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Judge tosses Michael Wolff’s lawsuit against Melania Trump, calls it ‘contorted’ and not how ‘courts work’
A federal judge tossed journalist Michael Wolff’s lawsuit against first lady Melania Trump on Friday, calling it a “contorted” effort and “not how the federal courts work.”
Wolff sued Trump to keep her from suing him for $1 billion for alleged defamatory statements he made about her involvement with Jeffrey Epstein.
Manhattan Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, claimed both Wolff and Trump had engaged in an “inappropriate level of tactical gamesmanship.”
Despite admitting that both sides have a “real dispute,” Vyskocil said she wouldn’t be “conscripted to oversee an abusively presented spat.”
DAILY BEAST APOLOGIZES TO MELANIA TRUMP OVER RETRACTED EPSTEIN ALLEGATIONS ARTICLE
The first lady’s lawyer sent Wolff a letter last year, calling on him to retract the statements he made about Trump and warning that she would have “no alternative” but to sue him if he didn’t.
That prompted him to file a state suit against her in October.
Trump’s lawyer, Alejandro Brito, had the lawsuit transferred to federal court where Vyskocil said that while federal court does have jurisdiction, she was declining to exercise it and “dismisses this case to be litigated like any other.”
A Melania Trump spokesperson said Friday that the first lady “is proud to continue standing up to, and fighting against, those who spread malicious and defamatory falsehoods as they desperately try to get undeserved attention and money from their unlawful conduct.”
The 56-year-old’s lawyer previously claimed that Wolff’s statements caused her “overwhelming reputational and financial harm.”
The first lady has denied any association with Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges.
“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” the first lady said in an April press conference. “The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect. I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation.”
Wolff claimed in his lawsuit that the president and first lady “have made a practice of threatening those who speak against them” with costly legal actions “to silence their speech, to intimidate their critics generally, and to extract unjustified payments and North Korean style confessions and apologies.”
He added that some of his statements were taken out of context and some were protected speech, including a statement he made that claimed the Trumps have a “sham marriage, trophy marriage,” that his lawsuit says was a “fair and justified” opinion.
It also said in his lawsuit that Wolff never accused the first lady of being involved with criminal activity associated with Epstein.
The Daily Beast retracted an article last summer called “Melania Trump ‘Very Involved’ in Epstein Scandal: Author,” that was based on an interview with Wolff, after the outlet received a letter from Brito.
Wolff said that in his interview, which the retracted story was based on, he claimed the first lady was managing the matter “behind the scenes” at the White House, but was not criminally involved.
Wolff has written four bestsellers about the president: “Fire and Fury,” “Siege,” “Landslide,” and “All or Nothing.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Caitlin Clark leads Fever in scoring as Indiana secures third consecutive WNBA win
The Indiana Fever ruled Caitlin Clark out of Wednesday’s game against the Portland Fire with a back injury less than two hours before tipoff, marking her first missed game of the season.
Indiana went on to beat the Fire 90-73, but Clark’s late scratch raised concerns about her availability for Friday’s matchup against the Golden State Valkyries.
Those concerns proved short-lived, as Clark was back in the lineup just two days later.
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Clark was not listed on the Fever’s injury report Thursday, and despite missing practice the previous day, she returned to score 22 points in Indiana’s 90-82 win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year also recorded nine assists, finishing just shy of a double-double.
FEVER GET WARNING FROM LEAGUE OVER CAITLIN CLARK INJURY REPORTING
In the third quarter, Clark knocked down another 3-pointer from well beyond the arc.
Fever center Aliyah Boston finished second in scoring Friday night with 20 points and 16 rebounds, recording a double-double.
The Fever and Valkyries will switch venues when they meet again Thursday in San Francisco.
A string of injuries sidelined Clark in 2025, limiting the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader to 13 games in her second WNBA season. The injury woes last year included a groin strain followed by an ankle bone bruise.
Also on Thursday, Clark unveiled the cover art of her upcoming children’s picture book, “EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach BIG Dreams.”
The book, which is scheduled for release in November, draws from Clark’s life — one she said is “like few others.”
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‘Illicit’ version of fentanyl linked to deadly New Mexico incident that sickened first responders
Authorities on Friday identified the mystery substance that hospitalized more than a dozen first responders after they responded to a New Mexico home where three people died in a suspected overdose incident.
Officials said first responders were exposed to fentanyl after arriving at a home in Mountainair, New Mexico, where four people were found unresponsive.
Two victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while a third later died at the University of New Mexico Hospital. A fourth person survived.
“Preliminary findings indicate this incident is tied to exposure to a powdered opioid substance within the home, and on-scene DEA laboratory analysis has confirmed the presence of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and para-fluorofentanyl, also called P4 fentanyl,” New Mexico State Police Chief Matt Broom said during a news conference.
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY IN CRIME-RIDDEN COUNTY
“It’s a more illicit form or version of fentanyl,” he added.
Authorities said the drugs were found in powder form.
Officials said 25 people were exposed to the substance, with 20 hospitalized for treatment before being released.
ROBERT DE NIRO’S GRANDSON’S OVERDOSE DEATH LEADS TO FIVE ARRESTS
Two individuals remain hospitalized after arriving in serious condition, police said.
Authorities identified two of the people who died as Micah Rascon, 51, and Georgia Rascon, 49.
Both the survivor and one of the deceased were administered the overdose medication Narcan.
FENTANYL EXPOSURE SCARE FORCES COURTROOM EVACUATION DURING ACTIVE TRIAL
Authorities said numerous first responders began experiencing symptoms including nausea and dizziness.
“These men and women responded to a dangerous situation while working to protect lives and secure the scene,” Broom said. “We especially recognize the first responders who became sick while carrying out their duties.”
Torrance County Fire Chief Gary Smith said firefighters did not enter the home wearing hazmat protection because the situation did not initially appear to require it.
He added officials would review the response procedures moving forward.
“I mean, we’re only as good as our last call, right?” Smith said. “There’ll be multiple debriefings that we’re going to be doing over the next week or two to find out where our strengths were and where our weaknesses were.”
The incident remains under investigation.
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WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella challenges WNBA stars Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham to a match
Athletes and celebrities get in on wrestling all the time, and now WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella is calling for WNBA stars Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham.
From the mere mention of that, the powers that be at the WWE are thinking about how they would swan-dive, Scrooge McDuck-style, into a pile of money if this happened.
According to ClutchPoints, late last year, Cunningham was asked which wrestlers she would like to face in a match.
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Nikki Bella’s name came up, and now she’s responding.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Bella didn’t just accept; she called on Cunningham to round up her Indiana Fever teammate, Clark, to make this a tag match with her and her twin sister and fellow Hall of Famer, Brie Bella.
“Sophie Cunningham has said that she’s wanted to take me on, so I’d like to take her and Caitlin Clark on; that’d be fun,” Bella said. “She started it; we’ll finish it.”
All right. I’ve heard enough. This needs to happen.
Hey, if the WNBA isn’t going to capitalize on Caitlin Clark’s popularity, then others are going to. IndyCar has her serving as the grand marshal for this year’s Indianapolis 500, so why wouldn’t the WWE want to find a way to get her in the ring?
They’ve thrown celebrities in matches many times over the years. Jelly Roll has wrestled a couple of times recently.
So, c’mon, let’s make this happen.
Of course, it can’t happen too soon.
Last month, Nikki Bella had to step aside from the Bella Twins’ match at WrestleMania and was replaced by Paige, who made her big return to the WWE. Brie Bella and Paige ended up winning the match and are currently the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
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