Donald Trump late Saturday leveled an attack against the "Club for Growth," a conservative advocacy group that recently criticized the former president in an ad, for supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

Trump posted on Truth Social, his own social media platform that he created after being banned from most other platforms in the wake of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection attempt, that the group is attempting to counter DeSantis' own policy decisions.

"The very stupid, China loving 'Club for No Growth,' which has been backing Ron De Sanctimonious as his poll numbers have been absolutely CRASHING, has just spent some of the RINO money they have accumulated on an ad campaign hoping to counter the fact that Desanctus, just off the worst Presidential 'Launch' in history, opted three times to cut & destroy Social Security, even lifting the minimum age to 70," Trump wrote. "He also voted to cut Medicare & institute a 23% National Sales Tax. Ron is a loser!"

It was previously reported that the war between Trump and the Club for Growth was threatening to undermine the Republican party's plans for the 2024 election and that could blow up endorsement plans.

The White House and House Republicans have reportedly reached a deal in principle that would raise the debt ceiling and avoid default.

The deal was reported by Reuters Saturday night, citing sources familiar with negotiations. The outlet reported:

"U.S. President Joe Biden and top congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy have reached a tentative deal to raise the federal government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, ending a months-long stalemate, two source familiar with the negotiations said on Saturday," according to the report. "The White House and negotiators for House Republicans have reached an agreement in principle to avert a debt default, two sources familiar with the situation said."

While specifics about the deal aren't yet available, there is some reporting showing there could still be sticking points.

"But, I’m not sure it’s completely settled. Might be one or two small things they need to finish. But close enough to move forward," the second source said, according to the report.

"Biden and McCarthy held a 90-minute phone call earlier on Saturday evening to discuss the deal," Reuters reported. "The deal would avert an economically destabilizing default, so long as they succeed in passing it through the narrowly divided Congress before the Treasury Department runs short of money to cover all its obligations, which it warned Friday will occur if the debt ceiling is not raised by June 5."

You can read the article here.

A Republican congressman on Saturday avoided directly answering a question on the GOP's credibility when it comes to the debt ceiling.

Rep. Tim Burchett, of Tennessee, appeared on CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta, and was asked about issues surrounding the debt ceiling. While Burchett said the debt ceiling debate was plagued by "rumors" about what might be in the final deal, he noted that he does believe negotiators are "close" to reaching one.

"I feel like they're close to a deal but they're not quite there," he told Acosta. "I think a lot of the rumors going on are made to scare people. You have people in their 20s, basically, in the White House putting things out that aren't accurate, and just things that they would like to see in it. I think speaker McCarthy is keeping to his word in what he said in the things that he put in there and that he'd like to keep in there. I think those are still in there."

Burchett added that his side will "spin" the White House's demands to resonate with their constituents.

"The Democrats are really pushing -- their side is more IRS agents. That's how we'll spin it," he said. "More IRS agents, more regulation and, you know, more spending. So, I think they're -- I think Kevin McCarthy is in a very powerful position right now."

But when Acosta asked Burchett about the credibility of the GOP on this discussion, reciting a quote from then-President Trump, who had promised to pay down the debt, Burchett was less than forthcoming.

"We're all at blame, Jim. You know, I voted against -- under Trump I voted against the budgets, actually, under him. I have a record -- a track record of that, you know?" he said. "Some people have the mentality of just paying the interest. I don't. We're Tennessee, we pay our debt. We're a balanced budget state. We balanced the budget every year. It's a reality that both parties are upping up and they call it one thing or the other."

Watch below or click the following link:

CNN 05 27 2023 16 06 09youtu.be

The Colorado Moms for Liberty organization has complained about liberal activists "infiltrating" its private group, and has reportedly said it learned about the clandestine activities via its own moles.

Claims of spies infiltrating political groups are bubbling to the surface for the Moms for Liberty group, which launched to focus on fightingmask mandates in schools during the COVID-19 pandemic before growing to oppose LGBTQ-inclusive policies in schools and other diversity initiatives. In Colorado, opponents are starting to take actions to fight the group's influence, according to CNN.

"'I just got back from forcibly re-closeting myself for 90 minutes to infiltrate a Moms for Liberty meeting. … I got so much juice!' a TikTok user who goes by Morgan Howls said in a video," the news network reported. "The video is one of many on social media made by parents who say they’ve 'infiltrated' the group and give details of its strategy to others who do not support its politics."

CNN said it experienced this activity first hand when it covered a local event, and a Moms for Liberty leader admitted to finding out about spies through its own spies.

"When CNN traveled to Colorado earlier this month to observe a lunch meeting held by the El Paso County chapter of Moms for Liberty, chapter chair Darcy Schoening cautioned that some opponents might show up. It had happened before. Schoening knew there were liberal parents lurking in her chapter’s private Facebook group, because her group had some moles in the liberals’ Facebook group," CNN reported.

"We all know what’s going on. I don’t even know why we keep stuff private," Schoening said, according to CNN.

The network said that, while it was covering a meeting, one of the opponents of Moms for Liberty reached out.

"As CNN filmed the meeting, a woman sitting in the back passed the crew a handwritten note: 'We have the other side of this story. This is a hate group.' This time, the opponents were being covert, not overt," the report says.

You can read it here.

A year after the fall of Roe v. Wade, many Republican legislatures have retreated from planned abortion bans and are reportedly pushing 12-week bans as a "mainstream" compromise.

