National News

In perhaps one of the most bizarre legal whiplashes since the start of Donald Trump's second presidency, he dropped his lawsuit against polling expert Ann Selzer and the Des Moines Register on Monday — but then filed it again, in a different court.

Politico's Kyle Cheney, reporting on the development, expressed puzzlement by the move.

"UPDATE: Trump has refiled his suit against Selzer and DMR in Iowa state court, an odd move since the federal judge in the original case denied his effort to transfer back to state court," Cheney posted on X. "Appeal was pending when Trump dismissed earlier suit."

The suit stems from a poll released by Selzer and the newspaper days before the 2024 election. The poll, widely regarded as the gold standard for forecasting Iowa voters, had then-Vice President Kamala Harris carrying the state, which would have been a massive upset as Iowa has not been regarded as competitive in presidential contests since the Obama administration.

Ultimately, the poll was off, with Trump carrying the state decisively, and Selzer later announced her retirement from the polling industry. However, Trump sued Selzer and the Register under a novel legal theory that the poll was a deliberate act of fraud designed to mislead the voting public and depress turnout for his voters.

Legal experts widely view the lawsuit as meritless and an attempt to intimidate journalists who might report negative things about the president into silence.

“This frivolous effort is motivated solely by a president’s desire to punish perceived political opponents and to intimidate would-be critics into silence — a breathtaking assault on the First Amendment and the underpinnings of a free society," stated Robert Corn-Revere chief legal counsel for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, in a press release about their legal brief in defense of Selzer and DMR. "Once you get past the groundless assertions, campaign-style hyperbole, and overheated conspiracy theories, there is nothing left.”

President Donald Trump took the opportunity Monday evening to hawk his line of fragrances — and earned swift reaction from critics Monday evening, many of whom were astounded by the eye-popping price.

Trump has a long history of pushing fragrances, dating back to at least 2004, when he launched "Donald Trump, The Fragrance" in partnership with Estée Lauder.

In 2015, Trump released the fragrance, "Empire by Trump." And last year, Trump introduced the "Victory 47" cologne and perfume as part of his merchandise line, available for pre-order beginning in June, as well as a new fragrance line called "Fight, Fight, Fight," which included both men's and women's scents.

On Monday, the president took to his Truth Social platform to push his new fragrances.

"Trump Fragrances are here. They’re called 'Victory 45-47' because they’re all about Winning, Strength, and Success — For men and women. Get yourself a bottle, and don’t forget to get one for your loved ones too. Enjoy, have fun, and keep winning!"

The internet immediately weighed in on the announcement.

X user Burt Macklin joked on X, "Just spent my entire life saving on his new phone service. Going to take out a few payday loans to get this new fragrance."

Fellow X commenter Drew Logan jabbed potential buyers, writing: "You are a complete f---ing loser if you buy this."

Fred Wellman, host of the On Democracy podcast, repeated a familiar Trump refrain in resharing the president's post: "Thank you for your attention."

Journalist Aaron Rupar wrote on X, "new frontiers of grifting."

Former MSNBC host and Zeteo founder Mehdi Hasan questioned on X, "How is this legal?"

X user Kate from Kharkiv simply reacted, "Wtf? Lol"

CNN's Kristen Holmes homed in on the eyebrow-raising price.

"President Trump is launching his own fragrance line called 'Victory 45-47'. $199 a bottle," she noted.

And fellow X user Jeff Fleischmann remarked, "Trump launching fragrance line called 'Victory 45-47'. $199 a bottle. => Rumored to be made from 'essence' of his 'precious bodily fluids.' Appropriate warnings may or may not be listed on label. Use with extreme caution and ideally in the presence of a medical professional."

In perhaps one of the most bizarre legal whiplashes since the start of Donald Trump's second presidency, he dropped his lawsuit against polling expert Ann Selzer and the Des Moines Register on Monday — but then filed it again, in a different court.

Politico's Kyle Cheney, reporting on the development, expressed puzzlement by the move.

"UPDATE: Trump has refiled his suit against Selzer and DMR in Iowa state court, an odd move since the federal judge in the original case denied his effort to transfer back to state court," Cheney posted on X. "Appeal was pending when Trump dismissed earlier suit."

The suit stems from a poll released by Selzer and the newspaper days before the 2024 election. The poll, widely regarded as the gold standard for forecasting Iowa voters, had then-Vice President Kamala Harris carrying the state, which would have been a massive upset as Iowa has not been regarded as competitive in presidential contests since the Obama administration.

