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Congressman Pushes Trump To Drop Out Of Race After Debate

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One of the harshest responses yet…

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) suggested former President Donald Trump should consider dropping out of the presidential race following his performance in Tuesday night’s debate.

Moskowitz issued a statement on Wednesday titled, “Trump’s ability to continue campaign,” and it echoed sentiment aimed at President Biden following his clash with Trump earlier this year.

“If we are being honest, last night’s debate performance by former President Donald Trump was disastrous and hard to watch,” Moskowitz said.

“I believe now is the time for the former President to have those difficult conversations about whether or not he should continue serving as the Republican Party’s nominee for President,” he continued. “For now, I want to give him the space to meet with his family and make that decision.”

Polls from the debate show most viewers believe Harris came out on top. A CNN poll of debate watchers had 63% saying Harris won by the end of their 90-minute contest, compared to 37% for Trump.

However, Trump’s performance has not set off the widespread shock and concern among Republicans that surged through the Democrat Party following Biden’s debate performance in July. That concern ultimately forced Biden out of the race, endorsing Harris instead.

Contacted regarding Moskowitz’ statement on Wednesday, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung replied, “Moskowitz is a f—ing moron,” according to The Hill.

Fox News has extended a formal invitation to both the Trump and Harris campaigns for a second debate next month.

New York Court Rejects Trump Gag Order Appeal

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Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

On Thursday, New York’s high court tossed out former President Trump’s appeal of the gag order in his hush money criminal case. 

In a brief order, the court said “no substantial constitutional question is directly involved” and that it would decline to hear Trump’s appeal. 

The gag order, which remains in partial effect ahead of Trump’s sentencing, bars the former president from making public remarks about prosecutors or their families, but has a carveout allowing remarks about Judge Juan Merchan and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D). 

The former president has argued the gag order violates his First Amendment rights.

Trump asked the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, to hear his challenge after his arguments were rejected by lower courts.

The gag order once prevented Trump from attacking key witnesses — such as his ex-fixer, Michael Cohen, and porn actor Stormy Daniels — and jurors, but the judge partially lifted the order after the trial’s conclusion.  

In May, Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment Cohen made to Daniels.

This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.

CNN Star Don Lemon Facing Fierce Backlash Over Reaction To Melania Trump

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    Don Lemon via Wikimedia Commons

    Don Lemon is facing viral criticism after posting a TikTok video mocking former First Lady Melania Trump‘s emotional account of the July 13 assassination attempt on her husband, Donald Trump. While Lemon, a former CNN anchor, remained silent in the video, his exaggerated body language – including eye-rolling, head shaking and sighing – appeared to convey ridicule and contempt.

    Melania Trump’s video, posted Wednesday on X, described the “horrible, distressing experience” of the attempt, during which a bullet grazed Donald Trump’s ear. The shooter’s subsequent gunfire killed one rallygoer and critically injured two others. In her statement, Melania expressed concern, questioning law enforcement’s actions: “I can’t help but wonder, why didn’t law enforcement officials arrest the shooter before the speech.”

    Lemon has since deleted the TikTok post, but it continues to spark reactions online.

    On Tuesday, Fox News reported that Michael Plati, assistant director of the Secret Service’s Office of Protective Operations, was strongly encouraged to retire following the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. According to United States Secret Service (USSS) Acting Director Ronald Rowe, Plati was asked to step down by senior leadership and is expected to do so in the coming days.

    Counter-sniper element at Trump Rally during attempted assassination event. Image = a screen grab of video on social media.

    The announcement of Plati’s resignation follows the July 23 departure of USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle, who resigned under mounting pressure in the wake of the assassination attempt on Trump. In light of these developments, the Department of Defense has stepped in to offer additional assistance to the Secret Service in protecting political figures requiring heightened security.

    Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.

    Bush-Era Attorney General Endorses Harris

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    Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    A surprising betrayal…

    Former Attorney General to President George W. Bush, Alberto Gonzales is turning his back on Donald Trump.

    In the same op-ed, Gonzales called former President Donald Trump “perhaps the most serious threat to the rule of law in a generation.” Gonzales wrote:

    The American presidency is the most powerful position in the world. Of course, our constitution and laws, as well as institutions such as Congress and our courts, act as guardrails to that power. The law provides the certainty of accountability and fundamental fairness. Yet it is the president’s integrity, honesty and respect for our institutions that may be the most important and reliable check on abuses of power.

