Political Headlines
Jurors hear secret recording of Trump and Michael Cohen allegedly discussing hush money payment
DrPixel/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Jurors in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial on Thursday were played a recording found on Michael Cohen's phone, in which the two appeared to be discussing the alleged plan to pay off a former Playboy model who claimed to have had an extramarital affair with Trump.The conversation, which took place on the morning of Sept. 6, 2016, was played Thursday as part of the testimony by expert witness Douglas Daus, who handles the processing of electronic devices for the Manhattan district attorney's office.Cohen, Trump's former attorney, secretly recorded the conversation, which lasts about two minutes, during which he and Trump seem to discuss making a $150,000 payment to Karen McDougal to keep her quiet ... Read More
Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, wife indicted on charges of bribes tied to Azerbaijan
Kevin Dietsch / Staff/Getty Images(TEXAS) -- Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife were indicted Friday on charges of conspiracy and accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes from foreign entities, the Justice Department announced.Prosecutors allege Cuellar and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, began accepting the roughly $600,000 in bribes beginning as early as December of 2014 from an oil and gas company owned by Azerbaijan's government as well as a bank headquartered in Mexico City.While Cuellar's wife allegedly propped up sham front companies on the promise of providing consulting services to the two companies in order to launder the payments, she "performed little to no legitimate work under the contracts" all while Rep. Cuellar was promising to use his office for ... Read More
Columbia under investigation amid allegations of anti-Palestinian discrimination
WABC(NEW YORK) -- Columbia University is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education following allegations of discriminatory treatment of Palestinian students and their supporters.Palestine Legal, an advocacy group centered on Palestinian Rights, filed a civil rights complaint on behalf of four students and the student group Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine with the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR).Columbia University declined to comment on the pending investigation. Columbia University is one of eight schools that the DOE has opened an investigation into over alleged Title VI violations concerning shared ancestry discrimination since April 22, as protests nationwide escalated. This is at least the second investigation into shared ancestry discrimination since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.Shared ancestry cases ... Read More
Former government official charged for falsely accusing colleagues of participating in Jan. 6 attack
Doug Armand/Getty Images(VIRGINIA) -- A former government official in Virginia has been charged for allegedly submitting false tips to the FBI and accusing seven of his coworkers of participating in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, newly unsealed court records show.Miguel Zapata was taken into custody Thursday after prosecutors accused him of using the FBI's anonymous tip website to report the allegations about his colleagues, several of whom were members of an unnamed intelligence agency.According to his arrest affidavit, Zapata said his former colleagues were tied to groups like the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys and even accused some of sharing classified information with the extremist groups in what he described as a coordinated plot to overturn the ... Read More
Americans’ views divided on US policy toward Israel-Hamas war: POLL
Views divided on Israel-Hamas War. -- ABC News/Ipsos(WASHINGTON) -- Nearly four in 10 Americans in a new ABC News Ipsos poll say the United States is doing too much to support Israel in its war with Hamas, up from about three in 10 in January. And more trust former President Donald Trump than President Joe Biden to handle the issue, though few call it critical in their choice of a candidate.With protests raging across U.S. college campuses, views on U.S. policy are fragmented. About a third of Americans say the U.S. is doing too little to help protect Palestinian civilians caught up in the war -- yet a quarter say it's doing too much. The rest, 38%, see the U.S. ... Read More
Biden set to award Presidential Medal of Freedom to Pelosi, Al Gore, Bloomberg, Michelle Yeoh and more
Official White House Photo by Cameron Smith(WASHINGTON) -- The diverse group of names from politics to activists and entertainment include Biden’s 2020 Democratic primary opponents and former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Vice President Al Gore, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Jim Clyburn, Elizabeth Dole and recent Biden Climate Envoy and former Sec. of State John Kerry.The “grandmother of Juneteenth,” Opal Lee, and Judy Shepard, the mother of Matthew Shepard who was abducted and brutally killed in 1998 because he was gay will also be honored.Oscar award-winning actress Michelle Yeoh, swimming legend Katie Ledecky, “the most decorated female swimmer in history,” and Dr. Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman to go into space during a nine-day mission ... Read More
‘Violent protest is not protected,’ Biden says of college campus unrest
Bloomberg Creative/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- President Joe Biden on Thursday spoke from the White House on college protests happening across the nation in connection with the Israel-Hamas war."We've all seen images, and they put to the test two fundamental American principles," Biden said from the Roosevelt Room. "The first is the right to free speech and for people to peacefully assemble and make their voices heard. The second is the rule of law. Both must be upheld."It marked the first time Biden directly addressed the issue since his brief comments to reporters on April 22, before the escalation of suspensions and arrests at several campuses. At the time, he said he condemned both antisemitic actions and those who didn't understand the ... Read More
Presidential debate commission sticks to schedule despite Trump’s urging
