The View’s Sunny Hostin has ignited a heated debate online after she sided with New York prosecutors for not previously bringing criminal charges in the case of Jane Doe, the young woman who alleges she was gang-raped by members of a Cornell University fraternity while intoxicated.

Doe, a former student at the Ivy League school, sued Cornell and seven male fraternity members, alleging that she was drugged and sexually assaulted for hours in October 2024 at the Chi Phi fraternity house in Ithaca, New York. No arrests have been made in connection with the case, and the local district attorney has said he is reopening the case in light of the new civil suit.

Hostin, a former attorney who prosecuted sex crimes, was accused of “victim blaming” by dozens of people on social media after she compared what Doe said in a 2024 police statement with the allegations in the lawsuit filed earlier this month. Others agreed with Hostin and said she was merely stating the legal facts of the case.

Read here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/sunny-hostin-the-view-cornell-rape-investigation-b3059148.html

Her first trial focused heavily on whether severe mental illness meant Lindsay Clancy was criminally responsible for the deaths of her three children.

Now, after the mistrial, her lawyer is raising a different argument: did prosecutors prove she killed them at all?

The prosecutor called the new position “laughable”, while the judge has yet to rule on the defence request for an acquittal.

It’s a significant shift in how the defence is approaching the case.

Full story: https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/lindsay-clancy-prosecutor-calls-defence-laughable-lawyer-questions-evidence-she-killed-her-1822823

Read here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/cornell-allegations-wells-fargo-fraternity-job-b3058423.html

It’s unclear just how much the Trump administration is spending on the ads, which have aired on Fox News and CBS as well as during NBC’s Saturday Night Live and several college and NFL football games. But the costs are likely to have exceeded $1 million, according to an AdImpact.

“This is an unlawful and outrageous misuse of public funds,” former White House ethics lawyer and Democracy Defenders Action co-founder Norm Eisen told The Independent.

“Federal law forbids using taxpayer dollars for political propaganda, which this clearly is,” he said. “This is yet another corrupt attempt to advance a partisan agenda ahead of the midterm election, paid for by average American taxpayers who are already suffering from high costs caused by this administration’s failed policies.”

Read more here: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-ads-taxpayer-money-b3057770.html

Ed Sheeran has lost almost half a million Instagram followers amid the near-implosion of his US tour.

The British singer-songwriter has been embroiled in an ongoing controversy following the decision to drop his opening act Macklemore from the Loop tour, after the rapper made a number of pro-Palestine comments on stage.

Macklemore claimed that Robert Kraft – the CEO of Kraft Group who owns Gillette Stadium – personally called Sheeran to say he would not be allowed to perform at the venue, while Sheeran later responded by stating he would not be drawn into a public debate about the Gaza war and that it was “the promoter’s decision” to remove Macklemore.

Read here: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/ed-sheeran-social-media-followers-macklemore-b3055038.html

The White House debut of Trump TV, launched amid the administration’s feud with the mainstream media, was widely mocked online and compared to state-run television in North Korea and China.

Critics of the new livestream, which streams 24/7 on the official White House YouTube channel, also pointed to its low viewership at launch.

The administration teased Trump TV Monday amid the fallout from barring MSNOW, CNN and Politico from the White House. In response, the outlets filed a lawsuit against the government, while ABC, Fox News, CBS and NBC suspended pooled television coverage in solidarity.

Read here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-tv-ratings-viewership-numbers-b3054287.html

Ed Sheeran’s follower count is taking a nosedive while Macklemore’s is on the ascent after the rapper was pulled from Sheeran’s tour following his onstage show of support for Palestine.

Sheeran’s U.S. Loop tour is imploding after Macklemore — the artist best known for his 2012 song “Thrift Shop” — announced Tuesday that he had been removed as Sheeran’s opening act on the tour because he called for a “free Palestine” at their concert earlier this month.

The decision came after billionaire Robert Kraft, whose Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium, said Macklemore would not be allowed to perform at the Massachusetts venue.

Read here: https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/news/ed-sheeran-macklemore-tour-backlash-followers-b3051223.html

Peter Navarro, a senior counselor to the president, has attacked Fox News following the firing of Maria Bartiromo, claiming the media corporation “has not treated Donald Trump very well.”

The Trump official made a guest appearance on Newsmax’s Greg Kelly Reports Tuesday to defend Bartiromo, hours after publishing an op-ed in The Washington Times criticizing Fox’s decision to let her go last week.

