Afternoon Briefing: BREAKING: Judge makes announcement on Trump gag order, Hunter Biden gets bad news, more…

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Below are important excerpts from some of the top stories in the news this afternoon:

1 – BREAKING: Judge partially lifts Trump’s gag order

The Associated Press reports: A judge on Tuesday modified Donald Trump’s gag order, freeing the former president to comment publicly about witnesses and jurors in the hush money criminal trial that led to his felony conviction, but keeping others connected to the former president’s case off limits at least until he is sentenced July 11.

Judge Juan M. Merchan’s ruling — just days before Trump’s debate Thursday with President Joe Biden — clears the presumptive Republican nominee to again go on the attack against his former lawyer Michael Cohen, porn actor Stormy Daniels and other witnesses. Trump was convicted May 30 of falsifying records to cover up a potential sex scandal, making him the first ex-president convicted of a crime.

Trump’s lawyers had urged Merchan to lift the gag order completely, arguing there was nothing to justify continued restrictions on Trump’s First Amendment rights after the trial’s conclusion. Trump has said that the gag order has prevented him from defending himself while Cohen and Daniels continue to pillory him.

2 – Hunter Biden gets some bad news about his law license

Axios reports: The D.C. Court of Appeals on Tuesday suspended Hunter Biden’s law license after he was convicted earlier this month of three federal gun charges. It’s the latest fallout from the president’s son’s conviction and trial, which aired some of the Biden family’s darkest moments.

Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison, although as a first-time offender it’s unlikely he will receive the maximum sentence. The court order stated that Hunter Biden is “suspended immediately from the practice of law” in D.C., after considering the indictment and jury verdict in his federal gun trial.

3 – Prosecutor announces sickening update in 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray’s murder

From Fox News: The Texas district attorney whose office is prosecuting the murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston tells Fox News that “the evidence is clear that a sexual assault likely happened.”

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg made the admission Tuesday on ‘America’s Newsroom’ as one of the illegal immigrant suspects in the case, 22-year-old Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, is set to appear in court this morning. His co-defendant Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, had his bail set at $10 million on Monday.

“The case is horrific. Jocelyn’s last moments were unspeakable,” Ogg told ‘America’s Newsroom’. “She endured assault for multiple hours. This was a little girl who slipped out of her house to call her boyfriend, a 13-year-old, was seen by two immigrants who had been drinking all afternoon, they picked her up probably asking for directions and she was innocent. She walked off with them. We see footage from local stores that show they lured her under a bridge near a Houston bayou where they attacked her, strangled her and dragged her body into the water.”

“The evidence is clear that a sexual assault likely happened. But since neither defendant has actually admitted that, circumstantial evidence will have to prove it,” Ogg said. “We are waiting on lab tests now to see if the capital murder charge can be upgraded to one where they are death penalty eligible.”

4 – Hillary Clinton Swoons over ‘Wise and Decent’ Biden Ahead of Trump Debate

From Breitbart: Two-time failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton used an op-ed Tuesday to publicly swoon over President Joe Biden ahead of the first presidential debate of 2024. Her gushing piece in the New York Times heaped unstinting praise and flattery on “decent” Biden while dismissing Trump as “a convicted criminal out for revenge.”

After opening the essay talking about herself and her times at the debating podium, Clinton quickly waded into Trump by defining his character as somehow less than worthy of high office compared with his octogenarian opponent.

She stated it is even pointless to challenge him in a head-to- head contest, writing, “It is a waste of time to try to refute Mr. Trump’s arguments like in a normal debate. It’s nearly impossible to identify what his arguments even are. He starts with nonsense and then digresses into blather.”

Clinton claimed Biden is “one of the most empathetic leaders we’ve ever had. Listen to how sincerely he talks about women’s rights, the struggles of working families, opportunities for people of color and the courage of Ukrainian men and women risking their lives for democracy.” She argued in the op-ed:

Mr. Biden is a wise and decent man who is fighting hard for working families. Yes, he’s 81. That’s just three years older than Mr. Trump. And his lifetime of service and experience helps him get things done that make our country stronger and all of our lives better, from bringing Democrats and Republicans together to fix crumbling roads and bridges to standing up to Russian aggression.

