In a whirlwind few hours, President Biden and former President Trump have upended the traditional presidential debates — and moved to box out RFK Jr.

Biden’s campaign announcedthis morning it wouldn’t take part in fall debates by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. It offered one-on-one debates with Trump in June and September, with no studio audience and microphones that could be cut.

Trump immediately accepted, telling Salem Media radio host Hugh Hewitt he’ll debate with any moderator.

Biden and Trump accepted a CNN invite for a debate on June 27, the two candidates said this morning. That’s before either party has its national convention to officially pick presidential nominees.

The Trump campaign then proposed extra debates in July and August.

RFK Jr. then accused the two campaignsof “colluding” against his campaign to “avoid discussion of their eight years of mutual failure.”

Trump and Biden thenaccepted invites from ABC News for a debate on Sept. 10.

The campaigns have agreed to no audience for the CNN debate, but they’re still negotiating on how to handle cutting off microphones.

The Trump and Biden campaigns recently held back-channel conversations about cutting the commission out of the process, the Washington Post reports.

RFK Jr. had a real chance at making the presidential debate stage for the traditional fall debates, but could be cut out by the moved-up timelines of the new contests.

CNN’s rules say a candidate needs four polls at 15% and they have to be on the ballot in enough states to secure 270 electoral votes.

Kennedy recently scored one poll at 16%, CNN’s Harry Enten pointed out earlier this week.

Kennedy is on the ballot in four states, with ongoing efforts in 38 more.

Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico is in life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting after a political event Wednesday afternoon, according to his Facebook profile.

Reports on TA3, a Slovakian TV station, said Fico, 59, was hit in the stomach after four shots were fired outside the House of Culture in the town of Handlova, some 93 miles northeast of the capital, where the leader was meeting with supporters. A suspect has been detained, it said.

The individual, who attempted to “assassinate” PM Robert Fico, was identified by Slovakian media as Juraj Cintula, a 71-year-old poet. European media Nexta cited Slovak media as reporting that “the attacker was a former employee of a private security company and author of a poetry collection Juraj Cintula. This is reported by local TV channel Markiza.”

A message posted to Fico’s Facebook account said the leader “has been shot multiple times and is currently in life-threatening condition. At this moment he is transported by helicopter to Banská Bystrica, because it would take too long to get to Bratislava due to the necessity of an acute procedure. The next few hours will decide.”

The shooting in Slovakia comes three weeks ahead of crucial European Parliament elections, in which populist and hard-right parties in the 27-nation bloc appear poised to make gains.

Deputy speaker of parliament Lubos Blaha confirmed the incident during a session of Slovakia’s Parliament and adjourned it until further notice, the Slovak TASR news agency said.

Slovakia’s major opposition parties, Progressive Slovakia and Freedom and Solidarity, canceled a planned protest against a controversial government plan to overhaul public broadcasting that they say would give the government full control of public radio and television.

“We absolutely and strongly condemn violence and today’s shooting of Premier Robert Fico,” said Progressive Slovakia leader Michal Simecka. “At the same time we call on all politicians to refrain from any expressions and steps which could contribute to further increasing the tension.”

President Zuzana Caputova condemned “a brutal and ruthless” attack on the premier.

“I’m shocked,” Caputova said. “I wish Robert Fico a lot of strength in this critical moment and a quick recovery from this attack.”

Fico, a third-time premier, and his leftist Smer, or Direction, party, won Slovakia’s Sept. 30 parliamentary elections, staging a political comeback after campaigning on a pro-Russian and anti-American message.

Critics worried Slovakia under Fico would abandon the country’s pro-Western course and follow the direction of Hungary under populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Thousands have repeatedly rallied in the capital and across Slovakia to protest Fico’s policies.

Condemnations of political violence quickly came from leaders across Europe, although no motive for the attack was immediately apparent.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned what she described as a “vile attack.”

“Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good,” von der Leyen said in a post on X.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala called the incident “shocking,” adding, “I wish the premier to get well soon. We cannot tolerate violence, there’s no place for it in society.” The Czech Republic and Slovakia formed Czechoslovakia until 1992.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X: “Shocking news from Slovakia. Robert, my thoughts are with you in this very difficult moment.”

Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon should begin serving a four-month prison sentence now that a federal appeals court has upheld his contempt-of-Congress conviction, the Justice Department told a federal judge Tuesday.

US District Judge Carl Nichols, who presided over Bannon’s trial, had paused Bannon’s sentence while an appeal of his conviction played out.

He has given Bannon until Monday to respond to the DOJ’s request, extending an earlier deadline following a motion to delay from the defense team.

Bannon was found guilty in July 2022 by a federal jury of two counts of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena by the House January 6 select committee in its investigation into the 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

The Justice Department said in its court filing that a person who is found guilty must report for their term of imprisonment unless the defendant can establish “the appeal is not for the purpose of delay and raises a substantial question of law or fact likely to result in reversal.”

“The D.C. Circuit rejected defendant’s appeal on all grounds, including the primary argument on appeal: the requisite mental state required for a contempt of Congress violation,” the Justice Department wrote.

The unanimous decision by the appeals court was a win for Congress, potentially paving the way for how others will be held accountable for defying a congressional subpoena.

The timing of when Bannon will be expected to report to prison is still unclear.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon warned that the US needs to reduce its fiscal deficit sooner rather than later otherwise the issue will become ‘far more uncomfortable.’

The billionaire banker, 68, pointed to the nation’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic as the cause of the issue, as it triggered a period of rapid interest rate hikes, stimulus programs and tax hikes.

‘America has spent a lot of money. During Covid and after Covid, our deficit is at 6% now,’ Dimon told Sky News. ‘That’s a lot, but obviously that drives growth.’

Through the 2024 fiscal year so far, the US deficit stands at $855 billion, which is $59 billion less than through the same period in the prior fiscal year, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Dimon said the efforts made by the US government to prop up its economy have not been counter-corrected, and leaving the deficit to grow could allow it to become out of control.

‘Any country can borrow money and drive some growth, but that may not always lead to good growth,’ he said.

‘So, I think America should be quite aware that we have got to focus on our fiscal deficit issues a little bit more, and that is important for the world.’

The deficit skyrocketed during the pandemic, reaching $3.13 trillion in 2020 and $2.71 trillion in 2021.

Through 2023 that figure had dropped to $1.7 trillion, but Dimon said moves by President Biden’s administration – such as the Inflation Reduction Act – have not turned the tide as much as he would have hoped, reports CNBC.

However, when questioned over whether Americans should be bracing for immediate economic turmoil, he downplayed the issue – but warned that things may also not be getting any better.

‘I don’t think it’s a big comeuppance and I don’t think it’s the next couple of years, but I think it is why we have higher inflation,’ he said.

