Trump mocked for claiming he was ‘tortured’ when Georgia mugshot taken as gag order partially lifted: Live

Donald Trump is being ridiculed on social media after claiming hysterically in a fundraising email to supporters that he was “tortured” at his Georgia arraignment last August.

“I want you to remember what they did to me. They tortured me in the Fulton County Jail, and TOOK MY MUGSHOT,” Trump’s campaign wrote, taking the opportunity in the same dispatch to sell coffee cups bearing the very same image.

On Tuesday, Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over Trump’s recent New York hush money trial, partially lifted the gag order imposed on the defendant, empowering him to resume attacking key witnesses like Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen.

Meanwhile, sources close to the Republican presidential contender suggested he may name his 2024 running mate ahead of Thursday’s presidential debate against Joe Biden, the candidate having previously said he would announce who would join him on the GOP ticket at the party’s convention in Milwaukee next month.

Trump and his conservative media allies have continued to suggest in advance that the CNN debate will not be a fair fight, arguing without evidence that moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will be biased and that Biden will be using perfomance-enhancing medication.

Key Points

• Trump mocked for claiming he was ‘tortured’ when Georgia mugshot taken

• New York hush money trial judge rolls back Trump’s gag order

• Trump says indictments a ‘badge of honor’

• Republican may announce running mate ahead of Thursday’s CNN debate

• Supreme Court will soon decide if Trump is immune from prosecution

Pot calls kettle black

14:37 , Oliver O'Connell

At 6.25am this morning, Donald Trump took to Truth Social for a jaw-dropping moment of projection in which he called Joe Biden a “LYING MACHINE, and a Fact Checker’s DREAM”.

He then suggested: “Maybe we should call him ‘Lyin’ Joe’ in addition to Crooked?”

Here’s the full text:

Crooked Joe Biden’s “Handlers” are loudly and profusely complaining that there will be no Fact Checkers during the Debate on Thursday. Actually, that is just DISINFORMATION - They could not be happier, because there is nobody that’s as loose with the TRUTH as Crooked Joe. From the 51 Fake Intelligence Agents, to Russia, Russia, Russia, to the Fake “Suckers and Losers Story” he created about our beloved Military, to cheating in College and saying he was first in his Law School Class when he was actually LAST, to claiming he marched for Civil Rights, drove trucks, and has a 6.2 Handicap (He can’t hit the Golf Ball 10 yards, but that’s a minor detail!), and so many more falsehoods, the man is a walking LYING MACHINE, and a Fact Checker’s DREAM. Maybe we should call him “Lyin’ Joe” in addition to Crooked?

Impressive.

Trump claims he will bring home Evan Gershkovich if reelected as reporter’s trial begins in Russia

14:25 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has claimed that if he is reelected, illegally detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will be released from Russia before he takes office.

The former president wrote on Truth Social this morning:

EVAN GERSHKOVICH, the young Wall Street Journal reporter who is being harshly detained in Russia as his ESPIONAGE TRIAL is about to begin, will be released prior to my taking office if I WIN the Election on NOVEMBER 5th. Crooked Joe can’t do anything right, although it is likely that he will pay $BILLIONS, which continues a very bad “Biden Precedent,” to get Evan home. I got a record 58 hostages brought home, paying next to nothing. Putin has no respect for Biden - and that’s the way it goes!!! Fear not, Evan, I will get you home soon, and you will be safe while there!!!

Here’s the full story of Gershkovich’s detention in Russia as his sham trial begins:

Closed-door trial of US journalist begins in Russia as case denounced as sham

Veepstakes: Usha Vance joins JD Vance for Fox News interview

14:15 , Oliver O'Connell

How are Biden and Trump preparing for the debate?

14:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Andrew Feinberg looks at two very different approaches to debate preparation.

How Biden and Trump insiders say they are preparing for the debate

Kinzinger endorses Biden and warns Trump ‘threatens the future of America'

13:45 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s the former Republican’s endorsement video for the president this morning, no surprise given his break with the GOP over the Capitol riot but well said all the same.

Nobel Prize economists issue dire warning over second Trump presidency

13:30 , Joe Sommerlad

A group of Nobel Prize-winning economists issued a stark warning to voters saying a Trump win in November could mean an unstable US economy with higher inflation.

