Trump news – live: Rudy Giuliani boasted about selling pardons with Trump for $2m, lawsuit claims

A former aide to Rudolph Giuliani says he told her the ex-New York City mayor and then-president Donald Trump were offering to sell presidential pardons for $2 million apiece, according to court documents.

The bombshell allegation was levied in a complaint filed against Mr Giuliani by Noelle Dunphy, a New York-based public relations professional who is suing him for “unlawful abuses of power, wide-ranging sexual assault and harassment, wage theft, and other misconduct” committed while she worked for him in 2019 and 2020.

Mr Giuliani has strongly denied the claims in the lawsuit.

Earlier it it was reported that Mr Trump was shown tweets from Democrats blasting CNN for hosting the town hall with him to psyche him up during the live broadcast.

During the initial commercial break, Trump adviser Jason Miller showed the former president recent tweets backstage at the New Hampshire college where the event was hosted, according to Axios.

Mr Trump grew more bellicose as the night went on after being shown posts by several people slamming CNN, including New York progressive Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez tweeted 23 minutes into the event: “CNN should be ashamed of themselves. They have lost total control of this ‘town hall’ to again be manipulated into platforming election disinformation, defenses of Jan 6th, and a public attack on a sexual abuse victim.”

“The audience is cheering him on and laughing at the host,” she added.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump posted an oddly phrased Mother’s Day message attacking the parents of his main foes on Sunday, as he rushed to stick it to the “Radical Left Fascists”.

Key points

• Giuliani sued for $10m for alleged sexual assault by former employee

• Trump calls DeSantis a ‘rank amateur’ as he blasts governor’s media strategy

• Trump claims town hall called ‘success’ by ‘radical left, fascists, Marxists, communists, and normal people’

• Supreme Court to review Democratic lawmakers' suit over Trump hotel lease

• New Hampshire college condemns Trump after ‘deeply troubling’ CNN town hall on its campus

Wisconsin judge allows for lawsuit against fake Trump electors to proceed

01:45 , Scott Bauer, AP

A Wisconsin judge on Monday refused to break up a lawsuit filed against 10 fake electors for former President Donald Trump and two of his attorneys, saying the case could proceed in the county where it was filed.

The lawsuit seeks $2.4 million from the fake electors and their attorneys, alleging they were part of a conspiracy by Trump and his allies to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential race. It also seeks to disqualify the Republicans from ever serving as electors again.

Fake electors met in Wisconsin and other battleground states where Trump was defeated in 2020, attempting to cast ballots for the former president even though he lost. Republicans who participated in Wisconsin said they were trying to preserve Trump’s legal standing in case courts overturned his defeat.

Nine of the 10 fake electors in Wisconsin, and one of Trump’s attorneys, argued that the lawsuit against them was wrongly filed in Dane County Circuit Court. Since none of them lived in that county, they argued, the lawsuit should be refiled against each of them in their respective home counties.

But Dane County Circuit Judge Frank Remington disagreed on Monday, saying the lawsuit was properly filed because, in part, at least one of the defendants appears to live in Dane County or does not present evidence to the contrary.

One of Trump’s attorneys, James Troupis, and fake elector Scott Grabins, the former Dane County Republican Party chair, both live in Dane County. Neither of them provided any evidence of where they lived, the judge said. Neither did Trump attorney Kenneth Chesebro, who practices law in the Boston area.

Attorneys for the fake electors who don’t live in Dane County argued that a 2007 state law allows for venue changes to courts in the defendant’s home county in cases that relate to elections or election law. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants broke several criminal and civil laws when they met at the Wisconsin state Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020, in an attempt to cast the state’s electoral votes for Trump.

Remington said the law requires that the case be heard in Dane County where it was filed.

“Wisconsin law does not allow the problematic consequences of ten judges simultaneously litigating the same claims in ten different courts, or ten juries — some 120 jurors — hearing the same claims and rendering ten different verdicts,” Remington wrote.

The lawsuit was filed a year ago this month by two Democratic electors and a voter. They are represented by the Madison-based Law Forward law firm and the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at the Georgetown University Law Center.

“Although likely not the last, this was just the latest effort to delay any type of accountability,” said Law Forward attorney Scott Thompson. “We are pleased this matter will be resolved in the Dane County Courthouse, just one block from where the fake electors scheme was carried out.”

Attorneys for the fake electors did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Remington last week also revived a complaint brought by Law Forward against the fake electors filed with the Wisconsin Elections Commission. That complaint sought sanctions against the fake electors.

Remington ruled last week that the complaint must be heard again because a commissioner who considered the complaint last time should have recused himself. That commissioner, Robert Spindell, also served as a fake elector and is one of the defendants in the lawsuit seeking damages.

President Joe Biden won Wisconsin by nearly 21,000 votes, a result that has withstood recounts, partisan-led investigations, a nonpartisan audit and multiple lawsuits.

Prosecutor ends probe of FBI's Trump-Russia investigation with harsh criticism, but no new charges

01:15 , Eric Tucker, Lindsday Whitehurst - AP

A special prosecutor has ended his four-year investigation into possible FBI misconduct in its probe of ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign with withering criticism of the bureau but a meager court record that fell far short of the former president’s prediction he would uncover the “crime of the century.”

The report Monday from special counsel John Durham represents the long-awaited culmination of an investigation that Trump and allies had claimed would expose massive wrongdoing by law enforcement and intelligence officials. Instead, Durham’s investigation delivered underwhelming results, with prosecutors securing a guilty plea from a little-known FBI employee but losing the only two criminal cases they took to trial.

The roughly 300-page report catalogs what Durham says were a series of missteps by the FBI and Justice Department as investigators undertook a politically explosive probe in the heat of the 2016 election into whether the Trump campaign was colluding with Russia to tip the outcome. It criticized the FBI for opening a full-fledged investigation based on “raw, unanalyzed and uncorroborated intelligence,” saying the speed at which it did so was a departure from the norm. And it said investigators repeatedly relied on “confirmation bias,” ignoring or rationalizing away evidence that undercut their premise of a Trump-Russia conspiracy as they pushed the probe forward.

Trump tells former adviser Michael Flynn: 'We’re going to bring you back'

Tuesday 16 May 2023 00:45 , Michelle Price, AP

Former President Donald Trump called into an event hosted by his former national security adviser Michael Flynn over the weekend, telling his ex-adviser, “We’re going to bring you back.”

After scrubbing a rally in Iowa on Saturday night because of bad weather, Trump spoke via telephone at an event for Flynn’s “ReAwaken America Tour” held at the former president’s Miami resort. The retired lieutenant general, a top figure in the far-right movement, has been one of the leading proponents of Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

During the call, which was captured on a video of the event posted online, Flynn is seen holding a cellphone up to a microphone as Trump, on the line, says to Flynn, “You just have to stay healthy because we’re bringing you back. We’re going to bring you back.”

It wasn’t clear from Trump’s remarks if he was specifically talking about bringing Flynn into his administration should he win the presidency in 2024 and, if so, for what role.

“We’re proud of you, general,” Trump said. “I knew it from day one — you’re really somebody very special.”

Read more:

Trump tells former adviser Michael Flynn: 'We’re going to bring you back'

Giuliani sued for $10m for alleged sexual assault by former employee

Tuesday 16 May 2023 00:31 , Graeme Massie

Noelle Dunphy claims that Donald Trump’s former lawyer made her perform sex acts on him as part of job.

Rudy Giuliani sued for $10m for alleged sexual assault by former employee

Trump says AOC ‘went crazy’ over CNN town hall as he slams Democrat’s relationship

Tuesday 16 May 2023 00:15 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump went on yet another bizarre rant on Truth Social following his controversial town hall hosted by CNN at a New Hampshire college.

“It’s really amazing to watch the head of CNN get absolutely lambasted for asking me to do a so-called Town Hall,” Mr Trump wrote on Sunday, referring to CNN CEO Chris Licht.

