reported speech for can

When turning direct speech into reported speech, we may have to change all or some of the following:

• the pronouns
• information about time and place (see the table at the end of this page)
• the tense (backshift)

If the reporting verb is in the simple past (e.g. said, told, asked, replied … ), the tense has to be set back by one degree (see the table below). This is known as backshifting .

The verbs could, should, would, might, must, needn’t, ought to, used to normally do not change.

If the reporting verb is in the simple present (e.g. says, tells, asks, replies … ), then the tense remains unchanged.

While the tense remains unchanged, we often still have to change the verb form to match the new pronouns.

that after a reporting verb

We often omit the word that after a reporting verb, especially in spoken language and informal contexts.

When turning questions into reported speech, we follow the same rules as for declarative sentences: we change the pronouns as well as the time and place markers and backshift the tense as needed.

In addition, we also have to bear in mind the following:

• instead of that , we use a question word after the reporting verb; if there is no question word, we use whether / if instead
• questions in reported speech follow declarative sentence word order (subject + verb)
• we don’t use the auxiliary verb do/did for questions in reported speech; instead, the main verb appears in the simple past without an auxiliary verb
• put the verb directly after who or what in subject questions.

Questions in reported speech do not end in a question mark.

When turning orders, demands and requests into reported speech, we only need to change the pronouns and the time and place information.

We don’t have to pay attention to the tense – we simply use an infinitive rather than a conjugated verb.

If the imperative is negated, then we use not + infinitive .

To express what someone should or can do in reported speech, we leave out the subject and the modal verb and instead we use the construction who/what/where/how + infinitive .

say vs. tell

The words say and tell are not interchangeable.

• say = say something
• tell = say something to someone

Head over to the vocabulary section to learn more about the difference between say and tell .

How good is your English?

Find out with Lingolia’s free grammar test

Take the test!

Maybe later

Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)

Exercises on reported speech.

If we report what another person has said, we usually do not use the speaker’s exact words (direct speech), but reported (indirect) speech. Therefore, you need to learn how to transform direct speech into reported speech. The structure is a little different depending on whether you want to transform a statement, question or request.

When transforming statements, check whether you have to change:

• present tense verbs (3rd person singular)
• place and time expressions
• tenses (backshift)

→ more on statements in reported speech

When transforming questions, check whether you have to change:

Also note that you have to:

• transform the question into an indirect question
• use the interrogative or if / whether

→ more on questions in reported speech

→ more on requests in reported speech

Additional Information and Exeptions

Apart from the above mentioned basic rules, there are further aspects that you should keep in mind, for example:

• main clauses connected with and / but
• tense of the introductory clause
• reported speech for difficult tenses
• exeptions for backshift
• requests with must , should , ought to and let’s

→ more on additional information and exeptions in reported speech

Statements in Reported Speech

• no backshift – change of pronouns
• no backshift – change of pronouns and places
• with backshift
• with backshift and change of place and time expressions

Questions in Reported Speech

Requests in reported speech.

• Exercise 1 – requests (positive)
• Exercise 2 – requests (negative)
• Exercise 3 – requests (mixed)

Mixed Exercises on Reported Speech

• Exercise on reported speech with and without backshift

Grammar in Texts

• „ The Canterville Ghost “ (highlight direct speech and reported speech)

Reported speech

Speech can be direct and indirect, or reported. 

When you express your thought orally or in writing, it is direct speech. We usually put it in quotes.

When you communicate what someone else said, it is reported speech.

Reported statements

Sue: "I am hungry."

Sue says (that)  she is hungry.

To transfer a positive or a negative sentence to reported speech, we need two parts:

• the main part (she says that... / he claims that... / they deny that...),
• the dependent part which is the transformed direct speech.

Pay attention

In the reported speech, we must replace the pronouns. Otherwise, we won't keep the meaning.

Mary: "I am glad to help you!"

Mary says she is glad to help me . BUT NOT Mary says I am glad to help you.

You should also be careful with  time indicators (today, now, next week etc.) not to lose the idea of the original direct statement.

The word  that  can be used or left out, both options are correct.

Backshift of tenses in reported speech

When we have a sentence that consists of the main and the dependent part we need to be careful with the verb tenses. The tense in the main part affects the tense in the dependent part. This is called backshifting.

If the main part is in the present simple (e.g., "she says...", "he tells me..."), the dependent part remains unchanged.

John: "I have just got up."

John says he has just got up. "Says" is the present simple → no backshifting

If the main part is in the  past simple, we have to do the backshifting. Its basic principle is that the past simple in the main part "pushes" the tense of the dependent part one step back in time. This way we balance both parts of the sentence.

You can view the topic ' reported statements ' with an explanation and exercises.

Reported questions

If the direct question began with a question word (when, what, how, why and so on), then in the reported speech:

• the sentence changes from question to positive, with a direct word order
• we need to do the backshifting if we have the past simple in the main part

"Why did you leave the door open?" → She asked me why I had left the door open.

"Where have you been?" → She asked me where I had been.

If the direct question didn't have a question word (it was a yes/no question), we add the word "if" to transform it into reported speech. The rules of backshifting are the same.

"Will it rain tomorrow?" → They wanted to know if it would rain the next day.

"Can I lend your pen for a second?" → I asked if I could lend his pen for a second.

You can also view the topic ' reported questions ' for a detailed explanation and exercises.

Reported requests and demands

If we want to transform somebody's demand or request into reported speech, we say:

• tell somebody to do something — for reported commands
• ask somebody to do something — for reported requests

If the imperative was negative (don't go, don't do), we put "not" before "to":  tell somebody not to do something.

"Do not cross the red line, please!" → The officer told us not to cross the red line.

"Could you put the flowers in the vase, please?" → She asked me to put the flowers in the vase.

You can also view the topic ' reported requests & demands ' for a detailed explanation and exercises.

REPORTED SPEECH – How can I use it correctly?

In today’s blog we are going to look at how you can use this correctly. Below I’ve broken down everything for you in a step by step manner. There are examples with info graphics, and I’ve included my YouTube video lesson for all my visual learners as well. Let’s get started! Reported Speech comes from Direct Speech.

Direct Speech is exactly what someone says . Reported Speech is repeating someone else’s words .

Let’s look at 2 examples:

Professor Albert: Direct Speech

Students : Reported Speech. They are reporting Professor Albert’s words.

Trainer: Direct Speech.

Student: Reported Speech. Brenda is reporting her trainer’s words.

SAY and TELL are reporting verbs. We need these two verbs to report other people’s words.

SAY + (that): Amy said (that) she loved horses.

SAY + to + object + (that): Amy said to me (that) she loved horses.

TELL + object + (that): Amy told me (that) she loved horses.

(that) is optional.

COMMON MISTAKES!

Amy said me that she loved horses.

☑Amy told me that she loved horses.

Eric said Jack about his holiday.

☑Eric told Jack about his holiday.

My dad told to me that he was going to visit next week.

☑My dad said to me that he was going to visit next week.

SAY or TELL? How can I use these verbs correctly?

Tense Change in Reported Speech

When you use reported speech, many times the verb from direct speech changes. Think about the verb going one step backwards.

Present Simple → Past Simple

Direct Speech: I eat a lot of fruit. Reported Speech: Mary said that she ate a lot of fruit. / Mary told me that she ate a lot of fruit.

Present Continuous → Past Continuous 

Direct Speech: Our English is improving . Reported Speech: My students said that their English was improving . / My students told me that their English was improving. 

Present Perfect → Past Perfect

Direct Speech: I have been to France many times. Reported Speech: Gary said that he had been to France many times. / Gary told me that he had been to France many times.

Present Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous

Direct Speech: I’ ve been working out a lot lately. Reported Speech: My sister said that she had been working out  a lot lately. / My sister told me that she had been working out a lot lately.

Past Simple → Past Perfect 

Direct Speech: I bought a new car. Reported Speech: Jessica said that she that she had bought a new car. / Jessica told me that she had bought a new car.

Past Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous

Direct Speech: I was working as a chef. Reported Speech: Max said that he had been working as a chef. / Max told me that he had been working as a chef.

Past Perfect → Past Perfect (It stays the same!)

Direct Speech: I had gone to work. Reported Speech: Carla said that she had gone to work. / Carla told me that she had gone to work.

Past Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous (It stays the same!) 

Direct Speech: We had been agonizing over our mortgage for months. Reported Speech: Our neighbours said that they had been agonizing over their mortgage for months. / My neighbours told us that they had been agonizing over their mortgage for months.

Future Simple (WILL) → Would 

Direct Speech: You will be famous one day. Reported Speech: Rebecca said that I would be famous one day. / Rebecca told me that I would be famous one day.

Modal Verb Tense Change

Can → could .

Direct Speech: I can help you later. Reported Speech: My teacher said that she could help me later. / My teacher told me that she could help me later.

(Possibility) May → Might 

Direct Speech: I may go out later. I’m not sure. Reported Speech: George said that he might go out later. / George told me that he might go out later.

(Possibility) Might → Might (It stays the same!) 

Direct Speech: I might watch a Star Wars film later. Reported Speech: My flatmate said that she might watch a Star Wars film later. / My flatmate told me that she might watch a Star Wars film later.

(Obligation) Must → Had to

Direct Speech: Everyone must be here by 7 a.m. tomorrow. Reported Speech: Our boss said that we had to be here by 7 a.m. tomorrow. / Our boss told us that we had to be here by 7 a.m. tomorrow.

Should → Should (It stays the same!)

Direct Speech: You look tired Ramiro. You should sleep. Reported Speech: My girlfriend said that I should sleep. / My girlfriend told me that I should sleep.

Would → Would (It stays the same!)

Direct Speech: It would be nice to see you later. Reported Speech: Sarah said that it would be nice to see me later. / Sarah told me that it would be nice to see me later.

