Michael Cohen claims NY prosecutors ‘pressured and coerced’ him to testify against Trump
President Donald Trump‘s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, said Friday that prosecutors in both the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the New York Attorney General’s Office “pressured and coerced” him into delivering testimony tailored to securing convictions against Trump.
Cohen, who was a key prosecution witness in two New York cases against Trump, accused New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of pursuing evidence aimed at Trump, saying prosecutors were uninterested in testimony that didn’t fit their narrative.
“I felt pressured and coerced to only provide information and testimony that would satisfy the government’s desire to build the cases against and secure a judgment and convictions against President Trump,” Cohen wrote in a post on Substack.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Office of the New York State Attorney General and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for comment.
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Cohen, who was Trump’s personal lawyer for many years, said he was writing as a federal appeals court considers the president’s request to move his hush money case to federal court for further review.
The former Trump fixer testified in a civil case brought by James’ office in 2023, where Trump was found liable for fraudulently inflating his assets to obtain favorable loan terms. He also took the stand in Bragg’s case in 2024, where Trump was ultimately found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Cohen accused both James and Bragg of using their high-profile cases to elevate their careers, claiming they sought credit as officials who “took down Trump.”
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“They blurred the line between justice and politics; and in that blur, the credibility of both suffered,” he wrote.
Cohen said that both before and during the trials, prosecutors made it clear they were only interested in testimony from him that would convict Trump.
“When my testimony was insufficient for a point the prosecution sought to make, prosecutors frequently asked inappropriate leading questions to elicit answers that supported their narrative,” he said.
Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to several crimes, including tax evasion, campaign finance violations and lying to Congress. He described cooperating with authorities while incarcerated, saying he sought sentence relief and felt compelled to provide testimony fitting prosecutors’ narratives with the hope that his sentence would be reduced.
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“You may reasonably ask why I am speaking out now. The answer is simple. I have witnessed firsthand the damage done when prosecutors pick their target first and then seek evidence to fit a predetermined narrative,” Cohen said, while noting that he was not writing in defense of Trump.
Olympic committee reveals decision on whether to ban US over Venezuela strike
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has responded to calls to exclude the U.S. and its athletes from the upcoming Winter Olympics over the country’s recent military intervention in Venezuela.
The committee ruled out any penalty on the U.S. in the aftermath of the intervention.
“As a global organization, the IOC has to manage a complex reality. The IOC has to deal with the current political context and the latest developments in the world,” the IOC said in a statement to the BBC.
“The ability to bring athletes together, no matter where they come from, is fundamental to the future of values-based, truly global sport, which can give hope to the world.
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“For this reason, the IOC cannot involve itself directly in political matters or conflicts between countries, as these fall outside our remit. This is the realm of politics.”
Russian athletes are banned from competing in the Olympics since the country invaded Ukraine in 2022. Russian invaded Ukraine just four days after the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February of that year, which is a violation of the Olympic Truce clause in the IOC charter. Russia also put Ukrainian athletes there under the control of the Russian Olympic Committee.
The U.S.’s strike on Venezuela violated no such charter and has been praised by many in the international community due to the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro and the toppling of his regime.
The effort came after months of pressure on Venezuela as the Trump administration conducted more than 20 strikes in Latin American waters targeting alleged drug traffickers as part of Trump’s broader initiative to curb the influx of drugs into the U.S.
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The IOC faced similar calls to exclude Israel from the Olympics over the Gaza war, but those requests were also declined as the committee stated that the country’s national Olympic committee had complied with the Olympic Charter.
However, Indonesia may face a penalty for violating the Olympic Charter, even if it doesn’t result in the exclusion of the country’s athletes from competition.
The IOC previously condemned the country for its denial of visas to Israeli athletes and declared it a breach of the international charter. All conversation about Indonesia hosting a future Olympics was terminated, and the IOC advised global organizers not to schedule any major events in the country.
The Indonesian government cited safety concerns for its decision to deny the Israel team visas, warning of potential threats within its country to the safety of the Israeli athletes and risk the safety of others.
However, Team Israel claimed its own country’s security detail determined the country was safe to enter and cleared its athletes to travel there.
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“We received authorization from the Israeli Security Authorities to participate in the World Championship subject to the necessary security protocols in place. From our side, all preparations were complete — registration process, entry visas to Indonesia and Israeli Security Authorities confirmation,” the Israel Gymnastics Federation previously told Fox News Digital.
Indonesia was previously stripped of its right to host the under-20 World Cup when the governor of Bali refused to host Team Israel in a game.
Schumer vows to restore DOGE cuts and go even higher on federal program funding levels
House Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he would press to restore funding cut by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and even add to the original amounts.
Schumer made the comments when he was asked Thursday if he would work to replenish funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at a forum held by the Center for American Progress.
“If you look at the budget we’re working on right now, we restore most of the cuts. And even go higher than previous years on many of the programs that DOGE slashed,” Schumer said.
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“We have worked really hard and gotten bipartisan support to increase these amounts and undo a lot of the cuts which are essential.”
He did not describe which specific programs he hopes to supplement.
Lawmakers have not yet released a final text for the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill for 2026. The Senate Appropriations Committee has proposed a plan that would increase its fiscal year 2026 funding by $5 billion over fiscal 2025 levels.
Since the Trump administration began making cuts through DOGE, Democrats like Schumer have largely condemned them, calling them an attack on government resources and services.
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Republicans, by contrast, have framed the effort as a way to remove waste, fraud and abuse. According to the DOGE website, the group believes it has eliminated $215 billion in waste.
Republicans made $115 billion of those spending reductions official through a bill passed last year.
Since then, lawmakers have not advanced another rescissions package, a bill that helps lawmakers fast-track spending reductions at the request of the president.
Republicans like Aaron Bean, R-Fla., chairman of the House DOGE Caucus, say the GOP’s cost-cutting efforts are still ongoing in the background.
“DOGE is still alive,” Bean told Fox News Digital in December. “We’re going to get it rocking. I think that will come down the road.”
Bean noted that several pressing issues have captured Congress’ attention in the last few months.
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“I think, you know, the shutdown set everybody back a little bit. These credits, with the budget, with everything,” Bean said, referring to the COVID-era Obamacare tax credits that were at the heart of the 2025 government shutdown.
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Members of the House and Senate Appropriations committees did not immediately respond to a request for a response to Schumer’s statements.
College football star quarterback sues NCAA in shocking twist for his career
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has sued the NCAA after being denied a sixth year of eligibility.
Chambliss’ lawyers are asking a Mississippi judge for a preliminary injunction that would allow him to play one more collegiate season, according to multiple reports.
The NCAA formally rejected his request for a sixth year of eligibility Jan. 9 due to him and his team not being able to provide evidence he was suffering from an “incapacitating injury or illness” when he did not play for Division II Ferris State in 2022 due to apparent respiratory issues.
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“In November, Ole Miss filed a waiver request for football student-athlete Trinidad Chambliss, seeking to extend his five-year Division I eligibility clock, citing an incapacitating illness or injury. Approval requires schools to submit medical documentation provided by a treating physician at the time of a student’s incapacitating injury or illness, which was not provided,” the statement says.
“The documents provided by Ole Miss and the student’s prior school include a physician’s note from a December 2022 visit, which stated the student-athlete was ‘doing very well’ since he was seen in August 2022.
“Additionally, the student-athlete’s prior school indicated it had no documentation on medical treatment, injury reports or medical conditions involving the student-athlete during that time frame and cited “developmental needs and our team’s competitive circumstances” as its reason the student-athlete did not play in the 2022-23 season. The waiver request was denied.”
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Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter said the school would appeal the ruling.
“We are disappointed with today’s announcement by the NCAA and plan to appeal the decision to the Committee level,” Carter said in a social media post, in which he included the flag of Trinidad and Tobago. “Additionally, we will continue to work in conjunction with Trinidad’s representatives in other avenues of support.”
Chambliss’ attorney also released a statement that day suggesting litigation could be coming.