Mr Trump then went on to criticise Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s relationship.

“In all fairness, nobody had any problems with what he wanted to do until after the show started, when they quickly realized that Ms Collins was not exactly Barbara Walters, or even close,” he wrote before bashing progressive Democratic New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

“That’s when the trouble from the Radical Left started. Neurotic little AOC with the bad looking boyfriend, went crazy,” Mr Trump added. “‘He owns CNN, he’s in their head,’ they screamed. CNN, take the GREAT RATINGS!”

Read more:

Trump says AOC ‘went crazy’ over CNN town hall as he slams Democrat’s relationship

Probe into Trump-Russia investigation slams FBI but fails to recommend new charges

Monday 15 May 2023 23:45 , Andrew Feinberg

An investigation by a Trump administration prosecutor charged with undermining and discrediting the FBI’s probe into alleged ties between former president Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and the Russian government has ended after four years and just a single criminal conviction.

The findings from the probe, led by Special Counsel John Durham, are laid out in a nearly 300-page report in which the once-respected career prosecutor — who was hand-picked to delegitimise the FBI’s efforts to determine whether Mr Trump’s campaign coordinated with Russia’s efforts to boost his candidacy — railed against the FBI for opening a probe into Mr Trump’s campaign based on “raw, unanalyzed and uncorroborated intelligence” and accusing investigators of suffering from “confirmation bias”.

Over the four years Mr Durham worked to discredit the department’s investigation, he only brought a handful of cases against criminal defendants, including an FBI lawyer who pleaded guilty to doctoring an email used to secure a surveillance warrant against an ex-Trump campaign adviser, and two other figures associated with the Trump-Russia probe who were acquitted at trial.

Read more:

Probe into Trump-Russia investigation ends without fanfare after four years

Trump doesn’t ‘want to comment’ on what’s in the JFK assassination files

Monday 15 May 2023 23:15 , Gustaf Kilander

In an interview, Donald Trump was asked about the John F Kennedy assassination files, which he said he was going to release in full as president.

He didn’t end up fulfilling that pledge.

Judge Andrew Napolitano said in a podcast interview that Mr Trump had said that the information shouldn’t be made public.

“I released a lot, as you know. And I will release everything else,” Mr Trump told The Messenger.

Mr Trump was then asked: “So there was nothing in there that the public should be scared about or that makes the US look terrible?”

“Well, I don’t want to comment on that. But I will tell you that I have released a lot. I will release the remaining portion very early in my term,” he said.

Trump says Melania is ‘enthused’ about 2024 campaign

Monday 15 May 2023 22:45 , Gustaf Kilander and Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has said that his wife, former First Lady Melania Trump, is very “enthused” about his 2024 campaign.

Mr Trump was asked by The Messenger: “Is your wife, Melania Trump, going to be involved in your reelection?”

“She’s very enthused – very, very enthused about it,” Mr Trump said.

As the US marked Mother’s Day on Sundat, Mr Trump posted a predictably oddly phrased message celebrating mothers, in particular those of his main foes.

Perhaps in his rush to stick it to the “Radical Left Fascists” he failed to mention his wife, Melania, mother to his youngest son, Barron.

The former president wrote on Truth Social: “Happy Mother’s Day to ALL, in particular the Mothers, Wives and Lovers of the Radical Left Fascists, Marxists, and Communists who are doing everything within their power to destroy and obliterate our once great Country.”

He continued: “Please make these complete Lunatics and Maniacs Kinder, Gentler, Softer and, most importantly, Smarter, so that we can, quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”

Trump shown tweets by AOC and Andrew Yang to rile him up for battle in CNN town hall

Monday 15 May 2023 22:15 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump was reportedly shown tweets from Democrats blasting CNN for hosting the town hall with him to psyche him up during the live broadcast.

During the initial commercial break, Trump adviser Jason Miller showed the former president recent tweets backstage at the New Hampshire college where the event was hosted, according to Axios.

Mr Trump grew more bellicose as the night went on after being shown posts by several people slamming CNN, including New York progressive Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez tweeted 23 minutes into the event: “CNN should be ashamed of themselves. They have lost total control of this ‘town hall’ to again be manipulated into platforming election disinformation, defenses of Jan 6th, and a public attack on a sexual abuse victim.”

“The audience is cheering him on and laughing at the host,” she added.

Read more:

Trump shown tweets by AOC and Andrew Yang to rile him up for battle in CNN town hall

Trump says he would be ‘rebuked’ by GOP if he didn’t push 2020 election lies

Monday 15 May 2023 21:45 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump has said that he would be “rebuked” by the Republican base if he stopped pushing his lies about the 2020 election being stolen from him.

While Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and President Joe Biden have both criticised Mr Trump for obsessing about the past and not moving forward, Mr Trump told The Messenger that he wouldn’t give up on the issue.

“If you look at the polls, almost 80 per cent in our party think the election was rigged … I feel that history is something that, if you don’t learn from it, you’re a fool,” Mr Trump said. “That doesn’t mean that I have to devote half of my speech to 2020, but devoting two per cent or three per cent or four per cent is okay. And I think if I didn’t I would actually be rebuked by a large portion of the Republican Party.”

A recent poll found that while more and more Republicans realize there’s no real evidence proving that the 2020 election was stolen, a majority – 63 per cent – still believe that it was.

Within that group, 52 per cent say they believe there’s “solid evidence” while 48 per cent based that belief on “suspicion,” according to the CNN poll.

Trump equivocates on abortion, claims ‘nobody else’ could have revoked Roe v Wade

Monday 15 May 2023 21:15 , Gustaf Kilander

Seemingly hoping to secure his support among evangelicals, Donald Trump appeared unwilling to speak plainly on his thoughts on abortion during a recent interview.

Mr Trump was asked by The Messenger what the right way if for the GOP to be taking on the subject during the 2024 campaign.

“First of all, I’m a believer in the exceptions, right? And just as Ronald Reagan was a believer in the exceptions, but I’m a believer in the exceptions … the life of the mother, raping and incest. … The other thing I really believe is that the radicals are people that would have a baby destroyed, killed at the end of the ninth month or even after birth,” he said.

The former president was asked if women do actually get abortions that late even in cases when the mother’s life isn’t a concern.

“Yeah, probably. You might not know about it,” he said.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, “later in pregnancy abortions” are not common and take place because of “medical concerns such as fetal anomalies or maternal life endangerment, as well as barriers to care that cause delays in obtaining an abortion”.

Mr Trump’s said it was “shocking” and went on to claim that “it’s happening”.

“For 50 years, they’ve been trying to get rid of Roe v Wade. I was able to do it. Nobody else could have done that but me. And I was able to do it [by nominating] three excellent judges on the Justices of the Supreme Court,” he told The Messenger. “And I was able to do that. What it did more than anything else is it gave us a tremendous power of negotiation, which we didn’t have, the pro-life movement, a tremendous power of negotiation. ... Now the pro-life movement has the power to negotiate a deal that’s acceptable for them.”

The ex-president was asked if it was right for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to sign a six-week abortion ban in the state.

“Well, he has to do what he has to do. If you look at what DeSantis did, a lot of people don’t even know if he knew what he was doing. But he signed six weeks, and many people within the pro-life movement feel that that was too harsh,” Mr Trump said.

Asked if that would be too harsh for him, Mr Trump said: “I’m looking at all alternatives. I’m looking at many alternatives. But I was able to get us to the table by terminating Roe v Wade. That’s the most important thing that’s ever happened for the pro-life movement.”

Mr Trump was pressed on the issue again: “Would you sign a six-week abortion ban or not?”

“I’m looking at all [options],” he said.

