Variety reports: Danny Masterson, the former star of “That ’70s Show,” was convicted Wednesday on two counts of forcible rape. The jury could not reach a verdict on a third rape charge, deadlocking with a vote of 8-4 in favor of conviction. Masterson faces a potential sentence of 30 years to life in prison on the two charges. Shortly after …

ABC News reports: A deal to raise the nation’s debt ceiling is heading to a crucial vote in the House on Wednesday night, the next step in averting a potential default now just days away. The bill, titled the “Fiscal Responsibility Act,” cleared its first major hurdle Tuesday when the House Rules Committee advanced the bill in a 7-6 vote. …

NBC News reports: Pentagon leaders have stepped in to stop a drag show scheduled for Thursday at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, according to two defense officials and a U.S. official. The show, which was in celebration of Pride Month, was approved by Air Force leaders, but Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of …

The Texas Tribune reports: Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday appointed Fort Worth lawyer and former Secretary of State John Scott as interim Texas attorney general, temporarily replacing Ken Paxton, who was suspended as attorney general pending the outcome of an impeachment trial in the state Senate. Scott previously served as deputy attorney general for civil litigation when Abbott led that …

CNN reports: Federal prosecutors have obtained an audio recording of a summer 2021 meeting in which former President Donald Trump acknowledges he held onto a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack on Iran, multiple sources told CNN, undercutting his argument that he declassified everything.The recording indicates Trump understood he retained classified material after leaving the White House, according to …

NBC News reports: The companies who appear to have swindled supporters of former President Donald Trump out of tens of thousands of dollars by peddling them bogus “Trump Bucks” no longer have active websites just days after their businesses were exposed by NBC News. The websites where the Colorado-based Patriots Dynasty, Patriots Future and USA Patriots companies were selling everything …

Florida Politics reports: Ron DeSantis’ super PAC is offering a sequel to a previous ad positing that Nikki Haley is too cozy with the Walt Disney Co. This time around Never Back Down is dragging Donald Trump. Literally, as the new digital spot includes female impersonators among its familiar denunciations of a 2024 opponent. The new spot from the super …

The New York Times reports: The House voted on Wednesday to take up a bipartisan plan that would suspend the nation’s debt ceiling and limit spending, clearing a major procedural hurdle as lawmakers raced to act before a looming default. With Republicans in revolt over the measure, it fell to Democrats to help clear the way for the legislation, in …

Mediaite reports: Fox News host Harris Faulkner torched the CEO of fast-food chain Chick-fil-A, accusing the devout Christian of saying some “amazingly crazy stuff” in an unearthed video of him condemning racism. The chicken chain, once a darling of conservatives because of its open embrace of Christian values, is now under fire because of the years-old comments from its CEO, …

The New York Times reports: Speaker Kevin McCarthy toiled on Wednesday to lock down the votes to pass his deal with President Biden to suspend the debt ceiling and set federal spending limits, as a stream of defections from hard-right lawmakers raised the stakes for a climactic set of votes on the package. With the nation’s first-ever default looming in …

Politico reports: Donald Trump’s latest idea to enshrine American greatness is to throw the country “the most spectacular” birthday bash — one that will last all year. In 2026, the U.S. will celebrate the semiquincentennial: the quarter millennial since its declaration of independence. To commemorate the anniversary, Trump is proposing a blowout, 12-month-long “Salute to America 250” celebration. In a …

Spartanburg’s CBS affiliate reports: A now-former Upstate youth pastor is accused of videoing a woman while she was showering in Greenwood County. Once deputies arrived on the scene, they spoke with the victim who said while she was taking a shower at her mother’s house, she saw a light outside the bathroom window. She said she got out of the …

“What happens when you’re talking about a universal wave of companies, all mirroring the Pride month celebratory morality? What happens when that happens? How do you fight that? “The answer here is going to be a bevy of lawsuits. This is going to be legislation and lawsuits. Because what we are watching right now is illegal collusion between these companies. …

The Birmingham News reports: The brother of U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville is speaking out on social media, saying he is “compelled to distance” himself from some of the lawmaker’s recent statements. “Due to recent statements by him promoting racial stereotypes, white nationalism and other various controversial topics, I feel compelled to distance myself from his ignorant, hateful rants,” Charles Tuberville …

Media Matters reports: Newsmax used footage of an Iowa building collapse while discussing a drone strike in Russia during a Tuesday broadcast. The error occurred during the latest edition of The Record With Greta Van Susteren where she broke down the latest news of the strike that hit Moscow on Tuesday, the first to hit a civilian area in Russia …

The Indiana Capital Chronicle reports: Republican state Rep. Jim Lucas was arrested and held in the Jackson County Jail Wednesday morning after police said he drove while intoxicated and left the scene of a crash. Lucas crashed his vehicle on Interstate 65, just north of Seymour, around midnight, an Indiana State Police spokesperson told the Indiana Capital Chronicle. Police said …

Mediaite has the transcript: So, look, I’m going to respond to attacks. I mean, if if you say Cuomo did a better job with covid than Florida did, first of all, that’s not what he used to say. This is like new like it – six months ago he would have never said that, right? He used to say how …

The Telegraph reports: Donald Trump will never realise his dream of holding the Open at his Turnberry golf resort, sources close to the R&A have suggested. The 45th US president has been lobbying for his Ayrshire venue to be picked again, saying “everybody wants to see the Open Championship here”. However, the R&A, which manages the world-renowned event, is understood …

The Tulsa World reports: The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Wednesday tossed out two state laws outlawing abortion. The state’s high court found that Senate Bill 1503 and House Bill 4327 were unconstitutional. Both measures were passed and signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt in 2022. Senate Bill 1503 would have banned abortion when a fetal heartbeat was detected, which is usually …

The Denver Post reports: On the verge of the NBA finals, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has proposed a “friendly wager” with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, with a happy Disney ending should the Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat. The championship matchup starts on Thursday and Polis suggests that the Walt Disney World Resort pull up stakes from the Sunshine State …