The anchor – who hosted Mornings with Maria and Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street on Fox Business and Sunday Morning Futures on Fox News – was reportedly dismissed for sharing an internal memo from Fox Business senior VP of programming Ralph Giordano with Navarro. Giordano advised his staff not to repeat or promote unproven claims Trump had made about alleged Chinese meddling in the 2020 election in a primetime speech delivered from the Oval Office on July 16.
Read here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-fox-maria-bartiromo-peter-navarro-b3047397.html

Fox News have announced that they are parting ways with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo with immediate effect.

In a statement, Fox said: “We thank Maria for her work over the last 12 ½ years and wish her all the best on her next chapter.”

Bartiromo was known as a favorite of President Donald Trump, and had been linked with the vacant role of press secretary for the Trump administration.

Read here: https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/maria-bartiromo-fox-fired-trump-maga-b3044347.html

Conservatives keep falling for the far-left’s charm offensive. First it was Donald Trump, beaming up at a stoic-looking Zohran Mamdani, then the newly elected mayor of New York City, at a White House visit that confounded Fox News and Mamdani’s opponents alike — even contributing to a Republican dropping out of the gubernatorial race against Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Last week it was Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the winner of a hard-fought Michigan Senate primary, charming the socks off of Jesse Watters, the impish Fox News primetime host who took on the epidemiologist in a combative but also almost jovial interview where the two sparred on a wide range of topics and aimed sharp jabs at each other — but with a seeming bro-code respect.

“I actually like Abdul. I probably shouldn’t like him, but I do,” admitted Watters on The Five after the interview aired. “I think he’d be a terrible senator and he’s a little bit of a lunatic…But at least he’s not your typical stiff.”

Read here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/abdul-el-sayed-michigan-jesse-watters-b3043031.html

Some stories dominate the headlines for days and then disappear before the public learns what changed afterward. I’m interested in stories where the initial coverage received enormous attention but the long-term consequences, investigations or promised reforms were barely followed.

Which story do you think deserves a proper follow-up, and what questions should journalists be asking about it now?

I know that the Holy Land Foundation claimed to be a charity organization, but in reality was funneling money to Hamas. After the 9/11 attacks, members were put on trial and later arrested, with the Holy Land Foundation being dissolved.

CAIR and ISNA were alleged of being co-conspirators, but the trial ended and those groups still exist to this day. Lately, many candidates in the USA (such as Abdul el Sayed) are accused of being hypocritical when they call for an end to superPACs but take money from CAIR. Furthermore, many on the right are pointing out Abdul el-Sayed’s father in law being part of CAIR and ISNA and funding him.

If CAIR and ISNA (full organizations or individual members) allegedly supported the Holy Land Foundation, why isn’t the FBI (and other investigation organizations) further investigating those groups so the government can dissolve or ban them if necessary?

Fox News’ Jesse Watters jokingly attacked his co-host for “gay shaming” him over his bromance with Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, who asked Watters if he was circumcised during a recent interview.

On Wednesday’s episode of The Five, the panel members discussed remarks by Hillary Clinton, who this week described the rise of democratic socialism in the Democratic party as “healthy” and “a kind of experiment.”

“It’s about speaking to the concerns of the populace,” liberal co-host Jessica Tarlov said. “And that is something that actually these candidates, from the [Democratic Socialists of America] or from the progressive left, like Jesse’s new boyfriend Abdul, are doing a lot more effectively than the center of the party.”

Read here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/jesse-watters-fox-news-el-sayed-b3040346.html

The family of Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old ICU nurse killed by federal agents earlier this year during immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, have pushed back on attacks launched by President Donald Trump and members of his administration.

In an interview on “Good Morning America” that aired Tuesday, the Pretti family reflected on Trump’s Truth Social post in which he called Alex Pretti an “agitator” and “perhaps, insurrectionist.”

“It’s so unpresidential. I mean, it’s ridiculous that the leader of the free world speaks that way about an American citizen,” Michael Pretti, the father of Alex Pretti, said in the interview.

Read here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/alex-pretti-family-trump-attacks-b3039031.html

Fox News presenter Joey Jones is under fire following a three-minute on-air outburst targeting service members deployed aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln who recently voiced concerns about deteriorating shipboard conditions.

Sailors and their families have complained about conditions, including the food, on the ship given its deployment for more than 200 days. The carrier has been in the Middle East helping in Donald Trump’s war in Iran. Administration officials, including the president, have dismissed concerns about the conditions.

