A new court filing from ex-CNN host Don Lemon was filed Wednesday, alleging that a Department of Homeland Security officer lied under oath in a statement to the judge in his case. Lemon is included with several other journalists charged by the Department of Justice, which claims that Lemon and other reporters were protesting when they were filming at a Minnesota church where one of the pastors was coordinating with immigration agents. National security expert Marcy Wheeler noted that this is the second time the Justice Department has asked Judge Douglas Minko to accept a complaint from an ICE agent who watched the video of the church broadcast and testified to what was in it. According to Lemon's filing, the agent made false claims about the journalists joining in the chanting from protesters. "That sworn allegation about Mr. Lemon was false," the filing states. "The government did not produce the draft complaint affidavit until July 17, 2026. At the July 24 hearing, the government explained that it submitted the affidavit to the Court in late January, but the Court did not sign it. The government then 'took Chief Judge Schiltz's advice' and obtained a grand jury indictment on January 29, 2026. Thus, only two days before securing the indictment, the government submitted a complaint affidavit falsely alleging that Mr. Lemon and the other journalists joined in the chanting. The timing strongly suggests that the government presented the same false account of the journalists' conduct to the grand jury."On Friday, in a rare move, Judge Minko ordered that the Justice Department turn over all testimony and evidence presented to the grand jury at the time. Their specific request is to find whether this sworn statement and any others were used to secure a grand jury indictment.The proceedings for a grand jury are typically kept secret, but in recent events, judges have allowed that information to be released to the defense in trial courts. In a recent Chicago case, the Justice Department was found to have misled the grand jurors and even dismissed jurors that they felt wouldn't give them the indictment they sought. That case involved six political leaders and activists protesting outside of an ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois. The charges have been dropped and the accused have asked for a special counsel to investigate the incident. Judge Minko said that he wanted to examine the information himself first. However, Matthew Ebert, who represents freelance journalist Georga Fort, said that the government has made false claims about his client already, including in sworn affidavits, Minneapolis Public Radio reported last week. “The presumption of regularity has collapsed,” Ebert said.Justice Department prosecutor Neville Hedley told the judge that no false information in earlier documents made it into the indictment. That doesn't indicate whether the information was revealed to the grand jury to obtain the indictment, however. “These were not material falsehoods," Hedley said. “This was a mistake, this was a miscommunication.”The affidavit signed by DHS-ICE Special Agent Timothy Gerber reads, "Broadcast video obtained from Cities church also shows ARMSTRONG, ALLEN, LEMON, RICHARDSON, KELLY, FORT, LUNDY, CREWS chanting with agitators and obstructing parishioners' path of travel."Hedley didn't indicate what was "miscommunicated" in the claim. Lemon and his attorneys have alleged that the case against him and the journalists is "weak."
The Washington, D.C., Office of the Inspector General’s investigation into the Metropolitan Police Department’s crime reporting process found it experienced a “systemic breakdown” of its internal systems for crime classification and data reporting. The MPD has faced scrutiny for its crime reporting statistics, which has led to the Justice Department opening an investigation into the […]
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) erupted Wednesday at Anthony Fauci during an explosive Senate hearing, blurting out an expletive while accusing the former government health official of being guilty of grave “crimes.”Fauci was compelled to testify Wednesday before the Senate Homeland Security Committee to answer questions related to his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last weekend, portions of his personal diary were published, which a number of Republican senators seized on during the hearing.“It was about six years ago today that I decided I'm gonna give up my businesses, sell them all, run for office, run for the United States Senate. Here I am, sitting in front of you six years later saying who the f--- do you think you were for doing that?” a furious Moreno said before angrily waving his finger. “It is a total disgrace what you did to this country. There is no defense of what you did. You may have had a 50-plus year legacy of public service, but it ends in total and complete disgrace.”Moreno then asked Fauci, who throughout the meeting had declined to answer any questions and instead invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, if he had “the dignity” to apologize to people “he harmed” during the pandemic.Fauci again invoked the Fifth Amendment and declined to answer the question.“It's no secret why you have to hire the biggest dirtbag attorney on the planet because of what you did,” Moreno continued. “I hope you're paying him well, and I hope that one way or the other, somewhere, sometime, you answer for your crimes.”"Who the f**k do you think you were for doing that?"— Sen. @berniemoreno to Anthony Fauci pic.twitter.com/mjsf9vVVh9— Alexander Willis (@ReporterWillis) July 29, 2026
