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Judge in Trump’s Georgia election interference case orders ‘sensitive’ evidence withheld from public
The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s election interference case in Georgia has issued a protective order that certain “sensitive” evidence in the case be withheld from the public.
The order, issued Wednesday by Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, came after the video recordings of interviews with some of Trump’s co-defendants were leaked to the media earlier this week.
It specifies that prosecutors can deem certain evidence turned over to the defense as “sensitive material” unfit for public release, and provides that the defense can challenge such a designation within 14 days.
District Attorney Fani Willis had requested a broader version of the order following the leaking of the video interviews, citing potential harassment, witness intimidation, or jury pool tainting.
Defense attorney Jonathan Miller, who represents former Coffee County election supervisor Misty Hampton, admitted to leaking the video evidence, which included excerpts from prosecutor interviews with former Trump attorneys Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell, as well as pro-Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro and Atlanta bail bondsman Scott Hall.
All four have pleaded guilty to charges in the case and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors as they pursue charges against the remaining 15 defendants.
BIDEN’S APPROVAL RATING SINKS OVER ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR; SUPPORT FOR TRUMP IN 2024 RISES: POLL
Trump was indicted by Willis in August, and pleaded not guilty to charges related to allegedly attempting to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, including violation Georgia’s anti-racketeering law.
The Georgia case is one of four pending against the former president, as he also faces charges in New York City, Florida and Washington, D.C.
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Former Defense chief says to eradicate Hamas, Iran must be confronted ‘once and for all’
Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper said to defeat the militant Palestinian group Hamas fully, Iran must be confronted “once and for all.”
“[T]o ultimately defeat Hamas, in the extent that we understand it [in] military terms, you have to prevent their ability to reconstitute their military forces,” Esper said in a Thursday interview on CBS.
“To do that, that means you have to deal with Iran once and for all,” Esper continued. “You have to cut off the supply of arms and money and other support. And that’s the bigger issue that we’re not facing.”
At the beginning of last month, U.S. deputy national security adviser Jonathan Finer said Iran was “broadly complicit” in the attack by Hamas that began its current war with Israel. He noted the U.S. rival’s efforts to train and provide Hamas with arms.
“In terms of broad complicity, we are very clear about a role for Iran,” Finer told CBS. “What we have not seen yet at this moment, although we are continuing to look at it very closely, is any sort of direct involvement in the immediate attacks.”
Esper’s comments came on the same day White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. is involved in “intense negotiations” to try to secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas amid its conflict with Israel.
“We are in some intense negotiations; hopefully they’ll come out the right way and we’ll have good news to talk about with multiple hostages getting free,” he said. “But we don’t have a deal right now, and until we do, the less said the better.”
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DOJ accuses left-wing activist of inciting Trump supporters on Jan. 6
The U.S. Department of Justice accused a man, whom prosecutors have painted as a left-wing, anti-establishment activist, of inciting supporters of former President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021.
At the conclusion of the trial against 29-year-old John Earle Sullivan in Washington, D.C., federal prosecutors outlined how he allegedly incited the mob of rioters inside the U.S. Capitol.
Sullivan claimed to have been a journalist who only followed the crowd to record the historic event. He captured video of the shooting of Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran, who was fatally struck trying to enter the House Speaker’s lobby by a bullet fired by Capitol Police officer Lt. Michael Byrd.
“It does not matter whether Sullivan was holding a camera to record his crimes. He incited the mob at every step. He knew why he was there that day. He wanted to tear it all down,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barclay told jurors during closing arguments Wednesday, according to NBC News.
Prosecutors also presented a call that Sullivan – the leader of an organization called Insurgence USA, through which he organizes protests – had with members of his Discord channel after January 6 during which he bragged about his actions. “I brought my megaphone to instigate s—,” Sullivan said on the call, added that he wanted to “make those Trump supporters f— s— up.”
LEFT-WING ACTIVIST CHARGED IN CAPITOL RIOT AFTER SAYING HE WAS JUST THERE TO ‘DOCUMENT’
On January 6, 2021, Sullivan, who is from Utah, said he was in D.C. again to film the “Stop the Steal” march. He has claimed that he was at the U.S. Capitol only to document and report it, telling federal agents he was an activist and journalist who filmed protests and riots, but admitted that he did not have any press credentials.
“Everything that came out of his mouth was a ploy,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebekah Lederer told jurors.
Of Sullivan’s own testimony, she said the only thing more offensive was his “request for you to believe it.”
“He came to engage in chaos,” Lederer told the courtroom.
The jury also saw multiple videos of Sullivan’s actions at the Capitol that day.
