Letitia James Asks Judge to Block Trump’s $175 Million Bond from Civil Fraud Case

Letitia James

New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office has asked a judge on Friday to block a $175 million bond that former President Donald Trump secured to delay paying a larger punishment in his civil fraud case.

Trump was ordered to pay a combined $464 million, plus interest, earlier this year after Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump and his organization had inflated his net worth in order to get better tax and insurance benefits. The sum was later reduced to $175 million, which Trump posted.

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House Dems Move to Strip Trump of Secret Service Protection, If Convicted

Donald Trump Secret Service

A group of House Democrats on Friday introduced legislation to strip former President Donald Trump of his Secret Service protection should he be convicted in one of the myriad criminal cases against him.

Trump is currently on trial in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case over allegedly falsifying business records. Trump has pleaded not guilty and contends that the case is part of broader political witch hunt against him. He also faces two separate federal indictments from special counsel Jack Smith and a fourth from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

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Johnson Sets Up Ukraine Showdown Vote

Mike Johnson

The U.S. House is expected to vote on funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan this weekend, a controversial climax to months of battling in both chambers.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has arranged the vote for this weekend, likely on Saturday, despite calls from many in his own party to abandon funding for Ukraine, which is set to receive about $60 billion in foreign aid in its war against Russia’s invasion if the measure passes this weekend.

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Nonprofit Misused Taxpayer Dollars to Fly Migrants Around U.S., Dem Rep Alleges

Henry Cuellar

A Texas lawmaker alleged Friday that a local nonprofit is misusing taxpayer funds through its purchase of airline tickets for migrants.

Catholic Charities of San Antonio is purchasing airline tickets for asylum-seekers in their care with federal grant money, Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar alleged. The allegation emerges as millions of federal taxpayer dollars continue to be doled out to nonprofit groups that are helping manage the border crisis under President Joe Biden.

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Apple Cooperates with Chinese Censorship Demands, Removes Popular Messaging Apps from Store

App Store

Tech behemoth Apple complied with an order from the Chinese government to remove popular messaging apps from the company’s app store in the country, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

Apple removed messaging platforms WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram, as well as social media app Threads, from its Chinese App Store in compliance with an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China, which cited national security concerns as the reason for the restrictions, according to the WSJ. China’s order follows a heated debate among U.S. lawmakers over whether to place restrictions on the Chinese Communist Party-linked app TikTok, with some parties calling for the app to either be sold to a non-Chinese entity or be banned in the U.S.

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Rep. Gosar Joins Two Other House Republicans in Supporting GOP Speaker Johnson’s Ouster

House GOP members against Speaker

Rep. Paul Gosar on Friday joined two other House Republicans in supporting GOP Speaker Mike Johnson’s ouster.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion last month to vacate the speaker’s chair, and so far two other GOP lawmakers have joined the effort.

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