Stormy Daniels’ salacious affair story keeps changing because encounter never happened, Trump team claims
Trump defense attorneys on Thursday said Stormy Daniels’ story about an alleged sexual encounter with the former president keeps changing because the affair never happened. Defense attorney for former President Trump Susan Necheles led the continued cross-examination of Daniels Thursday, after her hours-long testimony on Tuesday that prompted the Trump team to motion for a mistrial, calling it “unnecessary” and “prejudicial.” The judge denied the motion. Necheles, during questioning, pointed to a statement Daniels signed in 2018 denying an encounter with Trump ever took place. Daniels said she did not write the statement, but signed it. TOP 5 MOMENTS OF TRUMP TRIAL AFTER ‘SALACIOUS’ STORMY DANIELS TESTIMONY Necheles pointed to another statement where Daniels denied having a sexual relationship with Trump. In part, the statement reads: “I’m denying this affair because it never happened.” Daniels claimed ex-Trump attorney Michael Cohen was pushing for her to sign the statement. Daniels denied ever requesting money from Trump. Facing pressure from Necheles, Daniels added, “I never asked for money from anyone in particular. I asked for money for telling my story… I was asking for money from publications to sell my story, to get the truth out.” Daniels admitted to selling the story for nearly $1 million, when she agreed to write her book, “Full Disclosure,” for $800,000. But she claimed she did not receive all that money. When asked about the book, Daniels said she detailed her life for readers beginning at the age of 2, but said she assumed people would read about Trump first. NY V TRUMP: JUDGE DENIES MOTION FOR MISTRIAL AMID STORMY DANIELS TESTIMONY When asked for specific details about the alleged sexual encounter in 2006 on the sidelines of a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Daniels appeared to tell a different story in court than when she first spoke about the incident, or in her book. “You told In Touch a completely different story,” Necheles said, which Daniels denied, adding there were just “parts in the middle I didn’t remember.” Daniels said In Touch “left out a lot of stuff because they couldn’t fact-check it.” The In Touch story was written in 2011, but wasn’t published until after the 2016 election. “You made it up,” Necheles said. Daniels replied: “No.” Daniels went on to discuss the bedroom where the alleged encounter took place, saying it was far away from the front door, and saying that she couldn’t leave the room because Trump’s bodyguard was allegedly outside the door. But Necheles reminded her that in yet another interview, with Vogue magazine, Daniels was quoted as saying there were no threats during the alleged encounter and she asserted nothing was holding her in the room. Necheles went on to ask Daniels if she knew or understood why Trump was indicted in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case, to which she said no, and added that he was “indicted for a lot of things.” NY V TRUMP: JUDGE THREATENS JAIL TIME FOR ‘POSSIBLY THE NEXT PRESIDENT’ FOR FUTURE GAG ORDER VIOLATIONS Necheles declared that Daniels’ story has changed so many times because she never had an affair with Trump but wanted to earn money. Under re-direct questioning from prosecutor Susan Hoffinger, Daniels testified that she entered the non-disclosure agreement, and took the $130,000 hush money payment for her own safety, after she testified Tuesday that she wanted to make money by selling her story about Trump. She added, “We’re all happy to take the money. It’s just a bonus.” Hoffinger also asked if fear was a reason Daniels entered into the NDA and “hiding in plain view.” Daniels said an attorney friend of hers told her that “if you’re out in the open, you’re safer.” Daniels sued Trump in 2018, claiming the non-disclosure agreement she signed wasn’t valid because it lacks Trump’s signature. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The charges stem from a years-long investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. The charges are related to alleged payments made ahead of the 2016 presidential election to silence Daniels about an alleged 2006 extramarital affair with Trump. Bragg must convince the jury that, not only did Trump falsify business records related to alleged hush money payments, he did so in furtherance of another crime – conspiracy to promote or prevent election, which would be a felony. On their own, falsifying business records and conspiracy to promote or prevent election are misdemeanor charges.
