Trump issues challenge to Biden after Haley quits Republican race: Latest

The Tennessee senator here calls for an even more obedient congressional servant to the Orange One than Cocaine Mitch, apparently seeing no future for her party outside of his perma-tanned grip.

The Republican has a long history of using artist’s music at his rallies without permission but few would have been more disgusted by it than the late, great Sinead O’Connor.

Here’s more from Laura Barton.

Here’s Amelia Neath on a bravura performance from the late-night host as he laid out the case against Trump’s re-election without pausing for breath on the day he became the Republican nominee-presumptive.

Trump’s short-lived White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci here underlining what a blow those costly recent New York court judgements are to his former employer’s fragile ego, as the clock ticks ever onwards to his bond deadlines.

Daniel Rodimer, a former wrestler who ran for a Republican congressional seat in 2020, surrendered himself to authorities in Nevada on Wednesday evening after an arrest warrant sought him out on an open murder charge.

Man, Trump sure can pick ‘em.

Here’s Ariana Baio’s report.

Right-wing provocateur Lauren Boebert began a weekend Colorado candidate event with an endorsement from Trump – but still ended with a third-place straw poll finish.

The hardline conservatives she hopes to represent, many with generational ties to the land, are still not convinced by her district switch, litany of controversies and overall brand, writes Sheila Flynn.

The Fulton County Board of Ethics was supposed to hear complaints against district attorney Fani Willis this morning – raised by the pro-Trump lawyers trying to have her disqualified from their case – but cancelled the meeting, deciding they did not have jurisdiction over the matter.

Brutal from the late-night host: “No! Don’t quit now, Nikki! You were only 80,000 delegates behind! If you drop out, who will little girls without any principles, convictions or charisma look up to?!”

Donald Trump will have to pay the six-figure legal costs of the company he sued over allegations he took part in “perverted” sex acts and gave bribes to Russian officials.

The former, and possible future, US president brought legal action against Orbis Business Intelligence, a consultancy founded by a former MI6 officer.

Christopher Steele, who previously ran the Secret Intelligence Service’s Russia desk, was the author of the so-called Steele dossier, which included denied allegations that Trump had been “compromised” by the Russian security service, the FSB.

At a hearing in London last year, the High Court was told Trump was bringing a data protection claim over two memos in the dossier that claimed he had taken part in “sex parties” while in St Petersburg and engaged in “golden showers” with prostitutes in Moscow.

In a ruling last month, Justice Steyn threw out Trump’s case, finding his compensation claim was “bound to fail”.

And in an order obtained by the PA news agency on Thursday, the judge also said the Republican front-runner will pay Orbis’s costs “of the entire claim”.

Justice Steyn said Orbis has estimated its costs to be more than £600,000.

She ordered that £300,000 should be paid by Trump before the total costs are decided by a specialist judge.

The Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee has invited Hunter Biden and a handful of his associates to testify at a public hearing as part of its flailing investigation into Joe Biden.

Sigh. This is never going to end, is it?

Kelly Rissman and Eric Garcia have more.