Archives

Rep. Lauren Boebert wins GOP primary after switching districts

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., won her GOP primary Tuesday, NBC News projects, after she decided to run in a different district from the one where she narrowly won re-election in 2022.  Boebert defeated five other Republicans for the party’s nomination in Colorado’s 4th District, which opened up after Rep. Ken Buck announced this year that […]

StephCast T 6-25-24

Trump Suggest Biden Take a Drug Test As Allies Continue Attacks Before Debate

Former President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that President Joe Biden should submit to a drug test before this week’s debate, building on his unfounded claims that his rival in the November presidential election would be “all jacked up” on illicit substances when they meet in Atlanta. “DRUG TEST FOR CROOKED JOE BIDEN???” Trump wrote […]

Julian Assange Agrees to Plead Guilty in Exchange for Release, Ending Standoff With U.S.

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, agreed to plead guilty on Monday to a single felony count of illegally obtaining and disclosing national security material in exchange for his release from a British prison, ending his long and bitter standoff with the United States. Mr. Assange, 52, was granted his request to appear before a […]

Inside Biden’s Camp David Debate Prep

At Camp David, a movie theater and an airplane hangar have been outfitted with lights and production equipment to create a mock debate stage. At least 16 current and former aides, summoned from Washington and Wilmington, whiz back and forth on golf carts to join President Biden in strategy sessions. Mr. Biden is entering his […]

‘I don’t appreciate your tone’: Judge in Trump documents case reprimands prosecutor

The judge presiding over Donald Trump’s classified documents case reprimanded a prosecutor from special counsel Jack Smith’s office at a hearing Monday on a proposed gag order for the former president. “I don’t appreciate your tone,” U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon said when attorney David Harbach appeared to get exasperated as she questioned the need […]

Charlie Pierce: It’s Unfortunately Time To Get To Know The Heritage Foundation’s ‘Project 2025’

Let us reanimate an old, beloved Monday feature of the shebeen that we used to call, What Are The Gobshites Saying These Days? We do so to memorialize the epochal encounter on Sunday between Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, and Symone Sanders-Townsend of MSNBC. Roberts quite openly—if not honestly—explained Heritage’s planned demolition of […]

StephCast M 6-24-24

Heat wave sizzles parts of the country as floods and severe weather force people from their homes

Little relief appears on the forecast for millions across the United States enduring record-setting heat or widespread flooding this weekend.  The National Weather Service said Sunday that the heat wave will shift from the mid-Atlantic to portions of the southeast and southern Plains by Monday. Meanwhile, widespread storms will bring the threat of flash flooding, […]

‘Everything is at stake’ for reproductive rights in 2024, Harris says

Vice President Kamala Harris says “everything is at stake” with reproductive health rights in November’s election as the Biden campaign steps up its focus on contrasting the positions taken by Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump on the issue before their debate this week. Harris’ comments come as the campaign announced it would […]

‘Look At The Evidence’: Karl Rove Drops Bad News For Trump Live On Fox News

Longtime Republican strategist Karl Rove delivered some bad news to Donald Trump and his supporters over the weekend. “Take a look at the evidence,” he said on Fox News on Saturday when asked if polls have shifted since the former president’s conviction last month on 34 charges in the Stormy Daniels hush money case. He […]

Trump says he knows who his vice presidential pick will be

Former President Donald Trump said Saturday that he knows who his vice presidential pick will be — and gave a clue about his or her likely debate night plans. Asked by NBC News at a Philadelphia campaign stop whether he has decided on his vice presidential pick, Trump responded, “In my mind, yeah,” adding that […]

StephCast F 6-21-24

SMHH VideoCast with Fernand Amandi & Steve Marmel – 6-21-24

Netanyahu and White House continue public disagreement over claim US withholding weapons amid Israel’s war with Hamas

The public war of words between Israel and the U.S. continued Thursday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responding pointedly to the White House after the Biden administration again denied his claim the U.S. is withholding weapons from Israel amid its fight in Gaza with Hamas. His response came shortly after White House National Security Council […]

Biden campaign picks right-side podium for CNN debate, Trump will have the last word

President Joe Biden won the coin toss to secure a podium position on the right side of the stage during the CNN debate next week, but by doing so gave Donald Trump the final closing statement of the 90-minute matchup. According to CNN, the coin landed on tails — the side chosen by the Biden […]

Judge In Trump’s Documents Case Rejected Peers’ Calls To Step Aside: Report

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, the Donald Trump appointee assigned to his classified documents case, rejected calls from more experienced judges to step aside from the case, The New York Times reported Thursday. Two of Cannon’s more seasoned colleagues on the federal bench in Florida, including the chief judge in the state’s southern district, reportedly […]

Supreme Court Turns Back Stealth Attack On Wealth Tax — For Now

The Supreme Court issued a narrow 7-2 ruling on June 20 rejecting a sweeping constitutional argument that a wealthy Washington state couple brought before them that was viewed as a stalking horse aimed at preemptively striking down a future tax on wealth. The couple, Charles and Kathy Moore, had challenged the constitutionality of the Mandatory […]

The Rude Pundit: Louisiana Wants to Put a Sign About F***ing in Kindergarten Classrooms

The state of Louisiana, with its overwhelmingly batshit insane Republican legislature and its even more bugfuck insane Republican governor, have passed a law that requires all public-funded schools, including universities, to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. In case you don’t know, the Ten Commandments are from the fictional book known as “The Bible.” […]

StephCast Th 6-20-24

Trump Tries to Set Expectations, and Floats Excuses, for His Debate With Biden

A few minutes into his speech at a campaign rally on Tuesday, Donald J. Trump asked a question of the few thousand who’d turned up to hear him speak. “Is anybody going to watch the debate?” Mr. Trump was in Racine, Wis., but it was clear his mind was in Atlanta, the site of his […]

Witness tells House Ethics Committee that Matt Gaetz paid her for sex: Sources

In recent weeks, House Ethics Committee investigators have conducted a string of interviews behind closed doors with numerous women who were witnesses in the yearslong Justice Department sex trafficking investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz, multiple sources familiar with the committee’s work tell ABC News. Investigators have interviewed at least half a dozen women who allegedly […]

White House Responds To Netanyahu’s Claim Of The U.S. Withholding Weapons From Israel

The White House on Tuesday responded to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s allegations that the Biden administration has been withholding weapons and ammunition from his country over the past few months. “We genuinely do not know what he’s talking about,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. “We just don’t.” In a 49-second video […]

New Louisiana law requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom

Louisiana has become the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom under a bill Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed into law Wednesday. The GOP-drafted legislation mandates that a poster-size display of the Ten Commandments in a “large, easily readable font” be in all public classrooms, from kindergarten […]

StephCast W 6-19-24

North Korea’s Kim declares ‘full support’ for Russian war in Ukraine

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un assured Russian President Vladimir Putin of his “full support and solidarity for the Russian government, army and people” in the war in Ukraine, as the two leaders began talks in Pyongyang filled with exhortations about their “fiery friendship.” Kim did not elaborate on what that support might look like […]

‘I love Milwaukee’: Trump tries to make up with the ‘horrible’ city

Donald Trump went to Wisconsin on Tuesday to rail against President Joe Biden’s new immigration measures and rally the MAGA base. But first, he had to convince them he didn’t think the state’s largest city was “horrible,” after all — and to dispute reports he planned to stay in Chicago, not the host city of […]

Biden Gives Legal Protections to Undocumented Spouses of U.S. Citizens

President Biden on Tuesday granted far-reaching new protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have been living in the United States illegally for years but are married to American citizens. Under the new policy, some 500,000 undocumented spouses will be shielded from deportation and given a pathway to citizenship and the ability to work […]

Republican senator blocks ban on bump stocks for guns brought by Democrats

Senate Democrats sought to pass legislation Tuesday banning bump stocks for firearms after the Supreme Court overruled a previous ban, but a single Republican objected on behalf of his party, effectively stalling the bill. Backed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., sought “unanimous consent” to pass his BUMP Actthat would prohibit […]

StephCast T 6-18-24

Democrats launch summer spending blitz highlighting state legislative races

The presidential election is taking up much of the political oxygen in 2024. But Democrats are urging voters not to forget the importance of state legislative races — and they’re spending big to make sure they don’t. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the Democrats’ campaign arm for state legislative races, launched a $10 million spending […]

1st Biden-Trump debate will include microphone muting, coin flip and more

With less than two weeks until the first presidential debate, CNN announced the rules agreed on by both President Joe Biden and Donald Trump‘s campaigns. They include microphone muting, a coin flip and more when the two candidates face off at the network’s Atlanta studio on June 27. The debate, which is being moderated by […]

Steve Bannon won’t be spending his prison term in a ‘Club Fed’ as he had hoped, sources say

When former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon goes to prison, he won’t be serving time at what’s known as a “Club Fed,” the most comfortable type of facility in the federal system, as he had wanted, according to people familiar with the arrangements. Instead of a minimum-security prison camp, where many nonviolent offenders serve their time, Bannon – now a right-wing […]

Netanyahu Dissolves War Cabinet After Key Partner Bolts Government, Israeli Officials Say

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolved the influential War Cabinet that has overseen the fighting in Gaza, a government spokesperson said Monday, days after a key member of the body bolted from the government over frustration with the Israeli leader’s handling of the war. The move was widely expected following the departure of Benny Gantz, […]

Charlie Pierce: The Democrats Are Doing Self-Destructive Oversharing Again, This Time About Hunter Biden

This is the kind of thing that makes me crazy. Why do Democrats insist on doing this? Why can’t they simply figure out that the press is not their friends? They believe in the notion of a “liberal media” more than most Republicans do. From Axios: When Biden declared for president in 2019, his family […]

StephCast M 6-17-24

Biden campaign plans robust push centered on reproductive rights ahead of Dobbs decision anniversary

The Biden campaign plans to mark the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed the federal right to abortion by barnstorming the country with messaging and events aimed at contrasting President Joe Biden’s views with those of former President Donald Trump, according to information shared […]

Biden, Obama raise more than $30 million at glitzy L.A. event

President Biden and former President Obama railed against former President Trump, touted the Democratic incumbent’s policy achievements and slipped in a few jokes at a Saturday night fundraiser in downtown Los Angeles that shattered Democratic fundraising records. “I could have done nothing and done better than him,” Biden replied when late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, who […]

