A businessman and alleged associate of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) pled guilty on Friday to seven corruption charges and agreed to testify against Menendez‚ the former head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee‚ who is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes.  Jose Uribe‚ 56‚ pled guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery‚ honest services wire fraud‚ obstruction of justice and tax evasion. Uribe admitted to giving Menendez’s wife‚ Nadine‚ a Mercedes-Benz with the expectation the Democrat senator would use “his power and influence as a United States senator to get a favorable outcome and to stop all investigations related to one of my associates.” Uribe said that the car was given so that a “possible investigation into another person who I considered to be a member of my family‚” would not be initiated.  The businessman said that he paid for the car “in a manner to conceal my involvement because I knew it was wrong. I knew that giving a car in return for influencing a United States senator to stop a criminal investigation was wrong‚ and I deeply regret my actions.” Uribe could be sentenced to 95 years in prison and has to forfeit $246‚000. He will also now testify against Menendez‚ who faces charges of conspiracy to commit bribery‚ conspiracy to commit honest services fraud‚ and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right. Prosecutors allege that Menendez and his wife had a corrupt relationship with businessmen Wael Hana‚ Uribe‚ and Fred Daibes‚ who allegedly gave the senator bribes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to the DOJ‚ the bribes were intended to protect the businessmen and to benefit Egypt.  “Those bribes included cash‚ gold‚ payments toward a home mortgage‚ compensation for a low-or-no-show job‚ a luxury vehicle‚ and other things of value‚” the indictment said. Federal authorities reportedly found gold bars and cash stuffed throughout the senator’s home that they traced back to the businessmen Menendez allegedly worked with.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP Menendez is also accused of ghostwriting a letter to other senators to urge them to support to end a hold on $300 million in military aid to Egypt‚ a letter that was reportedly written in coordination with his wife and the businessmen in question.  The trial for Menendez and his co-defendants is scheduled to begin on May 5.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said this week that the criminal trials against former President Donald Trump should happen before the upcoming elections. Haley‚ who has lost to the former president in every primary and caucus event thus far‚ made the remarks during a CNN interview with Dana Bash on Friday when asked about U.S. Supreme Court saying this week that they will hear Trump’s appeal in the federal election case that he faces in Washington‚ D.C.‚ where he claims he should immune from prosecution because of actions taken when he was president. “This means that there’s a very good chance that the trial‚ if it does go forward‚ won’t happen until either right before or even during and maybe even after the election‚” Bash said. “Should the Supreme Court expedite this?” Bash asked. “Well‚ I think the Supreme Court should hear it because we do want to look at immunity. No president should ever be above the law. And‚ you know‚ we’ve never really had to clarify this before‚ and I think it’s important for the Supreme Court to clarify‚” Haley responded. “Would we like to see things go faster? Of course‚ we would. But do you think the judges and the lawyers are going to have that happen? I don’t know‚ I mean‚ it could be that it takes a while‚ but I’m just glad that they’re hearing it. I think that’s important.” Bash followed up by asking Haley if it was important for voters to know “how this trial and others wrap up before they go to the polls.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “Of course‚ of course‚” Haley responded. “I mean they’re- you know‚ you want people to have as much information about the people they’re deciding will be president before they go to the polls. You know‚ that’s the part that‚ you know‚ we all should hope to have. I don’t know that we’ll have that clarity‚ but I think that that’s something that voters would want.” WATCH:

A sneak peek from the March 3rd installment of American Idol shows a new Season 22 contender named Aniston Pate whose voice and style bear a strong resemblance to Dolly Parton.  Aniston wowed Katy Perry‚ Luke Bryan‚ and Lionel Richie during her audition so much this fall that she earned a highlight on the show. We don’t know exactly where she stands with the competition‚ but ET released a promising clip of what’s to come.  In the video‚ the West Texas native walks in as Katy Perry and Luke Bryan are up to shenanigans as usual. Katy forces Luke to take vitamins intravenously because he refuses to swallow pills.  When Aniston takes the stage just after the needle prick makes him scream. She smiles at Luke‚ who explains he’s taking his “first-ever IV”. Completely unphased‚ Aniston introduces herself as “a tractor driver here to play country music.” The video cuts to the middle of her singing a song she co-penned for her mom called Hummingbird.  YouTube As she performed‚ the judges looked shocked by her vocals‚ and when she wrapped up‚ Luke said he had some tips for her.  “That’s a great one‚ really good. I got like four things I want to tell you to do to it‚” he shared. Aniston eagerly shouted‚ “Come on! Give it to me!” Luke gave her some advice on her lyrics. Then he sang a snippet of Hummingbird that showed off his edit. Katy Perry also tried Luke’s version. And she thought his suggestion was on point.  YouTube “Luke Bryan just sang a song that I wrote‚” Aniston said gleefully. “Katy Perry sang a song I wrote too!” Lionel Richie jumped in to tell Aniston Pate that her American Idol audition reminded him of the country music legend Dolly Parton. Judging by her face‚ he paid her the highest compliment possible.  “About halfway through the first verse‚ I had to open my eyes and go‚ ‘Is that you‚ Dolly?'”  “Oh my gosh‚” she replied bashfully. “What?!” The sneak peek didn’t reveal if Aniston Pate got a ticket to Americal Idol’s Hollywood Week‚ but we have high hopes for the young singer after the judges’ warm reaction. We’ll learn her fate when the episode airs on Sunday‚ March 2‚ on ABC at 8 PM ET.  You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post “Is That You Dolly?” American Idol Contestant Is Giving Serious Dolly Parton Vibes appeared first on InspireMore.

