US Justice Department files 'misconduct complaint' against prominent judge
Boasberg said in April that the Trump administration appeared to have acted "in bad faith" when it hurriedly assembled three deportation flights on March 15 at the same time that he was conducting emergency court proceedings to assess the legality of the effort.
"Today at my direction, @TheJusticeDept filed a misconduct complaint against U.S. District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg for making improper public comments about President Trump and his Administration," Bondi said, without specifying which comments was she referring to.
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The Independent
14 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump eats his own: President appears to relish flaying Republican senators in the public square amid Epstein pressure
'You always hurt the one you love.' A Brooklyn-born songwriter named Allan Roberts wrote those lyrics and (with music by Doris Fisher) the Mills Brothers were the first of a litany of performers who turned it into an American standard. Lately, it seems to be a Donald Trump standard as well. Take, for instance, the case of Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri. Few Republicans have been bigger allies to Trump — on Jan. 6, 2021, the Yale Law graduate-turned-populist warrior famously pumped his fist to Trump supporters as he objected to the election results. When the Capitol cleared out after the riot, Hawley continued his objection. But this week, Hawley learned a bitter truth: no matter how MAGA someone is, Trump demands absolute loyalty — and even a perceived slight can leave you on the outside looking in. Hawley's crime? Trying to pass a bill he sponsored that would ban lawmakers from trading stocks. It seemed like a great way to 'Own the Libs,' since Hawley named it the PELOSI Act, a riff off of the former House Speaker Nanacy Pelosi's stock trading outperforming the market. But he faced significant opposition in committee — and every other Republican opposed it. It only passed thanks to support from Democrats. Sure as shooting, Trump lashed out at Hawley on Truth Social, criticizing him for not supporting an effort to launch an official investigation of Pelosi's stock trading. Trump ended his rant by calling Hawley a 'second-tier' senator. When The Independent caught up with Hawley, he laughed it off and said that he and Trump had a 'nice visit.' He later told Business Insider that he walked Trump through the bill and that, contrary to what some of Hawley's enemies in the GOP had said, it would not force the president to sell Mar-a-Lago. Trump said, 'You're exonerated,' according to Hawley. On the surface, the whole affair is a bit of a laugh and shows how fickle Trump can be. But it also shows that as Trump faces increased scrutiny for his handling of the Israel-Gaza war, an inability to bring an end to the war in Ukraine despite promising he'd handle Vladimir Putin, a labor and stock market battered by his tariff news, and – perhaps most gratingly – the fallout from his and his White House's mismanagement of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, the pressure is getting to him. And, six months into an administration that has control of both houses of Congress as well as a friendly majority on the Supreme Court, blaming Democrats simply won't serve as a release. Hawley is not the only Republican Trump has aimed his fire at. On Thursday evening, his ire turned to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). 'Republicans, when in doubt, vote the exact opposite of Senator Susan Collins. Generally speaking, you can't go wrong,' Trump posted. Of course, Trump being angry at Collins is not entirely implausible under the best of conditions. Despite liberals being angry about Collins constantly saying she's 'concerned' with the latest Trump shenanigan and then voting his way anyway, she did vote to convict him after January 6, endorsed Nikki Haley against Trump in 2024 and, most recently, voted against Trump's ' One Big, Beautiful Bill.' But as a senator from Maine, Collins is probably the only Republican who could win in New England. As The Independent wrote last month, that popularity has created a chilling effect where many promising young Democrats don't want to challenge her. And that makes her a kind of safe target for Trump rage. If anything, it's a surprise that Trump didn't turn his fire on her earlier. (Still, Trump's salvos could make life more difficult because of the fact she leads the Senate Appropriations Committee, which means she controls the federal budget.) Of course, Trump has already tamed Collins' partner in moderation, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). Murkowski famously agonized over the vote for the One Big, Beautiful Bill before deciding to support it in the hopes the House would change it. Which it didn't. Later, the Trump administration went behind her back and issued executive orders to curb renewable energy projects she wanted to preserve. She told The Anchorage Daily News she felt 'cheated.' But when The Independent asked her whether that made it harder to work with Trump, Murkowski said 'no.' Pressed why that is, she said 'because we have an understanding.' 'Just generally,' she said. 'He knows that I'm going to advocate for my interests. I know that he's going to advocate for his.' The only Republican senator who has seemed to learn there is no way to win with Trump is Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). Tillis came out in opposition to Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' in June, which caused Trump to attack him. This came despite the fact Tillis had voted for most of Trump's nominees and had consistently defended him. Shortly after, Tillis announced his decision not to seek re-election. 'I respect President Trump, I support the majority of his agenda, but I don't bow to anybody when the people of North Carolina are at risk and this bill puts them at risk,' Tillis told The Independent at the time. Now, Democrats have their dream candidate vying for his seat as former governor Roy Cooper, who won statewide the same year Trump won North Carolina in 2016 and again in 2020, announced his candidacy. Cooper is expected to raise gobs of money and have a decent advantage in the polls. Trump's decision to attack strategic allies shows that his increasing unpopularity has caused him to be more insular. And while it's unclear if Hawley's trading bill will become law, many Republican senators might cash out their stock in Trump.
The Independent
14 minutes ago
- The Independent
What is the ‘door-kick' social media challenge? Authorities warn TikTok trend can have deadly results
A new social media trend is sweeping across the country - and officials are fearful it will end in tragedy. The 'door-kick challenge' takes the 'ding-dong-ditch' prank —ringing people's doorbells and running away before they answer—to new extremes. Pranksters choose a door at random in the middle of the night and kick it aggressively, sometimes until it comes off the hinges, and upload a video of it online. 'That's a good way to end up dead,' Florida's Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood bluntly put it. 'Especially in Florida. You've got to think you're about to become a victim of a home invasion robbery and, under the Castle doctrine, you're gonna shoot first and ask questions later.' Online safety advocacy groups also warn that kids could lose their lives over the social media trend or end up in jail. 'This trend has the potential to end in absolute tragedy,' Titania Jordan, chief parenting officer at Bark Technologies, a parental control app, told The Independent. 'We're not just talking about property damage — kids are putting themselves at serious risk. If homeowners are armed or on high alert, it's not hard to imagine how a prank like this could escalate into something irreversible.' 'What's at stake is more than just a viral moment gone wrong,' Jordan adds. 'It's a child's life, a family's future, and the potential for criminal charges that could follow them for years.' Authorities are warning parents about the dangerous 'door kick challenge' as recent incidents have cropped up in California, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Wisconsin, Texas and Michigan, to name a few. Marc Berkman, CEO of the Organization for Social Media Safety, said that social media has 'conditioned' American teens to re-enact dangerous challenges and pranks. 'Social media incentivizes users, especially teens, to post content that will generate likes, shares, and views, or 'clout' as some may call it,' Berkman told The Independent. 'Unfortunately, what generates that social media attention is often salacious content: violent, explicit or otherwise extreme. Our teens, spending upwards of five hours a day viewing this content, quickly become desensitized to it, and violence, cruel pranks, and challenges become normalized.' Police in Louisville, Kentucky, said that the prank was 'stupid and dangerous' following an incident in the city over the weekend. A woman caught masked teens kicking down her door at 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Wave reports. 'Anyone participating in this type of behavior is certainly risking their own life,' said Louisville Metro Police Department spokesperson John Bradley. 'A resident could easily assume resorting to deadly force against the person is the next appropriate course of action to protect themselves from what they believe may be an intruder. This type of behavior is stupid and dangerous.' In Las Vegas earlier this month, homeowner Tyler Reggie and his pregnant girlfriend were asleep when pranksters kicked the door in at 3 a.m. on July 8. Reggie told FOX5 that he 'assumed the worst' when the banging started, but saw it was teenagers after reviewing his doorbell camera footage. They caused $5,000 worth of damage to his property, he said. In Florida, two teenagers are facing a charge of felony burglary after taking part in the challenge in the city of DeBary, Volusia County. The teens kicked a homeowner's door in so aggressively that it broke open. 'The so-called 'door kicking challenge' is a surefire way to get locked up with a felony… or even worse, shot and killed by a homeowner,' Sheriff Chitwood said in a social media post on July 7. The teens told deputies they were 'just being stupid.' One of them, a 13-year-old girl, was found hiding in her attic after deputies searched for her inside the house. 'And, let me tell you, mom was furious with her daughter after deputies told her what she had been up to,' Chitwood said. 'Parents, use this as a reminder to TALK with your kids that this challenge is not harmless and is the dumbest way to end up with a felony charge or dead.' Similar social media trends have met a tragic end in recent years. Teenage lacrosse star Michael Bosworth Jr was allegedly shot dead by a homeowner in May during an alleged break-in, but his friend told police it was a TikTok 'ding-dong-ditch' prank gone wrong. Tyler Chase Butler, 27, has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the 18-year-old's death, who was fatally shot in the torso in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Butler is being held in Rappahannock Regional Jail until a preliminary hearing in September. His family said he 'acted out of a genuine fear for his safety and the safety of his mother.' In another devastating case in Riverside County, California, Anurag Chandra killed three teenage boys after they played a doorbell prank on him in 2020. The group of six teenagers pranked Chandra before running back to their vehicle. Chandra then got in his car and intentionally rammed the teenagers' vehicle off the road, killing three of them, authorities said. Parenting expert Jordan noted that similar pranks have been around for decades, but social media has elevated them. 'Pranks like ding dong ditch have always existed, but social media has given them a megaphone,' Jordan said. 'What used to be a local stunt can now go viral in seconds. Even if kids aren't sharing their own videos, just seeing others do it on repeat can make it feel normalized or even encouraged.' Kids may take part in the challenges due to peer pressure, the simple thrill of doing something they shouldn't, or more likely, for social validation, Jordan said. 'Even if they're not filming themselves in the act, just being part of a trend gives them a sense of belonging,' Jordan explained. ' It's easy to forget how impulsive kids can be when they're trying to impress their peers or prove they're not afraid to push boundaries.' Jordan recommends parents have regular conversations with their kids, not just about what they're posting but what they're watching online. 'Ask what trends are showing up in their feeds and how they feel about them,' she said. 'This kind of open dialogue is your best defense,' Jordan added. 'At the same time, it can be helpful to use tech tools that give parents a window into their child's digital world.'
Daily Mail
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Elon Musk staged secret $15M plot to win back Trump
Elon Musk attempted a peace offering with Donald Trump after the ex-'First Buddy' split from the White House, giving $15 million to Trump and Republican causes. The donations were made after the former DOGE chairman's ugly feud with Trump upon his departure, but before Musk announced plans to launch the independent 'America Party'. Musk gave $5 million to three different super PACs supporting both the president and his party. According to Federal Election Commission filings, he gave to MAGA Inc., the Senate Leadership Fund and the Congressional Leadership Fund on June 27. Just eight days later, Musk launched the 'America Party', which he said was formed 'to give you back your freedom'. Musk has donated $45 million in 2025 to his own America PAC, which was largely spent on an unsuccessful Wisconsin Supreme Court election. The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for comment. Musk announced the foundation of the America Party on his X social media platform just after Independence Day. It came after Musk created an online poll on July 4 asking his followers whether to establish the new party. The results came back 65.4 percent in favor, leading Musk to make the announcement. 'By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!' Musk wrote. 'When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy. Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.' Musk had been elevated to a prestigious role within the White House, acting as a special advisor to the president and overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency. But in recent months a rift has emerged and the two former friends have been embroiled in embarrassing public spats played out over social media. Many had predicted that Trump and Musk's rosy bromance wouldn't last long, and some pointed to betting markets on when they would turn on each other. The rift deepened after the president rescinded his nomination offer to Musk ally Jared Isaacman for NASA administrator over donations he made to the Democrats. Since then, Trump and Musk have engaged in public mudslinging against each other. Musk accused the president of ingratitude and claimed he would have lost the election without him, while Trump branded him 'crazy'. Since their public break-up, Musk has threatened to start a new third political party and buttress the reelection campaign of Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, one of the no votes on Trump's big bill.
