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Charles Barkley’s Threats To Punch Trump Supporters Forces CNN Into Damage Control Mode

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    CNN Headquarters via Wikimedia Commons

    CNN anchor Gayle King was forced to initiate damage control mode after her co-host and NBA legend Charles Barkley made a faux pas.

    Mediaite’s Charlie Nash noted that the dust-up began on Saturday’s edition of “King Charles” when King played a clip of Donald Trump boasting about Black people wearing Trump mugshot t-shirts. “When you heard that, what did you think?,” she asked the hall of famer:

    Barkley let out a big sigh, before replying, “First of all, I’m just going to say this, if I see a Black person walking around with Trump mugshot I’m gonna punch him in the face.”

    “Charles. Charles, you really can’t say that ’cause, A. you don’t mean that,” King quickly interjected.

    “Oh, I mean that sincerely,” the Round Mound of Rebound fired back.

    “And then you will be arrested for assault, and then what?” King asked, reminiscent of a bewildered parent.

    “I’m gonna bail myself out and go celebrate,” Barkley replied.

    After the audience laughed, King told them not to encourage her co-host.

    Barkley later clarified that if he were present for Trump’s comments, he would have left.

    “That was an insult to all Black people,” he said. “To compare Black history, where we’ve been discriminated against, to his plight– Well, first of all, he’s a billionaire, and they are prosecuting him for stuff he did wrong.”

    King noted, “It’s still in the court system, Charles; we have to wait.”

    “Well, some of the stuff is true,” Barkley concluded. “They did storm the Capitol. They did say that the election was stolen.”

    This article originally appeared on American Liberty News. Republished with permission.

    Ex-Congressional Candidate Surrenders To Police After Arrest Warrant

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    Police image via Pixabay free images

    On Wednesday, a former congressional candidate and WWE wrestler turned himself into authorities after an arrest warrant for open murder was issued for him.

    Dan Rodimer, 45, was identified Wednesday as the suspect in an alleged altercation that turned deadly inside a Las Vegas resort room in October, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

    Fox News reported that the man inside the room, later identified as 47-year-old Christopher Tapp, was taken to the hospital with “injuries as a result of a purported accident,” police said at the time.

    Tapp died at Sunrise Hospital on Nov. 5, FOX 5 Las Vegas reported, and on Nov. 22, police began investigating his death as suspicious after learning he had been involved in an altercation.

    David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, Rodimer’s lawyers, gave the following statement to FOX 5 on Wednesday evening:

    “Mr. Rodimer is voluntarily surrendering to authorities and will post a court ordered bail,” it read. “He intends on vigorously contesting the allegations and asks that the presumption of innocence guaranteed all Americans be respected.”

    He posted his $200,000 bail Wednesday night and has a hearing set for Thursday morning, local outlets reported.

    Dean Phillips Ends Presidential Bid

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    The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips (D) has suspended his long-shot campaign for the White House.

    He said that “it is clear that alternative is not me” in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

    “I ran for Congress in 2018 to resist Donald Trump, I was trapped in the Capitol in 2021 because of Donald Trump, and I ran for President in 2024 to resist Donald Trump again – because Americans were demanding an alternative, and democracy demands options,” Phillips wrote on X. “But it is clear that alternative is not me. And it is clear that Joe Biden is OUR candidate and OUR opportunity to demonstrate what type of country America is and intends to be.”

    “I ask you join me in mobilizing, energizing, and doing everything you can to help keep a man of decency and integrity in the White House. That’s Joe Biden,” he said.

    “And it is clear that Joe Biden is OUR candidate and OUR opportunity to demonstrate what type of country America is and intends to be,” he wrote.

    Phillips, who mounted a late White House bid in October, was running as an alternative to the embattled frontrunner

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

    Mitch McConnell Endorses Donald Trump

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    On Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) officially endorsed Donald Trump for President.

    McConnell unveiled the endorsement only after former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R), Trump’s final remaining opponent, dropped out of the race following Trump’s big wins on Super Tuesday.

    “It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States. It should come as no surprise that as nominee, he will have my support,” McConnell said.

    “During his Presidency, we worked together to accomplish great things for the American people including tax reform that supercharged our economy and a generational change of our federal judiciary – most importantly, the Supreme Court. I look forward to the opportunity of switching from playing defense against the terrible policies the Biden administration has pursued to a sustained offense geared towards making a real difference in improving the lives of the American people.”

    Despite Haley dropping out of the race, the former United Nations ambassador has yet to endorse Trump for President.

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

    Nikki Haley Suspends Campaign

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    The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Following Super Tuesday’s disappointing results for Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina Governor has suspended her campaign.

    “I am filled with the gratitude for the outpouring of support we’ve received from all across our great country,” Haley said. “But the time has now come just suspend my campaign.” 

    In brief remarks to a crowd of supporters, Haley did not endorse Trump but called on the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee to earn votes from those who did not back him in the Republican primary. 

    “It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him,” Haley said. “And I hope he does that. At its best, politics is about bringing people into your cause, not turning them away.” 

    Trump kicked Haley on her way out of the primary in a post on Truth Social shortly after her remarks began. 

    “Nikki Haley got TROUNCED last night, in record setting fashion, despite the fact that Democrats, for reasons unknown, are allowed to vote in Vermont, and various other Republican Primaries. Much of her money came from Radical Left Democrats, as did many of her voters, almost 50%, according to the polls,” Trump wrote. 

    “At this point, I hope she stays in the ‘race’ and fights it out until the end! I’d like to thank my family, friends, and the Great Republican Party for helping me to produce, by far, the most successful Super Tuesday in HISTORY, and would further like to invite all of the Haley supporters to join the greatest movement in the history of our Nation. BIDEN IS THE ENEMY, HE IS DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” 

    Senator Menendez Faces 12 New Federal Charges

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    Senate Democrats, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    United States Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) is facing one dozen new criminal charges in his alleged yearslong scheme with the governments of Egypt and Qatar.