Trump confuses the name of his doctor when bragging about taking a cognitive test

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday confused the name of his former White House physician just moments after he said President Joe Biden should take a cognitive test. The mix-up happened as Trump bragged that he had “aced” a cognitive test. Trump also criticized Biden, saying, “I think he should take a cognitive test like […]

Biden warns Trump could select two more Supreme Court justices if re-elected

President Joe Biden on Saturday night warned about the possibility of former President Donald Trump appointing two new Supreme Court justices if he wins the presidency in November. “The next president is likely to have two new Supreme Court nominees — two more,” Biden said at a campaign fundraiser in Los Angeles, adding that Trump […]

StephCast F 6-14-24

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with JoJo From Jerz & Lindy Li – 6-14-24

Trump, Back in Capitol, Has Thoughts on Taylor Swift, Nancy Pelosi and Milwaukee

Even hours later, few people could agree on what, exactly, former President Donald J. Trump said about Milwaukee when he met with House Republicans in Washington on Thursday. But on a day when Mr. Trump returned to Capitol Hill to unite congressional Republicans behind him, more than three years after a group of his supporters […]

Senate Republicans block Democratic bill to protect IVF nationwide

Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic-led bill Thursday to codify broad federal protections for in vitro fertilizationin the midst of a growing partisan clash over reproductive rights in the United States. The vote was 48-47, with just two Republicans voting for it: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. Others in the GOP said […]

Clarence Thomas took additional undisclosed trips paid for by GOP megadonor, Senate committee says

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was given additional undisclosed trips by a GOP megadonor that were not included in his financial disclosure forms, according to documents the Senate Judiciary Committee released Thursday. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who chairs the Judiciary Committee, released records about gifts of private jet travel provided by Thomas’ billionaire […]

Supreme Court rejects bid to restrict access to abortion pill

In a blow for anti-abortion advocates, the Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a challenge to the abortion pill mifepristone, meaning the commonly used drug can remain widely available. The court found unanimously that the group of anti-abortion doctors who questioned the Food and Drug Administration’s decisions making it easier to access the pill did not […]

The Rude Pundit: Conservative Plans for a Next Trump Presidency Are Dumb and Frightening

(Note: I wrote this originally over on my subscriber-only Patreon page, where you can join starting at a buck a month, with more treats for $3 and $5 per month subscribers. You can even pay for a year in advance which gets you a fancy discount. Join the smart rudesters there now.) The nutzoid right-wing […]

StephCast Th 6-13-24

Pentagon downplays Russian warships arriving in Cuba

The Pentagon is downplaying Wednesday’s arrival of four Russian Navy ships in Cubaas U.S. officials acknowledge that U.S. Navy ships “actively monitored” the Russian ships as they made their way to a port of call in Havana. At the on-camera Pentagon press briefing, spokesperson Sabrina Singh downplayed the Russian naval flotilla’s arrival in Havana noting […]

G7 leaders huddle in Italy, escaping political peril at home

When the Group of 7 pose for its ritual family photo Thursday on the rocky Adriatic coast of Italy, the image will not be of leaders at the height of their political strength. Instead, nearly to a person, the leaders assembling at a luxury resort in Puglia find themselves weakened at home by elections, scandal […]

House Republicans vote to hold Garland in contempt over Biden interview audio

House Republicans on Wednesday afternoon passed a resolution to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over audio of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur on his handling of classified documents. The final vote was 216 to 207. Rep. David Joyce of Ohio was the only […]

Inflation Flat In May As Gas Prices Subside, Giving White House, Markets A Boost

Consumer prices held steady in May, helped by a drop in what drivers paid at the gas pump, the government said Wednesday in a bit of welcome news for the White House worried about inflation’s impact on President Joe Biden’s reelection bid. The consumer price index, the most high-profile measure of inflation, was unchanged from […]

StephCast W 6-12-24

Malcolm Nance: SNEAK PREVIEW… “Thinker, Sailor, Blackman, Spy – Memoir of an Intelligence Warrior”

Welcome to Baby Spy School. Get out your notebooks, kids. It’s the micro-history of Espionage. Read the rest of Malcolm Nance’s book preview and subscribe to his Substack

Nancy Mace Defeats G.O.P. Challenger, Dealing Blow to McCarthy’s Revenge Tour

Representative Nancy Mace, Republican of South Carolina, on Tuesday defeated a well-funded primary challenger, putting her on track to win a third term. Her resounding victory also dealt a major blow to former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s efforts to exact political retribution against those who voted to oust him. Ms. Mace, 46, who once leaned center […]

Republicans set to expand House majority with victory in Ohio special election

Republican Michael Rulli will win the special election for Ohio’s 6th Congressional District, CNN projects, helping his party expand its narrow House majority. Rulli, a Youngstown-area state senator and an executive for his family’s grocery store chain, is projected to defeat Democratic Air Force veteran Michael Kripchak in the race for the sprawling district along the Ohio River in eastern […]

The ‘Chilling’ Trump Plan That Could Pave The Way For Authoritarianism

Donald Trump has no greater enemy than the United States’ federal bureaucracy — what he calls the “deep state.” And he has a plan to bend it to his will if he’s elected in November. The plan, to create something called “Schedule F,” would make tens of thousands of civil servants easier to fire, fundamentally […]

Hunter Biden, the president’s son, found guilty on federal gun charges after a trial that laid bare his addiction struggles

A jury Tuesday found Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, guilty on three felony gun charges after a weeklong trial that focused on his history of drug addiction. Biden was charged in federal court in Wilmington with three felony counts tied to possession of a gun while using narcotics; he had pleaded not […]

StephCast T 6-11-24

Donald Trump completes mandatory presentencing interview after less than 30 minutes of questioning

Donald Trump completed his mandatory presentencing interview Monday after less than 30 minutes of routine, uneventful questions and answers, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and did so on condition of anonymity. The former president was quizzed by a New York City probation […]

Judge Strikes One Element From Trump Indictment in Documents Case

A federal judge on Monday slightly narrowed the classified documents case against former President Donald J. Trump, saying prosecutors cannot charge him based on an episode in which he is said to have shown a highly sensitive military map to a political adviser months after leaving office. The decision by the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, […]

Jury deliberations begin in Hunter Biden’s criminal trial after prosecutors cite ‘overwhelming’ evidence

Jury deliberations began Monday in the federal criminal trial of Hunter Biden after prosecutors laid out what they described as “overwhelming” evidence against the president’s son as he faces gun charges. The panel deliberated for about an hour in the late afternoon before it was sent home for the day. Abbe Lowell, Biden’s attorney, urged […]

Justice Alito Caught on Tape Discussing How Battle for America ‘Can’t Be Compromised’

Justice Samuel Alito spoke candidly about the ideological battle between the left and the right — discussing the difficulty of living “peacefully” with ideological opponents in the face of “fundamental” differences that “can’t be compromised.” He endorsed what his interlocutor described as a necessary fight to “return our country to a place of godliness.” And […]

Charlie Pierce: Trump Spent the Weekend Warning a Crowd in the Las Vegas Desert About Shark Attacks

It was a target-rich weekend for those of us who collect the loose and loony aspects of modern conservative rhetoric. Of course, with the former president* holding an outdoor rally in a pasture outside Las Vegas with the temperature clearing 100 degrees, there were bound to be some very large nuggets to be gathered. Put […]

StephCast M 6-10-24

European Parliament tilts right; Macron calls snap elections in France

Early forecasts in the European Parliament elections on Sunday showed voters punishing ruling centrists and throwing support behind far-right parties, most notably in France, where disastrous results for French President Emmanuel Macron’s coalition prompted him to dissolve the National Assembly and call snap elections. Although a combination of centrist, pro-European parties was projectedto maintain a […]

In Las Vegas, Trump Appeals to Local Workers and Avoids Talk of Conviction

Former President Donald J. Trump stood in blazing heat in a Las Vegas park on Sunday and directly appealed to working-class voters by promising to eliminate taxes on tips for hospitality workers. But beyond that proposal, little at Mr. Trump’s campaign rally suggested that his new status as a felon had changed his message. And […]

Trump probation interview set for Monday after hush money conviction

Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to sit for a virtual interview on Monday with a New York City probation officer from his home at Mar-a-Lago with his attorney Todd Blanche at his side after he was found guilty on all counts in the hush money trialagainst him last month, three sources familiar with the matter told […]

Netanyahu rival Benny Gantz quits war Cabinet

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s key rival, Benny Gantz, announced Sunday that he is quitting the war Cabinet after a postwar plan for the Palestinian enclave failed to materialize. Gantz’ resignation comes amid global condemnation of the Palestinian civilian death toll in the war on Gaza that has piled domestic and international pressure on Netanyahu. […]

Dean Obeidallah: GOP Judges protecting Trump show us what weaponizing the justice system really looks like!