Trump calls DeSantis a ‘rank amateur’ as he blasts governor’s media strategy

Monday 15 May 2023 20:45 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump slammed his top rival in the 2024 contest for the Republican presidential nomination, saying that the media is supposedly referring to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as a “rank amateur”.

The former president spoke to The Messenger about his wide-ranging media strategy, while the governor has mostly spoken to friendly conservative outlets.

“I think the media has said he’s doing a terrible job and he doesn’t know what he’s doing,” Mr Trump claimed. “You know, the media has not been friendly to him. They’re saying that he’s a rank amateur. And you know, he started off fine, but then he hasn’t done very well. You look at the polls.”

While the governor has yet to announce his 2024 campaign, Mr Trump has repeatedly called Mr DeSantis “disloyal” for supposedly preparing to run against him after Mr Trump endorsed him in the 2018 GOP gubernatorial primary in the Sunshine State.

Mr Trump said he realised that Mr DeSantis was running against him “when he wouldn’t comment on whether he would run … when he said I had, ‘I have no comment.’ … having no comment means he’s going to run”.

Read more:

Trump calls DeSantis a ‘rank amateur’ as he blasts governor’s media strategy

Trump claims town hall called ‘success’ by ‘radical left, fascists, Marxists, communists, and normal people’

Monday 15 May 2023 20:15 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump claimed to have been praised from all over the political spectrum following his CNN town hall.

Asked by The Messenger if the event was “a win” for him, Mr Trump said, “Well, I don’t want to say. But everyone else says it was ... I’ve never been so credited with the successes the way I have with this. Everybody — the radical left, fascists, Marxists, communists, and normal people — have said that it was a total complete victory for Trump”.

“But CNN has taken tremendous hits. And I’m surprised they don’t really say that they had a very big ratings night. Truly surprising to me,” he added.

“I’m doing a lot of different media,” the former president said. “I was disappointed with Fox. I thought the firing of Tucker [Carlson] was a tremendous mistake. I was very disappointed. And of course, I was disappointed with the coverage of the [2020 presidential] election in particular, the early call in Arizona.”

Supreme Court to review Democratic lawmakers' suit over Trump hotel lease

Monday 15 May 2023 19:30 , Mark Sherman, AP

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a Biden administration appeal to limit lawsuits filed by members of Congress against the federal government, in a case that stems from disputes over what was the Trump International Hotel in Washington.

The justices said they will review a federal appeals court ruling that allowed a suit by Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee to continue. They filed their complaint in 2017 over the Trump administration’s refusal to turn over information about the Trump Organization’s lease of the hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, between the White House and the Capitol.

The family no longer owns the hotel, now a Waldorf Astoria, much of the information eventually was provided and six lawmakers who were part of the case no longer serve in the House.

The Biden Justice Department, however, told the court that it is important to wipe the appellate ruling from the books because it otherwise could lead to a flood of lawsuits from individual members of Congress.

Read more:

Supreme Court to review Democratic lawmakers' suit over Trump hotel lease

Trump says he was ‘amazed to see’ CNN ‘traumatized’ by his controversial town hall

Monday 15 May 2023 18:45 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump has said that he was “amazed to see” that CNN was so “traumatized” by his controversial town hall event in New Hampshire.

Speaking to The Messenger, Mr Trump was asked what most surprised him about the event.

“I was surprised by the level of hostility … I thought they would be neutral and even better than that so they could get the viewers back,” he said. “And they had one of the best [viewership] days in years. So you would think they would claim success. I was amazed to see that they were traumatized by what took place.”

“They were actually traumatized. I think that instead of acting the way they did, they should have said, ‘we had a tremendous ratings night, one of the best in years, many years,’ and spiked the football, right?” he added.

New Hampshire college condemns Trump after ‘deeply troubling’ CNN town hall on its campus

Monday 15 May 2023 18:15 , Gustaf Kilander

The New Hampshire college that hosted Donald Trump’s CNN town hall has condemned the former president for the “deeply troubling” event.

Saint Anselm College criticised both the comments of the ex-president and the reactions to his statements by the Trump-friendly audience in the auditorium.

CNN moderator Kaitlan Collins asked Mr Trump about the civil trial between him and writer and former advice columnist E Jean Carroll. Mr Trump was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation and has been ordered to pay her $5m. Mr Trump was not found liable for rape. His legal team is appealing the verdict.

Mr Trump denied Ms Carroll’s allegation, to laughter from the crowd in the room.

“A Manhattan jury found you sexually abused the writer E Jean Carroll and defamed her. You’ve denied this. But what do you say to voters who say it disqualifies you from being president?” Ms Collins said.

Read more:

New Hampshire college condemns Trump after ‘troubling’ CNN town hall on its campus

Nikki Haley dodges chance to condemn Trump for E Jean Carroll sex abuse verdict

Monday 15 May 2023 17:45 , Josh Marcus

Presidential candidate and former South Carolina Nikki Haley declined to condemn Donald Trump on Sunday, after the former president was found liable this week of defaming and sexually abusing writer E Jean Carroll.

Asked about whether it tarnishes the Republican party that its leading figure was found liable of such crimes, Ms Haley responded that all sides should be heard in a legal proceeding, and that it was up to the American people to pass judgment.

“I have always said that anyone that feels like they have been sexually assaulted in any way should come forward and have their voice heard,” Ms Haley told CBS News’s Face the Nation on Sunday. “I also think that anyone that’s been accused should be able to defend themselves. I was not on the jury. I am not the judge. I think that both of them had their voices heard. There has been a verdict and there has been an appeal.”

Asked whether this meant Ms Haley was questioning the verdict, she declined.

“There’s a verdict and I think there’s been an appeal,” she said. “I think it stands where it stands and I think the American people need to make a decision based on that.”

Read more:

Nikki Haley dodges chance to condemn Trump for E Jean Carroll sex abuse verdict

Trump shares bizarre Mother’s Day post with no mention of Melania

Monday 15 May 2023 17:15 , Oliver O'Connell

As the US marks Mother’s Day, Donald Trump has posted a predictably oddly phrased message celebrating mothers, in particular those of his main foes.

Perhaps in his rush to stick it to the “Radical Left Fascists” he failed to mention his wife, Melania, mother to his youngest son, Barron.

The former president wrote on Truth Social: “Happy Mother’s Day to ALL, in particular the Mothers, Wives and Lovers of the Radical Left Fascists, Marxists, and Communists who are doing everything within their power to destroy and obliterate our once great Country.”

He continued: “Please make these complete Lunatics and Maniacs Kinder, Gentler, Softer and, most importantly, Smarter, so that we can, quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”

Many other public figures, notably former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, took the opportunity to shower praise on their wives on Twitter.

Read more:

Trump shares bizarre Mother’s Day post with no mention of Melania

Trump shares fake video of Anderson Cooper’s reaction to ‘disturbing’ CNN town hall - with Biden in his place

Monday 15 May 2023 16:45 , Megan Sheets, Graig Graziosi

Donald Trump shared a manipulated video of Anderson Cooper’s dark reaction to CNN’s town hall with the ex-president - using old clips to make it look like the anchor was talking about Joe Biden.

The video posted to Truth Social on Saturday begins with the monologue Cooper gave on Thursday addressing outrage over the event with Mr Trump before shifting to footage of a town hall that the CNN host held with Mr Biden in October 2021.

The town hall on Wednesday (10 May) featured Mr Trump in a loosely-moderated discussion with CNN host Kaitlan Collins, during which he made numerous false statements, advanced conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, and promised to pardon Capitol rioters charged with crimes for their participation in the insurrection attempt two years ago.

Cooper opened his show, Anderson Cooper 360, the next day by acknowledging that many viewers expressed “deep anger and disappointment” following the event.

In the altered video posted by Mr Trump, Cooper’s remarks were spliced to remove any direct references to the ex-president.

Read more:

Trump shares fake video of Anderson Cooper’s reaction to ‘disturbing’ CNN town hall

Succession’s Trumpian election episode lays bare the damage of the right-wing media machine

Monday 15 May 2023 16:15 , Louis Chilton

Back when Donald Trump was in office, there were a number of common refrains you’d hear. “What will be the first great piece of art about the Trump administration?” “Who will portray him in the inevitable biopics?” “Which actor will one day win an Oscar for playing US president Donald J Trump?” Well, it may not be the first great piece of art about the tumultuous Trump era, but with its antepenultimate episode, “America Decides”, Succession has produced one of the definitive artistic statements on the rise of Trump. And – what’s more – it didn’t mention his name once.

The episode picks up hours after the close of its predecessor. In the world of Succession, it’s election night, with bland liberal frontrunner Daniel Jiménez (Elliot Villar) coming up against right-wing firebrand Jeryd Mencken (Justin Kirk). We already know from last season’s “What it Takes” that Mencken is seriously bad news. He’s racist. Sexist. You name it, he’s probably said something depraved about it. He’s worked his way up to become the Republican presidential nominee, thanks in part to the backing of the late Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and his Fox News-esque right-wing TV network ATN. He enters election night as an underdog. By the morning, and against all odds and polling predictions, he’s been declared president. Sound familiar?

Read more:

Succession’s election episode lays bare the damage of the Trump media machine

Mary Trump explains how Kaitlan Collins should have handled ex-president at CNN town hall

Monday 15 May 2023 15:45 , Namita Singh

Mary Trump says that the only way to hold her uncle Donald Trump to account is by pitting him against a person who is willing to be “very blunt about who he is” and tell him “to shut up” when he is lying.

The niece of the former president made the remarks while appearing on a podcast with Molly Jong-Fast, following her uncle’s town hall on CNN last week. During his first appearance on the network since 2016, Mr Trump repeatedly lied about the 2020 election, as well as praising rioters who attacked police officers and damaged the Capitol during the January 6 insurrection.

Mr Trump, who lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden and whose supporters then attempted to prevent Congress from ratifying the result, was pressed on his election claims by moderator Kaitlan Collins.

Yet Mr Trump steadfastly refused to acknowledge the fact that he had lost, despite multiple corrections from Collins, who covered his former administration for CNN and previously worked at the conservative Daily Caller website co-founded by former Fox News star Tucker Carlson.

Mr Trump’s niece, who was among those criticising CNN for hosting the town hall, called the event “anti-American” and blamed the audience for enabling the former president, making it tough for Collins to shut him down.

Read more:

Mary Trump explains how CNN host should have handled ex-president at town hall

Jason Sudeikis reveals how Donald Trump inspired Ted Lasso creators to completely change beloved character

Monday 15 May 2023 15:15 , Peony Hirwani

Jason Sudeikis has revealed how former US President Donald Trump helped shape his Ted Lasso character.

The 47-year-old actor recalled a 2015 dinner date with his ex Olivia Wilde when he looked back at the Ted Lasso character he had crafted for a comedy skit.

In an interview with The Guardian, Sudeikis spoke about why he decided to make his character “warm and fuzzy” instead of “belligerent”.

“It was the culture we were living in,” Sudeikis said. “I’m not terribly active online and it even affected me. Then you have Donald Trump coming down the escalator. I was like, ‘OK, this is silly,’ and then what he unlocked in people… I hated how people weren’t listening to one another.

He added: “Things became very binary and I don’t think that’s the way the world works.”

Read more:

Jason Sudeikis reveals how Donald Trump inspired his Ted Lasso character

Trump attacks Kaitlan Collins over CNN town hall: ‘Not exactly Barbara Walters’

Monday 15 May 2023 14:45 , Independent Staff

Former president Donald Trump has lambasted CNN town hall host Kaitlan Collins after the network was criticised for hosting the event.

The backlash against CNN began long before the town hall actually got underway – with critics questioning the decision to host someone who was impeached for inciting the January 6 Capitol riot and who was previously banned from several social media platforms.

Later, questions were raised when Mr Trump was found liable of sexual abuse one day before the town hall – prompting concern over whether it was appropriate to host an event publicising the former president – and continued when Mr Trump appeared to use the event as a defacto campaign rally to spew bile and make false statements.

However, Mr Trump appeared to view the criticism as a judgement of CNN’s moderator Ms Collins, rather than of himself.

“It’s really amazing to watch the head of CNN get absolutely lambasted for asking me to do a so-called Town Hall,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform on Sunday night.

Read more:

Trump attacks Kaitlan Collins over CNN town hall: ‘Not exactly Barbara Walters’

Ivanka Trump pays tribute to late mother Ivana in Mother’s Day post

Monday 15 May 2023 14:15 , Rachel Sharp

Ivanka Trump paid tribute to her late mother Ivana in a Mother’s Day post on Sunday.

“On the first Mother’s Day following my mother’s passing, I hold space for the beautiful memories of my mom while cherishing the privilege of being a mother to my three amazing kids: Arabella, Joseph, and Theodore,” she wrote along with a montage of photos.“Sending so much love to all you superhuman mamas out there ! Happy Mother’s Day!”

Biden's reelection pitch that he can govern well faces daunting challenges with debt, border, more

Monday 15 May 2023 13:45 , John Bowden

Joe Biden is officially in the 2024 race, but faces some of the lowest approval ratings of his presidency and worrying signs ahead of his reelection fight.

Three weeks since launching his reelection campaign, President Joe Biden is confronting a sweeping set of problems in his day job that defy easy solutions and are not entirely within his control, writes Zeke Miller for The Associated Press.

Biden's reelection pitch that he can govern well faces daunting challenges with debt, border, more

FBI raids Trump Tower condo owned by two Russian businessmen

Monday 15 May 2023 13:15 , John Bowden

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has raided a condo owned by two Russian businessmen at one of the three Trump Towers on Sunny Isles Beach in Florida.

A squad of FBI agents, assisted by local police, carried out the raid on Thursday morning at the luxury beachfront high-rise, The Miami Herald reports.

Read more:

FBI raids Trump Tower condo owned by two Russian businessmen

Why is CNN defending its Trump town hall despite all the controversy?

Monday 15 May 2023 12:45 , John Bowden

Pundits and critics have been pretty much united in denouncing CNN’s disgusting Donald Trump town hall. The former president predictably spread his usual lies about the 2020 election. He also again insulted E Jean Carroll, a journalist he was found liable of sexually assaulting.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper tried to defend the debacle by insisting that the network had helped people get out of their “silo” and see the danger Trump posed. But no one was impressed. “I don’t believe the choices are between hosting live a firehose of falsehood and ‘staying in your silo,’” NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen tweeted. Former George W Bush speechwriter Matthew Dowd summed up the general sentiment, saying that CNN “failed journalism and our country.”

All of the vilification is well deserved. CNN’s Trump town hall did harm the country. But there’s been little discussion of those perhaps most directly damaged by the event: Trump’s Republican opponents. Just as in 2016, the media is convinced that Trump can boost ratings. And just as then, their fascination with him is likely to give him a big boost not in the general, but in the GOP primary.

Noah Berlatsky unpacks the scandal in his latest Voices column.

CNN is defending its disgusting Trump interview. But the consequences have just begun

Trump attacks Kaitlan Collins over CNN town hall: ‘Not exactly Barbara Walters’

Monday 15 May 2023 12:15 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump attacked Kaitlan Collins over the disastrous CNN town hall in a Truth Social post on Sunday night.

“It’s really amazing to watch the head of CNN get absolutely lambasted for asking me to do a so-called Town Hall. In all fairness, nobody had any problems with what he wanted to do until after the show started, when they quickly realized that Ms. Collins was not exactly Barbara Walters, or even close,” he wrote.

“That’s when the trouble from the Radical Left started. Neurotic little AOC with the bad looking boyfriend, went crazy. “He owns CNN, he’s in their head,” they screamed. CNN, take the GREAT RATINGS!”

