WASHINGTON — When President Trump directed his attorney general last month to investigate online fundraising, he cited concerns that foreigners and fraudsters were using elaborate “schemes“ and “dummy accounts” to funnel illegal contributions to politicians and causes.
Instead of calling for an expansive probe, however, the president identified just one potential target: ActBlue, the Democrats’ online fundraising juggernaut, which has acknowledged receiving over 200 potentially illicit contributions last year from foreign internet addresses.
Trump’s announcement contained a glaring omission — his political committees also received scores of potentially problematic contributions.
An Associated Press review of donations to Trump over the past five years found 1,600 contributions from donors who live abroad, have close ties to foreign interests or failed to disclose basic information, often making it difficult, if not impossible, to identify them and verify the legality of their donations Among those was $5,000 linked to a derelict building, and $5,000 from a Chinese businessman who listed a La Quinta Inn as his address. Another sizable donation — $1 million — was made by the wife of an African oil and mining magnate.
It’s against the law for U.S. candidates and political committees to accept contributions from foreign nationals. Laws also place strict limits on donation amounts and prohibit the laundering of contributions to get around legal caps. For the most part, such donations have been policed by campaigns and the Federal Election Commission, with only the most egregious examples being targeted by federal law enforcement.
But after reclaiming the White House, Trump embarked on a campaign of retribution against his perceived enemies, launching broadsides against universities, law firms and his own former officials. If the Justice Department were to investigate ActBlue, it could imperil a key fundraising tool for Trump’s political rivals before the 2026 midterm elections, when Republicans’ threadbare House majority — and the president’s ability to pass an agenda through Congress — will be on the line.
“This is him taking direct aim at the center of Democratic and progressive fundraising to hamstring his political opponents,” said Ezra Reese, an attorney who leads the political law division at the Elias Law Group, a leading Democratic firm that does not represent ActBlue. “I don’t think there’s any question that they picked their target first. He’s not even pretending.”
Trump’s committees collected scores of donations from people living overseas
The White House did not respond to questions about Trump’s fundraising, including what sort of fraud prevention measures his committees have in place. Instead, a senior administration official pointed to the findings of a recent House Republican investigation of ActBlue that the White House alleges “uncovered specific evidence of potentially unlawful conduct.”
“The memorandum directs the attorney general to investigate this matter broadly, and she will follow the evidence and take appropriate action as warranted,” said the official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the matter.
Neither the Justice Department nor Trump’s 2024 campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita responded to requests for comment.
U.S. citizens living abroad are free to donate to politicians back home. But it can be difficult even for campaigns to discern who is allowed to give and whether a person may be serving as a “straw” donor for someone else seeking to influence U.S. elections.
The AP identified only two Trump donors out of more than 200 living abroad whose U.S. citizenship was listed as “verified” in the president’s campaign finance reports. He received over 1,000 contributions from 150 donors who omitted key identifying details such as their city, state, address or country. Trump also received at least 90 contributions from people who did not give a full name, are listed as “anonymous” or whose donations include the notation “name not provided.”
Many of these Trump donors contributed through WinRed, the Republicans’ online fundraising platform that is the GOP’s answer to ActBlue. Only about three dozen of these contributions were rejected, most of which came from an unknown source and were paid in cryptocurrency, campaign finance disclosures show.
WinRed officials did not respond to a request for comment.
“Foreign money in our elections is a legitimate concern,” said Dan Weiner, a former Federal Election Commission attorney who is now director of the Brennan Center’s elections and government program. “What’s not legitimate is to single out one political opponent and pretend the problem is limited to them.”
Donating from a La Quinta Inn
Jiajun “Jack” Zhang, for example, is a jet-setting Chinese businessman whose Qingdao Scaffolding Co. boasts of being one of the “biggest manufacturers and suppliers in China” of scaffolding. In October, he used WinRed to donate $5,000 to Trump, campaign finance disclosures show.
Zhang lives in China’s Shandong province, according to his LinkedIn account, and is described in French business filings as a Chinese national. But his contribution to Trump lists a La Quinta Inn in Hawaiian Gardens, California, as his address, records show. The donation was made around the time that Zhang posted a photo on social media of his family visiting Disneyland, which is near the hotel.
Zhang did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Other potentially troublesome donations include four from unnamed donors listing an address of “999 Anonymous Dr.”
There is also a series of contributions made through WinRed that listed the donor’s address as a vacant building in Washington that was formerly a funeral home. The donor, identified only as “Alex, A” on Trump’s campaign finance report, gave nearly $5,000, spread across more than 40 separate transactions last year. Those types of donations tend to draw scrutiny from campaigns and regulators.
Regulators and watchdogs have also long been concerned about donations from individuals with ties to foreign interests. Trump has received many such contributions, including one in December from Nnenna Peters, the wife of Benedict Peters, a Nigerian billionaire who is the founder and CEO of oil and mining businesses.
Nnenna Peters, who goes by Ella, gave $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee. A naturalized citizen, Nnenna Peters — who lives in Potomac, Maryland, a tony suburb of the capital — is allowed to make campaign donations.
Federal law, however, bars U.S. citizens from making contributions on behalf of a noncitizen spouse if the money is not a shared asset. For example, experts said, a husband could be prohibited from making a campaign donation using funds from a checking account solely in his wife’s name.
In practice, such a prohibition is hard to enforce because it is difficult to assess whether spouses are acting on their own accord or on behalf of significant others. Government watchdogs say donations like these raise the risk of an attempt to influence U.S. policy on behalf of a foreign interest.
That was precisely the kind of problem Trump cited in his executive order that singled out ActBlue.
Benedict Peters, as it turns out, has a lot to offer that could be of interest to Trump, who has made the extraction of natural resources a focus on his second administration. In particular, the Trump administration has sought to secure access to critical minerals that help power modern technology. Peters’ Aiteo Group markets itself as one of the largest energy conglomerates in Nigeria, while his company, Bravura Holdings, purports to hold the rights to vast critical mineral deposits across Africa.
His wife’s donation stands out in light of her past giving: She donated exclusively to Democrats, records show, including a $66,800 contribution to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign.
“This clearly could have come from her husband,” said Craig Holman, a registered lobbyist for Public Citizen, a Washington-based government watchdog group. “This is something the FEC should take a very, very close look at.”
Benedict and Ella Peters did not respond to requests for comment.
Indifference towards campaign finance rules
The questionable donations fit a pattern for Trump, who has in the past exhibited indifference toward campaign finance rules and used his presidential powers to assist those facing legal trouble in such matters.
In January, Trump’s Justice Department dropped its case against former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, a Nebraska Republican accused of accepting a $30,000 contribution from a Nigerian billionaire. During his first term, Trump pardoned conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza and Republican donor Michael Liberty, who were both convicted of using straw donors to evade contribution limits. He also pardoned former California Rep. Duncan Hunter, who was convicted in 2020 of stealing $250,000 from his campaign fund.
Trump’s political efforts have also drawn contributions from straw donors and foreigners who have been subjected to legal scrutiny.
Among them is Barry Zekelman, a Canadian steel industry billionaire, who was fined $975,000 in 2022 by the Federal Election Commission for funneling $1.75 million to America First Action, Trump’s official super PAC, in 2018. The contribution helped Zekelman secure a dinner with Trump at which steel tariffs were discussed.
Two Soviet-born U.S. citizens, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, were convicted in a straw donor scheme that funneled $325,000 to the same super PAC in the runup to Trump’s losing 2020 reelection campaign.
Jesse Benton, a Republican political operative, was convicted in 2022 of serving as a straw donor for a Russian businessman who contributed $25,000 to Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Democrats say Trump’s focus on ActBlue is a lot to stomach in light of Trump’s acceptance of questionable donations and his seeming lack of interest in enforcing campaign finance laws more generally. They noted that Trump in February fired a commissioner at the Federal Election Commission. The firing, followed by the resignation of a Republican commissioner, has denied the agency the quorum necessary to enforce campaign finance laws and regulations.
“It’s telling that while Trump and his allies attack grassroots-funded platforms like ours, their own campaigns have welcomed money from questionable sources,” ActBlue spokesperson Megan Hughes said.
Republicans counter that there is well-founded reason to investigate the Democratic platform, which eased some fraud detection protocols in 2024 before the presidential election.