We’ve never seen such a brazen effort by Republican appointed judges to protect the GOP’s political power as we are seeing play out right in front of our eyes with Donald Trump’s three remaining criminal cases.  They are not even trying to hide their efforts to help convicted felon Trump win in 2024 by delaying […]

StephCast F 6-7-24

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with Barb McQuade & David Jolly – 6-7-24

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address joint meeting of Congress next month

A date has finally been set for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell announced that Netanyahu will address a joint meeting of Congress on July 24. “I am very moved to have the privilege of representing Israel before both Houses of Congress and […]

Multiple Hospitalized At Trump Rally Due To Extreme Heat Wave

Eleven people have been hospitalized while waiting for a rally featuring Donald Thursday in Phoenix, where temperatures climbed to a sweltering 110 degrees and lingered in the triple digits. City fire officials confirmed that number at 3 p.m. local time, saying all had been transported to local hospitals due to heat exhaustion while waiting to […]

President Joe Biden says he will not pardon his son Hunter Biden if he’s convicted on gun-related charges

President Joe Biden told ABC News in an interview Thursday that he will accept whatever a jury decides in his son Hunter Biden‘s criminal trial and that he will not use his presidential power to pardon him if he’s convicted. Biden made his brief statements on his son’s historic trial in an interview with ABC […]

Biden mixes D-Day commemoration with warnings about democracy’s vulnerability

For the most part, Joe Biden’s address marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day sounded like a familiar ode to a historic war victory — but tucked into the speech was a warning to Americans. Biden name-checked the World War II veterans who sat behind him on stage in wheelchairs, blankets draped over their laps in […]

StephCast Th 6-6-24

Trump team asks VP contenders Burgum, Vance, Rubio for vetting documents

Former President Donald Trump‘s campaign has begun the process of formally requesting information from a small handful of potential running mates, ABC News has learned, marking a significant escalation in the process that will result in Trump choosing a candidate for vice president. Among those who have been asked by the campaign for vetting paperwork […]

Senate Republicans block bill to protect access to contraception

Senate Republicans blocked legislation Wednesday that would enshrine a federal right to access contraception, sinking the Democratic-led measure. The vote on the Right to Contraception Act was 51-39, falling short of the 60 votes needed to defeat a filibuster and move the bill forward. Republicans said it was unnecessary because the use of birth control […]

Takeaways from Day 3 of Hunter Biden’s firearms trial

Three new witnesses took the stand in Hunter Biden’s gun trial on Wednesday, recalling in vivid color the defendant’s spiral into drug addiction, foiled attempts at entering rehab, and fateful purchase of a firearm in late 2018, a year when his use of crack cocaine went out of control.  Joining Biden for the third day […]

Georgia appeals court stays Trump election interference case until at least October

A Georgia appeals court on Wednesday officially stayed until at least October the racketeering case alleging Donald Trump and others conspired to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 election — making it impossible for the case to go to trial before November’s elections. The case had been considered highly unlikely to go trial before […]

StephCast W 6-5-24

Biden signs executive order drastically tightening border

Facing mounting political pressure over the migrant influx at the southern border, President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed an executive order that will temporarily shut down asylum requests once the average number of daily encounters tops 2,500 between official ports of entry, according to a senior administration official. “The border is not a political issue […]

‘No one is above the law’: Prosecutors argue even Hunter Biden must be held accountable in opening statement

A federal prosecutor told jurors Tuesday in his opening statement in the Hunter Biden trial that at the end of the case he should be found guilty of all charges because “No one is above the law.” “It doesn’t matter who you are, or what your name is,” prosecutor Derek Hines said, as he laid […]

RNC Chair Talks Possibility Of Donald Trump Speech From Prison

Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley said the organization is preparing for all scenarios when it comes to former President Donald Trump’s convention speech, including the possibility it could be delivered from behind bars. Trump, who is the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, will be sentenced in his hush money trial on July 11, just four […]

Trump Floats Jailing Political Enemies, Attacks E. Jean Carroll In Wild Interview

Former President Donald Trump once again attacked the writer E. Jean Carroll and suggested his political enemies could soon face jail time in a wide-ranging interview on Tuesday night. Trump called in to the conservative network Newsmax, just days after a Manhattan jury found him guilty on all 34 counts in his hush money trial. […]

StephCast T 6-4-24

Biden Calls Trump A ‘Convicted Felon,’ Says He Doesn’t Deserve To Be President

President Joe Biden said the 2024 presidential race was now in “uncharted territory” and called Donald Trump a “convicted felon” in harsh remarks at a campaign event on Monday, a signal the historic verdict will soon play center stage on both sides of the campaign trail. “Folks – the campaign entered uncharted territory last week,” […]

Most Independents And ‘Double Haters’ Want Trump To End Campaign, Poll Finds

A new poll published Sunday found that more than half of independent voters and so-called “double haters” ― those who don’t align with either major presidential candidate ― think former President Donald Trump should cease his campaign following his conviction in his hush money trial. The ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 52% of independents felt […]

Fauci parries Republicans in combative hearing about Covid’s origins and possibility of a lab leak

In his first public testimony since stepping down from government office at the end of 2022, Dr. Anthony Fauci on Monday fended off a variety of attacks from Republican politicians at a fiery hearing called to discuss lessons learned during the pandemic. Fauci, appearing voluntarily before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, denied […]

Jury selected for Hunter Biden gun trial in Delaware

A jury of 12 people and four alternate jurors has been selected in the federal gun case against Hunter Biden in Delaware, paving the way for opening statements to begin Tuesday morning. The panel was selected more quickly than expected, after just one day of jury selection Monday. The jurors were sworn in at 4:20 p.m. ET. The jury […]

Charlie Pierce: Welcome to the Marjorie Taylor Greene Show, Rep. Garcia

Moving to further action in the subcommittee. Of course. Nobody deserves this. From the mouth of Marjorie Taylor Greene: “Do the American people deserve to be abused like that, Mr. Fauci, because you’re not Dr. Fauci in my few minutes. You know what this committee should be doing? We should be recommending you to be […]

StephCast M 6-3-24

StephCast F 5-31-24

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with Rep. Mark Pocan & Glenn Kirschner 5-31-24

SEXY LIBERAL SEATTLE is this SATURDAY!!!

We’re coming at you, Pacific Northwest!  Join Stephanie Miller, Hal Sparks, John Fugelsang, and Frangela with special guest Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) as they take over The Moore Theater this coming Saturday!  Tickets, merch, and VIP packages available at SexyLiberal.com!!

Chief Justice John Roberts declines to meet with Democrats about ethics concerns amid Alito flag flap

Chief Justice John Roberts declined Thursday to meet with Democratic senators to discuss Supreme Court ethics issues in the wake of reports that controversial flags were flown at Justice Samuel Alito‘s houses. In a letter to Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Roberts said he “must respectfully decline your request […]

Trump’s potential running mates pile on judge and jury after guilty verdict

Twelve jurors took more than nine hours to convict former President Donald Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.  A handful of Trump’s prospective running mates took less than nine minutes to condemn the verdict. The string of “guilty” readings began at 5:06 p.m. Thursday in Judge Juan Merchan’s New York courtroom. By […]

Trump Convicted on All Counts to Become America’s First Felon President

Donald J. Trump was convicted on Thursday of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal that threatened to derail his 2016 presidential campaign, capping an extraordinary trial that tested the resilience of the American justice system and transformed the former commander in chief into a felon. The guilty verdict in Manhattan — across the […]

StephCast Th 5-30-24

From Allies and Advisers, Pressure Grows on Biden to Allow Attacks on Russian Territory

President Biden is edging toward what may prove to be one of his most consequential decisions in the Ukraine war: whether to reverse his ban on shooting American weapons into Russian territory. He has long resisted authorizing Ukraine to use U.S. weapons inside Russia because of concern it could escalate into a direct American confrontation […]

Biden Roasts Trump’s Bombastic Rhetoric During Campaign Stop: ‘Think He Injected Too Much of That Bleach’

President Joe Biden tore into former president and his presumptive 2024 rival,Donald Trump, on Wednesday while kicking off his Black voter mobilization effort in Philadelphia. Biden spoke at private preparatory school Girard College and told Black Americans, “I’m still optimistic, but I need you.” He asked the crowd of supporters, “Are you with me?” The […]

Justice Samuel Alito declines to step aside from Trump-related cases over flag spat

Conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito declined Wednesday to step aside from two pending cases relating to former President Donald Trump and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol following recent news reports about contentious flags flown at his private properties. In letters to members of Congress calling for his recusal, Alito said the […]

Trump awaits his fate as jury deliberations begin: What you missed on Day 22 of the hush money trial

Jurors began deliberations Wednesday in Donald Trump’s hush money trial, kicking off a crucial and delicate phase in the case that will see 12 ordinary citizens decide whether a former and potentially future president becomes the first to be convicted. Twenty-two witnesses took the stand over six weeks, as the seven men and five women […]

StephCast W 5-29-24

Samuel Alito’s Neighbors Called Cops After ‘Ugly’ Run-Ins with Justice’s Wife: Report

Two former neighbors of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and his wife Martha-Ann Alito said that contrary to the justice’s claims, Martha-Ann was the instigator of an “ugly” encounter in which one of the neighbors used the word “cunt.” Earlier this month, the New York Times reported that three days before Joe Biden’s inauguration […]

If Trump were convicted in his hush money trial, here’s what he could face next

Donald Trump has complained of the indignities of a cold, uncomfortable Manhattan courtroom during his hush money trial, which is expected to begin jury deliberations Wednesday. If convicted, Trump could face other conditions he may consider insulting, including a required inmate review by New York City’s Department of Probation. The probation office on the 10th […]

Pressure builds on Biden after Israeli strike kills dozens of civilians in Rafah

The Biden administration on Tuesday expressed sympathy after dozens of civilians were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah over the weekend, but signaled it would wait for a full Israeli investigation to play out before taking any action. “You’ve all seen the images, they’re heartbreaking, they’re horrific. There should be no innocent life lost […]

Trump’s lawyers and prosecutors make final pleas to jury in hush money trial

A lawyer for Donald Trump urged jurors Tuesday to find the former president innocent in his criminal trial, blasting a key witness as the “MVP of liars” while a prosecutor urged the panel to “focus on the facts” and “hold the defendant accountable.” “In the interest of justice, and in the name of the people […]

StephCast T 5-28-24

‘He’s more delusional than I thought’: Libertarians jeer Trump during convention speech

If Donald Trump came to the Libertarian National Convention to make peace on Saturday, it could hardly have gone worse. Within minutes of beginning speaking — and after enduring sustained jeering and boos — the former president turned on the third party, mocking its poor electoral record in presidential elections even as he appealed to […]

Trump Wishes Happy Memorial Day to ‘Human Scum’ Trying ‘So Hard to Destroy Our Once Great Country’

Former President Donald Trump shared a unique message designed specifically for what he called “the Human Scum that is working so hard to destroy our Once Great Country” — Happy Memorial Day! On the eve of closing arguments in his hush money – election interference trial,Trump returned to his nearly constant state of aggrievement that […]

Facing Global Outrage, Netanyahu Calls Civilian Deaths in Rafah Strike ‘Tragic Accident’

With international condemnation mounting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said on Monday that the killing of dozens of people a day earlier at a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah was “a tragic accident,” but gave no sign of curbing the Israeli offensive in the southern Gaza city. The deadly fire that tore through […]

Trump braces for final act of his historic criminal trial

Donald Trump’s first criminal trial has arrived at its dramatic final act with lawyers for both sides primed on Tuesday to hammer home their cases before jurors consider a verdict that could make history. The summations mark the climax of a trial that started more than a month ago. They are expected to last all […]

Charlie Pierce: SCOTUS’s South Carolina Gerrymandering Decision Is More Proof They Don’t Make Justices Like They Used to

In the middle of his senior year at Harvard, a handsome fellow walked off campus and signed up for an infantry unit of the Massachusetts militia. By July 1861, with the help of his illustrious father, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 20th Massachusetts Infantry. He subsequently served through the Peninsula Campaign, […]

StephCast F 5-24-24

Decades in the Making, a New Era Dawns for the N.C.A.A.: Paying Athletes Directly

Since its founding, the N.C.A.A. has operated with a business model that defined the college athlete as an amateur. Over the years, as college sports evolved into a mega-enterprise, lawsuits and labor actions chipped away at that model, which came to be increasingly seen as exploitative in big-money sports like football and men’s basketball. But […]

Trump Wildly Claims That Putin Will Release Jailed WSJ Reporter as Favor ‘For Me, But Not for Anyone Else’

Former President Donald Trump suggested in an early morning social media post on Thursday that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin would release imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich as a personal favor to him. “Evan Gershkovich, the Reporter from The Wall Street Journal, who is being held by Russia, will be released almost immediately after the Election, […]

Trump Blames ‘Rigged’ Election for Oct 7. Terror Attacks: ‘Would’ve Never Happened!’

