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Trump Asks Judge To Dismiss Hush Money Case

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Trump lawyers called for an “immediate dismissal” of New York v. Trump on Wednesday, saying the American peopleโ€™s choice to elect the former president to a second term “supersedes” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggโ€™sย “political motivations.”

In a letter to Judge Juan Merchan on Wednesday,ย Trumpย defense attorney and now-nominee for Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche demanded the case against the president-elect be tossed.ย 

“On November 5, 2024, the Nationโ€™s People issued a mandate that supersedes the political motivations of DANYโ€™s โ€˜People,โ€™” Blanche wrote. “This case must be immediately dismissed.” 

Blanche said that “immediate dismissal of this case is mandated by the federal Constitution, the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, and the interests of justice, in order to facilitate the orderly transition of Executive power following President Trumpโ€™s overwhelming victory in the 2024 Presidential Election.” 

Blancheโ€™s pre-motion letter Wednesday was sent in order to request permission to file a motion to dismiss by Dec. 20, 2024 and to request a stay on all deadlines, which Bragg and New York prosecutors have agreed to.ย 

Blanche argued that Bragg “appears to not yet be ready to dismiss this politically-motivated and fatally flawed case, which is what is mandated by the law and will happen as justice takes its course.” Blanche pointed to Braggโ€™s own election campaign for another term as Manhattan DA. 

Blanche argued that “continuing with this case would be โ€˜uniquely destabilizingโ€™ and threatens to โ€˜hamstring the operation of the whole governmental apparatus, both in foreign and domestic affairs.โ€™” 

“The Court must address these new issues and dismiss the case, prior to issuing a decision on the previously filed Presidential immunity motion,” Blanche explained. “Any other action would obviously violate the presidential immunity doctrine and the Supremacy Clause.” 

The letter comes after Bragg on Tuesday sent a letter to Merchan requesting a stay on the case until 2029. Bragg said he would oppose Trumpโ€™s motion to dismiss, but said he would be open to receiving the defense argument.ย 

Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree stemming from the years-long investigation related to alleged hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Tulsi Gabbard Gives Update On Trump Debate Prep

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Tulsi Gabbard via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Former President Trump’sย debate prep is going “great,” former Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard informed Fox News.

“He knows the issues. He is very honed in on her [Kamala Harris’] record in reminding votersโ€ฆ โ€˜what have you done for the last three and a half years?’ You can paint this rosy picture about what you’re going to do, but we’re paying attention to what you’ve already done and how her policies have destroyed our economy, made us less safe, both here at home and abroad,” she told “FOX & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade.

The former president recruited Gabbard to help sharpen his skills ahead of the highly-anticipated Sept. 10 debate, where he is slated to face off against Vice President Kamala Harris at the National Constitutional Center in Philadelphia. 

Gabbard infamously tore into Harris during a 2019 Democratic primary debate for jailing hundreds of Californians for marijuana violations despite smoking the drug herself.

“She put over 1,500 people in jail for marijuana violations and then laughed about it when she was asked if she ever smoked marijuana,” she said during the viral exchange.

Professor Placed On Leave After Flipping Out On College Republicans: Watch

Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

A jaw-dropping display…

The chair of the English Department at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has been placed on administrative leave after allegedly flipping the College Republicans’ table on campus Tuesday morning.

UW-Eau Claire Interim Provost Michael Carney confirmed the incident with Fox News.

“I am deeply concerned that our studentsโ€™ peaceful effort to share information on campus on election day was disrupted,” Carney said in a statement. “UW-Eau Claire strongly supports every personโ€™s right to free speech and free expression, and the university remains committed to ensuring that campus is a place where a wide variety of opinions and beliefs can be shared and celebrated.”

He added that “civil dialogue is a critical part of the university experience, and peaceful engagement is fundamental to learning itself.”

“We are working with the Universities of Wisconsin and the Office of General Counsel, which is conducting a comprehensive investigation of this matter. The faculty member involved has been placed on administrative leave pending that investigation,” Carney said.