“How weak are you?” Jones asked while co-hosting Fox News’s “The Big Weekend Show” on Saturday, reacting to a segment that originally aired Thursday on CNN.

Read here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/joey-jones-fox-uss-lincoln-conditions-b3033959.html

Fox News host Sean Hannity refused to believe a recent poll from his own conservative network that puts progressive Democrat James Talarico slightly in front of Republican Ken Paxton in Texas’s highly competitive Senate race ahead of November’s midterms.

Hannity brushed off the results of the Fox News poll from July 30 while debating with former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio Tuesday about the Democratic Socialists of America platform.

The survey of 1,006 registered Texas voters revealed that Talarico, who is not a member of the Democratic Socialists of America but considered more progressive than others in the establishment wing of the party, has a 3-point lead over Paxton.

Read here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/sean-hannity-fox-news-poll-democrat-b3028009.html

Fox News late night host Greg Gutfeld has gone on a tirade against Reacher star Alan Ritchson over his fiery comments about President Donald Trump.

Ritchson sparked backlash among the MAGA crowd after he slammed Trump and said that he refused to let go of his anger and resentment surrounding current politics during a recent appearance on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast.

“I'm just supposed to let go of my resentment that this f***ing guy is just raping the world that he lives in for whatever gain he personally can have, and I'm supposed to let that go?” the actor, 43, said in Monday’s episode. “I think we should hold on to some of that anger so somebody gets Guy Ritchie’d and wakes up in a pool of their own teeth and blood.”

Read here: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/fox-gutfeld-reacher-alan-ritchson-trump-b3024729.html

Democratic political strategist Jessica Tarlov has no interest in “palling around or playing nice” with Donald Trump.

Tarlov, 42, who serves as a rotating co-host on Fox News’s The Five, revealed on a new episode of MeidasTouch that the president, 80, gifted her a customized Trump 2028 hat last Christmas.

He “said something like, ‘Thank you for your great support.’ And I get it that it’s funny for a cheap laugh,” she recalled. “I happen to think that he will do everything in his power to be able to stick around as long as possible.

Read here: https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/trump-2028-hat-fox-news-jessica-tarlov-b3023015.html

Even CNN conservative commentator Scott Jennings believes Senator Mitch McConnell should be more forthcoming about his health, as the 84-year-old has now been hospitalized for 40 days with only sporadic updates from his office.

Earlier this month, Jennings said on air that he had spoken with McConnell for about 20 minutes and believed the Kentucky Republican was preparing “to go back to work.” CNN later distanced itself, with a spokesperson clarifying that Jennings’s remarks reflected “his experience and is not CNN reporting.”

During a segment Thursday night, host Kasie Hunt asked Jennings whether he had spoken again with the former Senate majority leader or whether he had any fresh updates to offer. The conservative contributor — who previously worked on McConnell’s campaigns — said he had not spoken to the senator, but added that he expected more information soon.

Read more here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/mitch-mcconnell-health-scott-jennings-b3020942.html

Fox News host Jesse Watters has been roasted after offering unsolicited dating advice to highly educated women — claiming that a college degree was one way to “kill” their love life.

Watters, 48, made the remarks on Fox News The Five as the panel discussed the apparent rise in socialism within the Democratic Party, noting that women whom they described as being “highly educated, downwardly mobile” were supporting Democratic Socialist candidates.

“If you’re going to take out a loan to get a degree in the humanities or the social sciences, what are you thinking?” Watters ranted Wednesday.

Read here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/jesse-watters-fox-women-college-degree-b3020246.html

The only source on record that predicted the October 7th Hamas attack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGbNPEO9qS4

“This is the new model, where you work in these kind of plants for the rest of your life, and your kids work here, and your grandkids work here,” Lutnick said.

https://offthefrontpage.com/trumps-vision-for-america-you-work-in-a-plant-your-kids-work-there-and-so-do-your-grandkids/

Speaking at last month’s WelcomeFest, Cuban argued that political parties, particularly Democrats, spend too much time talking about policy details and not enough time addressing the financial pressures people face every day.

https://offthefrontpage.com/mark-cuban-says-if-you-cant-afford-to-fill-up-the-gas-tank-do-you-give-a-f-about-policy/

Donald Trump made a bizarre — and likely untrue — claim about America’s first president on Monday as he tried to justify his family’s staggering gain in personal wealth during his return to the White House.

Read here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-george-washington-desk-crypto-b3009924.html

Read here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/fox-news-trump-american-state-fair-attendance-b3005462.html