Two states have already passed these bans. North Carolina and Nebraska limit abortions after just 12 weeks, and the architects of those plans have chosen that route in part because of "political backlash" against more complete abortion bans, according to the Washington Post.

"Nebraska antiabortion groups and GOP lawmakers were stunned. In late April,their effort to ban most abortions was tanked by an unlikely person: 80-year-old Sen. Merv Riepe, a longtime Republican," the outlet reported. "Instead, on Friday, Nebraska’s conservative legislature voted to ban abortions at 12 weeks of pregnancy — a threshold that significantly narrows the window for legal abortions but still allows the vast majority to occur."

The same thing was reported in North Carolina.

"A few days earlier, North Carolina Republicans used their legislative supermajority to enact a similar 12-week ban, calling it a 'mainstream' approach that would be more broadly accepted than the stricter bans many conservatives had sought to pass," according to the Washington Post. "And in neighboring South Carolina, state Sen. Katrina Shealy (R) told The Washington Post that she and the other female GOP senators who blocked a near-total ban are planning to push for a 12-week ban on most abortions when the state Senate takes up a bill next week restricting abortion after roughly six weeks of pregnancy."

"While the 12-week bans have so far only passed in two states — North Carolina and Nebraska — the proposal has also gained traction with some national antiabortion groups who say they’re supportive of restricting abortions as far as a state can, including Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which has also been pushing for, at minimum, national limits on abortion at 15 weeks," according to the Washington Post's report. "With little polling on the 12 week proposals, it’s unclear whether voters will buy Republican arguments that these kinds of bans are a 'mainstream' compromise."

Donald Trump will face trial in yet another civil case on an expedited schedule now that his children, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump, have been voluntarily dropped from the case after they made it clear their father was the "principle architect" of the conduct called into question.

The lawsuit dates back five years, when viewers of the Apprentice sued Trump, his company, and his kids. According to the lawsuit, they were conned into paying thousands of dollars for desktop videophones that Trump touted as the next big piece of technology. In reality, they were rendered obsolete by smartphones, according to Bloomberg.

"Donald Trump won’t be joined by his children when he goes to trial in a civil suit alleging he ripped off viewers of his Celebrity Apprentice TV show for years by pitching investments in a doomed desktop videophone — a device he insisted was the next big thing," the outlet reported.

Bloomberg continues: "Former Trump fans who filed the suit five years ago voluntarily dropped Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump as defendants to streamline the dispute ahead of a trial set for January, according to a stipulation between the parties signed Friday by the judge overseeing the case."

Interestingly, the case will still feature the depositions with Trump's children. Those depositions reportedly show that the kids pointed to their dad as the one responsible for the purported conduct.

"The sworn depositions of the Trump children 'made clear' that the former president 'was the architect, principal actor, and largest beneficiary of the fraudulent scheme,' plaintiffs’ lawyer Roberta Kaplan said in a statement," Bloomberg added. "As part of the agreement, depositions testimony from the three children — who worked closely with their father while his TV show aired — can still be used at trial. The former president and his company, Trump Corp., remain defendants."

The luxury Trump Towers at Sunny Isles Beach in South Florida reportedly welcomed a different type of visitor on Thursday: the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The raid by the FBI on the property, for which former president Donald Trump has a licensing deal to use his name, was reported by Miami Herald.

"A squad of FBI special agents, assisted by local police, descended on Trump Tower III at 15811 Collins Ave. to carry out a search of unit 4102," the outlet reported. "It’s owned by a shell company, MIC-USA LLC, that is controlled by two Russian businessmen, Oleg Sergeyevich Patsulya and Agunda Konstantinovna Makeeva, according to state corporation records."

Miami Herald further reported:

"On Friday, a spokesman for the FBI’s Miami field office said it 'was conducting court-ordered law enforcement activity in the vicinity of that location,' but provided no other information."

The area is reportedly known as "Little Moscow."

"Sunny Isles Beach has been dubbed 'Little Moscow' by locals because it’s home to many Russian expatriates," according to the report. "Some expressed concerns about a backlash against their affluent beachfront community after the Russian military invaded Ukraine last year and the U.S. government started pursuing sanctions against oligarchs who hide their wealth in real estate in South Florida and other parts of the country."

The shell company reportedly bought the three-bedroom, three-bath unit residence at Trump Tower III for $1.65 million 10 years ago.

"In 2020, BAC Florida Bank, which provided financing for the purchase, sued Patsulya and Makeeva, claiming they defaulted on their $975,000 mortgage," the article states. "The dispute was resolved later that year, though it’s not clear how from the court records. MIC-USA, controlled by the two Russians, continued to own the 41st-floor unit at Trump Tower III."

Former president Donald Trump had to cancel his Iowa event due to a tornado warning, but Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reportedly made his bid in the state by pitching a return to "sanity" and "normalcy" to an audience that was open-minded if not eager to abandon Trump in the primary.

Trump was unable to have his own rally, but, for his part, DeSantis attended Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra’s annual family picnic in the city of Sioux Center, the most conservative corner of the state, according to CNN, which reported that Trump received 82% of the county's vote in 2020.

"In his remarks, DeSantis rattled off the conservative policy victorieshe pushed through Florida’s recently concluded legislative session but included a warning for his party while hinting at a possible presidential announcement," the network reported.

"If we make 2024 a referendum on Joe Biden and his failures and we provide a positive alternative for the future of this country, Republicans will win across the board," DeSantis said, according to CNN. "If we do not do that, if we get distracted, if we focus on the election in the past or on other side issues, then I think the Democrats are going to beat us again, and I think it will be very difficult to recover from that defeat."

