Trump news today: Trump demands cameras in court for Jan 6 case as date set for classified documents trial

The Florida federal judge overseeing the Espionage Act and obstruction of justice case against former president Donald Trump has rejected the disgraced ex-president’s bid to delay his trial until after the 2024 election.

US District Judge Aileen Cannon on Friday issued an order granting the government’s request to set a speedy trial date and schedule for pretrial motions, with a start date of 20 May 2024.

Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, DC.

The Georgia prosecutor investigating Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in that state is reportedly weighing a racketeering indictment against the former president and others.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could rely on evidence tied to Mr Trump’s infamous call to the state’s top elections official to “find” votes for him, as well as the breach of voting machines by a group of Trump-connected operatives, according to The Guardian, citing two people briefed on the matter.

Prosecutors are reportedly reviewing a racketeering indictment including statutes related to influencing witnesses and computer trespass.

An indictment is expected within the first two weeks of August.

Former President Donald Trump shared a menacing new video on his Truth Social account on Thursday in which he promises to “do things that have never been done before” to people who “f*** around with us.”

The video, produced by MAGA.com, features audio of the former president’s appearance on the late Rush Limbaugh’s radio show three years ago. During that appearance, Mr Trump was discussing Iran. Now, with Mr Trump set to face another federal indictment over his attempts to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election, the audio has been repurposed.

Caviezel, who played Jesus in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, made the biblical comparison to the twice-indicted and twice-impeached one-term president on Fox News.

The conservative actor appeared on Fox & Friends on Fox News on Thursday to promote his new anti-trafficking movie Sound of Freedom.

Graeme Massie reports from Los Angeles.

A new survey out from Monmouth University should have the Biden campaign — and the DC media circuit — breathing slightly easier.

The university’s pollsters surveyed the effect that a prominent third-party presidential bid would have on a matchup between Mr Biden and his 2020 rival, Donald Trump, who is looking more likely to be the Republican nominee with every passing day. The findings were objectively good news for the president: Voters still back him over the twice-impeached former president when a prominent third-party candidate is introduced into the equation.

The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s sexual abuse case brought by columnist E Jean Carroll has denied his bid to toss the jury’s verdict, and let the air out of his legal team’s argument.

Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled this week that a jury’s award of $2m to Ms Carroll over its finding that Mr Trump had indeed sexually abused her was not excessive, given that while the actions alleged by his accuser did not fit the legal definition of rape, they certainly fit the colloquial meaning of the word.

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that it had settled fraud charges with the financial firm tied to former president Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform, Street Insider reported.

The SEC had accused Digital World Acquisition Corporation (DWAC), a special purpose acquisition company, of making material misrepresentations in forms it filed with the SEC as part of its initial public offering and its proposed merger with Trump Media & Technology Group Corp (TMTG), which Mr Trump founded.

DWAC had misled both the SEC and investors when it failed to disclose that it had formulated a plan to acquire and was pursuing the acquisition of TMTG.

Eric Garcia has the details.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy insisted this week that he had not made a deal with former President Donald Trump over the issue of expunging the latter’s two impeachments.

The Speaker was asked about the issue by reporters in his daily press gaggle on Thursday, according to Politico, as the chamber considers bills brought by a coalition between Rep Elise Stefanik, a member of leadership, and Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene — a far-right bomb-thrower recently expelled from the House Freedom Caucus for cozying up to the Speaker’s team too aggressively.

John Bowden reports from Washington, DC.

Former president Donald Trump bashed his main rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination late Thursday evening.

The former president posted on his Truth Social platform that businessman Vivek Ramaswamy is now beating Florida Gov Ron DeSantis in some polling. He also poked fun at former Arkansas Gov Asa Hutchinson and attacked former New Jersey Gov Chris Christie over his weight.

Alex Woodward reports how a sprawling Justice Department probe into Donald Trump and his allies could result in several criminal charges against the former president.