MSN

A federal appeals court on Thursday left in place a stay on the Federal Trade Commission's controversial investigation into liberal investigative group Media Matters, dealing yet another blow to the Trump administration's crusade to go after critics with the power of government.

In the three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Judges Patricia Millett and Robert Wilkins, both appointees of former President Barack Obama, ruled to keep the stay in place, over the dissent of Trump-appointed Judge Justin Walker.

Two Democratic analysts were stunned on Thursday after President Donald Trump announced his latest pardon.

Trump pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the convicted founder of the Binance cryptocurrency exchange who was convicted of failing to create adequate anti-money laundering protections on his exchange. Binance paid a $4.3 billion fine, and Zhao paid an additional $50 million settlement. He had served four months in jail before being pardoned, Reuters reported.

The White House trolled Democrats on Thursday by adding new events to the "major events timeline" on the White House's website, according to a new report.

Fox News reported on Thursday that the White House added events like former President Joe Biden's "Trans Day of Visibility" celebration, an incident where cocaine was discovered at the White House, former President Bill Clinton's sex scandal, and a slide showing former President Barack Obama visiting with the Muslim Brotherhood to its list of major events. Other events include major construction timelines and state visits from foreign leaders.

Letitia James' lawyer Abbe Lowell submitted a court filing demanding that the government follow legal requirements for grand juries after U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan lashed out at a legal reporter on Signal.

The filing, posted by national security analyst Marcy Wheeler, demands the enforcement of rules prohibiting extrajudicial disclosures and statements.

The cost of President Donald Trump's ballroom addition to the White House has gone up, from its original stated price of $200 million to nearly double that, the president admitted while speaking to reporters on Thursday.

"Have you raised the full $300 million needed to fund your ballroom, and how much specifically are you donating to this construction?" asked a reporter.

Rep. Ronnie Jackson (R-TX), who was once President Donald Trump's doctor, had his lawsuit against California Gov. Gavin Newsom thrown out of court on Thursday.

Politico legal reporter Kyle Cheney posted the ruling on Bluesky in which a Trump judicial appointee threw out the case.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) angrily snapped at a MAGA reporter on Thursday after they asked him about Democratic "pet projects" that are allegedly included in the continuing resolution to reopen the government.

Lindell TV reporter Allison Steinberg asked Jeffries about certain foreign spending programs during a press conference on the government shutdown. Jeffries became visibly flustered as Steinberg asked about alleged programs like spending $13.4 million for civic engagement in Zimbabwe and $3.9 million for LGBTQ democracy grants in the Balkans.

President Donald Trump's Justice Department posted a lengthy manifesto to X on Thursday that, on the surface, was just a statement condemning violence against law enforcement, but in context appeared to be a warning shot at Democratic politicians who dare to publicly oppose the MAGA agenda on immigration.

"Anyone who places a bounty — figurative or real — on the head of a federal officer, whether directed by gang leaders or by California state or local officials, will be held accountable," said the post. "The Department of Justice will not tolerate threats, intimidation, or interference with federal officers. Anyone who assaults, obstructs, or directs others to impede a federal officer carrying out the laws of the United States is committing a serious federal crime and will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

President Donald Trump is infuriating cattle ranchers across the United States after he complained that they should lower beef prices and that he might import foreign meat to bring prices down.

"The Cattle Ranchers, who I love, don't understand that the only reason they are doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put Tariffs on cattle coming into the United States, including a 50% Tariff on Brazil," Trump yelled at ranchers on Truth Social.

Former White House official Marc Short bashed President Donald Trump's ballroom project, which included the complete demolition of the East Wing, during an interview on CNN on Thursday.

Short, the chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, discussed the project on CNN's "The Arena with Kasie Hunt." Short argued that the White House likely prefers that the media continue to focus on the story because of all the other problems the administration is dealing with, such as the tenuous peace deal in the Middle East and Trump's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.