'Competent Loyalists': Insiders Detail Why Trump's Campaign Is Firing On All Cylinders Like Never Before

The PBS NewsHour quickly rounded up its semi-regular focus group of GOP voters one day after Donald Trump’s conviction in a Manhattan courtroom on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records (misdemeanors inflated to felonies). They touted that six of nine in their collection of two-time Trump voters said that Trump’s conviction made them less likely to vote Trump in 2024. PBS pounced on Friday, with anchor Amna Nawaz getting the focus-group scoop via "Republicans Against Trump" organizer Sarah Longwell and the staff's biggest liberal activist, White House reporter Laura Barron-Lopez. Laura Barron-Lopez: Amna, this focus group was of voters who voted for Donald Trump twice in 2016 and in 2020. And they were slightly already a little souring on him, but some of them could have very well gone back to him. And it was conducted by a group run by Republican strategist Sarah Longwell. And so after this verdict, they said, about six of them, there were nine total, about six of those voters said that the fact that these were felonies that Trump was convicted of carried more weight for them than if they had been misdemeanors. And out of those nine voters, five of them said that this made them less likely to support Donald Trump, including 52-year-old Michele from Florida. Barron-Lopez emphasized life-long Republican Michele, who said Trump “as a convicted felon is completely unfit” for office. Valerie from Georgia wanted him to serve jail time. Only one of the nine, Mark from Georgia, called the trial a double standard and that the case (reviled as a hit job in conservative circles and even seen as dubious in some liberal channels) would make him more likely to vote Trump. Who might have guessed that the "Republicans Against Trump" lady would nudge her focus group into voting for Biden? No rigging there... But the end of the segment was a wall of fear-mongering, with the host and reporter spinning justified questions about, and criticism of, the case into Republican attacks on “the judicial system” itself. Amna Nawaz: Laura, as you know, and we heard earlier, Mr. Trump also continued his attacks on the judge in this case, Judge Merchan. In the last 24 hours, we have now seen Republicans relentlessly attacking the judge, the judge's daughter, the judicial system. What is the impact of all of that rhetoric? As often happens on liberal channels, PBS didn’t bother to mention the Democrat tilt of the Merchan family: That Judge Merchan made a small but still illicit donation to the Biden campaign (New York State judges are barred from political donations) and that his daughter Loren Merchan is a highly partisan Democrat fundraiser.  Barron-Lopez responded with talking points from a left-wing nonprofit that in her phrase, “tracks far-right social media.” Sound objective? Barron-Lopez: Well, we're starting to see some direct impact, Amna, because, as you noted, a lot of Republicans, in addition to Donald Trump, have said that -- tried to sow doubt about the justice system, have directly attacked the judge in this case. And I was working with Advance Democracy, a nonprofit investigative group that tracks far-right social media, and provided us an early look at data that they have been gathering since the verdict came out yesterday. And they were tracking social media across X, formerly known as Twitter, Telegram, TRUTH Social -- that's Trump's social media site -- and they found an increase in calls for violence and violent rhetoric. They also found an increase in calls to dox jurors and to dox the judges. And here are some examples. On Telegram, one posted: "Hang the judge for corruption." On a site called Patriots Win, another follower said: "Someone in New York with nothing to lose needs to take care of Judge Merchan. Hopefully, he gets met with illegals and a machete." And then another one posted: "We need the judge's address, along with his daughter's. And we will be peacefully protesting, but, ultimately, the gloves are off and do your duty." This sudden concern about doxing comes from the same network that didn’t mention the assassination attempt by Nicholas Roske on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh outside the justice’s home until a week afterward, and then in three brief sentences in a “news wrap” segment. This segment was brought to you in part by Cunard. A transcript is available, click “Expand.” PBS NewsHour 5/31/24 7:06:06 p.m. (ET) Amna Nawaz: For more on the political fallout of Trump's guilty conviction, Laura Barron-Lopez heard from Republican voters about how this impacts their thoughts on the former president and the upcoming election. Laura, good to see you. Laura Barron-Lopez: Good to be here. Amna Nawaz: So you watched this focus group today with a group of voters the day after that guilty verdict. How were they reacting? Laura Barron-Lopez: Amna, this focus group was of voters who voted for Donald Trump twice in 2016 and in 2020. And they were slightly already a little souring on him, but some of them could have very well gone back to him. And it was conducted by a group run by Republican strategist Sarah Longwell. And so after this verdict, they said, about six of them, there were nine total, about six of those voters said that the fact that these were felonies that Trump was convicted of carried more weight for them than if they had been misdemeanors. And out of those nine voters, five of them said that this made them less likely to support Donald Trump, including 52-year-old Michele from Florida. Michele, Florida: I'm tired of the lies. I'm tired of the nonsense. And I believed the testimony. And that is why I am happy that the jury found him guilty. And I think also, now that he is a convicted felon, he's completely unfit. He can't pass a basic security clearance at this point. I'm not sure if he can vote in Florida. He may not be allowed to go to different countries as a felon. This is not appropriate. Knock it off, Republicans. Find somebody else. Laura Barron-Lopez: And Michele, that voter, Amna, Michele, she had voted for Republicans her entire life, voted for Trump twice. But this verdict carried a lot of weight with her. It carried a lot of weight with a number of the other voters, who also some of them raised January 6 as something — the insurrection as something that had started to convince them that they maybe couldn't vote for Trump again. Amna Nawaz: So, Michele from Florida less likely to vote for him as a result of the verdict. Was anyone pushed further towards Mr. Trump as a result of the verdict? Laura Barron-Lopez: One out of the nine voters in this focus group said that this verdict made him more likely to support Donald Trump. And that's Mark, 54, from Florida — sorry — from Georgia, and he called it a sham trial. Mark, Georgia: It's a double standard. It was a politicized prosecution. It was the elevation of what are misdemeanors into felonies just for political purposes. Laura Barron-Lopez: And the voters were also asked whether or not this verdict made them trust the justice system more, trust the justice system left, or it didn't change their mind. And three of them said that it made them trust the justice system more. Most said it didn't change how they viewed the system. Mark, who we just heard from in Georgia, said that it made him not trust the justice system as much. But as for whether or not they thought that Donald Trump should go to jail, Valerie, 64, also from Georgia, had a very strong response to that. Valerie, Georgia: He should start jail time, the crime — the — pay paid the penalty for the crime. We all know what's going to happen. They're going to negotiate and renegotiate. And he's not going to serve any time, but he will get more time on television right here at election time. Laura Barron-Lopez: And, at the end of the day, they were asked, if you had to pick between President Biden or Donald Trump, who would you pick come November? And roughly six of them said that they would vote for Joe Biden. One, Mark, who we heard from, said that he would vote for Trump. And one to two of them were basically unsure or said that they may not vote. Amna Nawaz: Fascinating insight there. Laura, as you know, and we heard earlier, Mr. Trump also continued his attacks on the judge in this case, Judge Merchan. In the last 24 hours, we have now seen Republicans relentlessly attacking the judge, the judge's daughter, the judicial system. What is the impact of all of that rhetoric? Laura Barron-Lopez: Well, we're starting to see some direct impact, Amna, because, as you noted, a lot of Republicans, in addition to Donald Trump, have said that — tried to sow doubt about the justice system, have directly attacked the judge in this case. And I was working with Advance Democracy, a nonprofit investigative group that tracks far right social media, and provided us an early look at data that they have been gathering since the verdict came out yesterday. And they were tracking social media across X, formerly known as Twitter, Telegram, TRUTH Social — that's Trump's social media site — and they found an increase in calls for violence and violent rhetoric. They also found an increase in calls to dox jurors and to dox the judges. And here are some examples. On Telegram, one posted: "Hang the judge for corruption." On a site called Patriots Win, another follower said: "Someone in New York with nothing to lose needs to take care of Judge Merchan. Hopefully, he gets met with illegals and a machete." And then another one posted: "We need the judge's address, along with his daughter's. And we will be peacefully protesting, but, ultimately, the gloves are off and do your duty." Now, posting these on Telegram, Amna, that is a Web site that is also used by Proud Boys. The Proud Boys were at January 6. So, overall, there has been an increase in calls for violence, an increase in calls for doxxing. And, potentially, it appears that one user may have actually doxxed a juror, but they're still trying to verify whether or not it's that juror's address. Amna Nawaz: Laura Barron-Lopez, great reporting, as always. Thank you so much. Laura Barron-Lopez: Thank you.

