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Trump Special Master Request Rescinded: Report

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Marine One lifts-off after returning President Donald J. Trump to Mar-a-Lago Friday, March 29, 2019, following his visit to the 143-mile Herbert Hoover Dike near Canal Point, Fla., that surrounds Lake Okeechobee. The visit was part of an infrastructure inspection of the dike, which is part of the Kissimmee-Okeechobee Everglades system, and reduces impacts of flooding for areas of south Florida. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian) [Photo Credit: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

The federal judge in Florida who initially granted former President Donald Trump’s special master request has dismissed his lawsuit, marking a sudden end to the monthslong chronicle since the FBI’s search of Trump’s residence.

Following the FBI’s unprecedented search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, the former president requested a third party to oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into the documents seized from the Florida estate.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, an appointee of the former president, affirmed an appeals court’s decision that she lacked jurisdiction to appoint a special master to oversee documents taken from his estate and lifted an injunction that blocked investigators from using them in a criminal investigation in the meantime.

By dismissing the lawsuit, titled Trump v. United States, all scheduled hearings over the dispute in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida are canceled, and all pending motions are “denied as moot,” according to a court order.

The Washington Examiner reports:

Earlier this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled that Cannon never had the jurisdiction to assign U.S. District Senior Judge Raymond Dearie, a semiretired jurist based in Brooklyn, to serve the role of the special master.

“We cannot write a rule that allows any subject of a search warrant to block government investigations after the execution of the warrant,” Judge William Pryor, an appointee of George W. Bush, wrote for a unanimous panel ruling. “Nor can we write a rule that allows only former presidents to do so. Either approach would be a radical reordering of our caselaw limiting the federal courts’ involvement in criminal investigations. And both would violate bedrock separation-of-powers limitations.”

Dearie had expected to complete his review by Friday. The 11th Circuit’s decision came less than two weeks after Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed special counsel Jack Smith to oversee the investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the unauthorized transfer of about 100 classified documents to Mar-a-Lago after he left the Oval Office.

This story is developing. Check back with Great America News Desk for the latest updates.

Michelle Obama Among Those who Pressured Twitter to Ban Trump: Report

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

The latest installment of the bombshell “Twitter files” reveals more details on how the platform planned and executed its infamous ban on the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump.

The latest file released by free speech advocate and Twitter CEO Elon Musk shows that high-profile Democrats like former first lady Michelle Obama pressured platform executives to ban the president from the social media platform.

“Now is the time for Silicon Valley companies to stop enabling this monstrous behavior—and go even further than they have already by permanently banning this man from their platforms and putting in place policies to prevent their technologies from being used by the nation’s leaders to fuel insurrection,” Obama wrote in a lengthy statement posted to Twitter on Jan. 7.

Journalist Michael Shellenberger released the fourth batch of documents that show internal communications by the company’s executives between Jan. 6-8, 2021, including and shortly after the riot at the Capitol Building, according to Fox News.

The files also showed Twitter maintained a policy — called “Public-interest exceptions” — where elected officials were not banned as there was a great public interest in their comments, even if they seemed to violate other policies.

While Trump’s temporary suspension was lifted, this second policy was specifically and intentionally ignored in Trump’s case, Shellenberger reported. Dorsey was also on vacation at the time of Trump’s ban.

“Dorsey was on vacation in French Polynesia the week of January 4-8, 2021,” Shellenberger reported. The chief executive delegated much of the responsibility to senior executives, including former Twitter Head of Trust and Safety Yoel Roth and former Head of Legal, Policy, & Trust Vijaya Gadde, who Shellenberger points out were “overwhelmingly progressive.”

“Twitter employees recognize the difference between their own politics & Twitter’s Terms of Service (TOS), but they also engage in complex interpretations of content in order to stamp out prohibited tweets,” Shellenberger also pointed out.

Amanda Head: Liberal Supreme Court Justice Is Obsessed With Race

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Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The U.S. Supreme Court is in a sorry state of affairs.

One liberal-leaning justice just can’t seem to shake this obsession with race… and the implications are dangerous for the country.

Watch Amanda break down the problem below:

Debunked: ‘Twitter Files’ Expose Plot to Suppress Conservatives

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    Photo via Pixabay images

    Conservative Twitter users have finally been vindicated.

    Thursday night, former New York Times columnist Bari Weiss released the second installment of the “Twitter files,” Elon Musk’s purging of Twitter’s private failures in hopes of rebuilding trust in the platforms.

    Throughout the Twitter thread, Weiss revealed how the platform previously sought to silence and suppress some conservative users and accounts by placing them on “blacklists” and flagging particular information.

    Images appeared to show that several of the accounts had been flagged with “Recent Abuse Strike” and that more basic information, such as when the accounts were “Twitter Blue Verified” or “High Profile,” had also been noted.

    Jay Bhattacharya, a health policy professor from Stanford University who opposed COVID-19 lockdowns, appeared to have been placed on a “Trends Blacklist,” as was the right-wing Libs of TikTok account, according to the photos.

    The account of conservative commentator Dan Bongino was placed on a “Search Blacklist,” while the photos showed Turning Point USA President Charlie Kirk had his account marked as “Do Not Amplify.”

