List of All Articles with Tag 'us politics'

Whenever a lawmaker who is advancing in years appears infirm or confused in public, or takes some time to convalesce, there are questions about their fitness for office.

Donald Trump is said to be preparing for the federal grand jury to potentially vote to indict him on charges over the January 6 Capitol riot and his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election today. Sources told NBC News that the former president’s legal and political teams are getting ready for the possibility that the vote will take place on Thursday – and that Mr Trump will be hit with his third criminal indictment. Last week, Mr Trump said he had received a letter from special counsel Jack Smith’s office saying he is the target of a grand jury investigation. Former New York City Police Department commissioner Bernie Kerik, a Rudy Giuliani ally, has since agreed to turn over hundreds of documents to the DOJ as part of its probe, court documents reveal. Ahead of the potential looming indictment, Mr Trump has gone on the attack against his political rivals and Mr Smith, and also posted a video begging Congress to help save him from his escalating legal troubles. This comes as Melania Trump is reportedly distancing herself from her husband’s 2024 campaign, rejecting multiple requests to join him at campaign stops. Read More What Donald Trump’s trial date means for the 2024 election Trump demands cameras in courtroom for potential election fraud case Trump legal team tries again to block Georgia election interference grand jury probe Is Donald Trump a legal unicorn?

A version of Hunter Biden's proposed agreements with federal prosecutors was made public Wednesday night by Politico, providing further insights into the convoluted legal deals that nearly collapsed under scrutiny from a federal judge at his plea hearing earlier in the day.

Fox News host Sean Hannity joked that he was going to throw his staff down the stairs after he flubbed the name of a Congressman during a broadcast. Every reporter gets a name wrong once in awhile, but Hannity had the misfortune of getting Congressman Tim Burchett's name wrong not only in front of the man himself, but in front of a live studio audience. The fumble occurred as Hannity was introducing Mr Burchett to discuss the much-hyped House Subcommittee hearing on unidentified aerial phenomena. Mr Burchett has been a vocal supporter of the witnesses who testified during the meeting about their encounters with UAPs and — in the case of former intelligence officer David Grusch — allegations regarding murderous coverups and the recovery of non-human bodies. Hannity welcomed Mr Burchett onto the show, calling him "Tom" instead of Tim. Mr Burchett initially tried to correct Hannity, but the applause of the Fox News anchor's live studio audience drowned him out. After Hannity introduced the topic of discussion — making it clear that he, at least on his show, is treating the witnesses as credible — Mr Burchett finally got a chance to offer a correction. "My name's Tim. Sorry to correct you," he told the host. Hannity apologised for his mix-up – and then threw his staff under the bus. "I'm going to blame my staff and throw them down the stairs, but that's ok," he said, prompting laughter from the live studio audience. The rest of the segment played out without a hitch. While it's clear by Hannity's tenor that he was joking about abusing his staff, it may have been an instance of a joke coming "too soon." Less than a month ago Fox News paid a former producer on Tucker Carlson's show won $12m in a settlement after she claimed the set was an abusive place to work. Abby Grossberg, the former producer, said Carlson's show was a hotbed of bigotry, misogyny, and bullying. "I am hopeful, based on our discussions with Fox News today, that this resolution represents a positive step by the Network regarding its treatment of women and minorities in the workplace," her attorney, Tanvir Rahman, wrote in a statement following the settlement. Read More Holocaust survivor responds to Fox News host’s comment about ‘useful’ people in concentration camps Explosive claims, impossible craft and questions of ‘murder’: House UFO hearing probes alleged alien technology defying laws of physics Fox News ousts eight remaining Tucker Carlson show staff as Jesse Watters takes over primetime spot House Speaker Kevin McCarthy floats an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden Fox chooses to air Trump’s false election claims again despite $787m Dominion payout Trump not frightened by Jan 6 indictment but it would be ‘dangerous’ to jail him

