California high court orders disbarring of former Trump attorney over effort to dispute 2020 election results

The California Supreme Court has disbarred John Eastman, an attorney with ties to President Donald Trump's efforts to contest the 2020 presidential election outcome.

"The California Supreme Court disbarred attorney John Charles Eastman today," the State Bar of California said in a statement.

"This after the State Bar Court Review Department in July 2025 affirmed the findings of the State Bar Court Hearing Department’s March 2024 recommendation, which found Eastman culpable of 10 out of 11 charges for egregious and deceitful conduct and recommended his disbarment," the statement added.

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Eastman, a close advisor to the president leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, authored a memo regarding a plan for then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject electoral votes for Joe Biden while presiding over the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress in a bid to keep Trump in office, according to The Associated Press.

State Bar chief trial counsel George Cardona said, "After extensive proceedings before the State Bar Court’s Hearing and Review Departments, both of which found Mr. Eastman culpable of serious ethical violations, the Court has imposed the discipline warranted by the clear and convincing evidence that he advanced false claims about the 2020 presidential election to mislead courts, public officials, and the American public."

"The Court’s order underscores that Mr. Eastman’s misconduct was incompatible with the standards of integrity required of every California attorney," Cardona added in a statement released by the State Bar of California.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House on Thursday.

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A statement provided to Fox News Digital by Eastman's attorney, Randall Miller, declared plans to pursue review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

"The California Supreme Court has allowed to stand a State Bar Court recommendation that we contend departs from long-standing United States Supreme Court precedent protecting First Amendment rights, especially in the attorney discipline context," the statement said.

EASTMAN'S ADVICE WAS IN THE REALM OF GOOD FAITH: HARVEY SILVERGLATE

"We disagree with that outcome and believe it raises pivotal constitutional concerns regarding the limits of state regulation of attorney speech. We will seek review in the U.S. Supreme Court to repudiate this threat to the rule of law and our nation’s adversarial system of justice," the statement added.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Fed-up dumpster company empties full load onto lawn of customer they say refused to pay bill

A California trash removal company was caught on video emptying the contents of a dumpster onto the front lawn of a customer they claim refused to pay their bill.  

The owner of Express Rental Dumpster in the Bay Area said people moving out of a house in San Pablo had rented a dumpster from the company for debris removal, but the credit card they gave for the transaction became a problem, according to KTVU. 

"It's declined. They declined the card," Martin Perez told the station. "They keep saying, like, 'Oh, I'm gonna pay later. I'm gonna pay later. I'm gonna pay later,' and never did. Or say, 'I'm gonna put money on the card so you can charge.' On Monday — happened like Monday — we tried again. Called. 'Oh, I forgot.'" 

In footage taken from a Ring doorbell camera, a truck operator was first seen talking to a person off camera. He opened the back door of his dump truck, causing some trash to fall onto the homeowner’s yard. The man then got into the driver’s seat of the truck, backed it up toward the property and fully emptied the contents of the dumpster onto the lawn. 

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At one point, a man appears to emerge from the home and yell profanities in Spanish in the direction of the dump truck. 

Perez said he already lost money on the dumpster delivery and pickup and would have to pay hundreds more in dumping fees if he took the trash to the dump, KTVU reported. 

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Police later responded to the scene and required the driver to remove debris from the edge of the sidewalk onto the property, the station added. 

A neighbor told KTVU that the homeowner claimed to have paid for the dumpster.

"She says she paid $700 for it, and then, all of a sudden, I see him back up and dump it all on the ground. I don't really know what that was about," the neighbor said. 

The pile of trash reportedly was cleaned up and covered by a neighbor after being picked through by scavengers. 

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WATCH: Ex-NATO chief draws red line as Trump fumes alliance abandoned US during Iran war

Former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg signaled clear limits on the alliance’s role in the Iran conflict, saying it should not be pulled into supporting U.S. military operations even as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on European allies — exposing a growing divide over what NATO is meant to do.

"NATO is a defensive alliance," Stoltenberg, now Norway’s finance minister, told Fox News Digital in an interview Wednesday. "The strikes or the war against Iran were never an attempt to make that into a NATO operation."

Stoltenberg framed the disagreement not over whether Iran poses a threat, but over how to confront it, with European governments favoring sanctions and diplomatic pressure over direct military involvement.

"We all agree the Iranian nuclear program is dangerous," he said. "The question is how we achieve that goal."

NO RETREAT AT HORMUZ — IRAN MUST NOT CONTROL THE WORLD’S ENERGY LIFELINE

The divide reflects a deeper mismatch between Washington and its allies: Trump has treated the conflict as a test of NATO support — urging countries that benefit from the Strait of Hormuz to help secure it militarily — while European governments have largely rejected that approach, arguing the war falls outside the alliance’s mandate.

