Trump news – live: Trump says he doesn’t want to ‘burden’ New York by attending E Jean Carroll trial
Donald Trump has said that he doesn’t want to “burden” New York by attending his upcoming rape trial against E Jean Carroll.
In a letter to the judge on Wednesday, Mr Trump’s attorney Joe Tacopina said that the former president “wishes” to attend the civil trial beginning next week – but fears it will be a “burden” on the city.
“Defendant Trump wishes to appear at trial” but is concerned about the “logistical and financial burdens” of his attendance on “the courthouse and New York City”.
“Accordingly, his presence is excused unless and until he is called by either party to testify,” the letter read.
Jury selection will begin next week in the case.
Ms Carroll has accused Mr Trump of raping her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s and then defaming her by denying the assault took place. The former president denies the allegations.
This comes as Mr Trump’s attorney and adviser Boris Epshteyn is expected to meet special counsel Jack Smith for an interview on Thursday over at least one of the investigations involving the former president.
Key Points
Trump’s financial disclosures reveal his post-White house earnings
Fox News settles with Dominion Voting Systems for stunning $787m
Judge rejects another effort by Trump’s lawyers to delay E Jean Carroll trial
‘What happened to Donald Trump?’ DeSantis supporting super PAC launches attack ad against former president
Trump’s presidential campaign has raised $34m so far this year
Trump releases video attacking DeSantis
17:32 , John Bowden
Donald Trump released a second video on Wednesday which appeared to be shot in the same location and time as a previous video message released earlier in the day attacking the Manhattan DA investigation; in the second set of remarks, he went all in attacking Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
While mocking Mr DeSantis for hiring a GOP operative the former president described as the “kiss of death” to political campaigns, Mr Trump asserted that numerous DeSantis staffers were approaching his campaign for jobs.
Voices: Trump’s election lies cost Fox $787m - will they also cost him the White House in 2024?
17:18 , John Bowden
The Independent’s Washington DC correspondent Andrew Feinberg writes that the Dominion/Fox lawsuit’s end in a settlement in Dominion’s favour illustrates one thing: That Donald Trump’s false claims about election fraud have real life consequences, and will be an albatross around his neck in 2024.
Read more:
Trump’s election lies cost Fox $787m – will they also cost him 2024?
Mike Lindell bet $5m no one could disprove his election fraud claims. Now he has to pay
16:04 , John Bowden
After conspiracy theorist and pillow salesman Mike Lindell tried to renege on a promise to pay five million dollars to anyone who could prove purported evidence of 2020 election fraud was false, a private arbitration panel has ruled that Mr Lindell has made his bed and must lie in it.
The arbitrators said Nevada-based computer forensics expert Robert Zeidman is entitled to the $5m prize Mr Lindell offered before an August 2021 “cyber symposium” as part of what he called the “Prove Mike Wrong” challenge.
Mr Zeidman entered the contest, and successfully showed that a tranche of internet traffic data Mr Lindell claimed was evidence of Chinese interference in the 2020 presidential election had nothing to do with that election at all. Now, Mr Lindell has to pay up.
Andrew Feinberg has the story:
Mike Lindell bet $5m no one could disprove his fraud claim. Now he has to pay
Marjorie Taylor Greene shut down by GOP committee chair after she calls Homeland Security Secretary a liar at hearing
14:15 , John Bowden
Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene on Wednesday was blocked from further participation in a House Homeland Security Committee hearing after she broke House rules by calling Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas a “liar” while questioning him on the Biden administration’s border policies.
Her words were stricken from the record and she was barred from speaking further by the committee’s Republican chairman — a rare move.
Andrew Feinberg has the story:
MTG shut down by GOP committee chair after she calls Mayorkas a ‘liar’ at hearing
Trump boasts about making $4.6m from bizarre NFT cards
13:45 , John Bowden
Donald Trump released a second iteration of his NFT trading cards, leading to mockery online.
The former president announced on Tuesday 18 April that he was selling another series of the NFT trading cards he released this past December.
Ariana Baio has the story.
Trump boasts about making $4.6m from NFT cards that actually plummeted in value
Congressional hearing features Trump’s ‘greatest hits’ of Covid misinformation
13:15 , John Bowden
Florida Democratic Representative Jared Moskowitz listed off a series of former president Donald Trump’s lies about Covid-19 during a House subcommittee hearing on the origins of the pandemic.
