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Where’s Hunter? President’s son in court today to begin case of illegal gun possession
Approved, National, Politico

Where’s Hunter? President’s son in court today to begin case of illegal gun possession

By BETSY WOODRUFF SWAN and HAILEY FUCHS | Politico As Hunter Biden walks into court Monday to go on trial, he’ll pass a familiar sight: a large photo of his father, sporting a reassuring grin. The photo — hanging prominently in the lobby of a federal courthouse in dilapidated downtown Wilmington — is a vivid reminder of how the president’s political career and now his son’s legal travails both run through this struggling port city. For years, Hunter Biden has drawn scrutiny for his links to controversial Ukrainian, Chinese and Romanian business ventures. Congressional Republicans and former President Donald Trump have accused him of influence-peddling and corruption. But the trial — which opens Monday morning with jury selection — isn’t about any of that. Instead, its focus is ...
Trump’s New York felony conviction can’t keep him from becoming president
Approved, CBS Colorado, National

Trump’s New York felony conviction can’t keep him from becoming president

By Kathryn Watson | CBS Colorado Former President Trump's New York felony conviction Thursday on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a "hush money" payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels can't stop him from becoming president if the voters put him back in office, legal scholars seem to agree.  The Constitution imposes very few prerequisites for the presidency — a candidate must be at least 35 years of age, a natural-born citizen and a U.S. resident for a minimum of 14 years. It says nothing about the impact of a felony conviction on a president's ability to serve.  "The short answer is yes, that there's no constitutional bar," said Corey Brettschneider, a lawyer and professor of political science at Brown Univers...
‘Rigged from the beginning’: Candidates for 4th District express deep concerns with Trump verdict
Approved, National, Rocky Mountain Voice

‘Rigged from the beginning’: Candidates for 4th District express deep concerns with Trump verdict

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice It is a largely rural area of Colorado, where cattle outnumber voters and where Donald Trump won by an 18.6% margin in his second bid for the presidency in 2020. One pollster termed the 4th District "MAGA Country", for the area's affinity toward the 45th President of the United States. In rural areas of the district, semi-truck trailers in numerous communities are retired to fields and painted in tribute to Donald Trump, and it is not uncommon to see a pop-up corner market of MAGA merchandise for sale on a weekend near busy intersections in places like Fort Morgan. Whether rural or urban, there's not a significant difference in Republican opinion toward the former President in the district. So, it may come as little surprise Republican can...
President Trump still facing 54 criminal charges after guilty verdict in New York case
Approved, National, THE HILL

President Trump still facing 54 criminal charges after guilty verdict in New York case

By LAUREN IRWIN | The Hill A 12-person New York jury convicted former President Trump on all 34 felony counts in his hush money trial Thursday. But he still faces 54 criminal charges in three other cases. Trump made history as the first former U.S. president to become a convicted felon after the jury found him guilty of falsifying business records to conceal his alleged affair with porn actor Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Judge Juan Merchan set a sentencing hearing for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention where Trump is set to formally accept the GOP’s presidential nomination. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL
Sloan: The unhinged morality of the international community
Approved, Commentary, National, Rocky Mountain Voice

Sloan: The unhinged morality of the international community

By Kelly Sloan | Contributing Columnist, Rocky Mountain Voice If anyone still harbored any illusions that the International Criminal Court at The Hague was a serious institution with a shred of legitimacy and a moral mandate, those illusions have surely been put to rest. ICC prosecutor Karim Khan issued arrest warrants in late May for Israeli Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu, and the Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, in what may be the finest demonstration of absurdity in international affairs so far this century. And given the continued omnipresence of the UN, that’s saying a lot. Granted, Khan and his team of charlatans also issued warrants for a handful of Hamas bosses, but the ludicrous equivalence only seems to lend an even greater sense of incredulity to the episode; it...
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...