Marilyn Nieves/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The Commission on Presidential Debates is pushing back against suggestions from the Trump campaign that it move its general debate calendar up -- standing firm in its decision to hold the first broadcast on Sept. 16, 2024.In a statement released on Wednesday, a day after Trump senior campaign advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles released their own statement urging earlier debates, the commission correctly noted that its September event is the earliest it's ever conducted a debate. The previous record was set in 1980, when Republican Ronald Reagan and Independent John Anderson went head-to-head on Sept. 21.Trump senior advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles on Wednesday evening made an additional statement on the commission saying its ... Read More
Biden faces pressure from Republicans to speak out on college protests
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- President Joe Biden is facing pressure from Republicans to more forcefully speak out on the college protests unfolding nationwide in connection to the Israel-Hamas war.The campus unrest has created a political opportunity for Republicans, typically fractured on a number of issues but united against university leaders and as staunch supporters of Israel, to hold Biden's feet to the fire as he navigates a divided Democratic caucus."When will the president himself, not his mouthpieces, condemn these hate-filled little Gazas?" GOP Sen. Tom Cotton said on Wednesday alongside other Republican senators at a news conference on Capitol Hill.Biden himself last commented on the matter on April 22, when he said he condemned the "antisemitic protests" and also those ... Read More
Members of Congress demand answers on Mario Andretti’s rejection from F1 races
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- A group of bipartisan members of Congress are demanding answers from Formula 1 owner Liberty Media over why a U.S.-based team backed by racing legend Mario Andretti was excluded from the most prestigious motor racing series in the world.The FIA, which is Formula 1's governing body, initially accepted Andretti Global's push to join the grid. However, Formula One Management (FOM), the commercial rights holder of the sport, denied Andretti's planned entry in the sport, stating the team could not be competitive in time for upcoming races. F1 cited several competitive concerns, and stated that "the presence of an 11th team would not, in and of itself, provide value to the championship."In a letter to Liberty president ... Read More
‘She killed her chances’: Kristi Noem’s odds dim of being Trump’s VP pick, sources say
Scott Olson/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- South Dakota's two-term Republican governor, Kristi Noem, has been widely promoted as a contender to be former President Donald Trump's 2024 running mate, with Trump himself saying that she was on his shortlist as of February."I like her a lot. I think she's great. Kristi's done a great job," he said last year.But it appears that Noem is now on increasingly unsteady footing in Trump's eyes, in part because of a series of odd controversies and choices, multiple sources familiar with her and with Trump's deliberations told ABC News.The negative headlines began in earnest in March, when a slickly produced video Noem released personally promoting an out-of-state dentist spurred a lawsuit claiming deceptive advertising -- and ... Read More
House passes GOP antisemitism bill amid college unrest
Getty Images - STOCK(WASHINGTON) -- The House passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act on Wednesday amid unrest on college campuses.The bill, which was introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, passed 320-91.The measure was led by Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and had 15 Democratic co-sponsors. Many Republicans and Democrats who voted against the bill said it infringes on free speech.It requires the Department of Education to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism when enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws. The working definition says antisemitism is in-part "a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews." The definition includes denying Jewish people their right to self-determination by claiming that the State of Israel is a racist ... Read More
Georgia governor signs controversial bail fund restrictions, expands cash bail
Megan Varner/Getty Images(ATLANTA) -- A controversial Republican-backed bill that would criminalize state bail funds and expand the list of charges that require cash or property bail has been signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp."This bill carries out important bail reforms that will ensure dangerous individuals cannot walk our streets and commit further crimes," said Kemp, in statements provided by his office concerning the signing of the bill.The bill adds roughly 30 charges that would be ineligible for release without a property or cash bond. These charges include unlawful assembly and obstruction of a law enforcement officer, and racketeering and conspiracy.These are some of the charges that have been made against several "Cop City" protesters, who have been demonstrating against ... Read More
Some Republicans expected to join Arizona Democrats to pass repeal of 1864 abortion ban
Getty Images - STOCK(PHOENIX) -- Two Republican state senators are expected to join Democrats in Arizona on Wednesday to pass a bill to repeal the state's Civil War-era near-total abortion ban -- three weeks after the state Supreme Court ruled the law was enforceable and one week after the House passed its own legislation to roll back the restrictions that have stirred widespread controversy.GOP state Sens. T.J. Shope and Shawnna Bolick have both indicated they will support the Democratic-led repeal effort, giving Democrats the necessary votes in the chamber.Notably, Bolick is married to one of the state Supreme Court justices who voted to reinstate the 1864 law, which supersedes a 15-week abortion ban that was enacted in 2022 and which ... Read More
Marjorie Taylor Greene says she’s moving ahead with effort to oust Speaker Johnson
Tetra Images - Henryk Sadura/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced Wednesday she will move ahead with her attempt to oust Speaker Mike Johnson from the House's top job -- though her plan seems doomed to fail.The Georgia Republican, who first introduced a motion to vacate the speaker's chair in March, held a high-energy news conference outside the U.S. Capitol to say she will trigger a vote on the House floor next week."Mike Johnson is not capable of that job," she said. "He has proven that over and over again."Greene, joined by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, aired a litany of grievances she has with Johnson, who she described as a Democratic speaker working against former President Donald ... Read More
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