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CNN’s Christiane Amanpour welcomed the Columbia Journalism School’s Margaret Sullivan to the Saturday edition of The Amanpour Hour where the two condemned their media colleagues for allegedly focusing on President Joe Biden’s age to the exclusion of everything else. They also claimed it should be their “public service role” to not let Biden’s age turn into Hillary Clinton's emails or the Iraq War and correct those who are not in love with the Biden economy. On Biden’s age‚ Amanpour wondered‚ “It's gone a bit viral‚ Democrats are in a bit of a tizzy about a lot of the reporting on it. But do you believe‚ just to get it clear‚ that age is a media invention?”     Sullivan insisted that “I do not think that age is a media invention‚” but claimed “it's become the only topic at times.” It is unclear what media Amanpour and Sullivan are reading because the idea that Biden’s age is the only topic of conversation is just wrong. CNN itself will frequently turn into Court TV when Donald Trump’s legal situation allows it‚ and there are constant denunciations of allegedly extremist Republicans. Still‚ Amanpour worried that if Biden loses in November‚ it will be because her media colleagues hurt him: Margaret‚ I wonder whether you look back and worry about certain other issues that are-- can be certainly in retrospect‚ very bothersome‚ and the media played a very negative role in terms of this herd mentality‚ whether it's the Hillary Clinton emails which turned out to be nothing‚ or whether indeed was the rush to war in 2002 to-- or 2003 to Iraq. Do you think that we should be worried?  Sullivan saw a difference between a war and Biden’s age‚ but still condemned “that the press has a tendency to have a pack mentality or a herd mentality‚ as you put it… But it speaks to the tendency of the press to sort of all get on the same page and the difficulty and the rareness of journalists taking a different point of view or presenting things differently. We didn't see too much of that in any of those cases.”   Christiane @Amanpour and Margaret @Sulliview commiserate over media’s obsession on Biden’s age despite when he was on with Seth Meyers he delivered his message “incredibly sharply.” Sullivan: media must correct people who “think the economy is not doing well.” pic.twitter.com/fMQS9JcPyv — Brent Baker 🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@BrentHBaker) March 2‚ 2024   After playing a clip of Biden on Late Night with Seth Meyers condemning Trump on abortion‚ Amanpour wondered‚ “So‚ Margaret‚ listening to that‚ it's delivered incredibly‚ you know‚ sharply. Why is it that then the media tends not to focus on performance and results‚ good or bad‚ and rather‚ this‚ whatever it is‚ the horse race‚ the stuff around the edges that we're talking about right now?” The media constantly warns about what would happen if the GOP wins in November‚ but Sullivan still claimed “it's difficult to get the media to look at such things as what‚ you know‚ what have these candidates accomplished? What are they likely to do if elected or reelected? The substance is lacking?” She would later add‚ “Make sure that we're getting the stakes of the race across to people. You know‚ people think that the economy was-- is not doing well. You know‚ do our public service mission‚ which is to make sure‚ as sure as we can‚ that we have an informed electorate. Whose fault is that? Well‚ it's partly the fault of the media and I think that that ought to be rectified.” In the real world‚ viewers are constantly told how great the Biden economy is‚ they simply don't believe it. Here is a transcript for the March 2 show: CNN The Amanpour Hour 3/2/2024 11:38 AM ET CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: The dogging you're saying is the press essentially. MARGARET SULLIVAN: At least in part. AMANPOUR: So‚ as you know‚ there's been quite a lot of exploration of this whole phenomenon. It's gone a bit viral‚ Democrats are in a bit of a tizzy about a lot of the reporting on it. But do you believe‚ just to get it clear‚ that age is a media invention? SULLIVAN: No‚ absolutely not. I do not think that age is a media invention. It's a clear issue in the campaign. Biden's mental acuity and Trump's mental acuity certainly deserve to be taken and seriously‚ I just think it's gone-- it's become the only topic at times. AMANPOUR: Margaret‚ I wonder whether you look back and worry about certain other issues that are-- can be certainly in retrospect‚ very bothersome‚ and the media played a very negative role in terms of this herd mentality whether it's the Hillary Clinton emails which turned out to be nothing‚ or whether indeed was the rush to war in 2002 to-- or 2003 to Iraq.  Do you think that we should be worried?  SULLIVAN: Well‚ I do think that the press has a tendency to have a pack mentality or a herd mentality‚ as you put it. And we saw that in all of those cases‚ the Hillary Clinton emails and the run-up to the Iraq War and now this age issue‚ I don't think that they're equal. I mean‚ I don't think we're in a situation that equals the‚ you know‚ essential invention of weapons of mass destruction. But it speaks to the tendency of the press to sort of all get on the same page and the difficulty and the rareness of journalists taking a different point of view or presenting things differently. We didn't see too much of that in any of those cases.  … AMANPOUR: So‚ Margaret‚ listening to that‚ it's delivered incredibly‚ you know‚ sharply. Why is it that then the media tends not to focus on performance and results‚ good or bad‚ and rather‚ this‚ whatever it is‚ the horse race‚ the stuff around the edges that we're talking about right now?  SULLIVAN: Well‚ I wish I knew the answer to that. I only know that it is a reality that the press‚ the political press‚ tends to focus on the horse race. They concentrate on polls‚ they concentrate on the gaffe of the day‚ and it's difficult to get the media to look at such things as what‚ you know‚ what have these candidates accomplished? What are they likely to do if elected or reelected? The substance is lacking?  AMANPOUR: Now‚ you called out this circular and destructive media logic. What would you say? Because you were ombudsman‚ you've had a very major position at major newspapers‚ including the New York Times‚ what would you say to the leaders of our mainstream news organizations when they see these kinds of stories all over their platforms.  SULLIVAN: I think that the leaders of major American news organizations should have front and center in their minds and be communicating to their staffs that this is an extremely consequential election and we should be doing our public service role that it's not so much about chasing the latest clicks and the latest horse race coverage‚ but rather to make sure that we're getting the stakes of the race across to people. You know‚ people think that the economy was-- is not doing well. You know‚ do our public service mission‚ which is to make sure‚ as sure as we can‚ that we have an informed electorate. Whose fault is that? Well‚ it's partly the fault of the media and I think that that ought to be rectified.

Ya gotta love this. So last week was CPAC. Thousands of conservatives gathering in Maryland’s National Harbor for the usual presentations by notable conservatives in fields ranging from foreign policy to economics to social issues. And‚ as usual in the last several years‚ the conference closed out with an appearance from former President Donald Trump. Having been an attendee at these events since they began in the 1970’s‚ then featuring former California Governor Ronal Reagan‚ I love them. But this year there was one notable‚ decidedly self-induced boo-boo coming from outside observers - of all people NBC’s Late Night host Seth Meyers and‚ yes‚ President Joe Biden. No‚ the far-left NBC host has not had a Road-to-Damascus conversion bringing him to conservatism. No‚ this involved his coverage of former President Trump and something Trump said in his speech. The moment was set up by no less than Meyers guest President Joe Biden. Biden was scolding Trump as per usual‚ but made the mistake‚ when discussing Trump’s age‚ of saying this:  You got to take a look at the other guy.  He’s about as old as I am‚ but he can’t remember his wife’s name. Say what? Biden said Trump can’t remember wife Melania’s name? Really? Um‚ no. But as if that weren’t bad enough‚ Meyers picked up on Biden’s remark. To its credit‚ New York Magazine caught  the Meyers/Biden goof‚ headlining:  Biden Wrongly Roasts Trump for Forgetting Melania’s Name  New York mag wrote the facts- correctly -  this way:  Biden was referring to a moment during Trump’s CPAC speech on Saturday when he reacted to the crowd clapping for his wife‚ Melania‚ by saying‚ Wow‚ Mercedes‚ that’s pretty good!' Seth Meyers played the clip during his monologue (at the 45 second below). “I’m sorry‚ Mercedes?!” the host said. “You had a nuclear meltdown when Biden messed up the president of Egypt and you can’t remember your wife’s name? Guys‚ I hate to say it: His mind is slipping. I think he’s too old to run. Um. No. New York went on to explain the factual‚ non-fake news. The New York story reported:  Obviously‚ Meyers and Biden were making jokes‚ not delivering a news report or a press conference. But it was still weird to focus so much on Trump forgetting his wife’s name since it’s not true. On Saturday‚ X users accused Trump of calling Melania ‘Mercedes‚’ and that story was picked up by a few news outlets. But within hours it was clear that Trump was actually talking to Mercedes Schlapp‚ his former White House adviser‚ who was in the audience. Her husband‚ Matt Schlapp‚ leads the American Conservative Union‚ which runs CPAC‚ and Trump addressed both of the Schlapps at another point in the speech. Oops! Mercedes Schlapp is also a Newsmax contributor‚ frequently appearing on network shows‚ sometimes solo and sometimes with husband and CPAC chair Matt Schlapp. (And full disclosure‚ I am also a Newsmax contributor.) The point here is simple enough. Seth Meyers is the host of NBC’s late night show. If he is spreading what leftists in the media call “misinformation” on a remark made in his presence by the President of the United States? Then what other misinformation is spewing forth from a premiere NBC show? Misinformation