Ron DeSantis’ super PAC slams Trump’s CNN town hall

Monday 15 May 2023 11:45 , John Bowden

A super PAC backing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis slammed former president Donald Trump’s town hall appearance on CNN on Wednesday evening, as the two men prepare to clash in the 2024 Republican presidetial primary.

“The CNN townhall was, as expected, over an hour of nonsense that proved Trump is stuck in the past. After 76 years, Trump still doesn’t know where he stands on important conservative issues like life and the 2nd Amendment. How does that Make America Great Again?” read the statement from the Never Back Down PAC.

Eric Garcia has more:

Ron DeSantis’ superPAC slams Trump’s CNN town hall

ICYMI: Trump to appeal E Jean Carroll $5m verdict after being found liable for sexual abuse

Monday 15 May 2023 11:07 , John Bowden

Donald Trump is appealing the verdict in the E Jean Carroll case after he was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

Ms Carroll was awarded $5m earlier this month by the jury in the civil trial in Manhattan.

The appeal was filed not long after Judge Lewis Kaplan entered the judgement in the case, according to CNN.

Gustaf Kilander has the full story.

Trump to appeal E Jean Carroll verdict

Ron DeSantis keeps rolling back gun laws

Monday 15 May 2023 10:45 , Namita Singh

Ron DeSantis is likely to run against Trump by touting his conservative achievements in Florida.

Right now, that looks like rolling back gun safety provisions.

The Florida governor signed a bill into law on Friday that critics say will make it harder to investigate gun crimes.

The legislation, SB 214, prevents credit card companies from affixing purchases of guns and ammunition with a special code, which can later be used to investigate various gun-related transactions.

More details in our full story.

Ron DeSantis makes it harder to track gun criminals with credit card rules

Air Force One doubles as a campaign jet for Biden's reelection run. Who pays what?

Monday 15 May 2023 10:07 , John Bowden

When Joe Biden was running for president three years ago, he flew on a white private jet with his campaign logo painted on the side.

Now he has a larger, more recognizable ride as he seeks a second term. Like his predecessors, he’ll be crisscrossing the country on Air Force One.

Every president blends their governmental and political duties, but never more than when they’re running for reelection. “Official” events can sound especially political, while “political” events can delve deeply into the policy initiatives of the day. And decisions on how to divvy up the costs of a president’s travels between taxpayers and the campaign is no simple task.

More details in our full story.

Air Force One doubles as a campaign jet for Biden's reelection run. Who pays what?

Congregations ‘either divided or tense’ due to controversies surrounding Trump

Monday 15 May 2023 09:37 , Namita Singh

Many congregations in the US are ‘either divided or tense’ due to controversies around former president Donald Trump, said Christianity Today editor Russell Moore.

“I mean, one of the most dismaying aspects of the Trump years is the fact that Donald Trump is at the centre of everything. Almost every congregation that I know is either divided or tense about these sorts of political — political controversies coming out of the Trump years,” he told NBC.

“Almost every family that I know has people who don’t speak to each other anymore about this personality and this figure, and I think there are a lot of people, including conservative evangelicals like me, who are looking at this and saying, ‘Are we really going to do this again? Haven’t we seen this already? Do we really want to repeat it?’ And I suppose that will be the question for the rest of the year,” Moore said.

On being asked whether he sees ‘any circumstances’ under which he could imagine supporting Trump, Moore said: “Well, I can’t speak for all evangelicals. I can only speak for myself. And Jesus said, ‘Let your yes be yes and your no be no.’ I’ll let my never [be] never.”

Why does Eric Trump want to sue Rachel Maddow?

Monday 15 May 2023 09:07 , John Bowden

Eric Trump has reportedly threatened to sue MSNBC‘s Rachel Maddow for pointing out that he will appear alongside anti-Semitic speakers during a ReAwaken America Tour stop at Trump National Doral in Miami this weekend.

Donald Trump‘s younger son is scheduled to speak this weekend along with his wife, former Fox News contributor Lara Trump, alongside right-wing influencers Scott McKay and Charlie Ward, who have been accused of spreading anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and praising Adolf Hitler, according to The Daily Beast.

Maddow made note of the speaker schedule and expressed shock that one of Mr Trump’s sons would publicly appear alongside them.

Graig Graziosi has the full story.

Eric Trump threatens to sue Rachel Maddow

Biden vs Trump in 2024 is a ‘rematch from hell’

Monday 15 May 2023 08:37 , Namita Singh

A former GOP representative has branded a potential head-to-head between president Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump for the 2024 election as a “rematch from hell”

“The reality is two-thirds of Americans want somebody other than Donald Trump and Joe Biden,” said former representative Will Hurd, R-Texas. “That’s like the rematch from hell,” he told NBC adding that “nobody wants [Trump or Biden] as their choice”.

He said that it was also a responsibility of voters to produce more popular candidates, as he pointed towards low voter turnout in the primary elections.

If there is better turnout “we’ll see better choices in November, choices that we would actually like and be excited to vote for,” he said.

Nikki Haley dodges chance to condemn Trump for E Jean Carroll sex abuse verdict

Monday 15 May 2023 08:07 , John Bowden

Presidential candidate and former South Carolina Nikki Haley declined to condemn Donald Trump on Sunday, after the former president was found liable this week of defaming and sexually abusing writer E Jean Carroll.

Asked about whether it tarnishes the Republican party that its leading figure was found liable of such crimes, Ms Haley responded that all sides should be heard in a legal proceeding, and that it was up to the American people to pass judgment. And she wouldn’t say whetehr she was confident in the verdict itself.

Read more:

Nikki Haley dodges chance to condemn Trump for E Jean Carroll sex abuse verdict

Ted Lasso 'completely different' before Donald Trump’s presidency

Monday 15 May 2023 07:37 , Namita Singh

The titular character of Emmy award-winning show Ted Lasso was initially “belligerent”, says its creator Jason Sudeikis.

But the 2016 elections and rise of Donald Trump changed the way the character was written to become exceedingly optimistic soccer coach, he told the Guardian.

“It was the culture we were living in,” Sudeikis said, explaining the decision to move away from an unpleasant lead. “I’m not terribly active online, and it even affected me. Then you have Donald Trump coming down the escalator.

“I was like, ‘OK, this is silly,’ and then what he unlocked in people… I hated how people weren’t listening to one another,” he continued. “Things became very binary, and I don’t think that’s the way the world works. And, as a new parent – we had our son Otis in 2014 – it was like, ‘Boy, I don’t want to add to this.

“Yeah, I just didn’t want to portray it.”

The show won 11 Primetime Emmys in its first two seasons

Ron DeSantis duels the shadow of Donald Trump in Iowa swing

Monday 15 May 2023 07:07 , John Bowden

Ron DeSantis was in Iowa on Saturday and found himself in the spotlight thanks to a last-minute decision by former President Donald Trump to cancel his own rally in the state’s capital.

The Florida governor was in and around the city of Des Moines this weekend, just a few blocks away from where the former president was originally set to speak, chatting up supporters and schmoozing with local Republican groups — a clear as any indication of his plans to run for president in 2024 or in the future.

Mr DeSantis’s visit was once set to be challenged by the arrival of the former president, but Mr Trump cited severe weather across the midwest in a last-minute cancellation Saturday afternoon.

John Bowden takes a look at the governor’s good day after weeks of bad headlines:

Ron DeSantis duels the shadow of Donald Trump in Iowa swing

DeSantis takes veiled swings at Trump during Iowa rally

Monday 15 May 2023 06:30 , Namita Singh

Ron DeSantis was campaigning in Iowa on Saturday and found himself in the spotlight thanks to a last-minute decision by former president Donald Trump to cancel his own rally in the state’s capital.

