Trump tries to spin Libertarian Convention as success after being booed and jeered by crowd: Live

Key Points

• Trump furious that media refused to cover ‘STARTLING’ Bronx rally — except everyone did...
• Report: Biden will comment on Trump trial after verdict
• Trump claims signature border wall was three weeks from completion at South Bronx rally
• Republican tells supporters: ‘If a New Yorker can’t save this country, no one can’

Trump furiously jeered as he taunts Libertarians for winning ‘3%’ in elections at their convention

Audible boos clashed with impassioned cheers at the Libertarian National Convention in Washington DC on Saturday as former President Donald Trump took the stage before what was certainly the most skeptical if not outright hostile crowd of his bid for the White House this year.

Donald Trump was jeered multiple times within the first few minutes of his speech to a rowdy crowd of roughly a thousand people Saturday evening at the Washington Hilton, where just a few weeks ago his 2024 election opponent Joe Biden spoke at the White House Correspondent’s Association’s (WHCA) annual dinner.

The angry yells from the audience were so constant at parts that it was difficult to tell whether the crowd were booing the incumbent president Trump was rallying against, or the speaker in front of them. At other points, it was plainly obvious: a chant of “we want Trump!” was roundly drowned out by an angry response.

READ MORE:

Trump furiously jeered as he taunts Libertarians at their convention in speech

Daily Show host mocks Trump’s assassination paranoia

The Daily Show host Michael Kosta has ridiculed Donald Trump’s latest false claim that the FBI was authorized to assassinate him when its agents raided his Mar-a-Lago home in August 2022 in search of the classified documents he refused to return to the National Archives after leaving the White House.

Joe Sommerladhas the full story:

Daily Show host ridicules Trump’s absurd assassination paranoia

Trump furious that media refused to cover ‘STARTLING’ Bronx rally — except everyone did...

Referring to media coverage of his Bronx rally on Thursday evening, Donald Trump railed on Truth Social:

THIS WAS A BIG, IMPORTANT, AND EVEN STARTLING EVENT, AND YET MUCH OF THE LAMESTREAM NETWORK MEDIA REFUSED TO COVER IT. Gee, I wonder why???

Except that everyone did, from cable news to local news, from print to online-only media outlets... 🤔

He then somewhat undermined his point by posting an article from Right Side Broadcasting Network that opens with the line: “President Donald J. Trump held a major rally in the South Bronx that blew expectations out of the water and completely dominated media coverage.”

While RSBN wildly claimed that 25,000 people attended the event (and others claimed more), the permit was for just 3,500 people and aerial photos of the site show a relatively small crowd as Trump spoke on stage.

Watch: Ritchie Torres says Biden should have ‘laser-sharp focus’ issues concerning communities of color

Trump campaign sends cease and desist letter to block release of biopic The Apprentice

Donald Trump’s attorneys have reportedly sent a cease and desist letter to the producers of The Apprentice, seeking to prevent the unauthorized biopic from gaining a release in the United States.

The film, directed by Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi, stars Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump and Succession’s Jeremy Strong as his mentor, the lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn. Stan is best known for playing the Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Apprentice premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 20 May, and its producers are currently seeking a distribution deal.

Kevin EG Perryreports from Los Angeles:

Trump sends cease and desist letter to stop release of biopic The Apprentice

Democrat senators want meeting with chief justice over Alito 2020 election cases

Democratic Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, have sent a letter to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts imploring him to take appropriate steps to ensure Justice Samuel Alito recuses himself from cases concerning the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection.

The senators’ letter comes on the heels of two reports from The New York Times that Justice Alito flew at two separate residences MAGA battle flags that were carried by insurrectionists at the Capitol on January 6th.

“By displaying the upside-down and ‘Appeal to Heaven’ flags outside his homes, Justice Alito actively engaged in political activity, failed to avoid the appearance of impropriety, and failed to act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary. He also created reasonable doubt about his impartiality and his ability to fairly discharge his duties in cases related to the 2020 presidential election and January 6th attack on the Capitol. His recusal in these matters is both necessary and required,” wrote Whitehouse and Durbin.