that no one bothers to correct? Not to mention that in terms of Biden himself this goof-up is‚ sadly‚ yet another in an increasingly longer list of incidents like this one‚ as headlined in The New York Post:  ‘Where’s Jackie?’: Biden asks dead Indiana rep to identify herself in crowd Following that goof‚ ABC reported this from White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre  on the subject‚ bold print for emphasis supplied: She didn't say Biden misspoke‚ and she downplayed it overall: 'That is not an unusual scenario there.' That might be part of the problem‚ though. Biden has called himself a 'gaffe machine' and his verbal miscues long predate his time as president‚ but the accumulation of odd moments and statements forcing White House clean-up has made its way into mainstream discussions of the midterms and what comes next. The point here is quite simple. Biden was sent out to sit next to the host of a major comedy show‚ and clearly was prepped ahead of time to say‚ when the subject of his age arose‚ that: You got to take a look at the other guy.  He’s about as old as I am‚ but he can’t remember his wife’s name. This was clearly not true.  Which in turn means one of two things. Either Biden picked up this idea from somewhere in the media as given to him by his staff‚ a staff that never bothered to check the actual fact. Or‚ secondly‚ he knew it on his own and knew it was false but said it anyway. Doubtful‚ I would suggest. Most likely it was fed to him by his staff. Which should have known better - or did know better and sent him out there anyway. This moment also highlights that those two possibilities apply to Seth Meyers himself. And whether Meyers does this kind of thing out of ignorance- my guess - or to deliberately spread false stories about Trump or any other conservative in his crosshairs‚ neither is a good look. Welcome to the liberal media bubble.

Authorities in Texas say the death of CEO Angela Chao – the sister-in-law of Mitch McConnell and wife of a billionaire – is now under criminal investigation. Law enforcement said her death was "not a typical accident." Chao‚ 50‚ was found dead shortly after midnight on Feb. 11. Chao was found inside a car that had gone into a pond on a private ranch in Johnson City – approximately 40 miles outside of Austin‚ Texas.Sheriff's deputies‚ firefighters‚ and other first responders were able to pull Chao out of the submerged vehicle. According to the Austin American-Statesman‚ EMS responders performed "advanced life support" for 43 minutes‚ but were not able to resuscitate Chao. She was pronounced dead at the scene after she "succumbed from being under the water."The outlet noted that the preliminary investigation by the Blanco County Sheriff's Office "determined this to be an unfortunate accident."However‚ the Blanco County Sheriff's Office has now declared‚ "This incident was not a typical accident.""Although the preliminary investigation indicated this was an unfortunate accident‚ the Sheriff’s Office is still investigating this accident as a criminal matter until they have sufficient evidence to rule out criminal activity‚” the Blanco County Sheriff's Office wrote in a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday.The Blanco County Sheriff's Office said it would not release evidence yet since it is a criminal investigation. "Releasing the reports‚ videos‚ and other information prior to the completion of the investigation would interfere with the investigation and possible prosecution of this matter‚" the letter added. CNBC reported‚ "The ranch where Chao died is owned by a corporate entity connected to her husband‚ venture capitalist Jim Breyer‚ who has an office in Austin."The outlet noted‚ "Her husband Breyer is part owner of the National Basketball Association’s Boston Celtics‚ and previously served on the boards of Facebook‚ Walmart‚ Marvel Entertainment‚ News Corp.‚ and Dell."According to Forbes‚ Breyer has a net worth of $1.8 billion‚ adding that he is "one of Facebook's first venture investors" and "made much of his fortune investing in the social network."Chao was the CEO of Foremost Group – a New York-based global shipping empire that was founded by her parents. "She will be greatly missed and leaves a legacy of pioneering leadership — especially for women — in shipping‚ philanthropy‚ and the arts‚" Foremost Group said in a statement.Chao is the sister of former U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and sister-in-law to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.McConnell mentioned Chao's death during an announcement about him stepping down as the GOP leader in November. "As some of you may know‚ this has been a particularly difficult time for my family‚" McConnell said on the Senate floor on Wednesday. "We tragically lost Elaine’s younger sister‚ Angela‚ just a few weeks ago. When you lose a loved one‚ particularly at a young age‚ there’s a certain introspection that accompanies the grieving process. Perhaps it is God’s way of reminding you of your own life’s journey to reprioritize the impact of the world that we will all inevitably leave behind."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!