Democrats are concerned about ActBlue’s future
There is, however, a political upside to investigating ActBlue. The platform has proved more successful than WinRed, the Republican platform designed to imitate it, which took in less than half of the $3.8 billion that ActBlue raised during the 2024 election cycle.
ActBlue representatives declined to say whether they have been contacted by the Justice Department.
ActBlue is expected to battle any investigation. It took a different approach when a Republican-led congressional committee launched an investigation in 2023. That committee’s findings turned out to be the basis for some of the allegations cited by Trump in his executive order.
Democrats, meanwhile, are preparing for the worst.
“There is a pervasive fear that ActBlue could cease to exist,” said Matt Hodges, a veteran Democratic operative who served as the director of engineering for Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign. “That’s the worst fear people have — that this will escalate or drain legal resources that hinder their ability to operate.”
He predicted that the Democrats could lose more than $10 million in the short term if ActBlue were forced to shut down. That has led some Democrats to begin thinking about alternatives, but they acknowledged it might be too late to create something as successful as ActBlue with the midterms around the corner.
Slodysko and Peoples write for the Associated Press. Peoples reported from New York.
Love Island fans ‘screaming’ as Shea issues brutal one-word comment to fellow Islander
Love Island fans were left in shock after Shea issued a brutal comment to Helena as the Islanders played a game of Spin the Bottle during Sunday night’s episode
22:10, 22 Jun 2025Updated 22:44, 22 Jun 2025
The drama continued on tonight’s Love Island as another game revealed some home truths. In the latest episode, the Islanders sat down for a brutal game of Spin The Bottle – and of course, drama followed. One Islander who stole the show, however, was Shea.
The rules were simple, whoever the bottle landed on, had to take a card which read either truth or dare. It was then left up to the Islanders to get creative and think about a truth or dare for that specific person.
When it got to Shea’s turn, he was asked to go around the firepit and deliver one word to describe each of his fellow Islanders. He called Shakira cute, while calling his former partner Yasmin fake. However, it was Helena who got the most brutal comment.
“Mug,” he said, referring to her back and forth with Harry, who has continued to flirt with Yasmin and Shakira – even sharing three kisses with Yasmin on the Hideaway Terrace. However, it looked like Helena saw the funny side of the comment, saying she “agrees” with his brutal words.
“I think every given opportunity Harry has mugged me off left, right and centre,” she said.
During the comment, fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter to share their disbelief as one penned: “Shea said Mug and didn’t even flinch I’m screaming #LoveIslandUK #loveisland, while another agreed: “shea calling helena a mug to her face is sending me tho #loveisland!”
“‘Helena. Mug.’ is f*****g wild,” said a fourth, while another said: “MUG?! The cackle I just cackled”.
Shae entered the villa as a bombshell alongside Islander Remell. Although Remell formed a connection with Alima as soon as stepping into the villa, Shea’s journey has been a bit more difficult.
He was originally coupled up with Yasmin, however, things didn’t work out for the pair, as they went their separate ways. Yasmin then formed a connection with Harry – although his eyes have continuously gone back to Shakira.
Elsewhere, Helena landed on a dare and Dejon dared her to kiss the person that she’d chose to recouple with, leading to her kissing new bombshell Harrison.
Later, Megan pulled a truth card, and Harry asked her how she really felt about Conor. Megan is currently happily coupled up with Tommy. However, in a shock twist on Friday night, Conor, who is coupled up with Emily, revealed he fancies Megan.
Responding to Harry’s question, Megan tells the group: “Me and Conor got on from the start and that got cut short so I feel like there’s unfinished business there, as you would say [Harry]”.
Will Conor and Megan go any further?
Love Island 2025 airs every night at 9PM on ITV2 and ITVX. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok ,Snapchat ,Instagram ,Twitter ,Facebook ,YouTube and Threads .
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Cher’s son Elijah Allman hospitalized after erratic behavior
Elijah Allman, son of pop icon Cher and songwriter Gregg Allman, landed in the hospital this weekend after law enforcement responded to a report of a man “acting erratically” in a home in the Mojave Desert.
Deputies with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department on Saturday responded to the residence in the unincorporated community of Landers where Allman, 48, “was being evaluated by emergency medical personnel,” officials said in a statement shared with People. Deputies also “located drugs inside the home” and the musicians’ son was transported to a hospital.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, which did not immediately respond on Monday to The Times’ request for comment and additional information, said it is investigating the incident. The statement did not reveal whether drug use led to Allman’s hospitalization but TMZ, which broke the news, reported he overdosed earlier Saturday morning. A source told the outlet Allman is “receiving the best care possible” and “lucky to have survived.”
A representative for Cher did not comment to The Times on Monday.
Marieangela King, Allman’s estranged wife, expressed support for her husband and spoke about his “unwavering commitment to sobriety and his loyalty to those he loves” in a statement to People. She acknowledged that her spouse has “faced personal challenges in the past.”
“Like many, he continues to confront his inner struggles — but it is important to recognize that he does so from a place of strength, not defeat,” she added. “Despite the assumptions that often color how his journey is portrayed, the reality is that Elijah remains grounded, focused and deeply committed to living with integrity and purpose.”
Allman has been open about his struggles with sobriety in the past, telling Entertainment Tonight in a 2014 interview that his drug addiction began before he was even a teenager. “I mean it’s just what you did, it’s just what everyone did,” he told Rob Marciano at the time.
“I [was] just looking to escape all the things in my past and that’s when you turn to those kind of drugs, you know heroin and opiates,” he said in 2014. He also recalled “some close calls and some moments of really feeling at the edge of mortality.”
Details of his alleged drug use also surfaced in December 2023 when his mother filed her bid for conservatorship to take over his finances. The Grammy-winning “Believe” singer alleged at the time that her son was “substantially unable to manage his own financial resources due to severe mental health and substance abuse issues.” Cher ended her conservatorship bid less than a year later, dismissing her petition in September 2024.
King filed a petition to divorce Allman in Los Angeles in April, citing “irreconcilable differences.” The couple, who married in December 2013, was previously headed for divorce when Allman filed a petition in 2021. In January 2024, he filed to dismiss that case without prejudice. Amid their ongoing relationship tensions, King underscored in her weekend statement, “I will always root for him.
“My support is steadfast and comes from a place of deep respect for the person he is and the resilience he continues to show,” King said.
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Rangers deny rule breach over John Brown’s ‘corrupt’ comment
The Glasgow club say they are “surprised” by the charge over Brown’s comments and will “continue to challenge any action we consider to be unfair or disproportionate”.
The SFA rule states: “A club or recognised football body which publishes, distributes, issues, sells or authorises a third party to publish, distribute, issue or sell a match programme or any other publication or audio/visual material of any description in any media now existing or hereinafter invented, including but not limited to the Internet, social networking or micro-blogging sites, shall ensure that any such publications or audio/visual material does not contain any criticism of any match official calculated to indicate bias or incompetence on the part of such match official or to impinge upon his character.”
Rangers note that four out of five members of the SFA’s Key Match Incident Panel deemed the decision to be incorrect, adding that they have “serious concerns about the Scottish FA’s selective enforcement and inconsistency”.
“That finding helps explain the nature of a spontaneous emotional comment, delivered during a highly charged moment and immediately challenged live on air,” Rangers add.
“We have highlighted multiple examples of similar or stronger remarks made elsewhere in Scottish football that have led to no charges or sanctions.
“While we remain committed to maintaining high standards, we will continue to challenge any action we consider to be unfair or disproportionate.”
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Love Island’s Harry Cooksley ‘facing exit’ as fans shocked by ‘wild’ comment to co-star
Love Island 2025 contestant Harry Cooksley got on the bad side of viewers this week on the ITV2 series, so much so several fans wanted him to leave the villa after his latest actions
22:46, 11 Jun 2025Updated 22:46, 11 Jun 2025
One Love Island star could be set for a looming exit from the villa if fans have their way.
Harry Cooksley faces calls to be dumped from the show after his “player” actions during the latest episode. Not only did he lie to current partner Shakira about a televised moment, but a “naughty” comment he made to Helena was also picked up on.
Earlier in the episode, Harry snuck off with Helena to the Hideaway and they joked about heading back there in secret when everyone was asleep. Harry ended up telling Shakira all about his flirting with their co-star, but he didn’t exactly admit to all that went on.
Then when it came to a game of dares, Harry gave Helena a lap dance. It’s what he said during this and then did after that sparked annoyance with fans, but also Shakira.