Red state AGs sue Biden admin to halt ‘radical transgender ideology’ threatening ‘safety of women and girls’
More than 20 red states are filing suit after the Biden administration’s recent Title IX changes that redefine sex and expand the definition of sex discrimination to include gender identity. “Joe Biden is once again perverting the law; this time to put a radical transgender ideology ahead of the safety of women and girls,” Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey told Fox News Digital on Thursday. Bailey said he takes the law “personally” as the father of a young daughter and that he’s “proud” to be leading a coalition of states opposing Biden’s “unconstitutional rewrite of Title IX.” Other states filing suit against the Education Department include: Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Montana, Tennessee, West Virginia, Louisiana, Indiana, South Carolina and Idaho. 6 STATES SUE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION OVER NEW TITLE IX PROTECTIONS FOR TRANS ATHLETES IN GIRLS’ SPORTS Several states in the last week – Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota and Oklahoma – joined the legal battle and filed two additional lawsuits. Up until Biden’s revision, the 1972 law promoted gender equality and allowed sex-segregated spaces like bathrooms and locker rooms. “The interpretation of the Biden administration is completely inconsistent with the statute and the way it’s been interpreted for decades,” Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said at a news conference announcing the suit alongside Bailey on Tuesday. “We have seen this coming for a while, and we are considering what options we have to stop this rule,” Griffin said, adding that it poses a threat to the First Amendment by compelling people to “speak in a particular way or risk a sort of harassment charge.” GOP SENATOR LEADS CHARGE TO RECOGNIZE ‘AMERICAN GIRLS IN SPORTS DAY’ AMID BIDEN’S TITLE IX OVERHAUL Meanwhile, other red states like Florida are encouraging institutions not to comply with the new regulations. “Florida rejects Joe Biden’s attempt to rewrite Title IX,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a video posted to X. “We will not comply, and we will fight back.” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced in a letter to the White House last month that his state will not implement the changes either. “Title IX was written by Congress to support the advancement of women academically and athletically,” the letter states. “The law was based on the fundamental premise that there are only two sexes – male and female. You have rewritten Title IX to force schools to treat boys as if they were girls and to accept every student’s self-declared gender identity.” Other conservative lawmakers, like Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, said fellow Republican officials refusing to abide by the Biden administration’s revisions to Title IX “undermines the rule of law” and instead encouraged GOP states to fight back using the courts. “I don’t think it’s ever a good idea to skip the legal process,” Skrmetti told Fox News Digital last week. The new rules revised the ways in which sexual harassment and assault claims are adjudicated on campus. RILEY GAINES SLAMS NEW TITLE IX PROTECTIONS AS ‘MOST ANTI-WOMAN’ PURSUIT OF BIDEN ADMINISTRATION Under the revision, sex discrimination includes discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. Schools are prohibited from separating people based on their biological sex, except in limited circumstances, under the provisions. Critics say the change will permit transgender people in locker rooms and bathrooms that contradict the sex appearing on their birth certificate. LGBTQ+ students who face the new standards of “discrimination” will be entitled to a response from their school under Title IX, and those failed by their schools can seek recourse from the federal government. Missing from the new rule, however, is a policy forbidding schools from enacting outright bans on transgender athletes competing against biological females. Fox News’ Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.
Two political consultants plead guilty in Henry Cuellar bribery case
The Laredo Democrat faces federal charges of bribery, money laundering and working on behalf of a foreign government.
NYC sued for denying in vitro fertilization coverage to gay male employees
New York City is facing a lawsuit from a gay male employee who argues that the city’s policy of only providing in vitro fertilization coverage to women is discriminatory. The Thursday lawsuit was filed by former assistant district attorney Corey Briskin and his husband, who say they had to put off plans for IVF due to the lack of financial support. City policy currently only covers IVF procedures in cases where the employee or their partner are infertile. The lawsuit comes as the New York City Council is considering legislation that would change the city’s rules, mandating IVF coverage for all employees regardless of marital status or sexual orientation, Reuters reported. FOLLOWING IVF RULING, BIDEN TO SEND HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY TO VISIT ALABAMA “No court has yet opined on the issue of whether gay men can be denied IVF benefits given to other employees,” Peter Romer-Friedman, a lawyer for Briskin and his husband, told the outlet. ALABAMA PROVIDERS SUSPEND IVF TREATMENTS AFTER STATE COURT’S RULING AS FERTILITY EXPERTS WEIGH IN The lawsuit claims that withholding IVF coverage violates the city’s guarantees against discrimination based on sexual orientation as well as the equal rights and due process protections in the U.S. Constitution. IVF issues have been thrust into the spotlight in recent months thanks to questions about how the practice interacts with some abortion restrictions. An Alabama Supreme Court ruling caused three state fertility clinics to stop offering IVF services. The Alabama ruling prompted a wave of national Republicans to come out in support of IVF, while some conservatives said it is an issue best left to individual states. ALABAMA HOUSE, SENATE PASS PROTECTIONS FOR IVF AFTER COURT RULING Democrats, however, have used the ruling as a political cudgel against the right, claiming that Republicans would crack down on IVF access and reproductive health measures nationwide – an attack that those on the right have denied. Just one cycle of IVF treatment could cost between $15,000 and $30,000, depending on the clinic and a person’s medical history. Briskin and other gay male employees would only be able to access IVF through surrogacy.