Without mentioning Trump by name, DeSantis reportedly pushed for "sanity," "normalcy," "integrity," and "truth" in policy decisions.

CNN further reported that numerous attendees of the event told the network they were actively considering options other than Trump for the GOP primary.

"Trump’s name went unmentioned throughout Saturday’s program in Sioux Center, and several attendees told CNN they were open-minded, if not eager, for an alternative in 2024," the network noted.

Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has a warning for ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who recently announced he'd be doing his show on Twitter after being abruptly dropped by the conservative news network.

Psaki, who landed a job at MSNBC in March of 2022 following her stint at the White House, questioned whether Carlson’s "millions of nightly watchers" would follow him to the new social media-based show. Specifically, she asked if they are "really going to seek out his hate speech on a platform largely designed for scrolling?"

"NBC News’ dark web expert Ben Collins has his doubts," Psaki wrote for MSNBC.

Twitter is not “really meant for an hourlong video,” Collins told MSNBC, according to the post. “I don’t think he understands. He’s just some guy on Twitter now.”

"Plus, Carlson is now without the backing of America’s most-watched cable network. How many 65-year-olds are going to drastically change their routine?" the host asked on Saturday. "This may not be the last format Carlson engages with. But for now, Fox News has moved on — and many of his fans may move on as well."

Although it's possible the 2024 presidential election could be a complete rerun of the 2020 competition, the cycle could instead focus on whether Trump is fit to hold the office, according to an analysis from the Washington Post.

Dan Balz, chief correspondent covering national politics for the Post, argues that "the GOP primaries and the general election could focus on the ex-president’s fitness for office" as opposed to policy debates.

"Donald Trump’s televised town hall on CNN framed an important question for voters: What will, or should, the 2024 presidential election be about?" Balz asked Saturday. "Will it be about the normal issues and concerns of most elections — topical issues such as the economy, immigration, abortion? Or should it primarily be about the existential threats posed by the reckless former president?"

Balz says Trump's fitness and the potential dangers another Trump term could pose represent the "elephant in the room" when discussing the election.

"In many ways, the election next year will look and feel like all elections: the return of in-person national conventions; boisterous campaign rallies; saturation advertising especially in the battleground states (more negative than positive by far); heavy efforts to mobilize the parties’ bases with a modicum of outreach to the small percentage of genuine swing voters," the correspondent wrote. "Put aside the elephant in the room and it’s just like elections always were."

Balz further said some will continue ducking the important issues that could shape the election.

"Republican voters will render the initial judgments, both in their perceptions of Trump vs. his rivals but as well as in how much they perceive him as outside the mainstream of American politics," he wrote. "Some of his rivals may attack directly. Others are likely to tiptoe around the big question about his fitness for office and the dangers another term in the White House would represent."

The airman who was arrested in connection with the leak of highly sensitive classified documents was preparing for what he imagined would be an inevitable race war, according to an investigation from the Washington Post.

It was previously reported that alleged leaker Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, who it was discovered had access to a trove of military documents over a long period of time, had an obsession with guns and liked to analyze mass shootings for "fun." Based on previously unreleased videos analyzed by the Washington Post, we now know Teixeira was also obsessed with the potential of a race war.

The Post included a video of Teixeira shooting a semiautomatic rifle and reciting extremely racist language.

"Jack Teixeira, dressed in camouflage fatigues, his finger wrapped around the trigger of a semiautomatic rifle, faced the camera and spoke as though reciting an oath," the article states.

"Jews scam, n-----s rape, and I mag dump," he is seen saying in the video.

The Post also reported:

"Previously unpublished videos and chat logs reviewed by The Washington Post, as well as interviews with several of Teixeira's close friends, suggest that he was readying for what he imagined would be a violent struggle against a legion of perceived adversaries — including Blacks, political liberals, Jews, gay and transgender people — who would make life intolerable for the kind of person Teixeira professed to be: an Orthodox Christian, politically conservative and ready to defend, if not the government of the United States, a set of ideals on which he imagined it was founded."

Those close with Teixeira reportedly noted how his gun obsession intertwined with his admitted racism.

"For Teixeira, firearms practice seemed to be more than a hobby. 'He used the term 'race war' quite a few times,' said a close friend who spent time with Teixeira in an online community on Discord, a platform popular with video game players, and had lengthy private phone and video calls with him over the course of several years," the Post wrote.

"He did call himself racist, multiple times," the friend said in an interview, according to the Post. "I would say he was proud of it."

Tucker Carlson once devised a plan to "threaten" Fox News staffers for purportedly damaging the network's brand by criticizing former president Donald Trump, according to texts newly revealed by the Daily Beast.

Carlson is gearing up for a potential legal battle over his contract with Fox News, which separated itself from the former top host shortly after the network reached a massive settlement in the lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems over defamation in connection with coverage of the 2020 presidential election.

But before that, Carlson talked about how he was "happy to start threatening people individually" for damaging the brand by reporting on potentially negative news involving Trump, according to new texts released as part of the Dominion case and obtained by the Daily Beast.

The new texts outline an exchange between Carlson and his then-senior executive producer Justin Wells from Nov. 19, 2020, the day after Fox published a story reporting that Trump did the turkey pardon despite unrest over Covid and Trump's failure to concede the election to President Joe Biden.

"Pop that open in full. It’s our networks [sic] official Instagram feed. Literally 4-5 separate swipes at Trump for doing the Turkey pardon," Wells wrote, according to the texts obtained by the Daily Beast. “It’s actually unbelievable. We’re trying to piss people off for no reason. We can’t fix all of Fox but there is a ‘systemic’ issue here (to use an overused phrase of 2020.)"