Harry was heard whispering the word “Hideaway” into Helena’s ear, while Shakira was sat right there. She watched them awkwardly as he made the remark, clearly hoping to head to the private room later.
Then as the ‘dance’ came to an end, he sat down and put his hand on Shakira’s leg, as well as Helena’s leg. When Shakira learned about this she wasn’t happy and called him out.
READ MORE: Love Island LIVE: Hideaway passion sparks couple swaps as Islander told to ‘run’
He denied the recorded moment had happened before asking Helena about it. He’d also made it seem as though Helena was doing all the flirting.
Viewers tuning in were left infuriated with many calling for Harry to leave the show. Others spoke about his “wild” comment to Helena while Shakira was in earshot.
One fan posted on X: “Is nobody going to talk about how Harry literally lied to Shakira’s face, saying Helena stuck it on him when he did the exact same. And whispering ‘hideaway’ to Helena in the game. GET HIM OUTTT!!”
Another fan agreed: “Get Harry out my villa.” A third viewer posted: “I just need all the men out of the villa right now,” as a fourth fan posted: “I need Harry, Helena, Ben, Blu and Meg all dumped.”
Other viewers commented on the comment, with one saying: “Harry whispering ‘Hideaway’ in front of Shakira was wild and so weird,” as another said: “He did NOT just whisper hideaway to Helena when Shakira’s right next to them.” A further comment read: “WoooooW whispering hideaway is naughty.”
It comes as viewers confessed they think they already know which former Love Island star is set to enter the famous second villa, Casa Amor. Sophie Lee was axed from the show on Tuesday night in a brutal dumping, after her partner Harry was stolen by Shakira. Sophie’s exit left fans stunned with many gutted to see her go so early on.
But some viewers are now convinced her time on the show isn’t over. With a recent series seeing a dumped girl return to the villa for Casa Amor, viewers are now speculating Sophie will be back on the show in a matter of weeks, as a bombshell in the second villa.
Taking to X, fans guessed the twist would happen with one fan writing: “I reckon Sophie will re-enter the villa as a bombshell by the end of next week at the latest or she will re-enter in Casa Amor.” Another said: “Dw Sophie you’ll be back in 4 weeks for Casa Amor.”
A third viewer begged: “Nah bring Sophie back for Casa Amor she deserves a chance.” A fourth fan agreed: “Bring her back for casa amor!!” as a fifth viewer posted: “Gutted for her and bring back Sophie as a bombshell or Casa Amor.”
The comments kept on coming with one reading: “They better bring Sophie back as a Casa bombshell. Justice for Sophie.” Another said: “BRING SOPHIE BACK FOR CASA AMOR!”
Love Island 2025 airs every night at 9PM on ITV2 and ITVX. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .
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Simone Biles apologizes for comments toward Riley Gaines
Superstar U.S. gymnast Simone Biles has apologized to Riley Gaines after calling the outspoken former NCAA swimmer “truly sick” and a “sore loser” in recent days during their public argument concerning transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
“I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport,” Biles wrote Tuesday morning on X. “The current system doesn’t adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for.”
Gaines was a two-time All-Southeastern Conference swimmer at Kentucky. At the 2022 NCAA national championships, Gaines and Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, tied for fifth place in the 200 freestyle finals, but only Thomas got to pose on the podium with the fifth-place trophy.
At the same meet, Thomas won the 500 freestyle to become the first out transgender woman to claim a Division I title. But in February and in response to an executive order by President Trump, the NCAA changed its policy to limit competition in women’s sports to athletes who were assigned female at birth.
Gaines has become a leading voice for preventing transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. She and more than a dozen other former college swimmers filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, claiming that the organization had violated their Title IX rights by allowing Thomas to compete in the 2022 championships,
Last week, Gaines reposted an X post from the Minnesota State High School League that congratulated the Champlin Park High softball team — which made national news because its star pitcher is transgender — for winning the 4A state championship.
“Comments off lol,” Gaines wrote about the league’s post. “To be expected when your star player is a boy.”
Biles reposted Gaines’ post the same day and didn’t hold back in expressing her views on the matter.
“@Riley_Gaines_ You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race,” Biles wrote. “Straight up sore loser. You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!!
“But instead… You bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!”
Biles added in a separate post, “bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.”
Days later, the 11-time Olympic medalist returned to X, seemingly with a cooler head, to apologize for getting “personal” in her response to Gaines and attempt to explain her feelings again.
“These are sensitive, complicated issues that I truly don’t have the answers or solutions to, but I believe it starts with empathy and respect,” Biles wrote. “I was not advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women’s sports. My objection is to … singling out children for public scrutiny in ways that feel personal and harmful.
“Individual athletes — especially kids — should never be the focus of criticism of a flawed system they have no control over. I believe sports organizations have a responsibility to come up with rules supporting inclusion while maintaining fair competition. We all want a future for sport that is fair, inclusive, and respectful.”
Gaines responded on X with a post in which she accepted “Simone’s apology for the personal attacks including the ones where she body-shamed me” but stated that “you can’t have any empathy and compassion for the girls if you’re ignoring when young men are harming or abusing them.”
“I agree with you that the blame is on the lawmakers and leaders at the top,” Gaines added. “Precisely why I’m suing the NCAA and support candidates who vow to stand with women. … I welcome you to the fight to support fair sports and a future for female athletes. Little girls deserve the same shot to achieve that you had.”
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US journalist dropped by ABC over Trump administration ‘hater’ comment | Donald Trump News
Veteran correspondent for the US broadcaster, Terry Moran, had called Trump aide Stephen Miller a ‘world-class hater’.
Veteran journalist Terry Moran will not be returning to ABC News after he was suspended by the broadcaster for a social media post that called United States President Donald Trump and his deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller “world-class haters”.
In a statement, the US network said on Tuesday that Moran’s quickly-deleted post on X was “a clear violation of ABC News policies”, the Associated Press news agency reports.
It added that Moran’s contract was ending, and “based on his recent post… we have made the decision not to renew”.
The post on Sunday night was primarily directed at Miller, whom Moran described as “the brains behind Trumpism”.
“Miller is a man who is richly endowed with the capacity for hatred. He’s a world-class hater,” Moran had said on X.
Moran, who had recently interviewed Trump in his role as Senior National Correspondent for ABC News, also described the US President as a “world-class hater”, but said that in Trump’s case, it was only a “means to an end” of “his own glorification”.
In Miller’s case, however, Moran said, “his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate”.
The Trump administration quickly condemned Moran’s post, with Vice President JD Vance describing it as an “absolutely vile smear of Stephen Miller”.
Moran, 65, had worked at ABC News since 1997. He was a longtime co-anchor of “Nightline”, and covered the Supreme Court and national politics.
During an interview with Trump that was broadcast a month ago, the president told Moran, “You’re not being very nice” in the midst of a contentious exchange about deportations.
Trump aide Steven Cheung responded to Moran’s exit on Tuesday with a post on X, simply saying: “Talk s***, get hit.”
Miller, meanwhile, has been focused on the Trump administration’s decision to send 4,000 National Guard soldiers and a Marine battalion to Los Angeles, amid anti-immigration enforcement protests in California’s capital city.
In one post on X on Tuesday, Miller said that California has become a “criminal sanctuary for millions of illegal alien invaders” and that “huge swaths of the city where I was born now resemble failed third world nations.”
The AP news agency reported that Moran’s contract with ABC had been due to expire on Friday, according to people with knowledge of the situation.
Moran’s post also comes at what was already a sensitive time for ABC News. The network agreed to pay $15m towards Trump’s presidential library in December to settle a defamation lawsuit over George Stephanopoulos’ inaccurate claim that Trump had been found civilly liable for raping writer E Jean Carroll.
Moran leaves ABC as major television networks in the US struggle to retain audiences amid the soaring popularity of some podcasters and subscription-based newsletters.
The shift has also been embraced by some journalists, such as Mehdi Hasan, who started his own media network in early 2024, after quitting MSNBC when it cancelled his show in late 2023.
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Newsom says Trump purposely ‘fanned the flames’ of L.A. protests
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday night accused President Trump of intentionally fanning the flames of the Los Angeles protests and “pulling a military dragnet across” the city endangering peaceful protesters and targeting hardworking immigrant families.