Furious Republicans accuse Biden of caving to anti-Israel protesters as ‘Squad’ Dems claim victory on Rafah
President Biden’s threat to halt offensive weapons shipments to Israel is prompting a wave of backlash among the House GOP, as progressive Democrats take a victory lap to celebrate the move. Republican lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital accused Biden of caving to pressure brought on by widespread anti-Israel demonstrations across the U.S. Leftists, meanwhile, praised student activists protesting on college campuses, and encouraged them to keep going even as tensions at some of these events have already erupted in conflict between police and protesters. “First it was using Hoosier tax dollars to cancel student loans, now he’s bowing to the demands of Little Gazas on Ivy League campuses,” Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital. “It’s very clear Biden cares more about blue-haired gender studies majors than he does farmers, police officers, truckers, or the millions of other Americans who work hard to make our country great.” LIVE UPDATES: ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS AT US COLLEGE CAMPUSES Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., suggested to Fox News Digital that the president was motivated by threats to his re-election bid from the progressive left. “Joe Biden is putting his fear of a hundred thousand progressives in Michigan ahead of the security of the U.S. and Israel. This is politics at its worst and sends a disgraceful message to our allies,” Waltz said. Biden’s announcement also caught heat from House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, who called it a “dangerous mistake.” “This shortsighted move will call into question U.S. reliability around the world,” he said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital by the committee. BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION INVESTIGATING EMORY UNIVERSITY FOR ALLEGED ANTI-MUSLIM DISCRIMINATION And the No. 4 House Republican, GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said: “Joe Biden is prioritizing appeasing the pro-Hamas base of the Democrat Party over returning American and Israeli hostages and supporting Israel’s right to exist.” On the other side of the aisle, members of the far-left “Squad” suggested Biden’s harsher stance on Israel was due in part to the campus protests. “This is what young people across the country were protesting for and finally the needle has moved in a significant way. I hope we see more progress, but don’t ever let people tell you that your voices are meaningless and your actions are worthless. The arc of what is possible is always within us to bend,” Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., wrote on X, formerly Twitter, along with a portion of Biden’s CNN interview warning Israel not to invade Rafah. UCLA FINALLY ASKS FOR FBI HELP — BUT TO INVESTIGATE PRO-ISRAEL SUPPORTERS Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., said on X, “We have to keep standing for what is right. Organizing is working. Protesting is working.” The college protests here have garnered bipartisan criticism from virtually all Republicans and a significant number of Democrats, but progressives have continued to show strong support for the students and other activists on campus. Comments by Omar, for example, referring to some Jewish students as “pro-genocide,” have earned her a GOP-led censure resolution, filed by Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., on Tuesday. She made the remarks during a recent visit to Columbia University’s anti-Israel encampment.