We DO NOT need to change the verb form if the information is STILL TRUE NOW.

So, remember earlier:

You can also say: Mary said that she eats a lot of fruit. (This information is still true now.) 

Direct Speech: Our English is improving. Reported Speech: My students said that their English was improving. / My students told me that their English was improving.

You can also say: My students said that their English is improving. (This information is still true now.) 

This is a lot of information to remember. This list is in my Free Library! Subscribe for the password: 

Yes, I want a list of this grammar

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you found it helpful.

Don’t forget to check out my youtube channel ,  instagram ,   facebook  and  other blogs., see you next time arnel , related posts.

Parts Of Speech

Advanced Writing Masterclass: Mastering Transition Words

Should and Ought To – English Grammar Lesson

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Reported Speech

If we want to say what somebody has said, we basically have two options:

• We can use the person's exact words - in quotation marks "..." if we are writing ( direct speech ).
• We can change the person's words into our own words ( reported speech ).

In this lesson we learn about reported speech , the structure that we use when we report what another person has said, and reported speech rules.

Now we will look at:

• Reported Statements
• Time and Place
• Reported Questions
• Reported Requests
• Reported Orders And then you can check your understanding of reported speech with...
• Reported Speech Quiz

Reported speech is called "indirect speech" by some people. Other people regard reported speech simply as one form of indirect speech. Other forms are, for example:

• questions-within-questions: Can you tell me if they are expensive?
• mental processes: He believes that politics is a dirty game.

100 Reported Speech Examples: How To Change Direct Speech Into Indirect Speech

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of communicating what someone else has said without quoting their exact words. For example, if your friend said, “ I am going to the store ,” in reported speech, you might convey this as, “ My friend said he was going to the store. ” Reported speech is common in both spoken and written language, especially in storytelling, news reporting, and everyday conversations.

Reported Speech: Changing Pronouns

Pronouns are usually changed to match the perspective of the person reporting the speech. For example, “I” in direct speech may become “he” or “she” in reported speech, depending on the context. Here are some example sentences:

Reported Speech: Reporting Verbs

Reported speech: tense shifts.

When converting direct speech into reported speech, the verb tense is often shifted back one step in time. This is known as the “backshift” of tenses. It’s essential to adjust the tense to reflect the time elapsed between the original speech and the reporting. Here are some examples to illustrate how different tenses in direct speech are transformed in reported speech:

Reported Speech: Changing Time and Place References

Reported speech: question format.

When converting questions from direct speech into reported speech, the format changes significantly. Unlike statements, questions require rephrasing into a statement format and often involve the use of introductory verbs like ‘asked’ or ‘inquired’. Here are some examples to demonstrate how questions in direct speech are converted into statements in reported speech:

Reported Speech: Omitting Quotation Marks

Reported speech quiz.

The Reported Speech

Table of contents, what is reported speech, direct speech vs reported speech.

Different types of reported speech

A. reporting statements, 1- pronouns.

3. Modal verbs

4- Place, demonstratives, and time expressions

B. Reporting Questions

C. Reporting requests/commands

D. Other transformations

Main clauses connected with and/but, punctuation rules of the reported speech, can we omit that in the reported speech, list of reporting verbs.

• English Grammar
• Reported Speech

Reported Speech - Definition, Rules and Usage with Examples

Reported speech or indirect speech is the form of speech used to convey what was said by someone at some point of time. This article will help you with all that you need to know about reported speech, its meaning, definition, how and when to use them along with examples. Furthermore, try out the practice questions given to check how far you have understood the topic.

Table of Contents

Definition of reported speech, rules to be followed when using reported speech, table 1 – change of pronouns, table 2 – change of adverbs of place and adverbs of time, table 3 – change of tense, table 4 – change of modal verbs, tips to practise reported speech, examples of reported speech, check your understanding of reported speech, frequently asked questions on reported speech in english, what is reported speech.

Reported speech is the form in which one can convey a message said by oneself or someone else, mostly in the past. It can also be said to be the third person view of what someone has said. In this form of speech, you need not use quotation marks as you are not quoting the exact words spoken by the speaker, but just conveying the message.

Now, take a look at the following dictionary definitions for a clearer idea of what it is.

Reported speech, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a report of what somebody has said that does not use their exact words.” The Collins Dictionary defines reported speech as “speech which tells you what someone said, but does not use the person’s actual words.” According to the Cambridge Dictionary, reported speech is defined as “the act of reporting something that was said, but not using exactly the same words.” The Macmillan Dictionary defines reported speech as “the words that you use to report what someone else has said.”

Reported speech is a little different from direct speech . As it has been discussed already, reported speech is used to tell what someone said and does not use the exact words of the speaker. Take a look at the following rules so that you can make use of reported speech effectively.

• The first thing you have to keep in mind is that you need not use any quotation marks as you are not using the exact words of the speaker.
• You can use the following formula to construct a sentence in the reported speech.

• You can use verbs like said, asked, requested, ordered, complained, exclaimed, screamed, told, etc. If you are just reporting a declarative sentence , you can use verbs like told, said, etc. followed by ‘that’ and end the sentence with a full stop . When you are reporting interrogative sentences, you can use the verbs – enquired, inquired, asked, etc. and remove the question mark . In case you are reporting imperative sentences , you can use verbs like requested, commanded, pleaded, ordered, etc. If you are reporting exclamatory sentences , you can use the verb exclaimed and remove the exclamation mark . Remember that the structure of the sentences also changes accordingly.
• Furthermore, keep in mind that the sentence structure , tense , pronouns , modal verbs , some specific adverbs of place and adverbs of time change when a sentence is transformed into indirect/reported speech.

Transforming Direct Speech into Reported Speech

As discussed earlier, when transforming a sentence from direct speech into reported speech, you will have to change the pronouns, tense and adverbs of time and place used by the speaker. Let us look at the following tables to see how they work.

Here are some tips you can follow to become a pro in using reported speech.

• Select a play, a drama or a short story with dialogues and try transforming the sentences in direct speech into reported speech.
• Write about an incident or speak about a day in your life using reported speech.
• Develop a story by following prompts or on your own using reported speech.

Given below are a few examples to show you how reported speech can be written. Check them out.

• Santana said that she would be auditioning for the lead role in Funny Girl.
• Blaine requested us to help him with the algebraic equations.
• Karishma asked me if I knew where her car keys were.
• The judges announced that the Warblers were the winners of the annual acapella competition.
• Binsha assured that she would reach Bangalore by 8 p.m.
• Kumar said that he had gone to the doctor the previous day.
• Lakshmi asked Teena if she would accompany her to the railway station.
• Jibin told me that he would help me out after lunch.
• The police ordered everyone to leave from the bus stop immediately.
• Rahul said that he was drawing a caricature.

Transform the following sentences into reported speech by making the necessary changes.

1. Rachel said, “I have an interview tomorrow.”

2. Mahesh said, “What is he doing?”

3. Sherly said, “My daughter is playing the lead role in the skit.”

4. Dinesh said, “It is a wonderful movie!”

5. Suresh said, “My son is getting married next month.”

6. Preetha said, “Can you please help me with the invitations?”

7. Anna said, “I look forward to meeting you.”

8. The teacher said, “Make sure you complete the homework before tomorrow.”

9. Sylvester said, “I am not going to cry anymore.”

10. Jade said, “My sister is moving to Los Angeles.”

Now, find out if you have answered all of them correctly.

1. Rachel said that she had an interview the next day.

2. Mahesh asked what he was doing.

3. Sherly said that her daughter was playing the lead role in the skit.

4. Dinesh exclaimed that it was a wonderful movie.

5. Suresh said that his son was getting married the following month.

6. Preetha asked if I could help her with the invitations.

7. Anna said that she looked forward to meeting me.

8. The teacher told us to make sure we completed the homework before the next day.

9. Sylvester said that he was not going to cry anymore.

10. Jade said that his sister was moving to Los Angeles.

What is reported speech?

What is the definition of reported speech.

Reported speech, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a report of what somebody has said that does not use their exact words.” The Collins Dictionary defines reported speech as “speech which tells you what someone said, but does not use the person’s actual words.” According to the Cambridge Dictionary, reported speech is defined as “the act of reporting something that was said, but not using exactly the same words.” The Macmillan Dictionary defines reported speech as “the words that you use to report what someone else has said.”

What is the formula of reported speech?

You can use the following formula to construct a sentence in the reported speech. Subject said that (report whatever the speaker said)

Give some examples of reported speech.

Given below are a few examples to show you how reported speech can be written.

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• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Reported speech: indirect speech

Indirect speech focuses more on the content of what someone said rather than their exact words. In indirect speech , the structure of the reported clause depends on whether the speaker is reporting a statement, a question or a command.

Indirect speech: reporting statements

Indirect reports of statements consist of a reporting clause and a that -clause. We often omit that , especially in informal situations:

The pilot commented that the weather had been extremely bad as the plane came in to land. (The pilot’s words were: ‘The weather was extremely bad as the plane came in to land.’ )

I told my wife I didn’t want a party on my 50th birthday. ( that -clause without that ) (or I told my wife that I didn’t want a party on my 50th birthday .)

Indirect speech: reporting questions

Reporting yes-no questions and alternative questions.

Indirect reports of yes-no questions and questions with or consist of a reporting clause and a reported clause introduced by if or whether . If is more common than whether . The reported clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:

She asked if [S] [V] I was Scottish. (original yes-no question: ‘Are you Scottish?’ )

The waiter asked whether [S] we [V] wanted a table near the window. (original yes-no question: ‘Do you want a table near the window? )

He asked me if [S] [V] I had come by train or by bus. (original alternative question: ‘Did you come by train or by bus?’ )

Questions: yes-no questions ( Are you feeling cold? )

Reporting wh -questions

Indirect reports of wh -questions consist of a reporting clause, and a reported clause beginning with a wh -word ( who, what, when, where, why, how ). We don’t use a question mark:

He asked me what I wanted.