The Biden administration has effectively offered "mass amnesty" by quietly terminating asylum cases to hundreds of thousands of migrants, according to an eye-opening report. The Biden administration has "terminated without a decision on the merits of their asylum claim" more than 350,000 migrant asylum cases since 2022, according to a new report from the New York Post – citing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials as their source. The illegal immigrants reportedly have their asylum cases dismissed as long as they don't have a criminal record or are deemed to not be a threat to the United States. While the migrants are not granted asylum per se, they are also not denied asylum. In addition, their asylum cases are terminated without a decision based on the merits of their asylum claim. Consequently, they are removed from the legal system and no longer required to check in with authorities. They are free to live in the U.S. without fear of deportation. According to the Post, there were 102,550 migrants allowed to remain in the U.S. after having their asylum cases dismissed in 2022. The figure purportedly jumped to 149,305 last year. In the first four months of 2024, a whopping 113,843 illegal aliens had their asylum cases terminated, according to the data. Conversely, there were allegedly 18,119 such cases in 2021, 4,730 in 2020, and 4,746 in 2019. 'You're basically allowing people who don't have a right to be in the United States to be here indefinitely.'"This is just a massive amnesty under the guise of prosecutorial discretion," Center for Immigration Studies' Andrew Arthur – a former immigration judge – told the New York Post. "You're basically allowing people who don't have a right to be in the United States to be here indefinitely."Since President Joe Biden took office in January 2020, 77% of asylum seekers have been allowed to remain in the country, according to The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse – a self-described "data gathering, data research and data distribution organization at Syracuse University."TRAC found there is a backlog of nearly 3.6 million unresolved asylum cases. Handling the millions of asylum cases are only 725 immigration judges, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The average wait time for illegal immigrants awaiting their cases to be heard by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is reportedly more than 6 years. Those awaiting a case to be taken by the Executive Office for Immigration Review have an average wait time of roughly 4.3 years.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