Former President Donald Trump claimed that had the 2020 election not been rigged against him, the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel would not have taken place. The 2020 election was not rigged and Trump’s claim about the Oct. 7 attacks not happening under his watch is patently unfalsifiable. Speaking at a rally in the […]

StephCast Th 5-23-24

Sen. Rick Scott enters race to succeed Mitch McConnell as GOP Senate leader

Sen. Rick Scott of Florida announced Wednesday that he is jumping into the race to succeed Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnellafter he leaves the post later this year. The Wall Street Journal first reported Scott’s plans, which he later shared publicly in a post on X. He said in a letter to colleagues obtained by […]

Former Republican Presidential Candidate Nikki Haley Says She Will Vote For Donald Trump

Nikki Haley said Wednesday that she will be voting for Donald Trump in the general election, a notable show of support given their intense and often personal rivalry during the Republican primary calendar. But Haley also made it clear that she feels Trump has work to do to win over voters who supported her during […]

Another Far-Right Flag Was Flown Outside Alito’s Beach House: Report

A second flag carried by rioters during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol was displayed outside a home owned by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, according to a shocking report in The New York Times. The newspaper published photos from neighbors and from Google Street View that show an “Appeal to Heaven” […]

StephCast W 5-22-24

Rudy Giuliani pleads not guilty as Trump allies are arraigned in Arizona 2020 election case

Allies of former President Donald Trump were arraigned Tuesday in Phoenix on charges that include conspiracy, fraud and forgery that are related to an alleged scheme to put forward phony electors in the 2020 election who backed Trump despite President Biden winning the state.  Rudy Giuliani pleaded not guilty to nine federal charges in the […]

Biden releasing 1M barrels of gasoline from Northeast reserve in bid to lower prices

The Biden administration said Tuesday it is releasing 1 million barrels of gasoline from a Northeast reserve established after Superstorm Sandy in a bid to lower prices at the pump this summer. The sale, from storage sites in New Jersey and Maine, will be allocated in increments of 100,000 barrels at a time. The approach […]

Georgia, Oregon, Idaho and Kentucky primaries 2024: Willis, McAfee win

On May 21, voters in Georgia, Idaho, Oregon, Kentucky and California held key elections for Congress and nationally watched local races. Two key figures from one of Trump’s legal cases, Fani Willis and Scott McAfee, easily won their races, while conservatives won a Georgia Supreme Court election fought largely over abortion. In the House, progressives […]

Trump Chooses Not to Take the Stand, and the Defense Rests

The jury heard his voice, saw his tweets and watched footage of him campaigning for the presidency. But in the end, the 12 New Yorkers weighing the fate of Donald J. Trump did not see him testify. On Tuesday, the defense rested its case after Mr. Trump declined to take the stand at his own […]

StephCast T 5-21-24

‘Not Good Judgement’: GOP Senators Ding Samuel Alito Over Upside-Down Flag

Republican senators criticized Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito over the flying of an upside-down American flag at his house following the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building. “Emotions are apparently high in that neighborhood but no, it’s not good judgment to do that,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the Senate […]

Trump posts social media video seemingly suggesting his victory will bring ‘unified Reich’

Former President Donald Trump on Monday posted a video on his social media platform that uses a language that appears to mirror that of Nazi Germany, suggesting there will be a “Unified Reich” if he wins the 2024 election. The phrase “Unified Reich” appears as a part of hypothetical news headlines that announce Trump’s hypothetical […]

Biden holds big cash edge as Trump’s new-look RNC steps up fundraising

Former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party are stepping up their fundraising, new reports show — but President Joe Biden and the Democrats maintained a healthy cash edge at the start of this month.  The Republican National Committee raised more than $32 million in April, its first full month under Trump’s hand-picked new leadership, […]

Prosecutors rest their case against Donald Trump in dramatic day of testimony

Prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump on Monday after another dramatic day of testimony from his former lawyer Michael Cohen, while the judge presiding over the trial ripped into one of the former president’s witnesses for disrespectful behavior. State Judge Juan Merchan briefly booted the public from the New York City courtroom after he […]

Charlie Pierce: Heads Up… The Supreme Court Loves To Wild Out This Time Of Year

It is that time of the season in which the Supreme Court issues decisions, a time in which, at least recently, it’s wise to keep a good grip on yourself and on a bottle of very good bourbon whiskey. This is the ultimate ring-and-run exercise among our institutions of government, The justices drop bombs that […]

StephCast M 5-20-24

The Rude Pundit: Other Things Martha-Ann Alito Will Do If She’s Mad at the Neighbors

Apparently, if you call Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s wife, Martha-Ann, a “c-word” that rhymes with “runt,” she’ll fly the American flag upside-down at the Alitos’ house in sympathy with election deniers. And Alito won’t deny that that’s what it was for; he’ll just sigh and say, in essence, “Well, the little woman was made […]

Iranian President Raisi is confirmed dead in helicopter crash

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has died in a helicopter crash, state media reported Monday morning. The cause of the crash Sunday was unclear. Iranian officials said fog and bad weather in the area slowed rescuers’ response. Early Monday local time, state-affiliated media reported that the exact location of the helicopter had been found. State media […]

Rudy Giuliani is served indictment papers at his own birthday party after mocking Arizona attorney general

Arizona’s Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes on Friday announced that Rudy Giuliani had been served with the notice of his indictment in connection with an alleged conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results in Arizona. The announcement came less than two hours after a social media post from Giuliani taunted Mayes for failing to deliver his indictment. […]

Trump accepts NRA endorsement, urges gun owners to turn out to vote

The National Rifle Association is formally supporting former President Donald Trump, an expected endorsement that came Saturday at the group’s annual convention in Dallas. The endorsement of his presidential campaign came shortly before Trump took the stage to keynote the NRA’s annual meeting, a speech he used to paint a picture of President Joe Biden […]

Biden delivers Morehouse commencement speech as some on campus express pro-Palestinian messages

President Joe Biden delivered the commencement address at Morehouse College on Sunday morning, his most direct engagement with college students since the start of the Israel-Hamas war and a key opportunity for him to engage with a group of voters that data suggests is softening on him: young, Black men. In his remarks, Biden ticked […]

StephCast F 5-17-24

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with Brooklyn Dad Defiant & Frangela – 5-17-24

Biden Administration Moves To Reclassify Marijuana As A Less Dangerous Drug

President Joe Biden’s administration said Thursday that the Justice Department is officially moving forward with reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. With the White House’s approval, the DOJ will now publish an official notice that opens a two-month public comment period on the proposal to recategorize marijuana from a Schedule I drug ― which […]

Sexy Liberal Albuquerque is THIS SATURDAY!!!

Sexy Liberal Albuquerque is THIS SATURDAY!!! Join me, Hal Sparks, John J Fugelsang, Frangela Duo, and special guest Valerie Plame at the Revel Entertainment Center! Tickets, merch, and hotel deals at www.SexyLiberal.com!!

Trump trial Day 18 takeaways: Fireworks on the stand as finish line nears

It’s becoming increasingly clear that the end is near in former President Donald Trump‘s hush money trial in New York City. With the defense having nearly wrapped its cross-examination of Michael Cohen — Trump’s former attorney and fixer and a pivotal witness for the prosecution — closing arguments look likely to begin early next week […]

First aid flows into Gaza over massive U.S. pier

Trucks carrying desperately needed humanitarian aid have begun moving ashore into Gaza using a temporary pier built by the United States, the U.S. military said Friday, as Israeli forces pressed on with sweeping operations in the north and south of the enclave. The aid trucks began moving into Gaza at around 9 a.m. local time […]

StephCast Th 5-16-24

Speaker Mike Johnson defends joining Trump at his New York trial

On the car ride from Trump Tower to the Manhattan courthouse Tuesday, former President Donald Trump was venting to Speaker Mike Johnson about the first 16 days of his hush money trial and how it’s kept him off the campaign trail. “He’s clearly frustrated that he’s been tied up now for the fifth week in […]

Trump Camp Reportedly ‘Irked’ That Biden Called His Debate Bluff

Although Donald Trump eagerly accepted Joe Biden’s offer to do two presidential debates, folks from Trump’s campaign weren’t as enthusiastic. In fact, they were downright “irked,” according to CNN journalist Kristen Holmes, who spoke with Trump insiders after Biden “took over the debate narrative” Wednesday. Trump had been making fun of Biden at his campaign […]

Biden and Trump agree to CNN debate in June, ABC faceoff in September

President Biden and former president Donald Trump agreed Wednesday to a June 27 debate on CNN and a Sept. 10 debate broadcast by ABC News, bypassing the decades-old tradition of three fall meetings organized by the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. The decisions by the major-party candidates to take control of the once independent debate […]

StephCast W 5-15-24

Sexy Liberal Albuquerque is THIS SATURDAY!!

Sexy Liberal Albuquerque is THIS SATURDAY!!! Join me, Hal Sparks, John J Fugelsang, Frangela Duo, and special guest Valerie Plame at the Revel Entertainment Center! Tickets, merch, and hotel deals at www.SexyLiberal.com!!

