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Fed holds interest rates at 23-year high as inflation hits plateau
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National, THE HILL

Fed holds interest rates at 23-year high as inflation hits plateau

By TAYLOR GIORNO  | The Hill The Federal Reserve held interest rates at a 23-year high Wednesday as its battle to bring down inflation drags deeper into 2024. The announcement follows a two-day meeting of the central bank’s monetary policy committee, which raised borrowing rates from near zero in March 2022 to a range of 5.25 percent to 5.5 percent as pandemic-induced inflation skyrocketed. While inflation has dropped drastically from its 9 percent peak two years ago, the Fed has expressed concern that the economy is still too hot, the labor market is still too strong and prices are still rising too fast to start cutting rates. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL
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Steve Bannon, one time Trump advisor, will be in prison on Independence Day as he appeals contempt case
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National, THE HILL

Steve Bannon, one time Trump advisor, will be in prison on Independence Day as he appeals contempt case

By ZACH SCHONFELD | The Hill A federal judge ordered Steve Bannon, the one-time adviser to former President Trump, to begin his four-month prison sentence in July as he appeals his contempt of Congress conviction.  U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols agreed with prosecutors at a Wednesday hearing, ordering Bannon must self-surrender by July 1 since his bid to overturn his conviction was rejected by a three-judge appeals panel last month.  “The government’s motion is granted,” said Nichols, a Trump appointee. Bannon had opposed the move, insisting he will appeal all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary, and arguing he should remain free in the meantime. Bannon was found guilty in 2022 of failing to appear for a deposition ordered by the now-disba...
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Opening statements expected today in Hunter Biden federal gun trial
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National, THE HILL

Opening statements expected today in Hunter Biden federal gun trial

By ELLA LEE AND ZACH SCHONFELD  | The Hill Twelve jurors and four alternates were selected in the first of what could be two federal criminal trials involving Hunter Biden, the son of President Biden, according to The Associated Press.  The panel of Delaware residents was selected after just one day, where prospective jurors were questioned over their views on gun rights, political prosecutions and whether the defendant’s father could influence their ability to be fair and impartial.  Hunter Biden will stand trial on federal gun charges involving his purchase of a firearm in 2018. Federal prosecutors contend the president’s son made false statements regarding his use of illegal drugs when obtaining the gun and then unlawfully possessed it for 11 days.   He has pleaded...
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Trump says trial, conviction ‘very hard’ on wife Melania
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National, THE HILL

Trump says trial, conviction ‘very hard’ on wife Melania

By NICK ROBERTSON | The Hill Former President Trump said Sunday that his weeks-long criminal hush money trial in New York City and conviction Thursday have been “very hard” on his wife, Melania, amid testimony recounting his alleged infidelity. Trump was convicted Thursday of 34 felony counts of falsifying business documents, the first time a former president was ever convicted of a crime. He has appealed the ruling. The charges were connected to hush money payments made in the weeks before the 2016 election intended to cover up alleged past affairs between Trump and an adult film star, which he has denied. The alleged affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels occurred in 2006, just a year after Trump had married Melania and months after the birth of their son, Ba...
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President Trump still facing 54 criminal charges after guilty verdict in New York case
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National, THE HILL

President Trump still facing 54 criminal charges after guilty verdict in New York case

By LAUREN IRWIN | The Hill A 12-person New York jury convicted former President Trump on all 34 felony counts in his hush money trial Thursday. But he still faces 54 criminal charges in three other cases. Trump made history as the first former U.S. president to become a convicted felon after the jury found him guilty of falsifying business records to conceal his alleged affair with porn actor Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Judge Juan Merchan set a sentencing hearing for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention where Trump is set to formally accept the GOP’s presidential nomination. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL
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Supreme Court unanimously rules for NRA in free speech fight against NYC regulator
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National, THE HILL

Supreme Court unanimously rules for NRA in free speech fight against NYC regulator

By ZACH SCHONFELD AND ELLA LEE | The Hill The Supreme Court unanimously ruled Thursday that the National Rifle Association (NRA) can move forward in its free speech fight against a former New York regulator. Authored by liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the ruling revives the gun-rights group’s First Amendment claim against Maria Vullo, who formerly ran the New York Department of Financial Services. Vullo began investigating the NRA in 2017, and the probe led her to encourage insurers and banks she regulated to sever ties with the gun-rights group after the Parkland, Fla., school shooting that killed 17 students and staff and reignited a national debate surrounding gun control measures. The NRA contended Vullo’s steps went beyond permissible advocacy and crossed into unconstitut...
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Trump as New York jury deliberates: ‘Mother Teresa could not beat these charges’
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National, THE HILL

Trump as New York jury deliberates: ‘Mother Teresa could not beat these charges’

By BRETT SAMUELS | The Hill Former President Trump fumed Wednesday just after his New York City criminal case was turned over to the jury for deliberations, blasting the judge in the case and bemoaning that “Mother Teresa could not beat these charges.” Trump spoke to reporters gathered outside the courtroom moments after a jury of 12 New Yorkers began deliberating in the former president’s hush money criminal case. “Mother Teresa could not beat these charges. These charges are rigged. The whole country’s a mess, between the borders and fake elections, and you have a trial like this where the judge is so conflicted he can’t breathe,” Trump said. “It’s a disgrace. And I mean that. Mother Teresa could not beat those charges. But we’ll see. We’ll see how we do,” he added. READ T...
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McCall: Government has no business trying to ‘save’ journalism 
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Commentary, National, THE HILL

McCall: Government has no business trying to ‘save’ journalism 

By JEFFREY M. MCCALL | The Hill It seems everybody wants to “save” the journalism industry these days, except for the people who matter most — news consumers.   Citizens have been turning away from establishment news sources for some time. Audiences no longer trust news outlets to be fair, and this decline in media credibility has caused readers and viewers to disengage from the news. That necessarily leads to lost revenue for news organizations, layoffs of journalists and, ultimately, the closing of news outlets. There is no doubt: the journalism industry is suffering.  Legislators across the country are hopping on their white horses to ride to the rescue, with several states approving various measures to prop up the news industry with...
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GOP lawmakers’ attendance at Trump trial could be a problem during a key vote today
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National, THE HILL

GOP lawmakers’ attendance at Trump trial could be a problem during a key vote today

By REBECCA BEITSCH AND ZACH SCHONFELD | The Hill At least nine Republican lawmakers traveled to New York to appear in court alongside former President Trump on Thursday, the latest in a string of GOP lawmakers to attend the hush money trial. The move could jeopardize GOP attendance at a key vote later in the day and also comes after the House Oversight and Accountability Committee bumped a scheduled hearing to facilitate their attendance at court. Reps. Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Mike Waltz (Fla.) and Eli Crane (Ariz.) were spotted in the courtroom, while Reps. Andy Ogles (Tenn.) Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.), Ralph Norman (S.C.) and House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good (Va.) were also spotted at the Manhattan c...
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Will Americans see the northern lights again tonight?
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National, THE HILL

Will Americans see the northern lights again tonight?

By NICK JACHIM AND ALIX MARTICHOUX | The Hill Friday night, Americans across the country were able to catch a glimpse of the northern lights from coast to coast, a sight many only get to see once in their lifetime. But for those who missed it, or are hoping for a second look, you may just get that chance Saturday night. According to the NOAA’s Aurora Forecast, the majority of households who saw the northern lights last night will have a chance to watch them on Saturday. Weather permitting, states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Missouri have a chance to see the northern lights again on Saturday night. Friday night and Saturday morning, “extreme” G5 geomagnetic storms were observed. The last time a G5 solar storm occurred was in 2003, when it caused major power problems...
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