‘I think if you want to do a great job in your country, and you have a 6% deficit and 100% debt to GDP, this can go [on] for a while, but the sooner we focus on it, the better.’

Dimon added that he is hoping Biden ‘really focuses’ on handling the deficit, and felt it was an issue that would only become dire if ignored.

‘At one point it will cause a problem and why should you wait?’ he said.

‘The problem will be caused by the market and then you will be forced to deal with it and probably in a far more uncomfortable way than if you dealt with it to start.’

Dimon was once rumored to be in consideration for former President Trump’s Treasury Secretary, and was questioned by CNBC earlier in the year as he waded into politics.

Speaking to the outlet’s ‘Squawk Box’, he said Democrats should be ‘more respectful’ of Trump’s supporters, and praised the former president for being ‘kind of right’ about a number of controversial issues.

But when questioned whether he was chiming in on the political scene to launch his own role in the cabinet, he said it was ‘absolutely not’ the case.

‘Made those comments to make a point that we should listen to each other and talk to each other, whether you agree with someone or not,’ he said.

‘I think people should be very clear about what polices work and what policies don’t work. Whoever wins the presidency, I hope they have policies that work for both America and the free and democratic world.’

Frank McCourt, the former LA Dodgers owner, announced Wednesday morning that he’s putting together a “people’s bid” to buy TikTok from China’s ByteDance.

McCourt is a vocal critic of tech and social media, having stepped down as CEO of his eponymous investment firm to launch an effort that would give users more control and ownership of their personal data.

Unlike other potential bidders, McCourt says he doesn’t want TikTok’s algorithm.

News of the effort was first reported by Semafor.

McCourt doesn’t have enough cash to buy TikTok on his own, so he’s retained Guggenheim Securities to effectively crowdfund via both institutions and individuals.

Among those endorsing his effort is Tim Berners-Lee, the person credited with inventing the World Wide Web.

ByteDance is subject to a new U.S. law requiring it to divest TikTok on national security grounds, or else risk the app being banned.

It’s filed a legal challenge, and big questions remain about whether the Chinese government would even allow ByteDance to sell TikTok (particularly with its algorithm included).

“I’ve been involved in a lot of large deals, and things take different twists and turns,” McCourt tells Axios.

“There’s a distinct possibility that ByteDance will be willing to sell TikTok U.S. without the algorithm, which we don’t want, so we want all our ducks lined up.”

TikTok has several willing buyers. It just doesn’t yet have a willing seller.

The Peruvian government has officially classified transgender, nonbinary and intersex people as “mentally ill.”

The decision was made to ensure the country’s public health services could “guarantee full coverage of medical attention for mental health” for the trans community, the Peruvian health ministry explained, according to the Telegraph.

The decree will supposedly alter the language in the Essentials Health Insurance Plan to reflect that trans and intersex people have a mental disorder, LGBTQ+ outlet Pink News reported.

Despite the change, trans and other LGBTQ+ people will not be forced to undergo conversion therapies, the health ministry insisted in a statement issued on Friday, the outlet reported.

LGBTQ+ activist groups across Peru, however, slammed the decision as a major step backward in the fight for their rights and safety.

“100 years after the decriminalization of homosexuality, the @Minsa_Peru has nothing better to do than to include trans people in the category of mental illnesses,” Jheinser Pacaya, director of OutfestPeru, wrote on X.

A 100 años de la despenalización de la homosexualidad el @Minsa_Peru no tiene mejor idea que incluir a las personas trans en la categoría de enfermedades mentales. Exigimos y no descansaremos hasta su derogaracion. pic.twitter.com/gKczZeq0OI

— Jheinser Pacaya 🏳️‍🌈 (@jheinserrr) May 14, 2024

“We demand and we will not rest until its repeal,” they added.

Percy Mayta-Tristán, a medical researcher at Lima’s Scientific University of the South, told the Telegraph that the decision showed a lack of awareness around the complexity of LGBTQ+ issues.

“You can’t ignore the context that this is happening in a super-conservative society, where the LGBT community has no rights and where labeling them as mentally ill opens the door to conversion therapy,” he explained.

King Charles III marked another first in his reign this week, unveiling the first official portrait of himself since his coronation last year.

Charles and his wife Queen Camilla were on hand Tuesday as the king’s portrait was unveiled at Buckingham Palace.

The portrait, which stands over 6 feet tall, was painted over the course of three years by Jonathan Yeo, a U.K.-based artist, according to the palace.

The painting features a striking red background and shows Charles wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975, according to the palace.

The painting was first commissioned in 2020, when Charles was the Prince of Wales, a title that has since been passed to his eldest son Prince William, after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.

The butterfly located above Charles’ shoulder in the painting is representative of his transformation as king, according to Yeo.

“When I started this project, His Majesty The King was still His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, and much like the butterfly I’ve painted hovering over his shoulder, this portrait has evolved as the subject’s role in our public life has transformed,” Yeo said in a statement. “I do my best to capture the life experiences etched into any individual sitter’s face.”

He continued, “In this case, my aim was also to make reference to the traditions of Royal portraiture but in a way that reflects a 21st Century Monarchy and, above all else, to communicate the subject’s deep humanity. I’m unimaginably grateful for the opportunity to capture such an extraordinary and unique person, especially at the historic moment of becoming King.”

Yeo painted the portrait in his London studio in between four sittings with Charles from 2021 to 2023, according to the palace.

The painting will be on display for one month beginning May 16 at the Philip Mould Gallery in London. Then the painting will go on to hang in Draper’s Hall, an historic building in London that was originally owned by King Henry VIII.

The unexpectedly modern painting and it’s bold red tone quickly drew backlash online, including in the comments section of the palace’s Instagram post about the portrait.

“I’m sorry but his portrait looks like he’s in hell,” wrote another commenter.

Others in the comments section saw a little of both sides, with one person writing, “I would have loved this if it was any other color than red. He really captured the essence of him in the face, but the harshness of the red doesn’t match the softness of his expression.”

And still others commented that they would have expected a more nature-based portrait for Charles, who is known as a champion for the environment.

“Given his love of nature and preservation, I am surprised there was not a natural landscape portrayed behind him,” wrote one commenter.

A pro-life leader was given a nearly five-year prison sentence Tuesday for blocking an abortion clinic, as fellow activists accused the Biden administration of using federal law enforcement to go after political opponents.

U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly handed down a 57-month sentence to Lauren Handy — who authorities discovered had five fetuses in her home when she was charged two years ago — for organizing a 2020 blockade of a D.C. abortion clinic that saw 10 pro-life advocates infiltrate the facility and chain up the entrance.

Co-defendants John Hinshaw and William Goodman were also sentenced Tuesday to 21 and 27 months behind bars, respectively, for their roles in the blockade at Washington Surgi-Clinic in Northwest.