Trump has sharply criticized NATO allies for refusing to back U.S. operations tied to the conflict, at times questioning the alliance’s value and warning it had failed a key test as tensions escalated in the Strait of Hormuz.

"NATO wasn’t there for us, and they won’t be there for us in the future," Trump said Wednesday on Truth Social. 

The president has alternated between pressuring allies to step up and downplaying their importance, at one point calling NATO’s response a "very foolish mistake" while also insisting the United States "doesn’t need any help."

Major European powers have resisted Trump’s push to provide military support. 

"The feeling is, this is not Europe’s war," European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told Reuters in an interview published March 17. 

NATO CHIEF SIGNALS ALLIES MAY ACT ON HORMUZ, WARNS OF ‘UNHEALTHY CODEPENDENCE’ ON US

Spain blocked U.S. aircraft involved in the Iran conflict from using its airspace and denied access to key bases at Rota and Morón, forcing American forces to reroute missions. France has provided limited logistical support but restricted certain overflight requests tied to military operations, reviewing them on a case-by-case basis.

Stoltenberg pushed back on the idea that Europe has broadly abandoned the United States, arguing most allies have still provided logistical support behind the scenes.

"The majority of European allies have made sure that their bases and infrastructure were available for the United States," he said. "There are some exceptions, but most have contributed."

Countries like the United Kingdom and Romania have allowed U.S. forces to use bases for refueling, surveillance and defensive operations even as they declined direct combat roles.

The tension underscores a broader split inside the alliance: Trump has framed the Iran conflict as a test of NATO support, while NATO leadership has drawn a clear distinction between formal obligations and political expectations, maintaining the war falls outside the alliance’s core mission.

Asked whether he would pull the U.S. out of NATO, Trump said the move was "beyond reconsideration" in an interview with The Telegraph on April 1. 

The Iran conflict began in late February after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets triggered retaliation from Tehran, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping lane that carries roughly a fifth of the world’s energy supply. The U.S. has since launched airstrikes and imposed a naval blockade aimed at increasing pressure to reopen the strait.

The economic fallout from the conflict is also shaping how European countries view the war and their role in it.

European natural gas prices surged — jumping around 50% early in the conflict and, at times, nearly doubling as LNG supply disruptions intensified.

For Norway, however, the impact is more mixed. As one of Europe’s largest oil and gas exporters, the country stands to benefit from higher prices even as broader economic instability creates risks at home.

"There are two effects," Stoltenberg said. "When prices are going up, our oil and gas revenues will increase. But at the same time … when inflation increases and economic growth slows, it will affect our economy."

The White House could not immediately be reached for comment.

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House Dems launch impeachment push against Hegseth

House Democrats filed formal articles of impeachment against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, accusing the Trump Cabinet member of abusing his office and committing war crimes.

Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., introduced six articles of impeachment against Hegseth along with 12 other House Democrats.

"Pete Hegseth broke his oath to the Constitution, put U.S. troops at grave risk through the unauthorized disclosure of classified information, engaged in abuse of office and conduct beneath the dignity of his office, and carried out unlawful military actions despite his obligation to refuse — including strikes on civilians and a girls’ school in Minab, Iran," Ansari said in a statement announcing formal filing of the resolution.

She further claimed Hegseth’s "conduct meets the threshold of high crimes and misdemeanors and warrants immediate removal by Congress."

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Axios first reported the impeachment push after obtaining a copy of the resolution.

The first article of impeachment accuses Hegseth of an "unauthorized war against Iran and reckless endangerment of United States service members." It focuses on strikes the U.S. launched without seeking a formal mandate from Congress and accuses Hegseth of recklessly endangering U.S. service members by signing off on ground operations that involved extreme and unnecessary risks.

The second article accuses Hegseth of "Violations of the Law of Armed Conflict and targeting of civilians," alleging the secretary of authorizing or failing to prevent operations that resulted in significant civilian casualties. It cited the bombing of a girls' school in Minab, Iran, and reports of "double tap" strikes on alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean.

LONGTIME TRUMP CRITIC REVEALS WHY SHE THINKS HIS IRAN ACTIONS ARE WRONG, WARNS IT'S A 'MUCH BIGGER WAR'

The third article accuses Hegseth of "Negligence and Reckless handling of sensitive military information," focusing on an incident in which Hegseth and other top officials used a Signal chat to discuss active strikes in Yemen — and inadvertently included a prominent magazine editor in the chat.

The remaining three articles accuse Hegseth of obstructing congressional oversight, abuse of power and the politicization of the armed forces, and a broader charge of bringing "disrepute" upon the U.S. and its armed forces.

Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement that the impeachment push "is just another charade" by Democrats.