The Democratic governor’s comments were a forceful rebuke to the president’s claims that deploying the California National Guard and U.S. Marines to the city was necessary to control the civil unrest.
“Donald Trump’s government isn’t protecting our communities — they’re traumatizing our communities,” Newsom said. “And that seems to be the entire point.”
The governor posted his video address to California on social media hours after Trump said at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina that he sent in troops to protect immigration agents from “the attacks of a vicious and violent mob.”
The picture Trump painted of the federal government’s role in the protests against immigration raids marks a sharp contrast to Newsom’s assertion that state and local law enforcement were successfully keeping the peace before federal authorities deployed “tear gas, “flash-bang grenades” and “rubber bullets” on Angelenos exercising their constitutional right to free speech and assembly.
Then Trump “illegally” called up the California National Guard, Newsom said.
“This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers, and even our National Guard at risk,” Newsom said. “That’s when the downward spiral began. He doubled down on his dangerous National Guard deployment by fanning the flames even harder. And the president, he did it on purpose.”
The governor, who has become a target for Republicans and a central figure in the political and legal battle over the protests, has said for days that an “unhinged” Trump deployed federal troops to intentionally incite violence and chaos, seeking to divert attention away from his actions in Washington and assert his “dictatorial tendencies.”
Newsom and state Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta filed a request for a restraining order earlier Tuesday asking a federal judge to call off the “Department of Defense’s illegal militarization of Los Angeles and the takeover of a California National Guard unit.” The request came the day after California filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration alleging that the deployment of the guard without the governor’s consent violated the U.S. Constitution.
After returning to Washington, Trump commented on the “good relationship” he’s always had with Newsom, before blaming the governor for the unrest.
“This should never have been allowed to start, and if we didn’t get involved, Los Angeles would be burning down right now,” Trump said, and then made a reference to the deadly wildfires in the Los Angeles area in January. “Just as the houses burned down.”
He said the military is in the city to de-escalate the situation and control what he described as paid “insurrectionists,” “agitators” and “troublemakers.”
“We have a lot of people all over the world watching Los Angeles,” Trump said. “We’ve got the Olympics, so we have this guy allowing this to happen.”
On Monday, Trump said his top border policy advisor Tom Homan should follow through on threats to arrest the governor. Newsom immediately jumped on the comment, comparing the federal administration to an “authoritarian regime.”
“I never thought I’d hear those words. Honestly, Democrat, Republican. Never thought I’d hear those in my lifetime — to threaten a political opponent who happens to be sitting governor,” Newsom said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) declined to answer a question about whether Newsom should be arrested on Tuesday and instead said the governor should be “tarred and feathered.”
Newsom took a shot at Johnson during his address, saying the speaker has “completely abdicated” his responsibility for Congress to serve as a check on the White House. He warned that “other states are next.”
“At this moment, we all need to stand up and be held to account, a higher level of accountability,” Newsom said, imploring protesters to exercise free-speech rights peacefully. “I know many of you are feeling deep anxiety, stress and fear. But I want you to know that you are the antidote to that fear and anxiety.
“What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty. Your silence. To be complicit in this moment. Do not give in to him.”
Times staff writer Laura Nelson and Washington bureau chief Michael Wilner contributed to this report.
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This Morning host forced to apologise as ‘offensive’ comment sparks backlash
This Morning host Ben Shephard was forced to issue an apology at the end of the show after a remark made by a guest earlier on in the ITV programme
This Morning swiftly tackled a comment made by a guest earlier on in the show.
As the programme was drawing to a close, host Ben Shephard stated: “We just want to take a moment to apologise if viewers were offended by a phrase that we used, by one of the teams that we had on the show today.
“If anybody was, we would like to say sorry.”
The moment of contrition followed a segment where Gyles Brandreth and Sayeeda Warsi were discussing topical stories.
Sayeeda had remarked during a chat about the social role of hairdressers, reports Wales Online.
She said: First of all, hairdressers are the place people go and offload. For a lot of people, especially older people, hairdressers are one of the few places where they still get regular company.”
“They don’t have a lot of human contact, many of them who may be living on their own. Particularly for black men or coloured men, or Asian men, I know I have doctors who say when men of certain backgrounds come in to hospital and you talk to them about how much pain they’re in, they always undersell because they’re brought up to not share their feelings and to try and be tough.”
Viewers rapidly moved to express their dismay on Twitter regarding the choice of words.
One viewer tweeted: “‘Coloured Men’, it’s 2025, this type of language!!!” While another challenged: “”Coloured men” What colour were they? #ThisMorning”
One viewer expressed their outrage, stating: “‘Coloured Men’ it’s not the 50s 60s 70s ffs how has she not been reprimanded.”
Another chimed in with: “#thismorning coloured men? ! How is this allowed and you’ve let her keep talking?!”.
A social media user questioned: “How is it acceptable for Sayeeda to say” coloured men”? @sayeedawarsi #thismorning.”
While another was shocked, tweeting: “Coloured men”??Did she just say that on national TV like it’s nothing?””
This isn’t the first time This Morning has faced a backlash from its viewers, as earlier in the week, many labelled one segment ‘cruel’.
On Monday, Cat and Ben were joined by two dogs and their owners, who had participated in this year’s annual Greenwich dog show.
However, they competed in a new category introduced for 2025, the Best Bridgerton Lookalike.
Appearing on the ITV programme, the dogs were dressed in costumes complete with wigs while their owners discussed the competition.
Despite many viewers expressing anger at seeing the dogs in costumes on the show, the two hosts addressed the potential criticism they might face.
Cat pointed out how content the dogs seemed, while Ben added: “There will be people asking, ‘Are the dogs happy?’ because dressing dogs up can sometimes get some criticism. Are they happy wearing the outfits? She seems pretty unbothered.”
Charlotte’s owner responded: “She’s pretty used to wearing clothes in general; when we go out, I tend to dress her up and try to coordinate our outfits.”
This Morning is available to watch on ITVX.
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Haley Joel Osment ordered to AA in public intoxication case
Haley Joel Osment must commit to six months of court-mandated Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and therapy after he was arrested earlier this year for alleged public drunkenness and cocaine possession.
The “Sixth Sense” and “Blink Twice” actor, 37, was arraigned Monday in Mono County, Calif. The Times confirmed that a judge granted the former child actor’s request for a one-year diversion. Osment, older brother of “Young Sheldon” alumna Emily Osment, will be cleared of his charges if he completes the terms of diversion: at least 3 AA meetings per week and at least two meetings with his therapist for the next six months. He must also “obey all laws,” Mono County District Attorney David Anderson said in a statement to The Times on Tuesday.
“If he does not complete diversion, the criminal proceedings will be reinstated,” Anderson said.
A representative for the actor did not immediately respond on Tuesday to The Times’ request for comment.
Osment, also known for lending his voice to the popular “Kingdom Hearts” video game franchise, was arrested April 8 on suspicion of public intoxication and possession of a controlled substance at the popular Mammoth Mountain ski resort. The Mono County district attorney’s office said at the time it charged the “Spoils of Babylon” actor with two misdemeanors: disorderly conduct involving alcohol and possession.
Law enforcement responded to a call about an allegedly intoxicated individual at the ski resort, TMZ reported in April. The website published video of Osment, wearing his ski helmet backward, allegedly holding up the line for a ski lift. Frustrated resort guests urged Osment to “get out of the line,” but he brushed off their demands and refused to follow a crew member who tried to escort him to the side, according to the video.
Adding to his troubles, Osment berated his arresting officer, claiming “I’ve been kidnapped by a f— Nazi” and hurling an antisemitic slur at the officer. After the footage surfaced, Osment said in a statement that he was “absolutely horrified by my behavior … in the throes of a blackout.”
“From the bottom of my heart, I apologize to absolutely everyone that this hurts. What came out of my mouth was nonsensical garbage — I’ve let the Jewish community down and it devastates me,” he added at the time. “I don’t ask for anyone’s forgiveness, but I promise to atone for my terrible mistake.”
Anderson said in his statement that his office “did not believe diversion was appropriate and objected” to Osment’s request, citing the actor’s prior DUI conviction and his comments to the officer. Ultimately, a judge decided in Osment’s favor.
Osment is next due in court Jan. 5, 2026, for a review of his diversion compliance.
Before then, he is set to appear in Season 2 of Netflix’s hit series “Wednesday.” The streaming giant revealed his serial killer role during its Tudum fan event on Saturday in Inglewood.