One of the demonstrators pleaded guilty in March 2023, and the remaining six are scheduled to be sentenced later this month.

Friends of the defendants packed the D.C. courtroom to shout “You’re a hero, Lauren!” to Handy and reciprocate the wide grin with which Hinshaw greeted the crowd during their separate hearings.

Others were seen clasping their hands in prayer or saying the rosary while Judge Kollar-Kotelly laid out their respective punishments.

The sentencing comes as the Justice Department has cracked down on pro-life advocates for clinic demonstrations in recent years.

Federal prosecutors are threatening some activists with long prison sentences while other protesters have been taken into custody at gunpoint during early-morning raids.

Supporters said authorities are trying to make an example of Handy by giving her one of the harshest sentences.

“She’s clearly being used as a pawn by the government because, as they said … she’s the first one in history to be sentenced for this exact combination of charges,” Caroline Smith, the executive director of Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, told The Washington Times.

Handy is part of the organization.

“They’re clearly trying to … put her on the pedestal and say, ‘You don’t want to be this,” Ms. Smith said.

Handy, 30, of the District of Columbia; Hinshaw, 69, of New York; and Goodman, 52, of New York, were convicted last year, along with five other defendants, on conspiracy charges and for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, or FACE Act.

Prosecutors said Handy and co-defendant Jonathan Darnel orchestrated the October 2020 blockade at the Washington Surgi-Clinic after Handy made an appointment under a fake name.

Once Handy was allowed inside, prosecutors said the codefendants shoved their way in and blocked off the entrance.

A nurse at the facility sprained her ankle during the fracas while one woman climbed through a window to access the clinic. Darnel livestreamed the incident.

Ms. Smith said Handy and others were protesting late-stage abortions performed at the clinic.

Handy previously acquired aborted fetuses from a disposal worker outside the facility, Ms. Smith said, and at least five of the unborn children were at 28 weeks gestation or older.

Federal authorities confiscated the fetuses when Handy was indicted in March 2022.

Prosecutors had sought a sentence of more than six years, at the higher end of Handy’s offense range. But Judge Kollar-Kotelly gave the defendant a 57-month prison term, with credit for the nine months she’s already spent locked up in Alexandria.

Handy didn’t speak at her sentencing, but Hinshaw used the hearing as a chance to bash the Justice Department, Judge Kollar-Kotelly and the practice of abortion, which he called “court-protected murder.”

Hinshaw said he accepted his punishment but advised Judge Kollar-Kotelly that they both must face the “true judge” — God.

The judge told both defendants that, despite letters of support detailing their compassion for others, she didn’t find their actions at the Washington Surgi-Clinic to be compassionate or empathetic.

Richard Hinshaw, the older brother of defendant Hinshaw, said afterward that the prosecution of pro-life activists is going too far.

“Put them in jail briefly, the punishment for a sit-in as it’s always been, but not these draconian sentences like the FACE law that are specifically targeting pro-life civil disobedience,” Mr. Hinshaw told The Times.

With fewer than 175 days until Election Day, voters in three more states cast ballots in primaries on Tuesday — including in several contentious intraparty contests set to determine the likely victor in red states come November.

This round, voters in Maryland, West Virginia, and Nebraska chose which candidates should carry their respective party’s banner into November while adding more delegates to former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden’s tallies ahead of this summer’s conventions in Milwaukee and Chicago.

WEST VIRGINIA – Polls Close at 7:30 p.m. ET

Republicans in the Mountain State will allocate 20 delegates with Tuesday’s presidential primary vote while Democrats have 32 delegates at stake.

The leading candidates seeking to fill retiring Democratic Senator Joe Manchin’s U.S. Senate seat — likely to be the easiest GOP flip of any up for election this cycle — are Republican Governor Jim Justice and U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney.

On the other side, three Democrats are competing in the primary, the outcome of which is unlikely to prevent Republicans from picking up the seat in November.

At least one U.S. House primary remained contentious through primary day, with GOP Rep. Carol Miller facing a challenge in the First Congressional District from Derrick Evans, a former member of the state legislature who stepped down after he was arrested and plead guilty for participating in the events of January 6, actions for which he apologized upon completion of his sentence.

In the Second Congressional District, a handful of candidates including State Treasurer Riley Moore, a warrior against ESG on behalf of his state’s investors and industry, are running to replace incumbent U.S. Rep Alex Mooney who is on Tuesday’s ballot in the U.S. Senate primary.

The Republican primary for governor is also a tight race, with Moore Capito — the son of U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito — and Attorney General Patrick Morrisey battling it out with a slim margin between them ahead of Tuesday’s election. One Democrat, Steve Williams, is running unopposed

MARYLAND – Polls Close 8:00 p.m. ET

At the top of the ticket, Democrats will allocate 95 delegates to their national convention this August while there are 37 delegates at stake in the Republican presidential primary.

In the race to fill the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Ben Cardin, the leading two candidates — U.S. Rep. David Trone and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks — are fighting it out for their party’s nomination.

Across the aisle, former Governor Larry Hogan is expected to lock up the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate race, setting up a likely harder-than-Democrats-wanted contest in November.

There are a few crowded primaries playing out for Maryland’s U.S. House seats as well, including Democrats in the Third Congressional District and Republicans in Sixth Congressional District.

NEBRASKA – Polls Close at 9:00 p.m. ET

Republicans in the Cornhusker State will allocate 36 delegates to this July’s national convention in Milwaukee while Democrats have 29 delegates at stake.

In an unusual situation, Nebraska is the only state to have both U.S. Senate seats up for election this cycle — the regular primary in which Sen. Deb Fischer has one challenger and Democrats did not put up a candidate to oppose her in November and the special primary to elect someone to serve the remainder of former Senator Ben Sasse’s term following his departure to become president of the University of Florida.

The incumbent in the special, Sen. Pete Ricketts, was appointed by Gov. Jim Pillen in 2022 but now faces two Republican challengers in Tuesday’s special primary.

The GOP primary for the Second Congressional District is one to watch as Rep. Don Bacon faces off against Dan Frei, but the incumbent retained a substantial fundraising advantage over his challenger.

NORTH CAROLINA – Polls Close at 7:30 p.m. ET

Voters in the Tarheel State also turned out on Tuesday to cast ballots in a few runoff elections to settle the nominations ahead of November’s general election.

Donald Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche began his confrontation with Michael Cohen on Tuesday by throwing the former fixer’s language back in his face.

Blanche confirmed the two had never spoken, but asked Cohen whether he knew who he was already, since Cohen “went on TikTok and called me a crying little sh*t” just before the trial began.

“Sounds like something I would say,” responded Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer.

The question set the tone for the cross-examination of the Manhattan district attorney’s key witness in the hush money trial against the former president. For roughly two hours, Blanche began a cross-examination to try to discredit Cohen’s allegations against Trump.