5 takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries

Voters headed to the polls in Maryland, Nebraska and West Virginia on Tuesday to set up several key down-ballot races. Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks won the Democratic nomination in Maryland’s marquee Senate race, while Republicans in West Virginia appointed candidates likely to take over one of the state’s Senate seats and governor’s mansion. […]

Journalist Says He Saw Trump Editing Speeches For His Stooges To Give Outside Court

New York Magazine journalist Andrew Rice said on MSNBC that on Monday he saw Donald Trump editing — as proceedings were ongoing during his hush money trial — what his Republican allies would later rant about on his behalf outside the courthouse. Trump acolytes including Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and North […]

‘Don’t make it about yourself’: Michael Cohen faces grilling from defense. What you missed on Day 17 of Trump’s hush money trial.

Defense attorney Todd Blanche grew annoyed and raised his voice as he tried to press Michael Cohen into calling himself a liar and Donald Trump’s former fixer tried to skirt the question — it wasn’t quite the fireworks many had expected for the Tuesday cross-examination, but it did illustrate the tense questioning. Cohen already testified […]

StephCast T 5-14-24

LAST DAY of $25 Concert Week at LiveNation!!

Today is the LAST DAY of CONCERT WEEK at LiveNation, so that means tickets to select Sexy Liberal shows (and thousands of other Live Nation concerts) are just $25 for one more day!!!  See the list of shows available at LiveNation.com/ConcertWeek – and get your VIP packages, merch, and links to hotel deals at SexyLiberal.com!!

Protesters Disrupt Israeli Memorial Day Events Over War Raging in Gaza

Israelis gathered across the country on Monday for the first national day of mourning since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks, with protesters disrupting several ceremonies as they demanded that government ministers do more to secure the release of hostages. Israel’s Memorial Day is normally one of the most somber on the country’s calendar, a date […]

Nikki Haley reemerges to thank big donors, not expected to endorse Trump

Nikki Haley will meet with roughly 100 of her biggest donors who supported her campaign for the Republican presidential nomination this week, taking another step toward reemerging back into public life following her defeat at the hands of her chief rival, former President Donald Trump, sources familiar with the event confirmed to ABC News. The […]

‘The benefit of Mr. Trump’: Longtime fixer Michael Cohen testifies in hush money trial. What you missed on Day 16.

Donald Trump’s longtime fixer and lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified Monday that he was acting at Trump’s behest when he made hush money payments to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. For weeks in Manhattan criminal court in New York City, Trump’s defense attorneys have sought to puncture Cohen’s credibility with the jury, and even […]

Charlie Pierce: You Might Hate Your Job, But at Least You Don’t Work for Rep. Nancy Mace

This is one of my rare, but firm, bipartisan positions: In no neighborhood in any American city can there be found a greater number of horrible bosses than on Capitol Hill. (There once was a Massachusetts congresscritter whose new staffers were told by the veterans in the office that, on pain of death, the boss […]

StephCast M 5-13-24

The Rude Pundit: Stormy Daniels Is the Hero America Needs

In her testimony and especially in her cross-examination, writer/director/actor Stormy Daniels became the hero that America needs right now. She was on the stand for the prosecution of Donald Trump, a rapist who is also a former president, for falsifying business records to hide the hush money he paid to Daniels for a sexual encounter […]

Trump, Bashing Migrants, Likens Them to Hannibal Lecter, Movie Cannibal

In an extended riff at his rally on Saturday in New Jersey, former President Donald J. Trump returned to a reference that has become a staple of his stump speech, comparing migrants to Hannibal Lecter, the fictional serial killer and cannibal from “The Silence of the Lambs,” as he aims to stoke anger and fear […]

Wait. Why are 3 of Trump’s 4 criminal trials delayed indefinitely?

Former President Donald Trump’s public defense against his four, distinct prosecutions in four, separate jurisdictions is that they are a coordinated hit job and a political persecution – evidence, he says, of a double standard of justice. Disproving Trump’s allegation is the likelihood, which seems to be growing this week, that three of the four […]

Tickets To Select SEXY LIBERAL Shows On Sale For LiveNation Concert Week!

It’s CONCERT WEEK at LiveNation, so that means tickets to select Sexy Liberal shows (and thousands of other Live Nation concerts) are just $25 this week!!!  See the list of shows available at LiveNation.com/ConcertWeek – and get your VIP packages, merch, and links to hotel deals at SexyLiberal.com!!

Trump’s former ‘thug’ Michael Cohen set for trial-defining testimony in hush money case

Michael Cohen once described himself as Donald Trump’s “spokesman, thug, pit bull and lawless lawyer.” But this week, he has a new role. He will be the star witness for prosecutors trying to prove Trump illegally falsified business records after paying off adult film actress Stormy Danielsas part of an alleged election interference scheme in […]

StephCast F 5-10-24

Madison Sexy Liberal Is THIS WEEKEND

Madison Sexy Liberal at The Barrymore Theater is THIS WEEKEND and this is your last chance to get tickets for the big show featuring Stephanie Miller, John Fugelsang, Hal Sparks, Frangela, Rep. Mark Pocan, and John Nichols!  Get your tickets, VIP packages, merch, and hotel deals at SexyLiberal.com!!!

‘No easy way out’: Biden faces anger from all sides as he navigates Israel-Hamas war

President Joe Biden is taking heat from all sides as he faces what could be the most fraught moment in the Israel-Hamas war since fighting broke out seven months ago. A dizzying number of recent developments, both at home and abroad, have underscored the politically perilous path Biden finds himself on as he navigates criticism […]

Stormy Daniels Is Steady on the Stand: 5 Takeaways From Trump’s Trial

In a combative cross-examination Thursday, Stormy Daniels battled the former president’s lawyers as they attacked her account of a sexual encounter with Donald J. Trump in a Nevada hotel. Susan Necheles, a lawyer defending Mr. Trump in his criminal trial, spent almost three hours delving into Ms. Daniels’s memories of that 2006 night in Lake […]

StephCast Th 5-9-24

Tickets to select Sexy Liberal Shows on sale for $25 this week!!

It’s CONCERT WEEK at LiveNation, so that means tickets to select Sexy Liberal shows (and thousands of other Live Nation concerts) are just $25 this week!!!  See the list of shows available at LiveNation.com/ConcertWeek – and get your VIP packages, merch, and links to hotel deals at SexyLiberal.com!!

Biden says Trump won’t accept 2024 election results

President Joe Biden said Wednesday that former President Donald Trump would not accept the outcome of the 2024 election. “He may not accept the outcome of the election? I promise you he won’t,” Biden said in an interview on CNN, adding that it was “dangerous.” Biden was responding to a question about Trump’s remarks last […]

Biden says U.S. won’t transfer offensive weapons if Israel invades Rafah

President Joe Biden said Wednesday the U.S. would not supply Israelwith certain weapons and artillery shells if its military invades Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where more than 1 million people are sheltering. If the Israeli military launches a ground offensive in Rafah, the administration will not supply “the weapons that have been used […]

Speaker Johnson Survives Greene’s Ouster Attempt as Democrats Join G.O.P. to Kill It

Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday easily batted down an attempt by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia to oust him from his post, after Democrats linked arms with most Republicans to fend off a second attempt by G.O.P. hard-liners to strip the gavel from their party leader. The vote to kill the effort was an […]

StephCast W 5-8-24

Malcolm Nance: SWORDS OF IRON Part 3 – End Game or Bloodbath?

Months of organized college protests in America and Europe gave HAMAS’s leader, Yahyah Sinwar, a feeling of confidence that the Israeli-HAMAS war was about to end in his favor. Almost ten weeks of wrangling and begging Hamas to accept cease-fires led protesters around the world to start chanting. “Palestine is almost free.” Having just spent […]

Florida Judge delays Donald Trump’s classified documents trial indefinitely

The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s classified documents casehas now indefinitely postponed the trial date pending resolution of outstanding pretrial litigation, including disagreements about how the classified information is used during trial. It comes as Judge Aileen Cannon has continued to delay various deadlines in the case, making it all but certain the case […]

U.S. paused shipment of thousands of bombs to Israel amid Rafah rift

The Biden administration paused the shipment of thousands of weapons to Israel, including controversial 2,000-pound bombs, amid mounting concern about the country’s plan to expand a military operation in southern Gaza that could dramatically increase the conflict’s death toll, U.S. officials said Tuesday. “Israel should not launch a major ground operation in Rafah, where more […]

Takeaways from Stormy Daniels’ testimony at the Trump hush money trial

Adult film star Stormy Daniels dished out salacious details of her alleged sexual encounter with former President Donald Trump in 2006 from the witness stand on Tuesday, describing how they met at a celebrity golf tournament and what she says happened when she went to Trump’s Lake Tahoe hotel room. In a mostly casual and […]

StephCast T 5-7-24

M.I.T. Orders Encampment Cleared, and Columbia Cancels Main Commencement

Tensions were rising at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Monday after pro-Palestinian demonstrators resisted an order from the school to clear their encampment, leading to some skirmishes between the protesters and the police. The entrenched protest movement was also causing disruptions to university commencements, with Columbia announcing the cancellation of its main ceremony. The […]

With truce talks with Hamas at critical stage, Israel seizes Gaza side of Rafah border crossing with Eqypt

An Israeli tank brigade took control Tuesday of the Gaza Strip side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, authorities said, moving forward with an offensive in the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remain on a knife’s edge. The move comes after hours of whiplash in the Israel-Hamas war, with the militant […]

Marjorie Taylor Greene backs off immediate vote to oust Speaker Johnson as she seeks deal

After a nearly two-hour meeting with Speaker Mike Johnson, far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., emerged from his office and said the two will continue their discussions Tuesday morning amid her threats to force a vote to depose him. “We’re going to be meeting again tomorrow based on the discussion that we’ve had,” Greene said, […]

What you missed on Day 12 of Trump’s trial: Another gag order ruling and details on how Michael Cohen was paid

Two new witnesses took the stand Monday on the 12th day of Donald Trump’s hush money trial, shortly after the judge overseeing the case again cited the former president for violating the gag order he imposed last month. Ahead of trial testimony, New York state Judge Juan Merchan found that Trump ran afoul of the […]