The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic convened on Tuesday to discuss the origins, with Republicans largely focusing on the likelihood that a lab leak in the Wuhan province caused the virus to spread.
Eric Garcia reports from Capitol Hill.
Trump’s ‘greatest hits’ of Covid misinformation are read out at congressional hearing
VOICES: Trump eats Ron DeSantis’ lunch in the endorsement contest
12:45 , John Bowden
The Independent’s Washington correspondent Eric Garcia writes about Ron DeSantis’s visit to Washington:
“Mr DeSantis should have been greeted as a conquering hero. After serving in the House from 2013 to 2018 and as a founding member of the barn-burning House Freedom Caucus, he took his talents back to South Beach and ran for governor and served as a staunch conservative, mostly keeping the state open during the Covid-19, restricting abortion and targeting LGBT+ communities. That propelled him to win an overwhelming re-election this last November when other Republicans faltered.”
Instead, he was greeted by “a torrent of Republicans from his state’s congressional delegation lining up one after another behind former president Donald Trump.”
Read more:
Trump eats Ron DeSantis’ lunch in the endorsement contest
What you need to know about the E Jean Carroll rape defamation case
12:15 , John Bowden
Decades after she was allegedly raped by a New York real estate mogul who would go on to be the 45th President of the United States, E Jean Carroll is getting her day in court.
A judge recently denied an attempt by the former president’s lawyers to delay the case as he faces criminal prosecution in Manhattan and a host of other legal troubles.
Andrew Feinberg explains the background to the case.
Trump facing trial: What to know about the E Jean Carroll rape defamation case
‘No one is above the law’: Former New York prosecutor on Trump case must comply with House GOP’s subpoena
11:45 , John Bowden
A federal judge in New York ruled on Wednesday that a former prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office that indicted Donald Trump must comply with a subpoena from Congress.
“No one is above the law,” District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil wrote in her ruling.
The ruling means that former Manhattan special assistant district attorney Mark Pomerantz may have to appear before the Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee, which has launched an investigation into the Trump probe in Manhattan.
Current Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg has called the effort to subpoena Mr Pomerantz and others connected to his office “an unprecedently brazen and unconstitutional attack by members of Congress” aimed at disrupting his prosecution of Donald Trump.
Former New York prosecutor on Trump case must comply with House GOP’s subpoena
Trump says he doesn’t want to ‘burden’ NYC by attending E Jean Carroll rape trial
11:15 , Rachel Sharp
Donald Trump has said that he doesn’t want to “burden” New York by attending his upcoming rape trial against E Jean Carroll.
In a letter to the judge on Wednesday, Mr Trump’s attorney Joe Tacopina said that the former president “wishes” to attend the civil trial beginning next week – but fears it will be a “burden” on the city.
“Defendant Trump wishes to appear at trial” but is concerned about the “logistical and financial burdens” of his attendance on “the courthouse and New York City”.
“Accordingly, his presence is excused unless and until he is called by either party to testify,” the letter read.
Jury selection will begin next week in the case.
‘Damn it! I want my trial!’: Stephen Colbert shares frustration at Fox-Dominion settlement
10:15 , John Bowden
Stephen Colbert could barely contain his laughter as he discussed the news that Fox News has settled a defamation lawsuit with Dominion for $787.5m (£633m).
Isobel Lewis watched The Late Show host’s reaction.
Stephen Colbert shares frustration at Fox-Dominion settlement
Trump releases video attacking DeSantis
09:15 , John Bowden
Donald Trump released a second video on Wednesday which appeared to be shot in the same location and time as a previous video message released earlier in the day attacking the Manhattan DA investigation; in the second set of remarks, he went all in attacking Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
While mocking Mr DeSantis for hiring a GOP operative the former president described as the “kiss of death” to political campaigns, Mr Trump asserted that numerous DeSantis staffers were approaching his campaign for jobs.
Trump's former financial chief Weisselberg gets out of jail
08:15 , John Bowden
Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer at Donald Trump’s company, got out of jail Wednesday but might not have freed himself from the legal morass surrounding the former president.
The 75-year-old emerged from New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex facing the same pressures he was under three months ago, when he started serving time for tax evasion.