But after the initial fireworks over Cohen’s TikTok post, much of his cross-examination Tuesday was more subdued, as Blanche quizzed him on the many compliments he gave Trump when he was still a loyal fixer and the money he’s made from books and podcasts since turning against him. Cohen did not get rattled when his nasty statements were read back to him, and Trump hardly reacted to his lawyer’s interrogation.

Still, there’s a long way to go – Blanche indicated the cross-examination would continue through most of the day Thursday, when court resumes.

Over two days, Cohen has detailed the hush money scheme involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, walked the jury through the $130,000 he paid at Trump’s direction and described his fallout with the former president. Cohen’s testimony ties together the prosecution’s allegations that Trump broke the law by falsifying business records to reimburse Cohen and conceal the payment. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies having an affair with Daniels.

If Cohen gets off the stand Thursday, the prosecution appears poised to rest its case against Trump. Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass confirmed to Judge Juan Merchan on Tuesday that Cohen is the final witness for the prosecution.

Blanche tries to use Cohen’s words to discredit him

Blanche’s opening question was just the first in a series of colorful quotes from Cohen that Blanche raised to jurors to try to paint Cohen as someone who hated Trump and who was hellbent on getting revenge while making money off the former president and trying to get his prison sentence reviewed.

Blanche had plenty of material to work with. Cohen has written two books, “Disloyal” and “Revenge,” and has recorded hundreds of podcasts – confirming he mentions Trump in every episode of “Mea Culpa.”

Regarding Cohen’s first podcast in 2020, Blanche asked whether he called Trump a “boorish cartoon misogynist.”

“Sounds like something I would say,” Cohen responded again.

Blanche then asked whether Cohen called Trump a “Cheeto-dusted cartoon villain.”

“That also sounds like something that I said,” Cohen said.

Blanche fired more lines at Cohen, asking whether he said on his podcast in 2020: “I truly f***ing hope Donald Trump ends up in prison.”

“Sounds more like my language on ‘Mea Culpa,’” Cohen responded.

Blanche then asked Cohen to listen to audio from the podcast, which Cohen, the judge, the lawyers and Trump all put on headphones to hear.

Blanche continued by asking Cohen how much money he had made from his books, his podcasts and the TikTok account he launched six months ago.

The upshot of the questioning was that Cohen was making a living off attacking Trump after he lost his law license following his 2018 guilty plea to charges including campaign finance violations linked to the hush money scheme.

Cohen tried to put another spin on it. Asked what his goal was of putting out a TikTok nearly every night, he said: “Build an audience, to create a community, to really vent because I have a difficult time sleeping, so I found an outlet.”

The tug-of-war over Cohen’s words is sure to continue into Thursday as Blanche tries to convince the jury not to trust Cohen’s allegations related to the case itself.

Blanche questions Cohen on his drastically shifting views about Trump

Blanche took Cohen through the evolution of the former fixer’s feelings about Trump, pinpointing the shift from admiration to hatred in the summer of 2018, when Cohen turned on his former boss.

Asked whether he was “obsessed” with Trump, Cohen said, “I wouldn’t say obsessed. I admired him tremendously.”

He went on, “I can’t recall using that word. I wouldn’t say it would be wrong.”

Cohen also used his admiration to try to explain his shift, responding to a series of questions about the nice things he had said about Trump by saying: “At that time I was knee-deep into the cult of Donald Trump, yes.”

Blanche read a list of compliments Cohen paid Trump publicly in 2015 and 2016, including calling Trump “a good man,” “a man who cares deeply about his family” and “a man who tells it straight.”

Throughout cross-examination Blanche asked Cohen pointed questions about when he was telling the truth or lying when it came to Trump.

“You were telling the truth, correct?” Blanche asked in regards to the compliments Cohen gave Trump.

“That’s how I felt,” Cohen said. “I was expressing my feelings, so yes, it would be the truth.”

Cohen confirmed his feelings about Trump changed in the summer of 2018 around the time he pleaded guilty to federal charges.

Trump’s attorney pushed Cohen on his motivations since turning on the former president, suggesting Cohen is now driven by revenge and money.

Blanche quoted an excerpt of Cohen’s book “Disloyal” to him: “I wanted it all: power, the good life, public acclaim, fame, big deals, fast cars, private planes, the excess and glamor and zest for life.”

“Those are my words, yes,” Cohen confirmed.

There were no fireworks from Trump or Cohen on Tuesday afternoon during the cross-examination.

Trump’s former fixer kept his measured manner for the more than two hours of questioning from Blanche. Trump, meanwhile, rarely engaged with Cohen’s testimony. He turned to Cohen initially when Blanche began but spent most of the time with his eyes closed, appearing to zone out, with his mouth hanging open at some points.

Occasionally, Trump would look in Cohen’s direction, craning his neck at one point when Cohen was asked whether he lied to special counsel Robert Mueller’s office in 2018.

Hunter Biden’s legal team appeared to seek a delay for his impending June 3 trial date in Delaware, which was set by a federal judge two months ago.

The first son was not in attendance Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Delaware’s largest city, Wilmington, but attorney Abbe Lowell as well as Special Counsel David Weiss were. Weiss sat in court taking notes during the proceedings.

Special counsel attorney Derek Hines told the court the Biden matter is a “simple case,” and that he was prepared to go forward with U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika’s June 3 trial date.

But Tuesday afternoon, Noreika rejected Hunter Biden’s request to delay the trial. His case will go to trial next month, according to the Associated Press.

Hines predicted the trial would take less than a week.

Lowell told Noreika, “We are not ready,” for that start date, which appeared to frustrate the judge. Noreika asked Lowell for an explanation, pushing back that the case is not complicated.

Lowell said he is working on both Biden’s Delaware and California cases simultaneously, and instead proposed a September trial date in Wilmington.

He indicated he plans to file an appeal by Wednesday with the Third Circuit seeking an injunction to block the trial from commencing before merit-based motions are worked through.

A 56-page indictment against Biden was handed down in Los Angeles in December, which included felony charges and laid out his salacious spending habits and lifestyle while cataloging alleged related tax violations.

In Delaware, other issues scheduled to be presented in court Tuesday pertained to admissibility of evidence. Both the defense and prosecution were reported to be preparing “in limine” motions to exclude certain information from the jury as part of a typical timeline in normal litigation.

One argument from the special counsel’s office obtained by Fox News questioned why the jury should not hear the reasons Delaware state law enforcement did not charge Biden with a 2018 count relating to the first son’s application for and possession of a firearm while using controlled substances.

Another court document reflected evidence from the 2018 police report in which Beau Biden’s widow Hallie, who was in a relationship with Hunter at the time, purportedly tossed the gun in a trash receptacle near the A.I. duPont High School in Greenville, Del.

