credible fact checking sites,” and “protects sex offenders!”

On April 9, Trump posted on Truth Social:

I know why Tucker CarlsonMegyn Kelly, Candace Owens, and Alex Jones have all been fighting me for years, especially by the fact that they think it is wonderful for Iran, the Number One State Sponsor of Terror, to have a Nuclear Weapon — Because they have one thing in common, Low IQs. They’re stupid people, they know it, their families know it, and everyone else knows it, too!

Owens reacted on X with a cutting remark, writing, “It may be time to put Grandpa up in a home.”

The post drew swift attention across political and media circles, with reactions ranging from criticism of the rhetoric to concerns about political distractions as major issues dominate the lead-up to the midterm election.

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Trump Declines To Name JD Vance His Successor During Fox News Interview

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Presidential debate photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

In what some are claiming is a dig at his vice president, Trump declined to explicitly name JD Vance as his successor during his recent interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier.

In a clip from his interview with the president that aired Monday afternoon on Fox, Baier asked “Do you view Vice President JD Vance as your successor, the Republican nominee in 2028?”

“No, but he’s very capable,” answered Trump decisively. “I mean, I don’t think that it, you know, I think you have a lot of very capable people. So far, I think he’s doing a fantastic job. It’s too early, we’re just starting.”

“But by the time you get to the midterms, he’s going to be looking for an endorsement,” observed Baier.

Trump then deflected by submitting that “a lot of people have said that this has been the greatest opening almost three weeks in the history of the presidency.”

On Monday, Baier weighed in on the answer:

I think it was a little shocking when he said no, you know, I wasn’t expecting that. But, you know, following up, it is you know, once you get to the midterm, it starts, you start to think about 2028. And obviously, one would think JD Vance is going to be trying to position for that role. But clearly, the president is not ready to talk about that, or think about it, and says that there are other other people that may get in the mix.

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Leading GOP Candidate In Georgia Governor’s Race Sues Trump-Backed Opponent

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Billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson filed a defamation lawsuit Monday against Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, his Republican primary opponent in the state’s 2026 gubernatorial race.

The lawsuit, filed in Fulton County Superior Court, alleges that Jones made three separate defamatory statements about Jackson on social media over the past week. Jackson’s campaign confirmed the filing Monday morning.

“Burt Jones is learning real fast that the days of him doing and saying anything for his own benefit are coming to an end,” Jackson campaign spokesman Dave Abrams said in a statement provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation on Monday. “Rick Jackson is holding self-serving politician Burt Jones accountable for his words and his actions.”

In the complaint, Jackson argues that Jones has resorted to personal attacks rather than campaigning on his own record.

“Rather than standing on his record, fighting like an honest man, and earning the trust and support of Georgians, Burt Jones is resorting to what he knows best: cheap and dirty politics,” the complaint states.

Jones’ campaign dismissed the lawsuit and defended the remarks.

“Rick Jackson’s thin skin is showing,” Kayla Lott, a spokesperson for Jones’ campaign, told the DCNF in a statement Monday. “Why is Rick so embarrassed to have received a billion dollars in state contracts, helped Planned Parenthood recruit, and staff a pediatric doctor’s office that serves ‘transgender patients.’ He should be proud Georgia knows how his company made its money.”

The dispute centers on a March 5 post by Jones on X, where he claimed Jackson “made his fortune recruiting for Planned Parenthood, helping doctors perform transgender procedures on minors, and pocketed over $1 billion in state contracts on the backs of Georgia taxpayers,” adding “Georgia’s not for sale.”

The lawsuit escalates an already contentious Republican primary race.

After launching his campaign relatively late on Feb. 3, Jackson has spent nearly $16 million on advertising—almost six times the amount spent by Jones—according to NBC News, citing data from AdImpact.

Recent polling suggests Jackson currently leads the GOP field. A JMC Analytics and Polling survey of likely Republican primary voters released Monday found 37% support Jackson, while 22% backed Jones.

A Quantus Insights poll conducted in February found Jackson leading with 32.6% support among likely GOP primary voters, compared to 16.9% for Jones.

However, an Emerson College poll released March 5 showed a tighter race. The survey found 21% of voters supporting Jones and 20% backing Jackson.

The poll also found Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger—known for clashing with Trump over the 2020 presidential election—receiving 11% support, followed by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr at 6%, while 38% of respondents remained undecided.

Among voters who said President Donald Trump’s endorsement makes them more likely to support a candidate, Jones led with 31% support compared to Jackson’s 21%, according to the Emerson poll.

Under Georgia law, if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the May 19 Republican primary, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff election scheduled for June 16.