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Trump to withdraw nomination of Musk associate Jared Isaacman to lead NASA, AP source says
WASHINGTON — President Trump is withdrawing the nomination of tech billionaire Jared Isaacman, an associate of Elon Musk, to lead NASA, a person familiar with the decision said Saturday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on the administration’s personnel decisions. The White House and NASA did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.
Trump announced last December during the presidential transition that he had chosen Isaacman to be the space agency’s next administrator. Isaacman has been a close collaborator with Musk ever since he bought his first chartered flight on Musk’s SpaceX in 2021.
He is the CEO and founder of Shift4, a credit card processing company. He also bought a series of spaceflights from SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk.
Isaacman testified at his Senate confirmation hearing on April 9 and a vote to send his nomination to the full Senate was expected soon.
SpaceX is owned by Musk, a Trump supporter and adviser who announced this week that he is leaving the government after several months at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Trump created the agency to slash the size of government and put Musk in charge.
Semafor was first to report that the White House had decided to pull Isaacman’s nomination.
Superville and Kim write for the Associated Press.
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Soap made with Sydney Sweeney’s used bathwater exists
OK, which focus group asked for soap made from Sydney Sweeney’s dirty bathwater? Because y’all are in trouble.
In announcing the limited-edition Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss product Thursday, boutique soap company Dr. Squatch said on social media that it exists because “y’all wouldn’t stop asking” for Soap á la Sweeney after the actor did a viral ad for the company last October. “And Sydney said, ‘Let’s do it.’”
So whoever “y’all” is should have to stay up late writing apologies to the rest of us. In cursive.
The soap is said to smell like Sweeney’s childhood homeland, the Pacific Northwest, so anyone who has a warm and innocent association with that area’s pine, Douglas fir and earthy moss essence is likely to have that completely ruined. Of course, if you associate those scents with the parfum de décolleté et de parties féminines — that’s some kind of French for the “scent of cleavage and lady parts” — this soap should make perfect sense.
“Nice humiliation ritual you’ve got going here,” X user @AzBeto1997 tweeted Friday about the soap, which the company swears includes bathwater that has actually touched Sweeney’s naked body. “Way to demean and diminish your customer base. If it were a joke it’d be funny.”
“Weird and gross. I’ve enjoyed the pine tar soap for several years now, but this is goodbye. Enjoy your bath water fetishist customers,” user @MarvinOMars wrote.
“I guarantee you most straight men find the Sydney Sweeney soap thing pretty gross,” @UnderstanderArt said. “She’s not appealing to all straight men with it, but a very particular group that I want nothing to do with.”
Over on Instagram, comments about the limited run of 5,000 bars of soap, on sale next week, seemed more charitable. One poster said the Dr. Squatch marketing department and Sweeney “need an award for this. Hilarious and awesome.”
“We’re not going to heaven, but this is close enough,” another wrote.
“Never will I be in a greater state of absolute bliss than whilst I use this holy concoction, in the form of a bar of soap, to rub across my body,” wrote a third.
Some comments invoked the infamous bathtub scene from “Saltburn.” Many alluded to masturbation. A lot of them were seriously hilarious. All of them suggested in their own quiet ways that the fall of Western civilization was imminent.
“This bar is bizarre, unexpected, and intended to get guys to think more deeply about the ingredients in the products they are putting on their bodies,” said John Ludeke, the Dr. Squatch executive who heads the company’s global marketing department.
So buy the soap, don’t buy the soap, we really don’t care. Remember, this is the same company that insured Nick Cannon’s testicles for $10 million.
Irish Spring, here we come.
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Musk criticizes Trump’s ‘beautiful bill,’ a fracture in relationship
WASHINGTON — Elon Musk is criticizing the centerpiece of President Trump’s legislative agenda, a significant fracture in a partnership that was forged during last year’s campaign and was poised to reshape American politics and the federal government.
The billionaire entrepreneur, who supported Trump’s candidacy with at least $250 million and has worked for his administration as a senior advisor, said he was “disappointed” by what the president calls his “big, beautiful bill.”
The legislation includes a mix of tax cuts and enhanced immigration enforcement. While speaking to CBS, Musk described it as a “massive spending bill” that increases the federal deficit and “undermines the work” of his so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which is not a government agency.
“I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful,” Musk said. “But I don’t know if it could be both.”
His CBS interview came out Tuesday night. Trump, speaking in the Oval Office on Wednesday, defended his agenda by talking about the delicate politics involved with negotiating the legislation.
“I’m not happy about certain aspects of it, but I’m thrilled by other aspects of it,” he said.
Trump also suggested that more changes could be made.
“We’re going to see what happens,” he said. “It’s got a way to go.”
Republicans recently pushed the measure through the House and are debating it in the Senate.
Musk’s comments come as he steps back from his government work, rededicating himself to his electric automaker Tesla and rocket manufacturer SpaceX. He’s also said he’ll reduce his political spending, because “I think I’ve done enough.”
At times, he’s seemed chastened by his experience working in government. Although he hoped that DOGE would generate $1 trillion in spending cuts, he’s fallen far short of that target.
“The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realized,” he told the Washington Post. “I thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in D.C., to say the least.”
The White House is set to send proposed rescissions, a mechanism used to cancel previously authorized spending, to Capitol Hill to solidify some of DOGE’s cuts.
A spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget said the package will include $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS, and $8.3 billion in foreign assistance.
Musk had previously been energized by the opportunity to reshape Washington. He wore campaign hats in the White House, held campaign rallies and talked about excessive spending as an existential crisis.
He often tended to be effusive in his praise of Trump.
“The more I’ve gotten to know President Trump, the more I like the guy,” Musk said in February. “Frankly, I love him.”
Trump repaid the favor, describing Musk as “a truly great American.” When Tesla faced declining sales, he turned the White House driveway into a makeshift showroom to illustrate his support.
It’s unclear if Musk’s comments about the bill will affect the legislative debate. During the transition period, he helped whip up opposition to a spending measure as the country stood on the brink of a federal government shutdown.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has asked senators to make as few changes to the legislation as possible, saying that House Republicans reached a “very delicate balance” that could be upended with major changes. The narrowly divided House will have to vote again on final passage once the Senate alters the bill.
However, Musk’s criticism could embolden Republicans who want bigger spending cuts. Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee reposted a Fox News story about Musk’s interview while adding his own take on the measure, saying there was “still time to fix it.”
“The Senate version will be more aggressive,” Lee said. “It can, it must, and it will be. Or it won’t pass.”
Only two Republicans — Reps. Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky — voted against the bill when the House took up the measure last week.
Davidson took note of Musk’s comments on social media.
“Hopefully, the Senate will succeed with the Big Beautiful Bill where the House missed the moment,” he wrote. “Don’t hope someone else will cut deficits someday, know it has been done this Congress.”
The Congressional Budget Office, in a preliminary estimate, said the tax provisions would increase federal deficits by $3.8 trillion over the decade, while the changes to Medicaid, food stamps and other services would reduce spending by slightly more than $1 trillion over the same period.
House Republican leaders say increased economic growth would allow the bill to be deficit neutral or reducing, but outside watchdogs are skeptical. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates the bill would add $3 trillion to the debt, including interest, over the next decade.
Megerian and Freking write for the Associated Press. AP writer Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
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Deborra-Lee Furness divorces Hugh Jackman two years after separation
“The Wolverine” star Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness are officially going their separate ways two years after announcing an amicable separation.
Furness filed the paperwork Friday in New York.
All filings have been processed and only a judge’s signature is required to finalize the divorce. A representative for Furness did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Tuesday.
“Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth,” the former couple previously said in a joint statement. The co-signed release, first released to People in September 2023, added that the two were “blessed” to have shared nearly three decades together in a “wonderful, loving marriage.”
“Our family has been and always will be our highest priority. We undertake this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness,” they added. “We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this transition in all of our lives.”
Jackman, star of “Logan” and “Les Misérables,” has since been linked with his “Music Man” co-star Sutton Foster.
Furness, 69, and Jackman, 56, initially wed in 1996 and share two children. They adopted their son, Oscar, in 2000 before announcing the birth of their daughter, Ava, in 2005.
“My kids are constantly reminded about how lucky we are in our family,” Jackman told People in 2018. “We’re ridiculously blessed. We live in a beautiful home in places that other people dream of.”
The pair’s last public appearance together was at the Wimbledon men’s final in July 2023. Prior to that, they were seen on the Met Gala red carpet in May of that same year.
Representatives of Jackman did not respond to The Times’ request for comment.
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Trump wants an investigation of Democrats’ fundraising. His own campaign has issues
WASHINGTON — When President Trump directed his attorney general last month to investigate online fundraising, he cited concerns that foreigners and fraudsters were using elaborate “schemes“ and “dummy accounts” to funnel illegal contributions to politicians and causes.
Instead of calling for an expansive probe, however, the president identified just one potential target: ActBlue, the Democrats’ online fundraising juggernaut, which has acknowledged receiving over 200 potentially illicit contributions last year from foreign internet addresses.
Trump’s announcement contained a glaring omission — his political committees also received scores of potentially problematic contributions.
An Associated Press review of donations to Trump over the past five years found 1,600 contributions from donors who live abroad, have close ties to foreign interests or failed to disclose basic information, often making it difficult, if not impossible, to identify them and verify the legality of their donations Among those was $5,000 linked to a derelict building, and $5,000 from a Chinese businessman who listed a La Quinta Inn as his address. Another sizable donation — $1 million — was made by the wife of an African oil and mining magnate.
It’s against the law for U.S. candidates and political committees to accept contributions from foreign nationals. Laws also place strict limits on donation amounts and prohibit the laundering of contributions to get around legal caps. For the most part, such donations have been policed by campaigns and the Federal Election Commission, with only the most egregious examples being targeted by federal law enforcement.
But after reclaiming the White House, Trump embarked on a campaign of retribution against his perceived enemies, launching broadsides against universities, law firms and his own former officials. If the Justice Department were to investigate ActBlue, it could imperil a key fundraising tool for Trump’s political rivals before the 2026 midterm elections, when Republicans’ threadbare House majority — and the president’s ability to pass an agenda through Congress — will be on the line.
“This is him taking direct aim at the center of Democratic and progressive fundraising to hamstring his political opponents,” said Ezra Reese, an attorney who leads the political law division at the Elias Law Group, a leading Democratic firm that does not represent ActBlue. “I don’t think there’s any question that they picked their target first. He’s not even pretending.”
Trump’s committees collected scores of donations from people living overseas
The White House did not respond to questions about Trump’s fundraising, including what sort of fraud prevention measures his committees have in place. Instead, a senior administration official pointed to the findings of a recent House Republican investigation of ActBlue that the White House alleges “uncovered specific evidence of potentially unlawful conduct.”
“The memorandum directs the attorney general to investigate this matter broadly, and she will follow the evidence and take appropriate action as warranted,” said the official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the matter.
Neither the Justice Department nor Trump’s 2024 campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita responded to requests for comment.
U.S. citizens living abroad are free to donate to politicians back home. But it can be difficult even for campaigns to discern who is allowed to give and whether a person may be serving as a “straw” donor for someone else seeking to influence U.S. elections.
The AP identified only two Trump donors out of more than 200 living abroad whose U.S. citizenship was listed as “verified” in the president’s campaign finance reports. He received over 1,000 contributions from 150 donors who omitted key identifying details such as their city, state, address or country. Trump also received at least 90 contributions from people who did not give a full name, are listed as “anonymous” or whose donations include the notation “name not provided.”
Many of these Trump donors contributed through WinRed, the Republicans’ online fundraising platform that is the GOP’s answer to ActBlue. Only about three dozen of these contributions were rejected, most of which came from an unknown source and were paid in cryptocurrency, campaign finance disclosures show.
WinRed officials did not respond to a request for comment.
“Foreign money in our elections is a legitimate concern,” said Dan Weiner, a former Federal Election Commission attorney who is now director of the Brennan Center’s elections and government program. “What’s not legitimate is to single out one political opponent and pretend the problem is limited to them.”
Donating from a La Quinta Inn
Jiajun “Jack” Zhang, for example, is a jet-setting Chinese businessman whose Qingdao Scaffolding Co. boasts of being one of the “biggest manufacturers and suppliers in China” of scaffolding. In October, he used WinRed to donate $5,000 to Trump, campaign finance disclosures show.
Zhang lives in China’s Shandong province, according to his LinkedIn account, and is described in French business filings as a Chinese national. But his contribution to Trump lists a La Quinta Inn in Hawaiian Gardens, California, as his address, records show. The donation was made around the time that Zhang posted a photo on social media of his family visiting Disneyland, which is near the hotel.
Zhang did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Other potentially troublesome donations include four from unnamed donors listing an address of “999 Anonymous Dr.”
There is also a series of contributions made through WinRed that listed the donor’s address as a vacant building in Washington that was formerly a funeral home. The donor, identified only as “Alex, A” on Trump’s campaign finance report, gave nearly $5,000, spread across more than 40 separate transactions last year. Those types of donations tend to draw scrutiny from campaigns and regulators.
Regulators and watchdogs have also long been concerned about donations from individuals with ties to foreign interests. Trump has received many such contributions, including one in December from Nnenna Peters, the wife of Benedict Peters, a Nigerian billionaire who is the founder and CEO of oil and mining businesses.
Nnenna Peters, who goes by Ella, gave $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee. A naturalized citizen, Nnenna Peters — who lives in Potomac, Maryland, a tony suburb of the capital — is allowed to make campaign donations.
Federal law, however, bars U.S. citizens from making contributions on behalf of a noncitizen spouse if the money is not a shared asset. For example, experts said, a husband could be prohibited from making a campaign donation using funds from a checking account solely in his wife’s name.
In practice, such a prohibition is hard to enforce because it is difficult to assess whether spouses are acting on their own accord or on behalf of significant others. Government watchdogs say donations like these raise the risk of an attempt to influence U.S. policy on behalf of a foreign interest.
That was precisely the kind of problem Trump cited in his executive order that singled out ActBlue.
Benedict Peters, as it turns out, has a lot to offer that could be of interest to Trump, who has made the extraction of natural resources a focus on his second administration. In particular, the Trump administration has sought to secure access to critical minerals that help power modern technology. Peters’ Aiteo Group markets itself as one of the largest energy conglomerates in Nigeria, while his company, Bravura Holdings, purports to hold the rights to vast critical mineral deposits across Africa.
His wife’s donation stands out in light of her past giving: She donated exclusively to Democrats, records show, including a $66,800 contribution to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign.
“This clearly could have come from her husband,” said Craig Holman, a registered lobbyist for Public Citizen, a Washington-based government watchdog group. “This is something the FEC should take a very, very close look at.”
Benedict and Ella Peters did not respond to requests for comment.
Indifference towards campaign finance rules
The questionable donations fit a pattern for Trump, who has in the past exhibited indifference toward campaign finance rules and used his presidential powers to assist those facing legal trouble in such matters.
In January, Trump’s Justice Department dropped its case against former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, a Nebraska Republican accused of accepting a $30,000 contribution from a Nigerian billionaire. During his first term, Trump pardoned conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza and Republican donor Michael Liberty, who were both convicted of using straw donors to evade contribution limits. He also pardoned former California Rep. Duncan Hunter, who was convicted in 2020 of stealing $250,000 from his campaign fund.
Trump’s political efforts have also drawn contributions from straw donors and foreigners who have been subjected to legal scrutiny.
Among them is Barry Zekelman, a Canadian steel industry billionaire, who was fined $975,000 in 2022 by the Federal Election Commission for funneling $1.75 million to America First Action, Trump’s official super PAC, in 2018. The contribution helped Zekelman secure a dinner with Trump at which steel tariffs were discussed.
Two Soviet-born U.S. citizens, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, were convicted in a straw donor scheme that funneled $325,000 to the same super PAC in the runup to Trump’s losing 2020 reelection campaign.
Jesse Benton, a Republican political operative, was convicted in 2022 of serving as a straw donor for a Russian businessman who contributed $25,000 to Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Democrats say Trump’s focus on ActBlue is a lot to stomach in light of Trump’s acceptance of questionable donations and his seeming lack of interest in enforcing campaign finance laws more generally. They noted that Trump in February fired a commissioner at the Federal Election Commission. The firing, followed by the resignation of a Republican commissioner, has denied the agency the quorum necessary to enforce campaign finance laws and regulations.