Ultimately, the poll was off, with Trump carrying the state decisively, and Selzer later announced her retirement from the polling industry. However, Trump sued Selzer and the Register under a novel legal theory that the poll was a deliberate act of fraud designed to mislead the voting public and depress turnout for his voters.

Legal experts widely view the lawsuit as meritless and an attempt to intimidate journalists who might report negative things about the president into silence.

“This frivolous effort is motivated solely by a president’s desire to punish perceived political opponents and to intimidate would-be critics into silence — a breathtaking assault on the First Amendment and the underpinnings of a free society," stated Robert Corn-Revere chief legal counsel for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, in a press release about their legal brief in defense of Selzer and DMR. "Once you get past the groundless assertions, campaign-style hyperbole, and overheated conspiracy theories, there is nothing left.”

President Donald Trump took the opportunity Monday evening to hawk his line of fragrances — and earned swift reaction from critics Monday evening, many of whom were astounded by the eye-popping price.

Trump has a long history of pushing fragrances, dating back to at least 2004, when he launched "Donald Trump, The Fragrance" in partnership with Estée Lauder.

In 2015, Trump released the fragrance, "Empire by Trump." And last year, Trump introduced the "Victory 47" cologne and perfume as part of his merchandise line, available for pre-order beginning in June, as well as a new fragrance line called "Fight, Fight, Fight," which included both men's and women's scents.

On Monday, the president took to his Truth Social platform to push his new fragrances.

"Trump Fragrances are here. They’re called 'Victory 45-47' because they’re all about Winning, Strength, and Success — For men and women. Get yourself a bottle, and don’t forget to get one for your loved ones too. Enjoy, have fun, and keep winning!"

The internet immediately weighed in on the announcement.

X user Burt Macklin joked on X, "Just spent my entire life saving on his new phone service. Going to take out a few payday loans to get this new fragrance."

Fellow X commenter Drew Logan jabbed potential buyers, writing: "You are a complete f---ing loser if you buy this."

Fred Wellman, host of the On Democracy podcast, repeated a familiar Trump refrain in resharing the president's post: "Thank you for your attention."

Journalist Aaron Rupar wrote on X, "new frontiers of grifting."

Former MSNBC host and Zeteo founder Mehdi Hasan questioned on X, "How is this legal?"

X user Kate from Kharkiv simply reacted, "Wtf? Lol"

CNN's Kristen Holmes homed in on the eyebrow-raising price.

"President Trump is launching his own fragrance line called 'Victory 45-47'. $199 a bottle," she noted.

And fellow X user Jeff Fleischmann remarked, "Trump launching fragrance line called 'Victory 45-47'. $199 a bottle. => Rumored to be made from 'essence' of his 'precious bodily fluids.' Appropriate warnings may or may not be listed on label. Use with extreme caution and ideally in the presence of a medical professional."

"And this is what galls me about this. This was the guy that told the president he was going to cut two trillion dollars of waste, fraud, and abuse"

The post Bannon Rips Into Musk Over Call for a Third Party, Argues DOGE Failed to Actually Cut Spending first appeared on Mediaite.

A panel discussion about Zohran Mamdani's shocking victory in New York City's Democratic primary turned heated after a liberal host slammed claims that Mamdani will "destroy New York."

During Monday's episode of "Piers Morgan Uncensored," former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said he thinks Mamdani is an "enemy of America" and espouses a philosophy that "wants to destroy America."

"I think he's gonna destroy New York City. I think this is a disaster time for New York City. This guy becomes mayor, the city is gone," Giuliani said.

Those claims didn't sit well with Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks. Uygur described Giulian's comments as "deeply bigoted" and "total trash."

'Ignore every lie he just said," Uygur said.

Mamdani's victory in the New York Democratic mayoral primary has spurred a lot of criticism of his character and political beliefs. Some have described Mamdani as a supporter of Hamas despite offering no evidence. Others have criticized his affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America.

Uygur added that there appear to be two kinds of people who criticize Mamdani: those who disagree with his economic vision for the country and those who want him to bend his head to Israel. Uygur said Giuliani appears to fall into the latter camp.

"If he's New York First, unacceptable!" Uygur said sarcastically. "He has to be Israel First. That's absurd. And they're deeply racist, and they're bigots, and I can't stand it."

You can watch the entire episode here.