Federal prosecutors said that Sullivan was captured in one video from inside the Capitol on January 6, telling the crowd, “We gotta get this sh** burned.” Among other things, Sullivan is heard saying, “it’s our house mother***ers” and “we are getting this shi**” More footage showed Sullivan, who had a ballistic vest and gas masks, join a crowd trying to open doors to another part of the Capitol guarded by law enforcement officers. According to the indictment, Sullivan can be heard on the video telling other individuals in the crowd, “There’s officers at the door.”
Less than two minutes later, while officers are still at the doors and as others yell to break the glass windows in them with various objects, Sullivan, also known as Jayden X, can be heard saying, “Hey guys, I have a knife. I have a knife. Let me up,” according to federal prosecutors. However, Sullivan never made it to the door.
FEDS SEIZE $90K FROM SUPPOSED LEFT-WING ACTIVIST WHO SOLD FOOTAGE OF CAPITOL RIOT
“I was only observing,” Sullivan testified in court. “I followed the crowd. I’m there to document.”
“I don’t remember bringing a knife specifically,” he said of the video. “I’m not sure if that’s a knife.”
His defense lawyer, Steven Kiersh, categorized Sullivan’s remarks as “just words,” noting that he had not been in possession of any matches or lighter fluid.
“His intent was not to burn the place down,” Kiersh told jurors. “His intent was to film.”
Sullivan was arrested in Utah on January 14, 2021, and charged through a federal complaint with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and one count of interfering with law enforcement engaged in the lawful performance of their official duties incident to and during the commission of civil disorder.
Jurors were expected to start deliberating as soon as Thursday.
Prosecutors are also seeking the forfeiture of more than $90,000 that Sullivan made from selling video of the January 6 riot, WUSA reported.
Sullivan is said to have also attended Black Lives Matter and Proud Boys events in the past.
The indictment says that Sullivan was captured on video shared to YouTube in July 2020 – following the death of George Floyd – telling protesters over a microphone in Washington, D.C., “We need to burn this sh** down,” “We got to rip Trump out of office… f***ing pull him our of that sh**… we ain’t waiting until the next election…we’re about to go get that mother***er,” according to federal prosecutors. The indictment says that Sullivan is then seen leading the crowd in a chant of “It’s time for a revolution.”
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Joe Biden Still Believes Xi Is a ‘Dictator’; China Calls Comments ‘Irresponsible’
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Prestigious universities plagued by antisemitism receive billions in taxpayer-backed cash, analysis finds
Columbia and Stanford universities, which have been beset by antisemitic events on their campuses during Israel’s war with Hamas, received billions in taxpayer dollars in recent years, according to an analysis.
Critics have assailed universities in recent weeks over what they say is an inadequate response to the antisemitic events, prompting questions and concerns over federal funding going to such institutions.
OpenTheBooks, a government watchdog group, examined 10 top-tier universities’ federal funding and found that Columbia and Stanford sat atop the stack and acquired a staggering amount of cash supported by taxpayers.
“Regular people are asking why taxpayer money is flowing into any university where they’ve incubated discrimination, bigotry and antisemitism,” OpenTheBooks founder Adam Andrzejewski told Fox News Digital. “Let alone advocacy of terrorism against our closest ally in the Middle East. Public funding and discrimination of any type cannot be reconciled.”
The group found that Stanford acquired federal funds at a higher clip than the other elite universities over a five-year span. According to their analysis, the school received roughly $7 billion in taxpayer-backed cash between 2018 and 2022, including federal grants and contracts.
Columbia, meanwhile, obtained roughly $5.8 million in federal grants and contracts during the same period, the group said.
“In fiscal year 2022, Stanford received $1.6 billion in federal grants and contracts, while they charged $598 million in undergraduate student tuition,” Andrzejewski said. “It’s a similar picture at Columbia. The feds sent them $1.26 billion while student tuition amounted to $769 million.”
“These wealthy, elite universities get twice as much funding for acting as a federal contractor than an educator,” he added.
Overall, the 10 universities studied received $33 billion in federal grants and contracts over the five years. The group also analyzed the University of Pennsylvania, Yale, Harvard, Northwestern, Cornell, Princeton, Brown and Dartmouth.
“It’s time that Congress reconsiders the primary missions of these institutions,” Andrzejewski said. “These universities enjoy special nonprofit tax status while they stuff their endowments with tens of billions in private-sector donations and off-load the costs of their research on the American taxpayer.”
Not only do Columbia and Stanford sit atop the pile of federal cash in the analysis, but they also have been among those scrutinized over antisemitic occurrences on campuses.
Since Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 attack on Israeli citizens that left over 1,200 dead, Columbia’s campus has experienced walkouts and rallies along with verbal and written clashes between students and faculty.
The events included nearly two dozen student groups signing a letter “holding the Israeli occupation accountable for its actions and putting an end to the untenable status quo of Israel’s apartheid and colonial system.”
Additionally, two student organizations – Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace – were suspended from the university through the end of the fall term for violating university policies.
The school said the two student groups “repeatedly violated university policies related to holding campus events, culminating in an unauthorized event [last] Thursday afternoon that proceeded despite warnings and included threatening rhetoric and intimidation.”
On Wednesday, students and staff at the school protested the removal of the groups, Fox News Digital reported.
Meanwhile, a Columbia professor went viral for decrying the response by the school regarding antisemitic incidents. A Jewish student was also attacked with a stick after objecting to a woman tearing down posters of Hamas hostages.
Columbia did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Stanford, on the other hand, has also experienced antisemitic incidents on its campus while seeing its leaders come under the microscope.
NYC COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY FACULTY AND STUDENTS PROTEST SUSPENSION OF 2 FAR-LEFT GROUPS
Stanford President Richard Saller and Provost Jenny Martinez came under fire for initially failing to condemn Hamas in a letter responding to their terrorist attack. Their actions led to over 1,800 Stanford affiliates slamming them in a letter, the Stanford Daily reported in late October.
When contacted for comment, the university pointed Fox News Digital to statements the university released, including one from Martinez days after the student publication reported on the letter.
“I want to be unequivocally clear that Stanford stands against antisemitism and recognizes the deep historical roots of this form of hate and the ways in which Jewish students, faculty, and staff are affected by this historical legacy and its current manifestations,” Martinez said in the statement.
Furthermore, a Stanford instructor was also dismissed from the classroom after downplaying the Holocaust and singling out students “based on their backgrounds and identities,” CNN reported.
The rising antisemitic events on campuses – and many times, a lackluster response – have led to lawmakers such as House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., calling for tightening the taxpayer valve on those institutions.
“It is abhorrent that Harvard and universities across America are enabling horrific antisemitism to run rampant on their campuses,” Stefanik told Fox News Digital last week. “U.S. taxpayer dollars should be prohibited from funding any institution that promotes antisemitism or anti-Israel bigotry, and House Republicans will hold these extremist institutions accountable for failing their students.”
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George Santos faces calls to ‘resign immediately’ after damning ethics report
Embattled GOP Rep. George Santos of New York is facing calls to “resign” after the release of his damning ethics committee report.
The House Ethics Committee released its report on Santos on Thursday that accused him of having “used campaign funds for personal purposes” and “engaged in fraudulent conduct,” among other allegations.
Santos released a lengthy statement defending himself amid the release and calling for a constitutional convention under Article V.
HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE HEAD TO MOVE TO EXPEL GEORGE SANTOS AFTER RELEASE OF DAMNING REPORT
However, the embattled Republican congressman – who announced he would not be seeking re-election – is now facing calls to resign from both sides of the aisle.
New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler said in an X post Thursday that Santos should be “removed from Congress” if he does not resign.
“George Santos should end this farce and resign immediately,” Lawler said. “If he refuses, he must be removed from Congress.”
“His conduct is not only unbecoming and embarrassing, it is criminal,” Lawler said. “He is unfit to serve and if he had any dignity, he would resign today.”
“George Santos should resign,” Democrat New York Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted.
New York Democrat Rep. Ritchie Torres wrote: “George Santos, who illegally spent campaign funds on porn sites and Botox, has announced he is no longer seeking re-election.”
“I will be the sole surviving Jew-ish gay Latino Congressman from New York,” he added.
Santos’ office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The chairman of the House Ethics Committee will move to expel Santos from Congress after the release of a damning report into the embattled Long Island Republican.
“Chairman Guest feels that the evidence uncovered in the Committee’s investigation is more than sufficient to warrant punishment, and that the most appropriate punishment is expulsion,” Republican Mississippi Rep. Michael Guest’s personal office told Fox News Digital on Thursday.
“So, separate from the Committee process and his role as Chairman, he plans to file an expulsion resolution during tomorrow’s 9:00 a.m. pro forma session.”
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed reporting.
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Biden quips Newsom could ‘have the job I’m looking for’
President Biden late Wednesday quipped that California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) could have any job he wants, including potentially being president, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the governor’s much-discussed White House ambitions.
“I want to talk about Gov. Newsom. Want to thank him. He’s been one hell of a governor, man,” Biden said at a welcome reception in San Francisco at the Asian Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) summit.
“Matter of fact, he could be anything he wants. He could have the job I’m looking for,” Biden added, eliciting laughter in the room.