Biden’s threat to withhold weapons from Israel shows he ‘favors a Hamas victory,’ Republicans argue
Republican senators on Capitol Hill accused President Biden on Thursday of favoring a “Hamas victory over Israel” and being a “propaganda tool” for the Palestinian terrorist group after he vowed to withhold weapons from Israel if it follows through with an invasion of Rafah. Biden, during an interview with CNN released Wednesday, said “Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs” and that he has made clear to Israel “if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities — that deal with that problem.” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said Thursday during a news conference that “Hamas’ leaders and its last four battalions are holed up in Rafah” and that “Israel has to defeat Hamas in Rafah to win.” “Hamas wins if it survives in Rafah. And Joe Biden has threatened to withhold weapons from Israel for fighting in Rafah,” Cotton continued. “Therefore, Joe Biden objectively favors a Hamas victory over Israel. It’s just that simple. ‘NO CHOICE’ BUT TO IMPEACH BIDEN OVER DELAYED ISRAEL AID, GOP SENATOR SAYS “The president is only emboldening Hamas,” Cotton continued. “Why would Hamas release hostages when Joe Biden will give Hamas exactly what it wants: survival without releasing hostages?” Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, called Biden a “tool” for his comments. “He is a tool. In this case, he’s a propaganda tool. But Hamas is using him and he is allowing it and he is turning his back on Israel,” she said. Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, also described the unfolding situation as “not helpful to the national security of the United States.” MANY ISRAELIS FEEL ‘BETRAYED’ FOLLOWING BIDEN THREAT TO WITHHOLD ARMS TO DEFEAT HAMAS IN RAFAH “Congress passed funding, the administration allowed these weapons sales. Myself and the other three members of Congress who closely look at these sales and take that obligation seriously, all signed off on it,” he said. “And now in the heat of battle, this administration is saying we’re going to pull this back. This is unprecedented. It’s going to be watched by our enemies. It’s going to be watched by our allies.” The news conference was organized by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who wrote on X that he wanted to discuss “a resolution that condemns any action by the Biden administration to withhold or restrict weapons for Israel.” The White House did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. “This is all about President Biden and [Secretary of Defense] Lloyd Austin trying to take over the war from Israel,” Graham said Thursday. “I got one message for Israel: Don’t let them do it.”
Dems push Biden on amnesty for illegals before possible Trump victory
Democratic lawmakers are pushing President Biden to grant amnesty to undocumented migrants before they can be deported by a potential future Trump administration. “We urge your Administration to take all available actions to streamline pathways to lawful status for undocumented immigrants, providing certainty to the American businesses, communities, and families who rely on them,” reads a letter to Biden on Wednesday that was signed by over 80 lawmakers. The letter comes as the White House has continued to fight the ongoing border crisis, which has seen over 7 million illegal immigrants cross the border with the U.S. since Biden took office in 2021. GOP BILL ADDING CITIZENSHIP QUESTION TO 2030 CENSUS PASSES HOUSE WITHOUT A SINGLE DEMOCRAT While the administration has promised steps aimed at stemming the flow, the more than 80 lawmakers in the letter urged the president to instead look forward and hedge against the potential of a victory for former President Trump in November’s election, arguing the president needs to take concrete steps to protect the legal status of millions of undocumented migrants. “Deporting all such individuals — as former President Donald Trump has threatened to do if reelected — would devastate the American economy and destroy American families,” the letter reads. “Alternatively, streamlining pathways for undocumented immigrants with no criminal history and deep ties to the United States to obtain parole or a lawful immigration status would provide stability to their families, require them to pay taxes, and to check in with the U.S. government regularly.” Among the steps the president should take is a streamlining of the process DACA recipients, those who entered the country illegally as children, can use to update their legal status, the lawmakers argue. Other steps include permitting the spouses of Americans to work while green card applications are pending and creating a process to grant parole to the undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens. SANCTUARY CITY POLICE ARREST OVER 1K MIGRANTS FROM THIS COUNTRY AS RESIDENTS RAGE AGAINST DEM LEADERS Trump has promised to deport millions of undocumented migrants if he regains the presidency next year, going so far as to say he would use the National Guard to help carry out the massive operation. “If I thought things were getting out of control, I would have no problem using the military,” the former president said in an interview with Time magazine last month. “We have to have safety in our country. We have to have law and order in our country. And whichever gets us there, but I think the National Guard will do the job.” The possibility of another Trump term has seemingly become more realistic in recent months, with a Wall Street Journal poll last month showing the former president with a lead in six out of the seven key battleground states. Trump held a lead over Biden in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina, the poll found, with only Wisconsin, where the president held a three-point lead, being the only outlier. That possibility has some lawmakers pushing the president for action now, with the letter concluding that doing so would “provide much needed relief for undocumented immigrants and the American businesses, families, and communities that rely upon them.” Neither the White House nor the Biden campaign immediately responded to Fox News Digital requests for comment.