The senators’ letter repeated their call for Justice Roberts to implement an enforceable code of conduct at the court and requested a meeting with him to discuss the Supreme Court’s worsening ethics crisis.

Read the full letter here

Here’s our earlier reporting on the flag incidents at Justice Alito’s home:

Justice Samuel Alito ‘hung another Jan 6 flag outside his second home’

Could Kamala Harris be the key to locking up swing state votes for Biden?

Andrew Feinbergwrites:

An increasingly large percentage of voters in key swing states say they are confident in Vice President Kamala Harris’ ability to serve as president if President Joe Biden is unable to serve out his term for any reason, potentially neutralizing a Republican attack line over Mr Biden’s age.

According to a poll commissioned by Bloomberg News and conducted by Morning Consult earlier this month, nearly half of swing state voters — 48 per cent — now trust Ms Harris to take over the presidency in Mr Biden’s stead.

The survey results on that topic are the most positive set of responses for Ms Harris since voters were first asked about their confidence in her last October.

Continue reading...

Could Kamala be the key to locking up swing state votes for Biden?

Watch: Trump wants revenge — Robert De Niro voices latest Biden ad

Hush money trial: How will jurors decide Trump’s fate? Legal experts weigh in

After weeks of at times bombshell testimony,the fate of Donald Trump will soon be in the hands of the 12 New Yorkers chosen to sit on the jury in his first criminal trial.

Mr Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records over a $130,000 hush money payment, which was designed to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in the days before the 2016 election about an alleged affairshe had with Mr Trump in 2006.

Prosecutors allege that Mr Trump’s former “fixer” Michael Cohen made the initial payment on behalf of his boss and Mr Trump then reimbursed him in a series of payments that were falsely labeled as “legal expenses” for a retainer that did not exist.

Mr Trump denies the charges and the sexual encounter with Ms Daniels.

Throughout the trial, the panel of jurors heard froma string of witnesses connected to the allegations, including both Ms Daniels and Cohen. Meanwhile, Mr Trump chose not to testify – despite toying with the idea for weeks.

The jury will get the case in the coming days after hearing closing arguments from both sides on Tuesday.

So what will the 12 jurors be looking at as they weigh the verdict and decide whether to make history and convict a former US president on criminal charges?

The Independentspeaks to legal experts to find out:

What will jurors consider when deciding Trump’s fate? Legal experts weigh in

Who’s who in Trump’s hush money case?

Ariana Baio ofThe Independentbreaks down who’s who in the trial:

These are the key players in Trump’s hush money trial

Trump hush money trial: All the celebrity names dragged through testimony

A string of famous faces have found themselves unwittingly dragged into Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial.

In courtroom testimony poured over by much of America, prosecution witnesses name-dropped celebrities from sports stars Serena Williams and Tiger Woods to Hollywood elite Mark Wahlberg and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Mr Trump is charged with 34 counts offalsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels to ensure her silence about an alleged sexual encounter she claims she had with Mr Trump in 2006 ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

The defendant denies both the affair and any wrongdoing, pleading not guilty to all of the charges against him.

None of the celebrities named are accused of any wrongdoing in connection to the case.

Here’s a look at some of the famous faces who have unexpectedly been mentioned in trial testimony:

Arnie, Serena and Wahlberg: The celebrities dragged into Trump’s hush money trial

Trump’s hush money trial enters its final stage. The Independent answers your questions

Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial is approaching its final phase, with the 12-person jurysoon set to determine the former president’s fate.

This trial has brought a parade of intriguing figures to New York, both inside and out of the courtroom — from the trial witnesses such as porn star Stormy Daniels and Mr Trump’s former “fixer” Michael Cohen to surprise visits from MAGA loyalists, including Colorado Rep Lauren Boebert and House Speaker Mike Johnson.

The Independenthas been covering the historic trial live from the courthouse each day.

Ahead of closing arguments, senior reporter Alex Woodward and general news reporter Ariana Baio held a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” forum to answer your questions about the case:

Trump’s trial enters final stage. The Independent answers your questions

‘How do you put your pants on?’

The former president didn’t elaborate on the meaning behind the peculiar anecdote, telling the crowd: “I’ll explain it to you someday.”

Huh?

Joe Sommerladtries to make sense of it all...

Bizarre question Trump claims people always ask him: ‘How do you put your pants on?’

Trump met goes on anti-migrant rant at Bronx rally

Donald Trump was met with chants of “build the wall” on Thursday evening as herehashed his anti-immigrant rhetoricduring a campaign rally in the Bronx.

Speaking in Crotona Park in the South Bronx –a Democratic stronghold with a large Hispanic and Black population – the former president baselessly sought to paint migrants from China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other nations as a threat to the United States.

In a particularly xenophobic moment, hebaselessly claimedthat migrants are “building an army” to attack the US from inside its borders.

Gustaf Kilanderreports:

Trump met with ‘build the wall’ chants as he goes on anti-migrant rant at Bronx rally

Veepstakes: New frontrunner emerges to be Trump running mate — it’s not who you’d think...

Andrew Feinbergreports from Washington, DC:

Former president Donald Trump is reportedly considering Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton to be the Republican nominee for vice president in this year’s general election, a move that could outrage some Democrats but would bring an experienced, low-drama personality onto the GOP ticket.

According to TheNew York Times,Mr Trump began discussing Mr Cotton as a vice presidential contender in recent weeks, adding to a mix of candidates that include three other Republicans from the upper chamber: Marco Rubio of Florida, Tim Scott of South Carolina and Ohio’s JD Vance.

Read on...

There’s a new frontrunner on Trump’s VP shortlist. And it’s not who you’d think

Was Trump ‘hotter’ before or after being president?

He really did ask the crowd at his Bronx rally this.

James Liddellhas the story:

Trump brazenly asks Bronx crowd if he was ‘hotter’ before or after presidency

Hush money trial: Could Trump see the inside of a prison cell?

With the jury set to begin its deliberations in a matter of days, Mr Trump could soon learn his fate.

If convicted, he could face up to four years in prison on each of the 34 Class E felony counts.

But what would his imprisonment look like?

James Liddellreports:

What would jail be like for Donald Trump?

Hush money trial: Stephen Colbert takes jab at Trump over ego-boosting tactic

Amelia Neathreports:

Stephen Colbert has taken a swipe at Donald Trump over his aide carrying around a portable printer to quickly provide him with hard copies of flattering news articles about himself outside his hush money trial.

Throughout his trial – with the former president denying all charges –Mr Trump has spoken to reporters outside the courthouse, often been armed with a stack of print-outs in hand to aid his remarks.

On Thursday’s Late Show,Colbert asks his audience if they know about “those weird pieces of paper that Donald Trump always carries around and reads flattering quotes about him from?”

Read on...

Stephen Colbert takes jab at Trump over ego-boosting tactic at hush money trial

Garland refutes Trump’s ‘false and extremely dangerous’ assassination attempt lie

John Bowdenreports from Washington, DC:

US Attorney General Merrick Garland has taken the rare step of directly refuting a claim made by Donald Trump.

The AG appeared at a Thursday press conference in Washington, where he took a question from a reporter on the 2024 presidential candidate’s claim that FBI agents were “authorized” by Joe Biden to use “deadly force” against him when they raided his estate and resort at Mar-a-Lagoin August of 2022.

Mr Trump made the claim on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday after newly unsealed court filings showed that four additional classified documents were discovered in the former president’s bedroom in the months following the initial search.

Read the full article...

Garland refutes Trump’s ‘false and extremely dangerous’ assassination attempt lie

Hush money trial: What does the prosecution need to prove?

Alex Woodwardwrites:

In 20 days over five weeks, after 22 witnesses and more than 200 documents, Manhattan prosecutors and defense attorneys have rested their cases in Donald Trump’s hush money trial.

The former president is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records – misdemeanor crimes on their own, but “stepped up” to more serious felony charges that Mr Trump committed fraud with the intent to commit or conceal another crime.