The UW-Eau Claire College Republicans identified the faculty member on Instagram as English Department Chair Josรฉ Felipe Alvergue.

Tatiana Bobrowicz, UW-Eau Claire College Republicans chair, said in a video posted to the chapter’s Instagram page that she had just finished setting up a table on Election Day.

“A professor came up and flipped our table in a violent attack towards us. This is unacceptable,” Bobrowicz said in a statement posted to the UW-Eau Claire College Republicans Instagram account on Tuesday. “The university has since confirmed that this attacker was the chair of the university’s English Department. Once again, this type of violent attack will not be tolerated.”

UW director of media relations Mark Pitsch told Fox News in a statement that university staff “appreciate that UW-Eau Claire has taken swift action, and we will be working with them to conduct the investigation.”

Republican Senator Signals He Won’t Support Vance In 2028

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Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) made clear Sunday on ABC Newsโ€™s This Week that he does not see Vice President JD Vance as someone he would support in a hypothetical 2028 presidential bid, underscoring deep philosophical differences over trade and the future direction of the GOP.

When asked whether he views Vance โ€” widely viewed within GOP circles as a leading contender to carry the Republican banner after President Donald Trump โ€” as the so-called heir apparent, Paul was direct about the limits of their alignment.

โ€œI think there needs to be representatives in the Republican Party who still believe international trade is good, who still believe in free market capitalism, who still believe in low taxes,โ€ Paul said, emphasizing his long-standing libertarian philosophy.

Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Pressed on whether that description fits Vance, Paul answered, โ€œNo.โ€

Paul lamented what he sees as a shift in GOP economic thinking โ€” away from traditional free-market conservatism toward protectionist policies that embrace tariffs.

โ€œIt used to separate conservatives and liberals that conservatives thought it was a spending problem โ€” we didnโ€™t want less revenue, we wanted less spending,โ€ he said.
โ€œBut now all these pro-tariff protectionists, they love taxes. And so they tax, tax, tax, and then they brag about all the revenue coming in. That has never been a conservative position.โ€

Paul said he intends to continue championing a free-market, low-tax wing of the party and will let time โ€” and voters โ€” determine where GOP leadership settles.


Context: Trump, Vance, and a Fractured GOP

Vanceโ€™s position as a prominent Trump loyalist โ€” often touted by MAGA-aligned activists as the next leader of the movement โ€” stands in contrast to Paulโ€™s more classical libertarian outlook. Trump and Vance have worked closely throughout the administration, and Trump himself has suggested both Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio would make strong contenders in 2028, even as speculation swirls about Trumpโ€™s own future political plans.

Paul and Vanceโ€™s disagreements arenโ€™t limited to trade. Earlier in 2025, Paul publicly criticized Vanceโ€™s support for a controversial U.S. military strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug-smuggling vessel โ€” going so far as to call the actions Vance defended โ€œdespicable and thoughtlessโ€ for celebrating lethal force without due process. This public spar highlights deeper philosophical divides between the libertarian wing of the party and its more interventionist or nationalist elements.

Those tensions reflect a broader conversation within the GOP about its core principles โ€” from foreign policy to economic strategy โ€” as the party prepares for post-Trump leadership.


Erika Kirk Endorses Vance for 2028

Adding to the political backdrop, Erika Kirk โ€” the widow of conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk and the organizationโ€™s CEO โ€” officially endorsed Vice President Vance for president in 2028 during the groupโ€™s annual AmericaFest conference in Phoenix.

Kirk, speaking to thousands of activists, pledged Turning Pointโ€™s powerful grassroots support and framed Vance as a continuation of her husbandโ€™s conservative legacy:

โ€œWe are going to get my husbandโ€™s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible.โ€

Her endorsement โ€” and Turning Pointโ€™s mobilization capacity on campuses and with younger conservatives โ€” could be a significant boost in the early stages of a national campaign, even though Vance has not yet announced a formal campaign bid

Mike Lawler Announces Re-Election Campaign As Republicans Seek To Defend Razor-Thin Majority

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Republicans are breathing a sigh of relief…

On Wednesday morning, Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York announced he will seek re-election in next year’s midterms in his crucial battleground House district, which covers a large swath of New York City’s northern suburbs.

Lawler, who announced his news in an interview Wednesday morning on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends,” had been seriously considering a bid for New York State governor.

“There’s no question Kathy Hochul is the worst governor in America,” Lawler told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade, before adding, “In 2026, she needs to be defeated. But after months of deliberating over this and really working through it, I’ve decided the right thing to do for me and my family and my district is to run for re-election.”

His news is seen as a major relief to the White House and congressional Republicans, who are defending their razor-thin House majority in the 2026 midterms. 

Top House Republicans as well as President Donald Trump had pressed Lawler to seek re-election, and Fox News confirmed that Lawler met with Trump last week at the White House to discuss his 2026 plans and other issues.

“While I fundamentally believe I am best positioned to take on Kathy Hochul and offer New Yorkers a real choice for Governor, I have made the decision to run for re-election to the House and continue the important work Iโ€™ve been doing over the past two and a half years,” Lawler shared in a statement with Fox News Digital Wednesday morning. 

The Democratic Governors Association called Lawlerโ€™s decision a โ€œhumiliating setbackโ€ for Republicans, arguing that his choice means he doesnโ€™t believe a Republican can win statewide.

However, Republicans now seem likely to avoid a hotly contested primary, as they said they hoped only one of Lawler or Elise Stefanik would go forward with a gubernatorial run.

Elise Stefanik released a statement Wednesday morning, calling Republicans “more unified than ever in our mission to fire the Worst Governor in America Kathy Hochul in 2026” and Lawler a “great, effective, and hardworking Representative for New Yorkโ€™s 17th Congressional District.”

“As I have previously stated, I am focused on supporting strong Republican local and county candidates on the ballot this November to lay the groundwork with a strong team for next year. I will make a final decision and announcement after this yearโ€™s November election which we are all focused on,” Stefanik added.ย 

Stefanik seems all but certain to run for governor, with a source familiar with her thinking telling The Hill last month that โ€œitโ€™s not a matter of if, itโ€™s a matter of when.โ€

Republicans have been hopeful that they could seriously compete for the office in 2026 after impressive performances in recent years. Hochul only won reelection in 2022 by about 6 points, a much closer margin than observers expected.

Trump also made significant gains in New York in last yearโ€™s presidential election, while still falling short by double digits of victory in the state.

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Trump-backed Candidates Win Big In Indiana

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Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

President Donald Trump just sent a thunderous warning shot to the GOP establishment โ€” and Indiana Republicans who crossed him are paying the price.

In a stunning early midterm showing, Trump-backed primary challengers are on track to topple at least five of the seven Indiana state senators who defied the president last year on a controversial redistricting vote, according to ABC News.

The races, usually ignored by national media and flooded with only modest cash, suddenly became political war zones after Trump vowed revenge against Republicans who sided with Democrats to block a congressional map overhaul designed to strengthen GOP power in Washington.

And voters appear to have listened.

The seven targeted incumbents were among 21 Republican state senators who broke ranks last year and voted against the mid-decade redistricting proposal โ€” a move that infuriated Trump and his allies.

Now, most of them are heading for the exits.

One incumbent, state Sen. Greg Goode, narrowly survived against a Trump-endorsed challenger. Another, state Sen. Spencer Deery, remained locked in a razor-thin battle late Tuesday night against Trump-backed Paula Copenhaver.

But nearly everywhere else, Trumpโ€™s handpicked candidates surged to victory.

Even in a district where the anti-redistricting incumbent chose not to seek reelection, the Trump-endorsed candidate was projected to win โ€” underscoring the presidentโ€™s growing influence deep inside Republican state politics.