The defamation lawsuit marks the second legal clash between the candidates this year. In February, Jackson and his campaign committee filed a separate lawsuit against Jones challenging a state campaign finance law that Jackson argued gives Jones an unfair advantage in the primary, CBS News reported.

Trump Launches Super PAC Devoted To Taking Out GOP Rep

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President Donald Trump targeted Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) in a blistering social media post Sunday.

After Trump’s strike on Iran was announced, Massie was among the first to attack the move as “unconstitutional” on social media, echoing what was otherwise coming mostly from Democrats or the left.

By Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America – Thomas Massie, CC BY-SA 2.0,

On Sunday, Trump eviscerated Massie on his Truth Social app, saying the congressman is a “pathetic loser” and “not MAGA.” Then Trump upped the attack by revealing that his massive political operation has launched a new PAC with the sole purpose of Massie’s ouster in the Kentucky primary next year.

“Actually, MAGA doesn’t want him, doesn’t know him, and doesn’t respect him,” Trump said, a claim Trump apparently means to back up, as a short time later, Axios revealed the formation of a new Super PAC under Trump’s massive political operation that’s designed specifically to get rid of Massie in the 2026 Kentucky primary.

The Kentucky MAGA PAC will be run by top Trump advisors Tony Fabrizio and Chris LaCivita.

“Massie’s long-time opposition to President Trump’s working family tax cuts — and really anything to do with President Trump — is coming to an end,” LaCivita said in a statement to Axios. “Thomas ‘Little Boy’ Massie will be fired.”

More from Axios:

Trump’s team has launched Kentucky MAGA, a super PAC devoted to defeating Massie in the May 2026 primary.

– The organization will be run by Trump’s senior political advisers, Tony Fabrizio and Chris LaCivita.
– LaCivita said the PAC would spend “whatever it takes” to defeat Massie.
– Plans for taking on Massie were in the works before the congressman decided to call Trump’s attack on Iran unconstitutional, a Trump aide said.

Behind the curtain: Trump’s operation has been talking with potential Republican challengers to Massie.
– Aides say the goal is to rally around one Massie opponent, so that multiple rivals don’t splinter support.

Massie and Trump have fallen out repeatedly, and in particular, the congressman has been a vocal critic of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”

Republican Group Planning $50M Campaign To Stop Trump Re-election

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

A coalition of anti-Trump Republicans are willing to do whatever it takes to prevent a second Trump term in the White House.

Republican Voters Against Trump plans to spend $50 million on the anti-Trump campaign.

The campaign is organized by Sarah Longwell, a Republican strategist and longtime Trump critic. The plan is to target “moderate Republican” and Republican-leaning voters in swing states with testimonial videos of past Trump supporters who will share why they won’t be supporting the former president in the next election.

According to The Hill, the ads featuring the former Trump voter testimonials will be deployed on TV, streaming platforms, billboards, radio and digital media. They will run in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. 

“Former Republicans and Republican-leaning voters hold the key to 2024, and reaching them with credible, relatable messengers is essential to re-creating the anti-Trump coalition that made the difference in 2020,” Longwell, the president of the group’s Republican Accountability PAC, said in a Tuesday statement.

“It establishes a permission structure that says that—whatever their complaints about Joe Biden—Donald Trump is too dangerous and too unhinged to ever be president again. Who better to make this case than the voters who used to support him?”

The voters who are sharing their testimonies are generally not applauding Biden or arguing why he should be reelected in 2024, but mostly sharing which incidents made them oppose the former president. 

“I voted for Donald Trump in 2020. January 6 was the end of Donald Trump for me,” Ethan, a Wisconsin resident, says in the video. He will be voting for Biden. “The peaceful transfer of power is one of the defining pieces of our democracy, and I could not believe that someone I had formerly supported would get behind an effort that would throw that under the bus … There is no choice.”

 The group had a similar strategy in 2020 where they shared over 1,000 testimonials during the election.

Trump Reveals Biden Left ‘Inspirational Letter’ For Him In Resolute Desk

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By Dan Scavino - https://twitter.com/Scavino45/status/924068892984725504, Public Domain

President Donald Trump described the letter former President Biden left him inside the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office as “inspirational” and teased reporters that he may release the “very nice” note at some point.

Trump was asked about the letter, which he found inside the Resolute Desk on Monday with a little help from Fox News Senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy, during a press conference announcing a $500 billion investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure.

“It was a very nice letter,” Trump told reporters. “It was a little bit of an inspirational-type letter. Enjoy it, do a good job. Important, very important. How important the job is.”

The president added that he appreciated the letter so much that he may release it to the public.

“It was a positive, for him, in writing it,” Trump continued. “I appreciated the letter.”

Trump found the letter – addressed to “47″ – after Doocy asked if President Biden left him a letter while he was signing a flurry of executive orders in the Oval Office on Monday in front of a gaggle of reporters.

“He may have. Don’t they leave it in the desk? I don’t know,” Trump told Doocy before discovering the white envelope. “Thank you, Peter. It could have been years before we found this thing.”

“As I take leave of this sacred office I wish you and your family all the best in the next four years. The American people – and people around the world – look to this house for steadiness in the inevitable storms of history, and my prayer is that in the coming years will be a time of prosperity, peace, and grace for our nation.

“May God bless you and guide you as He has blessed and guided our beloved country since our founding.”

The letter was signed “Joe Biden” and dated Jan. 20, 2025.

The presidential tradition of leaving a letter to their successor began in 1989 when President Ronald Reagan left the White House after two terms in office, with former President George H. W. Bush taking over.

Bush continued the tradition despite losing the White House to former President Bill Clinton after just one term in office. The tradition has carried on to this day through Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Trump and Biden.

Biden has said Trump left him a “very generous letter,” but has so far declined to share the content of what Trump wrote, deeming it private.

Elon Musk’s New America Party Poses Potential Threat To GOP

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By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54380002927/, Public Domain,

Billionaire Elon Musk announced the launch of his new political party on Saturday, but has yet to share any further details on how he plans to navigate the red tape to establish a viable alternative.

Musk on Saturday appeared to confirm his intention to launch his “America Party,” after posting a poll to his X account the prior day asking followers whether or not he should create the new party.

“By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it! When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,” he wrote. “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”

Elon Musk’s plan to launch a new US political party could split the Republicans, Donald Trump’s allies have warned.

Musk, who until recently was a key Trump ally, said the America Party would adopt a “laser focus” on winning a handful of Senate seats and House districts in a bid to sway key votes on legislation.

“Given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring that they serve the true will of the people,” he posted on X.

On Sunday, Mr Musk responded to a post about how he could “break the two-party stranglehold” by writing: “Not hard tbh [to be honest].”

Scott Bessent, the US Treasury secretary, insisted a Musk party would pose no threat to the Trump administration.

“Look, the principles of Doge [the Department of Government Efficiency] were very popular. I think if you looked at the polling, Elon was not,” he told CNN on Sunday, referring to the cost-cutting agency Mr Musk headed for just over four months.

However, Laura Loomer, a leading MAGA influencer who has been seen close to Trump, warned the move could trigger Republican defections and split the party’s base.

“I predict Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie will join the new ‘America Party’ to spite President Trump,” she posted on X.

Musk said his decision to form the party stemmed from opposition to Trump’s new economic bill, which includes significant reductions to Medicaid and the removal of subsidies for electric vehicles.

The announcement follows the revival of his public feud with Trump, who threatened to cancel the Tesla tycoon’s government contracts and deport him back to South Africa.

Speaking with reporters ahead of a flight to Florida last Tuesday, the president was asked about whether he would consider deporting the South African mogul.

“We’ll have to take a look,” Trump said. “We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon! Wouldn’t that be terrible?”

Watch:

Pardoned Capitol Rioter Charged With Threatening To Kill Hakeem Jeffries

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Authorities arrested a pardoned Capitol rioter last weekend for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Court documents obtained by CBS News said Christopher Moynihan was arrested Sunday after saying in text messages that he planned to “eliminate” Jeffries when the top House Democrat spoke at an event in New York City on Monday. 

The House Minority Leader spoke at the Economic Club of New York on Monday. 

CBS News reports:

According to a court filing by prosecutors in the New York state criminal case, Moynihan wrote, “Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live.”

Moynihan also allegedly stated: “Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future,” the filing said.

Moynihan faces a felony charge of making a terroristic threat, according to court filings.

Moynihan was among the large group of Capitol riot defendants pardoned by President Trump nine months ago. In a shocking move only hours after returning to the White House, President Trump granted clemency to more than 1,500 other Capitol riot defendants.

Moynihan was found guilty in August 2022 of obstructing an official proceeding, and pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor charges. He was sentenced in February 2023 to 21 months in prison.

Elvert Barnes, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Moynihan’s arrest for allegedly threatening Jeffries was made by New York State Police, according to a statement by the agency that was confirmed by a state official. The investigation was initiated by the FBI, according to state police.

A state police statement said Moynihan was arraigned in local court in Clinton, a town in New York’s Hudson Valley region. He was remanded to the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center “in lieu of $10,000 cash bail, a $30,000 bond, or an $80,000 partially secured bond.” 

The alleged threat against Jeffries is only the latest threat in part of a rapidly growing wave of threats against legislators and political figures. In a statement last month, Capitol Police said the number of threat investigations in 2025 had already eclipsed 14,000, more than the number of cases in all of 2024.