The unraveling of Hunter Biden's plea agreement has thrust his criminal case into uncertain waters and given new fodder to Republican critics in Congress as they push ahead with investigations into the president's youngest son. Biden was supposed to plead guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor charges for failing to pay taxes. But U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika in Delaware put the brakes on the guilty plea after raising concerns during an hourslong hearing about the structure and terms of the agreement and another deal that would allow him to avoid prosecution on a gun charge if he meets certain conditions. Plea deals are carefully negotiated between defense lawyers and prosecutors over the course of weeks or months and it's unusual — especially in high-profile cases — for judges to not sign off on them. But Wednesday's hearing revealed that the two sides apparently did not see eye to eye on the scope of the agreement around a non-prosecution clause for crimes outside of the gun charge. A look at what happens now in the criminal case and what's next for the Biden investigations in Congress: WHAT HAPPENS NOW IN COURT? Noreika — an appointee of former President Donald Trump — told both sides to file written briefs addressing her concerns within 30 days. Among other things, Noreika took issue with a provision in the agreement on the gun charge that she said would have created a role for her where she would determine if he violated the terms. The lawyers said they wanted her to serve as a neutral fact finder in determining if a violation happened, but Noreika said that is the Justice Department's job — not the judge's. Hunter Biden's lawyers and the Justice Department also disagreed on the extent to which the agreement gave him immunity from future prosecution. A prosecutor said Wednesday their investigation was ongoing, and that the agreement protecting him from other potential charges was limited only to certain offenses over a certain time frame. Biden's lawyers said it was broader than that. After intense courtroom negotiations, the two sides appeared to agree to a more narrow non-prosecution clause. Biden's lawyers and prosecutors will now continue negotiations to see if they can salvage the agreement in a way that satisfies the judge. "They are going to have to go back and figure out how they can come to an agreement terms of the plea and they have to come to a meeting of the minds, which is clear they don't have here," said Jessica Tillipman, associate dean for government procurement law studies at George Washington University Law School. "So I think what you'll see is a renewed effort — or it's just going to collapse." The judge may ultimately accept the deal that was proposed or reject it. If the deal totally falls apart, Biden could eventually face a trial. WILL HE AVOID JAIL TIME? Even if the judge ultimately accepts the plea agreement, she will have the final say on whether he serves any time behind bars. Prosecutors have said that they will recommend probation, but the judge can decide not to follow that. The two tax charges carry up to a year in prison. And the judge suggested on Wednesday that it was too soon to say whether she's willing to sign off on probation. “I can’t predict for you today whether that is an appropriate sentence or not,” Noreika said. “I can’t say that I will accept the sentence recommendation or whether a different sentence would be more appropriate.” WHAT'S GOING ON IN CONGRESS? The collapse of the younger Biden’s plea deal Wednesday came as joyful news to House Republicans vying to connect him and his questionable business dealings to his father. Republicans had already slammed the agreement as a “sweetheart deal." “The judge did the obvious thing, they put a pause on the plea deal, so I think that was progress,” Rep. James Comer, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said Wednesday. “I think it adds credibility to what we’re doing.” He added that this will only propel their investigation to get answers “as to what the family did, and what level of involvement the president had.” Comer has been investigating Hunter Biden’s financial ties and transactions since gaining the gavel in January. The Kentucky lawmaker has obtained thousands of pages of financial records from various members of the Biden family through subpoenas to the Treasury Department and various financial institutions. Last month, shortly after Hunter Biden reached an agreement with the government, Comer joined forces with two chairmen of powerful committees to launch a larger investigation into claims by two IRS agents who claimed the Justice Department improperly interfered in the yearslong case. IRS supervisory special agent Greg Shapley and a second agent, Joe Ziegler, testified before Congress last week that there was a pattern of “slow-walking investigative steps” into Hunter Biden, including during the Trump administration in the months before the 2020 election that Joe Biden won. One of the most detailed claims was that U.S. Attorney David Weiss in Delaware, the federal prosecutor who led the investigation, asked for special counsel status in order to bring the tax cases against Hunter Biden in jurisdictions outside Delaware, including the District of Columbia and California, but was denied. Weiss and the Justice Department have denied that, saying he had “full authority” and never sought to bring charges in other states. Despite the denials, Republicans are moving forward with their probes, asking Weiss to come in and testify about the case directly. The Justice Department has offered to have the prosecutor come before lawmakers after the August recess. ____ Richer reported from Boston. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide White House attacks McCarthy’s impeachment gambit as ‘ridiculous, baseless stunt’ Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to two tax charges after chaos around deal Hunter Biden’s plea deal appears at risk of falling apart. What happens next?

Sen. Dianne Feinstein had to be corrected and told to vote during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Thursday.

Speculation mounts that Mr Trump will soon be charged over efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.

President Joe Biden on Thursday unveiled a whole-of-government approach to protecting communities and workers from what he called the "real crisis" of extreme heat amid a recent spate of high temperatures and 150 million Americans are under heat alerts.

The Supreme Court cleared the way for construction of the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline to proceed on Thursday, granting an emergency request from backers of the project that has the support of Congress and the Biden administration.

Donald Trump's legal team is seeking a meeting with special counsel Jack Smith on Thursday, as a potential federal indictment looms, three sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed two bills banning so-called conversion therapy, a scientifically discredited practice intended to change a person's sexual orientation, for minors in the state, the governor's office announced Wednesday.

In a presidential contest cycle, Senate races don't get the same kind of attention when there's still a year to go until Election Day. But the start of the second fundraising quarter earlier this month brought a host of new candidate names -- some declared and some still biding their time -- that will help shape the race for control of the chamber in 2024 and the ultimate power dynamics for whoever is president in 2025.