April 17, 2025
Letitia James Busted, UK Supreme Court Defines Woman, Rachel Morins Murder, House Battles Cartel, Stefanik For Gov.
• NY Attorney General Letitia James faces federal criminal referral for mortgage fraud, allegedly misrepresenting her primary residence and property details for better loan terms
• UK Supreme Court unanimously rules the definition of woman is based on biological sex, not gender identity in landmark 88-page decision
• Mother of murdered Maryland woman delivers heartbreaking testimony about her daughter's brutal killing by an illegal immigrant while her senator traveled to El Salvador
• Rep. Dan Crenshaw leads new congressional task force against Mexican cartels with two-phase strategy for military support and legal reforms
• Rep. Elise Stefanik considering 2026 run for New York governor with $10 million war chest and strong polling against underwater incumbent Kathy Hochul
A powerful series of political ironies unfolds as New York Attorney General Letitia James now finds herself facing a federal criminal referral for alleged mortgage fraud—the very type of financial misconduct she's been prosecuting others for, most notably Donald Trump. The allegations claim she falsified residential records and misrepresented property details to secure more favorable loan terms, while her office dismisses the investigation as politically motivated.
Across the Atlantic, a groundbreaking UK Supreme Court ruling declares that the legal definition of "woman" refers specifically to biological sex, not gender identity. This unanimous judgment could reshape policies around women-only spaces while sending ripples through similar legal debates worldwide. Outside the courthouse, women's rights activists celebrated with champagne while opponents vowed to continue fighting for transgender recognition.
Source Credits:
https://nypost.com/2025/04/16/us-news/letitia-james-listed-this-virginia-house-as-her-primary-residence-but-neighbors-say-theyve-never-seen-her-as-ny-ag-faces-mortgage-fraud-probe/ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14617521/Definition-woman-relates-biological-woman-biological-sex-Supreme-Court-rules-landmark-judgment-end-transgender-access-single-sex-spaces.html https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rachel-morins-mom-shares-horrific-details-daughters-murder-slams-senator-trip-el-salvador https://www.foxnews.com/politics/inside-house-republicans-new-task-force-battle-criminal-mexican-cartels https://nypost.com/2025/04/16/us-news/elise-stefanik-considering-ny-governor-bid-as-trump-hails-great-congresswoman/
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00:00 - Show Introduction and Preview
00:52 - Letitia James Faces Mortgage Fraud Allegations
03:19 - UK Supreme Court Rules on Woman Definition
06:03 - Mother's Testimony on Daughter's Murder
08:35 - Congressional Task Force Against Mexican Cartels
10:53 - Stefanik Considers New York Governor Run
13:20 - Episode Closing and Call to Action
WEBVTT
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Hello America, joc here with your Ranting Politics headline updates, where we are diving into today's most explosive political stories that you need to know about Coming up.
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We're diving into a whirlwind of headlines from New York AG Letitia James facing her own legal troubles, to a landmark UK ruling on the definition of woman, plus a mother's heartbreaking testimony about her daughter's murder, republican efforts to take on Mexican cartels and Elise Stefanik eyeing the New York governor's mansion.
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If you're just tuning in for the first time, welcome to America's fastest-growing daily news rundown, designed specifically for your commute run or coffee time.
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Stick around for all this and more in your daily dose of unfiltered news and common sense commentary.
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This is Ranting Politics Headline Updates.
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Well, well, well, how the tables have turned.
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The New York attorney general, who's built her career going after Donald Trump's business practices, now finds herself in the hot seat.
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According to the New York Post, letitia James is facing a federal criminal referral for mortgage fraud, alleging she falsified records to secure a more favorable loan rate.
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Here's the scoop.
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James allegedly listed a Virginia home 300 miles from her New York office as her primary residence in official documents.
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The modest three-bedroom house in Norfolk valued at around $240,000, was purchased in 2023 with her niece.
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But here's the kicker Neighbors say they've never even seen James at the property.
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Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Poult outlined these allegations in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, noting that James is required by law to have her primary residence in the state of New York while serving as AG.
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The referral also accuses James of misrepresenting the number of apartments in a Brooklyn building she owns.
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She claimed it has four units, when NYC Department of Buildings records show it has five a crucial distinction since buildings with four or fewer units qualify for better mortgage terms.
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Pulte suggested these misrepresentations could amount to serious criminal charges, including wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud and false statements to a financial institution.
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James's office fired back, claiming the Virginia property was purchased with her niece, who lives there as a primary resident.
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They also called the investigation politically motivated, saying Donald Trump's weaponization of the federal government continues to careen out of control.
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The irony hasn't been lost on critics, particularly since James famously declared no one is above the law when prosecuting Trump for allegedly inflating property values.
