News From Around the Web
#10 DA Bragg Praises Verdict After Trump Is Found Guilty on All Counts in NY Trial - Fox News and Marjorie Taylor Greene and Tim Scott on X
The jury found Trump guilty on all counts after two days of deliberations in former President Trump's New York criminal trial on Thursday. Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments to Michael Cohen, who had paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 ahead of the 2016 election. Trump's sentencing hearing on the charges is scheduled for July 11. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg took a victory lap after former President Donald Trump was found guilty on 34 counts, saying his office "did our job." "I did my job. Our job is to follow the facts and the law without fear or favor. And that's exactly what we did here. And what I feel is gratitude to work alongside phenomenal public servants who do that each and every day in matters that you all write about. … I did my job. We did our job. Many voices out there. The only voice that matters is the voice of the jury. And the jury has spoken," Bragg said Thursday evening. Bragg charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The jury delivered their verdict late Thursday afternoon, finding Trump guilty on each count... John Oates of Hall & Oates is wary of the future represented by artificial intelligence in the music industry. "Look at what's coming in with AI, the possibility that AI is going to be replacing songwriters and artists for that matter," Oates told Fox News Digital. "The idea that there could be a new… David Bowie album. AI could take David Bowie's voice and extrapolate and sample his music for his entire career and write new David Bowie songs, and the record company could put it out." He added, "A younger generation might not even know. They might not even know he's dead, for that matter. It's a crazy future, and it’s a crazy, scary world that we're kind of leaning toward. So there's a lot going on, and you have to pay attention." Indicted Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., has collected the necessary signatures to run for re-election as an independent, five people familiar with the matter said. Menendez needs 800 signatures by Tuesday to gain ballot access in November and hopes to reach closer to 10,000 signatures by then, said three sources with knowledge of his plans. One of the sources, who previously worked for Menendez, said Menendez, who is on trial on federal bribery charges, wants the number of signatures to be a “statement” in and of itself “to show the level of support he still has.” Menendez’s office did not reply to a request for comment. If he is successful, Menendez would most likely face Democratic Rep. Andy Kim — who is considered to be the front-runner to replace him — and a Republican. The primary, in which Kim will face Patricia Campos-Medina and several Republicans will contend for their party’s nomination, is Tuesday... Hunter Biden’s last-ditch effort to throw out the federal gun charges against him failed ahead of his criminal trial set to begin next week. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals rejected on Tuesday Hunter Biden’s appeal of Judge Maryellen Noreika’s decision to deny his motion to dismiss the gun charges on Second Amendment grounds. The court dismissed Biden’s appeal because it lacks jurisdiction. “Criminal defendants ordinarily cannot appeal until after final judgment,” the appellate panel wrote in a two-page order. “The defendant’s Second Amendment defense does not implicate a right not to be tried that can be collaterally appealed.” The co-chairman of a super PAC supporting Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s presidential campaign announced plans Tuesday to publish a tell-all memoir this summer by an Arkansas woman who had a child with Hunter Biden, the youngest son of President Joe Biden. "Out of the Shadows: My Life Inside the Wild World of Hunter Biden" is written by Lunden Roberts, who gave birth to Hunter Biden's daughter in 2018... The IRS said Thursday it will make permanent the free electronic tax return filing system that it experimented with this year and is asking all 50 states and the District of Columbia to help taxpayers file their returns through the program in 2025. The IRS tried the Direct File project for the 2024 tax season on a limited basis in 12 states for people with very simple W-2s, the employee’s wage and tax statement. The agency also is inviting all states with a state income tax to sign up and help people file their state returns for free. During the 2024 pilot, tax agencies in Arizona, Massachusetts, California, and New York helped people directly file their state taxes... The National Rifle Association will get another chance to punish New York regulators who discouraged insurers and bankers from doing business with the gun advocacy group, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday. The NRA sued the New York Department of Financial Services, arguing regulators had coerced insurers against promoting policies by gun-rights group. But regulators, led by former Superintendent Maria Vullo, argued they were simply pointing out insurers might face legal exposure for doing business with a gun group during an era of mass shootings and major lawsuits – and the NRA had no business peddling insurance. A U.S. District Court threw out most of the NRA’s case but allowed a First Amendment fight over whether Vullo was simply voicing an opinion, as allowed under the First Amendment, or coercing businesses she regulated, which is not allowed. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found the claim of coercion not plausible and dismissed the case entirely... Elon Musk has agreed to testify in the SEC’s investigation into his 2022 purchase of Twitter, the social media company now known as X, according to a court filing. Seven months after the Wall Street regulator sued to compel his testimony, Musk has agreed to appear for no more than five hours of questioning later this year at one of the SEC’s offices, the court filing said. If Musk needs to reschedule for an emergency, he will either have to obtain a court order or the SEC’s written consent...
#9 John Oates of Hall & Oates Says New Tech in Music Could Lead to a ‘Crazy, Scary World’- Elizabeth Stanton for Fox News on X
#8 Sen. Bob Menendez Has Enough Signatures to Run as an Independent Despite His Bribery Trial - NBC News and Yahoo News on X
#7 Appeals Court Rejects Hunter Biden’s Last-Minute Bid to Throw Out Gun Charges - James Lynch National Review and Mike Netter on X
#6 RFK Jr. Super PAC Chair to Publish Tell-All Memoir by Mother of Hunter Biden’s Child - Josephine Rozzelle for CNBC and Swivel Guts and RedWave Press on X
#5 IRS Makes Free Tax Return Program Permanent and Is Asking All States to Join in 2025 - Fatima Hussein for AP News and Kelly Phillips Erb
#4 In Supreme Court NRA Ruling, Justices Issue Unanimous Decision in Favor of Gun Group - Bart Jansen for USA TODAY and Tracy Beanz on X
#3 Musk Agrees to Testify in Sec’s Probe of Twitter Deal - Declan Harty for Politico and BowTiedKong on X
#2 Despite Being a Serious Threat to Human Reproduction, Plastics are Set to Shape the Future - Tracy Beanz and Michelle Edwards for The HighWire
Life on Earth now takes place in a cocktail of pollutants. Despite years of chatter about reducing plastic use, immediate global action is required to fix the plastic waste problem that has engulfed our planet and invaded our bodies. The harsh reality is that plastic usage in the United States alone has surged over the past four decades, with a staggering 85 percent of municipal plastic waste ending up in landfills—and essentially inside the cells of every living organism on this Earth. Indeed, numerous studies have warned that microplastics pollute our blood, fetuses, dairy, the meat we eat, and so on. Now, a recent study has established that microplastics and nanoplastics exist in every male testicle, raising urgent concerns about their impact on the human reproductive system. Yet, the use of plastic persists, and those in charge remain silent about its detrimental impact on our health.
A judge in the sanctuary state of Washington has cut bail by 90 percent for the illegal alien accused of killing 27-year-old Washington State Trooper Christopher Gadd. Raul Benitez Santana, a 33-year-old illegal alien from Mexico with multiple run-ins with the law, was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide in connection with Gadd’s death. According to prosecutors, on March 2, Gadd was parked on the shoulder of an interstate in Snohomish County when eyewitnesses said Santana crashed into him. Santana, eyewitnesses said, was swerving and speeding at the time. Gadd was killed as a result of the crash, prosecutors said, leaving behind his wife, Cammryn, and their two-year-old daughter...
#1 Sanctuary State Washington: Judge Cuts Bail by 90% for Illegal Alien Accused of Killing State Trooper - John Binder for Breitbart and Casper Otto on X
And Now for Something Special
The kid can play! Enjoy your weekend, Folks. Spread some joy!