“While each of us has different views on the particulars of various economic policies, we all agree that Joe Biden’s economic agenda is vastly superior to Donald Trump,” the 16 economists wrote in a letter obtained by Axios.

Ariana Baio has the details.

Nobel prize economists warn a Trump win will lead to even higher inflation

House speaker forced to row back Trump joke about Biden being ‘on cocaine’ at debate

13:21 , Joe Sommerlad

Mike Johnson joined Kaitlan Collins on CNN last night and found himself forced to laugh off Trump’s recent rally suggestion that the president is “gonna be so pumped up” for their debate on Thursday, followed by an insinuating reference to a small bag of cocaine that was discovered at the White House.

“Look, there’s a lot of things that are said in jest,” Johnson told Collins.

“Of course, no one expects that Joe Biden will be on cocaine.”

Conservatives have been working hard to make Trump’s case that Biden is too old at 81 to serve another term and in a state of cognitive decline, reviving baseless speculation from the State of the Union address earlier this year that the president will rely on medication to ensure he remains sharp.

“The question is, is can he stay for 90 minutes on that stage and go toe-to-toe with President Trump, who is, you know, goes to rallies and talks for two hours without notes,” Johnson said on that theme in the same interview.

“So, it’ll be a very interesting thing to see.”

Trump has amplified calls by Texas congressman and former White House physician Ronny Johnson Ronny Jackson for Biden to take a drug test, offering to follow suit if Biden agrees.

Clinton warns debating Trump means facing blizzard of ‘nonsense’ and ‘blather’

13:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Hillary Clinton has said Trump’s meanadering statements make him “nearly impossible” to debate as she issued a stark warning to Joe Biden and her own insights ahead of Thursday’s first presidental debate of the 2024 election.

President Biden is set to square off with his Republican rival on Thursday night in Atlanta.

Clinton provided her view on the upcoming debate in a Tuesday New York Times op-ed.

“It is a waste of time to try to refute Mr Trump’s arguments like in a normal debate. It’s nearly impossible to identify what his arguments even are.” Clinton wrote, noting she has debated both men in election campaigns.

“He starts with nonsense and then digresses into blather.”

“It is nearly impossible to focus on substance” with Trump on the stage, the former US secretary of state and first lady continued, citing her experiences of listening to his “blizzard of interruptions, insults and lies that overwhelmed the moderators and did a disservice to the voters”.

Kelly Rissman has more.

Hillary Clinton previews Trump-Biden debate: ‘He starts with nonsense’

Ex-Trump lawyer accuses docs judge of ‘playing into defense’s hands’

12:30 , Joe Sommerlad

A former Trump lawyer argued this week that the judge in the classified documents case is “playing right into the defense’s hands” by essentially slow-walking the proceedings.

Michael van der Veen, who defended the former president at his second impeachment trial following the January 6 2021 insurrection, said during an appearance on CNN on Monday night that Judge Aileen Cannon is taking “longer than is possibly necessary,” showing a bias towards the man who appointed her to the federal bench.

Other legal observers have also noted that some of Cannon’s rulings appear to favor Trump.

“Judge Cannon has scheduled all these hearings, this is now day two of this hearing. Is she just dragging this thing out?” anchor Abby Phillip asked Van der Veen on Monday night.

“She certainly seems to be taking a lot longer than is possibly necessary. She’s a fairly new judge, of course, and she’s a smart lady,” he said.

“She has a great temperament in the courtroom, but the decisions aren’t coming quick enough. She’s asking too many other people to come in and give their opinions... It’s just very unusual.”

He added: “It’s really important when on the bench to give your decisions well-reasoned, but also timely and to continue to give people time to supplement the arguments and supplement evidence isn’t doing the justice any good. It’s really playing right into the defense’s hands.”

Gustaf Kilander has more.

Ex-Trump lawyer accuses Mar-a-Lago judge of ‘playing right into the defense’s hands’

New photos show ‘highly guarded secrets’ in messy boxes at Mar-a-Lago

12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith has defended federal law enforcement’s handling of documents discovered at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property, sharing images in a new court filing that show how the former president stashed “top secret” materials and government “secrets” in a cluttered collection of clothing, Christmas ornaments, newspapers and photographs of himself.

The former president has argued that the charges in his classified documents case should be dropped on grounds that investigators failed to preserve evidence in the order in which they were found.

