Trump's latest legal victory

USA Today

9 hours ago

Hi! Rebecca Morin here. Breaking: President Donald Trump said he plans to join law enforcement on the streets of Washington D.C. on Thursday night amid his federal takeover of the city.
Trump's civil fraud court loss thrown out
President Donald Trump just got another personal legal victory. The $454 million penalty imposed against Trump in his New York civil fraud case has been thrown out by an appeals court. In a Thursday ruling, the five-judge Manhattan-based appeals court determined the penalty was improper. Some members of the panel said that the penalty violated the U.S. Constitution's prohibition on excessive fines. Others said Trump should get a new trial due to errors in the trial judge's determinations.
Why was Trump facing a penalty? Trump and some of his entities were hit with that hefty penalty, plus interest, in February 2024, after New York trial Judge Arthur Engoron concluded that Trump had inflated the value of his assets for years to get better loan and insurance terms. Engoron also imposed about $10 million in separate penalties against Trump's eldest sons, Eric and Don Jr., and former Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg. Why Trump claimed 'TOTAL VICTORY' after the appeals court decision.
A look at Trump's holdings: Trump has bought more than $100 million in company, state and municipal bonds since taking office in January, according to government disclosures about the billionaire's holdings posted online Tuesday. Trump and his family have no involvement in directing or influencing what to buy or sell, which are decisions made by a third-party investment manager, according to a White House source familiar with the report. The Office of Government Ethics certified the report in compliance with legal requirements, the source said. See which bonds the president bought.
A politics pit stop
A new Texas voting map
It could be as early as Thursday when Texas Republicans fully pass a new state congressional map intended to flip five Democratic-held U.S. House seats up for grabs in the 2026 elections. Republican legislators in the state House passed the map in an 88-52 vote on Wednesday. Earlier this month, dozens of Democratic lawmakers ended a two-week walkout, temporarily delaying the bill's passage. The map will now go to the Senate, where it is set to pass, and then head to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's desk. Texas undertook a rare mid-decade redistricting to help Trump improve their party's odds of holding a narrow U.S. House majority amid political turmoil. How the new map will set off a 'redistricting arms race.'
A pause on White House tours
If you were coming to Washington in the fall and hoping to get a tour of the White House, you're out of luck. The White House has suspended popular public tours of the historic building starting Sept. 1 during Trump's planned construction of a new ballroom. The White House hasn't announced how long the hiatus in tours will last. But lawmakers who arrange tours for their constituents – subject to White House approval – are warning that none are expected for the indefinite future. What to know about Trump's ballroom project.
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