Tag Archives: Politics

Judge Expands Donald Trump Gag Order After Attacks On His Family

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A Manhattan judge expanded the limited gag order imposed on former President Donald Trump over his upcoming hush money trial after a series of attacks on the judge and his family.

Judge Juan Merchan barred the former president from going after his family members or those of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, saying Trump’s efforts served “no legitimate purpose.”

“It merely injects fear in those assigned or called to participate in the proceedings, that not only they, but their family members as well, are ‘fair game’ for Defendant’s vitriol,” Merchan wrote on Monday. “It is no longer just a mere possibility or a reasonable likelihood that there exists a threat to the integrity of the judicial proceedings. The threat is very real.”

His previous order blocked Trump from disparaging or making public comments about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff or jurors. But the judge pointed to Trump’s comments in recent days and said the court could not rely on the former president to modulate his behavior during the proceedings without explicit instructions.

“Admonitions are not enough, nor is the reliance on self-restraint,” Merchan added. “The average observer, must now, after hearing defendant’s recent attacks, draw the conclusion that if they become involved in these proceedings, even tangentially, they should worry not only for themselves, but for their loved ones as well.”

The judge declared that those concerns would “undoubtedly” interfere with the fair administration of justice in the Manhattan criminal case.

Former President Donald Trump faces an expanded gag order in the Manhattan hush money case that's set to go to trial on April 15.
Former President Donald Trump faces an expanded gag order in the Manhattan hush money case that’s set to go to trial on April 15.

Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Bragg’s office on Monday asked Merchan to expand the order after Trump took aim at the judge’s daughter, spreading false claims about her on social media.

“Defendant’s dangerous, violent, and reprehensible rhetoric fundamentally threatens the integrity of these proceedings and is intended to intimidate witnesses and trial participants alike — including this Court,” the district attorney wrote in a court filing.

“[Trump] knows what he is doing, and everyone else does too.”

The former president assailed Merchan after the judge imposed the order last week, claiming Merchan was attempting to deny the former president his “First Amendment Right to speak out against he Weaponization of Law Enforcement.” Trump claimed that Merchan’s daughter, Loren, had used an image of him behind bars as her profile picture on the social media platform X.

But that wasn’t true. The account once belonged to the judge’s daughter, but she deleted the handle about a year ago. It has since been taken over by someone else. A spokesperson for New York’s state court was forced to clarify that she was not linked to the account in any way.

“So, let me get this straight, the Judge’s daughter is allowed to post pictures of her ‘dream’ of putting me in jail, the Manhattan D.A. is able to say whatever lies about me he wants, the Judge can violate our Laws and Constitution at every turn, but I am not allowed to talk about the attacks against me,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Loren Merchan is a Democratic political consultant.

Trump had been subject to a gag order during his civil fraud trial in New York. He was fined twice for violating the restrictions, and the judge overseeing the case warned the former president to refrain from doing so again or face even “worse” penalties.

Trump’s hush money trial is set to begin on April 15. It centers on payments made before the 2016 presidential election to quash accusations of extramarital affairs. The payments included a reported $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels less than a month before Election Day.

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Trump’s Truth Social Bled Tens Of Millions Of Dollars Last Year

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Truth Social, the conservative social media network that former President Donald Trump launched in 2022 after being banned from other platforms, lost more than $58 million and generated a mere $4.1 million in revenue last year.

The revelations about Truth Social’s current situation came in a Securities and Exchange Commission regulatory filing from Trump’s company, Trump Media & Technology Group, on Monday. The financial situation is so dire, an auditor warned in the filing, that it raises “a substantial doubt” about whether TMTG can “continue as a going concern”.

In other words, Truth Social may have to shut down, going the way of Parler ― another conservative social network that had to shutter after just a few years in business.

The news comes a week after TMTG completed a merger with a shell company, Digital World Acquisition, to go public, infusing Truth Social with $300 million. But shares in the company dropped more than 15% following Monday’s news.

