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A New York appeals court on Thursday temporarily blocked a gag order in former President Donald Trump's civil fraud trial that barred him from complaining about the judge's law clerk. The Appellate Division judge ordered the stay after Trump's attorneys appealed the gag order Judge Arthur Engoron had put in place as being "unconstitutional." The stay will remain in place until a full panel of appeals court judges considers the case.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) dropped out of the Speaker’s race on Tuesday, just hours after the conference nominated the Minnesota Republican for the top job, according to a source familiar. Emmer withdrew his name from the running after a contingent of Republicans made clear they would not back him on the House floor, making it virtually impossible for him to secure enough votes to win the gavel.

Lawrence Summers wanted $1 million to fund an online poetry project his wife was developing. The former Treasury secretary and onetime Harvard University president turned to Jeffrey Epstein. “I need small scale philanthropy advice. My life will be better if i raise $1m for Lisa,” Mr. Summers said in an email to Epstein in April 2014, referring to his wife, Elisa New, a Harvard professor. “Mostly it will go to make it a pbs series and for teacher training. Ideas?” Epstein replied that they could meet in Cambridge, Mass. Mr. Summers invited him to dinner, according to a trove of...

Comcast dropped a bombshell Sunday, announcing that NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell is leaving the company, effective immediately. The “mutual” decision comes after an investigation led by outside counsel into a complaint on inappropriate conduct by Shell. “Today is my last day as CEO of NBCUniversal,” Shell said in a statement. “I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret,” said Shell, who is married. “I’m truly sorry I let my Comcast and NBCUniversal colleagues down, they are the most talented people in the business and the opportunity to work with them the last 10...

The Disney layoffs have hit ABC News. The broadcast news division has laid off approximately 50 people as part of the company’s planned cuts, with ABC News president Kim Godwin reorganizing her senior leadership team. Godwin announced the changes in a note to staff Thursday morning. “Throughout the company, teams are being impacted by the downsizing that was announced several weeks ago, including our own ABC News family. While these actions are never easy, they are a necessary step to ensure we’re on solid footing for the years ahead as we chart a sustainable, growth-oriented path forward for the entire...

CNN — The FBI is currently conducting a search of former Vice President Mike Pence’s home in Indiana, a source familiar with the situation told CNN. Pence is currently on the West Coast with his family after his daughter had a baby, according to his spokesperson. A private attorney for Pence is at the Indiana house while the search is underway, the spokesperson added. The FBI is also expected to search Pence’s office in Washington, DC, in the coming days, sources told CNN.

Residents in Billings, Montana, reported an 'explosion in the sky' after US officials warned of a Chinese spy balloon flying over the region. Bizarre video of the aftermath shows a trail of smoke in the sky where the balloon was last spotted. Dolly Moore, who took video of the scene, said she 'saw a jet go by so fast and then explosion in the sky. '

Meta Platforms Inc. is planning to begin large-scale layoffs this week, according to people familiar with the matter, in what could be the largest round in a recent spate of tech job cuts after the industry’s rapid growth during the pandemic. The layoffs are expected to affect many thousands of employees and an announcement is planned to come as soon as Wednesday, according to the people.

Federal officials working on the government response to Covid-19 made well-timed financial trades when the pandemic began—both as the markets plunged and as they rallied—a Wall Street Journal investigation found. In January 2020, the U.S. public was largely unaware of the threat posed by the virus spreading in China, but health officials were on high alert and girding for a crisis. A deputy to top health official Anthony Fauci reported 10 sales of mutual funds and stocks totaling between $157,000 and $480,000 that month. Collectively, officials at another health agency, Health and Human Services, reported 60% more sales of stocks...

The personal consumption expenditures price index rose 6.8% in June, the biggest 12-month move since the 6.9% increase in January 1982. Excluding food and energy, so-called core PCE increased 4.8% from a year ago, up one-tenth of a percentage point from May. The employment cost index, another figure Fed policymakers follow closely, rose 1.3% in the second quarter. The index climbed 5.1% on a 12-month basis, a record for data series that goes back to 2002.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has finally moved to drop the controversial murder charge filed against bodega worker Jose Alba, his office confirmed Monday. The DA’s office said it had filed a motion in Manhattan Criminal Court to dismiss the case against the 61-year-old bodega worker after a investigation found they couldn’t prove the “defendant was not justified in his use of deadly physical force.” Bragg and his office had faced widespread backlash after Alba was swiftly charged with fatally stabbing 35-year-old violent ex-con, Austin Simon, who had attacked him inside the bodega on July 1. The decision to drop...