On Wednesday, a new CNN poll revealed that President Donald Trump’s approval rating has cratered to a record low among his most essential support group: white people. As Newsweek notes, this demographic “has long formed the backbone of his electoral coalition,” and the fact that he’s losing white voters reflects the massive scale of the public’s “growing dissatisfaction” with his performance. The poll found that Trump’s net approval among white voters has plunged to a historic low of -20, a major drop from the flat 0 net approval he held with white voters one year ago. What’s more, it showed that Trump’s overall approval rating has sunk to just 34 percent, matching the lowest point in his political career, which came just after the January 6th insurrection during the last days of his first term. But the new survey reveals that his standing is even worse than his previous low. While his approval rating is the same, his net approval is actually lower, falling to -32 points today versus the -28 he held just after J6. According to Newsweek, “The difference is driven by higher disapproval. In the latest July 2026 survey, 66 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump's performance, compared with 62 percent in January 2021, meaning more voters now hold a negative view of the president than they did in the immediate fallout from the 2021 riot." Growing dissatisfaction with Trump has been caused by a range of issues, most notably his poor handling of the economy and the disastrous war with Iran, as well as a variety of highly visible domestic follies, from his mishandling of the Epstein files release to anger over brutal immigration crackdowns to his obsession with vanity projects.The poll found that “a record-high 73 percent of Americans believe Trump has not paid enough attention to the country's most important problems, while just 27 percent said he has focused on the right priorities,” explains Newsweek. “Public frustration extended beyond policy disagreements. Around three-quarters of respondents said Trump is not in touch with the problems ordinary Americans face in their daily lives, while roughly two-thirds said he does not put the country's interests ahead of his personal gain. Only 27 percent described Trump as someone who understands the challenges facing ordinary Americans.”What’s more, “just 25 percent approved of his handling of inflation, while only 21 percent approved of his management of gas prices. Approval of his handling of the situation in Iran stood at 28 percent…Roughly two-thirds of Americans believe Trump's policies have worsened economic conditions and that his military decisions relating to Iran have hurt the United States.”
FIFA is facing backlash after announcing it will seek outside investors to fund a newly formed commercial arm that would control operations for future World Cup tournaments.The international organization is looking to raise $4.2 billion at a $20 billion valuation to fund a newly formed commercial arm called FIFA Forward Enterprise, and among the potential investors is Thrive Eternal, an investment vehicle launched by Joshua Kushner – brother of President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, reported CNN."So is the World Cup up for sale?" said CNN's Kate Bolduan. "FIFA is apparently looking for new investors, which is sparking these big new questions, and people are not happy about it."The plan has enraged UEFA, European soccer's governing body, which is holding an emergency meeting to discuss the proposal, including a possible World Cup boycott, according to multiple reports."This crosses a line that football's governing institutions should never cross," UEFA said in a statement, adding that "the soul and governance of football are not assets to trade" and warning there is "zero transparency as to who gains financially.""None of us are the owners of football," the statement added. "It is not FIFA's to sell."FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the plan as necessary for FIFA's "next stage of growth," saying it would create a dedicated commercial structure with value "shared more and better all around the world." Each of FIFA's 211 member federations could receive a roughly $20 million stake if they opt into the new subsidiary.The controversy adds to mounting political risk for Infantino, whose re-election bid could be complicated by his close relationship with Trump. House Judiciary Committee ranking Democrat Jamie Raskin (D-MD) has requested records from FIFA, including gifts given to Trump and visitor logs from FIFA's Miami headquarters and Trump Tower office.If Democrats win a House majority in November, they could gain subpoena power and potentially compel Infantino's testimony — with the election falling just two weeks before candidates must declare for FIFA's presidential vote next March.Raskin was pointed in his criticism of the investment plan, accusing FIFA of pursuing "a multibillion-dollar deal with Jared Kushner's brother to sell ownership stakes in the World Cup to private investors."Jared Kushner's own investment firm, Affinity Partners, has separately drawn congressional scrutiny for raising billions from foreign sovereign wealth funds while he leads U.S. diplomatic negotiations with those same governments.FIFA and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump holds the FIFA World Cup Trophy, as he makes an announcement on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as FIFA president Gianni Infantino stands next to him, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 22, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
Republicans have argued that the pre-emptive pardon Dr. Fauci received from former President Biden ought to preclude him from invoking the Fifth Amendment. But the pardon applies only to what happened before it was issued.
The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady for a fifth straight time Wednesday amid mounting pressure on the bank to stay ahead of another war-driven energy price shock. In a 9-3 decision, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) maintained its baseline interest rate at a range of 3.5 percent to 3.75 percent. It marked the…
