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DOJ Moves To Toss Charges Against Former Republican Lawmaker

By
Madeleine Jackson
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1
Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday moved to toss out charges against former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.), who resigned from Congress in 2022.

The request to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning the same charges can’t be brought again, comes as President Trump’s Justice Department has moved to end criminal prosecutions of his political allies, including those who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack and Trump’s co-defendants in his federal classified documents case.

On his Truth Social platform, Trump celebrated the end of the DOJ’s “witch hunt” against Fortenberry and claimed he was the victim of a weaponized justice system.

“The charges were totally baseless,” Trump said. “That Scam is now over, so Jeff and his family can go back to having a great life together, and be a part of our Country’s future as we MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. I am very proud of our Department of Justice, something I have not been able to say for many years!”

A jury in Los Angeles previously convicted him in 2022 following a federal investigation, but a federal appeals court overturned the case in late 2023. (RELATED: Appeals Court Overturns Ex-Congressman’s Conviction For Lying To FBI)

The charges centered on statements Fortenberry gave to authorities as they investigated the $30,200 donation to the former congressman’s campaign at a 2016 fundraising event in California from Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian businessperson.

Federal election law prohibits foreign nationals from making contributions in support of any candidate for a federal elected office in the U.S.

That conviction was overturned by a federal appeals court in 2023, after it determined Fortenberry should have faced trial in Nebraska or Washington, D.C., instead.

Federal prosecutors brought the case again in Washington in May, and Fortenberry was awaiting a new trial when Trump won the presidential race.

European Parliament Member Nominates Elon Musk for Nobel Prize

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    UK Government, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    A European Parliament member from Slovenia says he nominated tech giant Elon Musk for a Nobel Peace Prize for his free speech advocacy.

    “The proposal that Mr. Elon Musk, for his consistent support for the fundamental human right of freedom of speech and thus for peace, receives the Nobel Peace Prize 2025, was successfully submitted today,” Branko Grims wrote in a Thursday post on X.

    “Sincere thanks to all the co-proposers and everyone who helped with this challenging project!” added Grims.

    Grims is a longtime figure in Slovenian politics who has suggested “remigration” to remove immigrants from Europe.

    Alongside his statement Thursday, Grims shared an email from the Norwegian Nobel Institute showing the nomination was successfully submitted.

    Grims in December argued Musk deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for advancing “free speech.”

    “I propose that Elon Musk receives the Nobel Peace Prize for the next year because he did much more for the freedom of speech, which is a basic human right, much more than anybody else in the third millennium,” the European Parliament member told Brussels Signal News. 

    He added that Musk’s takeover of Twitter, which he rebranded as X, was “the best of what [could have] happened for Western civilization in the last few years.”

    The Tesla CEO was nominated for the prize last year by Norwegian libertarian MP Marius Nilsen.

    President Trump has also been nominated for the prize.

    Republican lawmaker Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize last year, citing the brokerage of the Abraham Accords. 

    And Trump said in February 2019 that the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also nominated him for the prize.

    Trump, Meta Settle Lawsuit Over Social Media Ban

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    Image via Pixabay free images

    Donald Trump has officially settled his lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta platforms.

    Earlier on Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed an agreement requiring Meta Platforms to pay $25 million to settle a lawsuit he brought after his social media accounts were suspended in 2021.

    The settlement resolves a 4-year-long court battle over free speech and social media censorship, with Meta suspending Trump following his remarks on the January 6 Capitol riot.

    According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, settlement negotiations reportedly became more serious after Mark Zuckerberg dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in November following Trump’s election victory.

    Of the settlement, $22 million will go toward the president’s library, with the remainder designated for legal fees and other plaintiffs.

    This settlement follows efforts by tech companies previously hostile to Trump to get into his good graces, with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Apple CEO Tim Cook, in addition to Zuckerberg, each donating $1 million respectively, to the inauguration.

