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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...
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...
GOP lawmakers’ attendance at Trump trial could be a problem during a key vote today
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GOP lawmakers’ attendance at Trump trial could be a problem during a key vote today

By REBECCA BEITSCH AND ZACH SCHONFELD | The Hill At least nine Republican lawmakers traveled to New York to appear in court alongside former President Trump on Thursday, the latest in a string of GOP lawmakers to attend the hush money trial. The move could jeopardize GOP attendance at a key vote later in the day and also comes after the House Oversight and Accountability Committee bumped a scheduled hearing to facilitate their attendance at court. Reps. Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Mike Waltz (Fla.) and Eli Crane (Ariz.) were spotted in the courtroom, while Reps. Andy Ogles (Tenn.) Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.), Ralph Norman (S.C.) and House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good (Va.) were also spotted at the Manhattan c...
Will Americans see the northern lights again tonight?
National, THE HILL

Will Americans see the northern lights again tonight?

By NICK JACHIM AND ALIX MARTICHOUX | The Hill Friday night, Americans across the country were able to catch a glimpse of the northern lights from coast to coast, a sight many only get to see once in their lifetime. But for those who missed it, or are hoping for a second look, you may just get that chance Saturday night. According to the NOAA’s Aurora Forecast, the majority of households who saw the northern lights last night will have a chance to watch them on Saturday. Weather permitting, states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Missouri have a chance to see the northern lights again on Saturday night. Friday night and Saturday morning, “extreme” G5 geomagnetic storms were observed. The last time a G5 solar storm occurred was in 2003, when it caused major power problems...
Biden will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to partisan list of  mostly Democrats
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Biden will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to partisan list of mostly Democrats

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE | The Hill (Via The Associated Press) WASHINGTON (AP) — Clarence B. Jones says he thought a prankster was on the line when he answered the telephone and heard the person on the other end say they were calling from the White House. “I said, ‘Is this a joke or is this serious?’” Jones recalled. The caller swore they were serious and was calling with the news that President Joe Biden wanted to recognize Jones with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Jones, 93, will be honored for his activism during the Civil Rights Movement. He’s a lawyer who provided legal counsel to Martin Luther King Jr. and helped write the opening paragraphs of the “I Have a Dream” speech that King delivered at the Lincoln Memorial at the 1963 March on W...
Gallup poll: Immigration again tops list of most important problems in US
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Gallup poll: Immigration again tops list of most important problems in US

By LAUREN SFORZA | The Hill For the third straight month, immigration topped the list of the most important problems for Americans in the Gallup poll. The poll found that 27 percent of Americans said the most important issue facing the country right now is immigration — marking the longest consecutive period in Gallup polling that immigration has been a top issue in the U.S. Twenty-eight percent of Americans said both in February and in March that immigration was the most important problem in the country. February marked the first-time immigration was listed as a top concern since 2019, according to the Gallup poll at the time. The April poll found Republicans were much more likely than Democrats to list immigration as one of the most important issues. READ THE FULL STORY AT...
What’s the cause of 911 outages reported across four states? The FCC is investigating.
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What’s the cause of 911 outages reported across four states? The FCC is investigating.

By  FILIP TIMOTIJA | The Hill Residents of four states experienced 911 outages on Wednesday, impacting emergency calls in parts of Nevada, Nebraska, Texas and the entire state of South Dakota.  Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said Wednesday night that 911 calls from landlines were not working and instructed residents to use mobile devices to dial. The service was restored after two hours.  “All of the individuals who called during the outage have been called back and provided assistance,” the police said on social media platform X. “Non-emergency calls are also working.”  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL
Barr says he’ll vote for person to ‘do least harm’, the ‘Republican ticket’ in November
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Barr says he’ll vote for person to ‘do least harm’, the ‘Republican ticket’ in November

By TARA SUTER  | The Hill Former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr said Wednesday he will vote for the “Republican ticket” in the November presidential election. “I think it’s my duty to pick the person I think would do the least harm to the country,” Barr said on Fox News’s  America’s Newsroom. “And in my mind, that’s — I will vote the Republican ticket.” Barr’s comments come in spite of past criticism of his ex-boss, former President Trump, who is the presumptive Republican nominee for president. In December, Barr said his successor in a potential second Trump administration would have to be against the former president’s “abuse of government power.” “Trump needs people around him who will push back and help keep him on the straight and narrow,” Barr said. READ THE FULL STOR...
Bolton says he will write in Dick Cheney for president again this year, over Biden or Trump
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Bolton says he will write in Dick Cheney for president again this year, over Biden or Trump

BY LAUREN SFORZA | The Hill Former national security adviser John Bolton revealed he will write in former Vice President Dick Cheney for president in November — for the second time. “Well, I might as well say it now. I voted for Dick Cheney,” Bolton told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Wednesday on “The Source,” when asked who he wrote in for president in the 2020 election. “And I’ll vote for Dick Cheney again this November.” Collins noted that Bolton had not previously disclosed the information. Asked why he has thrown his support behind Cheney, Bolton said he believed the former vice president would be better than President Biden and former President Trump. READ THE FIULL STORY AT THE HILL
McCarthy says he’s not Speaker because ‘one person’ in Congress wanted to avoid ethics complaint
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McCarthy says he’s not Speaker because ‘one person’ in Congress wanted to avoid ethics complaint

LAUREN IRWIN | The Hill Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said at an event Tuesday that he is no longer the leader of the House because “one person” in Congress wanted to avoid an ethics complaint about sexual misconduct. Speaking at an event at Georgetown University, McCarthy linked his historic ousting as Speaker to the allegations against Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.). “I’ll give you the truth why I’m not Speaker. Because one person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old,” McCarthy said. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL