Ex-prosecutor explains what Epstein docs could get released
President Donald Trump has asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to unseal pertinent testimony related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, as he appeared to bow to pressure to release more material on the case. CNN's Elie Honig explains what documents could get released.
01:20 - Source: CNN
Vertical Politics of the Day 16 videos
Ex-prosecutor explains what Epstein docs could get released
President Donald Trump has asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to unseal pertinent testimony related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, as he appeared to bow to pressure to release more material on the case. CNN's Elie Honig explains what documents could get released.
01:20 - Source: CNN
Democrats walk out before vote for controversial Trump nominee
Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans voted on Thursday to advance the nomination of Emil Bove, President Donald Trump's former personal attorney, to a federal judgeship, over the loud protests of Democrats.
01:42 - Source: CNN
Trump's 'Manosphere' problems
Influential podcasters with large audiences of millennial and Gen Z men helped propel President Donald Trump to victory in 2024. Now some of those same voices are sharing criticisms of the current administration. CNN's Steve Contorno breaks it down.
01:56 - Source: CNN
Trump DOJ fires federal prosecutor in Epstein case
Maurene Comey, a federal prosecutor in the case against accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, has been fired from her job in the Southern District of New York, according to people familiar with the situation.
01:56 - Source: CNN
Bernie Sanders calls Trump's GOP 'cult of the individual'
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) tells CNN's Anderson Cooper that Republicans developed an almost Stalinist-type devotion to President Donald Trump.
00:45 - Source: CNN
This Native American senator brings Oklahoma ranch style to Washington
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) gives CNN's Dana Bash a tour of his Capitol office, which showcases his Cherokee heritage and rancher lifestyle.
02:35 - Source: CNN
Ex-Trump business associate on Trump's friendship with Epstein
CNN's Erin Burnett speaks with former Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino COO Jack O'Donnell about one of President Trump's previous interactions with Jeffrey Epstein.
02:27 - Source: CNN
Fearing ICE crackdown, this family self-deports
Fearing increased immigration enforcement, undocumented immigrant Julio Mendoza and his American wife, Sasha, made the difficult decision to self-deport to Mexico with their three children, all of whom are US Citizens. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez reports.
01:35 - Source: CNN
How Trump's image is changing inside Russia
Once hailed as a pro-Kremlin figure, President Donald Trump's image is changing inside Russia. It comes after Trump vowed further sanctions on the country if a peace agreement with Ukraine is not reached in 50 days. CNN's Chief Global Affairs Correspondent is on the ground in Moscow with the analysis.
01:41 - Source: CNN
Rep. Jasmine Crockett responds to Trump saying she should take IQ test
CNN's Laura Coates speaks with Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) about President Donald Trump's comments that she and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should take an IQ test.
01:05 - Source: CNN
Trump says interest in Epstein files is 'pretty boring stuff'
President Donald Trump said he doesn't understand his supporters' continued interest in the Epstein files, calling it "boring," while also reiterating his call for anything 'credible' to be released.
00:56 - Source: CNN
Trump's fight with MAGA base over Epstein explained
President Trump is at odds with some of his own supporters over after his Attorney General Pam Bondi declined to release more documents from the Jeffrey Epstein case. CNN's Erin Burnett explains the feud inside Trump's MAGA movement.
02:20 - Source: CNN
Supreme Court ruling will allow mass firings of Education Department employees
The Supreme Court on Monday said President Donald Trump may proceed with his plan to carry out mass layoffs at the Department of Education in the latest win for the White House at the conservative high court. CNN's Sunlen Serfaty reports.
01:34 - Source: CNN
Trump demands Russia reach peace deal within 50 days
President Donald Trump made several announcements on Monday aligning him more firmly with Ukraine's defense against Russia's invasion than ever before. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh breaks down the two main developments that could drastically impact the ongoing war.
01:34 - Source: CNN
MTG warns of 'big' blowback in MAGA world over handling of Epstein case
CNN's Manu Raju spoke with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) who is demanding "transparency" from President Donald Trump's administration when it comes to information related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and warned that the issue could stoke "significant" blowback from the right wing of the party.
01:04 - Source: CNN
MAGA faithful weigh in on Epstein files debate
At a conservative conference in Florida, Trump supporters share their views on the Epstein files fallout with CNN's Donie O'Sullivan.
01:40 - Source: CNN
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Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The Difference Between Gerrymandering and Redistricting
Organizations and individuals gather outside the Supreme Court as gerrymandering cases are argued on Tuesday, March 26, 2019. Credit - Aurora Samperio—Getty Images Texas Republicans are poised to consider new districts in a special session after President Donald Trump called for the state to redraw its congressional map to allow for the GOP to pick up seats in the midterm elections in 2026. Trump told reporters that there are several states in which he believes Republicans can redraw districts in order to pick up seats in Congress and keep a narrow majority. 'Texas would be the biggest one,' he said on July 16. 'Just a very simple redrawing, we pick up five seats.' Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott put redistricting on his special session agenda for Monday. The issue is firmly on the minds of Texas Republicans and Democrats, alike. Abbott said his decision was in light of a letter he received from the Department of Justice earlier this month. The letter alleges that four of the current districts were racial gerrymanders that violate the Constitution's 14th Amendment, thus opening the door for redistricting as a whole to be decided. Typically, states redraw their congressional district maps every ten years to accommodate shifts in population. But in many states, lawmakers have taken to changing the lines whenever they see it as politically advantageous to help their party gain an advantage." The fact that Trump and Texas Republicans are currently weighing their options of redistricting in the middle of a decade is non-traditional, but not completely unheard of. But the move has, unsurprisingly, raised concerns and discussions about gerrymandering. Read More: To End Gerrymandering, Change How We Elect Congress California Gov. Gavin Newsom of the Democratic Party has vowed to retaliate by redistricting his own state's 52 seats to pick up more Democratic representation. 'Trump said he's going to steal five Congressional seats in Texas and gerrymander his way into a 2026 win. Well, two can play that game,' Newsom said via X on July 15. 'Special sessions. Special elections. Ballot initiatives. New laws. It's all on the table when democracy is on the line.' Beyond any potential retaliation, Republicans risk a lot in redistricting, says Jay Dow, a professor of political science at the University of Missouri. 'If you cut [the margins] too thin, you can really put your own party in danger,' Dow notes. 'If you make those margins too thin and you have a bad year, you can end up losing four or five seats instead of gaining them.' This can be referred to as a 'dummymander.' Ismar Volić, a professor at Wellesley College who has done research on how mathematics can equalize redistricting, argues that Trump's attitude towards redistricting points to how 'okay everyone is' with partisan gerrymandering. 'The courts say this is politics as usual,' he says. 'Anyone who cares about some kind of fairness, representation, or competitiveness in our democracy would think it's terrible that the President is so open about it. But it's not illegal.' Here is what you need to know about redistricting and gerrymandering, and the difference. What is redistricting? Redistricting is a process of drawing the borders of districts for which representatives are elected. As states grow, they often do not grow evenly, and thus redistricting allows for states to represent population growth and racial diversity in their cities—according to the Constitution, all districts in a state must have equal population. 'We reapportion the House seats in response to the census, and so every 10 years we do the census, and that changes the number of House seats. Some states get more, some states get fewer because of internal shifts in population,' explains Dow. 'Now, the legislature will have to draw the boundaries of these districts to reflect that.' Often, this can reflect people moving from rural areas to urban areas, or from state to state. For example, as a result of the 2020 Census, Florida gained a seat in the House, while states including California and Illinois lost a seat. Read More: Gerrymandering Isn't New—But Now We Have a Solution What is gerrymandering? According to Richard Briffault, a professor at Columbia Law School, gerrymandering is a "pejorative" for a kind of redistricting that favors a political party, or in some cases, looks to disenfranchise a group of people. There are two principle ways that a legislature can gerrymander for partisan purposes, says Briffault. Packing and cracking. 'With packing, you put as many of the voters of the other party into one district. Instead of the voters being equally spread around so they get an influence on a lot of places, they are in one district,' Briffault says. Whereas with cracking, those creating maps would split a voting bloc—be that a specific party affiliation or a certain demographic—across multiple districts to dilute voting power, making it difficult for them to elect their preferred candidates. Briffault says in a scenario where Republicans would try to use cracking in a district with a lot of Democrats, they could 'carve it up into multiple districts and make [Democrats] the minority in several other districts, so that they're dispersed and they're never going to be the dominant force in any one district.' There are several tells, Briffault says, that a district has been gerrymandered. But it tends to be a hard legal battle as it's not always clear-cut. In fact, courts will often disagree on whether a district has been gerrymandered. First, Briffault says that if the process is done entirely by one party with no input from another party, it is more likely to be gerrymandering. If it is done mid-cycle, rather than based on new population data, then that's another warning sign. Lastly, experts recommend looking to the shape of the states. Districts drawn with 'odd shapes' to capture some 'small group' is also 'evidence of gerrymandering,' according to Briffault. Recognizing the difference between partisan and racial gerrymandering Experts emphasize the difference in legality between partisan gerrymandering and racial gerrymandering. The Supreme Court ruled in the 2019 case 'Rucho v. Common Cause' that partisan gerrymandering is not subject to a federal court review, because they present non-'justiciable' political questions that lie outside of the court's jurisdiction. 'In a handful of states, there are limits on gerrymandering, or there are special procedures for redistricting that make gerrymandering more difficult, but as a matter of federal law, the Supreme Court said it's not unconstitutional,' Briffault says. Volić calls this court case a 'watershed' moment in redistricting. As such, people trying to detect partisan gerrymandering can 'only rely on' state supreme court or state judicial systems. He argues these judicial systems are 'often faulty because they have been appointed by state legislature,' the same body that is likely working on the redistricting. In terms of racial gerrymandering, the Supreme Court has said that this can be challenged. Dow points to the 2023 Supreme Court decision that claimed Alabama's redistricting was not 'simply a partisan gerrymander' by Republicans but actually a 'racial gerrymander,' and those district lines were subject to revision. Though Black Alabamians accounted for around 30% of the state at the time, they could only elect one of their preferred candidates in the state's seven districts, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. When the Republican-controlled legislature failed to create a second district in which the Black population had a fair shot, a federal court created one, which eventually led to the state's election of Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures. Although acknowledging the difference, Volić says the line between 'partisan' and 'racial' gerrymandering tends to be 'thin,' and in order for courts to tell states that they need to redistrict fairly, 'you have to argue that the line has been crossed.' In 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of South Carolina Republicans, arguing that what a lower court said was a racial gerrymander that diluted the African American vote was, in fact, a partisan gerrymander. Just this past week, the Florida Supreme Court, which is dominated by appointees hand-picked by the state's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, upheld a congressional district map that eliminated a majority-Black district in north Florida, which DeSantis had chopped up following the 2020 census, dispersing the Black population into four different majority white districts. Volić says the last 20 years have been 'terrible for gerrymandering,' though he points to some progress, such as efforts to place redistricting in the hands of independent commissions and the role of mathematicians in recent years to create congressional maps that 'rationally' create districts 'detached from politics and partisanship.' The issue is convincing legislatures to give up their power, and to do so in a timely manner, even if the courts have ruled that a district has been unfairly gerrymandered. The judicial system is 'tectonically slow moving,' Volić says, and while parties argue it at the court level, the U.S. continues to "conduct elections in these terrible maps." 'Even if the final outcome is favorable to minorities or whoever is being disenfranchised, the damage has already been done in many ways,' Volić argues. 'This is a system that's very conducive to taking power away in a nefarious way.' Contact us at letters@
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump posts fake AI-video showing Obama being arrested with ‘YMCA' and meme turned hate symbol
President Donald Trump reposted a video on Truth Social that showed a fake, artificially rendered scene of former President Barack Obama being arrested. The July 20 post on social was a TikTok video by an account named "neo8171," with a montage of Democratic elected officials saying "no one is above the law." While it is unclear where the clips were from, Democrats have used that phrase when talking about Trump's criminal cases, including an arrest in Georgia and a felony conviction in New York. The video then shows Pepe the Frog, a popular internet meme that was added to a hate symbol database during the 2016 election. As "YMCA" starts to play, the video shows Trump and Obama sitting in the Oval Office, and an artificially rendered scene shows FBI agents dragging Obama out of his chair and cuffing his hands behind his back. The fake video then shows Obama in an orange jumpsuit in jail. A representative for Obama declined to comment about the fake AI video. Trump and Pepe the Frog: 2016 campaign turned meme political. Then it became a hate symbol #ArrestObama trends on Truth Social after Tulsi Gabbard claims On July 18, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard issued a press release saying she had evidence that the Obama administration after the 2016 election produced "politicized intelligence that was used as the basis for countless smears seeking to delegitimize President Trump's victory." In 2020, a Republican-led, bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee backed the conclusion of the intelligence agencies that found Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election in favor of Trump. Trump had long said the investigation into his campaign was a hoax. Ranking Member on the Intelligence Committee Rep. Jim Himes, D-Connecticut, said Gabbard's new claim is a "dangerous lie," while speaking on CBS News' "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," on July 20. He said Gabbard is using a "sleight of hand" by focusing on intelligence about Russia's failed voting infrastructure manipulation rather than Russia's meddling to discredit Trump's 2016 Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. Appearing on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures," Gabbard said she intended to send her findings to the Department of Justice and the FBI for criminal referral. Trump also shared excerpts from Gabbard's interviews to Truth Social. 'As is always the case, President Trump was right about the Obama-Biden administration's clear involvement in the greatest witch hunt in American history and the genesis of the decade-long hoax saga that tore our nation apart and undermined the will of the people," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in an emailed statement. "The President and his entire administration are committed to unearthing wrongdoing and holding any individual accountable for this gross abuse of power and blatant conspiracy against President Trump and his supporters.' Pepe the Frog became political, then hate symbol, during 2016 election The frog doodle in clown accessories that flashes in the video is known as Pepe the Frog, and its appearance in Trump's social media posts has sparked interest before. Pepe the Frog started as a character from a comic series, "Boy's Club" by Matt Furie in 2005, according to Know Your Meme. While the somewhat sad-looking frog did not have racist or antisemitic origins, its proliferation through the internet as a meme led to its adaptation into something of a symbol for single men who felt they were on the social outskirts, Know Your Meme editor Brad Kim told the New York Times in 2016. But Kim said it became political when Trump shared a Trump-ified version of Pepe in October 2015. "Pepe plugged into the ideology of the alt-right because it was a reaction against the people they call 'normies,'" Kim told the New York Times. "Pepe had been a symbol of the disenfranchised, social outcasts. It was Trump's natural audience." In 2016, the Anti-Defamation League added Pepe the Frog to its list of hate symbols, though the organization notes many uses of this meme are still not rooted in bigotry or hate. "The number of 'alt right' Pepe memes has grown, a tendency exacerbated by the controversial and contentious 2016 presidential election," Pepe's ADL page states. "However, because so many Pepe the Frog memes are not bigoted in nature, it is important to examine use of the meme only in context." Contributing: Kevin Johnson, Kristine Phillips, USA TODAY Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@ Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump posts video of Obama being arrested on Truth Social. It is fake
Chicago Tribune
21 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
A look at the history of Native American imagery and names in sports
President Donald Trump's social media posts calling for the NFL's Washington Commanders and Major League Baseball's Cleveland Guardians to revert to their old names has revived the conversation about Native American imagery in sports. Each team has indicated it has no plans to go back to names that were abandoned years ago in the aftermath of a reckoning over racial injustice, iconography and racism in the U.S. following the death of George Floyd. Other professional teams have maintained names and logos through criticism and calls from activists who say they are offensive. Here is a look at how the issue has unfolded. Then-President Barack Obama told The Associated Press he would 'think about changing' the name of the Washington Redskins if he owned the team. 'I don't know whether our attachment to a particular name should override the real legitimate concerns that people have about these things,' Obama said. Trump soon after posted to Twitter: 'President should not be telling the Washington Redskins to change their name-our country has far bigger problems! FOCUS on them,not nonsense.' The Cleveland Indians announced they would remove the Chief Wahoo logo from their uniforms the following year after decades of protests and complaints that the grinning, red-faced caricature used in one version or another since 1947 is racist. 'Major League Baseball is committed to building a culture of diversity and inclusion throughout the game,' Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. He said the logo 'is no longer appropriate for on-field use.' The team said it would continue to sell merchandise with the logo in the Cleveland area. After several sponsors publicly voiced their opposition to the name Redskins, longtime owner Dan Snyder said in early July the organization would undergo a 'thorough review.' Snyder had said multiple times since buying the team in 1999 that he had no intent of changing it. Cleveland hours later said it was considering going away from Indians, the baseball team's name since 1915. Manager Terry Francona said he was in favor of a change. On July 13, Snyder announced the Redskins moniker was being retired after 87 years, dating to the team's time in Boston. Later in the month, the organization unveiled plans to be known as the Washington Football Team for at least one season, and that name remained through 2021. MLB's Atlanta Braves and the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks doubled down on their names. The Braves wrote in a letter to season-ticket holders they will 