    As the United States approaches a critical election, I can’t sit quietly as Donald Trump — perhaps the most serious threat to the rule of law in a generation — eyes a return to the White House. For that reason, though I’m a Republican, I’ve decided to support Kamala Harris for president.

    The Republican AG also officially endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president.

    In his endorsement, Gonzales defended her from critics who have raised concerns as to why she hasn’t accomplished more as Vice President, pointing the finger at Congress:

    Trump and his surrogates will blame her for the economic policies of the Biden administration, as well as the border crisis. Based on my experience, however, a vice president truly has little to no influence on economic policy. A vice president may provide input, but it is the president who is the ultimate decision-maker. That is part of the job of being the president. Further, Congress has as much, if not more, power to affect our economy through legislation. It is as much their failure as Biden’s that child care, housing, gasoline and groceries cost too much. And as for the border, Trump and his supporters in Congress assumed partial responsibility for the tough border situation when they killed bipartisan legislation in order to help Trump’s election chances.

    Ultimately, Gonzales wrote that he had more faith in Harris to carry out the duties as Commander in Chief:

    Harris, meanwhile, has sworn fidelity to the rule of law as a former local prosecutor and state attorney general. Her record in law enforcement shows a clear commitment to pursuing justice. While I may disagree with some of her policies, I am hopeful she will be open to dissenting views and will act always in a manner respectful of the power of all three branches of government.

    In his closing, he added that Harris was “the best suited, able and committed to unite us in a manner consistent with the rule of law.”

    President Biden Briefly Wears ‘Trump 2024’ Hat During 9/11 Memorial Event

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      President Joe Biden briefly sported a Donald Trump 2024 hat while visiting a Shanksville, Pa., fire station in what the White House said was a show of unity on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

      “At the Shanksville Fire Station, @POTUS spoke about the country’s bipartisan unity after 9/11 and said we needed to get back to that,” White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates posted on X. “As a gesture, he gave a hat to a Trump supporter who then said that in the same spirit, POTUS should put on his Trump cap. He briefly wore it.”

      Biden put on the hat during a meeting with community members that was closed to the press. A photo of the moment quickly went viral among Republicans, including some who used it to attack Biden’s mental sharpness and his support for Vice President Harris.

      “BREAKING: Kamala did so bad in last night’s debate, Joe Biden just put on a Trump hat,” the Trump campaign’s rapid reaction team posted on X.

      “Thanks for the support, Joe!” the campaign added in a separate post.

      “What’s Happening?” senior Trump campaign adviser Chris LaCivita posted on X.

      Biden, Harris, Trump, and GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) all attended a Sept. 11 memorial event in New York City on Wednesday morning. Trump and Harris were seen shaking hands hours after their televised debate in Philadelphia.

      Biden ended his reelection bid in late July and has since been replaced by Vice President Harris, who is locked in a neck-and-neck campaign with Trump.

      Trump Proposes Punishment For ABC After Debate

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      Gage Skidmore Flickr

      Trump wants answers…

      Former President Trump is suggesting ABC News be punished for what he is calling a “hostile performance” by the network’s debate moderators on Tuesday evening.

      “ABC took a big hit last night,” Trump said Wednesday morning during an appearance on “Fox and Friends.”

      “I mean, to be honest, they’re a news organization. They have to be licensed to do it. They ought to take away their license for the way they did that.”

      Watch:

      The Federal Communications Commission does not license major broadcast networks such as ABC, but does license some local stations.

      After Tuesday’s debate, which pundits on both sides say went unexpectedly poorly for Trump, the former president argued the event was “three on one,” and has not accepted Harris’s challenge to meet for a second event.

      Republican Governor Crowns Kamala The Winner Of ABC Debate

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      Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

      New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) called Vice President Kamala Harris the clear winner of Tuesday night’s presidential debate.

      “Oh, Kamala definitely won the debate,” Sununu said during a Wednesday morning appearance on CNN. “There’s no question about that. So the question is, what does it mean, right? And it’s not just, what does it mean to everybody? What’s going to do that 10 percent of swing voters?” 

      “I think if you poll those swing voters, they want results,” he said. “They’re results-driven. It’s the cost of living, it’s the border, it’s public safety, those types of issues, you can be the change agent to make that better in their lives.” 

      The outgoing New Hampshire governor, who considered a presidential run of his own, praised Harris’s debate strategy Tuesday night.