On Thursday, a federal appeals court decided against tossing the gun charges after Biden asked the Philadelphia-based Third Circuit to dismiss them.

A man has been arrested for eight counts of DUI manslaughter after eight migrant workers were killed and dozens of others were injured with a bus and a pickup truck collided in Marion County on Tuesday morning, officials said.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the crash happened shortly after 6:30 a.m. on SR-40, west of SW 148 Court, on the outskirts of Dunnellon.

During a news conference, troopers said a 2010 retired International school bus, transporting 53 farmworkers, was traveling westbound on SR-40. For unknown reasons, officials said a 2001 Ford Ranger truck traveling eastbound on the same road collided with the bus in a sideswipe manner.

After the collision, the bus traveled off the roadway through a nearby fence, struck a tree and overturned, FHP Lt. Patrick Riordan told reporters.

The driver of the private Ford Ranger truck, Bryan Maclean Howard, 41, was arrested and charged with eight counts of driving under the influence – manslaughter, according to an update from Florida Highway Patrol.

Over 40 people injured in the crash were taken to local hospitals, including the driver of the pickup truck. That person had serious injuries, FHP said.

“Some of those are also in very serious condition. So there’s high probability this may be beyond eight fatalities,” Riordan said. “We do not get in a hurry to conclude what happened until we have all the facts. And with that, I can tell you that it’s going to be probably six months at least, before we conclude factually what transpired here today.”

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said crews will investigate to see if weather played a factor in the crash.

“That always a factor because, one, the time in the morning, you know, people claim the sun was in their eyes… it’s always a factor,” Woods said. “We have to look into it. We have to know if the roads were wet, what other circumstances out here. Was there something else that caused the crash? We don’t know right now.”

FHP said the farmworkers were headed to a farm in the area when the crash happened.

“We are a very big agricultural county. So this time of year, we always have migrant workers that are in our county that are on buses just like this,” Woods said.

SR-40 is currently shut down from S.W. 180th Avenue Road to S.W. 140th Avenue. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) said the area will be closed for an “extended period of time” as crews investigate.

AdventHealth Ocala said they are providing the media staging area due to the crash scene being cleared. They issued the following statement about the incident:

“Our prayers are with all those affected by the tragic bus accident in Ocala this morning. … Our immediate priority is to provide exceptional medical care to those injured, and compassionate support to our patients and their loved ones. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.”

According to Marion County Fire Rescue, 34 people were transported to local hospitals. Eight of them were listed in critical condition, while the other 26 had non-life-threatening injuries. AdventHealth Ocala added that two of the 16 patients brought to its hospital have been transferred to other facilities, and the remaining 14 patients are in the process of being discharged.

Cannon Farms in Dunnellon shared the following statement on its Facebook page:

“We will be closed today out of respect to the losses and injuries endured early this morning in the accident that took place to the Olvera Trucking Harvesting Corp. Please pray with us for the families and the loved ones involved in this tragic accident. We appreciate your understanding at this difficult time.”

Alternate routes

Drivers wishing to head eastbound on SR-40 can take U.S. 41 northbound to West CR-328, then take West CR-328 eastbound back to SR-40, FDOT said.

Westbound SR-40 drivers can take West CR-328 westbound to U.S. 41, then take U.S. 41 southbound back to SR-40.

The sun released another powerful stream of energized particles toward Earth early Tuesday, causing blackouts over the U.S.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) showed disruptions over all of North America at about 12:51pm ET.

The solar flare, classified as an X8.8, was the the strongest to come from this cycle which started in 2017 – NOAA said it was a radio blackout level 3 (R3) on a scale from one to five.

The stream launched from a sunspot that has been pummeling our planet for the last few days, which NOAA had said is the size of the spot that caused the worst solar storm in history.

Space weather physicist Dr Tamitha Skov told DailyMail.com: ‘As for the big X-flare, it’s the biggest of the cycle thus far.

‘It would have been our first R4-level radio blackout, but it was partially blocked by the sun.

‘The region that fired the flare is now mostly behind the sun’s west limb so we can’t even see it anymore.’

The current solar cycle started in mid-December 2016.

‘We are now in the solar maximum phase,’ Skov said.

‘It is hard to tell if we have passed through the peak of solar maximum or not. (I doubt it because I think this cycle will have two peaks, just like last cycle.) Time will tell.’

The sunspot causing chaos in space is AR 3664, which grew to the size of the one that caused the 1859 Carrington event, which set telegraph stations on fire and cut communications worldwide.

AR 3664 rotated out of the view from Earth Tuesday, but said goodbye with one final blast.

Subatomic debris of electrons and protons from the flare could also hit our planet, which would cascade on the the surface.

The particles have the ability to disrupt satellite communications, cause radiation hazard for astronauts and interfere with power grids on the ground.

NOAA had predicted a 60 percent chance of that happening Tuesday.

The event, called a radiation storm, is guided by a magnetic field that curls out of the sun into our solar system.

As the sun rotates, the magnetic fields that emanate from it bend as they flow passed the planets in its orbit, creating a spiral structure known as the Parker Spiral.

Charged particles from a solar flare can become caught in these spirals, shooting them around back to Earth — when they would have otherwise missed our planet.

Tuesday’s flare follows days of solar activity that caused NOAA had warned could have been the worst solar storm in 165 years.

The agency released a Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch late Thursday the first time the alert has been issued in 20 years.

Geomagnetic storms take place when high-energy particles released from solar flares ejected by the sun reach Earth.

Shortly after the storm hit last Friday, farmers in Minnesota, Nebraska, and other parts of the American Midwest experienced satellite disruptions to the ‘global positioning system’ (GPS) equipment that they depend on for operating their equipment.

Many farms now use GPS to more efficiently and precisely plant crops in straight rows, reducing errors like overlapping seed beds or gaps of unused soil.

But the storm also brought stunning North Lights across the world.

Million of Americans from Maine to Alabama were also able to see the natural light show.

Struggling seafood restaurant chain Red Lobster is preparing to file for bankruptcy next week after abruptly closing at least 48 of its outlets across the US.

Red Lobster is expected to file a chapter 11 bankruptcy petition in Orlando, Florida, before Memorial Day, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The filing would allow the chain to restructure its debt, discard long-term contracts and renegotiate new leases.

The chain ‘temporarily closed’ locations in Buffalo, Orlando, Jacksonville and other cities, and is auctioning off kitchen equipment and furniture, according to CNN, leaving workers scrambling to find new jobs.

Red Lobster’s cash flows have been hit by expensive leases and high labor costs.

It comes after the company last year reported record losses of $11 million, which its CFO partly blamed on its unlimited shrimp deal.