Trump celebrated the victories Tuesday night with a flurry of triumphant social media posts highlighting the winning candidates alongside his own image โ€” a clear signal that he sees the results as a major political flex heading into the 2026 midterms.

The outcome is especially notable because these races became some of the most expensive state Senate primaries Indiana has seen in years. Trump-aligned groups and outside organizations poured millions into defeating the incumbents, overwhelming candidates who were unprepared for a nationalized political assault.

The clashes also exposed lingering divisions inside the Republican Party.

In one closely watched contest, former Vice President Mike Pence backed incumbent state Sen. Jim Buck, breaking publicly with Trump. But Penceโ€™s support wasnโ€™t enough. Trump-endorsed challenger Tracey Powell defeated Buck decisively Tuesday night.

The Indiana results are likely to energize Trump allies nationwide, who see the victories as proof that Republican voters remain fiercely loyal to the president โ€” and willing to punish GOP officials viewed as disloyal.

For establishment Republicans hoping Trumpโ€™s grip on the party might weaken ahead of the midterms, Indiana delivered a very different message.

READ NEXT: Former ICE Official Loses GOP Primary In Key Ohio Battleground Republicans Want To Flip

Musician Withdraws Endorsement Over Viral Puerto Rico Joke

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Reggaeton star Nicky Jam walked back his previous endorsement of former President Trump Wednesday in the wake of fallout over a poorly received joke at Trumpโ€™s Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday.

In an Instagram post in Spanish, the singer born Nick Rivera Caminero explained he had endorsed Trump for his economic proposals, with โ€œ[Trump] being a businessman, I thought it was the best move.โ€

โ€œNever in my life did I think that a month later a comedian would come to criticize my country, to speak poorly of my country, and therefore I renounce any support to Donald Trump and move aside from any political situation. Puerto Rico se respeta, Nicky Jam,โ€ he said.

At a Tuesday rally in Allentown, Pa., the northern end of the Latino Corridor, Trump did not directly address the offending joke, but he said โ€œnobody loves our Latino community and our Puerto Rican community more than I do.โ€

According to Toledo, the dissatisfaction with the handling of the joke has spread well beyond the Puerto Rican community.

โ€œThis is not just a Puerto Rican issue. All Latinos across the board have taken offense to this,โ€ he said.

Speaking on a call with Voto Latino, Biden appeared to call Trump supporters โ€œgarbageโ€ in response to Hinchcliffeโ€™s joke.

Media Personality Claims Tucker Carlson Is Frontrunner to Succeed Trump

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Tucker Carlson via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Swisher and Galloway were discussing the decline of television in the wake of Kimmelโ€™s suspension from ABC when the conversation turned to podcasters.

โ€œI think, look, we got to just burn those ships and move on. Thatโ€™s the thing, because this is how Trump lives. He lives in the 80s in his head, so CBS, ABC, and NBC are the be-all and end-all,โ€ Swisher argued.

โ€œBut theyโ€™re not. Theyโ€™re not influential anymore. We should just move along and make our stuff. We should grow and conservative outlets should grow, whatever it happens to be. I was, although I think Tucker Carlsonโ€™s reallyโ€“ somethingโ€™s going on with him. When heโ€™s articulated, it was absolutely right,โ€ Swisher added.

โ€œWe both have our issues with Tucker. I think Tucker right now is the most likely nominee for the Republican nomination. I think he has been very good lately,โ€ Galloway replied โ€” referring to Carlsonโ€™s warning against any kind of free speech crackdown following Kirkโ€™s murder.

โ€œWell, heโ€™s consistent at least,โ€ Swisher agreed.

โ€œAbout housing, for young people, he comes across as intellectually honest. He comes across as courageous, not afraid to go against his own party. And I realize Iโ€™m talking our own book here,โ€ Galloway continued, adding:

Our downloads are up 10 percent in the last 30 days. And guess what? Everyone fromย Megyn Kellyย toย Joe Rogan, youโ€™re going to see a lot, increasingly people turn to podcasts likeย The Daily, becauseย The New York Timesย is fearless and does the work.