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – Parkwide vehicle entries over the Memorial Day weekend in 2022 showed a 34% decrease over the same weekend in 2021. Visitation statistics (*vehicle entries) per day for May 27-30, 2022, compared to May 28-31, 2021, are listed below.

NEW ORLEANS - The Louisiana Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Tony Spell, the Central Pastor who continued to hold church services in defiance of restrictions Gov. John Bel Edwards imposed to stop the spread of COVID. Overruling lower courts, the justices ruled that the restrictions on gatherings and the stay-at-home mandate Edwards imposed were unconstitutional. They ordered the charges against Spell quashed. Justices John Weimer and Scott Chrichton dissented on the ruling.

Twitter Inc. is in discussions to sell itself to Elon Musk and could finalize a deal as soon as this week, people familiar with the matter said, a dramatic turn of events just 10 days after the billionaire unveiled his $43 billion bid for the social-media company. The two sides met Sunday to discuss Mr. Musk’s proposal and were making progress, though still had issues to hash out, the people said. There is no guarantee they will reach a deal.

Short of an official request, the White House is now encouraging U.S. drillers to produce more crude. The White House has received a lot of pushback in recent days for not tapping what many see as at least a partial solution to the headache that is high oil prices—U.S. shale. In a move that likely angered his environment-conscious base, the White House has issued a muted request for U.S. oil companies to increase crude oil production in the wake of high crude oil and gasoline prices. Though words are different than deeds—and President Joe Biden’s deeds have been decisively anti-fossil...

Major U.S. stock indexes recovered considerable ground on Thursday to end higher, despite stumbling early in the session after Russia launched a military assault on Ukraine. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, 0.28% flipped positive in the final 15 minutes of trade, adding about 90 points, or 0.3%, to end near 33,222. The S&P 500 SPX, 1.49% gained 1.5% and the Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, 3.34% booked a 3.3% gain. The rally came as oil prices CL00, 1.38% climbed and bond yields tumbled, putting the 10-year Treasury rate below 2%. Investors attributed the turnaround for stocks partly to President Joe...

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards faced a chorus of criticism and questions this morning following an Associated Press report showing he knew about the death of Ronald Greene following a violent interaction with State Police hours after it happened in 2019, USA Today Network reports. Republican House Speaker Clay Schexnayder said in a statement that if the Democratic governor was complicit in a State Police cover-up it “would demonstrate gross misconduct and the highest level of deceit on behalf of the governor and others.” But the questions about the timing and extent of the governor’s knowledge about the Ronald Greene...

SAN ANTONIO — The FBI raid at U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar's home is part of an ongoing investigation into possible crimes involving American businessmen and Azerbaijan, a source tells CBS News. Agents took boxes and a computer from the south Texas congressman's Laredo home and office Wednesday, reportedly collecting evidence for a grand jury impaneled in Washington, D.C. Cuellar, considered one of the most conservative Democrats in the House, co-chairs the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus. The oil-rich country, once a member of the Soviet Union, is known for its "caviar diplomacy." As a lobbying strategy, local business leaders and politicians often...

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. (WFRV)- As many communities are still reeling from the tragedy that struck the Waukesha Community on Sunday, November 21, Menomonee Falls has released new information relating to their upcoming Christmas parade. The Menomonee Falls Police Department released details on their social media accounts announcing the event will be canceled. On Monday, November 22, the MFPD tweeted that the Christmas parade has been cancelled. The parade was originally planned for Sunday, November 28, on Main Street.

The Milwaukee Dancing Grannies posted a statement on Facebook Monday, saying members of the group were among the dead in Sunday's tragedy in Waukesha, Wisconsin. "Those who died were extremely passionate Grannies," according to the group's statement. Five people were killed and 48 were injured after a red SUV sped into Waukesha's Christmas parade Sunday afternoon. The five deceased victims from Sunday's incident range in age from 52 to 81 and include 4 females and one male, according to Police Chief Dan Thompson. The city of Waukesha confirmed the names of the victims Monday as Virginia Sorenson, 79; LeAnna Owen,...