Rolling Stone

“You Can’t Expel Hope”: Second Tennessee Democrat Reinstated To Statehouse

Days after Republicans voted to expel them from office, Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones have reclaimed their seats in government.

Story: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/justin-pearson-reinstated-tennessee-legislature-1234713934/

Texas Governor Greg Abbott lamented that Texas can’t shoot migrants trying to cross the border illegally because “the Biden administration would charge us with murder.” https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/greg-abbott-murder-charges-shooting-migrants-1234945121/

EXCLUSIVE: Tax records reveal that Fidelity Charitable and other charities have funneled millions through donor-advised fund programs to groups pushing vaccine skepticism and Covid-19 misinformation.

Rolling Stone and Important Context tracked more than $15 million that donor-advised funds gave in 2020-22 to anti-vax or Covid-19 misinformation groups, like RFK Jr.'s Children's Health Defense. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/rfk-jr-anti-vax-orgs-funding-major-charities-1234857214/

Rudy Giuliani has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy less than a week after he was ordered to pay two Georgia election workers a total of $148 million for spreading defamatory conspiracy theories about them in the aftermath of the 2020 election — and less than 24 hours after the judge, in that case, ruled that Giuliani must immediately begin paying those damages. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/rudy-giuliani-chapter-11-banrruptcy-1234934605/

A bomb threat was made against the home of Arthur Engoron just hours before the New York judge is scheduled to hear closing arguments in the state’s civil fraud trial against Donald Trump. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/judge-engoron-swatted-hours-before-trump-closing-arguments-1234944593/

The tension between the state of Texas and the federal government over the border escalated on Thursday when the Texas National Guard seized control of Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas, denying entry to federal authorities. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/texas-national-guard-shelby-park-eagle-pass-border-patrol-1234945639/

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco reported that the DOJ is seeing an "unprecedented rise in threats to public officials across the board.” https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-gop-rising-threats-public-officials-1234935800/

During a break in the closing arguments of his New York civil fraud trial, Donald Trump claimed that Attorney General Letitia James was responsible for forcing the oil and gas conglomerate ExxonMobil to leave the state and move to Texas. There is one small problem with the former president’s accusation: ExxonMobile left New York in 1989, three decades before James assumed the role of attorney general. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-blames-new-york-ag-exxon-moving-texas-1234944871/

EXCLUSIVE: Donald Trump and his lawyers are planning to turn his Jan. 6 trial into a “MAGA freak show” laced with conspiracy theories, Fox News-style talking points and raging innuendo, sources tell Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/trump-plot-to-turn-jan-6-trial-into-maga-freak-show-1234938951/

Gosar, who has ties to white supremacists, is now on the House Oversight Committee. Today, he pushed the false notion that Biden is trying to flood the U.S. with “illegal aliens” as part of a deliberate effort to change the makeup of the nation. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/paul-gosar-immigrants-change-culture-border-hearing-1234675501/

Donald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, accidentally gave his lawyer phony legal citations — which were then used in a motion given to a federal judge — conjured by Google’s artificial intelligence chatbot, Google Bard. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/michael-cohen-lawyer-fake-ai-generated-citations-legal-motion-1234938307/

NEW: The Supreme Court will decide whether states can choose what kind of emergency medical care women can receive — and if they can block hospitals from providing life-saving abortions to patients in danger. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/supreme-court-states-emergency-abortion-1234945425/

Trump “rehearsed” the closing tirade he would deliver at his New York fraud trial for days before getting denied the opportunity. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-rehearsed-fraud-trial-closing-argument-denied-1234944721/

Alexei Navalny, the anti-Putin activist and Russian opposition leader who mysteriously disappeared from prison earlier this month, has been found in a remote penal colony in the Arctic. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/alexei-navalny-arctic-penal-colony-putin-1234936174/

“Fuck Her! Fuck Her!”

Steve Bannon attacked Nikki Haley at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest, spurring conference attendees to launch into a profane chant. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/steve-bannon-americafest-nikki-haley-trump-1234933955/

NEW: Away from Fox News, Tucker Carlson is leaning into the most extreme iterations of his public persona and making direct contact with segments of the right’s fever swamps in a way he’s never done before. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/tucker-carlson-network-younger-audience-kevin-spacey-nelk-boys-1234936451/

Trump launched into an unauthorized tirade in court after being barred from personally delivering closing arguments in his New York civil fraud trial. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-rehearsed-fraud-trial-closing-argument-denied-1234944721/

Donald Trump spent his Sunday morning posting on Truth Social about former White House staffers who testified before the Jan. 6 committee. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-targets-former-staffers-threat-democracy-1234938665/

Donald Trump claimed that he was merely doing his “duty” as president by alleging that the 2020 presidential election was “rigged” and “stolen,” therefore believes he deserves “immunity” from prosecution. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-immunity-duty-as-president-appeal-1234935729/

The scammy, salacious saga of George Santos’ fraudulent life and short-lived congressional career will soon get the documentary treatment. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/george-santos-fyre-fraud-documentary-jenner-furst-1234934345/

BREAKING: Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to nine charges in a Los Angeles federal court. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/hunter-biden-appears-court-tax-evasion-1234944565/

Donald Trump's primary opponents have rushed to his defense following the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling that he can't appear on the state's ballots. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-primary-opponents-defend-colorado-ballot-ruling-1234933023/

Two Republican lawmakers were targeted with attempted swatting incidents on Christmas Day. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Brandon Williams both said that local police received a false report of an emergency situation at their homes. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/christmas-swatting-marjorie-taylor-greene-brandon-williams-1234936137/