Mr Trump’s team said he pulled out due to severe weather and tornado warnings. Addressing a crowd just a few blocks away from where the former president was originally set to speak, Mr DeSantis seemingly took a swing at Mr Trump.

“It’s a beautiful night,” Mr DeSantis remarked in Des Moines, according to the New York Times.

During his speech Mr DeSantis also criticised the Republican party’s recent election record with Mr Trump at its helm, without naming him directly.“We must reject the culture of losing that has impacted our party in recent years,” he said.

“The time for excuses is over.“If we get distracted, if we focus the election on the past or on other side issues, then I think the Democrats are going to beat us again.”

Trump's sexual assault verdict marks a rare moment of accountability. And women are noticing

Monday 15 May 2023 06:07 , John Bowden

This week, jurors in a New York civil case said they believed that Trump sexually assaulted writer E. Jean Carroll in a dressing room in the 1990s — making him the first U.S. president found liable by a jury in a sexual battery case. The panel awarded her $5 million in damages.

The verdict — a rare moment of accountability for a former president and powerful men like him — comes as women across the U.S. ponder the cultural landscape amid sweeping threats to their hard-won progress, including Hillary Clinton’s loss to Trump in 2016, the Supreme Court’s repeal of abortion rights last year and the uneven success of the #MeToo movement.

One scholar says that this verdict comes at an “ambiguous moment” for American women.

Read more in The Independent

Trump's sexual assault verdict marks a rare moment of accountability. And women are noticing

Ivanka Trump remembers late mother on first Mother’s Day since her death

Monday 15 May 2023 05:30 , Namita Singh

Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump took to Instagram to remember her late mother Ivana yesterday on Mother’s Day.

“On the first Mother’s Day following my mother’s passing, I hold space for the beautiful memories of my mom while cherishing the privilege of being a mother to my three amazing kids: Arabella, Joseph, and Theodore,” she wrote, as she shared a series of throwback pictures of her mother.

“Sending so much love to all you superhuman mamas out there,” she added. “Happy Mother’s Day!”

Ivana Trump, 73, died last year in July at her New York City home.

Trump shares bizarre Mother’s Day post

Monday 15 May 2023 05:00 , Namita Singh

As the US marked Mother’s Day yesterday, Donald Trump posted an oddly-phrased message celebrating mothers – in particular those of his main foes.

Perhaps in his rush to stick it to the “Radical Left Fascists” he failed to mention his wife, Melania, mother to his youngest son, Barron.

The former president wrote on Truth Social: “Happy Mother’s Day to ALL, in particular the Mothers, Wives and Lovers of the Radical Left Fascists, Marxists, and Communists who are doing everything within their power to destroy and obliterate our once great Country.”

He continued: “Please make these complete Lunatics and Maniacs Kinder, Gentler, Softer and, most importantly, Smarter, so that we can, quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”

Trump shares bizarre Mother’s Day post with no mention of Melania

Rick Perry hasn’t ‘written off’ running for 2024 elections

Monday 15 May 2023 04:30 , Namita Singh

Rick Perry on Sunday said he has not “written off” the idea of running for 2024 presidential election, adding there was “a lot of time” for that decision.

The former energy secretary said he was “still trying to sort” out in his own mind whether Donald Trump should be the Republican nominee.

“He may get to hear me call him names again,” Mr Perry told CNN, referring to the clashes between him and Mr Trump during the 2016 Republican primaries.

“If you’ll recall, I didn’t announce for president in 2011 until August, so we’ve got a lot of time left.”

He did not give an explicit answer on whether he was considering running next year. “It’s early in the process, I think, for any of us to sit back and say, ‘I’m for this person or that person,’” Mr Perry said.

“It certainly is something that I haven’t taken off the table, but the chances of it happening are probably a little bit slim.“There’s a lot of time left, and we’ll see how this all works out.”

GOP strategist says Trump may have cancelled event over fear of DeSantis’s crowd size

Monday 15 May 2023 04:00 , John Bowden

A conservative commentator on CNN who formerly worked in the second Bush White House speculated on Sunday that Donald Trump had cancelled his rally in Iowa not over fears of storms, as he had indicated publicly, but rather because the former president was unsure that he could draw a larger crowd in the state than Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor and likely 2024 GOP candidate.

“Some people say it was because of the weather. Other people say it was because he wasn’t able to draw a big crowd. I don’t know what the truth is,” Jennings said.

It’s a theory that would likely infuriate the former president but is notable because Mr DeSantis went ahead with his events in Iowa on Saturday despite the weather — likely in an attempt to support that very narrative.

Did Trump cancel Iowa rally to avoid having smaller crowd than DeSantis?

Anderson Cooper tells viewers they have ‘every right’ to never watch CNN again over Trump town hall

Monday 15 May 2023 03:00 , John Bowden

Following the controversial and highly criticised CNN town hall featuring Donald Trump, one of the network’s top hosts, Anderson Cooper, addressed the backlash and attempt to justify the event.

The town hall featured Mr Trump in a moderated discussion with CNN host Kaitlan Collins, during which he made numerous false statements, advanced conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, and promised to pardon Capitol rioters charged with crimes for their participation in the insurrection attempt two years ago.

Cooper opened his show, Anderson Cooper 360, by addressing the town hall and the negative reaction it generated.

Watch here:

Anderson Cooper says viewers have every right to abandon CNN after Trump town hall

Leaked Dominion texts show Tucker Carlson wanted to ‘start threatening Fox News staff’ for criticising Trump

Monday 15 May 2023 02:00 , John Bowden

Tucker Carlson discussed trying to steer the overall direction of Fox News in a more pro-Trump direction and threatening colleagues who didn’t go along with his vision following the 2020 election, according to text messages obtained as part of the now-settled Dominion Voting Systems defamation case against the network.

It’s the latest blow for the network’s news side as the fallout from that suit — which was settled for $787m — continues.

Texts show Tucker Carlson wanted to ‘start threatening people’ for criticising Trump

Biden's reelection pitch that he can govern well faces daunting challenges with debt, border, more

Monday 15 May 2023 01:00 , John Bowden

Joe Biden is officially in the 2024 race, but faces some of the lowest approval ratings of his presidency and worrying signs ahead of his reelection fight.

Three weeks since launching his reelection campaign, President Joe Biden is confronting a sweeping set of problems in his day job that defy easy solutions and are not entirely within his control, writes Zeke Miller for The Associated Press.

Biden's reelection pitch that he can govern well faces daunting challenges with debt, border, more

Faith leaders speak out against ‘toxic’ Christian nationalist conference arriving at Trump’s Miami resort

Monday 15 May 2023 00:15 , John Bowden

A far-right Christian nationalist campaign amplifying conspiracy theories and political violence in a message wrapped in biblical prophecy has arrived at one of Donald Trump’s signature properties.

But a group of Christian leaders of faith communities are speaking out in response.

Alex Woodward has more:

Faith leaders protest Christian nationalist conference at Trump’s Miami resort

FBI raids Trump Tower condo owned by two Russian businessmen

Sunday 14 May 2023 23:45 , John Bowden

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has raided a condo owned by two Russian businessmen at one of the three Trump Towers on Sunny Isles Beach in Florida.

A squad of FBI agents, assisted by local police, carried out the raid on Thursday morning at the luxury beachfront high-rise, The Miami Herald reports.

Read more:

FBI raids Trump Tower condo owned by two Russian businessmen

Ron DeSantis’ super PAC pans Trump’s CNN town hall

Sunday 14 May 2023 23:15 , John Bowden

A super PAC backing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis fired back at former president Donald Trump’s town hall appearance on CNN on Wednesday evening, as the two men prepare to clash in the 2024 Republican presidetial primary.

A host of former Trump administration officials started the Never Back Down PAC to boost a potential 2024 candidacy by the Florida governor. Super PACs are not allowed to coordinate with candidates even if they boost a particular candidate, but they are allowed to spend nearly unlimited amounts of money. The group hit Mr Trump after the event over his criticism of Mr DeSantis and his comments about border security.