To put Truth Social’s precarious finances into context, Twitter, now known as X, generated more than $660 million in revenue in the year leading up to its going public, and it generated $5 billion in the year before Elon Musk bought it and took the company private.

Truth Social had fewer than 500,000 monthly active users in February.
Truth Social had fewer than 500,000 monthly active users in February.

NurPhoto via Getty Images

Per the SEC filing, all of Truth Social’s money comes from advertisers buying space on the platform, and most of its expenses involve paying interest on debt.

The biggest problem Truth Social faces is that its user base is microscopic compared to that of other social platforms. In February, it had just 494,000 monthly active users, according to statistics obtained by CNN. That’s about 150 times smaller than Twitter’s roster of active users, and 290 times smaller than Facebook’s.

Despite its small community, and despite other social platforms lifting their bans on Trump, Truth Social remains the former president’s go-to forum for attacking his opponents and issuing reactions to news events. His posts there have repeatedly landed him in hot water, forcing various judges to impose gag orders on Trump while presiding over cases against him.

Last week, Trump came under fire for posting a video on Truth Social showing an image of a hogtied President Joe Biden painted on a truck. The Biden campaign accused the post of suggesting physical harm toward the president.

“Trump is regularly inciting political violence and it’s time people take him seriously,” Michael Tyler, the campaign’s communications director, said in a statement.

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Tories On Course To Win Fewer Than 100 Seats At The Election, According To New Mega-Poll

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The Tories are on course to win fewer than 100 seats at the next election, according to a new mega-poll.

The Survation survey for the Best for Britain campaign group says Labour is set to win a landslide 142-seat majority on a catastrophic night for Rishi Sunak.

The poll of 15,000 people puts Labour on 45% overall, with the Conservatives on 26%, the Lib Dems on 10% and Reform UK on 8.5%.

But a seat-by-seat analysis of the findings leaves Labour with 468 MPs, the Tories on 98, the SNP on 41 and the Lib Dems on 22.

Cabinet big-hitters Penny Mordaunt, James Cleverly and Grant Shapps are among the high-profile Conservatives who would lose their seats if the poll is correct.

Even Sunak himself, along with Claire Coutinho, Michelle Donelan, Oliver Dowden and Michael Gove, are at risk as the Tories face total meltdown.

The party would also be left with no MPs in Scotland or Wales, according to the poll.

Although the poll predicts Reform UK will not win any seats, the right-wing party is set to take support from the Tories in seats across the country.

Naomi Smith, chief executive of Best for Britain, said: “With the polling showing swathes of voters turning their backs on the Tories, it’s clear that this will be a change election.”

The findings will pile yet more pressure on the prime minister amid mounting speculation that he could be ousted by Tory MPs even before the election takes place.

Polling experts have predicted the party will lose 500 seats at the local elections on May 2, a result which could trigger a wave of no confidence letters being sent in to Sir Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers.

It has been suggested that Sunak could call an election for June or July in an attempt to see off any challenges to his leadership.

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Obama, Biden And Clinton Take Podcast Photo, But Jason Bateman’s Beard Steals The Show

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It’s not often you see three U.S. presidents in one photo together, and it’s even rarer when Jason Bateman’s beard gets the most attention.

Of course, the occasion was commemorated with a group pic, but the reaction to it was surprising.

People on X, formerly Twitter, seemed more focused on Bateman’s (admittedly impressive) scruff than on the three-quarters of a Mount Rushmore’s worth of presidents hanging out together.

And, yes, things got hairy at times.

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People Think Nigel Farage Gorging On An Easter Egg To Own ‘NHS Luvvies’ Is Tiresome Stuff

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Nigel Farage is threatening to eat a whole Easter egg on Sunday to stick it to “NHS luvvies” in the latest piece of performative outrage about “wokery”.

It follows Dr Andrew Kelso, the medical director of NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, advising people to “resist the urge” and not “overdo it” by eating an Easter egg in one sitting, due to the high calorie count of the chocolate.