"This is just another Democrat trying to make headlines as the Department of War decisively and overwhelmingly achieved the Presidents’ objectives in Iran," Wilson said. "Secretary Hegseth will continue to protect the homeland and project peace through strength. This is just another charade in an attempt to distract the American people from the major successes we have had here at the Department of War." 

The other Democrats who signed onto the resolution include Reps. Sarah McBride, D-Del., Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., Al Green, D-Texas, Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, Nikema Williams, D-Ga., Dina Titus, D-Nev., Dave Min, D-Calif., Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., Mike Quigley, D-Ill., and Brittany Pettersen, D-Col.

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David Axelrod trying to tamp down speculation after meeting the pope

David Axelrod, a senior advisor to former president Barack Obama, put out a statement on X quelling rumors that a Thursday meeting between himself and Pope Leo XIV was a precursor to a potential Leo-Obama summit.

"To be clear, I was gratified and honored that Pope Leo XIV granted my request for an audience and thrilled to spend a some time with him last week," Axelrod wrote.

"It was scheduled months ago and unrelated to any prospective meeting with President Obama," his Tuesday post concluded.

Despite the statement, Obama has been open about his desire to meet with Pope Leo. Obama-Biden White House alum Christopher Hale posted on X that there are "early talks" about a potential one-on-one.

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Axelrod, now a CNN analyst, was responding to a video from his own network in which conservative commentator Hal Lambert accused Pope Leo's recent criticisms of President Donald Trump and the war in Iran of being politically motivated.

"David Axelrod goes and visits Pope Leo last week. They're talking about Obama going to visit. Pope Leo is from Chicago. All of a sudden, now Pope Leo is out attacking Trump and the policies of the United States and Israel," Lambert said during a CNN panel show.

"Axelrod is the chief strategist for Obama. The pope was saying he's not political. Why is he meeting with the chief strategist for both Obama's campaign and in the White House?" Lambert asked.

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In addition to being a senior advisor to Obama in the White House, Axelrod was also the chief strategist for both Obama's 2008 and 2012 campaigns and was widely seen as the brains behind his successful runs.

The veteran politico met with Pope Leo on April 9. The pope's criticism's of Trump's military actions predate the meeting. He's been critical of both military actions in Venezuela and in Iran, telling a Palm Sunday Mass in March that God "does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war."

But one day after his meeting with Axelrod, Pope Leo wrote what appeared to be a direct rebuke to the administration.

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"God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs," Pope Leo wrote in an April 10 post on X.

"Military action will not create space for freedom or times of Peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples," he concluded.

The post, which has been followed with at least 10 direct or indirect references to war and peace in the five days since, came days after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth spoke of the rescue mission to save a downed airman in Iran.

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"Shot down on a Friday — Good Friday — hidden in a cave — a crevice — all of Saturday and rescued on Sunday," Hegseth said. "Flown out of Iran as the sun was rising on Easter Sunday, a pilot reborn. All home and accounted for. A nation rejoicing. God is good," Hegseth said in an April 6 press conference.

Trump responded to comments from Pope Leo, calling him "weak on crime and "terrible for foreign policy," in a post on Truth Social.

"Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church," Trump also wrote.

FROM IRAN TO THE FAKE JESUS IMAGE, TRUMP IS FACING A GROWING BACKLASH FOR HIS INFLAMMATORY RHETORIC

The heightened rhetoric has contributed to an atmosphere that many are increasingly viewing as political.

"It’s not about when it was scheduled. It’s about why? David Axelrod is a powerful Democrat political strategist. That’s his job for the past 30 years. Millions of people would like a private audience with the pope, but he is meeting with a powerful strategist for the opposition party to President Trump," Lambert told Fox News Digital.

"This is all about the midterms and trying to turn Catholics against President Trump and Republicans," Lambert concluded.

BISHOP BARRON SAYS TRUMP ‘OWES THE POPE AN APOLOGY’

Besides incurring the pope's ire, Trump has also irked Christians across the board after posting an AI-generated image of himself on Truth Social that many viewed as depicting himself as Jesus Christ.

Trump deleted the photo and denied the charge, claiming he thought the photo was depicting him as a doctor.

"I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with Red Cross… which we support, and only the fake news could come up with that one," Trump told reporters.

"As a Chicagoan, I've been eager to meet Pope Leo from the moment he stepped out on the balcony," Axelrod told Fox News Digital.

"My admiration for him as a great moral leader has only grown since. The audience, which I requested, was scheduled months ago. No one sent me and the only mission I was on was to visit with him and pay my respects," he concluded.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Vatican and an Obama representative for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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Anna Kepner's dad wants accused stepbrother in 'orange jumpsuit and handcuffs' after alleged cruise murder

The father of an 18-year-old allegedly murdered and sexually assaulted in her cruise ship cabin says her accused stepbrother is a "danger" who belongs in "an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs."