Charlie Pierce: Judge Merchan Says Throwing Trump In The Can For Violating His Gag Order Would Be ‘The Last Thing’ He Wants

He really, really, double-dog—really, no kidding really, means it this time. From The New York Times: In a moment of remarkable courtroom drama, the judge, Juan M. Merchan, addressed Mr. Trump personally from the bench, saying that if there were further violations, he might bypass financial penalties and place the former president behind bars. Justice […]

StephCast M 5-6-24

Hope Hicks testifies at Trump trial about fallout from “hush money” payments

Nervous, and at one point in tears, Donald Trump’s former communications director Hope Hicks on Friday told the jury in his criminal trialabout how he reacted in 2016 and 2018 when news reports surfaced about allegations of extramarital sexual encounters and his attempts to suppress them. Hicks was Trump’s top press aide during his 2016 […]

Israeli Army Tells Palestinians To Evacuate Parts Of Rafah Ahead Of An Expected Assault

The Israeli army on Monday ordered tens of thousands of people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to begin evacuating, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion could be imminent. The announcement complicated last-ditch efforts by international mediators, including the director of the CIA, to broker a cease-fire. Hamas and Qatar, a key mediator, have […]

Kristi Noem suggests Biden’s dog Commander should be killed like hers

Kristi Noem suggested Sunday that President Joe Biden’s dog Commander should meet a similar fate as her 14-month-old dog Cricket, whom the South Dakota governor reportedly described shooting and killing in her coming book. “Joe Biden’s dog has attacked 24 Secret Service people. So how many people is enough people to be attacked and dangerously […]

The Rude Pundit: Protect the Free Speech Rights of the Student Encampments

On Friday, I spoke to author and activist Ashley Dawson. Like me, Dawson is a professor at the City University of New York, which has a bunch of campuses around NYC. Unlike me, he had been to the Gaza war protest encampment at the City College of New York, which is a CUNY school. The […]

StephCast F 5-3-24

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with Joe Walsh & Amy Yasbeck 5-3-24

Arizona Democratic governor signs bill repealing 1864 abortion ban

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed legislation Thursday repealing the state’s 160-year-old near-total abortion ban, setting the stage for a 15-week restriction to remain law. The Democratic governor signed the bill one day after it passed the GOP-held Senate, where two Republicans joined with all 14 Democrats in the chamber to advance the measure. The hourslong […]

President Biden Addresses Growing Student Protests, Calls For Order

In brief, previously unscheduled remarks Thursday morning, President Joe Bidenaddressed the growing pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses across the country that have at times been marred by violence and vandalism. “There’s the right to protest but not the right to cause chaos,” he said. Speaking from the White House’s Roosevelt Room, Biden praised both the […]

Secretly recorded phone calls and carefully worded denials: What you missed on Day 10 of Trump’s hush money trial

Taking the stand on Thursday, an attorney for porn actor Stormy Daniels fielded questions on a litany of celebrity gossip stories as attorneys for Donald Trump tried to paint him as an extortionist who helped leverage sex tapes into multimillion-dollar payouts. Keith Davidson, the lawyer who represented two women — Daniels and Karen McDougal — […]

More than 2,000 people arrested nationwide in pro-Palestinian campus protests

The clashes between police officers and pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses have seized national attention, putting a spotlight on modern-day campus activism, law enforcement tactics and the contentious debate over Israel’s war in Gaza. In the last three weeks, more than 2,000 people have been arrested across the U.S., according to a tally compiled by […]

StephCast Th 5-2-24

Trump acknowledges he told Secret Service on Jan. 6 that he would ‘like to go down’ to the Capitol

Former President Donald Trump acknowledged Wednesday that he told the Secret Service he wanted to go to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, depicting a different tone of an event that became a contentious detail of a former White House aide’s testimony before the House committee that investigated the attack. In remarks at a […]

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she will force a vote to oust Speaker Mike Johnson next week

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said Wednesday she will force a vote next week to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson, daring Democrats and Johnson’s GOP allies to step in and save his job. Wearing a red “MAGA” hat, Greene accused Johnson, R-La., of betraying the GOP and going against conservative wishes on government funding bills, […]

U.S. Violence breaks out at some pro-Palestinian campus protests

Dueling groups of protesters clashed Wednesday at the University of California, Los Angeles, grappling in fistfights and shoving, kicking and using sticks to beat one another. Hours earlier, police burst into a building at Columbia University that pro-Palestinian protesters took over to break up a demonstration that had paralyzed the school while inspiring others. In […]

Arizona Senate passes repeal of 1864 abortion ban, sending it to governor’s desk

The Arizona Senate on Wednesday voted to repeal a strict, Civil War-era abortion banthat was recently ruled enforceable by the state Supreme Court. Two Republican senators, T.J. Shope and Shawnna Bolick, joined the 14 Democrats in the minority and the bill passed 16-14, over vocal GOP objection. Ahead of her vote, Bolick took a broadly […]

StephCast W 5-1-24

Malcolm Nance: Will the Free Palestine College Protests End American Democracy?

When I found myself running around the west side of the Pentagon on the morning of 9/11, almost three hundred people were burning to death a few dozen feet away from me.  I knew who had carried out the terrorist attacks.  I had worked on the al-Qaeda mission, training special operations soldiers in their mindset […]

Democrats win a New York special election, further narrowing the House GOP’s majority

Democrats won a special election for a House seat in western New York on Tuesday, The Associated Press projected, further shrinking the GOP’s narrow majority in the House. Democratic state Sen. Tim Kennedy defeated Republican town supervisor Gary Dickson in the 26th District, a reliably blue area that includes Buffalo and some of its surrounding […]

Violent clashes at UCLA; police clear occupied Columbia building and arrest nearly 100

There were violent clashes between the pro-Palestinian encampment and counter-protesters at UCLA overnight. Hours earlier, special police units breached the occupied building at Columbia Universityentering Hamilton Hall through a second-story window using a massive truck and a ramp. Officers cleared the area and arrested almost 100 people. The college said it was left with no […]

Biden administration plans to reclassify marijuana, easing restrictions nationwide

The Biden administration will take a historic step toward easing federal restrictions on cannabis, with plans to announce an interim rule soon reclassifying the drug for the first time since the Controlled Substances Act was enacted more than 50 years ago, four sources with knowledge of the decision said. The Drug Enforcement Administration is expected […]

What you missed on Day 9 of Trump’s trial: Gag order jail threat and testimony from Stormy Daniels’ former lawyer

The most consequential moment of Tuesday’s trial proceedingshappened just minutes after court began, when the judge held Donald Trump in criminal contempt over his social media posts and warned the former president that future violations could land him in jail. Hours after New York state Judge Juan Merchan said he had violated the order’s prohibition […]

StephCast T 4-30-24

Donald Trump’s hush money trial set to resume Tuesday as prosecutors continue to keep their plans secret

The third week of the Donald Trump criminal hush money business fraud trial will resume Tuesday with the Manhattan district attorney’s office continuing to be secretive about it its plan of attack. Prosecutors are expected to pick up questioning of Michael Cohen’s former banker Tuesday morning. It’s unclear what other witnesses will take the stand […]

Lawyers for Hunter Biden plan to sue Fox News ‘imminently’

Lawyers for Hunter Biden plan to sue Fox News “imminently,” according to a letter sent to the network and obtained by NBC News.  The letter, dated April 23, puts the Fox News Channel and Fox News Digital on notice for litigation claims arising from the network’s alleged “conspiracy and subsequent actions to defame Mr. Biden […]

A look at the protests of the war in Gaza that have emerged at US colleges

Student protests over the Israel-Hamas war have popped up at many college campuses following the arrest of demonstrators this month at Columbia University. The students are calling for universities to separate themselves from companies that are advancing Israel’s military efforts in Gaza — and in some cases from Israel itself. The number of arrests nationwide […]

Charlie Pierce: We’re Still Doing This Whole White House Correspondents Dinner Thing, Huh?

I guess this must have been what it was like at Versailles while all hell broke loose in Paris. From The Washington Post: After a turn on the step-and-repeat with [owner of the music venue Echostage, Pete] Kalamoutsos, [social media content creator] Tony P was whisked upstairs, champagne in hand, to a roped-off VIP area, […]

StephCast M 4-26-24

The Rude Pundit: The Question that Justice Sonia Sotomayor Should Have Asked About Absolute Immunity for Presidents

Last week’s Supreme Court hearing in Trump v. United States (as accurate a case name as I’ve seen), aka “The One About Immunity from Prosecution,” was, to put it mildly, a shitshow at the monkeyfuck factory. In a case that should never have been taken, at least 5 of the justices, all the men, seemed […]

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem stands by decision to kill dog, share it in new book

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem – who has been considered to be a potential running mate for presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump – addressed on Sunday the recent attention on her new book where she writes about killing an unruly dog and a goat. The Guardian obtained a copy of Noem’s soon-to-be-released book, “No […]

Biden swipes at Trump at White House correspondents’ dinner

President Joe Biden on Saturday used his White House Correspondents’ Association dinner speech to swipe at former President Donald Trump, taking shots at the presumptive GOP nominee while highlighting the stakes of the election. Biden cracked jokes at his political rival’s expense and tackled age head-on, saying that he was “a grown man running against […]

Biden speaks with Netanyahu as tensions over the Israel-Hamas war mount in the US

President Joe Biden held a phone call on Sunday with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against the backdrop of growing U.S. college campus protests and a possibly imminent invasion of Rafah. The two discussed areas of commonality, with Biden “reaffirm[ing] his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security” after Iran’s missile and drone attack on the country […]

StephCast F 4-26-24

Pro-Palestinian Encampments Spread, Leading to Hundreds of Arrests

In the week since Columbia University started cracking down on pro-Palestinian protesters occupying a lawn on its campus, protests and encampments have sprung up at other colleges and universities across the country. Police interventions on several campuses have led to more than 400 arrests so far. Student protests against the war in Gaza and against […]

Supreme Court signals further delay in Trump election interference case as it weighs immunity claims

The Supreme Court indicated Thursday that any trial in former President Donald Trump’s election interference case is unlikely to take place any time soon, with justices expressing concern about whether certain presidential acts should be off-limits. Although the court appears likely to reject Trump’s expansive claim of absolute immunity, it could remand the case for […]

Sexy Liberal Philadelphia w/ Glenn Kirschner, JoJo From Jerz, and Lindy Li is TOMORROW NIGHT!! Tix available HERE!!!