In photographs attached to a 33-page filing on Monday night, documents marked “secret” and “top secret” or bearing the White House emblem are seen stuffed in cardboard boxes alongside piles of golf shirts, sitting on top of old newspapers, and next to crates of Diet Coke.

One image shows a closet with newspapers and other documents spilling out on the floor from tipped-over boxes.

Alex Woodward reports.

New photos show ‘highly guarded secrets’ in messy boxes at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago

Supreme Court will soon decide if Trump is immune from prosecution

11:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The US Supreme Court is expected to rule imminently on whether Trump is immune from criminal prosecution for his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

His defense has already been shot down by the federal judge overseeing the election interference case against him as well as a unanimous panel of appeals court judges, who wrote that Trump’s attempts to stay in power were “an unprecedented assault on the structure of our government.”

The question is now in the hands of the nation’s highest court.

An answer – expected by the end of this week – could have profound consequences for holding former presidents accountable for crimes committed while in office.

But the court’s decision to take up the case – and wait until the final days of its current session to issue a ruling – ensures that voters will not see a verdict in the trial to determine if he unlawfully conspired to overturn an election before they cast their ballots in the next one this November.

The court also is expected to soon decide whether Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on January 6 2021 can be charged with obstruction, adding to the politically volatile decisions from the court’s conservative majority-dominated bench and its three Trump-appointed justices.

Alex Woodward reports.

Is Trump immune from prosecution? Supreme Court will soon decide major question

Trump may announce running mate ahead of Thursday’s debate

11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Sources close to the Republican presidential contender have suggested he may name his 2024 running mate ahead of Thursday’s presidential debate against Biden, the candidate having previously said he would announce who would join him on the GOP ticket at the party’s convention in Milwaukee next month.

Trump and his conservative media allies have continued to suggest in advance that the CNN debate will not be a fair fight, arguing without evidence that moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will be biased and that Biden will be using perfomance-enhancing medication.

Here are the latest examples...

...And here’s Gustaf Kilander’s latest on the veepstakes.

Trump could unveil VP pick in splash announcement ahead of Thursday’s debate: Report

Trump tells Newsmax ‘hundreds of thousands’ dying at southern border

10:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The Republican gave an interview to the conservative cable news outlet last night in which he claimed he had been preparing for his debate with Biden “my whole life” and pushed further exaggerated nonsense about the state of the US border with Mexico (not much wall talk these days, is there?)

Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt (yep, her again) says this is the sort of engagement with “hostile” media that keeps Trump sharp, although he was talking here to (checks notes) his own former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.

Truth Social: Trump says indictments a ‘badge of honor’, cheers Boebert and hails 'fearless’ son

10:00 , Joe Sommerlad

A typically mixed bag on social media this morning as Trump talks tough on criminal indictments, cheers his Republican primary winners and says his eldest son Don Jr is a very brave and special boy for unwisely posing for a photo brandishing a rattlesnake.

Trump’s hush money judge rolls back gag order

09:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The convicted felon is now free to speak out against witnesses and jurors in his hush money trial after the judge presiding over the case agreed to roll back protections intended to shield them from his attacks.

The narrowly tailored gag order was intended to address the “significant concerns” about the former president compromising the trial’s integrity, as he routinely lashed out at people involved in the case and fueled abuse and harassment aimed at judges, prosecutors and their families.

But “circumstances have now changed,” Justice New York Justice Juan Merchan wrote on Tuesday, liberating Trump to attack the likes of Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen.

He has yet to do so, but how long will he be able to resist?

Trump is still to be sentenced after his conviction on all 34 felony counts and his lawyer Alina Habba is not ruling out jail time.

Alex Woodward reports on Judge Merchan’s latest ruling.

Trump’s hush money judge rolls back gag order protections for witnesses and jurors

Trump mocked for claiming he was ‘tortured’ when Georgia mugshot taken

09:03 , Joe Sommerlad

Even for the ever-blustering Donald Trump, this is insane.

He’s been complaining to his supporters in his latest fundraising email that he was “tortured” during his arraignment at Fulton County jail in Georgia last summer, a processing formality at which his infamous mugshot photo was taken, an image he has continued to profit from handsomely ever since.

Trump actually has an interesting relationship with that word, disrespecting people who have literally been tortured while incarcerated, like the late John McCain and Alexei Navalny, while claiming that his allies like Paul Manafort or Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh are the real victims of “torture” whenever they have suffered repercussions or scrutiny that they have not enjoyed.

