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‘Cowardly attack’: Former presidents condemn shooting at Trump rally
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‘Cowardly attack’: Former presidents condemn shooting at Trump rally

By JESSE BYRNES | The Hill Former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama joined members of both parties in condemning the shooting at President Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, which injured Trump and killed one attendee. Bush said he and former first lady Laura Bush “are grateful that President Trump is safe following the cowardly attack on his life” and praised Secret Service for their “speedy response” to the shooting. Obama said in a post on social media platform X that “Although we don’t yet know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former President Trump wasn’t seriously hurt, and use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics.” “There is absolutel...
Judge blocks Biden’s transgender student protections in 6 more states
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Judge blocks Biden’s transgender student protections in 6 more states

By BROOKE MIGDON  | The Hill A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked a Biden administration rule expanding federal nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ students.  The decision by U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves halts enforcement of changes to Title IX — the federal civil rights law preventing sex discrimination in schools and education programs that receive government funding — that were finalized in April by the Education Department in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The new rule, which covers discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity for the first time, had been set to take effect later this summer.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL
Analysis: Trump plan to cut taxes on tips would save taxpayers $250 billion over decade
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Analysis: Trump plan to cut taxes on tips would save taxpayers $250 billion over decade

By ARIS FOLLEY | The Hill Former President Trump’s plan to end taxes on tips could come with a price tag of $250 billion, a budget watchdog estimated in a new analysis. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated Sunday that exempting tip income from federal income and payroll taxes could lead to a decrease of $150 billion to $250 billion in federal revenues over a decade. The watchdog noted the estimate was calculated on “a static basis” and that it does not factor in certain behavioral effects but is instead the “net of revenue gains” from eliminating the Federal Insurance Contributions Act Tip Credit. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL
Supreme Court rules for Starbucks in union case over terminated ‘Memphis Seven’
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Supreme Court rules for Starbucks in union case over terminated ‘Memphis Seven’

By ZACH SCHONFELD | The Hill The Supreme Court on Thursday tossed a lower court’s ruling ordering Starbucks to reinstate seven Memphis-based employees terminated amid a unionization drive.  The decision makes it more difficult to immediately block alleged unfair labor practices as they are litigated in a sometimes years-long administrative process. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the majority opinion on behalf of eight justices, while Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson partially dissented.  The case arose from the “Memphis Seven,” seven Starbucks employees who were terminated in 2022 during a unionization effort. The employees had publicly posted a letter addressed to the company’s CEO and sat down in the store with a television news crew to discuss the...
Fed holds interest rates at 23-year high as inflation hits plateau
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Fed holds interest rates at 23-year high as inflation hits plateau

By TAYLOR GIORNO  | The Hill The Federal Reserve held interest rates at a 23-year high Wednesday as its battle to bring down inflation drags deeper into 2024. The announcement follows a two-day meeting of the central bank’s monetary policy committee, which raised borrowing rates from near zero in March 2022 to a range of 5.25 percent to 5.5 percent as pandemic-induced inflation skyrocketed. While inflation has dropped drastically from its 9 percent peak two years ago, the Fed has expressed concern that the economy is still too hot, the labor market is still too strong and prices are still rising too fast to start cutting rates. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL
Steve Bannon, one time Trump advisor, will be in prison on Independence Day as he appeals contempt case
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Steve Bannon, one time Trump advisor, will be in prison on Independence Day as he appeals contempt case

By ZACH SCHONFELD | The Hill A federal judge ordered Steve Bannon, the one-time adviser to former President Trump, to begin his four-month prison sentence in July as he appeals his contempt of Congress conviction.  U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols agreed with prosecutors at a Wednesday hearing, ordering Bannon must self-surrender by July 1 since his bid to overturn his conviction was rejected by a three-judge appeals panel last month.  “The government’s motion is granted,” said Nichols, a Trump appointee. Bannon had opposed the move, insisting he will appeal all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary, and arguing he should remain free in the meantime. Bannon was found guilty in 2022 of failing to appear for a deposition ordered by the now-disba...
Opening statements expected today in Hunter Biden federal gun trial
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Opening statements expected today in Hunter Biden federal gun trial

By ELLA LEE AND ZACH SCHONFELD  | The Hill Twelve jurors and four alternates were selected in the first of what could be two federal criminal trials involving Hunter Biden, the son of President Biden, according to The Associated Press.  The panel of Delaware residents was selected after just one day, where prospective jurors were questioned over their views on gun rights, political prosecutions and whether the defendant’s father could influence their ability to be fair and impartial.  Hunter Biden will stand trial on federal gun charges involving his purchase of a firearm in 2018. Federal prosecutors contend the president’s son made false statements regarding his use of illegal drugs when obtaining the gun and then unlawfully possessed it for 11 days.   He has pleaded...
Trump says trial, conviction ‘very hard’ on wife Melania
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Trump says trial, conviction ‘very hard’ on wife Melania

By NICK ROBERTSON | The Hill Former President Trump said Sunday that his weeks-long criminal hush money trial in New York City and conviction Thursday have been “very hard” on his wife, Melania, amid testimony recounting his alleged infidelity. Trump was convicted Thursday of 34 felony counts of falsifying business documents, the first time a former president was ever convicted of a crime. He has appealed the ruling. The charges were connected to hush money payments made in the weeks before the 2016 election intended to cover up alleged past affairs between Trump and an adult film star, which he has denied. The alleged affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels occurred in 2006, just a year after Trump had married Melania and months after the birth of their son, Ba...
President Trump still facing 54 criminal charges after guilty verdict in New York case
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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
Supreme Court unanimously rules for NRA in free speech fight against NYC regulator
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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...