Carlson reportedly responded by offering to "send a clear message."

"We’re not going to succeed if this continues," Carlson reportedly replied. "The brand will be too damaged. We should jump on a couple of examples just to send a clear message. Let’s start with this one. Can we find out who did this?"

Carlson added: "I’m happy to start threatening people individually. It’s too much. And again, it will hurt us badly if we let it continue."

The texts show Wells went on to say he would continue to push for changes, and added, "But I want to get you a big, fat contract. And our own network that we run on our own. They’re pissing the audience off but we can be the only thing working in the immediate future. It helps us in the 'right now.'"

Donald Trump's base may have loved his controversial performance at CNN's recent New Hampshire town hall, but those who raise money for Republican campaigns are "scared to death," according to former GOP Rep. Joe Walsh.

Speaking to CNN's Jake Tapper and a Democratic strategist, Walsh, who earlier in March sounded the alarm about the "radicalized" GOP base, said he was a fan of the town hall with Trump despite the barrage of criticisms the network has received in the wake of the event. He said CNN performed a "public service" by putting Trump on display.

Walsh added that the base of Trump's supporters saw his behavior at the event, which included insulting the woman he had just been found liable for sexually assaulting, as something that's worth praise. But those who Republicans go to for monetary support are reportedly singing a different tune.

"Look at the town hall. Grassroots loved Trump's performance the other night," the former Republican congressman said. "Republican fundraisers? Scared to death."

Tapper noted that there were "so many things" that Trump did that caused Democrats and fellow Republicans to wonder if the clips and moments will be used against Trump in a hypothetical general election against President Joe Biden.

Walsh specifically pointed to the moment in which Trump was unable to say whether he wanted Russia or Ukraine to "win" their massive, ongoing war.

"Who do you want to win, Ukraine or Russia, he couldn't answer that," said Walsh. "But the base agrees with him on that."

Watch below or at the following link.

Former GOP rep: 'Republican fundraisers scared to death' of Trump town hall performanceyoutu.be

Moderate Republicans who fear the fringes of the GOP and have failed to hold George Santos (R) accountable for purported misdeeds are "complicit" with him in defrauding voters, according to New York Rep. Ritchie Torres (D).

Torres, who proposed new legislation last year named after his embattled GOP colleague, was speaking to Joy Reid of The ReidOut on MSNBC on Tuesday. When asked by the host about Santos and his position in the Republican House, Torres said Santos "was the decisive vote in the Republican bill to default on America."

"He was the decisive vote. And so even though Republicans ran on a platform of draining the swamp, Republicans refuse to drain the greatest swamp of them all, which is the corruption of George Santos," he said. "The reality is that Kevin McCarthy needs every vote he can get, and he needs George Santos to remain in power and sabotage the full faith and credit of the united states."

Reid pointed out that McCarthy has a narrow majority, and asked if Santos would be allowed to stay in power while on trial.

"I would never bet on the integrity of the Republican party, which has a high tolerance for scandal and corruption and criminality," Torres replied. "And George Santos to me is not an accident. He's an outgrowth of a broken Republican party whose standard bearer is Donald Trump who on the same day was found liable for sexual assault."

Torres further noted that most Republicans want nothing to do with Santos, but that "the so-called reasonable Republicans live in fear of the extremes and refuse to hold George Santos accountable."

As far as I'm concerned, those Republicans who are turning a blind eye to the corruption of George Santos, who are denying voters the representation they deserve, are complicit in defrauding the voters of the United States," he said.

Watch the video below or at this link:

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on Saturday blamed "mental illness, drugs, and evil forces" for a mall shooting in Allen, Texas, where deaths are confirmed.

Multiple people were shot and some were killed at a mall in Allen, Texas, CNN reported. The network also reported that the gunman was believed to be acting alone, and that he was killed on the scene.

Brian Glenn, director of programming at the right-wing Right Side Broadcasting Network, tweeted a graphic video purporting to show the body of the deceased shooter.

"This is the piece of shit that took innocent lives today," he wrote. "Thank GOD that a brave police officer ran into the line of fire to kill this demon."

Greene, who recently said that Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, is "the biggest piece of white trash in America," retweeted the video and wrote, "This is exactly what this monster deserves."

She added, "Thank God for the brave officer that courageously ran into the line of fire to save others."

Greene's tweet didn't address the existing gun laws in Texas, nor did it talk about the possibility of firearm reform in the U.S., but it did lay the blame at the feet of unidentified "forces." She also offered the victims prayers.

"We pray for the victims and their families and an end to the mental illness, drugs, and evil forces that cause people to commit such horrors," according to the congresswoman from Georgia.

The airman who was arrested in connection with the leak of highly sensitive classified documents had an obsession with firearms and said that he found analyzing mass shootings to be "fun," according to an investigation.

Alleged leaker Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, who it was discovered had access to a trove of military documents over a long period of time, frequently posted about his guns, about firearm legislation, and about mass shootings and conspiracy theories, according to an analysis published by the New York Times.

The Times, which looked into 9,500 chat logs from Discord, found that Teixeira blamed the United States for purportedly orchestrating gruesome mass shootings.

"The FBI and other 3 letter agencies contact these unhinged mentally ill kids and convince them to do mass shootings," Teixeira wrote in an online chat group, according to the news outlet.