Next week, New York Justice Juan Merchan will give jurors crucial instructions that will frame how they think about the testimony and evidence, and they will start deliberating as soon as 29 May, setting in motion what could potentially be thefirst-ever criminal verdictagainst a US president.

Read on...

What prosecutors need to prove for a jury to convict Donald Trump

Watch: Trump claims he will win New York and ‘take over the country'

Hush money trial: Comey says ‘zero chance of an acquittal’ for Trump

Former FBI director James Comey says that there is “zero chance” that Donald Trump will be acquitted by the jury in his New York City hush money trial.

Mr Comey, who served as director of the FBI from 2013 until 2017, said that prosecutors built a “very strong circumstantial case” by tying together evidence like documents, checks, phone calls, messages and Mr Trump’s wordsto prove their allegations.

“There’s an overwhelming chance of a conviction, a significant, but much smaller chance, of a hung jury and zero chance of an acquittal,” Mr Comey told host NewsNation Dan Abrams on Wednesday.

Ariana Baioreports:

Ex-FBI director James Comey says ‘zero chance’ of Trump being acquitted

Watch: Jeffries says ‘everything we care about’ is on ballot in November

How big was Trump’s Bronx rally?

How big was Donald Trump’s first rally in New York state in eight years?

Not yuge.

While there are supporters on social media claiming somewhere between 30,000-40,000 people showed up, they are either lying or being willfully misled.

For starters, the permit was for 3,500 people. Second, here’s an aerial shot, with Mr Trump on the stage and the local news report from which it was taken:

That’s a lot of green space left to fill.

The part of the Bronx in which Crotona Park sits is the tenth most Democrat constituency in the country.

US Rep Ritchie Torres was blunt about what he saw in the crowd that did attend, noting that many appeared to be “transplants” from outside the district.

An estimated 30,000 people showed up to see the former president at Wildwood on the Jersey Shore on May 11, though wild estimates circulated that the crowd was nearer 80,000-100,000. This turned out to be an estimate of the number of visitors to the town that day, not attendees of the rally.

Trump campaign sends cease and desist letter to block release of biopic The Apprentice

Donald Trump’s attorneys have reportedly sent a cease and desist letter to the producers of The Apprentice, seeking to prevent the unauthorized biopic from gaining a release in the United States.

The film, directed by Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi, stars Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump and Succession’s Jeremy Strong as his mentor, the lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn. Stan is best known for playing the Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Apprentice premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 20 May, and its producers are currently seeking a distribution deal.

Kevin EG Perryreports from Los Angeles:

Trump sends cease and desist letter to stop release of biopic The Apprentice

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

...but stay tuned as we bring you everything you need to know ahead of a crucial week in the Donald Trump hush money trial as we prepare to hear closing arguments and the jury starts deliberations.

Some members of the public just can’t wait, such as 43-year-old Richard Partington of East Hampton, New York, who is already lined up today for the chance to witness closing arguments on Tuesday.

We’ll also be keeping you up-to-date on the latest from the 2024 campaign throughout the holiday weekend.

Report: Biden will comment on Trump trial after verdict — no matter what it is...

Citing four people familiar with internal deliberations, Politicoreportsthat Joe Biden will break his silence on Donald Trump’s criminal trials after a verdict is reached in the hush money election interference case — which could come as soon as late next week.

The president is expected to address the verdict in a White House setting and not a campaign one to show his statement is not political.

Mr Biden’s message as president will be different depending on the ruling — be it a conviction, acquittal, or hung jury — but the underlying message will be that America’s legal system worked and the process should be respected.

The Biden 2024 campaign is preparing to leverage a conviction as proof that the former president is ill-suited for office, perhaps going as fae as referring to him as “Convicted Felon Donald Trump”, Politicoreports.

They are also preparing for a barrage of attacks from Mr Trump and his Republican allies should he be acquitted or if there is a hung jury.

Closing arguments are set for Tuesday.

