Trump news – live: Ex-president says Musk won’t buy Twitter at ‘ridiculous price’ as Pence backs Gov Kemp

White House press secretary Jen Psaki shot down a question from Fox News’s Jacqui Heinrich on Thursday after the reporter asked about a federal program long targeted by the right aimed at helping drug addicts avoid overdose deaths.

John Bowden has the story.

A federal judge on Thursday has ruled that GPS Fusion, the research firm hired by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign to dig up dirt on Donald Trump’s ties to Russia must turn over 22 internal emails.

The emails will need to be turned over to special counsel John Durham who is probing the FBI’s Russia ties, reported CNN.

They are a part of 38 emails that were subpoenaed last year.

“Fusion did more in connection with the Alfa Bank allegations than simply provide information and analysis to (Clinton campaign lawyer Marc) Elias so that he could better advise the Campaign on defamation risk,” federal Judge Christopher Cooper wrote in the ruling.

The emails are largely among Fusion employees and pertain to their efforts to plant news coverage about Mr Trump’s alleged ties to Russia.

“It is clear that Fusion employees also interacted with the press as part of an affirmative media relations effort by the Clinton Campaign. That effort included pitching certain stories, providing information on background, and answering reporters’ questions,” the judge added in the ruling.

White supremacist internet personality Tim Gionet, who is popularly known as Baked Alaska, has derailed his plea deal with federal prosecutors by declaring himself innocent in a last-minute turn of events in a case linked to the 6 January riots at the US Capitol.

Mr Gionet was set to plead guilty in a Washington DC federal court on Wednesday to a count of misdemeanor for willfully and knowingly parading, demonstrating, and picketing inside the Capitol.

Shweta Sharma reports:

White House press secretary Jen Psaki says she will miss her briefing room sparring with Peter Doocy of Fox News when she leaves the job this week.

Ms Psaki has been involved in a string of combative confrontations with Mr Doocy during her time as the lead messenger in the Biden administration.

She told a Christian Science Monitor event on Thursday that she “will” miss Mr Doocy’s questioning and insisted that the pair have “a very good professional relationship”.

Graeme Massie reports.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, responding to the recent sharp decline in the value of cryptocurrencies, said Thursday that additional federal regulation was needed to respond to the wave of speculative investment in the currency whose secrecy is an essential part of its appeal.

“We really need a regulatory framework to guard against the risks,” Yellen said of cryptocurrencies called stable coins, during a House committee hearing Thursday. Citing the rapid rise in use of digital assets, she added, “Really, we need a comprehensive framework so that there are no gaps in the regulation.”

Stable coins are a type of cryptocurrency pegged to a specific value, usually the dollar, another currency or gold. Its parity with the dollar is what, in theory, makes it stable. However, volatility in the cryptocurrency market this week challenged that premise.

More than 70 leading national and state anti-abortion groups have urged state lawmakers to reject legislation that would criminalise women for having abortions.

“We state unequivocally that any measure seeking to criminalise or punish women is not pro-life and we stand firmly opposed to such efforts,” the groups wrote in an open letter on Thursday.

The letter’s signatories include National Right to Life, Susan B Anthony List, Americans United for Life, March for Life Action and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, reported CNN.

The letter added that if Roe vs Wade is overturned, “this will be a tremendous opportunity for states to create durable policy that can stand the test of time”.

“Victims of abortion and require our compassion and support as well as ready access to counselling and social services in the days, weeks, months and years following an abortion,” they said.

Donald Trump’s media company is hiring for its upcoming streaming television service, hoping to be a rival to existing streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+ and Hulu.

The Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) announced in an ad posted on Wednesday that it was looking to hire a content development manager to create programming for its new streaming service TMTG+.

The content development manager will “generate and develop internal concepts for original unscripted content, short form series episodes and specials,” remain “current on developing trends at networks,” and “stay aware of emerging talent and upcoming non-scripted programming,” the ad said.

The ad said that the streaming service will be “a ‘Big Tent’ platform offering broad-based entertainment rooted in free speech”.

In another ad the company posted a requirement for a content acquisition professional “to oversee content licensing and acquisition”.

According to TMTG’s vision statement on the company website, the conglomerate is an answer to “liberal bias” in the media.

House majority leader Steny Hoyer has suggested that there may be action against Republicans if they fail to comply with subpoenas issued by the 6 January panel.

The January 6 riot committee investigating the 2021 attack has issued subpoenas to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and four other GOP lawmakers who are close allies of Donald Trump: Representatives Jim Jordan of Ohio, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Andy Biggs of Arizona, and Mo Brooks of Alabama.

“Nobody’s above the law,” Mr Hoyer was quoted as saying to Fox News Digital on Thursday.

“We’ll pursue the same actions we’d pursue with anybody else who’d refuse,” he added.

When asked about the possibility of non compliance to the subpoenas, Mr Hoyer said: “If you’re prepared to tell the truth, why would you care? If you’re not prepared to tell the truth, it may be a concern to you.”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that he prefers a “less divisive” candidate than Donald Trump for 2024, even though he wants Twitter to lift its ban on the former president.

“Even though I think a less divisive candidate would be better in 2024, I still think Trump should be restored to Twitter,” he said on Twitter on Thursday.

Earlier on Tuesday Mr Musk had said at a Financial Times conference that Twitter’s decision to ban Mr Trump was “morally bad.”

On Thursday Mr Musk also said on Twitter that president Joe Biden beat Mr Trump in the 2020 presidential elections because “everyone just wanted less drama.”

Graeme Massie reports:

Donald Trump Jr has said that Mike Pompeo is smart enough not to run against the former president in 2024.

In an interview with Newsmax Mr Trump was asked if Mr Pompeo wants to run in 2024 and if this is “testing the waters on his part.”

Mr Trump responded and said that there are “a bunch of people out there who are testing the waters out there.”

“He’s a smart enough guy to probably know he shouldn’t or wouldn’t run against Donald Trump,” he added.