Don’t miss out on the biggest night in Philadelphia history!  Stephanie Miller’s Sexy Liberal “Save The World” Tour is Saturday!  Tickets available at: https://concerts.livenation.com/stephanie-millers-sexy-liberal-save-the-philadelphia-pennsylvania-04-27-2024/event/0200605A8FE64571

‘To protect Donald Trump’: Hush money trial witness details deals with Playboy model and porn actress

A key witness in Donald Trump‘s criminal trial testified Thursday about his role in hush money payments to a porn actress and a Playboy model the former president allegedly had affairs with — and Trump’s plan to make sure other negative stories about him never saw the light of day.  David Pecker, the former publisher […]

Glenn Kirschner: How prosecutors will ‘draw the sting’ during opening statements in Trump’s trial

The first criminal trial of a former president of the United States turns toward opening statements this week. Criminal litigators neither win nor lose a trial based on their opening statements. But jurors will begin to form important impressions: not only of the evidence for or against the charges they will be called upon to decide, […]

StephCast Th 4-25-24

Arizona Grand Jury Indicts Donald Trump Allies (incl. Meadows & Giuliani), 11 Fake Electors

An Arizona grand jury has indicted former President Donald Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows, lawyer Rudy Giuliani and 16 others for their roles in an attempt to overturn Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. The indictment released Wednesday names 11 Republicans who submitted a document to Congress falsely declaring that Trump […]

Police arrest protesters at USC, UT Austin as pro-Palestinian demonstrations spread to more campuses

University of Southern California police arrested 93 people after they warned protesters to disperse. The university said protests devolved into vandalism and confrontations. Columbia University said Wednesday that student protesters had agreed to take down “a significant number of tents,” but protests will continue. Police said 108 people were arrested in protests around Bostons’ Emerson […]

Trump trial to resume with testimony about hush money deals with Playboy model and porn star

The first criminal trial of a former president resumes Thursday with a key witness against Donald Trump expected to describe details of the hush money agreement that was struck on his behalf with porn star Stormy Daniels. David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, is expected to outline his role in Daniels’ agreement, […]

Supreme Court today will consider Trump’s claim of sweeping immunity in 2020 election case

The Supreme Court will convene Thursday to consider whether former President Donald Trump is entitled to broad immunity from federal prosecution, jumping into a blockbuster dispute that will be critical to the fate of his 2020 election case in Washington, D.C. At issue in the case known as Trump v. United States is whether the […]

StephCast W 4-24-24

StephCast Tu 4-23-24

StephCast M 4-22-24

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with Santiago Mayer, Hal Sparks, and Kimberley Johnson – 4-19-24

Stephanie Miller Among Those To Enter Buffalo Broadcasters’ Hall Of Fame

The Buffalo Broadcasters Association (BBA) has announced this year’s Broadcasting Hall of Fame inductees; included on the list is syndicated talk show host Stephanie Miller. Buffalo Broadcasters Association president Steve Monaco comments, “Our Hall of Fame classes become more impressive every year. Each inductee has made important contributions to broadcasting in Buffalo.” A standup comedienne and best-selling author, […]

StephCast F 4-19-24

StephCast Th 4-18-24

Arizona Republicans block another Democratic effort to repeal 1864 abortion ban

Arizona Republicans on Wednesday again blocked a Democratic-led effort to repeal a controversial 19th-century ban on almost all abortions in the state, which the Arizona Supreme Court has ruled is enforceable. Democrats in the state House failed to overcome procedural obstacles to advance House Bill 2677, introduced by Democratic state Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, to […]

House Republicans release aid bills for Israel and Ukraine, eyeing weekend House votes

Facing a divided party and pressure to act, House Speaker Mike Johnson rolled out three bills Wednesday to provide assistance to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, with the hope of holding final votes on Saturday. The bills represent a major test of Johnson’s ability to navigate a thicket of political and global challenges with a wafer-thin […]

Senate quickly votes to dismiss impeachment articles against DHS Secretary Mayorkas

Senate Democrats successfully voted to dismiss two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday, just hours after the trial formally opened. The speed of the impeachment trial was an embarrassing blow to Republicans who had threatened to gum up the Senate and delay the proceedings in a bid to highlight what […]

On trial off-day, Trump complains about jury selection process for his criminal case

Former President Donald Trump ripped the jury selection process for his historic New York criminal trial Wednesday, the day after the first seven jurors were selected out of a pool of nearly 100 people. Posting about the hush money trial on its scheduled off-day, Trump — who has repeatedly accused the judge in the case […]

StephCast W 4-17-24

Malcolm Nance: WARNING… THE ISRAEL-IRAN WAR HAS STARTED

At just past 2 am local time (GMT+2), Israeli Air Raid sirens sounded across the country. Air defenses started engaging more than 300 incoming Iranian ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones. What those sirens signaled was the start of the Israel-Iran war.  As predicted in my previous Substack (Warning: Are Israel and Iran going to […]

Israel Weighs Response to Iran Attack, With Each Choice a Risk

Israeli leaders on Tuesday were debating how best to respond to Iran’s unprecedented weekend airstrike, officials said, weighing a set of options calibrated to achieve different strategic outcomes: deterring a similar attack in the future, placating their American allies and avoiding all-out war. Iran’s attack on Israel, an immense barrage that included hundreds of ballistic […]

Historic impeachment articles against Alejandro Mayorkas sent to Senate, but will there be a full trial?

Articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, over his handling of the border, were officially transmitted to the Senate on Tuesday. The House impeachment managers, selected by Republican leadership, walked the two articles through the Capitol led by the House clerk and sergeant-at-arms. The charges against Mayorkas were read aloud from the Senate […]

Second Republican backs effort to oust Speaker Mike Johnson from power

A second House Republican said he will support an effort to oust Speaker Mike Johnson from power over his handling of foreign aid for Ukraine and other issues. Rep. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, who is a member of Johnson’s own Rules Committee, said he informed the speaker directly in a closed-door meeting of House Republicans […]

Fiery exchanges over Facebook posts and Trump’s behavior mark second day of trial

The first seven jurors were selected for Donald Trump’s hush money trial Tuesday amid a battle over prospective jurors’ old Facebook posts and calls to “lock him up” and the judge’s warning that the former president should not try to intimidate the panelists who will be deciding his fate. “I will not have any jurors […]

StephCast T 4-16-24

Caitlin Clark selected by Indiana Fever with No. 1 pick in 2024 WNBA Draft

Eight days after completing one of the greatest collegiate basketball careers ever recorded, Caitlin Clark was selected with the No. 1 pick in Monday’s WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever. Clark is poised to not only help the Fever return to the postseason for the first time since 2016, but also use her star power […]

Johnson Says House Will Vote on Stalled Aid to Israel and Ukraine

Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday said he planned this week to advance a long-stalled national security spending package to aid Israel, Ukraine and other American allies, along with a separate bill aimed at mollifying conservatives who have been vehemently opposed to backing Kyiv. Mr. Johnson’s announcement, coming after he has agonized for weeks over whether […]

US to Israel: If you strike back at Iran, you’ll do it alone

As Israel on Monday weighed its response to Iran’s stunning attacks this weekend, the U.S. is privately telling officials there: If Israel strikes back militarily, it will do so alone. It’s an unusual message for a close ally that’s spent decades receiving more US military aid than any other country in the world and whose […]

Trump’s N.Y. hush money trial begins. Here’s what you missed the first day.

Donald Trump — now a former president on trial — has sought to turn his legal peril into a boost for his presidential campaign, animating his supporters and attempting to sow doubt about the motives of his opponents.  But facing 34 counts of felony charges, Trump argued on the historic first day of his New […]

The Rude Pundit: GOP Ignores Trump’s Crimes and Makes Up Sh** About a Crime Wave

There’s a charming-ass Facebook group that Zuckerberg’s algorithm regularly feeds to my, well, feed. It’s a little ray of sunshine since the posts are all by people from other countries talking about their trips to New York City. And while some things will make any local cringe, like they really seem to love pedicab rides […]

Charlie Pierce: Ron DeSantis Crawls Out of Obscurity for a Minute to Limit Civilian Police Oversight

Remember Ron DeSantis? The guy who “won” the Covid epidemic? The guy who was going to save the Republican Party from El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago? Man fond of lifts in his shoes and white go-go boots? Exposed as a complete mutt as soon as the presidential campaign opened? He has returned to Florida as its […]

StephCast M 4-15-24

Trump’s first criminal trial is a historic and solemn moment for America

The United States will cross a historic threshold on Monday when for the first time a former president goes on criminal trial in a case laced with fateful significance because Donald Trump could be back in the Oval Office next year. When the presumptive GOP nominee walks into court for the start of jury selection, […]

Here’s what time taxes are due on April 15

The deadline for most people to file a 2023 tax return with the IRS is fast approaching; returns are due by 11:59 p.m., in your time zone, on Monday, April 15, with some exceptions.  Taxpayers in Massachusetts and Maine have until April 17 to file and pay taxes because of the Patriots’ Day and Emancipation […]

Trump’s Criminal Trial to Begin in Manhattan With Jury Selection

The first criminal trial of an American president will begin Monday as prosecutors and defense lawyers convene in a Manhattan courtroom to begin selecting the jury that will decide Donald J. Trump’s fate. The Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, has charged Mr. Trump with 34 felonies, accusing him of falsifying documents to conceal a […]

World Leaders Urge Restraint as Israel Weighs Retaliation Against Iran

Israel on Monday was facing international pressure not to retaliate against Iran for its missile and drone attack over the weekend, even as some far-right members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government called for a swift, aggressive response. Mr. Netanyahu faces a delicate calculation: Letting an unprecedented direct attack from Iran, even one that produced […]

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with Dean Obeidallah & Lindy Li – 4-12-24

StephCast F 4-12-24

RFK Jr. consultant terminated after saying that voting for him helps ‘get rid of Biden’

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential campaign says it has ended its contract with a consultant who was seen on video encouraging people to vote for him in order to get “rid of Biden” even if that means electing former President Donald Trump. Campaign manager Amaryllis Fox announced the decision in a post on X […]

House Speaker Mike Johnson Is Negotiating With White House To Advance Ukraine Aid

House Speaker Mike Johnson is negotiating with the White House as he prepares for the treacherous task of advancing wartime funding for Ukraine and Israel through the House, a top House Republican said Thursday. House Republican Leader Steve Scalise told reporters that Johnson had been talking with White House officials about a package that would […]

Trump Tests Limits Of Gag Order With Post Insulting 2 Likely Witnesses In Criminal Trial

Days after a New York judge expanded a gag order on Donald Trump to curtail “inflammatory” speech, the former president tested its limits by disparaging two key witnesses in his upcoming criminal hush money trial as liars. In a post on his Truth Social platform Wednesday, Trump called his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, and the […]

Key trial figures react to O.J. Simpson’s death

The death of O.J. Simpson drew immediate reaction around the country Thursday, renewing public interest in his era-defining 1995 murder trial — and reviving painful memories for the families who were close to the events. Simpson was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, capping off what legal analysts […]

StephCast Th 4-11-24

House Republicans revolt against spy agency bill, signaling trouble for Speaker Johnson

A small faction of House Republicans is once again blocking key legislation and posing a critical test of Speaker Mike Johnson’s ability to hold on to his gavel. And their actions threw the House once more into chaos, as Republicans sniped among themselves and some far-right members threatened to let funding for the Foreign Intelligence […]

Trump, criticizing Arizona abortion ruling, says he wouldn’t sign a federal ban if elected.