Read more in The Independent:
Trump's former financial chief Weisselberg gets out of jail
Trump touts poll claiming Bragg prosecution is motivated by politics
07:15 , John Bowden
On Wednesday afternoon Donald Trump released a video message to supporters on Truth Social; in it, he touted a recent poll from Quinnipiac University revealing that a majority of Americans believe Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to be primarily motivated by political reasons as he pursued a prosection of the former president.
He did not mention, however, that the motivation’s of a prosecutor have little bearing on the case itself, and will likely do little to dissuade a jury if evidence of criminality is presented.
Nor did he mention that in the same poll, a majority of Americans still said that they approved of the indictment.
Trump claims absence of evidence proving Biden’s criminality is really ‘Watergate'
06:15 , John Bowden
Donald Trump bizarrely claimed that James Comer’s admission of the GOP-led House Oversight Committee’s inability to find hard evidence of crimes committed by Joe Biden or his family on Tuesday was actually proof of a scandal bigger than the Watergate break-in.
He made the statement in a short tweet-like offering from his 2024 campaign, a sign that he still expects to be facing Mr Biden in the 2024 general election.
Statement by Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America pic.twitter.com/2fqD9n8PhF
— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) April 19, 2023
House GOP readies border enforcement push
05:15 , John Bowden
House Republicans for months have railed against the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S. border with Mexico, holding hearings, visiting border communities and promising to advance legislation to clamp down on illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
But so far, they have failed to unify behind a plan, delaying efforts to pass legislation.
Now they are hoping to change that.
Read more:
House Republicans ready border enforcement push after delays
Voices: Trump’s election lies cost Fox $787m - will they also cost him the White House in 2024?
04:15 , John Bowden
The Independent’s Washington DC correspondent Andrew Feinberg writes that the Dominion/Fox lawsuit’s end in a settlement in Dominion’s favour illustrates one thing: That Donald Trump’s false claims about election fraud have real life consequences, and will be an albatross around his neck in 2024.
Read more:
Trump’s election lies cost Fox $787m – will they also cost him 2024?
Marjorie Taylor Greene claims she saw ‘marijuana zombies’ in NYC
03:15 , John Bowden
Republican lawmaker and conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene has again lashed out at New York City, claiming to have encountered “marijuana zombies” on her recent visit to the Big Apple.
The Georgia congresswoman was seen in Manhattan on 4 April when she attempted to address a rally staged by the New York Young Republicans Club in support of Donald Trump during his arraignment over alleged hush money payments, only to be drowned out by counter-demonstrators with whistles and drums.
Joe Sommerlad reports.
Marjorie Taylor Greene claims she saw ‘marijuana zombies’ on ill-fated NYC trip
Trump releases video attacking DeSantis
02:15 , John Bowden
Donald Trump released a second video on Wednesday which appeared to be shot in the same location and time as a previous video message released earlier in the day attacking the Manhattan DA investigation; in the second set of remarks, he went all in attacking Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
While mocking Mr DeSantis for hiring a GOP operative the former president described as the “kiss of death” to political campaigns, Mr Trump asserted that numerous DeSantis staffers were approaching his campaign for jobs.
A Succession-worthy finale: The almost-trial of Dominion v Fox News
01:15 , John Bowden
Mountains of evidence boxes were wheeled into a seventh-floor courtroom on Tuesday morning, moments before lawyers for Dominion Voting Systems planned to eviscerate Fox News and its Fox Corporation leadership for the volley of false claims about the company in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
Later that morning, jurors were sworn in. They ordered lunch. Hours later, it was over.
Alex Woodward reports from Wilmington, Delaware.
The Succession-worthy finale of the Dominion v Fox nearly-trial
Will Donald Trump testify in the E Jean Carroll rape trial?
01:10 , Josh Marcus
Donald Trump’s legal team left open the possibility the former president would testify in person in an upcoming trial over allegations he raped writer E Jean Carroll in the 1990s.
In a letter to Manhattan federal court Judge Lewis Kaplan on Wednesday, attorney Joe Tacopina asked that jurors be instructed the following: “While no litigant is required to appear at a civil trial, the absence of the defendant in this matter, by design, avoids the logistical burdens that his presence, as the former president, would cause the courthouse and New York City. Accordingly, his presence is excused unless and until he is called by either party to testify.”
Mr Trump appears on the defence’s list of potential witnesses, but does not on that of Ms Carroll, who alleges the businessman-turned-politician raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in the mid-1990s.
In a separate letter to the court on Wednesday, the writer’s attorney indicated they would probably ask a pre-taped deposition of Mr Trump be played for jurors in lieu of in-person testimony, writing that Ms Carroll “has a right to play Donald Trump’s deposition at trial” but that there’s “no need for him to testify live,” NBC News reports.
More details in our full story.
Donald Trump might testify in impending E Jean Carroll rape trial
Tent cities for rehabilitation and jail for those who refuse: Trump’s new homelessness policy
Thursday 20 April 2023 00:45 , John Bowden
Former President Donald Trump has released the outlines a new homelessness policy based on banning urban camping, setting up tent cities, and sending people who decline “treatment” to jail.
Mr Trump has increasingly focused in his current campaign for the White House on rising levels of homelessness in major cities and is taking a characteristically authoritian approach to dealing with them.
In a new video, Mr Trump proposes banning camping wherever possible; arresting anyone found sleeping in unsanctioned areas outdoors; and presenting people with a choice: either agree to enter treatment programmes or go to jail.
Abe Asher reports.
Trump reveals new homelessness policy: Tent cities and jail for those who refuse
Trump's former financial chief Weisselberg gets out of jail
Thursday 20 April 2023 00:15 , John Bowden
Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer at Donald Trump's company, got out of jail Wednesday but might not have freed himself from the legal morass surrounding the former president.
The 75-year-old emerged from New York City's Rikers Island jail complex facing the same pressures he was under three months ago, when he started serving time for tax evasion.
Read more in The Independent:
Trump's former financial chief Weisselberg gets out of jail
‘No one is above the law’: Former New York prosecutor on Trump case must comply with House GOP’s subpoena
Wednesday 19 April 2023 23:42 , John Bowden
A federal judge in New York ruled on Wednesday that a former prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office that indicted Donald Trump must comply with a subpoena from Congress.
“No one is above the law,” District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil wrote in her ruling.
The ruling means that former Manhattan special assistant district attorney Mark Pomerantz may have to appear before the Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee, which has launched an investigation into the Trump probe in Manhattan.
Current Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg has called the effort to subpoena Mr Pomerantz and others connected to his office “an unprecedently brazen and unconstitutional attack by members of Congress” aimed at disrupting his prosecution of Donald Trump.
Former New York prosecutor on Trump case must comply with House GOP’s subpoena
Congressional hearing features Trump’s ‘greatest hits’ of Covid misinformation
Wednesday 19 April 2023 22:52 , John Bowden
Florida Democratic Representative Jared Moskowitz listed off a series of former president Donald Trump’s lies about Covid-19 during a House subcommittee hearing on the origins of the pandemic.
The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic convened on Tuesday to discuss the origins, with Republicans largely focusing on the likelihood that a lab leak in the Wuhan province caused the virus to spread.
Eric Garcia reports from Capitol Hill.
Trump’s ‘greatest hits’ of Covid misinformation are read out at congressional hearing
VOICES: Trump eats Ron DeSantis’ lunch in the endorsement contest
Wednesday 19 April 2023 22:05 , John Bowden
The Independent’s Washington correspondent Eric Garcia writes about Ron DeSantis’s visit to Washington:
“Mr DeSantis should have been greeted as a conquering hero. After serving in the House from 2013 to 2018 and as a founding member of the barn-burning House Freedom Caucus, he took his talents back to South Beach and ran for governor and served as a staunch conservative, mostly keeping the state open during the Covid-19, restricting abortion and targeting LGBT+ communities. That propelled him to win an overwhelming re-election this last November when other Republicans faltered.”
Instead, he was greeted by “a torrent of Republicans from his state’s congressional delegation lining up one after another behind former president Donald Trump.”
Read more:
Trump eats Ron DeSantis’ lunch in the endorsement contest
Trump touts poll claiming Bragg prosecution is motivated by politics
Wednesday 19 April 2023 21:20 , John Bowden
On Wednesday afternoon Donald Trump released a video message to supporters on Truth Social; in it, he touted a recent poll from Quinnipiac University revealing that a majority of Americans believe Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to be primarily motivated by political reasons as he pursued a prosection of the former president.
He did not mention, however, that the motivation’s of a prosecutor have little bearing on the case itself, and will likely do little to dissuade a jury if evidence of criminality is presented.
Nor did he mention that in the same poll, a majority of Americans still said that they approved of the indictment.
Trump claims absence of evidence proving Biden’s criminality is really ‘Watergate'
Wednesday 19 April 2023 20:44 , John Bowden
Donald Trump bizarrely claimed that James Comer’s admission of the GOP-led House Oversight Committee’s inability to find hard evidence of crimes committed by Joe Biden or his family on Tuesday was actually proof of a scandal bigger than the Watergate break-in.
He made the statement in a short tweet-like offering from his 2024 campaign, a sign that he still expects to be facing Mr Biden in the 2024 general election.
Statement by Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America pic.twitter.com/2fqD9n8PhF
— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) April 19, 2023
‘Damn it! I want my trial!’: Stephen Colbert shares frustration at Fox-Dominion settlement
Wednesday 19 April 2023 20:00 , John Bowden
Stephen Colbert could barely contain his laughter as he discussed the news that Fox News has settled a defamation lawsuit with Dominion for $787.5m (£633m).
Isobel Lewis watched The Late Show host’s reaction.
Stephen Colbert shares frustration at Fox-Dominion settlement
Marjorie Taylor Greene shut down by GOP committee chair after she calls Homeland Security Secretary a liar at hearing
Wednesday 19 April 2023 19:36 , John Bowden
Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene on Wednesday was blocked from further participation in a House Homeland Security Committee hearing after she broke House rules by calling Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas a “liar” while questioning him on the Biden administration’s border policies.
Her words were stricken from the record and she was barred from speaking further by the committee’s Republican chairman — a rare move.
Andrew Feinberg has the story:
MTG shut down by GOP committee chair after she calls Mayorkas a ‘liar’ at hearing
Cuomo aide says ‘nothing goes unaddressed’ in her memoir
Wednesday 19 April 2023 19:15 , Oliver O'Connell
A memoir from the top aide to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo during the deadliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and an investigation that concluded he sexually harassed 11 women, will come out in the fall.
Union Square & Co. will release “What’s Left Unsaid: My Life at the Center of Power, Politics, and Crisis,” on Oct. 24.
Melissa DeRosa was secretary to the governor from 2017 until she resigned in August 2021, just before Cuomo announced his own resignation. She was the first woman to hold the powerful position — and was known for appearing at the governor’s side during his daily pandemic briefings, occasionally answering reporters’ detailed policy questions.
Read more:
In memoir, former Cuomo aide says 'nothing goes unaddressed'
Trump boasts about making $4.6m from bizarre NFT cards
Wednesday 19 April 2023 18:15 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump released a second iteration of his NFT trading cards, leading to mockery online.
The former president announced on Tuesday 18 April that he was selling another series of the NFT trading cards he released this past December.
Ariana Baio has the story.
Trump mocked over ‘nightmare fuel’ NFT trading cards – all priced at $99
What you need to know about the E Jean Carroll rape defamation case
Wednesday 19 April 2023 17:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Decades after she was allegedly raped by a New York real estate mogul who would go on to be the 45th President of the United States, E Jean Carroll is getting her day in court.
Andrew Feinberg explains the background to the case.
Trump facing trial: What to know about the E Jean Carroll rape defamation case
Marjorie Taylor Greene claims she saw ‘marijuana zombies’ in NYC
Wednesday 19 April 2023 17:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Republican lawmaker and conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene has again lashed out at New York City, claiming to have encountered “marijuana zombies” on her recent visit to the Big Apple.
The Georgia congresswoman was seen in Manhattan on 4 April when she attempted to address a rally staged by the New York Young Republicans Club in support of Donald Trump during his arraignment over alleged hush money payments, only to be drowned out by counter-demonstrators with whistles and drums.
Joe Sommerlad reports.
Marjorie Taylor Greene claims she saw ‘marijuana zombies’ on ill-fated NYC trip
Trump threatens federal workers with mandatory tests if he wins in 2024
Wednesday 19 April 2023 17:15 , Oliver O'Connell
Former president Donald Trump said that if he returns to the White House in 2025, he will mandate that federal employes take a civil service test and workers who do not pass would be fired.
The former president made the remarks in a video released on Friday.
Eric Garcia reports.
Trump says he will make federal workers take political test and fire those who fail
Voices: Trump’s election lies cost Fox $787m... will it also cost him the White House in 2024
Wednesday 19 April 2023 16:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, DC.
Trump’s election lies cost Fox $787m – will they also cost him 2024?
Trump remains silent on Fox’s settlement with Dominion
Wednesday 19 April 2023 16:30 , Oliver O'Connell
But for how long?
Trump remains silent on Fox’s Dominion lawsuit settlement
CNN’s Jake Tapper struggles to keep a straight face as he reads Fox reaction to Dominion victory
Wednesday 19 April 2023 16:15 , Oliver O'Connell
CNN anchor Jake Tapper couldn’t help but chuckle on Tuesday as he announced the news that Fox News averted a bruising defamation trial over false election claims by paying a $787.5m (£633m) settlement to voting machine manufacturer Dominion Voting Systems.
The host hesitated multiple times as he read a statement from Fox News, which framed the settlement as a sign of “Fox’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards” and a move which “allows the country to move forward from these issues.”
Josh Marcus reports.
CNN’s Jake Tapper laughs as he reads Fox reaction to Dominion settlement
A Succession-worthy finale: The almost-trial of Dominion v Fox News
Wednesday 19 April 2023 16:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Mountains of evidence boxes were wheeled into a seventh-floor courtroom on Tuesday morning, moments before lawyers for Dominion Voting Systems planned to eviscerate Fox News and its Fox Corporation leadership for the volley of false claims about the company in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
Later that morning, jurors were sworn in. They ordered lunch. Hours later, it was over.
Alex Woodward reports from Wilmington, Delaware.
The Succession-worthy finale of the Dominion v Fox nearly-trial
Congressional hearing features Trump’s ‘greatest hits’ of Covid misinformation
Wednesday 19 April 2023 15:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Florida Democratic Representative Jared Moskowitz listed off a series of former president Donald Trump’s lies about Covid-19 during a House subcommittee hearing on the origins of the pandemic.
The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic convened on Tuesday to discuss the origins, with Republicans largely focusing on the likelihood that a lab leak in the Wuhan province caused the virus to spread.
Eric Garcia reports from Capitol Hill.
Trump’s ‘greatest hits’ of Covid misinformation are read out at congressional hearing
Premium: The Dominion settlement is not the end of the legal circus for Fox News
Wednesday 19 April 2023 15:30 , Oliver O'Connell
The Dominion settlement is not the end of the legal circus for Fox News | James Moore
House GOP readies border enforcement push
Wednesday 19 April 2023 15:15 , Oliver O'Connell
House Republicans for months have railed against the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S. border with Mexico, holding hearings, visiting border communities and promising to advance legislation to clamp down on illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
But so far, they have failed to unify behind a plan, delaying efforts to pass legislation.
Now they are hoping to change that.
Read more:
House Republicans ready border enforcement push after delays
Tent cities for rehabilitation and jail for those who refuse: Trump’s new homelessness policy
Wednesday 19 April 2023 14:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Former President Donald Trump has released the outlines a new homelessness policy based on banning urban camping, setting up tent cities, and sending people who decline “treatment” to jail.
Mr Trump has increasingly focused in his current campaign for the White House on rising levels of homelessness in major cities and is taking a characteristically authoritian approach to dealing with them.
In a new video, Mr Trump proposes banning camping wherever possible; arresting anyone found sleeping in unsanctioned areas outdoors; and presenting people with a choice: either agree to enter treatment programmes or go to jail.
Abe Asher reports.
Trump reveals new homelessness policy: Tent cities and jail for those who refuse
Mother and son who took zip ties into Senate on Jan 6 convicted
Wednesday 19 April 2023 14:25 , Oliver O'Connell
A Tennessee man and his mother were convicted on Tuesday of charges that they stormed the Capitol, where they brought plastic zip-tie handcuffs into the Senate gallery as a mob attacked the building, court records show.
Read more:
Mom, son who took zip ties into Senate convicted in 1/6 riot
Trump says if elected he will force federal workers to pass a political test
Wednesday 19 April 2023 13:45 , John Bowden
Former president Donald Trump said that if he returns to the White House in 2025, he will mandate that federal employes take a civil service test and workers who do not pass would be fired.
The former president made the remarks in a video released on Friday.
Eric Garcia has the story.
Trump says he will make federal workers take political test and fire those who fail
Wednesday 19 April 2023 13:15 , John Bowden
Senator Chuck Schumer hit out at Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy over his debt ceiling speech delivered on Monday at the opening of the New York Stock Exchange.
“He went all the way to Wall Street and gave us no new details, no new facts, no new information at all,” said Mr Schumer, warning of a “Republican default crisis”.