GOP AG launches new probe into communications from DOJ and Trump prosecutors
FIRST ON FOX: A Republican state attorney general is probing the Biden Justice Department for documents related to any communications with prosecutors connected to the indictments of former President Donald Trump. In a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed Thursday, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey asked the DOJ to hand over “activity and/or communications between Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Special Prosecutor Jack Smith or Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis related to the investigation or prosecution” of the former president. “The investigations and subsequent prosecutions of former President Donald J. Trump appear to have been conducted in coordination with the United States Department of Justice,” Bailey alleges, adding that he believes that allegation is demonstrated in part by the move of the third-highest ranking DOJ official, Matthew Colangelo, to the Manhattan DA’s office to help prosecute the criminal case, N.Y. v. Trump. That unprecedented criminal trial of the former president and presumptive GOP nominee for the 2024 presidential election entered its 14th day of witness testimony on Thursday. BRAGG PROSECUTOR LEADING STORMY DANIELS QUESTIONING IN TRUMP TRIAL DONATED TO BIDEN, DEMOCRATS In addition, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg worked alongside New York Attorney General Letitia James in pursuing civil litigation against Trump, using that experience as a springboard from which to campaign for his current position, Bailey notes. “During that campaign, Bragg promised ‘if elected, [he] would go after Trump.’ Once he won election, he pledged ‘to personally focus on the high-profile probe into former President Donald Trump’s business practices,’” Bailey states. NY V. TRUMP: HOUSE JUDICIARY INVESTIGATES BRAGG PROSECUTOR WHO HELD SENIOR ROLE IN BIDEN DOJ Bailey argues that Bragg’s decision to bring the prosecution “despite its transparent weakness has nonetheless had the effect of keeping former President Trump off the campaign trail, which President Biden has bragged about.” He cites a post on X from the official Biden-Harris campaign on April 24, which says, “While Trump is stuck in court, President Biden is keeping a very robust schedule of campaign events. He’s been to Pennsylvania to talk about the economy, Virginia to talk about clean energy, and Florida to talk about abortion.” TRUMP RAILS AGAINST MANHATTAN DA BRAGG, SAYS ‘NUMEROUS OTHER AGENCIES’ DIDN’T PUSH CASE “Given the timing (Bragg charged Trump only after Trump declared his candidacy for President), the transparent weakness of the charges, and the effect the charges have in keeping Trump off the campaign trail, there is substantial reason to suspect the Biden administration has coordinated with Bragg and others to bring prosecutions against Trump,” Bailey claims. Bailey asked for all communications including documents, calendar appointments, meeting minutes and agendas related to Colangelo’s move to Bragg’s office. He also asked for all similar communications between DOJ and the offices of Bragg, New York Attorney General Leticia James and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The Department of Justice declined to comment.
Hundreds of migrants evading Border Patrol agents daily are from this foreign adversary
Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants have evaded Border Patrol so far this fiscal year, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources, with hundreds getting into the United States each day. Sources told Fox that there have been 175,000 “known getaways,” meaning illegal immigrants who have evaded Border Patrol agents but have been picked up by other forms of surveillance but not apprehended, since the fiscal year began in October. That means there have been an average of nearly 800 gotaways each day at the border. MASSIVE NUMBER OF MIGRANTS FROM THIS FOREIGN ADVERSARY ARE ILLEGALLY ENTERING US Officials have regularly expressed concern about the numbers crossing without being encountered, even though it is a relatively small number compared to the more than 1.3 million migrants encountered this fiscal year. “That number is a large number, but what’s keeping me up at night is the 140,000 known gotaways,” Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens told CBS News in March, when numbers were lower. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS Meanwhile, officials have encountered more than 1,200 Chinese illegal immigrants in the first eight days of May, averaging more than 150 a day. The vast majority have been encountered in the San Diego Sector. The San Diego Sector saw more than 200 encounters in two separate days last week. On Thursday, agents encountered 223 migrants, after encountering 262 on Wednesday. BORDER PATROL SECTOR STOPS HUNDREDS OF CHINESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN JUST TWO DAYS AS NUMBERS SOAR Overall, across the border, numbers of Chinese nationals have increased dramatically since FY 2021. There were 1,970 encounters in FY 2022, over 24,000 in FY 2023 and so far there have been over 24,200 encounters this fiscal year. Some Republicans have raised concern about the possibility of espionage from those coming across the border. Recently, House Republicans warned that the Chinese Communist Party “wants the chaos and devastation” that comes from fentanyl coming into the U.S. Illicit fentanyl is primarily made using Chinese precursors by Mexican cartels and then moved across the southern land border. Last month, a Chinese illegal immigrant was detained in California after entering a Marine Corps base without authorization and ignoring orders to leave. Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
‘No relevant evidence given to Canada’: MEA after 3 Indians arrested in Nijjar Killing
MEA spokesperson said that they have not received any request from the Canadian side for the same as those arrested have not asked for consular access yet.