Contributing Writers

Nick Akerman, a former Watergate prosecutor, said that in his 50-some years in law, he has never seen a gag order like the one imposed on former President Trump in his hush money payments case this week. New York Judge Juan Merchan issued the gag order on Tuesday following a request from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.”This is so unusual,” Akerman told CNN’s Fredericka Whitfield on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called out China’s ramped-up production in solar energy, electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries, calling it unfair competition that “distorts global prices” and “hurts American firms and workers, as well as firms and workers around the world.

Legalized statewide sports wagering in North Carolina from smartphones and desktops that began two weeks ago is off to a “strong start,” a state lottery official said on Wednesday, likely buoyed by betting on college basketball at its season’s apex.

Prosecutors went after Hunter Biden’s attorneys during an hours-long hearing Wednesday on several motions to dismiss criminal tax evasion charges against the president’s son.The first son did not appear in federal court in Los Angeles on Wednesday, but his attorney Abbe Lowell argued in favor of dismissing what he claimed were politically motivated charges. He said the government was perpetrating “the least ordinary prosecution a person could imagine.

New York’s Metro Transportation Authority (MTA) voted to impose a first-in-the-nation traffic congestion pricing program on Wednesday.The MTA will now charge $15 for vehicles driving in certain areas of the city. The move, which passed on an 11-1 vote, outraged Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., who argues the new policy is nothing more than a “cash grab.””Today’s vote was just a rubber stamp on the MTA’s unprecedented cash grab.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has not ruled out a chance to serve under former President Donald Trump for a second time should he become the Republican presidential nominee and come out victorious in November.Pompeo served as Trump’s director of the CIA and secretary of state during his first term. On Friday, he was asked about serving under Trump for a second time during a Friday appearance on “Your World with Neil Cavuto.

Illegal migrants would be able to buy health insurance in Maryland under a new bill that recently passed in the state’s House and Senate.On Friday, the Maryland Senate approved the “Access to Care Act” on a party line vote of 34-13. The Maryland House previously passed a similar version of the legislation on a 101-34 vote in late February.Each chamber will need to vote to approve the other’s before the legislation can be sent to Democratic Gov. Wes Moore.

The Senate passed a $460 billion package of spending bills to avert a partial government shutdown ahead of the first funding deadline Friday. The package passed as the U.S. national debt has surpassed $34 trillion, a record high.Lawmakers spent the majority of Friday considering motions related to the slate of bills and debating the package following President Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday night.

A group of House Republicans fired off a pointed letter to the Biden administration, calling for the president to “immediately terminate” a program that has flown in more than 320,000 migrants into the U.S.”We write today to express our grave concerns over the Biden administration’s actions to fly approximately 320,000 illegal immigrants from Latin American airports to 43 cities across the United States,” the letter from Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., to U.S.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Lawmakers often save the most important issue for the final day of their annual session. This year in Florida, that meant raising the age for strippers to 21.Oh, and they also passed a $117 billion state budget.POOL DECK LIKELY CAUSE OF SURFSIDE CONDO COLLAPSE: INVESTIGATORSBut unlike the previous two years when GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis was gearing up to run for president, he didn’t ask as much from the Legislature.

A Texas judge temporarily blocked state Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, from requiring an LGBTQ+ advocacy group to provide information about transgender children receiving gender transition treatment.The ruling on Friday came a day after PFLAG National challenged Paxton’s office in court to prevent it from collecting the information.

Former President Trump attacked his Republican opponent Nikki Haley on Saturday, claiming that former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is “a little bit” smarter than her.Trump addressed an enthusiastic crowd in Richmond, Virginia on Saturday night, days before the Super Tuesday votes are scheduled to take place. Earlier on Saturday, Trump won the Idaho, Missouri, and Michigan Republican contests.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan wrote a letter to Alphabet, Google’s parent company, on Saturday, demanding the company explain what influence the Biden administration may have had on its controversial Gemini AI program. The Judiciary Committee asked for documents on the creation and deployment of the artificial intelligence chatbot.

Former President Donald Trump has cruised to victory in Idaho’s Republican caucuses, winning yet another victory over his rival for the GOP nomination, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. Trump also won Saturday’s GOP contests in Missouri and Michigan.

First lady Jill Biden was interrupted by a group of pro-Palestinian hecklers while campaigning for her husband Saturday.While speaking in Tucson, Arizona, the first lady was emphasizing the importance of the 2024 presidential election before she was interrupted by a rowdy crowd.”To do what we did in 2020 and 2022, we’re going to talk to our friends about why this election is so important,” Biden said at the podium. “Tell them what’s at stake.

Former President Trump’s victory in the South Carolina Republican primary Saturday night quickly sparked a response from conservatives on social media, many of whom said they believe GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley should step aside and drop out of the race.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Two top Republicans likely didn’t get the welcome they expected from the crowd gathered to celebrate former President Donald Trump’s victory in the South Carolina Republican primary on Saturday.After being recognized by Trump during his speech, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and state GOP chair Drew McKissick were showered with boos that the former president couldn’t even quell.”No. No. No. No.

EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump said he is not sure Nikki Haley is “even really in the race” after winning yet another Republican primary Saturday night, telling Fox News Digital that he is focused on beating President Biden in the general election in November.The Fox News Decision Desk declared Trump the winner of the South Carolina Republican Primary just moments after the polls closed Saturday night. Trump defeated former two-term South Carolina Gov.

New York Jets owner and billionaire businessman Woody Johnson stood in support behind former President Trump in South Carolina on Saturday night after Trump was quickly projected the winner of the state’s primary.Johnson, who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom during the Trump administration, was on stage alongside his wife Suzanne behind Trump as the former president delivered a speech after his quick victory in the Palmetto State primary on Saturday.