The chain, which started as a single restaurant in Lakeland, Florida, in 1968 has around 650 locations across almost all states. It’s famous for its cheese-flavored biscuits.

News of the bankruptcy was first reported by Bloomberg, which said the restaurant chain is taking advice from the law firm King & Spalding.

Those familiar with the matter told the outlet the decision was yet to be finalized, but that bankruptcy would allow the company to continue operating.

Red Lobster’s famous shrimp promotion came as it wanted to lure in more customers after significant losses of $5.4 million in the second quarter of 2023.

But those plans backfired since the ‘all you can eat’ promotion was too generous.

For just $20, diners could indulge in as much of the shellfish as they could stomach.

The ‘Endless Shrimp’ offer was initially a special but in June it claimed a permanent spot on the Red Lobster menu. Foot traffic reportedly increased by 4 percent as a result.

More people were ordering the Endless Shrimp than the company anticipated – likely because the deal went viral on social media platforms like TikTok, where people showed off how much they ate to get their money’s worth.

‘For those who have been in the US recently, $20 was very cheap. And the rationale for this promotion was to say we knew the price was cheap, but the idea was to bring more traffic in the restaurants,’ said CFO Ludovic Garnier in November.

‘But something which was different from our expectation is the proportion of the people selecting these promotions was much higher compared to expectation,’ he added.

Eventually, the company bumped the price of their Endless Shrimp up to $25 in a bid to reclaim some of the losses.

Red Lobster has had multiple owners in recent years. It was previously owned by the Darden restaurant group, which also owned Olive Garden, but was taken over by Golden Gate Capital in 2014.

In 2020 it was purchased by Thai Union, which this year said its ‘ongoing financial requirements no longer align with Thai Union’s capital allocation priorities.’

The closures have left its workers in a scramble to find employment, with many Red Lobster staff claiming they were laid off with no warning.

One Tiktokker posted a stitched video that started with her talking through her day working at Red Lobster on Mother’s Day, before she complained about being laid off.

She said in the video, posted with the caption ‘I got another job but still DAMN RED LOBSTER’: ‘Why was that my last shift working there?

‘I just got a phone call this morning saying out location is closed.

‘Y’all know Red Lobster was going bankrupt, they don’t have no money [sic] to be playing around and out location was… we wasn’t [sic] the best location, so it makes sense.

‘I ain’t gonna lie, if you work at Red Lobster, you need to start finding something else to do.’

Another TikTokker posted a video of her sadly dancing through what appeared to be the stockroom of a Red Lobster location.

The video was posted with the caption: ‘Trying to laugh through the pain.’

Former Red Lobster workers also took to X to complain. One user said: ‘Im trying so hard to put on a smile right now. I feel like I could break at any moment.’

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reiterated Tuesday that inflation is falling more slowly than expected and will keep the central bank on hold for an extended period.

Speaking to the annual general meeting of the Foreign Bankers’ Association in Amsterdam, the central bank leader noted that the rapid disinflation that happened in 2023 has slowed considerably this year and caused a rethink of where policy is headed.

“We did not expect this to be a smooth road. But these [inflation readings] were higher than I think anybody expected,” Powell said. “What that has told us is that we’ll need to be patient and let restrictive policy do its work.”

While he expects inflation to come down through the year, he noted that hasn’t happened so far.

“I do think it’s really a question of keeping policy at the current rate for longer than had been thought,” he said.

However, Powell also repeated that he does not expect the Fed to be raising rates.

The Fed has been holding its key overnight borrowing rate in a targeted range of 5.25%-5.5%. Though the rate has been there since July, it is the highest level in some 23 years.

“I don’t think that it’s likely, based on the data that we have, that the next move that we make would be a rate hike,” he said. “I think it’s more likely that we’ll be at a place where we hold the policy rate where it is.”

Markets vacillated as Powell spoke around 10 a.m. ET and major averages were near breakeven approaching noon ET. Treasury yields edged lower, and futures traders slightly raised the market-implied probability of the Fed’s first rate cut coming in September.

Powell’s comments mirrored sentiments he expressed during his May 1 news conference after the most recent Federal Open Market Committee meeting.

The committee unanimously voted to hold the line on rates while also expressing that it had seen a “lack of further progress” on getting inflation back to the Fed’s 2% target, despite a series of 11 interest rate increases.

Tuesday brought a fresh round of discouraging inflation data, when the Labor Department’s producer price index, a proxy for wholesale costs, rose a higher-than-expected 0.5% in April on the back of a surge in services prices.

Though the index on its surface indicated further price pressures, Powell called the report “mixed” as some of the components showed easing movement.

“Is inflation going to be more persistent going forward? … I don’t think we know that yet. I think we need more than a quarter’s worth of data to really make a judgement on that,” he said.

Warren Smith, a high school teacher and YouTuber renowned for his channel dedicated to critical thinking has been fired.

Smith believes his dismissal is tied to his YouTube content, specifically a viral video that Elon Musk retweeted.

The video showcases Smith’s commitment to critical thinking in the face of baseless accusations against “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling.

Smith’s YouTube channel, called Secret Scholar Society, which promotes critical thinking and challenges conventional narratives, has evidently ruffled some feathers at his institution.

The incident in question revolves around a classroom discussion earlier this year, during which Smith gently challenged a student who accused J.K. Rowling of being “bigoted.”

Smith’s methodical approach encouraged the student to define what constitutes a bigoted opinion without imposing his own judgments, effectively teaching the student how to think, not what to think.

“Do you still like [J.K. Rowling’s] work, despite her bigoted opinions?” the students asked.

Smith responded, “So, let’s get specific though. Let’s define bigoted opinions. What opinions are bigoted? We’re going to treat this as a thought experiment. I’m not going to say what’s right or wrong or which way to think. The whole point is to learn how to think – not what to think.”

Smith broke down the accusation, step by step, questioning the basis and validity of labeling Rowling’s views as transphobic. By the end of the discussion, it appeared the student had completely changed his stance.

Watch the incredible exchange below:

This is utterly brilliant. A student accuses @jk_rowling of being transphobic. This teacher skilfully dissects the claim and challenges it by asking questions.

He teaches not what to think, but how to think critically.

Watch until the end.
You see the epiphany in real-time. pic.twitter.com/x00gWdOugc

— Lee Harris (@addicted2newz) February 3, 2024

Elon Musk, recognizing the value of such an educational approach, shared the video with his millions of followers, commending the need for critical thinking skills among the youth.

Musk wrote, “Critical thinking should be the first thing taught to kids.” The post was viewed 33 million times.

However, three months after the video went viral, Smith found himself fired from his job.

“Seven days ago, I was fired from my school after four years of teaching. I recorded this the following day to share my perspective – honestly & in good faith – to move forward and put this experience behind me. I have no desire to cause complications or bring unwanted attention to the school, so I will not divulge anything beyond that,” Smith wrote on X.

