Trump steps up effort to prevent truth from exposing his administration with new appointee
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Donald Trump Won't Rule Out Pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell
On his way out the door to a weekend golf trip that's set to cost American taxpayers at least $10 million, Trump stopped to answer a couple questions from reporters ― and he was awfully cagey when asked about Ghislaine Maxwell. Related: Asked if he would pardon or commute the sentence of Maxwell, sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's onetime girlfriend, Trump sure didn't say 'no.' Related: 'I'm allowed to do it,' he told reporters. He then claimed that 'it's something I've not thought about.' Fox News/ @atrupar Presumably, Trump wouldn't pardon Maxwell, who was convicted for helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls, unless it benefited him personally — perhaps by buying her silence or otherwise somehow distracting the country from his own past relationship with Epstein. Trump deflected further when pushed on the subject. Related: 'I don't want to talk about that,' he said. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence at a federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with her on Thursday in an attempt to quell a firestorm over the Trump administration's backtracking on promises to release additional records from the Epstein investigation. 'What I do want to say is that Blanche is a great attorney,' Trump told reporters. Then he launched into one of his classic redirects and encouraged the press not to investigate his own connection to Epstein, but everyone else's. He proceeded to list names that may or may not be in the Epstein files and speculated about 'hedge fund guys' and former President Bill Clinton going to Epstein's island. Related: (Clinton has denied knowing anything about the 'terrible crimes' allegedly committed by the billionaire financier.) In the same back and forth, Trump also denied that he'd written a lewd birthday message for Epstein that featured a drawing of a naked woman and remarked how 'enigmas never age' while wishing that 'may every day be another wonderful secret.' The Wall Street Journal published a copy of the note last article originally appeared on HuffPost. Also in In the News: Also in In the News: Also in In the News:
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
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Fort Pierce sets special meeting on James Taylor; special election may be in the works
FORT PIERCE — The City Commission will meet July 28 to discuss the arrest of Commissioner James Taylor, charged with 24 felony counts related to an alleged explicit internet relationship with a teenage girl from Illinois. Commissioners are to meet at 5:05 p.m. to "discuss the status of Commissioner District 2, Seat 2." While the announcement mentions only a discussion, Commissioner Michael Broderick said he hopes his colleagues will do more than just that. "I am hopeful, I am working very hard, to get the Governor's Office to remove him from office today," Broderick said July 25. The City Commission cannot remove one of its own, but a commissioner can resign. The governor can suspend local elected officials for a variety of reasons, including for felony charges. Taylor — who made his first appearance in court on the morning of July 25, dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit — has not resigned, as far as Broderick is aware. "I want a letter of resignation. I want it right now, on my desk, but if I don't get it, we're compelling the governor to take action here," Broderick said. Broderick has been working the phone, directly with the Governor's Office and with other local, state and federal officials who may be able to encourage Gov. Ron DeSantis to suspend Taylor quickly, before the special meeting. "I'm working in conjunction with our state elected officials, and our national elected officials, to get this done. The citizens of the city of Fort Pierce own that commission seat, and they need to get it back," Broderick said. The governor's communications office has not responded to requests for comment on Taylor's arrest. If Taylor is removed from office by the time the meeting, Broderick said, commissioners can move past discussion and into planning for a special election to replace him. "I'm hopeful that by Monday at five o'clock that the seat is vacated, and that the City Commission is going to plot a strategy to run a special election and get the seat filled as quickly as possible," Broderick said. If there was less than six months until the next municipal general election for District 2, Seat 2, the City Commission could appoint a temporary replacement for Taylor. However, Taylor was elected in November 2024, leaving the next election more than three years away. The city will have to hold a special election to fill the seat, whether Taylor resigns or is removed. John Heaning, the opponent whom Taylor defeated in 2024 with nearly 62% of the vote, issued a statement on social media shortly after Taylor's arrest. While not announcing a run in the anticipated special election, Heaning did not rule it out. "Currently, I remain undecided. I will give it thoughtful and serious consideration, and when the time is right, I'll decide based on what I believe is best for the future of Fort Pierce," Heaning said. Heaning said he was "deeply disappointed and shocked" by Taylor's arrest, and called it "yet another troubling scandal for the city of Fort Pierce." Taylor has yet to enter a plea for the 24 felony counts he faces. His bond, initially set at $250,000, was raised to $340,000 at his first appearance. His July 24 arrest, which occurred during a traffic stop, came after more than a year of investigations, which started with the Evanston (Illinois) Police Department. Police there received a report from the mother of a 3-year-old girl on August 2024, and contacted the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office in May. The girl, now-14, is believed to have been 12 at the time Taylor began sending her messages via Snapchat, according to SLCSO investigators. On July 24, SLCSO executed search warrants at his home and at a non-government office, and he was arrested shortly afterward. More: What to know about City Commissioner James Taylor, his arrest, Fort Pierce city reaction More: "Monster": Officials react to James Taylor arrest; one calls for suspension by governor Taylor is the second high-ranking Fort Pierce official to be arrested in the past year. Longtime City Manager Nick Mimms was arrested Aug. 14, 2024, on charges of bid rigging and official misconduct related to a bid process. It ultimately was won by a nonprofit led by two city employees, one of whom was his niece. Mimms has pleaded not guilty. Mimms was replaced by Richard Chess, who became city manager in April. Taylor cast the deciding vote to hire Chess. With commissioners locked 2-2 — between Chess and City Clerk Linda Cox — Taylor switched his vote from a third candidate to Chess. Wicker Perlis is TCPalm's Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: James Taylor arrest latest: Fort Pierce to meet, ask for DeSantis help Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
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Education Department says it will release billions in remaining withheld grant money for schools
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is releasing billions of dollars in grants to schools for adult literacy, English language instruction and other programs, the Education Department said Friday. President Donald Trump's administration had withheld more than $6 billion in funding on July 1, as part of a review to ensure spending aligned with the White House's priorities. The funding freeze had been challenged by several lawsuits as educators, Congress members from both parties and others called for the administration to release money schools rely on for a wide range of programs. Congress had appropriated the money in a bill signed this year by Trump. Last week, the Education Department said it would release $1.3 billion of the money for after-school and summer programming. Without the money, school districts and nonprofits such as the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club of America had said they would have to close or scale back educational offerings this fall. The release of that money came days after 10 Republican senators sent a letter imploring the administration to allow frozen education money to be sent to states. Those senators had also called for the rest of the money to be distributed, including funds for adult education and teaching English as a second language. The Education Department said Friday the Office of Management and Budget had completed its review of the programs and will begin sending the money to states next week. U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, was among the Congress members calling for the release of the grants. 'The programs are ones that enjoy longstanding, bipartisan support," she said. She pointed to after-school and summer programs that allow parents to work while their children learn and classes that help adults gain new skills — contributing to local economies. In withholding the funds, the Office of Management and Budget had said some of the programs supported a ' radical leftwing agenda. ' 'We share your concern,' the GOP senators had written. 'However, we do not believe that is happening with these funds.' School superintendents had warned they would have to eliminate academic services without the money. On Friday, AASA, an association of superintendents, thanked members of Congress for pressing to release the money. ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at Collin Binkley, The Associated Press Sign in to access your portfolio