WATCH: Airport in Paris Gives US Vets a Tear-Jerking Hero's Welcome Ahead of 80th Anniversary of D-Day

Grace O'Malley, known as the Pirate Queen of Ireland, led a life filled with daring exploits in the mid-1500s. Born into a relatively privileged family in County Mayo, she developed a passion for the sea early on, despite her parents' initial resistance. Her father's reputation as a seafarer and chieftain of the O'Malley clan provided her with the skills and opportunity to become a formidable leader.  Read moreSection: NewsVideosRead Later 

Congress does not have the right to disallow electors that have been certified by a state, Sen. Tom Cotton told NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday, adding that he would accept this year's election results and would vote to certify them, just as he did in 2020.

When we hear the term "gun crime," it's important to understand what each part of that phrase means. While both "gun" and "crime" are generally nouns, in "gun crime," the word "gun" is an adjective describing…

Hunter Biden's trial on federal gun charges is set to begin tomorrow in a federal courtroom in Wilmington, Delaware, and despite attempts by his attorneys to raise a Second Amendment challenge during…

After touching down on the moon’s far side, China’s Chang’e-6 lander is collecting samples to bring back to Earth — and sending back imagery documenting its mission. Chang’e-6, which was launched May 3, went through weeks’ worth of in-space maneuvers that climaxed with its weekend landing in the moon’s South Pole-Aitken Basin region. The mission plan calls for the probe to collect samples of lunar soil and rock over the course of about two days, and then pack them up for the return trip. If the operation is successful, Chang’e-6 would bring back the first fresh lunar samples ever collected on the moon’s far side — following up on the Chang’e-5 mission in 2020, which returned samples from the moon’s Earth-facing side. The Chinese National Space Administration said the lander used its onboard camera during its powered descent to detect obstacles autonomously and select a safe landing site. Chang’e-6 captured video imagery during the final phase of the lander’s descent and transmitted the views back to Earth. One video frame shows the shadow of the lander itself moments before touchdown. Chang’e-6 is built to collect samples using a drill and a robotic arm. It’s also expected to gather scientific data about its surroundings using a radon detector, a negative-ion detector and a mini-rover. During surface operations, data and telemetry are being relayed between Chang’e-6 and Earth via China’s Queqiao-2 satellite. Up to 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of lunar samples will be stowed inside the lander’s “ascender” stage. The rocket-powered ascender will then lift off from the surface and transfer the samples to the Chang’e-6 orbiter, which is currently in lunar orbit. Following the model set by Chang’e-5, the orbiter will head back toward Earth and release the sample capsule for atmospheric re-entry and touchdown in Inner Mongolia. An image captured by a camera aboard the Chang’e-6 lander shows the spacecraft’s shadow on the lunar surface just moments before touchdown. (Credit: CLEP / CNSA) The moon’s south polar region is of particular interest because it’s thought to harbor reserves of water ice that could support lunar settlement. Studying fresh samples from the South Pole-Aitken Basin could help scientists and mission planners learn more about the region’s resources. Chang’e-6 is the latest spacecraft in an international armada of moon landers — including Russia’s Luna 25, iSpace’s Hakuto-R and Astrobotic’s Peregrine, which were unsuccessful, plus more fruitful missions such as India’s Chandrayaan-3, Japan’s SLIM and Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus. Coming attractions include NASA’s VIPER rover, which is currently due to be delivered to the moon late this year; and China’s Chang’e-7 mission, which features a hopping probe and is set for launch in 2026. Looking further ahead, China aims to send astronauts to the lunar surface by 2030 — not long after NASA’s Artemis 3 crewed lunar landing, currently scheduled for 2026. The post Chinese Probe Lands on Moon’s Far Side to Collect Samples for Return appeared first on Universe Today.

Groundbreaking stuff!