“It’s telling that while Trump and his allies attack grassroots-funded platforms like ours, their own campaigns have welcomed money from questionable sources,” ActBlue spokesperson Megan Hughes said.
Republicans counter that there is well-founded reason to investigate the Democratic platform, which eased some fraud detection protocols in 2024 before the presidential election.
Democrats are concerned about ActBlue’s future
There is, however, a political upside to investigating ActBlue. The platform has proved more successful than WinRed, the Republican platform designed to imitate it, which took in less than half of the $3.8 billion that ActBlue raised during the 2024 election cycle.
ActBlue representatives declined to say whether they have been contacted by the Justice Department.
ActBlue is expected to battle any investigation. It took a different approach when a Republican-led congressional committee launched an investigation in 2023. That committee’s findings turned out to be the basis for some of the allegations cited by Trump in his executive order.
Democrats, meanwhile, are preparing for the worst.
“There is a pervasive fear that ActBlue could cease to exist,” said Matt Hodges, a veteran Democratic operative who served as the director of engineering for Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign. “That’s the worst fear people have — that this will escalate or drain legal resources that hinder their ability to operate.”
He predicted that the Democrats could lose more than $10 million in the short term if ActBlue were forced to shut down. That has led some Democrats to begin thinking about alternatives, but they acknowledged it might be too late to create something as successful as ActBlue with the midterms around the corner.
Slodysko and Peoples write for the Associated Press. Peoples reported from New York.
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ITV This Morning viewers slam Alison Hammond over ‘crass’ comment to JoJo Siwa
This Morning fans were left unimpressed with presenter Alison Hammond after a comment she made to JoJo Siwa on the ITV show.
12:16, 26 May 2025Updated 12:18, 26 May 2025
Alison Hammond faced backlash from This Morning viewers following a comment she made to JoJo Siwa during Monday’s show.
The episode saw Alison co-hosting with Paddy McGuiness as they cut to Chris Hughes, who was reporting live from Bexhill.
Chris was there to speak with 90-year-old Barby Keel, the owner of an animal sanctuary.
The conversation took a turn when Chris’s Celebrity Big Brother co-star JoJo Siwa, who had just appeared on Lorraine’s ITV show, was brought into the discussion.
Alison exclaimed: “Listen, Chris, before you go, we’ve got someone who wanted to say a quick hello to you! Have a look at this.”
JoJo then popped up on screen, saying: “Hey Christopher!” As Chris and JoJo chatted, Chris mentioned that she would be visiting the Cotswolds with him the following week to meet his family, while also helping Barby with some tasks.
Paddy jumped in, playfully teasing Chris about his remark that JoJo gives him energy in the mornings, reports Wales Online.
Paddy joked: “Can I just ask, how do you know JoJo gives you energy in the Morning? What’s going on here? Hello! Hashtag awkward.”
Alison erupted into laughter at Paddy’s lighthearted jab at Chris before turning her attention to JoJo and saying: “Honestly, I’m so invested in you and Chris.”
Alison posed the question everyone was eager to have answered, she remarked: “I don’t care what anyone says, I want to know. I’m so invested! I love this little relationship; it’s beautiful, but just for the record, what is your relationship status with Chris right now?”
JoJo hesitated slightly before replying: “Erm, I will say he is up there as one of my favourite people in the entire world-” However, her response was swiftly intercepted by Alison, who cheekily added: “With benefits.”
The candid remark sparked a strong reaction among viewers, with many expressing discomfort at Alison’s forthrightness.
One viewer pleaded: “Please stop this JoJo and Chris segment on #ThisMorning.” Others echoed the sentiment, with one commenting: “I love a laugh n all that, but that was a crass comment by Alison re JoJo and Chris’ relationship.”
Another chimed in, saying: “Leave Jojo alone. Alison that was uncalled for.” The discussion clearly didn’t resonate with all viewers, as one wrote: “I find this whole thing with JoJo and Chris nauseating. @ITV and @thismorning just need to drop it. It’s not cute it’s embarrassing. #thismorning.”
Another viewer described the start of the show as “Messy and awkward start #ThisMorning.”
JoJo chose not to address Alison’s comment, instead focusing on the positive impact Chris had on her life, revealing he made her happier than she’d ever been.
This Morning is available to watch on ITVX.
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Jennifer Lopez sued over paparazzi photo social media post
A photographer and photo agency filed a lawsuit against Jennifer Lopez alleging copyright infringement after the actor and singer allegedly posted copyrighted photos of herself from a pre-Golden Globes party to social media.
In the complaint, filed Saturday in federal court, photographer Edwin Blanco accuses Lopez of posting photos of her arriving and departing from the January event on Instagram and X without permission. Backgrid USA, a news and photo agency, filed a twin suit related to the same photographs, which the company and Blanco co-own, according to court documents.
The photos, which as of Tuesday remained on her Instagram and X with no visible watermark, show her in white fur coat and slip dress, clutching a Chanel purse. The post on Instagram is captioned “Weekend Glamour.”
A representative for Lopez did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Tuesday.
The lawsuit alleges that the “Let’s Get Loud” singer posted the photos to market designers she wore at the event. Blanco and Backgrid did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. But in a statement to Billboard, attorney Peter Perkowski, who represents Blanco and Backgrid, claims that Lopez’s use was “commercial in nature.”
“For example, Ms. Lopez used the images to spotlight the designer of her clothing and jewelry,” he told Billboard. “Leveraging the publicity from the event to promote her fashion affiliations and brand partnerships.”
He also told the outlet that both parties had “fruitful discussions” in the weeks after the photos were posted, with Lopez’s team orally agreeing to a monetary settlement. But when the papers arrived, Perkowski says she didn’t sign them and has not yet paid the agreed sum.
Backgrid and Blanco are seeking statutory damages up to $150,000 for each photo used as well as a jury trial, according to the lawsuit.
Lopez faced legal action in 2019 and 2020 for allegedly sharing photos of her taken by others. In 2020, her production company Nuyorican Productions was also sued for $40 million by a woman who inspired Lopez’s character in the film “Hustlers.”
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Skai Jackson alleges physical abuse by father of son Kasai
Skai Jackson says Deondre Burgin, the father of her 3-month-old son, has been abusing her since last spring, including suggesting that she drink bleach while she was expecting in order to terminate her pregnancy.
Jackson was granted a temporary restraining order against him Monday, according to court documents. The actor, her son and her dog Otis are covered by the order.
The former Disney Channel star, 23, detailed a litany of alleged abuses by Burgin, 21, in her request filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Most of them are from 2024, but the inciting event behind the filing appears to have been an alleged attack on Mother’s Day of this year. Jackson said in her filing that Burgin attacked her on May 11 while she was carrying son Kasai.
“He grabbed me by the hair, slammed my head on the back seat window of my car and hit me in the face while holding my son,” the “Jessie” and “Bunk’d” actor wrote in her filing. “Deondre caused me to have a bloody nose. I don’t feel safe with my son being around him due to his violent history. He also said ‘F’ my child.”
Last June, Burgin took Jackson’s phone so he could check her messages because a man had texted her, the filing says. Jackson said he then broke her iPhone and choked her against a kitchen counter.
“He demanded that I drink bleach to kill our unborn child,” Jackson wrote about the June incident. “He then walked me to the car with a knife in his hand telling me to get in the driver seat and if I called out for help he would stab me in the stomach. He then called his friend … telling him he was about to kill me. He then told me to drive to the doctor to get an abortion. When I tried to he asked me was I crazy and why would I want to kill our child.”
Jackson said she had video documentation from July when he allegedly punched through the door of an upstairs bathroom she had locked herself in for safety and choked her until she couldn’t breathe. Jackson said that in 2024, there was a six-month period where he choked her or slammed her head into a wall about once a week, destroyed a television and punched holes in her walls.
Jackson said Burgin threatened her with a handgun and also has a rifle and a switchblade, the filing says. The “Dragons: Rescue Riders” voice actor said he threatened in September 2024 to have a member of his family come kill her and her mother.
In October, Burgin allegedly threatened to kill her after she asked him to go to therapy, the documents said.
He stands 6-foot-4 to Jackson’s reported 5-foot-2, according to her application. She asked the court to stop him and his family from posting anything about her on social media, saying that he had threatened to post revenge porn.
The two have brushed up against authorities in the past because of alleged violence between them.