Ex-Trump lawyer accuses classified docs judge of ‘playing right into the defense’s hands’

07:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A former Trump lawyer argued this week that the judge in the classified documents case is “playing right into the defense’s hands” by essentially slow-walking the proceedings.

Michael van der Veen, who defended the former president at his second impeachment trial following the January 6, 2021, insurrection, said during an appearance on CNN on Monday night that Judge Aileen Cannon is taking “longer than is possibly necessary,” showing a bias towards the man who appointed her to the federal bench. Other legal observers have also noted that some of Cannon’s rulings appear to favor Trump.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

Ex-Trump lawyer accuses Mar-a-Lago judge of ‘playing right into the defense’s hands’

New photos show highly guarded secrets’ in messy boxes at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago

05:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Special counsel Jack Smith has defended federal law enforcement’s handling of documents discovered at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property, sharing images in a new court filing that show how the former president stashed “top secret” materials and government “secrets” in a cluttered collection of clothing, Christmas ornaments, newspapers and photographs of himself.

The former president has argued that the charges in his classified documents case should be dropped on grounds that investigators failed to preserve evidence in the order in which they were found.

Alex Woodward has the details.

New photos show ‘highly guarded secrets’ in messy boxes at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago

‘He starts with nonsense and then digresses into blather’: Hillary Clinton warns of Trump’s debate stage chaos

03:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Hillary Clinton said Donald Trump’s meanadering statements make him “nearly impossible” to debate as she issues stark warnings and analysis ahead of Thursday’s first presidental debate for the 2024 election.

President Joe Biden is set to square off with his Republican rival, Trump, on Thursday night in Atlanta. Clinton - who lost to Trump in the 2016 election - provided her view on the upcoming debate in a Tueday New York Times op-ed.

Kelly Rissman has the story.

Hillary Clinton previews Trump-Biden debate: ‘He starts with nonsense’

Trump military aides say they’ve given him detailed plan for Ukraine

02:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has been presented with a plan to bring an end to the war in Ukraine by two key advisers that would require Kyiv to sit down for peace talks with Russia or receive no further US weapons.

The strategy, which would only be actionable in the event that the Republican presidential contender beats Joe Biden to the White House in November, would conversely see Moscow threatened with increased American support for Ukraine if it refused to participate in the negotiations.

Joe Sommerlad has the details.

Trump military aides give him plan to pressure Ukraine into peace talks with Putin

‘This is what a sold out crowd actually looks like’”: Cheney trolls Trump with Taylor Swift video

01:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Republican Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney used a video of a Taylor Swift concert to mock former President Donald Trump’s rally attendance.

Read on...

Liz Cheney trolls Trump with Taylor Swift video: ‘What a sold out crowd looks like’

Classified documents case: Will Trump face another gag order?

Tuesday 25 June 2024 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The judge presiding over Donald Trump’s classified documents case snapped at prosecutors twice within 20 minutes during a hearing on whether to put a limited gag order on the former president for his false claims that have fueled threats against officials.

Special counsel Jack Smith’s office has repeatedly warned that Trump’s rhetoric and bogus statements about the FBI’s use of deadly force has opened the door for harassment against the officials prosecuting him.

During a tense hearing in Florida on Monday, federal prosecutor David Harbach argued that merely redacting officer names from court documents is not enough to protect them.

Alex Woodward reports.

Will Trump face another gag order? His Mar-a-Lago judge isn’t convinced

Watch: Trump voter explains why former president no longer has his support

Tuesday 25 June 2024 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

CNN cuts interview with Trump spokesperson after she calls debate ‘hostile environment'

Tuesday 25 June 2024 22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

CNN anchor Kasie Hunt abruptly ended a live interview with Donald Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt after she repeatedly attacked the host’s coworkers and Thursday’s debate.

“President Trump is well prepared ahead of Thursday’s debate. Unlike Joe Biden, he doesn’t have to hide away and have his advisors tell him what to say. President Trump knows what he wants to say,” Leavitt told Hunt about the former president’s strategy.

Leavitt argued the CNN debate would be a “hostile environment” for Trump, saying that moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash have been “biased” in their coverage of the former president.

Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington, DC.

CNN takes Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt off the air during interview

Tuesday 25 June 2024 22:05 , Oliver O'Connell

What happened the last time Trump and Biden faced off in 2020?