Not: He asked me what I wanted?

The reported clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:

She wanted to know who [S] we [V] had invited to the party.

Not: … who had we invited …

Who , whom and what

In indirect questions with who, whom and what , the wh- word may be the subject or the object of the reported clause:

I asked them who came to meet them at the airport. ( who is the subject of came ; original question: ‘Who came to meet you at the airport?’ )

He wondered what the repairs would cost. ( what is the object of cost ; original question: ‘What will the repairs cost?’ )

She asked us what [S] we [V] were doing . (original question: ‘What are you doing?’ )

Not: She asked us what were we doing?

When , where , why and how

We also use statement word order (subject + verb) with when , where, why and how :

I asked her when [S] it [V] had happened (original question: ‘When did it happen?’ ).

Not: I asked her when had it happened?

I asked her where [S] the bus station [V] was . (original question: ‘Where is the bus station?’ )

Not: I asked her where was the bus station?

The teacher asked them how [S] they [V] wanted to do the activity . (original question: ‘How do you want to do the activity?’ )

Not: The teacher asked them how did they want to do the activity?

Questions: wh- questions

Indirect speech: reporting commands

Indirect reports of commands consist of a reporting clause, and a reported clause beginning with a to -infinitive:

The General ordered the troops to advance . (original command: ‘Advance!’ )

The chairperson told him to sit down and to stop interrupting . (original command: ‘Sit down and stop interrupting!’ )

We also use a to -infinitive clause in indirect reports with other verbs that mean wanting or getting people to do something, for example, advise, encourage, warn :

They advised me to wait till the following day. (original statement: ‘You should wait till the following day.’ )

The guard warned us not to enter the area. (original statement: ‘You must not enter the area.’ )

Verbs followed by a to -infinitive

Indirect speech: present simple reporting verb

We can use the reporting verb in the present simple in indirect speech if the original words are still true or relevant at the time of reporting, or if the report is of something someone often says or repeats:

Sheila says they’re closing the motorway tomorrow for repairs.

Henry tells me he’s thinking of getting married next year.

Rupert says dogs shouldn’t be allowed on the beach. (Rupert probably often repeats this statement.)

Newspaper headlines

We often use the present simple in newspaper headlines. It makes the reported speech more dramatic:

JUDGE TELLS REPORTER TO LEAVE COURTROOM

PRIME MINISTER SAYS FAMILIES ARE TOP PRIORITY IN TAX REFORM

Present simple ( I work )

Reported speech

Reported speech: direct speech

Indirect speech: past continuous reporting verb

In indirect speech, we can use the past continuous form of the reporting verb (usually say or tell ). This happens mostly in conversation, when the speaker wants to focus on the content of the report, usually because it is interesting news or important information, or because it is a new topic in the conversation:

Rory was telling me the big cinema in James Street is going to close down. Is that true?

Alex was saying that book sales have gone up a lot this year thanks to the Internet.

‘Backshift’ refers to the changes we make to the original verbs in indirect speech because time has passed between the moment of speaking and the time of the report.

In these examples, the present ( am ) has become the past ( was ), the future ( will ) has become the future-in-the-past ( would ) and the past ( happened ) has become the past perfect ( had happened ). The tenses have ‘shifted’ or ‘moved back’ in time.

The past perfect does not shift back; it stays the same:

Modal verbs

Some, but not all, modal verbs ‘shift back’ in time and change in indirect speech.

We can use a perfect form with have + - ed form after modal verbs, especially where the report looks back to a hypothetical event in the past:

He said the noise might have been the postman delivering letters. (original statement: ‘The noise might be the postman delivering letters.’ )

He said he would have helped us if we’d needed a volunteer. (original statement: ‘I’ll help you if you need a volunteer’ or ‘I’d help you if you needed a volunteer.’ )

Used to and ought to do not change in indirect speech:

She said she used to live in Oxford. (original statement: ‘I used to live in Oxford.’ )

The guard warned us that we ought to leave immediately. (original statement: ‘You ought to leave immediately.’ )

No backshift

We don’t need to change the tense in indirect speech if what a person said is still true or relevant or has not happened yet. This often happens when someone talks about the future, or when someone uses the present simple, present continuous or present perfect in their original words:

He told me his brother works for an Italian company. (It is still true that his brother works for an Italian company.)

She said she ’s getting married next year. (For the speakers, the time at the moment of speaking is ‘this year’.)

He said he ’s finished painting the door. (He probably said it just a short time ago.)

She promised she ’ll help us. (The promise applies to the future.)

Indirect speech: changes to pronouns

Changes to personal pronouns in indirect reports depend on whether the person reporting the speech and the person(s) who said the original words are the same or different.

Indirect speech: changes to adverbs and demonstratives

We often change demonstratives ( this, that ) and adverbs of time and place ( now, here, today , etc.) because indirect speech happens at a later time than the original speech, and perhaps in a different place.

Typical changes to demonstratives, adverbs and adverbial expressions

Indirect speech: typical errors

The word order in indirect reports of wh- questions is the same as statement word order (subject + verb), not question word order:

She always asks me where [S] [V] I am going .

Not: She always asks me where am I going .

We don’t use a question mark when reporting wh- questions:

I asked him what he was doing.

Not: I asked him what he was doing?

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Trump’s Business Partners Are Dumping Their Stock as Fast as They Can

Trump media’s co-founders are off-loading millions of shares of the tanking company..

Insider trading restrictions expired for Trump Media last week, effectively opening the floodgates for investors to sell off their stock in wildly unprofitable company—and sell they did.

United Atlantic Ventures LLC, one of the largest shareholders in Trump Media & Technology Group, dumped 11 million shares in the company shortly after a lockup agreement preventing insiders from selling their shares lifted on September 19, according to a regulatory filing .

The amount that UAV received for its shares wasn’t reported, but the price tag could have ranged anywhere from $128 million to $170 million, according to CNBC . The group held a 5.4 percent stake in the Trump tech company but left itself with just 100 shares in hand after the transaction. The only other group that owns more than 5 percent of Trump Media is ARC Global Investments II LLC, with just over 11 million shares.

Trump Media fell dramatically in the days following lockup expiration, with shares spiraling to a fraction of their value at the company’s initial public offering in March. Even before the restrictions ended, Wall Street strategists were eyeing the behavior of the company’s investors to get a better read on Trump Media’s health.

“Even if Trump doesn’t, it would be interesting if other insiders begin selling because that would be a clue as to what they think his mindset is about selling,” Steve Sosnick, chief strategist at Interactive Brokers, told Reuters last week.

It’s easy to see why investors want to sell. Trump Media’s biggest brand is Truth Social, the social media network founded by the former president after he was banned from Twitter for stoking an insurrection. Truth Social has struggled to attract users, advertisers, or revenue of any kind ; in the second quarter of 2024 it brought in less than $1 million in revenue and posted a $16 million loss.

Donald Trump—who owns roughly 57 percent of the company with 115 million shares—has insisted he has no intention of selling off his stock, though doing so could provide a cash infusion for the legally hamstrung Republican presidential nominee. However, it would devastate investors’ confidence in the company and could spell the end for Truth Social.

Trump Media has been criticized as another iteration of a long line of grifts this year as the former president has fought off numerous legal charges that have added up to half a billion dollars in expenses and debt. Other Trumpian hustles included launching a remarkably ugly sneaker and selling NFT trading cards of himself dressed in superhero costumes and astronaut suits. He also made some quick cash on a limited edition, $60 God Bless the USA Bible co-promoted by “God Bless the USA” singer Lee Greenwood, and stamped his name on a new cryptocurrency platform headed by his two sons, Eric and Don Jr., which even Trump’s allies have criticized as a “huge mistake.”

Major Conservative Poll Cited by Media Secretly Worked With Trump Team

Leaked emails reveal the truth about rasmussen reports—and the way the trump campaign is breaking election law..

A major polling organization is reportedly giving Donald Trump’s campaign previews of its results before the public sees them.

On Thursday, American Muckrakers posted about emails it received detailing how the conservative-leaning Rasmussen Reports, which claims to be nonpartisan, shared polling results with Trump advisers and campaign officials like Dan Scavino, Susie Wiles, and John McLaughlin. The advisers, Rasmussen, and the nonprofit organizations that pay it for polling are violating tax and election laws, according to American Muckrakers.

One of the emails details close collaboration between the Trump campaign, Rasmussen, and the Heartland Institute, which calls itself a national free-market public policy think tank. However, it’s also a 501(c)3 nonprofit and is not allowed to engage in political activity benefiting a political candidate.

Rasmussen has long been criticized for its polling, which focuses on “likely voters,” and for skewing toward older Americans and providing favorable results to conservatives. During the Trump administration, its website became overtly supportive of the right wing, with many of its polls sponsored by conservative personalities and causes . On social media, Rasmussen appeared to legitimize many conspiracy theories on the right, such as election fraud and vaccine denialism .

Earlier this year, the polling aggregator 538 dropped Rasmussen Reports from its averages and forecasts, saying that the firm couldn’t meet 538’s standards for objectivity and methodology. This drew a major backlash from right-wing media, especially after Rasmussen published a letter from 538 asking the polling firm questions about its procedures and biases.

The revelations from American Muckrakers go beyond simple political bias and into outright collaboration between Republicans and Rasmussen, explaining the organization’s overt partisan change. It would seem to invite possible legal trouble for Rasmussen too, although there’s no shortage of conservative judges and lawyers ready to shield it from consequences.

J.D. Vance’s Christian Nationalist Ties Are Growing

Trump’s running mate will appear with a far-right religious leader at a pennsylvania rally this weekend..