“It is important to me to be able to speak truthfully and honestly about one of the most challenging periods in the story of my life, in order to move onto a new chapter. I hope all can respect one another’s privacy, freedom of speech, & treat each other with dignity – especially during such times,” he added.

In a heartfelt video statement, Smith detailed his abrupt termination, expressing his shock and dismay at how swiftly and decisively it was executed.

“It happened so quick. It happened like five minutes. There was really no conversation, so they clearly knew what they wanted to do,” he said.

He also lamented the loss of his digital assets, including a book he had been writing for two years, as well as personal and financial information stored on his school computer.

“I have devoted four years of my life to this school, and yesterday, it was like being a character in a video game and just being deleted,” he said.

His removal was allegedly due to a breach of trust—yet Smith asserts that he has never once divulged confidential information or overstepped any legal boundaries set by the school.

“The reason was, ‘We don’t trust you not to divulge information online or upload online.’ Well, I’ve never divulged anything. Dave Rubin, Dr. Drew, hours of podcasts, and not once did I ever cross any of the parameters that you laid out, that your lawyers laid out,” said Smith.

However, Smith speculated that his termination might have been precipitated by the attention his video received after Musk’s retweet.

“I understand if you disagree with me voicing opinions on YouTube or feeling like It’s easier just to get rid of that; I understand to get rid of a teacher like that. And I accept that,” said Smith.

Elon Musk commented on this new development, saying, “Critical thinking inhibits indoctrination and schools have become indoctrination centers.”

As more teachers face repercussions for fostering critical thinking and open dialogue, the future of education looks increasingly bleak. In today’s climate, encouraging people to think for themselves may just be the most radical act of all.

Watch:

7 days ago I was fired from my school after 4 years of teaching.
I recorded this the following day in order to share my perspective – honestly & in good faith – in order to move forward and put this experience behind me. I have no desire to cause complications or bring unwanted… pic.twitter.com/Bf61VC2dD1

— Warren Smith (@WTSmith17) May 13, 2024

U.S. officials on May 14 asked a federal judge to order Steve Bannon, an ex-adviser to former President Donald Trump, to prison.

Mr. Bannon was convicted of contempt of Congress in 2022 and sentenced to four months in prison, but his sentence has been on hold due to his appeal of the conviction.

A U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit panel on Friday upheld the conviction, ruling against Mr. Bannon.

A lawyer representing Mr. Bannon said that he would be asking the full appeals court to consider the case, but U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers said Tuesday that “there is no legal basis” to keep Mr. Bannon’s sentence on pause.

“There is no longer a ‘substantial question of law that is likely to result in a reversal or an order for a new trial,’” they said, noting that the panel rejected all of Mr. Bannon’s arguments.

The request was submitted to U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who stayed the sentence in 2022 because he found that Mr. Bannon was raising “a substantial question of law that is likely to result in a reversal or an order for a new trial.”

The substantial question centers on how to determine if a defendant intentionally defies a congressional subpoena and what evidence the defendant should be able to introduce, Judge Nichols, an appointee of President Trump, said at sentencing. “This case also raises substantial questions about the effect of the congressional subpoena recipients, invocation of the Speech or Debate Clause, and questions regarding whether and to what extent the Committee was formed and operate[s] in compliance with its rules,” he said at the time.

Mr. Bannon was subpoenaed by the since-disbanded U.S. House of Representatives panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol but declined to provide documents or testimony because he was directed by his lawyer not to comply. The lawyer said that President Trump invoked executive privilege, and the matter of privilege would have to be worked out before Mr. Bannon cooperated.

“Long-standing constitutional principles, exhaustively recognized and identified by the Department of Justice for decades in binding opinions, make clear that any such definition when executive privilege has been invoked, violates the fundamental doctrine of separation of powers. It is the president’s or a former president’s prerogative to determine when and over what to invoke executive privilege and only a court, not a committee issuing the subpoena, can be the arbiter of whether executive privilege applies and how far its breadth extends,” David Schoen, who is representing Mr. Bannon, told The Epoch Times in an email.

“It is unconscionable to hold a private citizen criminally liable for responding to a subpoena in the manner his lawyer told him is the only manner the law permits and especially when a constitutional principle like executive privilege is involved,” Mr. Schoen added.

The appeals court panel said that the defense of citing legal counsel “is no defense at all.”

“As both this court and the Supreme Court have repeatedly explained, a contrary rule would contravene the text of the contempt statute and hamstring Congress’s investigatory authority. Because we have no basis to depart from that binding precedent, and because none of Bannon’s other challenges to his convictions have merit, we affirm” the conviction, U.S. Circuit Judge Bradley Garcia, an appointee of President Joe Biden, wrote for the unanimous panel.

There are two steps that Mr. Bannon can take following the rejection. He can ask the full appeals court to consider the case or hold an en banc session. He can also take the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Mr. Schoen said that Mr. Bannon and his representatives planned to ask the full appeals court to consider the case.

The DOJ officials said that, regardless of which steps Mr. Bannon takes, he should be ordered to report to prison.

They noted that federal law requires a person found guilty and sentenced to a term of imprisonment to be detained as an appeal is considered unless “the appeal is not for the purpose of delay and raises a substantial question of law or fact likely to result in reversal.”

Officials did not challenge Judge Nichols’ initial finding that Mr. Bannon raised “a substantial question of law,” but stated that, in light of the new ruling, there is no longer such a question.

“The D.C. Circuit rejected defendant’s appeal on all grounds, including the primary argument on appeal: the requisite mental state required for a contempt of Congress violation,” DOJ lawyers wrote. “Consequently, there is no longer a ‘substantial question of law that is likely to result in a reversal or an order for a new trial.’ Under these circumstances, the court ‘shall order’ defendant ‘be detained,’ so the stay of sentence must be lifted.”

Judge Nichols has not yet reacted to the request.

The appeals court panel stayed the issuance of its mandate until seven days after the disposition of a petition for rehearing or for rehearing by the full court. The DOJ acknowledged that stay but said it “does not divest” Judge Nichols of his authority to lift the stay of the sentence.

Peter Navarro, another former adviser to President Trump, started serving his contempt of Congress sentence in March after U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, denied his request to postpone the sentence pending appeal.

The decision was upheld by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court.

Michael Cohen is testifying about invoices, check stubs and checks for 2017 — admitting that the description for the check stubs were false statements.

He testified that payments earmarked by Donald Trump’s company as “legal retainers” were actually for “the reimbursement to me of the hush money fee” to Stormy Daniels, plus a bonus and other non-legal-related fees.

Presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 payment Cohen made to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.

Follow live updates here.

Trump Allies, Potential VP Contenders Attend Trial

Trump’s unprecedented trial in Manhattan is featuring support from GOP lawmakers and politicians who have been floated as potential running mates for Trump’s 2024 run.