“I understand that Ole Miss will file an appeal with the NCAA. However, there’s now an opportunity to move this case to a level playing field where Trinidad’s rights will be determined by the Mississippi judiciary instead of some bureaucrats in Indianapolis who couldn’t care less about the law or doing the right thing,” Tom Mars said.
“Whether to pursue that course of action is a decision only Trinidad and his parents can make.”
Chambliss and his legal team will go to court in an effort to keep him on the field for the 2026 season.
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The NCAA referred to its Jan. 9 statement when contacted for a response to the lawsuit by Fox News Digital.
Ole Miss came within a quarter of advancing to the NCAA semifinal, losing a 31-27 thriller to Miami in the Fiesta Bowl Jan. 8.
Landlord forced to shell out $2.1M after NYC mayor vows ‘no one is above the law’
New York City reached a $2.1 million settlement with A&E Real Estate covering 14 buildings in three boroughs, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani saying the agreement will force repairs and stop what he described as tenant harassment.
“Today, I am proud to stand here … to announce that New York City has come to a settlement with A&E Realty regarding 14 buildings across three boroughs,” Mamdani said Friday at a news conference in Jackson Heights, Queens.
Asked during the news conference how aggressive the new administration plans to be with landlords, Mamdani said, “We want to make it clear to everyone in this city that no one is above the law and that if you are a landlord violating the law, then this administration will hold you to account.”
Mamdani said the settlement requires A&E to pay “$2.1 million in restitution” and includes “injunctions preventing them from harassing their tenants” while compelling the company “to correct more than 4,000 building code violations across these 14 buildings.”
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“For years, A&E has operated with callous disregard for those residing in its properties, racking up over 140,000 total violations, including 35,000 in the last year alone,” Mamdani said. “City Hall will not sit idly by and accept this illegality, nor will we allow bad actors to continue to harass tenants with impunity.”
A tenant, Diana De La Paz, described conditions she said residents have dealt with at her building, including prolonged elevator outages, heat issues and infestations. De La Paz said the elevator in her building has been out of service for long stretches, which she said “effectively imprison[ed] elderly and disabled tenants in their own homes.”
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Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Dina Levy said the agreement will affect “750 tenants across 14 buildings” and said the city’s litigation “has produced a settlement that will lead to the correction of more than 4,000 Housing Code violations.”
“It will enforce long overdue court-ordered repairs and impose $2.1 million in civil penalties and will include binding injunctions that will prohibit further tenant harassment and require sustained compliance moving forward from this landlord,” Levy said.
Levy said the deal represents the agency’s biggest settlement to date.
“Actually, the settlement announced today … represents HPD’s largest settlement in the history of the unit,” Levy said, adding that the city has additional tools it can use, including intervention in distressed buildings and, in extreme situations, removing buildings from owners’ control and installing “responsive management.”
Levy added that the city’s immediate focus is getting violations fixed through the settlement but warned additional action is possible if landlords do not comply.
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“The intended outcome is safety and well-being for tenants,” Mamdani said. “We today are announcing a multimillion-dollar settlement with this landlord to actually rectify these violations. That is what we want to see. If a landlord cannot get to that settlement, continues to operate outside of the law, then we will hold them to account in additional ways.”
City Council member Shekar Krishnan, who represents Jackson Heights, called A&E a “reprehensible landlord” and said enforcement is what tenants need.
“As a former tenant lawyer myself … I’ve always said that tenants’ rights are not worth more than the paper they’re written on if they’re not enforced in reality,” Krishnan said. “Here we are today … showing what enforcement looks like.”
Mamdani also announced what he called “rental ripoff” hearings across the city.
“We will be holding a rental ripoff hearing in each of the five boroughs within the first 100 days of our administration,” he said, describing them as hearings where multiple agencies will “listen to New Yorkers’ needs” and use that feedback to shape enforcement and policy.
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“We’ve made it our mission to collaborate with the city to improve this building and others that were in deep disrepair when we took ownership,” a spokesperson for A&E Real Estate told Fox News Digital. “In every building we’ve purchased, we’ve invested in replacing boilers, rehabbing elevators and fixing tens of thousands of longstanding violations.
“We are pleased to have settled all legal issues with the City and have agreed upon a repair plan with the housing department that we are already delivering on. We look forward to partnering with the city to improve the lives of our residents and find collaborative ways to protect and to continue to invest in New York City’s housing stock.”
Sports billionaire quietly pulls off the biggest US land grab in years
A billionaire sports and real estate magnate has quietly completed the largest private land purchase in the United States in more than a decade — propelling him past other moguls to the top of the nation’s private landownership rankings.
Stan Kroenke — who owns the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and England’s Premier League club Arsenal — purchased more than 937,000 acres of ranchland in New Mexico in a major off-market deal for property once owned by the heirs of Teledyne founder Dr. Henry Singleton, The Land Report first reported.
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The acquisition catapulted Kroenke from No. 4 to No. 1 on the 2025 Land Report 100, surpassing other billionaire landowners such as Ted Turner and John Malone. It also marked the largest single land transaction in the United States in more than a decade. Financial terms were not disclosed by either party.
With this deal, Kroenke now owns more land than any other private individual in the United States, surpassing the Emmerson family’s 2.44 million acres, Malone’s 2.2 million acres, and Turner’s 2 million acres.
A spokesperson for The Kroenke Group declined to comment to Fox News Digital.
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Kroenke’s portfolio now spans much of the American West and Canada, including 560,000 acres in Wyoming, 124,000 in Montana, the historic W.T. Waggoner Ranch in Texas, 800,000 acres in Nevada, and British Columbia’s Douglas Lake Ranch.
Born in Columbia, Missouri, Kroenke built his fortune through real estate development and professional sports, owning the Los Angeles Rams, the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, and the Premier League’s Arsenal FC. He is married to Ann Walton Kroenke, an heiress to the Walmart fortune, and has expanded his land and ranching empire across the American West for decades.
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Man arrested after allegedly threatening Vance during vice president’s Disney visit
A California man was arrested on a federal criminal complaint alleging he made online death threats against Vice President JD Vance during his visit to Disneyland Resort in Anaheim in July.
Marco Antonio Aguayo, 22, of Anaheim, was taken into custody Friday after he allegedly made multiple threatening comments on Disney’s official Instagram account referencing pipe bombs, imminent bloodshed and violent action against “corrupt politicians” July 12, the same day Vance and his family were visiting and staying at the resort.
Aguayo was charged with threatening the president and successors to the presidency, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
He is expected to make his initial appearance Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana.
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“This case is a horrific reminder of the dangers public officials face from deranged criminals who would do them harm,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a Department of Justice news release announcing Aguayo’s arrest. “I am grateful that my friend Vice President Vance and his family are safe, applaud the police work that led to the arrest and will ensure my prosecutors deliver swift justice.”
Just before 6:15 p.m. July 12, an Instagram account posted a public comment on the Disney page saying, “Pipe bombs have been placed in preparation for J.D. Vance’s arrival,” according to an affidavit by a U.S. Secret Service Special Agent.
A subsequent comment said, “It’s time for us to rise up and you will be a witness to it,” and a third comment added, “Good luck finding all of them on time there will be bloodshed tonight and we will bathe in the blood of corrupt politicians,” according to the affidavit.
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Investigators traced the Instagram account allegedly used to post the threats to Aguayo’s email address, phone numbers, IP addresses and home in Anaheim, using records from Meta, Google and other sources.
While questioning Aguayo at his home, investigators said he initially claimed his account had been hacked, but he later admitted to making the posts as a “joke,” with the intention of deleting them, officials say.
Aguayo consented to searches of his phone, bedroom and laptop, where investigators confirmed he was logged into the account that made the posts, according to the affidavit.
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“We will not tolerate criminal threats against public officials,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in the release. “We are grateful the vice president and his family remained safe during their visit. Let this case be a warning to anyone who thinks they can make anonymous online threats. We will find you and bring you to justice.”
New tax deduction could put more money back in seniors’ pockets this year
Tax season is fast approaching and several tax policy changes impacting older Americans will be in effect when seniors go to file their returns.
