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The Washington Times

States scramble to close legal loopholes squatters use to take homes from owners
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States scramble to close legal loopholes squatters use to take homes from owners

By Matt Delaney | The Washington Times Lawmakers in states across the country are belatedly moving to restore the property rights of owners who have been forced into lengthy and often costly court battles to reclaim their houses from squatters exploiting pandemic-era tenant protections to take over empty houses. Savvy scammers invoke squatter’s rights by entering unoccupied homes and falsifying residency documents. The process can suck rightful homeowners into a monthslong eviction battle while the squatters sell off appliances and turn houses into drug dens, leaving landlords with thousands of dollars in repairs and lost rent once all is said and done. The formula for stealing a house is so foolproof that one illegal immigrant became famous on social media by sharing his step-by-...
Porn star Stormy Daniels’ testimony, necessary to establish ‘credibility’, begins in Trump trial
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Porn star Stormy Daniels’ testimony, necessary to establish ‘credibility’, begins in Trump trial

By Tom Howell Jr | The Washington Times Porn star Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday in former President Donald Trump‘s hush money trial, a remarkable moment that breathed life into proceedings that had been mired in copies of checks, invoices and other mundane details of the state’s case. Mr. Trump faced forward but turned his head slightly toward Ms. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, as she entered the courtroom. She spoke quickly and turned to the jury as she answered questions about her upbringing in Louisiana, including how she wanted to be a veterinarian but got into exotic dancing, then adult films. By dancing, she said she could “make more in two nights than I could shoveling manure eight hours a day.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE W...
RFK Jr. proposes ‘no-spoiler’ pledge with Biden, with loser dropping out
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RFK Jr. proposes ‘no-spoiler’ pledge with Biden, with loser dropping out

By Mallory Wilson | The Washington Times Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called on President Biden to take a “no-spoiler” pledge with him that, if accepted, would lead to one of the two men dropping out of the presidential race in mid-October. Mr. Kennedy‘s pledge would include a 50-state poll co-funded by Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Biden in mid-October with more than 30,000 likely voters. The survey would test the results of head-to-head matchups between Mr. Biden and former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and between Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Trump. Both parties would pledge that whoever performs weaker head-to-head against Mr. Trump would then drop out...
Jerry Seinfeld blames ‘PC crap,’ ‘extreme left’ for decline of comedy
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Jerry Seinfeld blames ‘PC crap,’ ‘extreme left’ for decline of comedy

By The Washington Times Jerry Seinfeld says woke is killing comedy. In a recent discussion with David Remnick on the New Yorker Radio Hour, the notable comedian and creator of the eponymous sitcom “Seinfeld” shared his insights on the evolving landscape of comedy within the television industry. Mr. Seinfeld expressed a sense of nostalgia for a time when iconic shows were all over TV. “Nothing really affects comedy. People always need it. They need it so badly and they don’t get it,” Mr. Seinfeld said. “It used to be, you would go home at the end of the day, most people would go, ‘Oh, “Cheers” is on. Oh, “MASH” is on. Oh, “Mary Tyler Moore” is on. “All in the Family” is on.’” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Laken Riley murder suspect released over lack of detention space
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Laken Riley murder suspect released over lack of detention space

By Stephen Dinan | The Washington Times Homeland Security released the illegal immigrant accused of killing Laken Riley into the U.S. because it lacked the detention space, according to his confidential immigration file. Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri Republican, read key parts of the file into the record at a Senate hearing Thursday. Jose Ibarra, the man charged with the Feb. 22 slaying, was released under Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ power of parole, which is supposed to be used in limited cases and only when there is an urgent humanitarian need or a significant benefit to the public. READ THE FULL STORY IN THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Trump rakes in over $1M in small donations after first day in New York hush money trial
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Trump rakes in over $1M in small donations after first day in New York hush money trial

By Mallory Wilson  | The Washington Times Former President Donald Trump raised over $1 million in campaign funds after his first court day in his New York hush-money case. Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law and newly elected co-chair of the Republican National Committee told “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday that Americans came out in support of Mr Trump while he faces his first criminal trial. “The people of America spoke up yesterday in support of Donald Trump to the tune of a million and a half dollars raised for his campaign,” she said. “The average donation was $28, so even here, in the abysmal Biden economy, people are coming out and they are financially supporting this president.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Supreme Court grapples with obstruction charge lobbed at 350 Jan. 6 defendants, Trump
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Supreme Court grapples with obstruction charge lobbed at 350 Jan. 6 defendants, Trump

By Stephen Dinan and Alex Swoyer | The Washington Times The Supreme Court struggled Tuesday with the government’s case against 350 Jan. 6 defendants from the 2021 protest at the Capitol, with justices pondering how a law written in the wake of the Enron document-shredding scandal can be applied to those who brought the 2020 election certification to a halt. The law criminalizes obstructing or impeding an official proceeding, which the Biden administration says goes beyond courtrooms and criminal investigations and covers Congress’ electoral vote counting that the demonstration delayed. But GOP-appointed justices repeatedly challenged the Justice Department’s aggressive use of the law against the Jan. 6 defendants, questioning why it wasn’t also used in 2020 against rioters who att...
News organizations urge Biden and Trump to commit to presidential debates during the 2024 campaign
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News organizations urge Biden and Trump to commit to presidential debates during the 2024 campaign

By David Bauder | The Washington Times Twelve news organizations on Sunday urged presumptive presidential nominees Joe Biden and Donald Trump to agree to debates, saying they were a “rich tradition” that have been part of every general election campaign since 1976. While Trump, who did not participate in debates for the Republican nomination, has indicated a willingness to take on his 2020 rival, the Democratic president has not committed to debating him again. Although invitations have not been formally issued, the news organizations said it was not too early for each campaign to say publicly that it will participate in the three presidential and one vice presidential forums set by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE WASHING...
Mexican cartel uses death threat to force tribal leader to cancel U.S. House testimony
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Mexican cartel uses death threat to force tribal leader to cancel U.S. House testimony

By Stephen Dinan | The Washington Times A Mexican drug cartel used death threats to force a tribal leader to back out of testifying to Congress this week, according to another tribal leader who did show up to tell lawmakers just how much power the drug lords have accumulated. Jeffrey Stiffarm, president of the Fort Belknap Indian Community in Montana, said he didn’t want to name the fellow leader who backed out, but he said the threat seemed real and credible. “One thing that we really seem to overlook all the time is the threats, the death threats we get from cartel leaders,” he told the House Natural Resources Committee. “We had the tribal leader from Montana, that declined to testify here today because he received death threats that he was going to testify.” READ THE FIULL S...
Republican lawmakers aim to reverse Biden’s expanded gun background check rule
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Republican lawmakers aim to reverse Biden’s expanded gun background check rule

By Stephen Dinan  | The Washington Times Republican senators said Thursday they will pursue legislation to overturn President Biden’s new gun control regulation that would expand the universe of gun sales subject to background checks. Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis will lead the effort, according to Mr. Cornyn’s office. They were the chief Republican sponsors of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a 2022 law that Mr. Biden says gives him the authority to expand the checks. “The administration is acting lawlessly here, and the vast majority of this rule has nothing to do with the BSCA,” Mr. Cornyn’s office said. “Of course, this rule has been on the administration’s wish list for many years despite Congress rejecting these provisions repeatedly.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE ...