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Trump, Venting About Lawyer in His Criminal Trial, Seeks More Aggression

(New York Times) ]Donald J. Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial had barely begun when he started to turn his anger toward his lead lawyer, Todd Blanche. Although Mr. Blanche has been Mr. Trump’s favorite lawyer for some time, behind closed doors and in phone calls, the former president has complained repeatedly about him in recent weeks, according to four people familiar with the situation. He has griped that Mr. Blanche, a former federal prosecutor and veteran litigator, has not been following his instructions closely, and has been insufficiently aggressive. Mr. Trump wants him to attack witnesses, attack what the former president sees as a hostile jury pool, and attack the judge, Juan M. Merchan.

Tom of Temecula

Trump says 'Biden, I am sure, will be prosecuted' in explosive Time Magazine interview

(Raw Story) Former President Donald Trump came as close as he ever has to outright saying he would try to get President Joe Biden thrown in prison if he wins another term in office, in an interview released on Tuesday by TIME Magazine. During the interview, Trump gave seemingly contradictory answers when asked about jailing Biden, although he did say he would appoint a special prosecutor to investigate him. "I wouldn’t want to hurt Biden," Trump said initially. "I have too much respect for the office." The former president then shifted gears and vowed Biden would face charges if the Supreme Court didn't grant his demands for total immunity to break the law as president. "If they said that a President doesn’t get immunity, then Biden, I am sure, will be prosecuted for all of his crimes," Trump explained.

Nevilledog

Biden implores journalists to 'rise up to the seriousness of the moment'. They should listen.

(Presswatchers) After making a little fun of himself and the media – and roasting Donald Trump – President Biden closed his speech at the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday with “genuine thanks to the free press” for reporting “truth over lies,” which he called “my definition of patriotism and heroism.” He said that “you, the free press, play a critical role in making sure the American people have the information they need to make an informed decision.” And then he asked the people in the room to do a better job of it.

KS Toronado

Tuesday TOONs

BumRushDaShow

J&J, Bristol Myers lose challenges to US drug price negotiation program

(Reuters) A U.S. judge on Monday rejected a challenge by Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY.N) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) to a law requiring them to negotiate the prices of their blockbuster blood clot prevention drugs with the U.S government's Medicare health insurance program or pay heavy penalties. U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi in Trenton, New Jersey, became the fourth federal judge to uphold the program, one of Democratic President Joe Biden's signature initiatives, against drug industry challenges, rejecting their argument that it was an illegal taking of their property.

sl8

A quieter border eases pressure on Biden, with a hand from Mexico

(Washington Post) Illegal crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border are down more than 40 percent since December and have remained relatively stable through the first four months of 2024, bringing a modest reprieve for President Biden on an issue regarded as a liability to his reelection campaign. Crossings often increase sharply during early spring but that did not happen for the first time since Biden took office.

littlemissmartypants

Images show US military building floating pier off Gaza. Pentagon says it will cost $320 million

(CNN) The United States Central Command has released images of a floating pier being built by the US military off the coast of Gaza, which once complete is intended to help deliver much needed humanitarian aid to the devastated strip’s starving population. Construction of the temporary pier began at sea last week and the images show crew from several military vessels building the platform. Separately, a satellite image from Planet Labs shows the pier under construction.

Eko

The WA GOP put it in writing that they're not into democracy

(Seattle Times) “We are devolving into a democracy, because congressmen and senators are elected by the same pool,” was how one GOP delegate put it to the convention. “We do not want to be a democracy.” We don’t? Then they kicked it up a notch. They passed a resolution calling on people to please stop using the word “democracy.” “We encourage Republicans to substitute the words ‘republic’ and ‘republicanism’ where previously they have used the word ‘democracy,’ ” the resolution says. “Every time the word ‘democracy’ is used favorably it serves to promote the principles of the Democratic Party, the principles of which we ardently oppose.”

kpete

Formula 1: Miami Grand Prix sends cease and desist letter to prevent Donald Trump fundraiser during race

(Yahoo Sports) The Miami Grand Prix is looking to prevent a fundraiser being held for former President Donald Trump at Sunday’s race. Race organizers sent a cease and desist letter to Steven Witkoff, a prominent fundraiser for the GOP nominee. Per the Washington Post, Trump is planning to attend the race, and Witkoff’s golf club had advertised a trip to the race in a suite that would have been an event for Trump.

question everything

Stress-Testing Trump's Claims That the World Was Calmer on His Watch

(Wall Streeet Journal) During Trump’s four years in the White House, there was no conflict on par with the Israel-Hamas war or Russia’s war in Ukraine. But Iran, or Iran-backed proxies, did launch attacks on U.S. personnel in the Middle East and against countries across the region while Trump was president, and he was usually hesitant to respond, wary of further attacks. Russia also took aggressive actions against the U.S. and its allies around the world, and the U.S. and North Korea came close to the brink of conflict while Trump was in office. Some contend that Trump-era policies regarding Afghanistan, Russia and the Middle East paved the way for some of President Biden’s overseas challenges.

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US drug control agency will move to reclassify marijuana in a historic shift, AP sources say

1 hr ago - WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, The Associated Press has learned, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple-effects ... (AP)

Democrats say they will save Speaker Mike Johnson's job if Republicans try to oust him

2 hrs ago - By KEVIN FREKING Updated 10:54 AM CDT, April 30, 2024 WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats will vote to save Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s job should some of his fellow GOP lawmakers seek to remove him from the position, Democratic leaders ... (AP)

Judge holds Trump in contempt, fines him $9,000 and raises threat of jail in hush money trial

5 hrs ago - Updated 10:23 AM EDT, April 30, 2024 NEW YORK (AP) -- Donald Trump was held in contempt of court Tuesday and fined $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others conne ... (AP)

Revealed: Tyson Foods dumps millions of pounds of toxic pollutants into US rivers and lakes

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In unusual push, funders band together to get out grants around election work 'early'

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Updated federal workplace guidelines protect pronouns, bathrooms and abortion

6 hrs ago - 04/29/24 11:20 PM ET The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated the federal workplace guidelines after a quarter of a century to protect pronouns, bathrooms and abortion. The new guidance, released on Monday by the federal agenc ... (The Hill)

GOP lawmakers say Marjorie Taylor Greene's motion to vacate has fizzled

7 hrs ago - 2 hours ago A sizable number of GOP lawmakers cast doubt on the odds of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) pulling the trigger on her motion to vacate Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), with some arguing her efforts lost momentum after members went home ... (Axios)

Ex-NSA staffer gets 21 years for trying to sell defense information to 'friends' in Russia

7 hrs ago - Published 11:16 p.m. ET April 29, 2024 | Updated 11:16 p.m. ET April 29, 2024 The letter from the former National Security Agency employee, written in Cyrillic characters, is not at all what you would expect to end up in the hands of a Russian agent. ... (USA Today)

Live Updates: Protesters Take Over Building on Columbia Campus

8 hrs ago - Protesters occupied a building on Columbia’s main campus early Tuesday, escalating tensions at the university after weeks of walkouts, encampments and outdoor gatherings by pro-Palestinian demonstrators that had led to suspensions and more than ... (WaPo)

Kansas lawmakers' effort to override governor's veto of gender-affirming care ban fails

8 hrs ago - Published 11:12 PM EDT, Mon April 29, 2024 CNN — Kansas’ state House on Monday failed to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, a result celebrated by transgender rights advocates. K ... (CNN Politics)

Five Republican-led states sue over Biden's new Title IX transgender protections

9 hrs ago - April 29, 2024, 6:26 PM EDT Five Republican-led states have sued the Biden administration over its new rules expanding Title IX — a federal civil rights law that protects students from sex-based discrimination in federally funded schools — ... (NBC News)

J&J, Bristol Myers lose challenges to US drug price negotiation program

9 hrs ago - April 29, 2024 5:58 PM EDT Updated 11 hours ago April 29 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Monday rejected a challenge by Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY.N) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) to a law requiring them to negotiate the prices of their blockbuster bl ... (Reuters)

Feds testing ground beef sold where dairy cows were stricken by bird flu

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4 officers fatally shot, 4 injured while serving warrant in Charlotte

14 hrs ago - Three members of a U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force were fatally shot during a standoff Monday while trying to serve a warrant in Charlotte. A Charlotte police officer died hours later from injuries he suffered during the incident. Four othe ... (Washington Post)

Regulator Investigates Ford's Hands-Free Driving System After Fatal Crashes

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Cornell says it's suspending students after they refused offer to move encampment to an alternate location

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Matt Gaetz gets last-minute primary challenger

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Advanced automatic braking systems to be standard on new cars by 2029

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FCC fines US wireless carriers over illegal location data sharing

20 hrs ago - April 29, 2024 2:19 PM EDT Updated 5 hours ago WASHINGTON, April 29 (Reuters) - The Federal Communications Commission on Monday fined the largest U.S. wireless carriers nearly $200 million for illegally sharing access to customers’ location info ... (Reuters)

U.S. Navy, Army ships building floating pier for Gaza aid. Pentagon estimates cost at $320 million

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