“On the same day Ron DeSantis was assailing Joe Biden’s border crisis, Donald Trump was on CNN attacking DeSantis and lying about finishing the border wall,” Erin Perrine, the communications director for the super PAC, said in a statement.

Read more:

Ron DeSantis’ superPAC slams Trump’s CNN town hall

Trump defends CNN over town hall as his ratings for event drop

Sunday 14 May 2023 22:45 , John Bowden

Donald Trump is singing CNNs praises for hosting his controversial town hall event as viewing figures show his ratings for the event were down.

The chaotic event in New Hampshire, which allowed the former president a broad platform to spread election lies and conspiracy theories, drew 3.3 million viewers — down sharply from numbers he once drew during his two prior campaigns for president.

Graeme Massie has more:

Trump defends CNN over town hall as his ratings for event drop

Ron DeSantis duels the shadow of Donald Trump in Iowa swing

Sunday 14 May 2023 22:08 , John Bowden

Ron DeSantis was in Iowa on Saturday and found himself in the spotlight thanks to a last-minute decision by former President Donald Trump to cancel his own rally in the state’s capital.

The Florida governor was in and around the city of Des Moines this weekend, just a few blocks away from where the former president was originally set to speak, chatting up supporters and schmoozing with local Republican groups — a clear as any indication of his plans to run for president in 2024 or in the future.

Mr DeSantis’s visit was once set to be challenged by the arrival of the former president, but Mr Trump cited severe weather across the midwest in a last-minute cancellation Saturday afternoon.

John Bowden takes a look at the governor’s good day after weeks of bad headlines:

Ron DeSantis duels the shadow of Donald Trump in Iowa swing

Trump's sexual assault verdict marks a rare moment of accountability. And women are noticing

Sunday 14 May 2023 21:18 , John Bowden

This week, jurors in a New York civil case said they believed that Trump sexually assaulted writer E. Jean Carroll in a dressing room in the 1990s — making him the first U.S. president found liable by a jury in a sexual battery case. The panel awarded her $5 million in damages.

The verdict — a rare moment of accountability for a former president and powerful men like him — comes as women across the U.S. ponder the cultural landscape amid sweeping threats to their hard-won progress, including Hillary Clinton's loss to Trump in 2016, the Supreme Court's repeal of abortion rights last year and the uneven success of the #MeToo movement.

One scholar says that this verdict comes at an “ambiguous moment” for American women.

Read more in The Independent:

Trump's sexual assault verdict marks a rare moment of accountability. And women are noticing

Nikki Haley dodges chance to condemn Trump for E Jean Carroll sex abuse verdict

Sunday 14 May 2023 20:44 , John Bowden

Presidential candidate and former South Carolina Nikki Haley declined to condemn Donald Trump on Sunday, after the former president was found liable this week of defaming and sexually abusing writer E Jean Carroll.

Asked about whether it tarnishes the Republican party that its leading figure was found liable of such crimes, Ms Haley responded that all sides should be heard in a legal proceeding, and that it was up to the American people to pass judgment. And she wouldn’t say whetehr she was confident in the verdict itself.

Read more:

Nikki Haley dodges chance to condemn Trump for E Jean Carroll sex abuse verdict

Trump shares bizarre Mother’s Day post with no mention of Melania

Sunday 14 May 2023 19:46 , John Bowden

As the US marks Mother’s Day, Donald Trump has posted a predictably oddly phrased message celebrating mothers, in particular those of his main foes.

Perhaps in his rush to stick it to the “Radical Left Fascists” he failed to mention his wife, Melania, mother to his youngest son, Barron.

Trump shares bizarre Mother’s Day post with no mention of Melania

GOP strategist says Trump may have cancelled event over fear of DeSantis’s crowd size

Sunday 14 May 2023 18:31 , John Bowden

A conservative commentator on CNN who formerly worked in the second Bush White House speculated on Sunday that Donald Trump had cancelled his rally in Iowa not over fears of storms, as he had indicated publicly, but rather because the former president was unsure that he could draw a larger crowd in the state than Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor and likely 2024 GOP candidate.

“Some people say it was because of the weather. Other people say it was because he wasn't able to draw a big crowd. I don't know what the truth is,” Jennings said.

It’s a theory that would likely infuriate the former president but is notable because Mr DeSantis went ahead with his events in Iowa on Saturday despite the weather — likely in an attempt to support that very narrative.

Donald Trump: Happy Mother’s Day to moms of ‘Marxists'

Sunday 14 May 2023 16:51 , John Bowden

Donald Trump issued one of his typically aggressive holiday greetings on Sunday as he wished his followers on Truth Social a happy Mother’s Day.

“Happy Mother’s Day to ALL, in particular the Mothers, Wives and Lovers of the Radical Left Fascists, Marxists, and Communists who are doing everything within their power to destroy and obliterate our once great Country. Please make these complete Lunatics and Maniacs Kinder, Gentler, Softer and, most importantly, Smarter, so that we can, quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” wrote the former president.

Obscure trust tie to porn-linked bank could take stake in Trump media company after merger

Sunday 14 May 2023 16:45 , John Bowden

ES Family Trust, an obscure financial entity tied to a Caribbean bank known for taking payments from the adult entertainment industry, could become a prominent shareholder in a Trump media company, The Washington Post reports.

The trust, whose owners are still unclear, reportedly offered Trump Media and Technology Group an $8m loan in exchange for eventual shares in the company once it completed a still-stalled merger.

The opaque identity of ES Family Trust, or the fact it reportedly never disclosed to regulators it would assume partial ownership of the Trump company, may be why the former president’s planned special purpose acquisition company merger hasn’t been approved.

Why does Eric Trump want to sue Rachel Maddow?

Sunday 14 May 2023 14:52 , John Bowden

Eric Trump has reportedly threatened to sue MSNBC‘s Rachel Maddow for pointing out that he will appear alongside anti-Semitic speakers during a ReAwaken America Tour stop at Trump National Doral in Miami this weekend.

Donald Trump‘s younger son is scheduled to speak this weekend along with his wife, former Fox News contributor Lara Trump, alongside right-wing influencers Scott McKay and Charlie Ward, who have been accused of spreading anti-Smitic conspiracy theories and praising Adolf Hitler, according to The Daily Beast.

Maddow made note of the speaker schedule and expressed shock that one of Mr Trump’s sons would publicly appear alongside them.

Graig Graziosi has the full story.

Eric Trump threatens to sue Rachel Maddow

Trump turned his liabilities into laugh lines at CNN town hall, underscoring GOP rivals' challenge

Sunday 14 May 2023 13:52 , Josh Marcus

The Republicans in the audience laughed when former President Donald Trump mocked a woman who accused him of rape. They cheered when he defended his role during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. And they applauded again after he said he was “honored” to “terminate Roe v. Wade.”

Trump’s defiant performance at the CNN town hall on Wednesday may ultimately hurt his standing with key groups of voters in next fall’s general election, especially women, suburbanites and independents. But the reaction of those who attended also demonstrated his extraordinary grip on the conservative voters who will soon decide the fight for the GOP presidential nomination.

The magnitude of the challenge ahead for Trump’s Republican rivals was clear as the former president repeatedly turned his greatest political liabilities into jokes and applause lines for the GOP base. On Thursday, a day after the town hall, Trump’s Republican critics conceded they don’t know how to stop him.

More details in our full story.

Trump turned his liabilities into laugh lines at CNN town hall, underscoring GOP rivals' challenge

Air Force One doubles as a campaign jet for Biden's reelection run. Who pays what?

Sunday 14 May 2023 12:52 , Josh Marcus

When Joe Biden was running for president three years ago, he flew on a white private jet with his campaign logo painted on the side.