“Many people don’t realise that an average Easter egg contains around three quarters of an adult’s recommended daily calorie intake,” Kelso wrote.

“At a time like this, when we are seeing significant increases in cases of obesity and type 2 diabetes, as well as tooth decay, I urge people to enjoy their Easter eggs in moderation and resist the urge to eat a whole one in one go.”

Predictably, the former UKIP leader defied the advice on his GB News show – eating a chocolate egg has he raged against the suggestion.

He said: “I am sick to death of being told we can’t do this, we can’t do that, it’s Easter for goodness sake.

“I’m sorry, Dr Kelso, but you really bore the pants off me, it’s Easter, I don’t eat chocolate everyday, but I’m going to scoff all of this (egg).”

He followed this up with a furious screed in the Telegraph under the headline: “I’m stuffing my face with chocolate this Easter – to annoy the NHS luvvies”.

The reaction on social media suggested most people thought it was yet more tiresome “culture war” schtick.

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‘Demob-Happy’ Rishi Sunak Hands Knighthood To Tory Donor

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Rishi Sunak is facing a backlash for handing a knighthood to a Tory donor who gave £5 million to the Tories last year.

Mohamed Mansour, a senior treasurer of the Conservative Party and a former Egyptian government minister, was knighted for business, charity and political service.

PA News reported senior No 10 sources pointing to his charitable work and record of public service, including support for The Prince’s Foundation, now The King’s Foundation.

But Labour Party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds hit out at the prime minister for the decision, which was announced as parliament is in recess and on the eve of the Easter bank holiday weekend.

She said: “This is either the arrogant act of an entitled man who’s stopped caring what the public thinks, or the demob-happy self-indulgence of someone who doesn’t expect to be prime minister much longer.

“Either way, it shows a blatant disrespect for the office he should feel privileged to hold.”

Tory MP Philip Davies and Mark Spencer, the farming minister, were also knighted, while Tracey Crouch, a former minister, was made a dame along with Treasury committee chair Harriett Baldwin.

People from the worlds of entertainment and AI were also recommended for honours by the PM to the King.

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Sophy Ridge Outsmarts Jonathan Gullis As Tory Botches Rwanda Scheme Blame Game

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New Tory deputy chairman Jonathan Gullis has faced embarrassment after criticising peers and the Labour Party for voting against the flagship Rwanda deportation scheme – when he hasn’t been fully behind it himself.

Gullis abstained from voting on the Safety of Rwanda Bill at its second reading in December at a time when there was deep Conservative dissatisfaction with the legislation not going far enough.

The position came back to haunt the MP for Stoke-on-Trent when he was interviewed by Sophy Ridge on Sky News on Wednesday, a day after being handed the senior party role.

Gullis said: “Those pesky peers in the House of Lords, predominantly Labour, and Labour MPs and Sir Keir Starmer in the House of Commons are continuing to block any attempts that we make in order to get this Rwanda policy off the ground …”

Ridge quickly intervened: “But you abstained on the Rwanda vote, didn’t you?”

Knowing full well he did abstain, Gullis said that he “wanted to see the bill pass, so I didn’t block or deter it at any point”, adding: “I suggested amendments, Sophy.”

When Ridge clarified he “didn’t vote for it” and that he was just as “pesky” as those he was criticising, Gullis replied: “I haven’t voted like Labour have over 90 times to block the Rwanda scheme from being able to take place.”

You can watch the full exchange below.

The bill, which aims to overcome the Supreme Court’s block on the Rwanda deportation flights, is stuck in a game of parliamentary “ping-pong” as the House of Lords votes against the flagship legislation, only for MPs in the Commons to reverse those changes and send it back again.

It has undermined Rishi Sunak’s hopes of getting the deportation flights off the ground in the spring.

Britain and Rwanda signed a deal almost two years ago that would see migrants who cross the English Channel in small boats sent to the East African country, where they would remain permanently. So far, no migrant has been sent to Rwanda under the agreement.