Trump leading Biden in Georgia ahead of first presidential debate in key swing state

Tuesday 25 June 2024 21:57 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump holds a slight lead over President Joe Biden in Georgia according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released on Tuesday ahead of Thursday’s CNN debate, widely expected to be one of the pivotal moments of the 2024 presidential election.

The poll of likely voters shows Trump leads Biden by five points — 43 per cent to 38 per cent — just outside the margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.

Independent candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr, who is not yet on the Georgia ballot but is expected to qualify, has 9 per cent of the vote with another 8 per cent of those surveyed undecided.

Who are the frontrunners to be Trump’s vice president?

Tuesday 25 June 2024 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump says he has picked his vice president after a report revealed he was focusing on four potential candidates earlier this month.

Trump has picked his running mate but ”nobody knows” who it is yet, he told reporters at a campaign event on Saturday. The former president said his pick will be attending the first presidential debate on June 27.

Trump said he will likely announce his candidate at the Republican National Convention next month, where he will be named the GOP presidential nominee.

Graeme Massie and Katie Hawkinson report on the candidates still in the running.

Trump whittles down VP picks - here’s the frontrunners

Trump changes tune on Biden debate performance

Tuesday 25 June 2024 21:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump appears to have changed his tune regarding Joe Biden’s past performances in presidential or primary debates, moving away from calling him the “WORST debater” toward calling him a “worthy debater”.

NBC News reports that the move appears to be about managing expectations ahead of Thursday’s first presidential debate.

In mid-May he wrote on Truth Social:

“Crooked Joe Biden is the WORST debater I have ever faced — He can’t put two sentences together!”

Days later he told the Minnesota Republican Party in a speech: “He can’t talk. He can’t walk. Can’t find his way off a stage. Can’t put two sentences together.”

However, last week, he said in an interview with the All-In Podcast: “He beat Paul Ryan pretty badly. And I assume he’s going to be somebody that will be a worthy debater. I would say I don’t want to underestimate him.”

Trump has long characterized Biden as both a senile old man and a criminal mastermind — alternating between the two when it suits him.

Analysis: Julian Assange’s plea deal is more about Biden and Trump than justice

Tuesday 25 June 2024 21:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Kim Sengupta writes:

The secret negotiations which led to Julian Assange ending the prospect of being sentenced to up to 170 years in an American supermax prison gathered pace five months ago with the US Justice Department indicating for the first time that they would accept a plea bargain deal.

Assange had to plead guilty to a single felony count of illegally obtaining and disclosing national security material. In return he would face no more jail time after spending five years in custody without trial.

In January, Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese stressed that Assange, an Australian citizen, had spent far too long in limbo. About the same time Joe Biden stated that he favoured a resolution to the case which had led to widespread international protests.

Prolonged negotiations then followed on the charges, the venue for his court appearance, and the seeking of guarantees from Assange’s support team that he would not face fresh charges in the future, and whether he may gain a pardon later down the line over his conviction.

What unfolded has as much to do with US politics as the legal process.

Continue reading...

Julian Assange’s plea deal is more about Biden and Trump than justice

Trump may announce running mate ahead of debate

Tuesday 25 June 2024 21:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Follow this developing story...

Trump may announce running mate ahead of debate

Ex-Trump lawyer accuses classified docs judge of ‘playing right into the defense’s hands’

Tuesday 25 June 2024 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A former Trump lawyer argued this week that the judge in the classified documents case is “playing right into the defense’s hands” by essentially slow-walking the proceedings.

Michael van der Veen, who defended the former president at his second impeachment trial following the January 6, 2021, insurrection, said during an appearance on CNN on Monday night that Judge Aileen Cannon is taking “longer than is possibly necessary,” showing a bias towards the man who appointed her to the federal bench. Other legal observers have also noted that some of Cannon’s rulings appear to favor Trump.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

Ex-Trump lawyer accuses Mar-a-Lago judge of ‘playing right into the defense’s hands’

Classified documents hearing adjourns

Tuesday 25 June 2024 20:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Aileen Cannon has adjourned the classified documents hearing for today. She expressed deep skepticism at the Trump legal team’s argument that the search of Mar-a-Lago was unconstitutional.

