Trump Corruption

Michael Scherer writes for The Atlantic: When I caught Donald Trump by phone this morning, the president wanted to make one thing clear: “America First” means whatever he says it does. “Well, considering that I’m the one that developed ‘America First,’ and considering that the term wasn’t used until I came along, I think I’m the one that decides that,” …

“President Putin called this morning to very nicely wish me a Happy Birthday, but to more importantly, talk about Iran, a country he knows very well. We talked at length. Much less time was spent talking about Russia/Ukraine, but that will be for next week. He is doing the planned prisoner swaps – large numbers of prisoners are being exchanged, …

The Palm Beach Daily News reports: Thousands of people bearing hand-drawn signs, flags and megaphones gathered in downtown West Palm Beach today for a nearly two-mile march toward President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club as part of a daylong, nationwide protest movement. Police intervened at the Marjorie Merriweather Post Memorial Causeway, stopping protesters before they could arrive at the club. “Anything …

ABC News reports: Thousands of law enforcement officers from across the country have arrived in Washington to assist in security, and land, air and water assets are deployed in an effort to secure the event, which coincides with President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. “Since April 23, we’ve been working diligently, around the clock, to get this plan ready,” Matt McCool, …

“I’ve been briefed on the terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota, which appears to be a targeted attack against State Lawmakers. Our Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the FBI, are investigating the situation, and they will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law. Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of …

Pacific Daily News reports: Dozens of community members gathered Saturday at the Micronesia Mall intersection to join the nationwide “No Kings” protest, condemning what they described as a growing threat of authoritarianism in the United States. The protest coincided with the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary parade and the birthday of President Donald Trump — events participants called symbols of power …

Politico reports: Federal officials have begun carrying out President Donald Trump’s orders to enforce a World War II-era criminal law that requires virtually all non-citizens in the country to register with and submit fingerprints to the government. Since April, law enforcement in Louisiana, Arizona, Montana, Alabama, Texas and Washington, D.C., have charged people with willful “failure to register” under the …

USA Today reports: Trump’s sources of income range from luxury properties around the world to royalty payments and license fees for using his name and likeness on everything from sneakers to bibles, according to a financial disclosure form filed June 13. The 234-page document covered the calendar year 2024. One of the biggest money-making ventures for Trump was World Liberty …

Mother Jones reports: Tanks, armored personnel carriers, and howitzers will roll through the streets of Washington, DC, on Saturday—coming to a halt just steps from where President Donald Trump once exhorted his supporters to “fight like hell” and march on the US Capitol. But the president’s grand military parade has something else in common with the “election integrity” rally that …

The New York Times reports: The Trump administration has abruptly shifted the focus of its mass deportation campaign, telling Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to largely pause raids and arrests in the agricultural industry, hotels and restaurants, according to an internal email and three U.S. officials with knowledge of the guidance. The decision suggested that the scale of President Trump’s …

Variety reports: Attorneys representing President Trump in his $20 billion lawsuit against CBS over the allegedly deceptive editing of a “60 Minutes” segment have requested an extension of court deadlines, citing the fact that the parties “are engaged in active settlement discussions.” In a filing Friday on Texas federal court, lawyers for Trump and co-plaintiff Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas …

The Business Post reports: An American financier invested $100 million in the Trump family’s flagship bitcoin project just two months after a probe into his crypto business was dropped by the Trump administration. Chicago-based DRW Investments, the trading firm founded and controlled by Don Wilson, acquired nearly four million shares in Trump Media & Technology Group last month, according to …

Bloomberg News reports: DTTM Operations LLC, the entity that manages trademarks on behalf of President Donald Trump, has applied to use his name and the term T1 for telecom services. The requests cover mobile phones, cases, battery chargers and wireless telephone services, as well as potentially retail stores. The applications with the US Patent and Trademark Office were filed on …

Mediaite reports: U.S. officials are concerned about “a potential Tiananmen Square moment” at President Donald Trump’s military parade on the same day that anti-Trump protests are planned nationwide, according to one New York Times journalist. Speaking to Michael Barbaro, host of New York Times’ The Daily podcast, the outlet’s Pentagon correspondent Helene Cooper warned that many officials were anxious. “They’re …

Los Angeles’s ABC affiliate reports: A pregnant mother of four in California was shocked to see around a half-dozen vehicles carrying heavily armed, masked ICE agents outside her home Thursday morning and even more concerned when she spotted Kristi Noem along for the raid. Sabrina Medina said she was in the shower at around 6 a.m. when her brother-in-law first …

The Washington Post reports: President Donald Trump announced Thursday that “changes are coming” to protect farmers from losing workers to his aggressive deportation campaign, but no such policy changes are underway, according to three people with knowledge of the administration’s immigration policies. Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, said that he has not discussed with the president any such changes to …

The Associated Press reports: Trump’s administration this week provided deportation officials with personal data — including the immigration status — on millions of Medicaid enrollees, a move that could make it easier to locate people as part of his sweeping immigration crackdown. An internal memo and emails obtained by The Associated Press show that Medicaid officials unsuccessfully sought to block …

Denver’s ABC affiliate reports: The U.S. Department of Justice is demanding that Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold turn over “all records” related to the 2024 federal elections, a request many election experts call unprecedented. Election leaders across the state say they are still trying to make sense of the request. “Well, it’s certainly an unusual request,” said Matt Crane, …

CBS News reports: President Trump on Friday lost his latest effort to get a retrial in the case in which a jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation of the writer E. Jean Carroll. After the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit denied Mr. Trump’s appeal of the case in December, his lawyers — now top …

CBS News reports: A federal judge in Massachusetts blocked President Trump’s administration from implementing portions of his executive order that imposed new requirements involving proof of citizenship to register to vote in U.S. elections. U.S. District Judge Denise Casper agreed to grant a preliminary injunction sought by attorneys general from 19 states, who brought their legal challenge to Mr. Trump’s …