Outside the courtroom Tuesday, Trump was flanked by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, Florida Rep. Cory Mills and former 2024 GOP contender Vivek Ramaswamy, all of whom are defenders of the 45th president and could be in the running as potential vice presidential picks. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson also notably appeared in support of Trump’s battle against 34 counts of falsifying business records, Fox News Digital reported.

“Vivek is here right now, so he can speak for himself – he said, ‘This is a sham trial. It’s politically motivated. It’s an assault on the leading candidate for U.S. president.’… He’s going to talk to you. The speaker of the House is here. We have Byron Donalds, Cory is here. We have a lot of great people here to talk to you,” Trump said outside of the courtroom Tuesday.

The lineup comes after the former president was joined Monday by Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who has also been floated as a potential running mate, New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, and his son Eric Trump. Eric Trump is also in court with his father again Tuesday.

A Trump campaign official told Fox News Digital that the supporters all volunteered to join Trump in court to support their friend, and were not invited by the campaign.

Appeals Court Denies Trump Gag Order Challenge

A New York appeals court on Tuesday affirmed a gag order against former President Trump in his hush money criminal case.

The order, imposed on Trump by Judge Juan Merchan, bars Trump from publicly commenting on witnesses, prosecutors, court staff or the judge’s family. It does not prevent him from attacking Merchan or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D).

Trump has railed against his gag order as a violation of his First Amendment rights, arguing it prevents him from responding to political attacks being levied by high-profile witnesses and others.

“Justice Merchan properly determined that petitioner’s public statements posed a significant threat to the integrity of the testimony of witnesses and potential witnesses in this case as well,” the decision from the five-judge panel reads.

Communities throughout the United States are suffering while they try to find money to house, clothe, feed, educate, and provide medical care for millions of illegal immigrants caught and released into the country by President Joe Biden. However, the left-wing nonprofit organizations paid to serve migrants are profiting pleasantly.

According to an examination by the Free Press of three of the most prominent nonprofit organizations paid by the Biden administration for migrant services, their revenues have more than tripled since 2018, and each of their CEOs makes more than $500,000 a year.

One, Global Refuge, saw its revenue rise from $50 million in 2018 to more than $200 million in 2022. Documents show that Global Refuge housed more than 2,500 migrant children in 2019 at a cost of $30 million. It housed just 1,443 in 2022 at a cost of $82.5 million. In that same period, Global Refuge CEO Krish O’Mara Vignarajah saw her salary rise from $244,000 a year to $520,000. Before coming to Global Refuge, she served as former first lady Michelle Obama’s policy director.

Another nonprofit group, Endeavors, was awarded more than 1 billion dollars in 2022, of which it spent $533,000 on a music therapist, $4.6 million on “consulting services,” $1.4 million on conferences, and $700,000 on lobbyists. Despite past scandals involving self-dealing among top executives, in 2022, Southwest Key Programs was awarded almost $800 million, of which it gave more than $1 million to its CEO.

Each nonprofit organization benefits from the Department of Health and Human Services’s Unaccompanied Children Program. When children are caught illegally crossing the border without parents, Border Patrol must, by law, turn them over to HHS, whose Office of Refugee Resettlement is charged with housing, feeding, and educating them until their parents or a sponsor can be found. HHS does not provide these services. They contract with nonprofit outfits that do, hence the big payouts to Endeavors, Global Refuge, and Southwest Key Programs.

Under the leadership of HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, the Unaccompanied Children Program has been plagued by fraud and abuse. One director quit after Becerra threatened to fire her if she didn’t discharge children to sponsors faster.

“If Henry Ford had seen this in his plants,” Becerra told ORR staff in 2022, “he would never have become famous and rich.” But the CEOs of the nonprofit organizations Becerra pays sure are getting rich.

Profiteering at the nonprofit groups involved in the Unaccompanied Children Program is a tiny fraction of the problem. The Biden administration has opened the spending floodgates through many other federal programs including State Department funding for the United Nations’s Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan;

Federal Emergency Management Agency funding for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, which is not to be confused with FEMA funding for Shelter and Services Program; or HHS funding for refugee entrant and assistance programs. Billions of dollars flow from taxpayers to far-left nonprofit groups allegedly to provide services without oversight for millions of migrants.

“We could afford to take, in a heartbeat, another 4 million people,” Biden said while campaigning for president in 2019. “The idea that a country of 330 million people cannot absorb people who are in desperate need and who are justifiably fleeing oppression is absolutely bizarre, absolutely bizarre.”

It’s easy to afford the housing, food, education, and medical costs of millions of new migrants when you are spending other people’s money, as Biden always is. It is even easier to spend that money when you know it is going to your political allies. It is past time for Congress to cut off the border crisis gravy train.

Inflation, as measured by the producer price index, rose to 2.2% for the year ending in April, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported on Tuesday.

April marks the third straight rise in the headline inflation rate, the opposite of the trend sought by the Federal Reserve and a warning sign for President Joe Biden.

Most economists had forecast annual inflation would tick up by this much, so the reading was in line with expectations.

On a month-to-month basis, the price index increased by 0.5%, more than expected.

“Net, net, inflation at the producer level is back on the front burner this month and consumers are sure to feel the heat as higher production costs will feed into the inflation they see in the goods and services they buy,” said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at FWDBONDS.

Core PPI inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy metrics, rose to 2.4%, also in line with expectations.

The Fed has raised its interest rate target to 5.25% to 5.50%, the highest since the dot-com bubble at the turn of the century.

Recent inflation reports have come in hotter than anticipated, with the consumer price index rising to 3.5% in March. Because of the hotter inflation prints, coupled with the insulation of the strong jobs market, many investors began to expect that the Fed would hold off on cutting rates until after the November election.

The labor market has remained above water despite the interest rate increases.

But the most recent jobs report showed some signs of slowing down.

The economy added 175,000 jobs in April versus 315,000 the month before, and the unemployment rate rose a tenth of a percentage point to 3.9%.

Additionally, the number of new applications for unemployment benefits rose by 22,000 to 231,000 last week, the highest number of jobless claims in about nine months.

The most recent data show job openings fell 3.7% in March to just under 8.5 million, the lowest level of openings since February 2021. The job opening numbers fell below expectations, continuing a trend of slowly declining job openings over the past few years.

A softening labor market could cause the Fed to cut sooner rather than later, but if inflation remains elevated, the situation will be difficult for the central bank. Top Fed officials have said bringing inflation down to its normal level is its highest priority.

Higher interest rates are bad news for Biden in an election year. Biden’s economic approval ratings have been hamstrung by high inflation coupled with the higher interest rate environment. Higher rates make things like buying a home or taking out a loan much more expensive for voters.