Surgeon General pushes social media warning labels

The U-S Surgeon General wants warning labels on social media platforms. In a New York Times opinion piece, Dr. Vivek Murthy writes that social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young people. And he says it’s “time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms,” similar to labels on cigarette packages. Murthy says those warnings have changed tobacco behavior and that adding labels to social media platforms would be a step in the right direction.

IRS to close tax loophole exploited by large partnerships

The federal government is closing a tax loophole exploited by large, complex partnerships. The U.S. Treasury and Internal Revenue Service estimate the action could raise 50 billion dollars in new revenue over 10 years. Going forward, the IRS will no longer allow partnerships to shift tax liabilities to related parties or different legal entities in order to maximize tax deductions and minimize liability. The change coincides with stepped-up enforcement by the IRS to increase audits of large, complex partnerships.

Biden arrives in France for D-Day anniversary, state visit

President Biden has arrived in France to mark an anniversary and make a state visit. The president will be among more than 20 heads of state and government in Normandy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day. They’ll be joined by dozens of World War Two veterans to honor the nearly 160-thousand troops from Britain, the U-S, Canada, and other nations that landed on June 6, 1944. Later in the week, Mr. Biden will participate in his first state visit to France at the invitation of President Macron

Biden announces plan to “gain control” of southern border

President Biden is taking executive action to crack down on the number of migrants seeking asylum at the southern border. With border security a top issue of concern for the American people, the president announced immediate restrictions on migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. He admitted the border situation is out of control. Liberal Democrats and immigration advocates are unhappy with the White House plan, while Republicans accuse the president of election-year politics.

Biden says Netanyahu might be prolonging Gaza war for politics

President Biden says Israel’s prime minister could be prolonging the Gaza war for political purposes.
The president told Time magazine “there is every reason for people to draw [the] conclusion” that Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu may be stalling on ending the war in Gaza for political reasons. He made the comments in an interview last week, a few days before announcing a proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza. Mr. Biden has supported Israel’s targeting of Hamas terrorists, but has been unhappy with the high number of civilian deaths in the war.

Biden to sign executive order limiting asylum-seeking migrants

President Biden will soon take executive action cracking down on the number of migrants seeking asylum at the southern border. The president is preparing to sign off on an executive order that would shut down entries to the U.S.-Mexico border once the number of daily encounters hits 25-hundred. The impact could be immediate, since daily figures of migrants seeking asylum are already higher than that level. Mayors from border cities have been invited to the White House for an unveiling of the plan.

Jury is chosen in Hunter Biden’s trial, opening statements on Tuesday

Opening arguments are set for Tuesday in Hunter Biden’s federal trial on gun charges. Twelve jurors and four alternates were chosen after one day of jury selection, paving the way for opening statements. The president’s son has been charged with lying on federal gun purchase forms when he said he wasn’t a drug addict. He has pleaded not guilty and argues he’s being unfairly targeted by the Justice Department. In a short statement, President Biden said he and his wife love and support their son.

Biden campaign steps up LGBT efforts, media advertising

The Biden campaign is stepping up its LGBT messaging during Pride Month. Joe Biden’s re-election team is launching new organizing efforts and media advertising to mobilize LGBT voters. The campaign says it will have a presence at over 200 Pride events in 23 states during June. At the end of the month, the president and first lady will host a fundraising event in New York City. The campaign touts Mr. Biden as “the most-pro-LGBTQ+ president in American history and his record proves that.”

President Biden expresses support for Hunter as federal gun trial begins

President Biden is expressing support for his son, Hunter, who’s on trial in Delaware.  As jury selection got underway in Hunter Biden’s federal firearms case, the president said he has “boundless love for my son, confidence in him, and respect for his strength.” In a statement, he said he and the first lady “are so proud of the man he is today.” In a show of support, Jill Biden was seated in the front row of the courtroom. Hunter Biden has been charged in Delaware with three felonies stemming from a 2018 gun purchase.

Hunter Biden’s trial on federal gun charges begins

Trump’s felony conviction to be election rallying cry

Former President Trump’s felony conviction is poised to become an election rallying cry for both Republicans and Democrats. Donald Trump and Joe Biden don’t agree on much, but they both are emphasizing the importance of this year’s presidential election in light of Thursday’s historic conviction. President Biden said “the only way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office” is at the ballot box. And Trump himself said…”the real verdict” will come on November 5th — Election Day.

Hunter Biden’s firearms trial begins in Delaware this week

Hunter Biden’s trial on firearms charges is set to begin in Delaware this week. The criminal trial of Hunter Biden begins Monday with jury selection, coming just days after another historic first: the criminal trial and conviction of a former U.S. president. In the Hunter Biden case, he’ll become the first child of a sitting president to be a criminal defendant. The younger Biden has pleaded not guilty to lying about his drug use in 2018 in order to buy a gun. If convicted on all charges, he faces up to 25 years in prison.