The California governor has widely been considered as a possible presidential contender, and some see him as a potential candidate come 2028. Newsom has repeatedly fended off speculation he could challenge Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2024.
Biden, who will turn 81 this month, has faced persistent questions about whether he is too old to run for a second term. Polls have consistently shown large percentages of Democrats would prefer a different nominee in 2024.
But Newsom and other would-be challengers have fallen in line in support of Biden’s 2024 bid, and the president is only facing long-shot primary challenges from Marianne Williamson and Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.).
Newsom has in recent weeks been outspoken in his support for Biden’s reelection bid, and he has directly attacked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who is running for the GOP’s 2024 nomination. Newsom is expected to debate DeSantis on Fox News this month.
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Dem Senate hopeful urges Biden to drop out of 2024 race amid party infighting over Gaza
FIRST ON FOX: A pro-Palestinian Democrat seeking to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate is calling for President Biden to drop out of the 2024 race for the White House, claiming his “handling of the Israel-Gaza conflict has thrown his Presidency into a tailspin.”
Nasser Beydoun, who declared in April his candidacy for the Michigan Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow, told Fox News Digital that Biden’s incessant support for Israel amid its war with Hamas terrorists has alienated a large portion of his base.
“As a Democratic Candidate for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, given the current environment, I can not support this president as my party’s nominee,” Beydoun, the former chairman and executive director of the Arab American Civil Rights League, said in a statement to Fox.
Biden’s willingness to support Israel’s efforts inside Gaza, Beydoun insisted, has resulted in the alienation and loss of “key voting blocks” that previously supported him in the 2020 presidential election.
“President Biden’s handling of the Israel-Gaza conflict has thrown his Presidency into a tailspin,” he said. “He has alienated not just Arab Americans but Muslims, Christians, Jews, and others in a way that far surpasses our sentiments following President Trump’s Muslim travel ban. These key voting blocks in swing states like mine overwhelmingly supported him in the last election and now find themselves politically homeless.”
“Joe Biden has blood on his hands, and we are disgusted by his support of rampant violence in Gaza,” Beydoun added.
Beydoun — who has donated thousands of dollars to Democrats in the past, including pro-Palestinian Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib — insisted that “every elected official has a job to represent the needs of their community” and that “Michiganders need a voice in Washington that listens to and understands their needs.”
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which Palestinian officials said last week had resulted in the deaths of more than 10,000 people in Gaza, has caused friction within the Democratic Party as several elected members call for a cease-fire.
Biden and other Western leaders have pushed back on calls for a cease-fire in Gaza, arguing it would only serve to benefit Hamas terrorists. Biden’s administration has instead pushed for humanitarian pauses in the fighting, which Israel has agreed to.
Earlier this week, 400 government officials from 40 departments and agencies within the Biden administration signed a letter opposing the president’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war and demanded a cease-fire.
BIDEN SAYS ISRAEL WILL STOP FIGHTING IN GAZA WHEN HAMAS ‘NO LONGER MAINTAINS THE CAPACITY TO MURDER’
Tuesday’s letter, first reported by the New York Times, includes officials from the State Department, White House, National Security Council and the Justice Department. The signatories of the letter remained anonymous to protect against professional retaliation.
“We call on President Biden to urgently demand a cease-fire; and to call for de-escalation of the current conflict by securing the immediate release of the Israeli hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinians; the restoration of water, fuel, electricity and other basic services; and the passage of adequate humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip,” the letter reads in part.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is also leading renewed calls for Biden to support a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas over the “grave violations” being committed against children in the war.
Along with 23 other progressive lawmakers, Ocasio-Cortez wrote to Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday asking for details on the U.S. plan to de-escalate tension in the region.
“We write to you to express deep concern about the intensifying war in Gaza, particularly grave violations against children, and our fear that without an immediate cessation of hostilities and the establishment of a robust bilateral ceasefire, this war will lead to a further loss of civilian life and risk dragging the United States into dangerous and unwise conflict with armed groups across the Middle East,” the progressive lawmakers noted in their letter.
The ongoing tension among Democrats over their support for Israel led to a protest Wednesday evening outside the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee as pro-Palestinian demonstrators grew violent while calling for an immediate cease-fire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
U.S. Capitol Police said about 150 people were “illegally and violently protesting” near the DNC headquarters building in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington.
Biden and his administration have remained steadfast in support of Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas. U.S. officials have strongly condemned the Oct. 7 terror attacks on Israel, in which Hamas terrorists infiltrated the Jewish state and massacred as many as 1,200 people, taking some 240 back to Gaza as hostages.
Israel has responded by bombarding Gaza with rocket fire and a ground invasion.
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
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House Committees Demand Hunter Biden’s Lawyer Sit for Questioning
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