Key takeaways: President Joe Biden believes Hamas attacked Israel to prevent the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The Biden administration has been…
Posts published in “Politics”
Former President Donald Trump has been granted a temporary stay on a limited gag order issued by Judge Tanya Chutkan in the 2020 election conspiracy criminal case. The order, which was issued on Monday, barred Trump from making public statements targeting prosecutors, court staff, and potential witnesses. Judge Chutkan agreed to the stay on Friday, allowing Trump to speak freely while the parties submit appeal briefs in the coming weeks. A final ruling on the matter is yet to be issued.
The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a lower court ruling that would have limited the Biden administration's ability to communicate with social media companies about contentious content. The court has agreed to take up the government's appeal, allowing the government to continue to communicate with social media companies and setting the stage for a major ruling on free speech and social media. The ruling is seen as a victory for free speech advocates, who argue that the government should not be able to limit the speech of citizens.
Two U.S. hostages, a mother and daughter, have been released by Hamas, officials announced Friday. The release was made for "humanitarian reasons" and the hostages were transferred to Israeli forces led by Gen. Gal Hirsch before being reunited with their family. It is unclear if the hostages were released as part of a prisoner exchange or if any other conditions were met.
Kenneth Chesebro, a former legal adviser to Donald Trump's campaign, has pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to file false documents in the Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney's office's 2020 election interference case. He has agreed to testify against any and all co-defendants and to turn over any related emails and text messages. Chesebro is the second defendant to reach a plea deal in the past two days, and the case is ongoing with no other plea deals announced so far.
The House of Representatives convened on January 4th, 2023 to vote for the next Speaker of the House, but failed to unify and elect a Speaker. U.S. Rep.-elect Jim Jordan (R-OH) was present and has been a vocal advocate for conservative causes and a leader of the House Freedom Caucus. His efforts were unsuccessful, and the House has been unable to pass the fiscal bills needed to keep the government operating.
The race for the next Speaker of the House of Representatives has become increasingly competitive, with 25 entrenched GOP lawmakers blocking Rep. Jim Jordan from winning the gavel. Jordan received 194 votes in the third ballot, 21 votes short of the number he needed to be elected. Another round of voting is required, and the outcome is uncertain as the 25 entrenched GOP lawmakers have yet to declare their support for any of the candidates.
Former President Donald Trump's civil fraud trial took an unexpected turn when the spotlight shifted to his son Eric, who was actively involved in appraisals he has since said he doesn't remember. Judge Arthur Engoron issued a limited gag order on Trump and asked his lawyers why he shouldn't impose sanctions for violating the order. The trial is ongoing and it is unclear what impact Eric's testimony and documents will have on the case.