    Alongside Meta, Trump sued other major platforms, including Twitter and YouTube, over his suspensions, arguing that the companies had wrongfully violated his right to share political speech.

    Although Trump’s Facebook and Instagram access was eventually restored, his attorneys argued that an atmosphere of uncertainty continued for him online.

    Zuckerberg, for his part, had previously explained that Meta saw security concerns in allowing continued engagement by high-profile figures who contested election results.

    Reflecting on the 2021 suspensions, he said the potential risks posed amid that tumultuous period were “simply too great.”

    While the lawsuit with Meta has now been settled, the broader debate over what boundaries, if any, private businesses can set for political speech shows few signs of fading.

    Trump Appoints Acting FAA Commissioner

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1

    On Thursday, President Donald Trump appointed Christopher Rocheleau as acting commissioner of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after a passenger plane and an Army helicopter collided midair near Washington, DC Wednesday evening.

    “I’m also immediately appointing an acting commissioner to the FAA, Christopher Rocheleau. A 22-year veteran of the agency, highly respected. Christopher, thank you very much, appreciate it,” Trump told reporters in the White House briefing room.

    Rocheleau, who is serving as deputy administrator, was in the room for the announcement. Trump had just thanked Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who was just sworn into his post Tuesday, for his work after the crash so far.

    “We only have the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system,” the president said.

    Trump went on to blame the Biden administration for aviation issues, citing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and blaming former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

    “Do you know how badly everything’s run since he’s run the department of Transportation?” Trump said.

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

    CNN Pundit Blames Trump For Tragic DC Aircraft Crash – Quickly Regrets It

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    7
    Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers deleted a post blaming President Donald Trump for the deadly airplane-helicopter collision near the Potomac and quickly apologized

    The nation was stunned when an American Airlines flight with over 60 people aboard collided with a BlackHawk Army Helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport at 8:48 pm Wednesday night.

    On social media, some posted tweets suggesting President Trump could be to blame by referencing recent White House announcements. In one post, Sellers posted a screenshot of a recent press release entitled “Trump’s Dangerous Freeze of Air Traffic Control Hiring” and captioned it “8 days ago.”

    Sellers deleted the post and apologized for the timing of his observation, writing:

    I deleted the post because timing matters. Politics at this point does not. I fucked up, I own that. I am very prayerful but I’m also very frustrated upset and disturbed with where we are as a country. I recognize, and I will do better.

    The only thing that matters is rescuing the survivors, and ensuring this never happens again.

    No survivors have been found or expected, authorities said Thursday at an early-morning press conference, after a late-night midair crash between a passenger plane and Army helicopter near Washington, D.C.

    Authorities have moved to recovery efforts in the crash, which President Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy both said they believed was preventable.

    Shortly after the crash, President Trump write on X that the strategy looked “preventable.”

    The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!

    The flight, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, was en route from Wichita, Kan., to Washington, D.C. It collided with an Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter out of Fort Belvoir, Va.

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Pentagon and the US Army have launched an investigation into the catastrophic midair collision

    Hegseth confirmed the probe in a statement on X, emphasizing that the investigation was “launched immediately.”

    He called the incident “absolutely tragic” and noted that search and rescue efforts were still ongoing. “Prayers for all impacted souls, and their families,” he added.

    American Airlines CEO Robert Isom expressed “deep sorrow” about the crash in a statement.

    Isom, in a video statement, said the aircraft was operated by PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines.

    “First and most importantly, I’d like to express our deep sorrow about these events,” Isom said. “This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones.”

    Isom noted that the company was working with local, state and federal authorities to assess the crash and respond to the situation.

    “We’re cooperating fully with the National Transportation Safety Board and its investigation and will continue to provide all the information we can,” he said.

    The airline chief added that the company wants to learn everything it can about the crash but acknowledged that it “will take time.”

    Members of American Airlines’ “Go team” are being deployed to aid the situation.

    “I know that there are many questions in this early stage I just won’t be able to answer many, but we’ll provide additional information as it comes,” Isom added.