Trump repeats claim ‘they’ are after ‘YOUR freedom’ by indicting him

Tuesday 25 June 2024 20:20 , Oliver O'Connell

The former president wrote on Truth Social this afternoon:

Every time the Radical Left Democrats, Marxists, Communists, and Fascists indict me, I consider it a GREAT BADGE OF HONOR. I’m being indicted for YOU. Never forget—our enemies want to take away MY freedom because I will never let them take away YOUR freedom! They want to silence ME because I will never let them silence YOU. In the end, they’re not after me, they’re after you—and I’m just standing in their way! From the very first day that we take back the White House from Crooked Joe Biden, I believe we are going to have the four greatest years in the history of our Country!

Nobel Prize economists have dire warning about second Trump presidency

Tuesday 25 June 2024 20:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A group of Nobel Prize-winning economists issued a stark warning to voters saying a Donald Trump win could mean an unstable U.S. economy with higher inflation.

“While each of us has different views on the particulars of various economic policies, we all agree that Joe Biden’s economic agenda is vastly superior to Donald Trump,” the 16 economists wrote in a letter obtained by Axios.

Ariana Baio has the details.

Nobel prize economists warn a Trump win will lead to even higher inflation

Milwaukee begins preparations for Republican National Convention

Tuesday 25 June 2024 19:54 , Oliver O'Connell

‘Well, what does God say?’

Tuesday 25 June 2024 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Televangelist Paula White-Cain has claimed Donald Trump asked her for God‘s opinion over his run for the presidency.

White-Cain, who previously served as Trump’s spiritual adviser and helped lead the Evangelical advisory board during his presidency in 2016, made the remarks during the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority conference at the Washington Hilton, telling the audience that her first conversation with the former president was long before he even started thinking about politics.

Martha McHardy reports.

Paula White-Cain says Trump asked her what God thought about his presidential run

Trump spokesperson attacks judge after gag order rollback

Tuesday 25 June 2024 19:38 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump communications director Steven Cheung released the following statement after Judge Juan Merchan partially lifted the hush money trial gag order imposed on Donald Trump:

“Today’s order by Acting Justice Merchan leaves in place portions of the unconstitutional Gag Order, preventing President Trump from speaking freely about Judge Merchan’s disqualifying conflicts and the overwhelming evidence exposing this whole Crooked Joe Biden - directed Witch Hunt. This is another unlawful decision by a highly conflicted judge, which is blatantly un-American as it gags President Trump, the leading candidate in the 2024 Presidential Election during the upcoming Presidential Debate on Thursday. President Trump and his legal team will immediately challenge today’s unconstitutional order.”

Full story: Trump’s hush money judge rolls back gag order to let convicted ex-president attack witnesses and jurors

Tuesday 25 June 2024 19:25 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump is free to speak out against witnesses and jurors in his hush money trial after the judge presiding over the case agreed to roll back protections intended to shield them from his attacks.

The narrowly tailored gag order intended to address the “significant concerns” about the now-criminally convicted former president compromising the trial’s integrity, as he routinely lashed out at people involved in the case and fueled abuse and harassment aimed at judges, prosecutors and their families.

But “circumstances have now changed,” Justice New York Justice Juan Merchan wrote on Tuesday.

Alex Woodward has the details.

Trump’s hush money judge rolls back gag order protections for witnesses and jurors

Tuesday 25 June 2024 19:10 , Oliver O'Connell

CNN host boots Trump’s spokesperson off show for attacking colleague

Judge agrees to roll back Trump’s hush money gag order, lifting protections against witnesses and jurors

Tuesday 25 June 2024 18:53 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Juan Merchan has agreed to partially lift the gag order he imposed on Donald Trump for the duration of his hush money trial.

The order prohibited Trump from attacking witnesses, court staff, the jury, and their families.

He wrote in part:

“… circumstances have now changed. The trial portion of these proceedings ended when the verdict was rendered, and the jury discharged. Therefore, Paragraph (a) is terminated without opposition by the People. As to Paragraph (c), while it would be this Court’s strong preference to extend those protections, the Court cannot do so on what is now a different record than what the appellate courts relied upon when they rendered their rulings. Therefore, Paragraph (c) must be terminated. Nonetheless, there is ample evidence to justify continued concern for the jurors. Therefore, the protections set forth in this Court’s Protective Order of March 7,2024, Regulating Disclosure of Juror Information will remain in effect until further order of this Court.”