Days after saying that abortion policies should be left to the states, former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday criticized an Arizona court ruling for upholding an 1864 law that banned nearly all abortions and said he would not sign a national abortion ban if he were elected president. Speaking to reporters on an airport […]

Arizona Democrats Tried To Repeal 1864 Abortion Ban, But Were Shot Down By GOP

Arizona Democrats tried to repeal a controversial, 1864 law set to take effect that will effectively block almost all abortions in the state, but were stymied by Republicans in both chambers of the legislature on Wednesday. Lawmakers tried to repeal the law, which dates to the Civil War era and predates Arizona’s statehood, in both […]

New York appeals judge rejects Trump’s third legal challenge to delay hush money criminal trial

A New York appeals court judge on Wednesday denied a third effort in three days by Donald Trump’s attorneys to put on hold the former president’s impending criminal trial. Associate Justice Ellen Gesmer for the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York denied Trump’s third legal challenge to delay the trial after a pair of state […]

StephCast W 4-10-24

Arizona Attorney General Says She Wouldn’t Enforce ‘Unconscionable’ Abortion Ban

Shortly after the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a 150-year-old law criminalizing abortion in the state could be reinstated, the state attorney general pledged not to enforce it. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes minced no words in a statement that denounced the “unconscionable” ruling as “an affront to freedom.” “By effectively striking down a […]

Judge in Trump’s classified docs case grants prosecutor’s request to keep names of government witnesses secret

The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump‘s classified documents case handed federal prosecutors a partial victory Tuesday in a monthslong dispute by granting their request to keep the names of government witnesses sealed. U.S. District Judge Aileen issued the 24-page order in response to special counsel Jack Smith’s request to reconsider a previous order that […]

Biden says Netanyahu is making a ‘mistake’ with his handling of the Israel-Hamas war

President Joe Biden upped his criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s role in the Israel-Hamas war but did not indicate any significant changes in U.S. policy toward its Middle East ally. “I think what he’s doing is a mistake,” Biden said in an interview with Univision that aired Tuesday night in response to a […]

Arizona Supreme Court rules a near-total abortion ban from 1864 is enforceable

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a 160-year-old near-total abortion ban still on the books in the state is enforceable, a bombshell decision that adds the state to the growing lists of places where abortion care is effectively banned. The ruling allows an 1864 law in Arizona to stand that made abortion a felony […]

StephCast T 4-9-24

Charlie Pierce: Trump Finally Gave His Big Boy Speech About Abortion

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. On Monday, forced by events to confront yet another issue he doesn’t comprehend and chooses not to learn anything about, El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago gave his Big Boy Speech about reproductive freedom. It was truthless and incoherent. It was, after all, a day ending in y. From CNN: […]

Appeals court judge denies Trump’s bid to delay next week’s hush money trial

A state appeals court judge Monday denied Donald Trump‘s bid for an emergency delay of his impending criminal trial in New York. Justice Lizbeth González of the state Appellate Division issued the ruling after attorneys for the former president argued the trial needed to be halted because “an impartial jury cannot be selected right now […]

Highlights From the Total Solar Eclipse’s Dark Path Through the U.S., Mexico and Canada

The full force of the moon’s shadow crossed the United States, Mexico and Canada on Monday, as the first total solar eclipse in seven years plunged the day into darkness and reminded all in its path of our planet’s place in the cosmos. For more than four hours, the silhouette of the moon ate into […]

Mike Pence calls Trump’s abortion position ‘a slap in the face’

Donald Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, is calling Trump’s latest statement on his abortion policies “a slap in the face to the millions of pro-life Americans who voted for him in 2016 and 2020.” “Today, too many Republican politicians are all too ready to wash their hands of the battle for life. Republicans win […]

Special counsel Jack Smith urges Supreme Court to reject Trump’s presidential immunity claim

Special counsel Jack Smith urged the Supreme Court on Monday to reject former President Donald Trump‘s position that he should be granted absolute immunity in the federal election interference case, with prosecutors arguing that criminal law applies to a president. The 66-page filing from Smith and his team laid out a series of arguments taking […]

StephCast M 4-8-24

The Rude Pundit: We Can’t Rely on People to Just Vote Against Trump; They Have to Vote For Biden

All this Trump shit can get exhausting, can’t it? Watching this hemorrhoid in human form day in and day out as he blusters about perceived attacks by migrants and judges, ranting his brain-fucked comparisons between himself and Nelson Mandela or Jesus or Al Capone? And then we check the news on one of his four […]

Biden may have trouble getting on Ohio’s general election ballot, state’s top election official warns

Ohio’s secretary of state on Friday signaled that the Democratic National Convention may take place too late for President Joe Bidento appear on the general election ballot in the state, according to a letter obtained by NBC News. “The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to convene on August 19, 2024, which occurs more than a […]

Trump tells billionaires he’ll keep their taxes low at $50 million fundraising gala

Former President Donald Trump emphasized the importance of extending his signature tax cuts to some of the nation’s wealthiest political donors, according to a readout of his private remarks Saturday night provided by a Trump campaign official. “Trump spoke on the need to win back the White House so we can turn our country around, […]

Israeli military pulls troops from southern Gaza

The Israeli military says it has reduced the number of ground troops in the southern Gaza Strip following the conclusion of its monthslong operation in the city of Khan Younis, raising questions about the future of its offensive in the enclave amid pressure from the U.S. to reduce the war’s humanitarian toll. In a statement […]

When and where the solar eclipse will be crossing the U.S.

A total solar eclipse will grace the skies over North America on Monday, one of the most hotly anticipated sky-watching events in recent years. Weather permitting, millions of people in Mexico, 15 U.S. states and eastern Canada will have the chance to see the moon slip between Earth and sun, temporarily blocking the sun’s light. The […]

Dean Obeidallah: Trump’s Wealthy Donors Will Gladly End Our Democracy To Make More Money

In February 1933, Herman Goering—one of Adolph Hitler’s top leaders– sent telegrams to Germany’s 25 leading industrialists inviting them to a secret meeting in Berlin.  The reason for the clandestine gathering was that Hitler–who had been named Chancellor of Germany the month before–had just called for new elections to take place the following month. Hitler, […]

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with Tristan Snell & David Jolly

StephCast F 4-5-24

Trump calls for Jack Smith’s punishment for criticizing judge in classified documents case

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday said special counsel Jack Smith should be punished for issuing a scathing critique of a recent request for jury instruction proposals by the judge overseeing Trump’s classified documents case. Smith “should be sanctioned or censured for the way he is attacking a highly respected Judge, Aileen Cannon, who is […]

Georgia judge rejects Trump bid to dismiss election interference charges on free speech grounds

A Georgia judge on Thursday denied a bid by former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants in the state election interference case to dismiss the charges on First Amendment grounds. In a 14-page ruling, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee said their right to protest the results of the 2020 presidential election did not […]

Judge denies Trump bid to dismiss classified documents case using Presidential Records Act

A judge Thursday denied former President Donald Trump’s bid to dismiss a case alleging he mishandled classified documents, rejecting his argument that the papers were considered personal under the Presidential Records Act. The charges against Trump “make no reference to the Presidential Records Act, nor do they rely on that statute for purposes of stating […]

Israel to open more aid routes to Gaza and increase deliveries after pressure from Biden

Israel committed to opening additional aid routes to allow for increased assistance to flow into Gaza after a call with President Joe Biden warning of a potential shift in U.S. policy after a strike this week killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers. White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said after Thursday’s call […]

StephCast Th 4-4-24

José Andrés Says Israel Deliberately Killed 7 Of His Aid Workers In Gaza Airstrikes

Chef and humanitarian José Andrés has accused Israel of deliberately launching the airstrikes that killed seven aid workers with his World Central Kitchen charity in Gaza, calling the incident a “direct attack” on humanitarian workers trying to provide food and supplies to desperate Palestinians. In a New York Times opinion article published early Wednesday, the […]

Jack Smith rips judge’s jury instructions request in Trump classified documents case

Special counsel Jack Smith strongly criticized a recent order by the judge presiding over the case of former President Donald Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents, saying that her request for jury instructions from his office and Trump’s lawyers is based on a “fundamentally flawed legal premise.” In a court filing Tuesday, Smith argued that […]

Judge in Trump hush money case rejects attempt to delay trial with immunity defense

The judge presiding over Donald Trump‘s falsifying business records case shot down his bid to use presidential immunity as part of his defense, finding the former president waited too long to raise the issue. In his ruling Wednesday, Judge Juan Merchan also denied Trump’s motion to delay the trial’s start date until the U.S. Supreme […]

Biden and Netanyahu to hold first call since Israeli strike killed World Central Kitchen workers

President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to speak by phone on Thursday, according to a U.S. official with knowledge of the call. It will be their first direct communication since seven aid workerswere killed by an Israeli strike in Gaza this week. The discussion comes after Biden on Tuesday delivered some of his […]

StephCast W 4-3-24