5 – Trump challenges Biden to drug test before CNN Presidential Debate

From Fox News: Former President Trump has volunteered to undertake a drug test before Thursday’s debate if President Biden agrees.

Trump made the comment on Monday via Truth Social, his proprietary social media platform.

“DRUG TEST FOR CROOKED JOE BIDEN???” Trump wrote in all capital letters. “I WOULD, ALSO, IMMEDIATELY AGREE TO ONE!!!”

6 – Black Voter Support for Trump Nearly Double from 2020

From Breitbart: A CBS News/YouGov poll published this week shows former President Donald Trump is making gains with black voters, with support at 23 percent — nearly double from 2020.

Exit polling in 2020 showed only 12 percent black voter support for Trump (which was still higher than in 2016, at only eight percent).

At the same time Trump has been gaining support among black voters, black voter support for President Joe Biden is down significantly. Exit polls in 2020 showed 87 percent support for Biden, according to CNN. However, the recent CBS News/YouGov poll only 75 percent support.

7 – 16 Nobel economists make questionable prediction about inflation if Trump wins

From Axios: Sixteen Nobel prize-winning economists are jumping into the presidential campaign with a stark warning: Former President Trump’s plans would reignite inflation and cause lasting harm to the global economy if he wins in November.

The Nobel laureates are lending their academic prestige to a political argument the Biden administration has been making for weeks: Inflation would be worse under Trump.

“While each of us has different views on the particulars of various economic policies, we all agree that Joe Biden’s economic agenda is vastly superior to Donald Trump,” the 16 economists write in a letter, first obtained by Axios.

The message was spearheaded by Joseph Stiglitz, who won the Nobel prize for economics in 2001. He was joined by George A. Akerlof (2001), Sir Angus Deaton (2015), Claudia Goldin (2023), Sir Oliver Hart (2016), Eric S. Maskin (2007), Daniel L. McFadden (2000), Paul R. Milgrom (2020), Roger B. Myerson (2007), Edmund S. Phelps (2006), Paul M. Romer (2018), Alvin E. Roth (2012), William F. Sharpe (1990), Robert J. Shiller (2013), Christopher A. Sims (2011), and Robert B. Wilson (2020).

PLEASE TAKE OUR POLL BELOW – DO YOU BELIEVE THESE ECONOMISTS’ PREDICTION? Will inflation really be worse under Trump?

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8 – Lauren Boebert re-election campaign update

The Wall Street Journal reports: After a tough year of embarrassing scandals, Rep. Lauren Boebert’s jump to a new district may pay off Tuesday.

Six months after the bombastic two-term Colorado Republican announced she would move her political fortunes from the state’s Western Slope to its Eastern plains and suburbs, Boebert has eclipsed her Republican primary rivals in fundraising and was 35 points ahead of the nearest one in a recent poll.

“The math just isn’t there for anybody to beat her,” Colorado GOP political consultant Dick Wadhams said as the primary approached.

Coloradans, who primarily vote by mail, have been casting their ballots for weeks. If Boebert is successful in securing the nomination Tuesday, she will be comfortably positioned for the general election in a district with a 13-point Republican advantage, according to the Cook Political Report.

9 – Top secret US underwater drone dubbed the Manta Ray is spotted on Google Earth

Daily Mail reports: A top-secret US submarine drone weapon dubbed the ‘Manta Ray’ has been spotted by hawk-eyed online users on Google Earth and remains visible to the public.

Satellite images showing the vessel docked at Port Hueneme naval base in California went viral on Sunday, before some social media users said the satellite images were removed, and replaced with what people believed were edited boats.

As it stands, however, satellite images of the vessel can be seen on Google Earth. The vessel – named after the sea creature due to its diamond-shaped body and wing-like fins – is used for underwater threat detection and was designed by Northrop Grumman Corporation.

10 – Excerpt from the DML News Podcast:

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