      “She kind of talked confidence in her answers, and then she took the last 30 seconds of almost every question and hit him with a personal attack, knowing that that would get under his skin,” Sununu said. “It was a very effective measure, and I give her a lot of credit on that. It kept him on the defensive, to be sure, and it’s ultimately, definitely, stylistically, why she openly won the debate.” 

      Sununu said the debate would move the needle “a little bit,” but argued neither candidate explained to voters how they would help lower costs for average Americans. The GOP governor added Trump failed to take advantage of openings to go on the offense over the economy.

      “He should have talked about price controls,” Sununu said. “He should have talked about the cost of living more. I think he went like an hour, not even talking about inflation and those are real issues.” 

      Sununu said the ex-president should also draw a bigger contrast on foreign policy with Harris, saying on CNN there “was clearly more peace when”  he was in office. 

      “That is a strength that he has, that he has not exploited in this campaign,” he said. “There is chaos in Ukraine, chaos in Israel. You know, there’s a lot of pressure going on in Taiwan. Let’s not forget about that. Let’s not forget about Afghanistan.”

      Fox News Panel Drops Surprising Reaction To Trump-Kamala Debate

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      A Fox News voter panel expressed shock and dismay at former President Trump’s apparent “lack of strategy” during Tuesday night’s debate, calling the event a win for Team Kamala.

      During a vote conducted by the Fox News Digital focus group, a majority of voters—12 out of 17—believed Harris came out on top. The panel, which included Democrats, Independents, and Republicans, largely criticized Trump for his inability to adapt to a new political opponent.

      One participant said: “Trump was so bad, he’s just like an old suit from like 1987 right now. He just repeats himself.”

      Another added: “He is still in his head basically trying to run against Joe Biden,” said one voter. Several others echoed this sentiment, accusing Trump of rehashing old lines from past campaigns.

      Despite this, the focus group wasn’t entirely enthusiastic about Harris. While many felt she handled the debate well, a few pointed out that she failed to provide specifics when pressed on critical issues.

      “She knows how to pull at your heartstrings… but she wasn’t very specific when asked certain things,” one voter noted.

      Currently, Tuesday’s debate is the only presidential debate scheduled between the two rivals. However, after the ABC debate, Kamala reportedly proposed a second debate in the near future.

      “The American people got to see the choice they will face this fall at the ballot box: between moving forward with Kamala Harris, or going backwards with Trump,” Jen O’Malley, the chairwoman of Harris’ campaign, said in a statement.

      “That’s what they saw tonight and what they should see at a second debate in October,” she added. “Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?”

      On Fox News, which was reporting live from the debate venue in Philadelphia after the event concluded, Trump said Harris wanted a second debate “because she lost.” Pressed by host Sean Hannity whether he would agree to another match, Trump said he might be inclined to do it “if it was on a fair network.”

      Trump previously floated three debates against Harris, including the one held by ABC on Tuesday, as well as one held by Fox News on September 4 and another held by NBC News on September 25. The proposed Fox News date was later used for a town hall featuring Trump and Hannity.

      Leonard Leo Pledges $1 Billion To Combat ‘Liberal Dominance’ In Corporate America, Media

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      Image via Pixabay free images

      Leonard Leo, a billionaire activist often credited as the architect of the conservative supermajority on the U.S. Supreme Court, has announced a $1 billion investment aimed at countering what he calls “liberal dominance” in corporate America, the media and entertainment sectors.

      In a rare interview with the Financial Times, Leo detailed his plans through his nonprofit group, the Marble Freedom Trust, which will focus its resources on the private sector. “We need to crush liberal dominance where it’s most insidious,” Leo said, explaining that the initiative will build talent and capital pipelines in industries where he believes left-wing extremism is most pervasive.

      Leo also emphasized targeting companies and financial institutions that he claims are influenced by “woke” ideology. “Expect us to increase support for organizations that call out companies and financial institutions that bend to the woke mind virus spread by regulators and NGOs,” he said, vowing that these entities would face consequences for prioritizing “extreme left-wing ideology” over consumers:

      Leo has spent more than two decades at the influential Federalist Society, guiding conservative judges into the federal courts and the Supreme Court itself. In 2018, conservative justice Clarence Thomas joked that Leo was the third most important person in the world.