Read the full order here

Here’s Alex Woodward’s previous reporting on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg arguing for an extension:

Manhattan DA points to chilling bomb threats as he asks to extend Trump gag order

Liz Cheney trolls Trump with Taylor Swift video

Tuesday 25 June 2024 18:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Republican Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney shared a video of a Taylor Swift concert to mock former President Donald Trump’s rally attendance.

“Thank you @taylorswift13 for giving us a million reasons to smile. PS- @realDonaldTrump this is what a sold out crowd actually looks like,” Cheney wrote on X on Sunday night.

Trump has long posted about the size of crowds at his rallies, but faced criticism on social media over the weekend as his rallies in Philadelphia showed half-filled arenas.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Liz Cheney trolls Trump with Taylor Swift video: ‘What a sold out crowd looks like’

Trump military aides say they’ve given him detailed plan for Ukraine

Tuesday 25 June 2024 18:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has been presented with a plan to bring an end to the war in Ukraine by two key advisers that would require Kyiv to sit down for peace talks with Russia or receive no further US weapons.

The strategy, which would only be actionable in the event that the Republican presidential contender beats Joe Biden to the White House in November, would conversely see Moscow threatened with increased American support for Ukraine if it refused to participate in the negotiations.

Joe Sommerlad has the details.

Trump military aides give him plan to pressure Ukraine into peace talks with Putin

Trump made ‘Nazi ovens’ jokes around Jewish executives, former employee says

Tuesday 25 June 2024 17:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A former Trump confidant claims Donald Trump made Nazi jokes about “remembering the ovens” around Jewish executives.

Barbara Res, a former Trump Organization executive vice president, was asked on MSNBC if Trump’s odd rants seen at some of his rallies were something new. She said Trump was a little “saner” in the 1990s but added that he would at times make “ridiculous remarks.”

She told a story about when the organization hired a German residential manager when he made a joke about the Holocaust.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

Ex-Trump Org VP says Trump made ‘Nazi ovens’ jokes around Jewish executives

C is for Covfefe: The ABCs of Donald Trump as he coins a new nickname

Tuesday 25 June 2024 17:15 , Kelly Rissman

Donald Trump is well-known for a lot of things: his divisiveness, his career in real estate, The Apprentice, his lawsuits, for being the only president to be impeached twice. But perhaps nothing has infiltrated society more than Mr Trump’s unique linguistic style.

Whether he’s posting on Truth Social, speaking at a campaign rally, or testifying in court, Mr Trump never seems to be at a loss for words — and sometimes, he even makes up new ones.

From uttering gaffes to tweeting typos (like “covfefe”) to misreading words (like “Nambia”) to dismissing his opponent with a harsh nickname, his terminology quickly turns iconic.

Here, The Independent offers a dictionary guide to the Mr Trump’s most memorable phrases:

C is for Covfefe: The ABCs of Donald Trump as he coins a new nickname

Watch: ‘There are no Fortune 500 CEOs who are supporting Trump'

Tuesday 25 June 2024 17:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Full story: Prosecutors release new photos of ‘highly guarded secrets’ in messy boxes at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago

Tuesday 25 June 2024 16:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Special counsel Jack Smith has defended federal law enforcement’s handling of documents discovered at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property, sharing images in a new court filing that show how the former president stashed “top secret” materials and government “secrets” in a cluttered collection of clothing, Christmas ornaments, newspapers and photographs of himself.

The former president has argued that the charges in his classified documents case should be dropped on grounds that investigators failed to preserve evidence in the order in which they were found.

Alex Woodward reports.

New photos show ‘highly guarded secrets’ in messy boxes at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago

How are Biden and Trump preparing for Thursday’s debate?

Tuesday 25 June 2024 16:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Read the latest from The Independent’s White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg...

How Biden and Trump insiders say they are preparing for the debate

Trump changes tune on Biden debate performance

Tuesday 25 June 2024 15:54 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump appears to have changed his tune regarding Joe Biden’s past performances in presidential or primary debates, moving away from calling him the “WORST debater” toward calling him a “worthy debater”.

NBC News reports that the move appears to be about managing expectations ahead of Thursday’s first presidential debate.

In mid-May he wrote on Truth Social:

“Crooked Joe Biden is the WORST debater I have ever faced — He can’t put two sentences together!”

Days later he told the Minnesota Republican Party in a speech: “He can’t talk. He can’t walk. Can’t find his way off a stage. Can’t put two sentences together.”