The Republican vice presidential nominee will attend an event in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, on Saturday hosted by The Lance Wallnau Show.

Wallnau is a one of the leaders of the New Apostolic Reformation, or NAR, a sect of evangelical Christianity devoted to proselytizing the Seven Mountain Mandate, referring to the seven aspects of society—government, family, religion, arts and entertainment, media, education, and business—that its followers are meant to influence with their faith so that Christians can hold dominion over the world .

Unsurprisingly, he’s adamantly pro–Donald Trump.

Wallnau has been associated with Trump’s campaign since at least January 2024, when he announced his “Courage Tour” in collaboration with the far-right youth organization Turning Point USA, another group hoping to flesh out Trump’s lackluster ground game.

Wallnau said the tour aimed to get “civically enlightened” pastors to turn out their church members for the “America First agenda,” according to Rolling Stone . The Courage Tour urges attendees not only to vote but to sign up as election workers and poll watchers.

In an interview with CBS News , Wallnau called it “spiritual activism,” but it’s actually likely illegal under U.S. tax code . (Kirk had offered resources to pastors seeking to “challenge the IRS,” and Wallnau has pushed for churches to be “courageous.”)

Now Vance and Wallnau will join forces in an essential battleground state for Trump.

It seems like Vance and Wallnau may have a lot to talk about, considering the fact that they’re both raging misogynists . Wallnau has repeatedly referred to Kamala Harris as a “ Jezebel ,” a racist and misogynist trope with distinctly violent implications . Shortly after Harris’s candidacy for president was announced in July, Wallnau said Trump’s opponent represented “the spirit of Jezebel, and in a way that’ll be even much more ominous than Hillary because she’ll bring a racial component and she’s younger.”

They could also talk about Wallnau’s podcast, where he regularly pushes far-right talking points, like a resented episode in which he fomented the dangers of “hit squads” coming over the “open borders” to assassinate Trump.

Vance’s nomination electrified the Christian nationalist corners of the internet, and recently he’s been doing more outreach to Christian voters. Earlier this week, Vance spoke at the Believers and Ballots event in Charlotte, North Carolina, a key swing state. Vance complained about “crazy transgender bills,” claimed that Christianity is the “most persecuted faith in the world today,” and called Harris “the biggest threat to religious liberty we’ve had in at least a generation.”

J.D. Vance’s Leaked DMs Reveal Brutal Verdict on Trump’s First Term

J.d. vance privately claimed that donald trump “thoroughly failed to deliver” in newly leaked messages..

It turns out that as recently as 2020, J.D. Vance was critical of Donald Trump.

The Washington Post reported Friday that the Republican vice presidential nominee called out Trump as having “just so thoroughly failed to deliver on his economic populism (excepting a disjointed China policy),” in one of multiple direct messages on Twitter (now X) back in February 2020.

Vance has explained his shift from being a “Never Trump” conservative in 2016, promoting his book Hillbilly Elegy , to supporting Trump in 2020 by saying Trump’s presidential term changed his mind. But apparently, that wasn’t really the case.

In another message in June 2020, just months before the election, Vance wrote, “I think Trump will probably lose.” When Trump did lose, Vance claimed the election was stolen by the Democrats. 

The messages were shared with the Post by their recipient anonymously out of fear of retaliation. They were also sent years after Vance was critical of Trump during his 2016 campaign for president, when he called Trump “reprehensible” and “ America’s Hitler .”

A Vance spokesperson told the Post the Ohio senator wasn’t actually criticizing Trump but “establishment Republicans who thwarted much of Trump’s populist economic agenda to increase tariffs and boost domestic manufacturing in Congress.”

“Fortunately, Sen. Vance believes that Republicans in Congress are much more aligned with President Trump’s agenda today than they were back then, so he is confident that they won’t run into those same issues within the party,” said William Martin.

But this statement doesn’t take into account that Vance also correctly predicted that Trump would lose the 2020 election, only to deny that after the fact. Vance has never been particularly clear on when he started to support Trump, the Post notes, begging the question of whether it was him actually changing his mind or making a calculated political decision.

In another direct message, Vance even seemed open to government-run universal health care, saying Medicare for All “is a net positive, maybe not (details matter).” But Martin told the Post that Vance now believes “the Democrats[’] top-down Medicare for All plan would make healthcare worse for Americans,” which is backed up by Vance and Trump’s regressive health care proposals.

Whatever the case may be, Vance is fully defending Trump and providing his own defenses for the former president’s proposed policies, nonsensical as they may be. But the Post ’s revelations suggest that Vance could just be saying whatever he thinks will satisfy the MAGA faithful. 

Trump Majorly Fumbles Harris’s Current Job in Weird, Droning Speech

Donald trump appeared to forget that kamala harris isn’t currently president..

Donald Trump appeared to completely forget Thursday that Kamala Harris wasn’t the president for the past four years, during a breathless, lengthy rant on immigration.

After a hearing at a New York City appeals court, Trump delivered a low-energy stump speech , where he attempted to hold his opponent solely responsible for every beat of the Biden administration’s immigration policy.

“Four years ago, Kamala inherited the most secure border in U.S. history, with the lowest illegal immigration on record,” Trump said.

“Those who violated our borders were captured, detained, and quickly sent back home under the Trump administration. But on her first day in office, Kamala Harris terminated every single Trump policy that sealed and secured the border.”

Already, it was startlingly clear that Harris’s name could be replaced at any point with President Joe Biden’s.

Trump then complained that Harris had been the one to order an “immediate stop” to the construction on the border wall when it was “almost complete.” He claimed that Harris had suspended all deportations, instituted catch and release “across the entire southern border,” and “sent Congress a bill demanding amnesty for all illegal aliens, every single illegal alien, even if they’re criminals, even if they’re murderers, even if they’re drug dealers … human traffickers.… She wanted amnesty for everybody.”

Trump also seemed disappointed that Harris had “canceled” his Remain in Mexico policy. There’s only one problem: Harris isn’t solely responsible for any of this stuff because she isn’t president. She didn’t “order” or “terminate” or “cancel” any Trump policy because she didn’t have the authority.

For example, the disastrous Remain in Mexico program, which was used to send nearly 70,000 migrants back into Mexico, was suspended by Biden after there were widespread reports of severe human rights violations and serious logistical issues.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Trump has seemingly forgotten whom exactly he’s running against. When Harris first became the nominee, there was plenty of evidence to suggest that Trump was having a hard time adjusting—three months later, and he still doesn’t seem to have gotten a grasp on things.

Later in his speech, Trump took aim at Harris for slamming his efforts to kill a bipartisan border bill earlier this year, which would’ve granted $20 billion in emergency spending at the southern border, in the most restrictive border legislation pushed by a Democratic president in recent memory.

“She keeps talking about this law that they tried to put through Congress, but fortunately Congress was too smart for her,” Trump said “It would’ve been a disaster.

“The damage was done, they’re trying to make it look better now. But the damage was done over the first three years. They’re trying to do anything to make it look better. Because it doesn’t poll very well for them—but it polls very well for me.”

Trump seemingly can’t help but give away the game for his motivation for killing the bill: A weakened border hurts Harris among voters but gives him and his fearmongering, anti-immigrant platform a boost.

A less than coherent Trump claimed that he won in 2016 because “I fix the border,” and whined that in 2020, “I couldn’t talk about the border because I fixed it, it was great.

“But now we can talk about the border because this border, they un-fixed it,” Trump said.

“This border is the worst border. And by the way, 25 times worse and more deadly, than the border in 2016.”

It is unclear where he got that number. According to Customs and Border Protection , the agency had a total of 408,807 encounters along the southwest border in 2016. In 2023, that number was about 2.5 million—only about six times greater.

Trump Is on the Brink of a Win in His Massive New York Fraud Case

An appeals court seems skeptical about donald trump’s $454 million civil fraud judgment..

Donald Trump may soon get a reduced penalty in his civil fraud case, if oral arguments in an appeals court Thursday are any indication.

The intermediate appeals court in Manhattan heard Trump’s appeal against a New York ruling from February where he was not only fined $450 million plus interest but also barred from doing business in New York. Some of the judges on the five-member panel seemed at least receptive to the former president.

“The immense penalty in this case is troubling,” said Justice Peter Moulton. “How do you tether the amount that was assessed by the Supreme Court to the harm that was caused here where the parties left these transactions happy?”

Deputy New York Solicitor General Judith Vale, representing the state, was ready with a response, though.

“Although this is a large number, it’s a large number for a couple reasons. One, because there was a lot of fraud and illegality,” Vale said. “That is an enormous benefit they got from this conduct” of falsifying financial statements to obtain better loan rates, she added, referring to the Trump Organization.

Justice David Friedman argued that the ruling against Trump was undercut by Deutsche Bank saying Trump’s actions did not harm them.

“It hardly seems to justify bringing an action to protect Deutsche Bank against President Trump, which is what you have here,” Friedman said. “You have two really sophisticated players, in which no one lost any money.”

Vale said that state law did not require being harmed, and also noted that the bank actually complained when it heard about false statements and pulled out of its agreement with Trump.

At one point, Trump’s lawyer John Sauer tried to argue that the former president and his businesses were following “generally accepted accounting principles,” only to be rebuked by Justice Peter H. Moulton.

“It’s the factual inaccuracies that are important,” Moulton countered. “You might be following GAAP principles, but if your data is terrible, you’re creating a fallacious statement.”

The former president and convicted felon had to pony up a $175 million bond in April to stop the judgment while he appeals. His fine, thanks to 9 percent interest accruing every year, has now grown to more than $478 million . If he wins, it will be dropped, and Trump has had some success in New York courts as of late.