“President Biden and I are happy to meet with the speaker when he has something to talk about — a plan.”
The senator added that without a House GOP debt plan “what are we going to talk about? The furniture?”
What we saw this morning is clear:
Democrats want to avoid defaulting on our country’s debts.
Meanwhile, Speaker McCarthy continues to bumble us towards a catastrophic default that would cause the economy to crash, spike job loss, and raise costs for American families. pic.twitter.com/XB8ce3DeBQ— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) April 17, 2023
McCarthy hits Biden for not negotiating with GOP on debt limit
Wednesday 19 April 2023 12:45 , John Bowden
The White House may be on track for a political victory over the debt limit as the GOP Speaker of the House looks at least somewhat unwilling to threaten America’s credit by blocking an increase to the debt limit.
But that didn’t stop Kevin McCarthy from hammering President Joe Biden on the issue of not negotiating with Republicans over spending decreases at all, as the White House has maintained that the president wants to see the GOP’s budget proposal in full before any such talks begin.
John Bowden reports from Washington, DC.
Kevin McCarthy hits Biden for not negotiating with GOP on debt limit
Dominion wins $787m from Fox as election lies lawsuit settled: ‘Lies have consequences’
Wednesday 19 April 2023 12:15 , John Bowden
Moments before opening arguments in one of the biggest defamation trials in US history were set to begin, Fox News agreed to settle a lawsuit from a voting machine company that accused the network of spreading false statements about its business in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election.
Fox settled for $787.5m, about half of Dominion’s original demand of $1.6bn.
Alex Woodward has the story:
Dominion wins $787m from Fox as election lies lawsuit settled
Donald Trump suggests Disney could ditch Florida as he mocks DeSantis over Reedy Creek humiliation
Wednesday 19 April 2023 11:45 , John Bowden
Donald Trump mocked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Tuesday for the recent debate over changes to the Reedy Creek Improvement District by suggesting Walt Disney World could retaliate against the Florida Governor.
Mr DeSantis held a press conference this past week threatening Disney should they not cooperate. The ideas he raised in retaliation included potentially raising the park’s taxes, building a prison next door, or selling the land around Disney to a different theme park.
Read more:
Trump suggests Disney could ditch Florida as he mocks DeSantis over Reedy Creek
Earlier: Judge rejects Trump’s last-minute bid to delay rape and defamation trial
Wednesday 19 April 2023 11:15 , John Bowden
A federal judge in New York City has rejected former president Donald Trump’s 11th-hour attempt to once again postpone his long-delayed civil defamation and rape trial on the grounds that publicity surrounding his recent indictment necessitated a “cooling-off” period to ensure an impartial jury.
Judge Lewis Kaplan on Monday ordered the trial, which stems from two civil lawsuits brought against the ex-president by writer E Jean Carroll, to commence on 25 April as previously scheduled.
Andrew Feinberg has the latest:
Judge rejects Trump’s last-minute bid to delay rape and defamation trial
Trump silent on Fox News Dominion settlement
Wednesday 19 April 2023 10:45 , Rachel Sharp
Donald Trump has remained silent on the settlement reached between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems.
The former president is yet to comment on the news – despite the lawsuit being directly related to his election lies.
On Monday, Mr Trump had suggested Fox News should stand by his election fraud lies to weaken Dominion Voting System’s arguments in the case.
“If Fox would finally admit that there was large scale cheating & irregularities in the 2020 presidential election, which would be a good thing for them, & for America, the case against them, which should not have existed at all, would be greatly weakened,” he had claimed.
“Back up those patriots at Fox instead of throwing them under the bus - & they are right! There is sooo much proof, like mass ballot stuffing caught on government cameras, FBI colluding with Twitter & Facebook, state legislatures not used, etc.”
Trump returns to Instagram after two-year break
Wednesday 19 April 2023 10:15 , Rachel Sharp
Donald Trump has returned to Instagram for the first time since the January 6 Capitol riot – to plug his latest release of NFT trading cards.
The former president was banned from the social media platform back in January 2021 after a mob of his supporters stormed the US Capitol in a riot that resulted in several deaths.
The social media platform allowed his account back earlier this year but Mr Trump was yet to post on it – instead continuing to post on his Truth Social platform instead.
On Tuesday, he finally made his return to Instagram with several posts pushing his new digital trading cards.