"In messages posted on Discord, a social media platform popular among gamers, Airman Teixeira claimed that the 20-year-old gunman behind the rampage at Greenwood Park Mall was one of many mass shooters groomed by the American government as part of a secret plot 'to make people vote for' gun control," the New York Times reported.

The obsession with guns went so far that Teixeira reportedly claimed to have at least 16 guns over the course of two years. He also insulted former presidents who initiated any form of gun control, including Trump, according to the Times analysis.

"The airman posted about six new guns in February and March alone, suggesting he was acquiring weapons shortly before his arrest," the Times wrote Saturday.

"His politics seem to be dominated by his vehement opposition to firearms restrictions — criticizing former Presidents Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Donald J. Trump for passing various gun control measures," the New York Times report says. "'I think analyzing mass shootings is cool. And fun,' he wrote on Sept. 5, 2022, during an exchange about similarities between shooters in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo."

A pastor who was an evangelical Christian for his whole life admitted how he voted for Donald Trump once before his conservatism came crashing down all around him.

Kevin Young, a pastor and speaker who considers himself "post-evangelical," told the story on Substack of how he was raised in a conservative Christian family, and about how he was taught to believe that "Democrats are evil." Young describes each of these lessons he was taught as bricks being laid into his foundational beliefs.

But those bricks slowly fell away until George Floyd's untimely death, Young said. That was the final brick that purportedly fell before his beliefs were shifted into something completely different.

"My favorite boss in the Church Media department I served in during Seminary had been a closet liberal, but I had seen how his convictions translated into a deep love for me and others in his life. There was a sizable hole in my wall, thanks to him," the former conservative wrote. "I had never known a conservative to love like this, and it rattled me."

Young also explained how his conservative indoctrination stopped him from understanding the LGBTQ+ community.

"By 2016, I had also done considerable damage to the wall myself while trying to prove the unaffirming stance of my youth. I had spent the better part of a decade trying to concretely prove that LGBTQ+ individuals were living in sin and against God, but my years of work in the original languages, ancient culture, and deep study had only served to weaken my stance… and in turn, weaken my wall," the pastor wrote. "Most of what I had been told and taught about God and the LGBTQ+ community was false, if not outright deception."

But it was the death of Floyd that removed the final brick from the wall, ultimately causing Young to vote for President Biden, the first time he voted for a Democrat, according to the pastor's explanation.

"It took 8 minutes and 46 seconds for my wall to be reduced to rubble. The exact length of time that a white police officer’s knee was on George Floyd’s neck. 08:46," Young wrote. "One man, Officer Derik Chauvin, pulled a brick and the wall came down. Even now, that moment reduces me to tears."

Part of how political activists move their "dark" money is by using public charities and donor-advised funds, according to a recent report.

The subject of the report is Leonard Leo, the Federalist Society leader who has organized or bankrolled conservative efforts to take over the judicial system. Leo—who has also helped former President Donald Trump select judicial nominees—also reportedly arranged for Clarence Thomas' wife Ginni to receive tens of thousands of dollars for consulting work, all while intentionally keeping her name off the paperwork.

But how does Leo's money move? One way is by using an independent 501(c)(3) public charity, such as Schwab Charitable, according to Dan Petegorsky, who works on the Emergency Charity Stimulus project at the Institute for Policy Studies.

"With newly released tax filings from Schwab Charitable — one of the nation’s largest sponsors of what are called donor-advised funds — we have another major piece of information on how this 'dark money' moves," Petegorsky wrote in the opinion piece.

"During its most recently reported fiscal year (July 2021 to June 2022), Schwab made an enormous grant of $141.5 million to the 85 Fund, a key part of Leo's burgeoning empire, formerly known as the Judicial Education Project. The 85 Fund is a 501(c)(3) public charity," he added.

The report notes that donor-advised funds, unlike private groups, are "not independent organizations that need to report their activities to the IRS and make those reports available to the public."

"Instead, they're accounts set up under a 'sponsor' — in this case Schwab Charitable — a public charity that can house hundreds or even thousands of funds," according to the article. "And while those sponsors need to file annual reports with the IRS, they do not have to report which of those DAFs make which grants."

That makes them "ideal vehicles" to conceal the donors behind funding sources, according to the report.

A Kentucky man was just handed down the harshest-yet sentence among those who have been charged in connection with the insurrection attempt in January 2021, according to reports.

Peter Schwartz, who already had a history of criminal activity prior to the insurrection, reportedly threw a chair at officers and sprayed them with pepper spray as he and his then-wife stormed the Capitol.

Lawyers for Schwartz sought a sentence of four years and six months, arguing that his actions were based on a “misunderstanding” of what happened in the 2020 election, but U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta felt that 14 years was appropriate, Associated Press reports.

Mehta said Schwartz was a “soldier against democracy” who participated in “the kind of mayhem, chaos that had never been seen in the country’s history,” AP says.

The outlet added some additional quotes from Mehta to Schwartz:

“You are not a political prisoner,” the judge told him, the report says. “You’re not somebody who is standing up against injustice or fighting against an autocratic regime.”

As for Schwartz, he quickly addressed the judge prior to hearing the sentence, saying, “I do sincerely regret the damage that Jan. 6 has caused to so many people and their lives.”

Clarence Thomas' wife, "Ginni" Thomas, reportedly received tens of thousands of dollars for consulting work, and her name was intentionally left off of the paperwork.

Ginni Thomas received the funds from conservative activist Leonard Leo—who has also helped former President Donald Trump select judicial nominees—according to the Washington Post's investigation. The news comes at a time when Clarence Thomas himself is under firefor reportedly receiving undisclosed gifts.