MTG Freaks Out That Republicans Don’t “Deserve to Be Reelected”

Marjorie taylor greene is furious that mike johnson is doing his job..

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is so angry at House Speaker Mike Johnson that she said she doesn’t think Republicans deserve to keep the majority in the House.

The House passed a three-month stopgap bill Wednesday to prevent a government shutdown, amid loud opposition from the Georgia Republican and her far-right pals. In getting the spending bill passed, Johnson went against the wishes of Donald Trump and MAGA.

During a call into Steve Bannon’s War Room , Greene railed against Johnson and made a startling remark, according to RawStory .

“Mike Johnson is not our speaker. He is the speaker for the Democrats,” Greene ranted.

Greene blamed Johnson for funding the Biden-Harris administration, the “weaponized” Department of Justice, and the FBI that “raided Mar-a-Lago and has raided a lot of January 6 defendant homes.” It doesn’t seem apparent to Greene that funding the government is not only Johnson’s job but hers as well.

She claimed Johnson had “fully funded the invasion at our border that is, that is killing Americans every single day.”

“He’s been a great speaker of the House for Democrats, and he has absolutely helped the Biden-Harris administration destroy this country,” Greene continued.

“I share the anger and frustration, and I don’t think Republicans deserve to be reelected to hold a majority,” Greene admitted.

“We have to elect President Trump in order to control the federal government,” Greene said. She immediately walked back her remark, insisting that Republicans needed to be reelected because if Democrats got control of the House, they would “rewrite the tax codes.”

She urged voters to “hold your nose and vote for that RINO that you absolutely hate, because we need a good tax code in place.”

Last week, Greene went on a tear against Johnson for his plan to attach the SAVE Act, which is based on faulty election data and seeks to solve the practically nonexistent problem of widespread noncitizen voting, to a six-month continuing resolution to fund the government. The move would have been a nonstarter for Democrats.

This is far from the first time the two have butted heads. In May, Greene tried to have Johnson removed from the speakership, but was quickly shot down .

At the end of the day, Greene and Johnson are both far-right congressional proxies for Trump. It’s just that only one of them seems to actually care about doing their job.

Elon Musk’s X Suspends Journalist Who Reported Leaked J.D. Vance Docs

Independent journalist ken klippenstein was suspended from x shortly after sharing a leaked dossier on republican vice presidential nominee j.d. vance..

Free speech hero Elon Musk is yet again silencing his perceived opponents. This time, he is doing J.D. Vance’s dirty work.

Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein on Thursday reported on the leaked 271-page dossier on Vance, allegedly from the Trump campaign’s research team, which mainstream media outlets had refused to publish . Just hours later, Klippenstein was banned from X, where he’d shared a link to his reporting and to the dossier.

X users have found that they are unable to even post the link to Klippenstein’s Substack newsletter on X without receiving a message that the link is “potentially harmful.”

For ease, here is Klippenstein’s reporting on the dossier: https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/read-the-jd-vance-dossier

This isn’t the first time Musk has used X to meddle with progressive accounts on the platform. X has come under fire for banning or limiting an NPR story critical of Trump , the Uncommitted Movement account, and even KamalaHQ . 

In January, Musk temporarily banned Klippenstein, who worked for The Intercept at the time, and a handful of other journalists. The only connection between them: their left-wing politics and their criticism of Musk.

Though some may try to argue that Klippenstein’s post broke X guidelines by publishing hacked materials and is thus “doxxing” Vance, Twitter actually changed its terms of service years ago, in part thanks to the Hunter Biden laptop story and claims of “anti-conservative” bias. The page regarding the platform’s hacked materials policy no longer exists . Musk heavily criticized Twitter’s supposed suppression of the laptop story, later elevating the so-called “ Twitter Files ” with right-wing journalists Matt Taibbi and Bari Weiss to expose the social media company’s previous content-moderation strategies.

At the time of publication, Klippenstein’s account is still suspended.

Trump Would Totally Demolish Economy With His Plans, Says New Report

A grim report reveals that if donald trump becomes president and carries out his plans, we’ll suffer the repercussions for a long time to come..

Donald Trump says he has a plan for the economy, but that doesn’t mean it’s any good.

According to independent nonprofit nonpartisan researchers, Trump’s policies on tariffs, deportations, and the Federal Reserve would, if put in action, seriously hike inflation, wipe out jobs, and slow U.S. production and economic growth.

In even the most generous modeling, inflation would reach 6 percent by 2026 and consumer prices would balloon 20 percent by 2028.

According to an analysis from the Peterson Institute for International Economics published Thursday, the devastating effects on the economy could last through 2040.

Trump promises to carry out “mass deportations” if elected president. Doing so could “cause a large inflationary impulse and a significant loss of employment (particularly in manufacturing and agriculture) in the US economy,” the researchers found. The deportation plan on its own would provide no economic benefit to Americans.

Warwick McKibbin, a senior fellow and co-author of the study, told CNN that the institute estimates that deporting undocumented workers would cause a pandemic-like “shock,” especially in the agriculture industry.

“Can you imagine taking 16 percent out of the labor force in agriculture?” McKibbin said, who noted the ripple effects would include rising cost of food or even permanent loss of supply.

Trump’s isolationist approach to the economy through deportations and tariffs on U.S. imports would hurt the American people most. “We find that ironically, despite his ‘make the foreigners pay’ rhetoric, this package of policies does more damage to the US economy than to any other in the world,” wrote the authors.

Of course, the Trump team denied the findings, with Trump campaign senior adviser Brian Hughes telling CNN the exact opposite: “Trump policies will fuel growth, drive down inflation, inspire American manufacturing, all while protecting the working men and women of our nation from lopsided policies tilted in favor of other countries.”

Cornell Student at Risk of Deportation After Pro-Palestine Protest

An international graduate student at cornell university is one step closer to being deported..

A Cornell University student is on the verge of losing his student visa and being deported over taking part in a pro-Palestine protest.

Mamadou Taal, a Ph.D. student in Africana Studies, was suspended Monday by the university after he took part in a protest against a career fair attended by defense contractors L3Harris and Boeing last week. Taal is studying at Cornell on an F-1 student visa, which can be terminated by a suspension.

On Thursday, Taal posted on X that his appeal to the university was rejected by the vice president of student and campus life, Ryan Lombardi, and that there was no investigation or due process.

“I maintain that all my actions have been peaceful and in accordance with my First Amendment rights,” Taal’s post reads. “This is a deliberate targeting of a Black Muslim student at an institution where those two identities are increasingly unwelcome. When it comes to Palestine the university will abandon all commitments to academic freedom and free speech to protect its corporate interests.”

Taal is still able to appeal to the university’s provost, but believes he’ll be deported if that appeal is rejected. The university accuses Taal and other protesters of entering the career fair by pushing and shoving campus police officers, but Taal told The Nation he had no part in this. According to student journalists at the Cornell Daily Sun , there wasn’t any physical violence toward police, although recruiters, students, and administrators appeared to be distressed.

“I can say categorically that I shoved no police officer, nor did I not listen to a lawful directive, like they’re claiming,” Taal said. He told the Sun that he only gave a speech outside before taking part in the career fair protest, and only attended that protest for five minutes before leaving.

If Taal is deported, it would be a drastic new step in university attempts across the country to tamp down on pro-Palestinian protests. Taal’s case has already drawn backlash, with a petition calling on the university to reverse its suspension drawing 2,700 signatures from Cornell students and faculty. It seems that many campuses will go to any lengths to make these protests go away , even if it means deporting students and ignoring the First Amendment.

GOP congressman tweets racist rant about Haitian immigrants

Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., called Haiti the "nastiest country in the western hemisphere" in a post on social media Wednesday, saying migrants from the Caribbean country, the majority of whom are in the U.S. legally, should "get their ass out of our country."

Higgins' rant on X — which was deleted hours later — came in response to an Associated Press story about a Haitian nonprofit group that filed a citizen criminal charge against former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance for their repeated baseless claims about migrants in Springfield, Ohio, including Trump's assertion at the presidential debate they were "eating the dogs" and "eating the cats."

Higgins' post amplified the debunked pet claim, which was followed by dozens of bomb threats in the city.

"Lol. These Haitians are wild. Eating pets, vudu, nastiest country in the western hemisphere, cults, slapstick gangsters… but damned if they don’t feel all sophisticated now, filing charges against our President and VP," he said, referring to Republican presidential and vice presidential nominees Trump and Vance, respectively.

 "All these thugs better get their mind right and their ass out of our country before January 20th," the post concluded. That would be the day Trump and Vance would be sworn into office if they win November's election.

Subodh Chandra, the attorney representing the Haitian Bridge Alliance, the nonprofit group that filed the charges, said the post “is not a dog-whistle but the trumpeting of a clear threat."

He said that "in a functional House of Representatives under a responsible speaker who cares about integrity, this would be addressed swiftly by an Ethics Committee investigation and censure or expulsion. But this is a House majority that indulges antisemitism and racism, so we’ll see if the Republican leadership does anything at all.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters that Higgins “is a dear friend of mine and a colleague from Louisiana and a very frank and outspoken person.” He said that he'd spoken to Higgins on the House floor about the post and that Higgins “went to the back and he prayed about it, and he regretted it, and he pulled the post down.” 

A spokesperson for Higgins did not respond to a request for comment on the post. Neither did a representative for the Trump campaign.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called Higgins' comments “vile, racist and beneath the dignity of the United States House of Representatives” and said he “must be held accountable for dishonorable conduct that is unbecoming of a Member of Congress.” 

Rep. Steve Horsford, D-Nev., moved to censure Higgins on the House floor early Wednesday evening.

"They are inciting hate. They are inciting fear," Horsford said.

"It is time to end hate and the rhetoric of hate, and that it is not becoming on any member to continue to push this type of rhetoric on any platform, let alone from the House of Representatives," he added.

Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Higgins' fellow Republican congressman from Louisiana, said, "The tweet has been deleted already and removed, but I object to the motion." 

The motion was found to be out of order. Horsford then re-introduced his resolution as privileged, which requires action within two legislative days. The House, however, just left town until after the election. That means he will need to introduce it again in November.  

Horsford told reporters afterward that he'd spoken to Higgins earlier and that Higgins had told him he would not remove the post.

“He didn’t, in my view, show any remorse, didn’t understand how his rhetoric is contributing to the feeling of people being harassed and threatened and feeling unsafe in their own communities, and that is why I asked him to remove the post,” Horsford said. “He actually told me, no, he would not, and then that’s when we started the action on the floor.” 

The vast majority of Haitians in Springfield are in the country legally after having been granted temporary protected status by the Department of Homeland Security. Trump and Vance have vowed to end that protection and immediately deport them if they are elected.

“If Kamala Harris waves the wand illegally and says these people are now here legally, I’m still going to call them an 'illegal alien,'” Vance told reporters at an event in North Carolina this month.

Higgins is a staunch Trump ally who has become known for using heated rhetoric, including saying last year of special counsel Jack Smith , "I’ll just say that his days are numbered and American patriots are not gonna stand idly by, good sir, and allow our republic to dissolve." 

After a 2017 terrorist attack in London , Higgins said anyone even suspected of being an Islamic terrorist should be killed .

“Not a single radicalized Islamic suspect should be granted any measure of quarter,” he wrote on Facebook. “Their intended entry to the American homeland should be summarily denied. Every conceivable measure should be engaged to hunt them down. Hunt them, identify them, and kill them. Kill them all.”

He also mad e he adlines last year for physically removing an activist from an outdoor news conference on Capitol Hill.

He said in a post on Twitter afterward that the activist “became very disruptive and threatening, in violation of the law,” and had “aggressively disrupted Congresswoman Lauren Boebert and approached her in a threatening manner.”

Dareh Gregorian is a politics reporter for NBC News.

Syedah Asghar is a Capitol Hill researcher for NBC News and is based in Washington, D.C.

Kyle Stewart is a field producer covering Congress for NBC News.

Zoë Richards is a politics reporter for NBC News.

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Going once … going twice: Alex Jones’ cameras, mics, Infowars show, vitamin site

Tovia Smith

Conspiracy theorist and Infowars host Alex Jones owes some $1.5 billion in damages to Sandy Hook families for his lies that the 2012 school shooting never happened. Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images hide caption

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' Infowars show is likely to be shut down within a few months, after a federal bankruptcy judge ruled Tuesday that plans to sell off the assets of Jones’ media company, Free Speech Systems, can move forward.

Net proceeds from any sales will go to Sandy Hook families who won some $1.5 billion in damages from Jones for spreading lies that the 2012 school shooting never happened. Some of Jones’ followers harassed and threatened the families for years.

Alex Jones trustee files emergency request as Sandy Hook families battle over assets

Attorneys for a group of the families called Tuesday’s decision “a significant step forward” toward a “fair and equitable” resolution for all of the families.

“FSS will now be sold at auction, meaning Alex Jones will no longer own or control the company he built,” said attorney Chris Mattei. “This brings the families closer to their goal of holding him accountable for the harm he has caused."

A court-appointed trustee for Jones’ personal bankruptcy case has already begun the process of auctioning off the components of Free Speech Systems, the parent company of Infowars. Listed for sale is everything from production equipment to domain names and the Infowars vitamin and supplement online store.

A judge orders Alex Jones to sell personal assets, but Infowars can continue for now

The bankruptcy trustee, Christopher Murray, said in court that several parties have already expressed interest in buying FSS’s assets, including specifically Jones’ X.com account. The sale process starts with sealed bids, and then open auctions are set for Nov. 13 and Dec. 10 if needed. The bidders are unknown and could be anyone from another vitamin and supplement seller, to an entity trying to “catch and kill” the Infowars brand, or one that wants it to live on.

The fact that there’s been interest in Jones intellectual property assets, including his social media accounts, might mean the latter is more likely.

“What that suggests to me is that the highest monetary bidders are going to be entities who want to take this brand and run with it in some way,” says University of Florida bankruptcy law professor Chris Hampson. That would mean someone “in the right wing media ecosystem that would have a ready-made audience for them.”

Legally, Jones would be free to continue working for a new entity, but talks are continuing between Jones’ team and some of the Sandy Hook families seeking a deal that would bar Jones from continuing to speak about the school shooting.

Right-wing media's dark days

A U.S. Justice Department lawyer — acting as a kind of bankruptcy watchdog — had tried to stop the sale, arguing that the bankruptcy trustee appointed in Jones’ personal Chapter 7 bankruptcy has no authority to sell off FSS’s individual assets since Jones’ company is no longer in bankruptcy and the company’s assets are “not the property of the Jones estate.” But U.S. bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez rejected those arguments Tuesday, saying he would clarify his order so the sale can go ahead as planned.

But as Hampson puts it, the court “has saved some big fights for later.”

That includes the fight over Jones’ “RealAlexJones” X.com account. Jones’ attorneys argue that’s “the exclusive property of Jones’ natural person” and cannot be sold. Doing so, they argue, would violate their client’s right to publicity, his privacy rights and would amount to “involuntary servitude” under the 13th Amendment.

Meantime, the Sandy Hook families remain divided about how any proceeds should be distributed. But no matter how they slice it, court filings suggest the total payout will be under $8 million, a mere fraction of the $1.5 billion they’re owed.

• Sandy Hook Elementary School

Eric Adams Is Indicted in New York

The indictment makes Mr. Adams the first sitting New York City mayor to face criminal charges. The mayor vowed to fight the charges.

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Follow our ongoing coverage of the Mayor Eric Adams indictment.

William K. Rashbaum Dana Rubinstein Michael Rothfeld and Matthew Haag

Here’s the latest on the mayor’s indictment.

Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on federal criminal charges, according to people with knowledge of the matter, and will be the first mayor in modern New York City history to be charged while in office.

The indictment is sealed, and it was unclear what charge or charges Mr. Adams, a Democrat, will face or when he will surrender to the authorities. Federal prosecutors were expected to announce the details of the indictment on Thursday.

The mayor, in a videotaped speech posted online late Wednesday, adopted a combative tone, saying any charges against him would be “entirely false” and “based on lies.” He said he had been targeted by the federal authorities because he had “stood my ground” for New Yorkers.

Mr. Adams, 64, also made it clear he had no intention of resigning, which he is not required to do under the City Charter. He said he would request an “immediate” trial and would “fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength, and my spirit.”

The indictment comes a little less than a year after federal agents searched the home of Mr. Adams’s chief fund-raiser and seized the mayor’s electronic devices as he left a public event in Manhattan.

The mayor and his aides have said he was cooperating with the authorities, and Mr. Adams has continued to insist that he has done nothing wrong.

Mr. Adams, a retired police captain, was elected New York’s 110th mayor in 2021 after a campaign built on a pledge to reduce crime, bring professionalism to City Hall and tap his personal brand of “swagger.”

But he staffed top positions with friends and loyalists, and his inner circle became engulfed by federal investigations . This month, federal agents seized phones from numerous top city officials , including a top aide to Mr. Adams, the schools chancellor and the police commissioner. The commissioner, Edward A. Caban , and the schools chancellor, David C. Banks , later resigned.

Mr. Adams, the second Black person to lead the nation’s largest city, was already facing a competitive primary in his run for re-election next year, and the indictment was likely to prompt more challengers to enter the race.

Here’s what else to know:

The indictment raised immediate questions about Mr. Adams’s ability to serve as mayor, adding to the growing pressure for him to step down. Gov. Kathy Hochul has the power to remove him from office.

Mr. Adams made it clear in his statement that he had no immediate plans to resign. If he changes his mind, Jumaane Williams, the city’s public advocate, will become the city’s acting mayor .

Several federal corruption investigations have reached top people around Mr. Adams, with some of the highest-ranking officials in his administration coming under scrutiny. Read more about the investigations here . Here is a timeline of the key moments leading up to the indictment .

The swarm of federal inquiries in the lead-up to the indictment of Mr. Adams plunged his administration into a free fall, further diminishing his political stature. It raised doubts about his re-election chances next year and his ability to engage with other political leaders. Read more about the challenges in City Hall here .

At around 11:30 p.m., Frank Carone, the former City Hall chief of staff, exited Gracie Mansion. In a grey suit, Carone described the mayor as “strong” and said he would not respond to calls to resign. “Like anybody else, he is innocent until proven guilty and he deserves his day in court,” Carone said. In response to questions about whether Adams would or should be replaced, he spoke sternly. “There is one mayor of New York City, and that is Eric Adams.”

Grace Ashford

Avi Small, a spokesman for Gov. Kathy Hochul, said in a statement that the governor was aware of the mayor's indictment and would be monitoring the situation. “It would be premature to comment further until the matter is confirmed by law enforcement,” Small said.

Tracking Charges and Investigations in Eric Adams’s Orbit

Four federal corruption inquiries have reached into the world of Mayor Eric Adams of New York. Here is a closer look at the charges against Mr. Adams and how people with ties to him are related to the inquiries.

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Hurubie Meko

Robert Holden, a Democratic councilman from Queens, said it’s a “sad day for NYC when a sitting mayor is indicted on federal charges.”

While Adams is “presumed innocent until proven guilty, there is no way he can effectively lead with this cloud hanging over him,” he said, calling for the mayor to step down.

Maia Coleman

Councilwoman Tiffany Cabán, who last week became the first City Councilmember to urge Adams to resign, renewed her call for the mayor to step down in a post on X on Wednesday. “It was true when I called on him to resign a week ago, and it’s true now: he is unable to effectively lead and govern,” Cabán wrote. “While he awaits his right to due process, he must resign. New York deserves better.”

