Trump's new pardon attorney personally reviewed application for Jan. 6 ringleader Stewart Rhodes (May 27, 2025)
www.politico.com

... In his first full week as the Justice Department's pardon attorney, Ed Martin personally reviewed a pardon application for Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes.

Peter Ticktin, a lawyer and former classmate of President Donald Trump's at New York Military Academy, hand delivered a collection of 11 pardon applications to Martin at the Justice Department on Thursday, including one for Rhodes, who was convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 18 years in prison in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

"I know Ed Martin and I felt it was important to bring these particular applications to his attention," Ticktin told POLITICO.

The effort to submit new pardon applications to Martin was arranged by Ticktin and pardoned Jan. 6 rioter Treniss Evans, both now in leadership positions with a conservative nonprofit, American Rights Alliance. Martin shared a photo of the May 22 meeting on X over the weekend, but the names of the 11 pardon applicants have not been previously reported.

Proud Boys members Joseph Biggs, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola are also among those who submitted new applications since Martin's appointment, according to Ticktin and Evans. ...

Trump announces 2 new holidays for WWI and WWII: Will you get those days off? (May 8, 2025)
www.usatoday.com

... President Donald Trump proclaimed in a post on his social media site Monday, May 5, that there will be two new holidays, each commemorating the end of WWI and WWII in Europe.

"All over the World, the Allies are celebrating the Victory we had in World War II. The only Country that doesn't celebrate is the United States of America, and the Victory was only accomplished because of us," Trump said in the post, referring to Victory in Europe Day on May 8, which is celebrated throughout Europe.

"I am hereby declaring a National Holiday in celebration of the Victories of World War I, where the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, and World War II, where the Victory date was May 8, 1945," he said.

Trump has said previously that he wants to call May 8 "Victory Day for World War II," and Nov. 11 as "Victory Day for World War I," with the latter coinciding with the federally-recognized Veterans Day holiday. ...