The plan is key to Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats” bringing unauthorised migrants to the UK. He argues that deporting asylum seekers will deter people from making risky journeys and break the business model of people-smuggling gangs. Just under 30,000 people arrived in Britain in small boats in 2023.

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The Curious Case Of A Tory MP’s Campaign To Get A Fish And Chip Shop Opened

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A Tory MP has launched a “weird” campaign to get a fish and chip shop opened.

Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP Steve Tuckwell posted a video on X indicating his concern that there was no fish and chip shop in Uxbridge town centre – despite acknowledging the existence of two others nearb.

The Mirror reported there appears to be 10 fish and chip shops in the Uxbridge area.

The plea raised eyebrows on the social media network. Why was a politician from the free enterprise-supporting Conservative Party interfering with the market? Are there not bigger issues to be championing during a cost-of-living crisis? What is he campaigning to change, given there’s no legal pathway to enforce the opening of a takeaway food outlet?

Labour’s parliamentary candidate Danny Beales responded: “Maybe try to save the library first? You couldn’t make it up. Tory MP supports the closure of libraries, nurseries and youth centres. But campaigns for an extra fish and chip shop. Uxbridge and South Ruislip deserves so much better.”

Some claimed the campaign was effectively a device to get voters to sign up to the MP’s mailing list. A petition page link posted by Tuckwell suggests people can show support by signing up with their name, email address and postcode, and a tick box alongside it reads: “I agree to Steve Tuckwell using the contact information I provide to keep me updated via email and telephone on this and other issues until further notice.”

On X, food critic Jay Rayner argued the “proper weird” campaign was “just a data scraping exercise”, while others claimed Tuckwell opposed the opening of a fish and chip shop in 2019 in his role as a local councillor.

Minutes from a Hillingdon Council meeting on June 4, 2019, state Tuckwell attended a planning committee meeting where it was “unanimously agreed” to reject a planning application for “hot food takeaway” on Windsor Street.

The minutes state: “Members expressed concern regarding the visibility of the external duct and the fact that it would be sited in close proximity to an existing first floor window; this raised concerns regarding the potential for noise and smell.”

The Tories narrowly retained, Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Boris Johnson’s former seat, following a bitter by-election campaign in July, with Tuckwell beating Beales by just 495 votes to become the new MP.

The Conservatives effectively turned the by-election into a referendum on Labour mayor Sadiq Khan’s decision to expand London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).

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Britain’s Raw Sewage Dumping Scandal Leaves Fish ‘Full Of Cocaine’

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The dumping of raw sewage into British waterways has left fish being “full of cocaine”, a marine expert has said.

Professor Alex Ford, a marine biologist at Portsmouth University, told Good Morning Britain that the waters he analysed off the Hampshire coast contained drugs, contraceptive pills and antidepressants.

It comes as new figures fuelled more public anger over untreated sewage being discharged into the sea and rivers when the Victorian-era infrastructure cannot cope with heavy rain.

According to the Environment Agency, the number of sewage spills in England’s rivers and seas more than doubled in a year: there were 3.6 million hours of spills in 2023, compared to 1.75 million in 2022.

Ford told the broadcaster from Langstone Harbour, Hampshire: “The sewage treatment plant behind us takes in the waste of half a million people and when it can’t cope with it, it chucks it straight out here.

“In the marine life just beneath our feet, we’re actually finding they’re full of drugs. They’re full of the contraceptive pills, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medication. Every single marine species that we’ve looked at so far is full of cocaine.”

GMB presenter Susanna Reid couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing, and asked the reporter to clarify: “Every marine species is full of cocaine, did he say?”

Water companies are permitted to discharge untreated sewage into waterways in exceptional circumstances, such as during the heavy rainfall seen this week.

The overflow systems are used to protect homes and businesses from flooding, and the water companies say only a small percentage of the discharge is wastewater.