      Leo’s efforts culminated under Trump’s presidency, when three Federalist Society-backed judges were appointed to give conservatives on the Supreme Court a 6-3 supermajority, and profound influence over US law. The court has since then ruled to overturn the right to an abortion, among other long-sought rightwing causes.

      In 2020, after Trump lost the election, Leo stepped back from running the daily operations of the Federalist Society, while remaining its co-chair.

      The following year, Leo founded Marble, with a $1.6bn donation from electronic device manufacturing mogul Barre Seid, to be a counterweight to what he said was “dark money” of the left. He spent about $600mn in its first three years, according to public financial disclosures.

      During the interview, Leo identified several potential targets for his campaign, including banks, China-friendly corporations and companies that have institutionalized diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) frameworks, as well as those adhering to environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing principles.

      He added that his goal is to find “very leveraged, impactful ways of reintroducing limited constitutional government and a civil society premised on freedom, personal responsibility and the virtues of Western civilization.”

      Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.

      Trump Urges GOP To Block Government Funding Without ‘Election Security’ Assurances

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      Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

      On Tuesday, former President Donald Trump weighed in on the ongoing debate to avert a partial government shutdown by urging House Republicans not to fund the government without guarantees on election security. Posting to his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump warned the GOP against passing a continuing resolution (CR) without addressing concerns about voter integrity.

      “If Republicans in the House, and Senate, don’t get absolute assurances on Election Security, THEY SHOULD, IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, GO FORWARD WITH A CONTINUING RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET,” Trump wrote. He accused Democrats of attempting to “stuff voter registrations with illegal aliens” and called on the GOP to “close it down.”

      The deadline to pass a funding bill is Sept. 30, and without an agreement, the government will shut down on Oct. 1.

      When a CR isn’t passed, causing a partial government shutdown, various federal government operations are either halted or slowed. Here’s a breakdown of the key benefits and services that may be affected:

      Federal Employee Pay:

      Furloughs: Many federal employees are furloughed, meaning they are sent home without pay until the shutdown is resolved. They typically receive back pay afterward, but there may be delays.

      Essential Employees: Some essential employees, such as those working in national security or public safety, are required to work but may not receive paychecks until the shutdown ends.

      Social Security and Medicare:

      Continues: Social Security checks and Medicare benefits typically continue during a shutdown, as these programs are considered mandatory spending.

      Delays Possible: Administrative processes, such as enrolling in these programs or handling specific claims or queries, may slow down.

      Veterans’ Benefits:

      Mostly Unaffected: Veterans’ benefits, like pensions and disability payments, often continue, as these are also considered mandatory spending.

      Services Delayed: Administrative functions at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), like processing claims or appeals, might face delays.

      Unemployment Insurance:

      Continues: Federally-funded unemployment benefits can continue, but there may be delays in processing if staffing is reduced.

      Food Assistance (SNAP and WIC):

      SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program): Benefits often continue for a limited period during a shutdown, as the program has reserve funds. However, if the shutdown is prolonged, these benefits could be at risk.

      WIC (Women, Infants, and Children): WIC benefits might face more immediate disruptions, as funding can run out sooner in a shutdown.

      Housing Assistance:

      At Risk: HUD (Housing and Urban Development) programs, including public housing subsidies and rental assistance (Section 8), might be delayed, leading to financial strain for low-income families and landlords.

      National Parks and Museums:

      Closed: National parks, museums, and other federally funded cultural sites often close, affecting tourism and local economies reliant on park traffic.

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      Tax Refunds and IRS Operations:

      Delayed: While the IRS continues essential functions, tax refunds may be delayed if the agency is operating with reduced staff.

      Small Business Loans:

      Suspended: The Small Business Administration (SBA) may halt processing loans for small businesses, affecting entrepreneurs seeking federal assistance.

      Education Programs:

      Disruptions Possible: Federal education programs, including grants and work-study programs, could experience delays. If the shutdown is prolonged, funding for school lunch programs could be impacted.

      Travel and Border Security:

      Continues with Delays: TSA and Customs and Border Protection agents remain at work, but with reduced staff, airport security lines and border services might be slower.

      While some essential services continue during a partial shutdown, nonessential services face delays, and prolonged shutdowns can have wider-reaching effects on both individuals and the economy.

      With the 2024 election rapidly approaching and the controversy surrounding government shutdowns, do you think Donald Trump weighing in on the current debate is a smart move to rally his base, or an unforced error that could backfire given the timing? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

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

      Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.