The week in whoppers: McIver's ICE blame, Abrams' egotistical fantasy and more
This assertion:
'ICE agents created an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation when they chose to arrest Mayor Baraka.' — Rep. LaMonica McIver, Monday
We say: BZZZZZ. Wrong: ICE agents did their jobs.
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It was Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Rep. McIver who created 'an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation' when they tried to storm the Delaney Hall detention center with a horde of protesters, leaving federal law-enforcement officers with no choice but to detain them.
And then McIver shoved and elbowed agents, which is why she's now facing felony charges for assaulting, resisting, and impeding federal officers. She has no one to blame but herself.
This boast:
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'[Republicans] are mad at me for proving that democracy can deliver.' — Stacey Abrams, Saturday
We say: Deliver what, exactly? Abrams' pathetic political career has included two failed runs for Georgia's governorship and . . . not much else.
She parlayed her baseless claims that the 2018 election was stolen from her into quasi-celeb status on the left; 'Star Trek: Discovery' eye-rollingly cast her as the far-future 'president of Earth.'
Greenie nonprofit Power Forward Communities apparently used its ties to her to win a $2 billion grant from the Biden administration.
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That Abrams has done zilch worth bragging about doesn't stop her from jumping in front of the camera to play up her empty record every chance she gets.
This statement:
'Our city was attacked by the governor of Texas.' — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Friday
We say: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott didn't force Chicago to become a sanctuary city.
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That decision was made by Chi-town's Democratic leaders, who only started acknowledging the border crisis once it came to their own backyard.
If anyone 'attacked' Mayor Johnson's city, it was President Biden, who allowed millions of illegal immigrants to overwhelm blue cities across the country, then ignored local pols' pleas for help.
Border states were drowning long before Abbott started shipping migrants elsewhere.
Johnson is just angry he had to experience some of the pain from his own party's toxic policies.
This advertisement:
'If Donald Trump doesn't want Andrew Cuomo as mayor, you do.' — Andrew Cuomo campaign ad, Wednesday
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We say: The spin of the century! The Justice Department launched an investigation into the former governor for allegedly lying to Congress about nursing-home deaths during COVID, and Cuo is trying to use it as campaign fodder.
He might as well say: Yes, my decisions killed a few grandmas, but have you thought about the fact that Trump doesn't like me? It's beyond ghoulish.
Cuomo's record — the toxic climate law, crime-exploding bail reform and horrific mismanagement of the pandemic — is so bad he's resorted to the most popular (and lazy) Democratic fallback: being the 'anti-Trump' candidate.
— Compiled by The Post Editorial Board
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Newsweek
3 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Does Melania Trump's $1B Lawsuit Threat Against Hunter Biden Have Merit?
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Legal analysts weighed in on whether first lady Melania Trump's billion-dollar defamation lawsuit threat against Hunter Biden has merit. Why It Matters Trump threatened to file a lawsuit against Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joe Biden, accusing him of making "false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statements" during an interview in which he claimed Jeffrey Epstein introduced her to her husband, President Donald Trump. If she follows through with that threat, the case could test the limits of defamation law involving high-profile individuals such as the first family. The Trump administration has been under scrutiny over its handling of a trove of documents and files related to Epstein, the disgraced financier who died by suicide in a New York federal jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking. There have long been rumors of an Epstein "client list," and Trump campaigned on greater transparency on the case. However, Trump's Justice Department has not released those files, fueling political backlash against him. What To Know Hunter Biden made those claims about Melania Trump during an interview with journalist Andrew Callaghan earlier this month, citing an article from The Daily Beast based on claims by Trump biographer Michael Wolff. The Daily Beast retracted that story after receiving a letter from the first lady's lawyer challenging its headline and framing. Melania Trump's lawyer, Alejandro Brito, sent the letter to Hunter Biden and his lawyer, Abbe Lowell, on August 6, 2025, reported Fox News Digital. He said Biden's comments are "extremely salacious and have been widely disseminated throughout various digital mediums." First lady Melania Trump attends the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 18, 2024. First lady Melania Trump attends the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 18, an interview with Callaghan on Thursday, Biden declined to apologize, saying, "F*** that. That's not going to happen." Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told Newsweek that in theory, Melania Trump has a "strong case against Hunter Biden" if his statement was indeed false. "As a public figure, the first lady would have to prove malice, that the younger Biden knew the statement was false or that he acted with reckless disregard for the truth. But if Epstein did not introduce the president and first lady, that would not be difficult to prove," Rahmani said. If the first lady files the lawsuit, Biden would likely raise First Amendment arguments, including that political speech receives strong free speech protections. Practically speaking, however, Rahmani said he does not believe Melania Trump will file. If she does, she and her lawyers may look for a quick settlement. "The president has been very litigious when it comes to these types of cases, but truth is an absolute defense to defamation. A civil complaint puts how Donald and Melania met and their relationship with Epstein, if any, at issue," Rahmani said. "That means the president and first lady would have to sit for a deposition and answer questions about Epstein. Hunter may dig in his heels and push the case to trial or the brink, like he did with his criminal cases." A trial about the Trumps and Epstein would be a "circus," and no one wants to be associated with Epstein, Rahmani said. However, former federal prosecutor Shanlon Wu said he believes Melania Trump does not have a strong case against Hunter Biden. "It's pretty tough for a public figure like a first lady to be able to claim defamation," Wu said. The case could also be difficult to prove because the statements originate from Wolff's book, he said. She would not only have to prove that the claim is false, but that Hunter Biden knew or should have known it was false. "It would be different if he was the only person starting this rumor or something, but given that there's been other people—it may be factually inaccurate, but there are other sources publicly available—it becomes more of a defamation suit based on the idea you're not allowed to reference other publicly reported stories," Wu said. He added that a defamation trial would not "be very helpful at all" to the scrutiny the Trump administration has faced over Epstein. What People Are Saying Melania Trump's lawyer, Alejandro Brito, wrote in his notice to Hunter Biden: "Failure to comply will leave Mrs. Trump with no choice but to pursue any and all legal rights and remedies available to her to recover the overwhelming financial and reputational harm that you have caused her to suffer." Hunter Biden said on Channel Five: "What I said was what I have heard and seen reported and written, primarily from Michael Wolff, but also dating back all the way to 2019 when The New York Times, I think, Annie Carney and Maggie Haberman reported that sources said that Jeffrey Epstein claimed to be the person to introduce Donald Trump to Melania at that time. "And then I think excerpted in a book that was published in Vanity Fair, and I think it's been repeated by journalists and authors since then. But the primary source was the interviews that Michael Wolff has been conducting, in which he has, actually, tapes of I think hours and hours of interviews with Jeffrey Epstein. So, you know, fact of the matter is that, you know, I don't think that these threats of a lawsuit add up to anything other than a design destruction because it's not about who introduced whom to who. I don't know how that in any way rises to the level of defamation to begin with." Nick Clemmens, an aide to Melania Trump, previously told Newsweek: "First lady Melania Trump's attorneys are actively ensuring immediate retractions and apologies by those who spread malicious, defamatory falsehoods. The true account of how the first lady met President Trump is in her best-selling book, Melania." What Happens Next Whether Melania Trump will end up filing the lawsuit against Hunter Biden is yet to be seen. If so, it would garner significant attention while testing the First Amendment and defamation law.
New York Post
4 minutes ago
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New York Post
4 minutes ago
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Long Island town's GOP majority shuts down Dem's motion to kill controversial ICE contract
The Town of Islip has doubled-down on its partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement — shutting down a motion by the lone Democratic board member to end the town's contract with the feds. Jorge Guadrón, the only Democrat on the Town's five-person board, proposed a motion to terminate the deal that allows ICE agents to use Islip's taxpayer-funded gun range as a training grounds — but no other board member seconded the motion, which killed the proposal before even getting to a vote. 'In the interest of safeguarding the mental integrity and well-being of the constituents of the town, the town board wishes to suspend the access to the rifle range for ICE,' Guadrón said in his motion. 3 The Town of Islip has shut down an effort by the town board's lone Democrat to end the partnership allowing ICE to train at a taxpayer-funded shooting range. Google/Stephen Wicelinski 3 Board member Jorge Guadrón proposed the motion to terminate the partnership with ICE — but no other members seconded it. islipny But when Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter asked if any other legislators supported the proposal — it was crickets — shutting down Guadrón's ask in the face of dozens of community members and activists who spoke for over two hours, mainly in support of the contract's termination. With the motion dead, ICE will get to keep training at the range until at least next June, when the contract is set to expire. After the long silence, chaos erupted and shouting broke out from many in the crowd, ending with activist Joshua Chan having to be dragged out by two cops after an emotional outburst to the motion failing. 'Angie, you're disgusting,' Chan screamed at the supervisor as he was being pulled away. Other crowd members started chanting 'shame,' while some approached the legislators and spoke their minds up close as they exited the Town Hall. But the GOP majority walked out of the meeting seemingly unfazed by the screams and insults being thrown at them. 3 ICE agents detain a person in Southhold, Long Island. WABC None of the members of the majority commented after the meeting, but later issued a joint statement. 'Those attempting to politicize this matter are unnecessarily causing more distrust of our law enforcement agencies, especially in communities that are already vulnerable and underreporting crimes,' Town of Islip officials wrote. Start your day with all you need to know Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters 'The safety and protection of all of our residents, despite race, religion or Country of origin — remains our utmost concern.' Guadrón defended his constituents' reaction and told reporters that the 'audience was beyond upset' with the 'the lack of human empathy' shown by the board. He added that he will continue speaking with fellow council members in hopes of ending the contract before next June and bringing the proposal back for a future vote.