    Trump To Sign Order To Prepare Guantanamo Bay For 30K Prisoners

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    President Donald J. Trump participates in a roundtable discussion on immigration and border security at the U.S. Border Patrol Calexico Station Friday, April 5, 2019, in Calexico, Calif. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

    President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he would sign an executive order for the Pentagon to prepare Guantanamo Bay to detain 30,000 “criminal illegal aliens.”

    David B. Gleason from Chicago, IL, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    “Today I’m also signing an executive order to instruct the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to begin preparing the 30,000 person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay,” Trump said. “Most people don’t even know about it.”

    He said they need 30,000 beds to house the detainees, adding that putting them there will ensure they do not come back.

    “It’s a tough place to get out of,” Trump added.

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

    White House Budget Office Rescinds Federal Funding Freeze

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    4
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Just in…

    The Trump’s administration’s Office of Management and Budget released a memo Wednesday rescinding a controversial order that froze a wide swath of federal financial assistance, which had paralyzed many federal programs and caused a huge uproar on Capitol Hill.

    The decision came amid strong behind-the-scenes pushback from Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill, according to a GOP senator who was apprised of the decision to reverse the policy order.

    The reversal was signed by Matthew Vaeth, the acting director of the White House budget office.

    The order, issued Monday evening from Matthew Vaeth, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, sent shockwaves across the country and drew outrage from politicians

    The funding freeze was originally scheduled to kick in at 5:00 pm ET on Tuesday and expected to remain in place through at least mid-February, The New York Times reported. Vaeth’s memo ordered that all federal agencies “must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal.”

    The memo swiftly drew a legal challenge filed by several nonprofit groups, arguing that it violated both the First Amendment and federal law on how executive orders can be implemented, and the plaintiffs secured an emergency hearing that took place just minutes before the funding freeze was set to go into effect.

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

    Trump Appeals Hush Money Criminal Conviction 

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    President Trump appealed his New York hush money criminal conviction and has brought on a new team of attorneys to represent him. 

    The five-attorney team from elite law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, which will be led by Robert Giuffra, submitted a notice of appeal dated Tuesday, formally beginning the appeals process in Trump’s 34-count felony conviction. 

    “President Donald J. Trump’s appeal is important for the rule of law, New York’s reputation as a global business, financial and legal center, as well as for the presidency and all public officials,” Guiffra said in a statement.  

    “The misuse of the criminal law by the Manhattan DA to target President Trump sets a dangerous precedent, and we look forward to the case being dismissed on appeal,” he continued. 

    The team will be rounded ou by attorneys Matthew Schwartz, James McDonald, Jeffrey Wall and Morgan Ratner. All of whom are former Supreme Court clerks. 

    The team will replace Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, Trump’s mainstay trial attorneys who are now set to serve in the No. 2 and No. 3 top posts at the Justice Department, respectively, if confirmed by the Senate. Bove is serving as acting deputy attorney general in the meantime. 

    A New York jury found Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records for covering up a $130,000 hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016 as part of an intended conspiracy to unlawfully influence that year’s presidential election. 

    Trump’s felonies remain on his record, and his legal team has sought to dismiss the case entirely. 

    According to The Hill, the top-notch legal team will next bring their efforts to the Appellate Division, First Department. The court previously rejected Trump’s various pre-trial appeals, but his sentencing now enables the appeals bench to confront the historic case in normal course. 

    It remains unclear if the appeal will proceed while Trump is in the White House. Legal experts largely agree a sitting president is protected from criminal prosecution. 

    Federal prosecutors in Florida moved to dismiss the appeal in the Mar-a-Lago prosecution, pushing to bring an end to the Trump classified documents case.

    The motion, which comes after the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the state assigned a new prosecutor to the case, still needs to be approved by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

    But doing so signals an end to an appeal ignited by former special counsel Jack Smith, as he fought a lower court ruling from Judge Aileen Cannon finding he was unlawfully appointed.