Daily Show host mocks Trump’s assassination paranoia

The Daily Show host Michael Kosta has ridiculed Donald Trump’s latest false claim that the FBI was authorized to assassinate him when its agents raided his Mar-a-Lago home in August 2022 in search of the classified documents he refused to return to the National Archives after leaving the White House.

Joe Sommerladhas the full story:

Daily Show host ridicules Trump’s absurd assassination paranoia

RFK Jr: Trump responsible for ‘greatest restriction on individual liberties’ ever in US

At the Libertarian National Convention today in Washington, DC, independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr said of Donald Trump’s record on civil liberties: “With lockdowns, the mask mandates, the travel restrictions, President Trump presided over the greatest restriction on individual liberties this country has ever known.”

Watch: Ritchie Torres says Biden should have ‘laser-sharp focus’ issues concerning communities of color

Democrat senators want meeting with chief justice over Alito 2020 election cases

Democratic Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, have sent a letter to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts imploring him to take appropriate steps to ensure Justice Samuel Alito recuses himself from cases concerning the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection.

The senators’ letter comes on the heels of two reports from The New York Times that Justice Alito flew at two separate residences MAGA battle flags that were carried by insurrectionists at the Capitol on January 6th.

“By displaying the upside-down and ‘Appeal to Heaven’ flags outside his homes, Justice Alito actively engaged in political activity, failed to avoid the appearance of impropriety, and failed to act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary. He also created reasonable doubt about his impartiality and his ability to fairly discharge his duties in cases related to the 2020 presidential election and January 6th attack on the Capitol. His recusal in these matters is both necessary and required,” wrote Whitehouse and Durbin.

The senators’ letter repeated their call for Justice Roberts to implement an enforceable code of conduct at the court and requested a meeting with him to discuss the Supreme Court’s worsening ethics crisis.

Read the full letter here

Here’s our earlier reporting on the flag incidents at Justice Alito’s homes:

Justice Samuel Alito ‘hung another Jan 6 flag outside his second home’

Hush money trial: What will jurors consider when deciding Trump’s fate? Legal experts weigh in

Gustaf Kilanderwrites:

After weeks of at times bombshell testimony,the fate of Donald Trump will soon be in the hands of the 12 New Yorkers chosen to sit on the jury in his first criminal trial.

Jurors will get the case in the coming days after hearing closing arguments from both sides on Tuesday.

So what will they be looking at as they weigh the verdict and decide whether to make history and convict a former US president on criminal charges?

The Independentspeaks to legal experts to find out:

What will jurors consider when deciding Trump’s fate? Legal experts weigh in

Watch: Kayleigh McEnany says Trump doesn’t attack Biden voters

Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said during a Fox News panel today that Donald Trump doesn’t attack Joe Biden’s voters and she has never seen examples of it.

Needless to say, there were examples readily available:

Trump promises to ‘TERMINATE’ congestion pricing in Manhattan if re-elected

It hasn’t even been rolled out yet, but Donald Trump is furious about congestion pricing being implemented in Manhattan south of 60th St.

He wrote on Truth Social:

“Congestion Pricing” is a disaster for NYC. I stopped it for years at the Federal level, but Crooked Joe railroaded it through. A massive business killer and tax on New Yorkers, and anyone going into Manhattan. I will TERMINATE Congestion Pricing in my FIRST WEEK back in Office!!! Manhattan is looking for business, not looking to kill business!

Trump Tower lies three blocks inside the coming congestion charge zone.

Could Kamala Harris be the key to locking up swing state votes for Biden?

Andrew Feinbergwrites:

An increasingly large percentage of voters in key swing states say they are confident in Vice President Kamala Harris’ ability to serve as president if President Joe Biden is unable to serve out his term for any reason, potentially neutralizing a Republican attack line over Mr Biden’s age.

According to a poll commissioned by Bloomberg News and conducted by Morning Consult earlier this month, nearly half of swing state voters — 48 per cent — now trust Ms Harris to take over the presidency in Mr Biden’s stead.

The survey results on that topic are the most positive set of responses for Ms Harris since voters were first asked about their confidence in her last October.