Water UK, the industry body for sewerage companies, blamed heavy rainfall for the rising problem, but campaigners and opposition parties accused the Tory government of failing to get to grips with the problem.

On social media, the reaction was as you would expect …

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Trump Attacks Judge Who Refused To Further Delay Hush Money Trial: ‘He Hates Me!’

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Former President Donald Trump went on the offensive Tuesday against the New York state judge overseeing the criminal trial over the alleged hush-money payments he made in 2016.

Judge Juan Merchan, the latest jurist to face the indicted Republican presidential candidate’s ire for doing their job, is presiding over a trial that stems from payments Trump allegedly made to porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign in order to bury accusations he had an affair. The former president was charged last year with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to the alleged payments.

Later Tuesday, Merchan issued a gag order against Trump in the hush money case. The order prohibits the former president from speaking publicly about witnesses, jurors, court staff or prosecutors involved in the trial.

“It is without question that the imminency of the risk of harm is now paramount,” he wrote in the order.

As Trump has done in other cases he’s charged in, the GOP presidential frontrunner has fervently denied wrongdoing in the hush-money case. This trial will be the first time a United States president is criminally prosecuted.

In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee called Merchan a “very distinguished looking man” who is “nevertheless a true and certified Trump Hater who suffers from a very serious case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.

“In other words, he hates me!” Trump continued.

The post comes one day after Merchan ruled that Trump’s trial can proceed on April 15 as scheduled, denying a request by Trump’s lawyers to either further delay the case by 90 days or have it altogether dismissed.

The trial was originally set to start Monday. But Merchan delayed it until next month, after the Manhattan District Attorney’s office received a massive document dump from the federal Southern District of New York that may include new evidence in the case.

That initial delay was meant to give both sides enough time to sift through the documents, which are related to an earlier investigation. That probe centered on whether Trump instructed his then-fixer Michael Cohen to give Daniels $130,000 to stay quiet about an extramarital sexual encounter she allegedly had with the former president years ago. Prosecutors in that case decided against charging Trump, but the federal investigation did lead to Cohen pleading guilty in 2018 to to campaign finance violations, among other charges.

The upcoming hush-money trial is not the first time Merchan will be overseeing a case related to the former president or his business. The judge, a former prosecutor who often handles financial cases, previously presided over a criminal tax fraud prosecution of the Trump Organisation that resulted in a $1.6 million fine for the company. The organisation’s chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, pleaded guilty and served 100 days in prison for his role, though Merchan commented at the time that he wished he could impose a stricter penalty.

In his Tuesday post, Trump also attacked Merchan for “viciously” treating Weisselberg, who the former president described as “elderly and not in good health.” Nicholas Gravante, who represented Weisselberg in the plea negotiations, said Merchan was “a real listener, well-prepared, always accessible, and a man who kept his word,” according to The Associated Press.

Trump’s attorneys filed a motion in August asking Merchan to recuse himself because of the judge’s remarks about Weisselberg’s sentencing, as well as donations to Democratic groups totaling $35 in 2020 and his daughter’s employment with a political consulting firm that did digital marketing for the Biden campaign. Merchan rejected the calls for his recusal.

Tuesday’s post was the latest attack by Trump against judges overseeing his multiple court cases, as he’s repeatedly claimed the judicial system is attempting to interfere with this year’s election. Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon earlier this month rejected a bid by Trump’s lawyers to throw out the case accusing him of keeping classified government documents at his personal home in Florida.

Trump has repeatedly attacked Judge Arthur Engoron, who ordered the former president and his Trump Organisation associates to pay a hefty fine last month as part of a civil fraud case in New York. Engoron has faced a bomb threat to his home and received an envelope filled with white powder that authorities later said was harmless. The judge’s staff have also been subjected to threats and harassment.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the federal insurrection case against Trump in Washington, has also repeatedly faced his anger. She experienced a so-called swatting attempt after someone made a false emergency call about her home.

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