Eric Adams is the first sitting NY mayor to be indicted on criminal charges. It was true when I called on him to resign a week ago, and it’s true now: he is unable to effectively lead and govern. While he awaits his right to due process, he must resign. New York deserves better. https://t.co/FPsu3Kjdd1 — Tiffany Cabán (@tiffany_caban) September 26, 2024

Chi Osse, a Brooklyn councilman, called for Adams to resign in a video posted online at around 11 p.m. Wednesday night. Following the federal searches and series of resignations in recent weeks, “no one is running our city right now,” he said. “This city of nine million people needs someone steering the ship,” he said. “And now it’s clear that it cannot be corrupt cop Eric Adams.”

NYC: we need a new Mayor pic.twitter.com/SJhWehfcsM — Chi Ossé (@OsseChi) September 26, 2024

News of the indictment is already shifting the flow of local politics. VOCAL-NY just said they have canceled the Thursday news conference to protest Adams' proposal to give police more power. “We need people to be focused, and I don’t think people will be able to do so tomorrow,” said Jawanza Williams, managing director of organizing for the group. “We need to get this distraction out of the way and focus on a government that helps New Yorkers.”

Sandy Nurse, a Brooklyn councilwoman who serves as Chair of the Committee on Criminal Justice, said Adams ran on a platform of “law and order” and “never missed a chance to attack progressives and the left, accusing us of being unserious about community safety and crime.”

“It is impossible to govern a city effectively amidst a constant stream of resignations, scandals and now indictment,” she said. Nurse joined the chorus of city leaders in calling for Adams to resign.

Lola Fadulu

If the mayor were to resign, Jumaane Williams, the city’s public advocate, would become the acting mayor . Matt Antar, the finance chairman of the New York Young Republicans Club, said in a post on X that the mayor was “terrible” and “made unforgivable policy choices in his administration.”

Eric Adams is a terrible mayor who has made unforgivable policy choices in his administration. There is no doubt about it. But every communist progressive they have lined up to take his place would be 10 times worse. You don’t want Jumaane Williams to be mayor. This is not good. — Matt Antar (@mantarnyc) September 26, 2024

But, Mr. Antar added: “Every communist progressive they have lined up to take his place would be 10 times worse. You don’t want Jumaane Williams to be mayor,” he wrote.

Benjamin Oreskes

The governor can remove Eric Adams from office.

The indictment of Mayor Eric Adams prompted calls for his resignation Wednesday evening, but there is no legal requirement that he leave office.

If he does resign before his term ends, the city’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams , would become acting mayor and a special election would be scheduled.

A special election would most likely draw a number of candidates, at least some of whom have already declared that they will run against Mr. Adams in next year’s Democratic primary. Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who is seeking a political comeback, could also join the field.

Mr. Adams, in a videotaped speech posted online late Wednesday , proclaimed his innocence, vowed to fight any charges against him and made it clear he did not plan to resign.

Mayor Eric Adams Vows to Fight Federal Indictment Against Him

In a videotaped speech, mr. adams said any charges against him would be “false” and said that he will continue to lead as mayor of the city..

My fellow New Yorkers. It is now my belief that the federal government intends to charge me with crimes. If so, these charges would be entirely false based on lies. But they would not be surprising. I always knew that if I stood my ground for all of you, that I would be a target. And a target I became. I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit. If I’m charged, I know I’m innocent. I will request an immediate trial so that New Yorkers can hear the truth. I have been facing these lies for months since I began to speak out for all of you and their investigation started. Yet the city has continued to improve. Make no mistake. You elected me to lead this city. And lead it I will. I humbly ask for your prayers and your patience as we see this through. God bless you and God bless the City of New York. Thank you.

There is another way Mr. Adams could leave office: The New York City Charter gives Gov. Kathy Hochul the power to remove him. But the process would be complicated.

Under the charter, Ms. Hochul, who had not commented on the indictment as of late Wednesday, could suspend Mr. Adams for up to 30 days and then remove him “after service upon him of a copy of the charges and an opportunity to be heard in his defense.”

That is where New Yorkers would be entering uncharted territory. A governor has not exercised such powers in recent memory. The closest precedent occurred in 1931, when Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt held 14 days of hearings into the misconduct of Mayor Jimmy Walker, who eventually resigned in 1932 before going to Europe.

Roosevelt’s hearings took place in the Statehouse’s Red Room. As he prepared to assume the presidency in 1933, he filed several memorandums explaining the hearings with the state attorney general and defending his power to remove Mr. Walker.

Roosevelt, The New York Times wrote at the time, thought the memos were “of some importance because the Walker case in the future would be referred to in other cases involving the power of removal of certain public officials by the governor and because, unlike cases at law, no opportunity exists for including a digest of any such extensive cases in any law report.”

It is unclear how Ms. Hochul would pursue Mr. Adams’s removal, or if she would try.

“When the Constitution, statutes and City Charter are read together, the governor has broad latitude in deciding what actions or failures to act would justify removing a mayor from office,” said James M. McGuire, a former counsel to Gov. George Pataki now in private practice. Mr. McGuire noted that some specific charges are required, but the courts have never determined how specific they must be, enabling governors “to use the removal power as a club to force resignations.”

Emma G. Fitzsimmons

In a defiant video, Adams calls any charges against him ‘entirely false.’

Mayor Eric Adams released a videotaped speech late Wednesday, calling any federal charges against him “entirely false” and “based on lies.”

Mr. Adams, a Democrat who is running for re-election next year, stood in front of an American flag as he spoke to New Yorkers and took a somber tone. He appeared to be speaking at Gracie Mansion; it appeared that he recorded the video before he knew he had been indicted.

“If I am charged, I know I am innocent,” he said. “I will request an immediate trial so that New Yorkers can hear the truth.”

Mr. Adams, the city’s second Black mayor, won a competitive Democratic primary in 2021 on a public safety message. As a former police officer, he has said that he follows the law and instructs city officials to do the same.

He vowed to continue as mayor despite a series of high-profile departures from his administration, including his police commissioner, schools chancellor and health commissioner.

“I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit,” he said, his demeanor alternating from sober to indignant.

Mr. Adams has had a rocky relationship with the Biden administration over the migrant crisis, and the mayor has warned that it would destroy New York City. He mentioned that battle as an example of how he had fought injustices during his career and appeared to suggest that it might be a reason he was targeted.

“Despite our pleas, when the federal government did nothing as its broken immigration policies overloaded our shelter system with no relief, I put the people of New York before party and politics,” he said.

Mr. Adams ended the speech with a reference to his faith, a central part of his biography. The mayor has said that God told him that he would be mayor .

“I humbly ask for your prayers and your patience as we see this through,” he said. “God bless you and God bless the city of New York.”

Olayemi Olurin, a lawyer and political commentator who faced off against Adams on “The Breakfast Club” earlier this year, also chimed in on Adams’s indictment on Wednesday. Olurin debated Adams on his public safety policy, which she said was damaging to Black and Latino, poor and working class people.

“And now he’s been indicted for corruption,” she said online. “N.Y.C. is going to remember him, alright.”

These are the people running for mayor in the Democratic primary.

Now that Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted, his path to re-election in New York is likely to become much more difficult.

Mr. Adams is running for a second term in a competitive Democratic primary next June. Already, four prominent Democrats have entered the race, arguing that Mr. Adams is a poor manager and has not addressed the city’s affordability crisis. And even more challengers may enter the race.

So far, the field includes Brad Lander , the city’s left-leaning comptroller who recently pledged to end street homelessness for severely mentally ill people, and Scott Stringer , a former city comptroller who has focused on affordable housing and whose 2021 mayoral campaign was derailed by allegations of sexual misconduct.

There is also Zellnor Myrie , a state senator from Brooklyn who is proposing free “universal after-school” programs, and Jessica Ramos , a state senator from Queens who has focused on affordability and is friendly with unions.

Zohran Mamdani, a state assemblyman from Queens who is weighing entering the race, wants to stop rent increases that have taken place under Mr. Adams. And former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who resigned in 2021 after facing a series of sexual harassment allegations, is also considering running, and has focused this year on combating antisemitism .

If Mr. Adams resigns, the city’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams , would become acting mayor and might run for the job on a permanent basis. Mr. Williams is a left-leaning former City Council member from Brooklyn who has been a fierce critic of Mr. Adams , assailing the mayor’s aggressive policing strategy.

Mr. Adams’s approval rating was already dismal before his indictment. In a Quinnipiac poll taken last December , only 28 percent of New Yorkers approved of the job he was doing — the lowest rating for any New York City mayor in a Quinnipiac survey since it began polling the city in 1996.

Mr. Adams, a former police officer who ran for mayor on a public safety message, won by a slim margin in the 2021 Democratic primary. He beat his closest challenger, Kathryn Garcia, the city’s former sanitation commissioner, by roughly 7,200 votes.

Assemblyman Tony Simone also called on the mayor to resign. “Like so many New Yorkers I no longer have faith in his ability to execute the job of Mayor and call for Mayor Adams to resign,” Simone said in a statement.

Gale A. Brewer, a councilwoman from Manhattan, said news of Adams’s indictment was “hard on the Mayor and also hard on New York City.” Brewer, through a spokesman, said that “we need leadership on so many issues and it will be difficult to get answers on legislative proposals, policy ideas, and ongoing projects. With so many Commissioners and Mayoral officials resigning, it will not be business as usual. Decision making takes a back seat.”

Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a state senator who represents parts of Manhattan, said on social media that Adams “must resign now.”

“It’s untenable for Mayor Adams to continue in office while under federal indictment,” he said.