Leo made the arrangements through former Trump Administration official Kellyanne Conway, according to the Washington Post's report.

"In January 2012, Leo instructed the GOP pollster Kellyanne Conway to bill a nonprofit group he advises and use that money to pay Virginia 'Ginni' Thomas, the documents show," according to the report. "The same year, the nonprofit, the Judicial Education Project, filed a brief to the Supreme Court in a landmarkvoting rights case."

The investigation further uncovered the circumstances surrounding how the payments were made secret.

"Leo, a key figure in a network of nonprofits that has worked to support the nominations of conservative judges, told Conwaythat he wanted her to 'give' Ginni Thomas 'another $25K,' the documents show. He emphasized that the paperwork should have 'No mention of Ginni, of course,'" according to the Washington Post.

The Polling Company, Conway's firm, reportedly sent the Judicial Education Project a $25,000 bill, and listed the reason only as "Supplement for Constitution Polling and Opinion Consulting."

"In all, according to the documents, the Polling Company paid Thomas's firm, Liberty Consulting, $80,000 between June 2011 and June2012, and it expected to pay $20,000 more before the end of 2012," according to the Washington Post's investigation. "The documents reviewed by The Post do not indicate the precise nature of any work Thomas did for the Judicial Education Project or the Polling Company.

In a statement, Leo reportedly told The Post that, "Knowing how disrespectful, malicious and gossipy people can be, I have always tried to protect the privacy of Justice Thomas and Ginni."

It is "just inexplicable" how Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas thought he was following the rules with his acceptance of hundreds of thousands of dollars in vacations and tuition, and he may have in fact violated a criminal statute, according to a former Mueller prosecutor.

Andrew Weissmann, the former general counsel of the FBI and a previous top prosecutor for Robert Mueller's special counsel office, was a guest on MSNBC's Deadline White House. The host, Nicolle Wallace, said the congressional branch of government looks incapable or disinterested in doing anything about the disclosures, and asked whether a DOJ investigation into the matter would be forthcoming.

"I've covered this, maybe mistakenly, largely as an ethical lapse. But is it also a violation of law?" Wallace asked.

Weissmann responded by suggesting the ethical side is focused on the "disclosure issue," but that there is another "bucket" that's at issue.

"The other bucket is how is Clarence Thomas dealing with this in terms of his taxes?" Weissmann said. "If you pay up to $150,000 and that's given as a gift to Clarence Thomas, it doesn't matter if it's not given directly to him, if it's just given to his benefit and to the school."

He added that, "The criminal issue would be, 'Is this a dependent?'"

"I think it's too early to say this is a criminal violation, but the issue for the department is is there enough there that you should be looking at it," Weissmann said. "Here it is just inexplicable how Clarence Thomas thought he was complying with the rules, and he may have been violating an actual criminal statute."

"Should the department be looking at it?" he asked himself before answering, "Yes."

Watch the video below or at this link.

'it is just inexplicable': former prosecutor explains how Clarence Thomas may have broken the lawyoutu.be

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) said Wednesday that it is "very likely" that articles of impeachment will be introduced in connection to an alleged pay-for-pay scheme involving President Joe Biden (D) when he was V.P.

In a "breaking news" video released by Greene, she said America "deserves to see what Joe Biden - as vice president and now as president, and his family members - what they have been doing and what it's doing to this country." She claims a whistleblower came forward to reveal records that purportedly tie Biden "directly to foreign nationals in an alleged pay-for-play scheme to influence policy decisions."

"What we're finding out now, there will very likely have to be new articles of impeachment with new information added," Greene noted, referring to the articles of impeachment she filed against Biden on the day he took office.

In the video, Greene also points to a letter sent Wednesday by Senator Chuck E. Grassley and Representative James Comer to FBI Director Christopher Wray on the subject. The letter states that they need a form from Wray in order to fully prove the allegations.

"It has been alleged that the document includes a precise description of how the alleged criminal scheme was employed as well as its purpose," the letter says. "The DOJ and the FBI appear to have valuable, verifiable information that you have failed to disclose to the American people."

Greene added that she is "looking forward to full cooperation" on the GOP investigation and that they are maintaining the privacy, safety, and security of the purported whistleblower.

"All of you deserve the truth," Greene said, noting that Americans deserve to know the facts regardless of which side of the political spectrum they find themselves.

"What a treachery and betrayal," the sitting congresswoman from Georgia added.

You can see the video below or at this link.

Actress and former Scientologist Leah Remini said the rape trial against Danny Masterson, a current member of Scientology, is filled with "Scientological misdirection" that seeks to distract from the "weak case" Masterson's defense attorney has.

Masterson, who is known for his role on That 70s Show, was charged with multiple rapes in June of 2020. Remini said on Tuesday that she had attended the rape trial of "celebrity Scientologist Danny Masterson" one day earlier in order to "support the brave women who were raped by Danny and then later harassed, stalked, and attacked by Scientology."

But her presence wasn't welcomed by Masterson's attorneys, Remini wrote on her blog.

"Shawn Holley, Danny Masterson's Scientology-controlled defense attorney, tried to make a spectacle about my presence in court and suggested that she would try and force me to testify," Remini said, adding that she has nothing material to say about the case or those involved.

She also noted that the actions of Holley may provide a glimpse into the "weak" case Holley has.