    The move is more broadly set to unwind charges against President Trump’s two co-defendants in the case, who the Biden administration still wished to prosecute if Cannon’s order was reversed.

    The motion noted that valet Walt Nauta and property manager Carlos de Oliveira, who were accused of aiding Trump in concealing boxes of documents from prosecutors and his own attorney, did not oppose the move.

    By moving to dismiss the appeal with prejudice, prosecutors would be barred from relaunching any similar efforts in the future.

    Billionaire Threatens To Primary Lawmakers Who Vote Against RFK Jr. Confirmation

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    3
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    The fight is on…

    Billionaire Nicole Shanahan, who was the running mate of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., threatened to primary senators who vote against his nomination as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

    With Kennedy’s confirmation hearing set to begin on Wednesday morning, Shanahan wrote on X on Tuesday, where she posted a video warning senators not to oppose his nomination.

    “He is more than qualified,” Shanahan said. “He’s proven, principled, and prepared to lead. I’ll list I’ll share a list below of key senators. If they represent your state, they need to hear from you. If they don’t, please call your own senator and ask them to vote yes.”

    She then addressed several senators whose votes she said she would monitor.

    “The two candidates I helped elect, Senator Raphael Warnock and Senator Jon Ossoff, please know I will be watching your votes very closely,” Shanahan added. “I will make it my personal mission that you lose your seats in the Senate if you vote against the future health of America’s children.”

    Shanahan listed more senators, including “Lisa Markovsky” a clear nod to Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski also voted “no” on Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon.

    “And more than that, I also want to say to Senators Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Lisa Markovsky, Susan Collins, Bill Cassidy, Thom Tillis, James Lankford, Cory Booker, John Fetterman, Bernie Sanders, and Catherine Cortez Masto,” she said. “This is a bipartisan message and it comes directly from me. While Bobby may be willing to play nice. I won’t. If you vote against him, I will personally fund challengers to primary you in your next election, and I will enlist hundreds of thousands to join me.”

    Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has reservations and made it clear she’s hesitant about supporting RFK Jr. for the role/

    “Well I’m certainly concerned about it. I know others have other, other points of concerns that they want to drill down on and try to get some commitments, public commitments, from him on,” the senator said. “But vaccines are important.”

    Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump’s Order Pausing Federal Aid Funding

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s effort to freeze all federal aid funding.

    The order, issued Monday evening from Matthew Vaeth, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, sent shockwaves across the country and drew outrage from politicians

    The funding freeze was originally scheduled to kick in at 5:00 pm ET on Tuesday and expected to remain in place through at least mid-February, The New York Times reported. Vaeth’s memo ordered that all federal agencies “must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal.”

    The memo swiftly drew a legal challenge filed by several nonprofit groups, arguing that it violated both the First Amendment and federal law on how executive orders can be implemented, and the plaintiffs secured an emergency hearing that took place just minutes before the funding freeze was set to go into effect.

    US District Judge Loren L. AliKhan issued a ruling imposing a temporary hold, saying it would be “a way of preserving the status quo” and give the court time to consider the challenge more fully and issue a permanent ruling by Feb. 3.

    This administrative stay was “really for the court’s benefit,” said the judge. “It’s really for the court to have full briefing” and properly consider the arguments from the plaintiffs and the Trump administration.

    The funding that appeared to be affected by the memo involved “programs that affect people’s lives,” said CNN reporter JeffZeleny, including Head Start, Meals on Wheels, and various Medicaid programs. The White House had insisted there would be no pause on spending that affected people directly, but there was still “so much confusion,” he added, and multiple states reported their Medicaid website portals — the way people get Medicaid reimbursements — were “simply not working.”

    This order paused the funding freeze until next Monday, Feb. 3, Zeleny concluded, “and then there will be more court cases to come, obviously. But it is just the latest example of the president and the Trump administration’s exertion of their executive authority.”

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