Now he has a larger, more recognizable ride as he seeks a second term. Like his predecessors, he’ll be crisscrossing the country on Air Force One.

Every president blends their governmental and political duties, but never more than when they’re running for reelection. “Official” events can sound especially political, while “political” events can delve deeply into the policy initiatives of the day. And decisions on how to divvy up the costs of a president’s travels between taxpayers and the campaign is no simple task.

More details in our full story.

Air Force One doubles as a campaign jet for Biden's reelection run. Who pays what?

ICYMI: Trump to appeal E Jean Carroll $5m verdict after being found liable for sexual abuse

Sunday 14 May 2023 11:52 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump is appealing the verdict in the E Jean Carroll case after he was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

Ms Carroll was awarded $5m earlier this month by the jury in the civil trial in Manhattan.

The appeal was filed not long after Judge Lewis Kaplan entered the judgement in the case, according to CNN.

Gustaf Kilander has the full story.

Trump to appeal E Jean Carroll verdict

Trump's sexual assault verdict marks a rare moment of accountability. And women are noticing

Sunday 14 May 2023 10:52 , Josh Marcus

Cassandra Nuñez and her grandmother cast their first ballots in a U.S. presidential election in 2016. She was a first-year college student; her grandmother, a newly minted citizen. They both hoped to elect the first woman president over a man who bragged about grabbing and kissing women at will.

But Donald Trump became president, and it would be nearly seven years before a Trump accuser could press her claims at trial. This week, jurors in a New York civil case said they believed that Trump sexually assaulted writer E. Jean Carroll in a dressing room in the 1990s — making him the first U.S. president found liable by a jury in a sexual battery case. The panel awarded her $5 million in damages.

“It’s a victorious moment, but why did the people of the United States let this happen?” said Nuñez, now 25, of Los Angeles, noting the number of sexual misconduct accusations against Trump during the campaign and since his election. “It’s kind of late.”

More in our full story.

Trump's sexual assault verdict marks a rare moment of accountability. And women are noticing

Trump campaign ad uses bizarre Ukraine footage

Sunday 14 May 2023 08:52 , Josh Marcus

The Trump campaign used stock footage of a man sitting in a basement, claiming that it was an American unable to afford a home while it was actually filmed in Ukraine 25 miles from the frontline.

The dramatic footage shows a man working on his laptop as he shelters from the shelling of the Russian invasion in Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine last year, according to the New York Post.

In the ad released on Wednesday, the Trump campaign slammed President Joe Biden for the effect inflation has had on Americans during his time in the White House.

Gustaf Kilander has the full story.

Trump campaign uses footage from Ukraine in ad about US

The two-word slur that tells us everything we need to know about Donald Trump

Sunday 14 May 2023 07:52 , Josh Marcus

“A whack-job”. That is what Donald Trump called E Jean Carroll after a nine-member jury found him guilty of sexually abusing her in the 1990s. The former US president, to widespread laughter from CNN Town Hall attendees, dismissed Carroll’s testimony of what she experienced “fake” and “made up”.

What does this teach us? That once again, women’s accounts of what happens to them – to their bodies – are all too easily dismissed as false and invalidated. Want to keep women quiet? It’s easy: call us “crazy” or “hysterical”.

Read Pragya Agarwal’s full column for Voices.

Opinion: The two-word slur that tells us everything we need to know about Trump

Why is CNN defending its Trump town hall despite all the controversy?

Sunday 14 May 2023 06:52 , Josh Marcus

Pundits and critics have been pretty much united in denouncing CNN’s disgusting Donald Trump town hall. The former president predictably spread his usual lies about the 2020 election. He also again insulted E Jean Carroll, a journalist he was found liable of sexually assaulting.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper tried to defend the debacle by insisting that the network had helped people get out of their “silo” and see the danger Trump posed. But no one was impressed. “I don’t believe the choices are between hosting live a firehose of falsehood and ‘staying in your silo,’” NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen tweeted. Former George W Bush speechwriter Matthew Dowd summed up the general sentiment, saying that CNN “failed journalism and our country.”

All of the vilification is well deserved. CNN’s Trump town hall did harm the country. But there’s been little discussion of those perhaps most directly damaged by the event: Trump’s Republican opponents. Just as in 2016, the media is convinced that Trump can boost ratings. And just as then, their fascination with him is likely to give him a big boost not in the general, but in the GOP primary.

Noah Berlatsky unpacks the scandal in his latest Voices column.

CNN is defending its disgusting Trump interview. But the consequences have just begun

What does Tucker Carlson really think about Donald Trump?

Sunday 14 May 2023 05:52 , Josh Marcus

Tucker Carlson discussed trying to steer the overall direction of Fox News in a more pro-Trump direction and threatening colleagues who didn’t go along with his vision following the 2020 election, according to text messages obtained as part of the now-settled Dominion Voting Systems defamation case against the network.

In the 19 November 2020 messages, obtained by The Daily Beast, Carlson reportedly responds to a message from producer Justin Wells regarding a story viewed as critical of Mr Trump, which featured references to “the growing number of coronavirus cases nationwide and the ongoing upheaval over President Trump’s refusal to concede the election to President-elect Joe Biden.”

“We’re not going to succeed if this continues,” Carlson allegedly said in the messages. “The brand will be too damaged. We should jump on a couple of examples just to send a clear message. Let’s start with this one. Can we find out who did this?”

“I’m happy to start threatening people individually,” he added. “It’s too much. And again, it will hurt us badly if we let it continue.”

More details in our full story.

Texts show Tucker Carlson wanted to ‘start threatening people’ for criticising Trump

Ron DeSantis keeps rolling back gun laws

Sunday 14 May 2023 04:52 , Josh Marcus

Ron DeSantis is likely to run against Trump by touting his conservative achievements in Florida.

Right now, that looks like rolling back gun safety provisions.

The Florida governor signed a bill into law on Friday that critics say will make it harder to investigate gun crimes.

The legislation, SB 214, prevents credit card companies from affixing purchases of guns and ammunition with a special code, which can later be used to investigate various gun-related transactions.

More details in our full story.

The fallout from the CNN-Trump town hall continues

Sunday 14 May 2023 03:52 , Josh Marcus

Following the controversial and highly criticised CNN town hall featuring Donald Trump, one of the network’s top hosts, Anderson Cooper, addressed the backlash and attempt to justify the event.

The town hall featured Mr Trump in a moderated discussion with CNN host Kaitlan Collins, during which he made numerous false statements, advanced conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, and promised to pardon Capitol rioters charged with crimes for their participation in the insurrection attempt two years ago.

Cooper opened his show, Anderson Cooper 360, by addressing the town hall and the negative reaction it generated.

“Many of you are upset that someone who attempted to destroy our democracy was invited to sit on the stage in front of a crowd of Republican voters to answer questions and predictably continued to spew lie after lie after lie. And I get it. It was disturbing,” he said during the broadcast.

Graig Graziosi reports.

Anderson Cooper says viewers have every right to abandon CNN after Trump town hall

Christian leaders are abandoning Trump

Sunday 14 May 2023 02:50 , Josh Marcus

A far-right Christian nationalist campaign amplifying conspiracy theories and political violence in a message wrapped in biblical prophecy has arrived at one of Donald Trump’s signature properties.

The ReAwaken America Tour has launched a three-day event at Trump National Doral Miami resort this weekend, featuring far-right personalities and Trump-supporting pastors for a conference that draws from tent-revival preaching and trafficks in far-right conspiracy theories and antidemocratic attacks.

The tour, created by Covid-19 conspiracy theorist Clay Clark and supported by one-time Trump administration official and prominent QAnon figure Michael Flynn, has held more than 20 conferences in more than a dozen states over the last two years. The events often draw from or are hosted by megachurches with large congregations.

Faith leaders protest Christian nationalist conference at Trump’s Miami resort