    Weiss also noted that Twitter previously denied depressing particular accounts. In 2018, Twitter’s then-Head of Legal Policy and Trust, Vijaya Gadde, along with then-Head of Product, Kayvon Beykpour said, “We do not shadow ban.” They added: “And we certainly don’t shadow ban based on political viewpoints or ideology.”

    Thursday evening, Musk responded to users’ concerns and said he plans to release a new feature to combat “shadowban” concerns.

    “Twitter is working on a software update that will show your true account status, so you know clearly if you’ve been shadowbanned, the reason why and how to appeal,” Musk tweeted.

    “Most engineers don’t feel strongly about politics, but do want to work with other great engineers,” Musk added. “Silicon Valley has world’s best engineering talent, but is co-located with San Francisco, which is far left. Thus, far left gained control of an incredibly powerful info weapon.”

    Musk also responded to a question about whether “any political candidates — either in the US or elsewhere — [were] subject to shadowbanning while they were running for office or seeking re-election” by answering, “Yes.”

    Arizona Democrat Reaffirms Interest in Sinema Challenge

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    Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America

    Arizona Democrat Representative Ruben Gallego says that he’s seriously considering mounting a challenge against Senator Kyrsten Sinema after she announced she was leaving the Democrat Party.

    According to The Washington Examiner, Gallego isn’t deterred by the potential challenge of facing Sinema in the general election in a three-way race with a Republican. Despite the fact Sinema has not declared for reelection.

    However, Sinema’s decision to register as an independent frees herself from the burden of having to win renomination in a Democrat primary, a task that looked increasingly difficult.

    “Whether in the Marine Corps or in Congress, I have never backed down from fighting for Arizonans,” Gallego said in a statement issued Friday morning after Sinema revealed she was disaffiliating with the Democratic Party. “At a time when our nation needs leadership the most, Arizona deserves a voice that won’t back down in the face of the struggle.”

    “Unfortunately,” Gallego added, “Sen. Sinema is once again putting her own interests ahead of getting things done for Arizonans.”

    “Last month, the voters of Arizona made their voices heard loud and clear,” Gallego said in his statement. “They want people who put the people of Arizona first. We need senators who will put Arizonans ahead of big drug companies and Wall Street bankers.”

    “In a natural extension of my service since I was first elected to Congress, I have joined the growing numbers of Arizonans who reject party politics by declaring my independence from the broken partisan system in Washington and formally registering as an Arizona Independent.”

    Bernie Sanders Mulling 2024 Run if Biden Steps Aside

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    A top aide to Vermont Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders (I) says the senior lawmaker would “seriously” consider mounting a third presidential campaign if Joe Biden decides not to pursue a second term in the White House.

    Sanders, 81, ran for president as a Democrat in 2016 and 2020, losing the nomination to Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden respectively.

    “I assume that he would give it a hard look,” longtime Sanders adviser Faiz Shakir told CBS News on Thursday. “I don’t want to make the judgment for him. Obviously, it would be his choice to make. But I assume that he would want to reevaluate it.” 

    If Sanders to win the presidency in 2024, he would be 83 years old upon assuming office. Shakir said Sanders is “very aware that he’s older now, and he’d have to make a real judgment about his own vigor and his stamina and his desire and hunger and passion to do this a third time.”

    “But if it were an open field? Yeah, I’m confident he would take another look at it and say, ‘Do I want to do this or not?'” he added.  

    “Personally, I take President Biden at his word and our orbit takes him at his word that he’s taking it seriously and presume that he is leaning toward yes,” Shakir said. 

    However, some Democrats have noted their interest in pursing the office regardless if Biden seeks a second term, concerned he can’t defeat Trump a second time.

    Amanda Head: American Girl Doll Company Pushing Woke Agenda!

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    It’s like these businesses will never learn…go woke, go broke.

    The latest company to forge its way into the gender ideology Olympics is sadly the America Girl Doll Company…

    Watch Amanda break down the controversy below:

    Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.

    Trump Responds to Brittney Griner’s Release

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    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Former President Donald Trump reacted to news the U.S. has agreed to release Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, commonly known as “the merchant of death.”

    In a message published to TRUTh Social, Trump called the prisoner swap terms “unpatriotic,” noting U.S. Marine Paul Whelan still remains wrongfully detained.

    “What kind of a deal is it to swap Brittney Griner, a basketball player who openly hates our Country, for the man known as “The Merchant of Death,” who is one of the biggest arms dealers anywhere in the World, and responsible for tens of thousands of deaths and horrific injuries. Why wasn’t former Marine Paul Whelan included in this totally one-sided transaction? He would have been let out for the asking. What a “stupid” and unpatriotic embarrassment for the USA!!!!” Trump wrote.

    Deep Red State’s Latest Poll Reports Big Trouble for Trump’s 2024 Campaign

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    Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Is Donald Trump starting to feel a twinge of buyer’s remorse for announcing his 2024 campaign so early? The latest results from a poll based in deep-red Utah point to yes.