'always be' known as that, while the Blackhawks said they would continue to use their name and logo because it honors Native American leader Black Hawk of Illinois' Sac & Fox Nation. Is the Chicago Blackhawks name and logo as offensive as the Washington NFL team's nickname? It's Braves said they were reviewing the use of the tomahawk chop and chant, a discussion they started with Native American leaders in 2019. The Blackhawks banned headdresses at home games. In August, the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs followed suit, prohibiting the use of Native American headdresses, face paint and clothing at their stadium. They faced increased scrutiny over the tomahawk chop and chant around winning their first Super Bowl title that February. Cleveland owner Paul Dolan announced the team would no longer be called the Indians following the 2021 season. 'It was a learning process for me and I think when fair-minded, open-minded people really look at it, think about it and maybe even spend some time studying it, I like to think they would come to the same conclusion: It's a name that had its time, but this is not the time now, and certainly going forward, the name is no longer acceptable in our world,' Dolan told the AP, adding he did not want an interim moniker like Washington's. Trump quote-tweeted a story about the change with the message: 'Oh no! What is going on? This is not good news, even for 'Indians'. Cancel culture at work!' Seemingly out of the blue, Cleveland unveiled its new name, Guardians, in a video posted to social media. They completed the season as the Indians before becoming the Guardians in November. Cleveland's new name was inspired by the large landmark stone edifices — referred to as traffic guardians — that flank both ends of the Hope Memorial Bridge, which connects downtown to Ohio City. The tomahawk chop was front and center as the Braves reached — and won — the World Series, with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred endorsing the fan behavior, citing the support of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, based in North Carolina about three hours from Atlanta. 'The Native American community in that region is wholly supportive of the Braves program, including the chop,' Manfred said. 'For me, that's kind of the end of the story. In that market, we're taking into account the Native American community.' After a lengthy process, Washington rebranded as the Commanders. Snyder said the change pays 'homage to our local roots and what it means to represent the nation's capital.' 'As we kick off our 90th season, it is important for our organization and fans to pay tribute to our past traditions, history, legacy and the greats that came before us,' Snyder said. 'We continue to honor and represent the burgundy and gold while forging a pathway to a new era in Washington.' President Joe Biden welcomed the name change by posting a picture on Twitter of Commander, his recently acquired German shepherd puppy, in front of the White House. 'I suppose there's room for two Commanders in this town,' Biden wrote. A group led by Josh Harris, which included Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, finalized the purchase of the Commanders from Snyder for a North American pro sports record $6.05 billion. Harris and co-owner Mitch Rales, who grew up in the area of the team, used the word Redskins at their introductory news conference, sparking renewed chatter about the subject. Before the season started, Harris said ownership would not be going back to the old name. Sen. Steve Daines, a Montana Republican, threatened to block a congressional bill to transfer land to potentially be used for a new football stadium in Washington unless the Commanders and the NFL honored the former Indian head logo in some way. The original logo was designed by a member of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana. After lobbying on Capitol Hill by Harris and Commissioner Roger Goodell, the bill passed in December at the eleventh hour, and Biden signed it into law in January. It gave control of the RFK Stadium site from the federal government to the District of Columbia, which agreed to a deal with the team in April to build there, pending city council approval. Bill that calls for banning Native American school team names, mascots passes Illinois HouseAfter Washington made the playoffs and went on an improbable run to the NFC championship game with Offensive Rookie of the Year quarterback Jayden Daniels, Harris said at his season-ending news conference that the Commanders name was here to stay, quieting speculation about another rebrand. 'I think it's now being embraced by our team, by our culture, by our coaching staff, so, we're going with that,' Harris said. 'Now, in this building, the name Commanders means something. It's about players who love football, are great at football, hit hard, mentally tough, great teammates. It's really meaningful that that name is growing in meaning.' With the stadium deal not yet done, Trump threatened to block it if Washington did not go back to the name Redskins. Trump on his social media site posted: 'I won't make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington.' Asked about ways Trump could block the construction of a stadium where the team played during its glory days until moving to Maryland, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser shifted the focus to hammering out a deal voted on by the council. 'What I'm concerned about is we haven't done our part, and so we need to complete our part so that the team can get to work, so that local businesses can get hired, so that we can start earning the tax revenue that will come when we deliver the Commanders stadium,' Bowser said.