Continue reading...

Could Kamala be the key to locking up swing state votes for Biden?

Trump furious that media refused to cover ‘STARTLING’ Bronx rally — except everyone did...

Referring to media coverage of his Bronx rally on Thursday evening, Donald Trump railed on Truth Social:

THIS WAS A BIG, IMPORTANT, AND EVEN STARTLING EVENT, AND YET MUCH OF THE LAMESTREAM NETWORK MEDIA REFUSED TO COVER IT. Gee, I wonder why???

Except that everyone did, from cable news to local news, from print to online-only media outlets... 🤔

He then somewhat undermined his point by posting an article from Right Side Broadcasting Network that opens with the line: “President Donald J. Trump held a major rally in the South Bronx that blew expectations out of the water and completely dominated media coverage.”

While RSBN wildly claimed that 25,000 people attended the event (and others claimed more), the permit was for just 3,500 people and aerial photos of the site show a relatively small crowd as Trump spoke on stage.

Trump lashes out at judge (again) as hush money trial draws to close

As his criminal hush money trial draws to a conclusion, Donald Trump has yet again taken to Truth Social to lash out at Judge Juan Merchan.

The former president wrote:

Corrupt, Deeply Conflicted, Democrat Appointed Acting Judge Juan Merchan is doing all he can to even further RIG the Manhattan Sham “Trial.” He is denying me the opportunity to put on a Highly Respected Election Law Expert who will say, once again, that THERE WAS NO CRIME. This Judge, whose conflicts are completely disqualifying, isn’t even requiring a unanimous decision by the jury on key portions of this Criminal Hoax, which is UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND UNAMERICAN. The whole Case should be ENDED IMMEDIATELY, and all the charges THROWN OUT, because everything was done right, with Legal Expenses being reported as Legal Expenses! The Judge CANNOT be allowed to do further damage to Justice in New York and our Nation, and every Legal Scholar and Expert agrees with this. The whole Sham is a disgusting Political Witch Hunt by Crooked Joe Biden’s White House. ELECTION INTERFERENCE!

He doesn’t sound confident in how the jury might see things...

Watch: Trump claims he will win New York and ‘take over the country'

Veepstakes: New frontrunner emerges to be Trump running mate — it’s not who you’d think...

Andrew Feinbergreports from Washington, DC:

Former president Donald Trump is reportedly considering Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton to be the Republican nominee for vice president in this year’s general election, a move that could outrage some Democrats but would bring an experienced, low-drama personality onto the GOP ticket.

According to TheNew York Times,Mr Trump began discussing Mr Cotton as a vice presidential contender in recent weeks, adding to a mix of candidates that include three other Republicans from the upper chamber: Marco Rubio of Florida, Tim Scott of South Carolina and Ohio’s JD Vance.

Read on...

There’s a new frontrunner on Trump’s VP shortlist. And it’s not who you’d think

Watch: Ritche Torres says Trump should apologize to Bronx for ‘catastrophe’ of his presidency

Totally normal question to ask a presidential candidate: ‘How do you put your pants on?’

The former president didn’t elaborate on the meaning behind the peculiar anecdote, telling the crowd: “I’ll explain it to you someday.”

Huh?

Joe Sommerladreports:

Bizarre question Trump claims people always ask him: ‘How do you put your pants on?’

In pictures: Counter-protest to Trump’s Bronx rally

Trump’s hush money trial enters its final stage. The Independent answers your questions

Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial is approaching its final phase, with the 12-person jurysoon set to determine the former president’s fate.

This trial has brought a parade of intriguing figures to New York, both inside and out of the courtroom — from the trial witnesses such as porn star Stormy Daniels and Mr Trump’s former “fixer” Michael Cohen to surprise visits from MAGA loyalists, including Colorado Rep Lauren Boebert and House Speaker Mike Johnson.

The Independenthas been covering the historic trial live from the courthouse each day.