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Former political rival Michael Henry turned her own words against her, saying the matter should be investigated to the fullest extent of the law.
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Meanwhile, james dodged reporters outside her Brooklyn home.
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As questions continue to swirl around whether the woman tasked with enforcing New York's laws may have broken a few herself.
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In a landmark ruling that's sending shockwaves across the Atlantic, the UK Supreme Court has declared that the definition of a woman is based on biological sex, not gender identity.
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The unanimous decision by five justices states that the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act refer to a biological woman and biological sex.
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Lord Hodge, who delivered the judgment, recognized the strength of feeling on both sides, while cautioning against seeing the ruling as a triumph for one side over another.
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He emphasized that transgender people still maintain protections against discrimination under the law.
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The 88-page ruling explicitly states the definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010 makes clear that the concept of sex is binary A person is either a woman or a man.
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This decision has far-reaching implications for how sex-based rights apply, particularly regarding women-only spaces.
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Conservative leader Kimi Badenoch celebrated the ruling as a victory for women, declaring that the era of Keir Starmer telling us women can have penises has come to an end.
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The judgment concludes a long-running legal battle between the Scottish government and a women's rights group over whether someone with a gender recognition certificate should be legally treated as a woman.
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Outside the court, women's rights activists popped champagne and broke into song, while one protester shouted Trans rights are human rights and even if you kill every last one of us, another will be born tomorrow.
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Marion Calder, co-director of For Women Scotland, which brought the challenge, expressed delight with the outcome.
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We're just a grassroots organization that started up in my living room 10 years ago with absolutely nothing but a plan to fight back to maintain women's rights.
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She added that while sex doesn't matter in everyday life, it becomes critically important in certain circumstances, like prisons, women's sports changing rooms and rape crisis centers.
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The ruling also addresses how this affects same-sex attraction in organizations, affirming that references to sex in this provision can only mean biological sex.
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People are not sexually oriented towards those in possession of a certificate.
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The judgment could influence similar debates worldwide, with the UN's special rapporteur on violence against women calling it a triumph of reason and facts.
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However, pro-transgender groups condemned the decision with Labor for Trans Rights, labeling it hugely disappointing and vowing to continue to fight against all attempts to strip trans people of their rights.
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This ruling stands as a pivotal moment in the ongoing cultural conversation about sex, gender and the legal frameworks that govern them.
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A tragic murder case has become a political flashpoint, as Patty Morin, mother of Maryland murder victim Rachel Morin, appeared at the White House Wednesday to express her outrage.
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Her appearance came the same day.
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Her senator Democrat, chris Van Hollen, traveled to El Salvador to check on a Maryland resident deported by the Trump administration who allegedly has ties to MS-13.
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To have a senator from Maryland who didn't even acknowledge, or barely acknowledged, my daughter and the brutal death that she endured, leaving her five children without a mother, so that he can use my taxpayer money to fly to El Salvador to bring back someone that's not even an American citizen?
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Moran asked reporters.
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Why does that person have more rights than I do, or my daughter or my grandchildren?
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I don't understand this.
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Moran shared horrific details of her 37-year-old daughter's murder, which occurred in August 2023 on the Ma and Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air.
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On Monday, a jury convicted Victor Martinez Hernandez, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, on all counts of first-degree murder, first-degree rape, third-degree sexual offense and kidnapping.
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When she went on that trail that day, she was not planning on dying.
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Patty Moran told reporters.
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When she went on that trail that day, she was not planning on dying.
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Patty Moran told reporters Victor Martinez, he waited for her.
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He waited for her to come closer.
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He saw her.
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He saw that there was nobody around.
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He attacked her.
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Moran described how Martinez Hernandez dragged her daughter 150 feet, crushed her skull like an eggshell, raped and strangled her.
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She said photos of the attack now sealed because they're so graphic show that not one inch of her daughter's body remained free from injury.
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You could see where the blood ran down around her as he was raping her.
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And then he threw her down and raped her some more and then he strangled her because he didn't want her to be able to live.
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To tell the story, morin said she urged the media not to sanitize coverage of the murder, saying please tell the truth, tell how violent it really is.
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This is about protecting our children.
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It's more than just politics or votes or anything.
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It's about national security.
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Meanwhile, van Hollen was in El Salvador attempting to meet with Abrego Garcia, deported by the Trump administration in what they admitted was an administrative error.
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Deported by the Trump administration in what they admitted was an administrative error.
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While Van Hollen met with El Salvador's vice president, he was denied access to Garcia at the Terrorism Confinement Center prison, but vowed to keep pressing the fight against Mexican cartels operating along the southern border is ramping up with a new congressional task force that aims to deliver real results.