The enactment of Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) last year revised a number of tax policies, including some provisions that the IRS is implementing for the 2025 tax year, for which Americans will begin filing their tax returns beginning on Jan. 26.
Among the new tax provisions that will impact seniors is a bonus deduction for seniors age 65 and older that can be claimed in addition to the standard deduction.
“In addition to the existing standard deduction, filers who are age 65 and older can qualify for a new senior bonus deduction of up to $6,000 for individuals and $12,000 for married couples,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer. “This deduction is targeted to lower- and middle-income retirees and will help tens of millions keep more of their income.”
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“With ongoing anxiety around cost of living and kitchen table budget issues, this kind of relief can make a critical difference for folks trying to make ends meet,” LeaMond added.
The extra deduction for seniors phases out for taxpayers with a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) of over $75,000 for single filers and $150,000 for joint filers.
For seniors whose incomes are above those thresholds, the tax break phases out gradually and reduces the deduction by 6 cents for every dollar over that amount.
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AARP offered an example for a single 70-year-old with a MAGI of $80,000 – which is $5,000 above the $75,000 phaseout threshold – who would see their deduction reduced by $300 to a total of $5,700.
The new, extra deduction for seniors phases out entirely for taxpayers whose MAGI is $175,000 or more as an individual or $250,000 or more for joint filers.
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Senior citizens can claim the new, extra deduction regardless of whether they itemize their tax return or claim the standard deduction.
While the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s extra deduction for seniors takes effect this year, it isn’t a permanent provision of the tax code and, under current law, is scheduled to expire after the 2028 tax year.
Congress could take action to extend the policy beyond that year, though it’s unclear at this time if lawmakers intend to do so.
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As with some of the other new tax provisions in the OBBBA, lawmakers made the extra deduction for seniors temporary to help the bill comply with Congress’ reconciliation rules that constrain how much the legislation can increase budget deficits.
Reconciliation allows bills to move through the Senate without being subject to the 60-vote filibuster threshold, with passage requiring only a simple majority.
Iranian state TV invokes Butler shooting in threat promising Trump assassination
Iranian state television aired a vile threat against President Donald Trump earlier this week, referencing the 47th president’s near assassination while on the campaign trail in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024.
The clip showed a sign held by a demonstrator at a pro-Iranian regime gathering. The sign featured a now-iconic photo of Trump, standing on stage with a bloodied ear after being grazed by a bullet at the Butler campaign stop, while Secret Service agents rushed to his aid.
The caption below the photo, written in Farsi, said, “This time, it (the bullet) won’t miss,” according to i24 news correspondent Amachia Stein, who posted a screenshot of the television clip on his X account.
The Secret Service confirmed that it is aware of the photo.
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At the Pennsylvania rally, Trump turned his head a split-second before the bullet struck him, avoiding what could have been a deadly shot. In defiance of his protective detail, he stood up and raised his fist, yelling, “Fight, fight, fight,” before being scuttled off the stage.
The threat comes amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran, and as the Iranian people rise up against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei‘s brutal regime.
The protests stemmed from the cloistered Middle Eastern country’s economic crisis, which has become increasingly dire as the value of the Rial, Iran’s currency, has plummeted.
The regime has cracked down hard on the protesters, with state-sanctioned killings estimated to be in the thousands.
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The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency announced that 1,847 of the dead were protesters and 135 were members of Iran’s security forces. Other reports say the death toll is more than 3,000 people, Fox News Digital previously reported.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has been weighing military action to stop the slaughter of civilians.
“I have canceled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY,” Trump posted to Truth Social Tuesday.
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At least one U.S. aircraft carrier has been moved to the region, military sources told Fox News Digital. Those same sources said missile defense systems are expected to be deployed in the region to protect U.S. and allied military bases.
On Thursday afternoon, Trump told the media that “very important sources on the other side” informed him that Iran has halted the execution of protesters, but said he is keeping an eye on the situation.
On Friday, the president announced on TRUTH Social that hundreds of scheduled executions had been halted.
“I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (Over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!” he said in a midday post.
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As for whether military action is imminent, Trump remained noncommittal, reiterating that he is monitoring the situation.