    Menendez and his wife, Nadine, face charges of obstruction of justice, among others.

    As CNN reports:

    The new charges come days after one of the New Jersey businessmen who was previously indicted alongside Menendez, his wife Nadine Menendez, and two others agreed to plead guilty and cooperate with the investigation.

    Among the new charges in the superseding indictment are conspiracy, obstruction of justice, public official acting as a foreign agent, bribery, extortion and honest services wire fraud.

    Menendez had faced four counts of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right, and conspiracy for a public official to act as a foreign agent.

    The new charges add the underlying so-called substantive crimes to the conspiracy charges.

    Menendez persists in his innocence and pledges to do whatever it takes to retain his Senate seat.

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

    Sen. Sinema Announces Re-Election Plan

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    Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America

    Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) announced she will not run for re-election.

    Sinema made the announcement in a video on social media.

    “Because I choose civility, understanding, listening, working together to get stuff done, I will leave the Senate at the end of this year,” she said.

    The move by Sinema means the Arizona Senate race has largely been solidified as a matchup between Democrat Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake.

    The Arizona lawmakers changed her party affiliation from Democrat to Independent in 2022.

    The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates Sinema’s seat as “toss up.”

    White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reacted to the news that broke during the daily briefing, noting that the White House has worked “closely” with Sinema on “key, important bills,” including the border security deal out of the Senate.

    “She’s been a partner with us on many critical issues that matter to the American people and we think that’s important,” Jean-Pierre told reporters.

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

    Michelle Obama Addresses White House Rumors

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    FLOTUS at Fayetteville, N.C. -The Arts Center speech Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian

    There will not be another Obama in the White House any time soon…

    Despite rumors that former First Lady Michelle Obama is eyeing her own bid for the Presidency, her office is quashing those claims once and for all.

    “As former first Lady Michelle Obama has expressed several times over the years, she will not be running for president,” Crystal Carson, the director of communications for Obama’s office, said in a statement provided to ITK on Tuesday.

    Obama “supports President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ re-election campaign,” Carson said.

    The Hill has more:

    The statement rejecting any chance of Obama attempting a return to the White House as president, first reported by NBC News, comes after Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, publicly floated the evidence-free idea that the former first lady could replace Biden on the ballot in November.

    Commentators have also touted Obama as the “best chance” for Democrats to retain the White House in a potential matchup against former President Trump.

    However, despite the Left’s calls for Obama to consider running for public office, she has adamantly tamped down the speculation.

    In 2019, Obama said there was “zero chance” she would run for president.

    “There are so many ways to improve this country and build a better world, and I keep doing plenty of them, from working with young people to helping families lead healthier lives,” Obama, who founded the voter registration and engagement organization When We All Vote in 2018, said at the time.

    “But sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office will never be one of them. It’s just not for me,” she said.

    Report: FBI Searching For Iranian Spy Targeting Trump Admin. Officials

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    Jsg2020, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    The FBI Is currently searching for an Iranian intelligence operative who has been allegedly plotting to assassinate current and former U.S. government officials, especially those who served in the Trump administration.

    According to The Daily Wire, the Bureau’s Miami field office issued a public alert as it sought information on Majid Dastjani Farahani, who is suspected of being a member of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, Semafor reported. The FBI warned of Farahani, 42, in a Most Wanted notice on Friday, saying that he speaks Farsi, French, Spanish, and English and will often move between Iran and Venezuela.

    The Daily Wire has more:

    According to the FBI, Farahani was recruiting “individuals for various operations in the United States, to include lethal targeting of current and former United States Government officials” as part of a revenge operation for the U.S. taking out Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani in 2020 under Trump and Pompeo.

    Semafor reported that U.S. officials said Pompeo and former special envoy for Iran Brian Hook were given 24-hour security after the FBI warned of Farahani. In 2022, the Department of Justice indicted members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for an alleged plot to assassinate former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who also served under Trump.

    Farahani is also accused of recruiting people to run “surveillance activities focused on religious sites, businesses, and other facilities in the United States.”

    Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike ordered by Trump in January 2020. Shortly after Soleimani’s death, the top Iranian general and other officials vowed that Iran would get revenge on the U.S.

    Maine Sec. Of State Withdraws Trump Ballot Ban

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    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Hours after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously sided with Donald Trump, Maine’s Secretary of State withdrew her determination that former President Trump should be blocked from the state’s ballot under the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause.

    “The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that individual states lack authority to enforce Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment with respect to federal offices,” Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows wrote in a modified ruling, obtained by The Hill. “Consistent with my oath and obligation to follow the law and the Constitution, and pursuant to the Anderson decision, I hereby withdraw my determination that Mr. Trump’s primary petition is invalid.”

    “As a result of the modified ruling, votes cast for Mr. Trump in the March 5, 2024 Presidential Primary Election will be counted,” Bellows continued.

    In December, Maine became the second state to block Trump from its primary ballots.

    The decision made Bellows (D) the first state official to remove a presidential candidate via the 14th Amendment, as the Colorado decision was made by a court.

    “I do not reach this conclusion lightly. Democracy is sacred,” Bellows said at the time.

    “I am mindful that no Secretary of State has ever deprived a presidential candidate of ballot access based on Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment,” she wrote. “I am also mindful, however, that no presidential candidate has ever before engaged in insurrection.”

    Bellows wrote in a 34-page decision at the time that Trump “was aware of the tinder laid by his multi-month effort to delegitimize a democratic election, and then chose to light a match.”