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Manhattan jury finds President Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts in show trial
Approved, National, The Washington Times

Manhattan jury finds President Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts in show trial

By Tom Howell Jr.  | The Washington Times NEW YORK — A Manhattan jury found former President Donald Trump guilty on all counts in his hush money trial​ and made him the first former U.S. president convicted of a crime. The verdict on 34 charges, reached after ​deliberating for ​1​1 hours over two days, means Mr. Trump will campaign against President Biden as a convicted felon. Mr. Trump, who faces up to four years in jail for each count, is sure to appeal the verdict. He says the case is a charade to thwart his run for president, noting prosecutors sat on the case for years before procuring an indictment. The appeal would likely forestall jail time or other penalties. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Supreme Court unanimously rules for NRA in free speech fight against NYC regulator
Approved, National, THE HILL

Supreme Court unanimously rules for NRA in free speech fight against NYC regulator

By ZACH SCHONFELD AND ELLA LEE | The Hill The Supreme Court unanimously ruled Thursday that the National Rifle Association (NRA) can move forward in its free speech fight against a former New York regulator. Authored by liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the ruling revives the gun-rights group’s First Amendment claim against Maria Vullo, who formerly ran the New York Department of Financial Services. Vullo began investigating the NRA in 2017, and the probe led her to encourage insurers and banks she regulated to sever ties with the gun-rights group after the Parkland, Fla., school shooting that killed 17 students and staff and reignited a national debate surrounding gun control measures. The NRA contended Vullo’s steps went beyond permissible advocacy and crossed into unconstitut...
Jury asks to rehear testimony about 2015 Trump Tower meeting
Approved, National, The Washington Times

Jury asks to rehear testimony about 2015 Trump Tower meeting

By Tom Howell Jr.  | The Washington Times The jury weighing former President Donald Trump’s fate in his hush money trial asked the court Wednesday to read back testimony from tabloid executive David Pecker and former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen about a key meeting at Trump Tower in August 2015. The request was the first signal to come out of the deliberations room. It came shortly before 3 p.m., or about four hours into deliberations, including the lunch hour. A bell buzzed in the courtroom, signaling the jury needed something and prompting state Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan to read the four-part request from the jury aloud. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Trump as New York jury deliberates: ‘Mother Teresa could not beat these charges’
Approved, National, THE HILL

Trump as New York jury deliberates: ‘Mother Teresa could not beat these charges’

By BRETT SAMUELS | The Hill Former President Trump fumed Wednesday just after his New York City criminal case was turned over to the jury for deliberations, blasting the judge in the case and bemoaning that “Mother Teresa could not beat these charges.” Trump spoke to reporters gathered outside the courtroom moments after a jury of 12 New Yorkers began deliberating in the former president’s hush money criminal case. “Mother Teresa could not beat these charges. These charges are rigged. The whole country’s a mess, between the borders and fake elections, and you have a trial like this where the judge is so conflicted he can’t breathe,” Trump said. “It’s a disgrace. And I mean that. Mother Teresa could not beat those charges. But we’ll see. We’ll see how we do,” he added. READ T...
Bond markets sound inflation alarm, testing record run for U.S. stocks
Approved, National, The Street

Bond markets sound inflation alarm, testing record run for U.S. stocks

By Martin Baccardax | The Street Global stocks turned lower this week as investors hit pause on an impressive spring rally amid new warning signals from the bond market that suggest inflation pressure could remain elevated well into the summer months.  The S&P 500 has printed no fewer than 24 record highs this year, and has powered to a five-month gain of around 11.25%, on the strength of improving corporate earnings, a resilient economy and outsized gains in the tech sector tied to the surge in artificial-intelligence investments.  On the fixed-income side, however, things have been notably dour, with global government bond portfolios down 4.9% for the year, according to data from Bank of America's 'Flow Show' report. Bond investors are typica...
VA says its trust scores among veterans are at highest level ever, 25% surge in 8 years
Air Force Times, Approved, National

VA says its trust scores among veterans are at highest level ever, 25% surge in 8 years

By Leo Shane III | Air Force Times Trust in Veterans Affairs programs rose dramatically over the last eight years amid department efforts to improve delivery of medical and disability benefits, according to new data released by agency officials on Tuesday. Overall confidence in the department increased from just over half of users in 2016 (55%) to more than 80% this past quarter, based on figures in VA’s recurring Veteran Signals Survey. That report polled more than 38,000 veterans using a wide range of department services, including medical care, disability benefits, and home loans programs. “This is meaningful because it is the voice of the veterans that we serve from across all different ages, service areas, locations, and demographics, telling us how we are delivering for...
Trump Vows: ‘I will rip up, throw away WHO pandemic agreement’
Approved, National, The Daily Signal

Trump Vows: ‘I will rip up, throw away WHO pandemic agreement’

By Ben Johnson  | The Daily Signal Former President Donald Trump has put the issue of world government at the forefront of the 2024 presidential race, vowing to “protect American sovereignty” and the U.S. Constitution from the designs of unelected global bureaucrats. Trump took aim at global governance institutions in general, and the World Health Organization specifically, on Saturday, promising to shred and annul the WHO Pandemic Agreement unless President Joe Biden submits the document to the U.S. Senate for ratification, as required for treaties. “As we speak, Joe Biden’s minions are in Geneva, secretly negotiating to surrender more of our liberty to the World Health Organization,” Trump told the Libertarian National Convention, eliciting a fulsom...
There is a modern space race and this time more than the moon is at stake
Approved, National, Rocky Mountain Voice

There is a modern space race and this time more than the moon is at stake

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff As the specter of conflict extends from terrestrial battlegrounds into the celestial sphere, the United States is actively preparing for the possibility of space warfare, spurred by escalating threats from nations like China and Russia. This new era of military strategy underscores a dramatic shift in the dynamics of global power and security. The central assets in this emerging battlefield are satellites, crucial for national defense and global communication systems. Historically shielded by their distance from Earth, these satellites now face risks from sophisticated antisatellite weapons developed by foreign adversaries. Both China's aggressive satellite launches and Russia's deployment of potentially weaponized satellites signal a clear intent to ...
McCall: Government has no business trying to ‘save’ journalism 
Approved, Commentary, National, THE HILL

McCall: Government has no business trying to ‘save’ journalism 

By JEFFREY M. MCCALL | The Hill It seems everybody wants to “save” the journalism industry these days, except for the people who matter most — news consumers.   Citizens have been turning away from establishment news sources for some time. Audiences no longer trust news outlets to be fair, and this decline in media credibility has caused readers and viewers to disengage from the news. That necessarily leads to lost revenue for news organizations, layoffs of journalists and, ultimately, the closing of news outlets. There is no doubt: the journalism industry is suffering.  Legislators across the country are hopping on their white horses to ride to the rescue, with several states approving various measures to prop up the news industry with...
Trump trial: Defense slams Cohen as ‘greatest liar of all time’ in closing arguments, protesters scuffle outside
Approved, National, New York Post

Trump trial: Defense slams Cohen as ‘greatest liar of all time’ in closing arguments, protesters scuffle outside

By Ben Kochman , Kyle Schnitzer , Max Rivera and Kaydi Pelletier | New York Post Closing arguments are underway in Donald Trump’s criminal trial over his alleged “hush-money” payments to Stormy Daniels. Meanwhile, outside the courthouse actor Robert De Niro and retired Capitol police officers slammed Trump during a Biden campaign presser. Trump’s team took the mic with a rebuttal at the same spot right after. Presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 payment that his former “fixer” lawyer, Michael Cohen, made to the porn star ahead of the 2016 election. FOLLOW UPDATES AT THE NEW YORK POST