    Trump came in a distant third place in the Deseret News-Hinckley Institute of Politics‘ poll of possible GOP contenders for the 2024 presidential race. However, whats even more shocking than Trump’s No. 3 position is the fact that respondents were warmer toward outgoing Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).

    Florida Governor Ron DeSantis decisively led the poll in a hypothetical Republican presidential primary, at 24.2 percent, followed by Cheney with 16.4 percent. Trump came in third place with 14.6 percent, nearly 2 points below Cheney

    Trump was more popular than Cheney among self-identified Republicans, earning 21.1 percent to Cheney’s 10 percent, but DeSantis still emerged ahead in that group with 33.1 percent. 

    However, more Utah voters said they didn’t know which candidate they’d cast their ballot for (20.7 percent) than backed either Trump or Cheney. 

    The survey’s results are the latest sign Trump’s popularity among conservatives is fading. Last month, Trump officially announced his 2024 presidential campaign from his Mar-a-Lago resort but so far has received a tepid response from high-profile Republican lawmakers and donors who backed his previous presidential pursuits.

    Trump’s numerous legal hurdles coupled with his bombastic personality have been contributing factors to many Republicans opting to look elsewhere for a candidate to defeat Joe Biden in the next election. In many polls, DeSantis has been seen closing the national gap with the former president but so far he’s remained tight-lipped over any potential campaigns for the White House.

    Cheney, a harsh critic of the former President who lost her primary to a pro-Trump challenger, has floated a presidential campaign before. The outgoing Wyoming Congresswoman has told reporters before that she would do anything necessary to keep Trump out of the White House- including running against him.

    Biden Trades Russian Arms Dealer for Woke Female Basketball Player – Leaves Male US Marine to Rot

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    ANALYSIS – Can’t say this was unexpected. Joe Biden just traded a convicted Russian arms dealer for a guilty woke basketball player, while leaving an innocent former U.S. Marine to rot in Russian jail. 

    And to make matters worse, Brittney Griner, who pled guilty to having cannabis vape oil in her luggage, was only in Russian jail for a few months while Paul Whelan, who was set-up and falsely convicted of espionage, has been imprisoned in a Russian labor camp for nearly four years.

    Whelan, 52, remains there where he is to continue serving out a 16-year sentence.

    Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout had been serving time in a U.S. federal prison since 2011. 

    It is clear Biden is playing favorites.

    Biden called Griner’s wife earlier this year to assure her of his commitment to securing her release. But no similar call was made to the Whelan family, despite multiple requests from Elizabeth Whelan for a meeting with the president. 

    After news reports about the snub emerged, Biden finally called Elizabeth Whelan in early July.  

    Of course, from day one, the liberal media has been constantly bombarding us with Griner’s sob story in her Russian jail, keeping her issue front and center for maximum PR leverage, while leaving Whelan on the back burner, if at all.

    While we read every minor detail of Griner’s travails, and she was allowed regular access to the outside world, Whelan was held in a cell at the notorious Stalin-era Lefortovo Prison for over a year, where initially he was denied things like toilet paper and soap, and guards threatened, abused and harassed him.

    Whelan also wasn’t allowed to make calls to his parents, his mail was censored, and visits from his lawyers and embassy representatives were extremely limited.

    Recall that Griner, who is a black lesbian, also refused to stand for the national anthem.

    To the left she checks all the super woke boxes.

    Meanwhile, Biden blamed Russia for his failure to include Whelan in the trade.

    “We’ve not forgotten about Paul Whelan,” Biden said Thursday morning. “This was not a choice about which American to bring home. … Sadly, for totally illegitimate reasons, Russia is treating Paul’s case differently than Brittney’s. … We will never give up.”

    Well, that’s patently false. 

    It doesn’t matter what the Russians say or want. It’s Biden’s job to make things happen. It should have been both released for Bout, or no deal. 

    Especially when one who is young and healthy, and had been arrested for drugs, had only been in jail for a few months, and the other one who was falsely accused, is over 50 and been in a labor camp for 4 years.

    However, being gracious, and perhaps in a bid to not alienate Biden, Whelan’s twin brother David Whelan, said Thursday:

    I am so glad that Brittney Griner is on her way home. As the family member of a Russian hostage, I can literally only imagine the joy she will have, being reunited with her loved ones, and in time for the holidays. There is no greater success than for a wrongful detainee to be freed and for them to go home. The Biden administration made the right decision to bring Ms. Griner home, and to make the deal that was possible, rather than waiting for one that wasn’t going to happen.

    But as the Detroit Free Press reports, this wasn’t the message the Whelan’s were sending a few months ago when the U.S. negotiated the release of Trevor Reed, another American wrongfully detained in Russia, in exchange for Russian drug trafficker Konstantin Yaroshenko

    At the time, Whelan’s brother David asked: “Is President (Joe) Biden’s failure to bring Paul home an admission that some cases are too hard to solve? Is the administration’s piecemeal approach picking low-hanging fruit? And how does a family know that their loved one’s case is too difficult, a hostage too far out of reach?”

    That last message is the more correct one. Biden clearly favored Griner to please his leftist base, while abandoning Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, to rot in A Russian jail. GAND

    Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.