Earlier today, as he introduced the new schools chancellor in the Bronx, Adams pondered his legacy. He recalled his first deputy mayor taking his staff to the Museum of the City of New York, where they looked at the history of previous administrations and reflected on the level of commitment required to do a good job, he said, “because one day, our names were going to be on those walls.” He added: “And what did we do right? And what did we do for the people of this city?” Now, no history of his administration will be complete without mentioning his indictment and the flood of calls for his resignation.

It’s been over an hour since the news of Adams’s indictment broke, and still no word from Gov. Kathy Hochul. She has been a key partner of the mayor, working closely with him to push for changes for the state’s bail laws and more money for migrant services. When asked earlier this year if she would support his re-election bid, she said that they were “very strong allies and working together,” adding that reporters could read into that whatever they wished. Tonight that alliance is being tested.

News reporters are gathered in the dark outside Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence. Every so often a black S.U.V. zips up the driveway toward the buttercup yellow building.

Michael Rothfeld

Just yesterday, Adams was asked about the federal inquiries into his administration when speaking to reporters at City Hall. He has generally referred to them as “reviews,” as he did yesterday, although recently he has referred to them as what they actually are: investigations. Adams said: “Whatever information is needed, we’re going to turn over, but we’re going to respect the fact that federal agencies have stated they don’t want us talking on these reviews as they’re taking place. Let me respect that. It’s going to go to process.”

Dana Rubinstein

Calls surge for Mayor Adams to resign.

Even before news of Mayor Eric Adams’s indictment was made public on Wednesday, prominent elected officials had already called for his resignation, most notably Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. But after the news of the mayor’s indictment, the calls for his resignation promptly surged. Mr. Adams is not required to resign.

Scott Stringer, the former New York City comptroller who is among the Democrats running against Mr. Adams in next year’s Democratic primary, said on Wednesday night that the mayor needed to “resign for the good of the city,” repeating a line used by Ms. Ocasio-Cortez .

“There is simply zero chance that the wheels of government will move forward from this full steam ahead,” Mr. Stringer said in a statement. “Instead, we are left with a broken down train wreck of a municipal government.”

Brad Lander, the current New York City comptroller, who is also running for mayor, echoed the sentiment.

“Mayor Adams, like all New Yorkers, deserves due process, the presumption of innocence, and his day in court,” he wrote on X. “However, it is clear that defending himself against serious federal charges will require a significant amount of the time and attention needed to govern this great city. The most appropriate path forward is for him to step down so that New York City can get the full focus its leadership demands.”

Zellnor Myrie, a state senator from Brooklyn who is also running for mayor against Mr. Adams, joined the chorus. “We need a leader who is fully focused, without distraction, on the enormous challenges we face — from housing affordability to public safety,” Mr. Myrie wrote on X. “A mayor under the weight of a serious indictment can no longer do that — and today I am calling on him to resign.”

Councilman Shekar Krishnan, who represents a district in Queens, said Mr. Adams “will absolutely be unable to lead from inside a courtroom. He must resign.”

State Senator John Liu, another Queens Democrat, said New Yorkers “need a mayor who is able to devote full time and full energy to putting the city on the right track, including recruitment and retention of top leadership for the city.” He added: “Mayor Adams is simply unable to do that for the foreseeable future and therefore, for the good of all New Yorkers, must resign immediately.”

Other elected officials who have called for Mr. Adams to step down include State Senators Gustavo Rivera, Julia Salazar and Jabari Brisport; City Councilmembers Tiffany Cabán and Alexa Avilés; and Assemblymembers Emily Gallagher and Phara Souffrant Forrest.

Emma Fitzsimmons

Mayor Eric Adams released a video late Wednesday saying that any charges against him would be “entirely false, based on lies.” He added: “If I am charged, I know I am innocent. I will request an immediate trial so that New Yorkers can hear the truth.”

Mayor Eric Adams has fought with the Biden administration over the migrant crisis, warning that it would destroy New York City, and he mentioned that dispute in his videotaped speech defending himself: “Despite our pleas, when the federal government did nothing as its broken immigration policies overloaded our shelter system with no relief, I put the people of New York before party and politics.”

William Rashbaum

One of the mayor’s lawyers, Brendan R. Maguire of WilmerHale, said they haven’t been notified of the charges.

Prosecutors from the U.S. attorney’s office, the F.B.I. and the city’s Department of Investigation examined free flights and flight upgrades the mayor received from Turkish Airlines. But because the indictment remains sealed, it is unclear whether his receipt of those benefits is the basis for any crimes charged in the document.

A lawyer for the carrier, which is owned in part by the Turkish government, said in a statement that it had been in contact with prosecutors about the investigation for some time. “Turkish Airlines has been complying with law enforcement’s lawful requests for information, and at no point has been accused of any wrongdoing by the government,” said the lawyer, Timothy Sini, a partner with Nixon Peabody.

Emily Gallagher, a New York State Assemblywoman who represents neighborhoods in North Brooklyn, called for a new mayor.

“A mayor who cuts education, library budgets, and parks, who surrounds himself with criminals and alleged corruption up to the very top, does not deserve our trust,” she said.

A spokesman for Jumaane Williams, the city’s public advocate who would become acting mayor if Adams resigns, stopped short of calling on Adams to resign. He said in a statement: “The news of this indictment is itself incredibly serious. As the facts emerge, the public advocate will have more to say to the people of New York City, and right now, he is focused on how best to ensure that New Yorkers can regain trust, confidence and stability in city government.”

Shahana Hanif, a Democratic councilwoman from Brooklyn, joined the growing call from city council members for Adams to resign. “It’s clear that Mayor Adams can no longer effectively serve New Yorkers,” she said Wednesday.

If Adams resigns, Jumaane Williams will become acting mayor.

If Mayor Eric Adams were to resign, New York City’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams, would become the acting mayor.

Mr. Williams, a left-leaning Democrat from Brooklyn, has served as public advocate since winning a special election in 2019. He was re-elected to a full term in 2021 and ran unsuccessfully for governor the next year.

Mr. Williams has been a fierce critic of Mr. Adams , assailing the mayor’s aggressive policing strategy and pushing to end solitary confinement in city jails. Mr. Williams has also cast doubts about the mayor’s ability to govern amid a swirl of federal investigations.

Within three days of becoming mayor, Mr. Williams would name a date for a special election to pick a new mayor, according to the city’s charter . The nonpartisan election could be held within 90 days. The city’s relatively new ranked-choice voting system, in which voters can rank multiple candidates, would be used.

No public advocate has become acting mayor before. Only two mayors have resigned — Jimmy Walker in 1932 and William O’Dwyer in 1950 — both after corruption scandals. The office of public advocate was created in 1993.

Mr. Williams said recently that he was exhausted and angered by the troubling headlines about Mr. Adams and his administration, arguing that the municipal corruption scandals appeared to be “the worst since Tammany Hall.”

“I’m not sure how you continue to govern with, every day, more corrupt arrests, more corrupt suspicions,” he said.

Mr. Adams has insisted that he will not resign. The mayor recently told reporters that more than 700,000 people had voted for him in the 2021 election.

“I was elected by the people of the city, and I’m going to fulfill my obligation to the people of this city,” he said.

On Wednesday, after news of his indictment was made public, the mayor made it clear that his stance had not changed.

“I always knew that if I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target — and a target I became,” Mr. Adams said in a statement. “If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.”

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X blocks links to hacked JD Vance dossier

And suspends the journalist who published it..

By Elizabeth Lopatto , a reporter who writes about tech, money, and human behavior. She joined The Verge in 2014 as science editor. Previously, she was a reporter at Bloomberg.

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X is preventing users from posting links to a newsletter containing a hacked document that’s alleged to be the Trump campaign’s research into vice presidential candidate JD Vance. The journalist who wrote the newsletter, Ken Klippenstein, has been suspended from the platform. Searches for posts containing a link to the newsletter turn up nothing.

The document allegedly comes from an Iranian hack of the Trump campaign. Though other news outlets have received information from the hack, they declined to publish . Klippenstein says in his newsletter that a source called “Robert,” with an AOL email address, offered him the document. Contained in it are what appear to be Vance’s full name, addresses, and part of his social security number.

X said in a post on its safety account that Klippenstein was “temporarily suspended for violating our rules on posting unredacted private personal information.” The company didn’t comment on why links to Klippenstein’s article are blocked. The X account for Klippenstein’s newsletter confirmed the reasoning for the ban. “Ken Klippenstein has been banned by Twitter for publishing private information in contradiction of its rules,” wrote KlipNews .

Twitter, before it was bought by Elon Musk, had a policy regarding hacked materials — but the page  is no longer available. A pre-Musk version of the policy , dated 2019, stated that posting or linking to hacked content is prohibited. Under this policy, links to a story by The New York Post about Hunter Biden , the current president’s son, were banned. But in October 2020, Twitter changed its policy to say that it would no longer block hacked materials, after an outcry about how the company had handled the Post story. “Straight blocking of URLs was wrong, and we updated our policy and enforcement to fix,” wrote then-CEO Jack Dorsey .

Musk was one of the people who was unhappy with the decision to ban links to the Post’s story. “Suspending the Twitter account of a major news organization for publishing a truthful story was obviously incredibly inappropriate,” Musk wrote of the decision on the story in April 2022. He even invited former Rolling Stone pundit Matt Taibbi to examine internal documents showing how Twitter handled the decision. (In the course of tweeting his conclusions, Taibbi exposed the email addresses of Dorsey and Representative Ro Khanna.)

It is unclear why X is blocking Klippenstein’s story, but attempts by three staffers at The Verge to post links of Klippenstein’s newsletter failed. We received error messages that read, “We can’t complete this request because this link has been identified by X or our partners as being potentially harmful. Visit our help center to learn more.”

Update, September 26th: Added comment from X’s safety account.

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