Youโ€™re just going to see media that is not scared ofย Brendan Carr,ย or canโ€™t be controlled byย Brendan Carr.ย Boom, because people are really interested in whatโ€™s going on, and they like fearless. You know, Iโ€™ll give you an example,ย Don Lemon.

Watch:

Former Democrat Presidential Candidate Joins Republican Party

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Gage Skidmore Flickr

Big news for the GOP!

During former President Donald Trump’s Tuesday night rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, former Democrat candidate for president and independent Tulsi Gabbard formally announced she is joining theย Republican Party.

Tulsi Gabbard via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Gabbard recently joined the Trump campaign as an honorary co-chair for the former president’s transition team alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr., another former Democrat.

“I’m proud to stand here with you today, President Trump, and announce that I’m joining the Republican Party. I am joining the party of the people,” said Gabbard.

“The party of equality. The party that was founded to fight against and end slavery in this country. It is the party of common sense and the party that is led by a president who has the courage and strength to fight for peace,” added Gabbard.

“Thank you very much, Tulsi. That’s great. Wow, that was a surprise,” said Trump. “That was really, she’s been independent for a long time. That’s a great thing. A great honor. Thank you very much, Tulsi.”

Tulsi Gabbard served as a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2013 through 2016 before resigning.

Gabbard left the Democrat party in 2022, declaring herself an independent. 

Gabbard represented Hawaii’s 2nd District in Congress from 2013 through 2021 as a Democrat. She serves in the U.S. Army Reserves with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Watch a live stream from the rally HERE!

Winner Projected In Wisconsin Supreme Court Race In Blow To Trump

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The high-stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race shaped up to be competitive as predicted, with control of the courtโ€”and potentially the future of election law, redistricting and abortion access in the battleground stateโ€”hanging in the balance.

However, the end result saw Susan Crawford, a liberal-leaning Dane County Circuit Court Judge, defeat Brad Schimel, a conservative Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge, preserving the court’s 4-3 liberal majority until at least 2028.

As The Hill reports, Tuesday night’s outcome comes as a blow to President Donald Trump and Elon Musk:

The election offered the first big test for both parties since the November elections and came after record-breaking amounts of money poured into the race. In particular, the race was seen as a test of Muskโ€™s political sway, as his super PAC, America PAC, alone spent more than $12 million to support Schimel. He also traveled to Wisconsin the Sunday before the election, where he handed out $1 million checks to voters who had signed his petition against โ€œactivist judges.โ€

Musk’s involvement sparked controversy, with Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul unsuccessfully suing to block his actions as potential vote-buying.

Musk’s unpopularity may have played a role in the election, though itโ€™s not the sole factor in Crawfordโ€™s victory. Economic uncertainty, a declining stock market and sweeping cuts to government programs with little congressional oversight seems to have motivated Democrats and independents.

Trump also waded into the race, repeatedly urging voters to go to the polls and support Schimel.

The race will also be a bitter disappointment for Wisconsin Republicans, who lost a chance to keep their conservative majority after Justice Janet Protasiewicz defeated conservative candidate Dan Kelly in 2023.

This yearโ€™s race, which shattered the 2023 raceโ€™s fundraising records by tens of millions of dollars, received outsized national attention not just because it determined the partisan tilt of the court, but also because it comes less than three months into Trumpโ€™s second term as president, making it the first critical referendum on the president.

Turnout was significant in key battleground counties, with Schimel performing worse than Trump in urban, suburban and rural areas.

According to projections from Decision Desk HQ, Crawford is expected to receive 54.5% of the vote, while Schimel is projected at 45.6%, giving Crawford a decisive 8.9-point margin of victory.

For context, Trump won Wisconsin in the 2024 presidential election by approximately 0.9%.

With national implications in a perennial swing state that will help decide control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections, all eyes will remain on the Badger State as next year’s election cycle gets underway.