The New York Times reports: Richard Grenell’s quest to be secretary of state in a second Trump administration began late on Election Day in 2020, when the defeated president dispatched loyalists to run shambolic “stop the steal” operations in battleground states. Trump tapped Mr. Grenell — his combative former ambassador to Germany, acting national intelligence chief and special envoy to …

The Huffington Post reports: Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist and defamer of Sandy Hook families, has been given the go-ahead by a federal judge to sell his Texas game ranch amid his bankruptcy case. On Wednesday, U.S. Judge Christopher Lopez approved a $2.8 million sale of Jones’ 127-acre ranch as part of his Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, according to court …

Rolling Stone reports: It’s not unusual for attorneys general to bring on outside counsel when they’re going to the Supreme Court. Historically, however, experts say, it has not been common for attorneys general to outsource their litigation efforts to private, agenda-driven interest groups. But in recent years, Alliance Defending Freedom has become the go-to firm for Republican officials defending anti-abortion …

CBS News reports: Exactly two years after the Uvalde school massacre, families of victims Friday filed multiple lawsuits against social media giant Meta, Activision — the maker of the popular video game “Call of Duty” — and Daniel Defense, the manufacturer of the AR-15 which the teen gunman used in the shooting. The lawsuits come just two days after the …

The Washington Post reports: The wife of Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. told a Washington Post reporter in January 2021 that an upside-down American flag recently flown on their flagpole was “an international signal of distress” and indicated that it had been raised in response to a neighborhood dispute. Martha-Ann Alito made the comments when the reporter went …

CNBC reports: Nearly two-and-a-half years after its launch, Truth Social is struggling to hang onto its small U.S. user base, according to new data on the microblogging platform launched by former President Donald Trump’s media company. So far in May, U.S. daily visits to Truth Social have dropped more than 21% from April, and more than 35% compared to March, …

Post by Hair Furor just after midnight: Let’s put the President in jail for 150 years because a LEGAL EXPENSE to a lawyer was called, by a bookkeeper, a LEGAL EXPENSE to a lawyer!What else could you call it. Crooked Joe Biden Witch Hunt. Election Interference. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!! And then came this at 12:30AM: I HAVE A GREAT …

NBC News reports: As concerns mount about a large outbreak of an especially virulent form of mpox in central Africa and an uptick in U.S. cases since early last year, the mpox vaccine appears to give long-term protection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. In a separate report, the CDC indicated that overall new mpox infections across …

Courthouse News reports: Exiled Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui scammed supporters out of more than $1 billion under the guise of launching a movement against the Chinese Communist Party, prosecutors said during opening arguments Friday in Manhattan federal court. Guo — also known as Miles Guo and Ho Wan Kwok — is accused of lying to prospective investors and promising them …

From the Justice Department: A New Jersey man was sentenced to 12 years in prison today after he was previously convicted of 14 charges, including 12 felonies, as a result of his conduct during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened …

Axios reports: Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) requested a meeting with U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts “imploring” him to ensure Justice Samuel Alito recuses himself from Jan. 6-related cases, Durbin’s office announced on Friday. Alito is facing growing calls from Democratic lawmakers to recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 election and the Capitol insurrection after …

Politico reports: Donald Trump won’t be speaking to his usual self-selected crowd of adoring red-hatted MAGA fans when he addresses the Libertarian National Convention on Saturday. As delegates gathered at the Washington Hilton on the eve of his speech, the party’s decision to host the former president, which had split the organization, erupted Friday into open revolt. Fuming delegates at …

The Daily Beast reports: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), who is reportedly a top contender for Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick, has jumped on the bandwagon of flying the Christian nationalist “Appeal To Heaven” flag. While Cotton correctly identified the flag’s Revolutionary War origins, it was more recently co-opted by religious pro-Trump insurrectionists who stormed the U.S. Capitol. The flag Cotton …

CNN reports: Special counsel’s office prosecutors on Friday asked a federal judge in Florida to place a gag order on Donald Trump that would limit his ability to comment about law enforcement that searched his Mar-a-Lago resort. The request – a first in the classified documents mishandling case – comes after the former president has repeatedly and misleadingly criticized the …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Buffalo 8 has acquired worldwide rights out of Cannes to The President and the Dragon, a Jimmy Carter documentary from Sudanese writer, director and producer Waleed Eltayeb and Irish director-cinematographer Ian D. Murphy. The film watches as the former U.S. President, a motley crew of public health veterans, ex-child soldiers, and local volunteers traverse political minefields, treacherous …

The Hill reports: A ban on intoxicating hemp products has made it into the House version of the farm bill. If the amendment makes it through a polarized House and divided Congress, it would end America’s brief experiment with nationally legal cannabis. The language added to the House version of the farm bill by Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.) in effect …

Mediaite reports: Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addressed the Libertarian National Convention on Friday and told an anecdote about his views on masking during the Covid pandemic. “They asked me why I wasn’t wearing a mask, which, nobody was, except for the NBC film crew.” The crowd laughed at this detail. “They said, ‘Wasn’t I scared of dying …

CBS News reports: Jesse James Rumson, the man who dressed in a panda costume as he took part in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, has been convicted of assaulting a law enforcement officer, according to court documents. Earlier this month, Rumson waived his right to a jury trial, opting instead for bench trial. He was convicted on all …

Baton Rouge’s ABC affiliate reports: First-of-its-kind legislation that classifies two abortion-inducing drugs as controlled and dangerous substances was signed into law Friday by Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry. The Republican governor announced his signing of the bill in Baton Rouge a day after it gained final legislative passage in the state Senate. The measure makes Louisiana the only state to categorize …

From the evangelical outlet Charisma News: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s death serves as a much-needed reminder that no man, regardless of how powerful, threatening or fearful he sounds, has the ability to override the plans and purposes of God, Almighty who established Israel and has sustained her throughout 2,000 years of dispersion to the four corners of the earth, returning …