Ahead of closing arguments, senior reporter Alex Woodward and general news reporter Ariana Baio held a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” forum to answer your questions about the case:

Trump’s trial enters final stage. The Independent answers your questions

Garland refutes Trump’s ‘false and extremely dangerous’ assassination attempt lie

John Bowdenreports from Washington, DC:

US Attorney General Merrick Garland has taken the rare step of directly refuting a claim made by Donald Trump.

The AG appeared at a Thursday press conference in Washington, where he took a question from a reporter on the 2024 presidential candidate’s claim that FBI agents were “authorized” by Joe Biden to use “deadly force” against him when they raided his estate and resort at Mar-a-Lagoin August of 2022.

MrTrump made the claim on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday after newly unsealed court filings showed that four additional classified documents were discovered in the former president’s bedroom in the months following the initial search.

Read on...

Garland refutes Trump’s ‘false and extremely dangerous’ assassination attempt lie

Watch: Byron Donalds pressed about absurd GOP Trump assassination attempt conspiracy theories

CNN’s Abby Phillip pressed Rep Byron Donalds about why he and other Trump allies continue to push bogus conspiracy theories about the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago after the former president refused to return classified documents.

Phillip was not going to let Rep Donalds get away with trying to change the subject...

Full story: Trump met with ‘build the wall’ chants as he goes on anti-migrant rant at Bronx rally

Donald Trump was met with chants of “build the wall” on Thursday evening as herehashed his anti-immigrant rhetoricduring a campaign rally in the Bronx.

Speaking in Crotona Park in the South Bronx –a Democratic stronghold with a large Hispanic and Black population – the former president baselessly sought to paint migrants from China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other nations as a threat to the United States.

In a particularly xenophobic moment, hebaselessly claimedthat migrants are “building an army” to attack the US from inside its borders.

Gustaf Kilanderreports:

Trump met with ‘build the wall’ chants as he goes on anti-migrant rant at Bronx rally

How big was Trump’s Bronx rally?

How big was Donald Trump’s first rally in New York state in eight years?

Not yuge.

While there are supporters on social media claiming somewhere between 30,000-40,000 people showed up, they are either lying or being willfully misled.

For starters, the permit was for 3,500 people. Second, here’s an aerial shot, with Mr Trump on the stage and the local news report from which it was taken:

That’s a lot of green space left to fill.

The part of the Bronx in which Crotona Park sits is the tenth most Democrat constituency in the country.

US Rep Ritchie Torres was blunt about what he saw in the crowd that did attend, noting that many appeared to be “transplants” from outside the district.

An estimated 30,000 people showed up to see the former president at Wildwood on the Jersey Shore on May 11, though wild estimates circulated that the crowd was nearer 80,000-100,000. This turned out to be an estimate of the number of visitors to the town that day, not attendees of the rally.

Trump brazenly asks Bronx crowd if he was ‘hotter’ before or after becoming president

Here’s more on Trump’s on-stage antics yesterday from James Liddell.

Trump brazenly asks Bronx crowd if he was ‘hotter’ before or after presidency

Watch: Trump wants revenge — Robert De Niro voices latest Biden ad

Trump touts largest deportation in US history in anti-migrant rant while claiming China building sleeper cell army

Stephen Colbert takes jab at Trump over ego-boosting tactic at hush money trial

The late-night host has taken a deserved swipe at Trump over his aide carrying around a portable printer to quickly provide him with hard copies of flattering news articles about himself outside of his hush money trial.

Amelia Neath has the details.

Stephen Colbert takes jab at Trump over ego-boosting tactic at hush money trial

Biden campaign posts Trump remarks with no commentary

The Biden campaign appears to believe that Donald Trump speaking about Donald Trump is a big enough turn-off for voters that extra commentary is just unnecessary.

For example:

Watch: What Trump voters think about his hush money trial and the election

CBS News reporter Olivia Rinaldi spoke with Trump supporters about how they see the former president’s hush money trial impacting his campaign to retake the White House in November.

Perhaps take their responses with a pinch of salt...

Fox News host says ‘voters are like women... they want you to lavish attention on them’

Absolutely vintage stuff from Jesse Watters here.

My oh my.