“The Man in the White Van” actor was arrested at Universal Studios Hollywood last August after she and Burgin were detained by security on suspicion of domestic assault. She was arrested by sheriff’s deputies after security footage showed she had pushed Burgin twice. However, the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office didn’t pursue the case.
At the time, Jackson allegedly told authorities that she and Burgin were happily engaged and expecting a baby together.
A permanent restraining order will be considered at a June 9 hearing. The Times was unable to contact Burgin for comment. A representative for Skai Jackson did not respond immediately to The Times’ request for comment.
Former Times staff writer Nardine Saad contributed to this report.
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A fan allegedly made racist comment toward Angel Reese during game
A fan allegedly made racist comments toward Chicago Sky star Angel Reese during the team’s season opener against the Indiana Fever on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“The WNBA strongly condemns racism, hate and discrimination in all forms — they have no place in our league or in society,” the WNBA said in a statement released Sunday. “We are aware of the allegations and are looking into the matter.”
The WNBA told The Times on Monday that it has no further comment at this time.
The Women’s National Basketball Players Assn. said in a statement Sunday that the league was investigating “hateful comments” made at the Fever-Sky game. Multiple media outlets were reporting that the comments were racial and directed at Reese.
“The WNBPA is aware of reports of hateful comments at yesterday’s game in Indianapolis and suppports the WNBA’s current investigation into this matter,” the union wrote Sunday. “Such behavior is unacceptable in our sport.”
Both teams issued statements supporting the WNBA’s investigation into what they characterized as fan misconduct.
“We will do everything in our power to protect Chicago Sky players,” team president and CEO Adam Fox stated, “and we encourage the league to continue taking meaningful steps to create a safe environment for all WNBA players.”
Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Mel Raines said: “We stand firm in our commitment to providing a safe environment for all WNBA players.”
In the latest marquee matchup between Reese and the Fever’s Caitlin Clark, Reese appeared upset after Clark committed a hard foul on her.
During the third quarter of the Fever’s 93-58 win, Clark sent Reese, who had just pulled in an offensive rebound, to the floor. Reese got up and tried to confront Clark, who walked away as members from both teams intervened. Clark’s foul was eventually upgraded to a flagrant 1, while Reese and Indiana’s Aliyah Boston were given technical fouls.
After the game, Reese referred to Clark’s foul as a “basketball play.”
‘‘Refs got it right,” she said. “Move on.’’
Clark told reporters of the incident: “Let’s not make it something that it’s not. It was just a good play on the basketball. I’m not sure what the ref saw to upgrade it, and that’s up to their discretion. … It’s a take foul to put them at the free-throw line rather than give up two points, you know? I’ve watched a lot of basketball in my life, that’s exactly what it was. I wasn’t trying to do anything malicious. That’s not the type of player I am. It wasn’t anything like that.”
The rivalry between the two players gained widespread attention in 2023, when Reese’s LSU Tigers defeated Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes in the NCAA tournament championship game. It carried over to the WNBA for the players’ rookie season last year, although both insisted that there are no personal hard feelings.
Clark was named the league’s rookie of the year, with Reese finishing second in the voting.
The presence of both players helped propel the league into unprecedented popularity. With the additional attention, however, came a negative aspect, as some players spoke about experiencing an increasing amount of racism online and in person throughout the season.
The WNBA has launched the “No Space for Hate” campaign this year to help fight hate and promote tolerance and respect.
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Letters: Put away morality card when it comes to Pete Rose
Rather than stew over whether Pete Rose and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson should be admitted, the Baseball Hall of Fame should open a special wing for miscreants. Rose, the Black Sox members who are HOF-worthy, and PED users like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, whose accomplishments before they started using would have earned them plaques, would all be welcome.
Brian Lipson
Beverly Hills
So MLB has reinstated Pete Rose, months after his death. What a major league error to Pete Rose and his family, the fans and the Hall of Fame.
I understand that he violated the rules and bet while a player/manager, but his numbers, which make him a Hall of Famer, had nothing to do with bets. He didn’t cheat, he violated a rule. The Astros cheated and still kept the World Series title.
Russell Morgan
Carson
On the field a great player and fun to watch. Off the field bad news. His character a complete disaster. I hope he does not get in the Hall of Fame.
Phil Schneider
Marina del Rey
Was that a bit of ironic humor from Bill Shaikin saying he checked with bookies to see what the odds are on Pete Rose getting into the Hall of Fame?
Sports betting is now at epidemic levels and appears in various commercials and program commentary throughout sports media as a display of odds changing throughout many games. It’s so out of control that it’s become normalized.
As for Rose, he brazenly and obsessively bet on baseball, including games involving his own team when he was a manager. That has always been considered a cardinal sin in the sport. He lied about it for decades, then came clean half-heartedly to make money on a book, then tried to play the aggrieved victim being denied his rightful place in the Hall. It was a nauseating spectacle that went on for years.
Rose was an exceptional player. But character and certain violations matter, otherwise there’s no point in trying to protect the integrity of the game.
T.R. Jahns
Hemet
I understand the steroid thing with Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, and maybe they too will be honored in the Hall of Fame someday, but this “integrity, sportsmanship and character” purity test is nonsense! Look at Ty Cobb! What matters is what happened on the field. Let the all-time hits leader in ASAP.
Kennedy Gammage
San Diego
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New pope’s social media posts suggest disagreement with the Trump administration
How the first American pope will interact with the president of his homeland remains to be seen, but a few posts on social media might provide a clue.
Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, is also known on the social media site X as @drprevost, where he has occasionally weighed in with reposts on issues of faith and politics — including Trump administration comments or actions.
In February he shared articles that took issue with a comment by Vice President JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism as an adult and met on Easter Sunday with Pope Francis, who died the next day.
Vance’s visit came after the pope had written a letter to U.S. bishops in February, detailing his concerns over the Trump administration’s plans for mass deportations.
The pope underscored his support for “migrant and refugee brothers and sisters” in the letter: “Christians know very well that it is only by affirming the infinite dignity of all that our own identity as persons and as communities reaches its maturity. Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups.”
On Feb. 12, Prevost reposted an article from the Catholic publication America magazine saying the pope’s letter served as a rebuke of Vance’s comments in a Jan. 29 Fox News interview “that you love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens, and then after that, prioritize the rest of the world.”
Prevost reposted an article in a similar vein on Feb. 3 from the National Catholic Reporter headlined “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
Reposts on social media do not necessarily signal an endorsement of their viewpoints.
In April, the new pope reposted of a comment from writer Rocco Palmo, who questioned Trump and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele’s meeting in the Oval Office. The presidents met days after the U.S. wrongly deported a Salvadoran man residing in Maryland, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and declined to bring him back, despite an order from the Supreme Court that the U.S. facilitate his return.
Palmo’s post quoted an article written by Washington, D.C., Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar: “Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?”
In 2018, when news of immigrant children being separated from their parents at the border reached a fever pitch during Trump’s first term, Prevost retweeted a post from the archbishop of Chicago that said: “There is nothing remotely Christian, American, or morally defensible about a policy that takes children away from their parents and warehouses them in cages. This is being carried out in our name and the shame is on us all.”
Trump on Thursday praised the news about Prevost. “Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope,” the president wrote on X. “What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”
The liberal advocacy group Occupy Democrats, in a statement on X, suggested Trump’s praise would be fleeting: “Once [President] Trump gets a better sense of Pope Leo XIV’s beliefs — namely that Christians are called to love and care for all of the people of the world, not just white conservatives — the president will likely be singing a very different tune. If and when that attack comes, we will proudly stand with Pope Leo’s love and kindness against Trump’s hatred and cruelty.”
The announcement of Prevost as the first American to be named pope comes at a tense time for European-American relations, as the Trump administration is moving to isolate the United States and, in some cases, antagonize its traditional allies.
European nations are still navigating choppy economic waters after Trump issued sweeping tariffs last month against all countries. The papal decision Thursday coincided with the White House’s announcement of its first trade agreement struck with a European nation, the United Kingdom. Several other European nations are still waiting their turn to negotiate with Trump over lowering the tariffs.
While adjusting to rapid economic changes, European leaders are also still reeling from when Vance gave them a stern rebuke at the Munich security conference in February, when he warned against overregulation and advocated listening to all corners of the political spectrum — including Germany’s far-right party.
The papal announcement came days after the White House posted on its social media an AI-generated photo of Trump as pope.
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