TV News LIES

When Donald Trump pardoned former Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins last week, the president called him a "victim" who had been "persecuted by the Radical Left 'monsters' and 'left for dead.'"

Jenkins is an outspoken supporter of Trump. The reprieve spared Jenkins from what Trump called an "unfair sentence" — 10 years for bribery, conspiracy, and honest services fraud — just before the former sheriff was to start serving it.

More than 60% of voters in Culpeper backed Trump in last year's election. But many there, including Trump supporters, say pardoning the former sheriff was wrong.

"That's a terrific mistake," said Ken Green, a retired entrepreneur and three-time Trump voter, as he ate breakfast at the counter at Frost Cafe in downtown Culpeper. "It's a failure of our justice system. He was guilty as could be. He needed to go to jail, and he didn't. So what kind of signal does that send?"

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The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has reportedly seen subscription sales fall by about $1.6m – or roughly 36% – compared with 2024 amid Donald Trump’s having appointed himself to lead the institution.

The center has made less than $2.7m as of the start of June through subscriptions to its theater, dance, classical and other seasons of performances. The center had generated more than $4.4m by this point a year earlier, according to data obtained by the Washington Post.

The Post says that sales data was collected and shared by former Kennedy Center employees. The data was confirmed by a current staff member, who spoke to the Post on the condition of anonymity.

Federal courts have handed a series of resounding victories to the law firms fighting back against President Trump’s targeted executive orders, a sharp rebuke of his retribution campaign against them.

Three judges, appointed by presidents of both political parties, forcefully struck down orders this month aimed at limiting government contracts and access for Big Law firms Perkins Coie, WilmerHale and Jenner & Block.

The early wins underscore the legal system’s ability to withstand the Trump administration’s pressure test, and have led some in the legal community to take shots at other elite firms that struck deals with Trump to avoid punishments.

“This is a moment for courage, not capitulation,” said Harold Hongju Koh, a Yale Law School professor who authored papers calling Trump’s orders retaliatory and the law firm deals unenforceable.

“The firms that showed courage are being vindicated, and the ones who have capitulated have another chance to show courage,” he continued. “So, what are they going to do?”

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President Trump has nominated 30-year-old conservative lawyer Paul Ingrassia, to lead the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, a government ethics office, despite Ingrassia's ties to multiple antisemitic extremists.

If confirmed by the Senate, Ingrassia would oversee the agency that enforces the Hatch Act, which limits government employees from engaging in certain partisan political activities, and provides protections to whistleblowers. (The agency is separate and distinct from special counsels appointed by the Department of Justice, such as Robert Mueller or Jack Smith, who investigate sensitive cases.)

President Trump has long called for escalating the U.S. drug war against Mexican cartels and wants tougher penalties for dealers selling fentanyl and other street drugs in American communities. "I am ready for it, the death penalty, if you deal drugs," Trump said during a meeting with state governors in February, where he said dealers are too often treated with a "slap on the wrist."

But despite his tough rhetoric, Trump has sparked controversy by pardoning a growing number of convicted drug dealers, including this week's move to grant clemency to Larry Hoover, 74, who was serving multiple life sentences in federal prison for crimes linked to his role leading the Chicago-based Gangster Disciples.

Already during the early months of his second term, Trump has granted clemency to at least eight individuals convicted on federal drug charges. Some, including Hoover, have extensive criminal records involving violence and gun charges.

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