Are FBI, sheriff avoiding responsibility for mistakes in Guthrie case?

Retired FBI agent Steve Moore explains why the case is still being investigated as a kidnapping for ransom.

Judge orders E. Jean Carroll be paid $5.8M in Trump abuse case

Judge Lewis A. Kaplan issued an order that says the money can be paid to Carroll, along with interest that has grown since the verdict.

Judge orders release of more than $5 million due to E. Jean Carroll in Trump sex abuse, defamation case

The damages were awarded to Carroll, a writer, by a 2023 jury in a civil sexual abuse and defamation case.

Trump files last-minute bid to prevent $5M payout to Carroll

President Trump’s attorneys have mounted a last-minute bid to pause the payment of a more than $5 million judgment owed to writer E. Jean Carroll over two years after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation. Trump’s attorneys urged District Judge Lewis Kaplan on Tuesday to deny Caroll’s motion to disburse the…

Kentucky governor demands official update on McConnell health

The governor of Kentucky is asking that Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reveal specifics about his health amid rumors from the right and left that the former GOP leader could be on life support. In the letter, Gov. Andy Beshear (D-Ky.) wrote: "Over the last several weeks, Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the current state of your health and well-being, and ability to hold office in the United States. As Governor, I request that you fully update Kentuckians regarding the current status of your health. As public officeholders, we have made a commitment to our constituents to do our best to represent them and always be transparent. I believe this requires clear communication about one's ability to serve. We wish you a safe and speedy recovery."McConnell has been in a Washington hospital for three weeks after a 911 call revealed CPR was being performed.Former aide Scott Jennings, who is now a pundit on CNN, said that he spoke with McConnell for about 20 minutes: "I spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior Senator from Kentucky. He’s still recovering in the hospital. We talked for just shy of 20 minutes … about IRAN, UKRAINE, the unfolding situation in MAINE, my visit to the TR Presidential Library, and even a little bit of Senate history. I told him we want to see him back at work as soon as possible."Jennings was then mocked and questioned about the legitimacy of his comments. Rep. Tom Massie (R-Ky.) went so far as to outright mock Jennings, saying, "I spoke to McConnell for about 20 minutes this morning. He said we should end the war with Iran, quit giving aid to Israel, stop spying on Americans without a warrant, and he’s really sorry about how my primary turned out."The issue is coming to a head after several incidents in which McConnell appeared to freeze on camera, rattling his colleagues and the press. Meanwhile, the GOP is dealing with one of its own members who was institutionalized for over three months and didn't reveal to his district, citizens or the Republican Party leadership in the House. His district is an extremely competitive one, so a member missing in action remains a problem for Republicans, as Democrats campaign for his seat. Given the 100 votes he missed, Kean can't use his record to justify his reelection. McConnell, by contrast, isn't running for reelection. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said on Tuesday that none of the U.S. Senate appears to know what's going on and they haven't spoken out 'Because they are ALL in on it together."The conservative Washington Examiner commented that this could test Kentucky's office vacancy laws. “There’s a wrinkle,” University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law associate dean Josh Douglas told Newsweek.“The Kentucky Constitution, in Section 152, says the Governor appoints when there is a vacancy in a statewide office,” Douglas added. “Yet the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says essentially that there should be an election but that the legislature can give the Governor the ability to make a temporary appointment.”

Morning Minute: And Iran...

CNN fooled by fake GOP lawmaker claiming he spoke to McConnell for '45 minutes'

On Wednesday, while reporting on responses to the mystery surrounding Senator Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) health, CNN got duped, citing a post from a fake Republican lawmaker.During a morning panel segment discussing McConnell’s hospitalization, Inside Politics ran a graphic displaying four online statements from figures who had claimed to have spoken with the senator, who has been missing from the public eye for weeks amidst rumors that he may be brain dead. Among them was a post by one Rep. Jack Kimble, which read, “I spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior Senator from Kentucky. He’s still recovering in the hospital. We talked for just shy of 45 minutes.”The only problem: Kimble isn’t real. While his X profile asserts he is the “Republican Representing CA's 54th Dist. & co-sponsor of Poe's Law,” and that his novel “Detective Jesus #1: Thou Shalt Not Kill is out on Amazon,” the whole thing is satire. “Kimble’s” account posts regularly, parodying a MAGA perspective with wry humor that often skewers the movement’s hypocrisy and nonsense. About Trump’s recent World Cup red card debacle, for example, Kimble posted, “Donald Trump had no choice but to get Balogun reinstated. He’s a birthright citizen and The Supreme Court just ruled we can’t take away their citizenship or give them red cards. Blame the liberal judges.” Or when taunting MAGA outrage toward Bruce Springsteen, he declared, “It always shocked me that Bruce Springsteen was too dumb to understand the meaning of his own song.”His CNN-cited post regarding McConnell was in response to a meme that cropped up after a handful of conservative figures claimed to have spoken with the Senator for “20 minutes,” prompting a wave of tongue-in-cheek posts about chatting up the hospitalized lawmaker. Kimble’s post continued beyond what CNN referenced, claiming, “He's so sharp. Just like always he let me do all of the talking. He's a great listener. After that we prayed silently for awhile and had a staring contest. Just like always, he beat me. I told him we want to see him back at work as soon as possible.” CNN displayed the first part of his post alongside statements by CNN host Scott Jennings, a spokesperson of Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), and a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).The Kimble account caught the reference, responding, “CNN’s extreme leftwing bias exposed.”

Investors now think new Fed Chairman Warsh will hike rates before midterm elections

Wall Street is now betting that Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh will hike interest rates at some point before the midterm elections, a development that could vex President Donald Trump after months of him agitating for lower rates. Warsh, 56, assumed the chairmanship at a difficult moment for the central bank. Inflation is still far […]