Trump to keep juggling legal and political calendars

Donald Trump’s legal and political calendars will continue to clash following his felony conviction. For months now, the former president has juggled campaign events and court appearances. And that trend will continue in the months ahead. On June 27th, Donald Trump and Joe Biden will face off in a presidential debate in Atlanta. Exactly two weeks later, Trump will be back here in Manhattan for his sentencing on July 11th. That’s four days before the start of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where Trump is expected to officially become the party’s presidential nominee.

Trump can still vote in November if he stays out of prison

Donald Trump’s felony conviction won’t stop him from being able to vote — as long as he avoids prison.
Trump’s home state of Florida restricts the voting rights of convicted felons. But Florida defers to other states’ disenfranchisement rules — and in New York, the law only removes the right to vote for felons when they’re incarcerated. So as long as Trump isn’t sent to prison, he can vote for himself in Florida in November’s election. However, even imprisonment would not bar him from continuing his pursuit of the White House.

Defiant Trump slams “rigged” trial, will appeal

Donald Trump remains defiant a day after being convicted at his criminal trial. Speaking in the lobby of Trump Tower, the former president continued to rage against the legal process that resulted in his guilty verdict — calling the trial “very unfair” and “rigged, describing Judge Marchan as “highly conflicted,” and saying his gag order is “nasty.” Trump opened his remarks by warning ”if they can do this to him, they can do it to you.” He touted a sharp increase in donations to his campaign and confirmed he would appeal his conviction on all counts.

Trump to hold NYC press conference day after his conviction

A day after being convicted on 34 felony counts, Donald Trump will hold a press conference. The former president will make public statements at Trump Tower following yesterday’s unanimous guilty verdict by 12 jurors in his criminal trial. He already expressed his feelings when he left the courtroom. Trump maintained that he’s a “very innocent man” and rallied supporters in online fundraising appeals last night with the vow to “never surrender.”

Top politicians react to Donald Trump’s guilty verdict

There’s plenty of reaction from political circles to Donald Trump’s guilty verdict. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is a Trump ally, called it “a shameful day in American history.” At the White House, a spokesman in the counsel’s office said “we respect the rule of law and have no additional comment.” President Biden wrote online that “the only way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office” is at the ballot box. And Trump himself said “the real verdict” will come on November 5th — Election Day.

New York jury finds Donald Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts

Guilty was the verdict in Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial. The former president sat stone-faced in a lower Manhattan courtroom as a guilty verdict was announced on all 34 felony counts. A jury of seven men and five women reached their conclusion following two days of deliberations. After leaving the court building, Trump denounced the proceedings as “rigged” and “disgraceful.” The historic verdict comes five months before the presidential election and will test voters’ willingness to elect for the first time a convicted felon.

Trump becomes first former president to be convicted of felonies

Former President Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 felony counts in his landmark criminal trial. After deliberating over the course of two days, a jury of 12 New Yorkers found Trump guilty of falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election. It makes him the first former American president to be found guilty of felony crimes. Trump is set to be sentenced on July 11 — just days before the Republican National Convention.

Trump jury hears re-reading of some testimony, judge’s instructions

Day Two of the Trump trial jury deliberations began with a re-hearing of testimony and the judge’s instructions. At the jury’s request, the judge re-read portions of the instructions that he gave them yesterday. He discussed instructions about reasonable doubt, credibility of witnesses, and making inferences from facts. Court reporters also read aloud portions of testimony from some of the key witnesses. Trump, who is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records, calls this trial a disgrace and political witch hunt.

Who is on the Trump trial jury?

The main jury includes seven men and five women. There are also six alternate jurors who’ve listened to the testimony but won’t join in the deliberations unless one of the main jurors needs to drop out or is removed. Members of the panel come from various professional backgrounds, including a software engineer, a teacher, a speech therapist, multiple lawyers, and an investment banker. Jurors’ names are not being publicly released.

Jury returns for Day 2 of Trump trial deliberations

It’s Day 2 of jury deliberations at the Trump criminal trial. The day will begin with the reading aloud of testimony that was requested by the jury. Jurors also asked the judge if he could go over his instructions to them one more time. Then, deliberations will resume. Donald Trump, who’s required to remain inside the courthouse during deliberations, continues to criticize the trial — claiming the charges against him were rigged and politically motivated.

Agitated Trump calls NY criminal trial a “disgrace”

Donald Trump complained about his trial at the end of the first day of jury deliberations. Following a long day inside a lower Manhattan courthouse, the former president lashed out at prosecutors, saying “nobody knows what the crime is.” He said again it’s “very unfair” that he has to be in court instead of out campaigning.” And he took aim at Judge Juan Marchan, urging him to end the trial and “save his reputation.” The jury, which deliberated about 4-and-a-half hours, will be back in court in the morning.

After 4.5 hours, Trump jury ends first day of deliberations

The Donald Trump jury was dismissed for the day after four-plus hours of deliberations. Jurors in the historic legal case were excused late in the afternoon, ending the first day of deliberations. Before leaving, the jury asked to re-hear certain testimony and the judge’s instructions. That will be provided on Thursday morning when court is back in session. Judge Juan Merchan estimated that the rereading aloud of the requested testimony from former National Enquirer Publisher David Pecker and Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen would take about a half hour.