However, last week, he said in an interview with the All-In Podcast: “He beat Paul Ryan pretty badly. And I assume he’s going to be somebody that will be a worthy debater. I would say I don’t want to underestimate him.”

Trump has long characterized Biden as both a senile old man and a criminal mastermind — alternating between the two when it suits him.

Hillary Clinton warns of Trump’s debate stage chaos

Tuesday 25 June 2024 15:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Kelly Rissman reports:

Hillary Clinton said Donald Trump’s meanadering statements make him “nearly impossible” to debate as she issues stark warnings and analysis ahead of Thursday’s first presidental debate for the 2024 election.

President Joe Biden is set to square off with his Republican rival, Trump, on Thursday night in Atlanta. Clinton - who lost to Trump in the 2016 election - provided her view on the upcoming debate in a Tueday New York Times op-ed.

“It is a waste of time to try to refute Mr. Trump’s arguments like in a normal debate. It’s nearly impossible to identify what his arguments even are.” Clinton wrote, noting she debate both men in election campaigns. “He starts with nonsense and then digresses into blather.”

Read on...

Hillary Clinton previews Trump-Biden debate: ‘He starts with nonsense’

Liz Cheney trolls Trump with Taylor Swift video

Tuesday 25 June 2024 15:25 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Wyoming Republican representative Liz Cheney shared a video of a Swift concert yesterday to mock Trump’s obsession with the pop superstar and his own rally attendance figures.

Gustaf Kilander has more.

Liz Cheney trolls Trump with Taylor Swift video: ‘What a sold out crowd looks like’

Pelosi attacks Trump and ‘rogue’ Supreme Court

Tuesday 25 June 2024 15:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Here’s the veteran former House speaker telling Anderson Cooper that Trump is an “indicted, impeached convicted loser” and offering a vote of no confidence in the Supreme Court ahead of its upcoming verdict on his spurious presidential immunity defence.

DOJ responds to Trump motion to dismiss classified documents case over ‘spoliation of evidence'

Tuesday 25 June 2024 14:42 , Oliver O'Connell

The Department of Justice has filed a response in opposition to Donald Trump’s motion to dismiss the classified documents case against him based on “spoliation of evidence in violation of due process”.

Defendant Trump does not offer the Court a single case at any level, at any time, from anywhere in the country, in which the disruption of the precise order of documents gathered in the execution of a search warrant provided support for a spoliation claim.

The special counsel further defends the handling of the documents found at Mar-a-Lago, writing:

Trump personally chose to keep documents containing some of the nation’s most highly guarded secrets in cardboard boxes along with a collection of other personally chosen keepsakes of various sizes and shapes from his presidency—newspapers, thank you notes, Christmas ornaments, magazines, clothing, and photographs of himself and others. At the end of his presidency, he took his cluttered collection of keepsakes to Mar-a-Lago, his personal residence and social club, where the boxes traveled from one readily accessible location to another – a public ballroom, an office space, a bathroom, and a basement storage room. After they landed in stacks in the storage room, several boxes fell and splayed their contents on the floor; and boxes were moved to Trump’s residence on more than one occasion so he could review and pick through them.

Against this backdrop of the haphazard manner in which Trump chose to maintain his boxes, he now claims that the precise order of the items within the boxes when they left the White House was critical to his defense, and, what’s more, that FBI agents executing the search warrant in August 2022 should have known that. But neither the law nor the facts provide any basis whatsoever for the Court to find bad faith or spoliation in the unsurprising reality that the order of some of the items may have shifted since then. To the contrary, the FBI agents who conducted the search did so professionally, thoroughly, and carefully under challenging circumstances, particularly given the cluttered state of the boxes and the substantial volume of highly classified documents Trump had retained.

Trump could see an easy win in the polls after the first debate

Tuesday 25 June 2024 14:15 , Joe Sommerlad

The Republican felon may see a bump in the polls after Thursday’s first debate because of a long-running trend: incumbents tend to do worse in the first debate of any presidential election season.

Historian Alan Schroeder explained to NBC News that a president’s life exists in a “protected bubble” and the first encounter tends to take them outside of that bubble where they are forced to face off against a pumped up opponent who’s been itching for a showdown.

Here’s more from Gustaf Kilander.

Why Trump has an advantage over Biden in their first debate of 2024 election season