Christopher Kepner told the Daily Mail that he is outraged that the accused murderer, 16-year-old T.H., is still allowed to live with a relative despite being federally charged as an adult.

"We’re upset that he’s still out. We’re six months in, and he should already have been arrested, and yet he’s free to do whatever he wants right now," Christopher Kepner told the outlet. "That’s our problem. He’s been able to do whatever he wants and go where he wants, but the family’s been sitting here unable to do anything."

T.H. was initially charged as a juvenile on Feb. 2. He is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse. If convicted, the teen faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

ANNA KEPNER’S STEPBROTHER CHARGED AS ADULT WITH MURDER, SEXUAL ABUSE IN FLORIDA TEEN’S CRUISE SHIP DEATH

The charges come months after the teen, affectionately called "Anna banana," was found dead onboard the cruise ship during a family vacation with her father, stepmother, grandparents and several siblings.

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"I want to see him in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs. He does not need to be free. He does not need to be in the general public, around any kids or women in general," Christopher Kepner said.

"He’s a danger to himself and a danger to others."

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Kepner said that the 16-year-old has shown no remorse since the alleged murder, the Daily Mail reported.

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"He's still saying that he can't remember and that's about it. He hasn't apologized. He hasn't shown any remorse for anything," he added. 

On Monday, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida announced that Anna's stepbrother would be charged as an adult.

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The teen is facing possible life in prison if convicted, records showed. Fox News Digital has reached out to T.H.'s attorneys for comment.

"Our hearts go out to the victim’s family during this unimaginable loss," U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said. "A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging serious offenses that allegedly occurred aboard a vessel in international waters. We will present the evidence in court and pursue this case with professionalism and care. As in every case, the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."

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Anna Kepner was discovered dead around 11:15 a.m. on Nov. 7 inside her cabin aboard the cruise ship. Authorities later ruled her death a homicide caused by "mechanical asphyxiation," according to documents previously reviewed by Fox News Digital.

According to investigators, she was found under the bed in her cabin, wrapped in a blanket and covered with life jackets. The cabin was shared with her stepbrother.

In February, T.H. was seen arriving in federal court in Miami. The teenager walked into the courthouse in a camouflage hoodie, his face concealed beneath a low-pulled baseball cap and a hood wrapped tightly around it.

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Ancient ocean mystery deepens as long-misidentified fossil is finally revealed by researchers

More than two decades after scientists identified a fossil as the world's oldest octopus — officials now say it wasn't one at all.

A recent study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B found that the fossil Pohlsepia mazonensis — a 300-million-year-old sea creature found in the Mazon Creek fossil beds of northeastern Illinois — was closer to a nautilus than an octopus.

Researchers now believe the creature was a relative of the nautilus, which is a shell-covered cephalopod with tentacles.

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Cephalopods are a class of marine animals that includes octopuses, squids and cuttlefish, and are known for their tentacles and advanced nervous systems — and for lacking rigid skeletons.

The fossil was identified as the world's oldest octopus in 2000 — but is now considered the oldest soft-tissue nautilus in the world.

University of Reading zoologist Thomas Clements, the lead researcher of the new study, told The Associated Press the fossil is a "very difficult [one] to interpret."

He added, "To look at it, it kind of just looks like a white mush."

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"If you look at it, and you are a cephalopod researcher, and you’re interested in everything octopus, it does superficially look a lot like a deep-water octopus."

The determining factor, Clements said, was its teeth — which researchers examined using a synchrotron to peer inside the fossil.

They found that each row had 11 teeth — more than the seven or nine typically found in octopuses.

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"This has too many teeth, so it can’t be an octopus," Clements said.

"And that’s how we realized that the world’s oldest octopus is actually a fossil nautilus, not an octopus."

The fossil had the same teeth as a nautiloid called Paleocadmus pohli, an ancient creature found in the same area.

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Researchers say the mix-up likely occurred because the creature decomposed and lost its shell before it was fossilized.

The next oldest-known octopus fossil is about 90 million years old — around 210 million years younger than the fossil Pohlsepia mazonensis.

"It’s a huge gap," Clements said, noting it had long raised questions.

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"And so that big gap got researchers sort of questioning, ‘Is this thing actually an octopus?'"

The fossil is currently held in the Field Museum in Chicago. 

Paul Mayer, who manages the museum's fossil invertebrate collections, said he was "a little surprised" by the new classification, but acknowledged that scientists have questioned the finding for years.

"People have been questioning whether it was an octopus ever since the original paper was first published in 2000," Mayer told the AP.

He added that the news "is great for our collections, and hopefully new discoveries will be made and new stories will be revealed."

The Associated Press contributed reporting. 

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