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Texas Republican Representative Dan Crenshaw has been tapped to lead this initiative under the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
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This isn't Crenshaw's first rodeo in the cartel fight.
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Last year he led a similar task force that he described as lacking resources.
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Last year's cartel task force didn't have any staff.
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We were a series of members conducting hearings, investigations, crenshaw explained.
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I think we're past that stage at the moment.
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Now what I lead is really the House's effort to actually create some legislation to combat the cartels.
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Crenshaw didn't mince words about the severity of the situation, describing the cartel presence as a terrorist insurgency within America's close neighbor and trading partner.
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His approach features a two-phase strategy that could begin showing results within weeks to months, though he acknowledged a complete solution would be a 20-year ordeal.
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The first phase focuses on funding, particularly for military and intelligence operations.
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That means boosting up certain funding lines and existing authorities, especially places like the Department of Defense.
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Crenshaw said Northcom owns this area of operation.
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When it comes to Canada, the US and Mexico, they're going to need extra resources because we're going to need to do a lot more training on Mexican special forces.
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The congressman is advocating for sending military-grade equipment to forces at the border, including Black Hawk helicopters and strengthening reconnaissance capabilities.
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The goal is to ensure Mexican forces aren't outgunned by these pretty massive militias that have unlimited funding.
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The second phase will involve changing laws and granting additional authorities to effectively combat the cartels.
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Crenshaw hopes to push the funding through the budget reconciliation process, which would allow Republicans to pass the measures with just 51 votes in the Senate House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed full confidence in Crenshaw's leadership, stating no one has worked harder on this important issue than Congressman Crenshaw and I.
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Timing is right for significant action, with President Trump in the White House and Mexico's new administration under President Scheinbaum, both of whom, he says, are committed to confronting the cartels head-on.
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Breaking news out of New York, as Representative Elise Stefanik is seriously considering throwing her hat in the ring for the New York governorship in 2026.
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The 40-year-old upstate Republican could potentially become the first GOP leader of the Empire State since George Pataki left office at the end of 2006.
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Sources close to Stefanik reveal she's being courted by major donors, new York GOP leadership and allies of President Trump to make the run against Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul, whom she reportedly considers a vulnerable opponent.
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The timing of this news is particularly interesting, as it surfaced just hours after Trump posted a social media message praising Stefanik as great without further explanation.
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Stefanik appears to be in a strong position to mount a serious challenge.
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She's sitting on approximately $10 million in potential campaign cash, enjoys relatively high approval ratings among state Republican voters and actually outperformed Trump in her rural district during the 2024 election.
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In what seems like a clear signal of her interest, stefanik quickly released a statement highlighting recent Marist University polling showing Hochul underwater, with voters 46% disapprove while just 39% approve.
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This latest bombshell polling proves what every New Yorker already knows that we must fire Kathy Hochul in 2026 to save New York.
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Stefanik declared the political landscape in New York could be shifting.
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Trump improved his performance in the state by about 5.5% in 2024 compared to 2020, taking more than 43% of the vote.
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Meanwhile, hochul could face additional challenges from within her own party, with centrist Bronx rep Sir Richie Torres considering a campaign and former rep Sir Jamal Bowman expressing interest as well.
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Challenges from within her own party, with centrist Bronx Rep Sir Richie Torres considering a campaign and former Rep Sir Jamal Bowman expressing interest as well.
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Other Republicans, like Hudson Valley Rep Sir Mike Lawler, have also expressed interest in a gubernatorial bid, but sources identify Stefanik as the most popular Republican in the state and suggest that if anyone could win, it would be her Republican in the state, and suggests that if anyone could win, it would be her.
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Well, folks, that wraps up another jam-packed episode of Ranting Politics Headline Updates.
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Today we covered Letitia James facing a potential mortgage fraud investigation while she prosecuted Trump for similar issues, the UK Supreme Court's landmark ruling on the definition of woman based on biological sex, the heartbreaking testimony from Rachel Morin's mother about her daughter's murder, rep Crenshaw's ambitious new cartel task force and Elise Stefanik potentially gearing up for a run at the New York governorship.
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If you enjoyed today's show, make sure you're following us across all platforms.
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Find us on X at Ranting RP, subscribe on YouTube and listen on Spotify, iheartradio and Apple Podcasts.
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For more in-depth coverage of these stories and exclusive content, visit our website at RantingPoliticscom, where we cut through the noise to deliver the stories that matter most, without the partisan spin.
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This is JOC signing off, and thank you, our loyal listeners, for choosing Ranting Politics Headline Updates.
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We'll be back soon with the updates you need to navigate these interesting times.
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Until then, stay tuned, stay informed and, as always, stay free.
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