"Imagine how weak Danny's case is that his defense attorney (one of several controlled by David Miscavige) has to go to these lengths," the actress wrote. "Shawn Holley, Phillip Cohen, and the rest of Danny's defense team just want to take the focus off their client, who has been charged with forcibly raping multiple women, and put it on me."

Remini added that the "pathetic attempts" to put the spotlight on her "are all a classic trick of Scientological misdirection."

Remini also pointed to the involvement of Reverend N.J. “Skip” L'Heureux. She said he is an "agent of Scientology," but he has denied having an association with Scientology.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) was reportedly described by U.K. business leaders as "low-wattage" and "horrendous" in his presentation at a dinner on Friday that capped off his overseas trip.

DeSantis, who was recently smacked down in a scathing letter by a state prosecutor who said DeSantis had a "dilapidated presidential campaign," met with more than 50 representatives of U.K. business interests as part of an event billed as a mission to build economic ties between Florida and nations around the world, according to Politico, which also noted that the trip "has been widely seen in Washington as a chance for DeSantis to present himself as a statesman on the world stage."

DeSantis failed to impress many of the attendees at the event, according to the Saturday Politico report.

"For several of those present, however, the statesmanship was lacking," the article states. "One U.K. business figure said DeSantis 'looked bored' and 'stared at his feet' as he met with titans of British industry in an event co-hosted by Lloyd’s of London — the world’s largest insurance marketplace."

“He had been to five different countries in five days and he definitely looked spent, but his message wasn’t presidential,” one individual reportedly told Politico. “He was horrendous.”

That wasn't the only negative feedback that was reported in the Politico article:

"A second business figure who was in the room said it was a 'low-wattage' performance and that 'nobody in the room was left thinking, ‘this man’s going places’'," the piece says. "They said: 'It felt really a bit like we were watching a state-level politician. I wouldn’t be surprised if [people in attendance] came out thinking ‘that’s not the guy’."

Fox News is reportedly trying to keep Tucker Carlson under a contract that doesn't expire until after the 2024 election.

Fox News, which recently ousted Carlson amid a swirl of rumors involving his texts and other purportedly offensive newsroom behavior, is still reeling from a massive settlement with Dominion Voting Systems over knowingly false narratives the network spread about the 2020 election.

As a result of the multi-pronged losses for the network, it has been consumed by "disarray," according to an exclusive report by Breitbart.

"Carlson's current contract runs through December 2024, and as of now three sources familiar with the matter told Breitbart News that executives at the network are trying to keep Carlson on contract and not release him until after the 2024 election," the conservative outlet wrote. "The shocking decision to cancel Carlson's top-rated weeknight program came just days after the network shut down its top-rated weekend program with host Dan Bongino."

The Breitbart report says that the narrative that Fox News put forth is untrue, but notes that there will likely be disparagement clauses that keep Carlson and any other former Fox hosts from speaking ill of the conservative news network. The article quotes anonymous sources in part, it says, "because Fox News and the broader Murdoch empire are known for their ruthlessness against anyone who speaks the truth about what is actually happening there."

"As of right now, the plan remains the same: pay out Carlson’s contract and keep him on the sidelines through the 2024 elections," a source close to Fox News senior executives purportedly told Breitbart News. "They knew they would take a beating for this but everyone — and I mean everyone — is pretty rattled. They weren't expecting the blowback to be this bad. Hate to say it but it's clear that Rupert has lost a step or two."

Former president Donald Trump's border wall was used by an associate of his former campaign CEO, Steve Bannon, to fraudulently raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for himself. That associate has now been handed a four-year prison sentence.

Brian Kolfage, a veteran of the United States Air Force, reportedly admitted to conspiring to defraud those who contributed to an online campaign to build a wall along the border of Mexico. Bannon, who also served as a White House strategist under Trump, received a presidential pardon by Trump after being charged in connection with the same case, according to the Guardian.

"Bannon remains a prominent presence in far-right media and politics. In September, he was indicted in New York state court in Manhattan on money laundering and conspiracy charges over the planned wall," the outlet reported. "He pleaded not guilty. Trump's pardon of Bannon covered federal crimes but not alleged state crimes."

The Guardian further said that Kolfage, who lost his legs and a hand in Iraq, pleaded guilty last year in the federal case to misappropriating money meant for the "We Build the Wall campaign."

"On Wednesday a US district judge, Analisa Torres, announced the 51-month sentence at a hearing in federal court in Manhattan," the Guardian wrote.

In 2021, it was reported that the the embattled "We Build the Wall" group admitted it couldn't pay lawyer fees despite raising millions of dollars.

Another former Bannon associate, Andrew Badolato, also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison, according to the Guardian's article.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is trying to make some headway against former President Donald Trump in the race for the Republican nomination for president for the 2024 election cycle by making a trip to Utah, during which he reportedly claimed that his home state is "the Utah of the Southeast."

DeSantis, who was recently accused of "public corruption" by a former House GOP colleague, hasn't formally announced his intention to run for president but has been running a pre-run background campaign for some time. Recently, he took a trip to Utah to "lick his wounds" after a poll showed him 13 points behind Trump, Mother Jones reported.

"On Saturday, the Florida governor spoke at the state’s GOP convention, where, amongst pleasantries, promises, and his trademark attacks on wokeness, he declared, 'Florida is the Utah of the Southeast,'" the outlet said that same day. "DeSantis, who has not officially announced his bid for the presidency, was met with cheers and applause by Utah’s GOP delegates during his speech, in which he once again slammed Disney and said Florida would 'eliminate DEI at all our public universities,' 'kneecap ESG' (as he called it, 'woke banking'),— and 'prohibit for minors, gender surgeries and puberty blockers.'"

DeSantis' decision to stop in Utah was a "predictable one," according to Mother Jones, which reported that "Utah elected officials, including Republican lawmakers, signed a letter begging for DeSantis to run for president in 2024."

"While they didn’t mention Donald Trump by name, KSL News reported that the letter appeared to rebuke Trump and the far-right wing of the Republican Party," according to Mother Jones.

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R) celebrated Earth Day Saturday by attacking climate change and calling out liberals for trying "to divide us."

Boebert, who warned last year against hosting drag queen "storytime" events in her Colorado district only to see them do it anyway and achieve enormous success, made exactly one tweet about Earth Day. At the end of the day, Boebert posted on Twitter that we should celebrate the day by remembering "to appreciate this incredible world God has given us."

She further insisted that liberals are trying to change the purpose of the holiday.

"Liberals will try to make this day about climate change to divide us," the congresswoman wrote. "Let’s focus on being appreciative, good stewards of what God has given us instead."

Contrary to Boebert's message, the origins of Earth Day are secular. According to National Geographic, Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 by a US Senator from Wisconsin sought to raise awareness about environmental issues like climate change.

Dominion Voting Systems "was probably always going to settle" its massive defamation case against Fox News, and any talk of holding the media company accountable for its lies was likely a negotiating tactic to score the settlement, according to Slate writers who spoke about the issue on the outlet's podcast.

Dominion and Fox surprised almost everyone when they settled in the eleventh-hour before a trial that would have been seen around the world. This was in part attributed to a "secret mediator" who was making phone calls from a boat and a hotel.

In retrospect, however, Slate senior writer Mark Joseph Stern says it should have always been the expected move for a corporate entity.

"Dominion is a private company and what they really wanted here, above everything else, was to be made whole after Fox News slandered it relentlessly and threatened its entire business," Stern said in an edited version of the Amicus podcast by Slate. "You know, Fox tried to persuade election officials that they couldn’t trust Dominion’s voting machines, and that their machines were the key to massive voter fraud that let Joe Biden steal the election."

Stern added that Fox's lies represented "existential threat to Dominion’s ability to continue making a profit, so the company had to sue" the news network.

"They used the threat of a trial, in which all these secrets would come out, as a bargaining chip. They went all the way to jury selection because they were pressing Fox as hard as they could for a big settlement," Stern said. "And that’s what they got. Now they can expand further into the market."

Fellow Slate writer Dahlia Lithwick said the settlement was "yet more proof positive that the law is not going to keep saving us."

"We keep thinking that there is this thing called 'the law that is going to keep making us whole,' but it's not," Lithwick said, adding, "Capitalism is not going to save us, either."

A man in Missouri was ordered to spend nearly 22 years in prison for attempting to kill an unnamed teenager by shooting him eight times because of his sexual orientation.

Malachi Robinson, who pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in July of 2022, admitted to shooting the then-16-year-old victim, only identified as M.S., about eight times with a 9mm pistol in order to kill him because of his sexual orientation. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 262 months in federal prison without parole, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

“This defendant’s sentence holds him accountable for the violent and callous hate crime perpetrated against a defenseless teenager targeted because of their LGBTQ+ status,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division wrote in a Thursday statement. “Recent FBI data makes clear that hate crimes targeting the LGBTQ+ community persist and this sentence should send a strong message to the perpetrators of these crimes that they will be held accountable. Bias motivated misconduct has no place in our country, and the Justice Department is committed to working with our federal, state and local partners to vigorously pursue justice for victims targeted because of their sexual orientation.”

Robinson and M.S. purportedly met at the Kansas City Public Library, before talking online and deciding to meet back up at the library. Library surveillance shows M.S. began to walk away, and that Robinson followed him. Prosecutors say Robinson lured M.S. into a wooded area for sex, all the while texting his girlfriend that he "might shoot this boy" because of his sexual orientation.

When M.S. changed his mind and began to walk away, Robinson shot him eight times before fleeing the scene and telling others what he did, according to the prosecution.

Trump's attorneys have reportedly claimed in court documents that, although he would like to appear in court to face a civil defamation suit from a woman he has denied raping decades ago, he might stay away as much as possible because of traffic and related travel concerns associated with the arrival of the former president.

Joseph Tacopina, Trump's attorney, wrote to a judge that Trump was merely trying to save New Yorkers from experiencing traffic jams, blocked streets, and other nuisances that marked Trump's arraignment visit, according to the New York Times. Trump's attorney was previously scolded by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan on Tuesday after the lawyer reportedly asked questions about an anonymous jury.

The trial is set to begin on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Lower Manhattan, according to the New York Times report.

"But Mr. Tacopina noted that when Trump appeared in the nearby Manhattan State Supreme Court for his recent arraignment on unrelated criminal charges, Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive was shut down for a significant period while Mr. Trump traveled to the courthouse. Streets within a three-block radius of the court were blocked off while he was there, and he was constantly accompanied by about a dozen Secret Service agents," the report says.

It continues: "For Mr. Trump to appear at the federal courthouse, Mr. Tacopina told Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, his movements would need to be coordinated each day that he was present by a Secret Service advance team hours beforehand. The team would then develop a tactical plan. That plan would reportedly include courthouse floors being locked down, and courthouse personnel being confined to their offices, according to the New York Times.

The letter purportedly asked that Trump's presence be excused "unless and until he is called by either party to testify" at the trial, which is expected to last about a week, it reported.