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The unraveling of Hunter Biden's plea agreement has thrust his criminal case into uncertain waters and given new fodder to Republican critics in Congress as they push ahead with investigations into the president's youngest son. Biden was supposed to plead guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor charges for failing to pay taxes. But U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika in Delaware put the brakes on the guilty plea after raising concerns during an hourslong hearing about the structure and terms of the agreement and another deal that would allow him to avoid prosecution on a gun charge if he meets certain conditions. Plea deals are carefully negotiated between defense lawyers and prosecutors over the course of weeks or months and it's unusual — especially in high-profile cases — for judges to not sign off on them. But Wednesday's hearing revealed that the two sides apparently did not see eye to eye on the scope of the agreement around a non-prosecution clause for crimes outside of the gun charge. A look at what happens now in the criminal case and what's next for the Biden investigations in Congress: WHAT HAPPENS NOW IN COURT? Noreika — an appointee of former President Donald Trump — told both sides to file written briefs addressing her concerns within 30 days. Among other things, Noreika took issue with a provision in the agreement on the gun charge that she said would have created a role for her where she would determine if he violated the terms. The lawyers said they wanted her to serve as a neutral fact finder in determining if a violation happened, but Noreika said that is the Justice Department's job — not the judge's. Hunter Biden's lawyers and the Justice Department also disagreed on the extent to which the agreement gave him immunity from future prosecution. A prosecutor said Wednesday their investigation was ongoing, and that the agreement protecting him from other potential charges was limited only to certain offenses over a certain time frame. Biden's lawyers said it was broader than that. After intense courtroom negotiations, the two sides appeared to agree to a more narrow non-prosecution clause. Biden's lawyers and prosecutors will now continue negotiations to see if they can salvage the agreement in a way that satisfies the judge. "They are going to have to go back and figure out how they can come to an agreement terms of the plea and they have to come to a meeting of the minds, which is clear they don't have here," said Jessica Tillipman, associate dean for government procurement law studies at George Washington University Law School. "So I think what you'll see is a renewed effort — or it's just going to collapse." The judge may ultimately accept the deal that was proposed or reject it. If the deal totally falls apart, Biden could eventually face a trial. WILL HE AVOID JAIL TIME? Even if the judge ultimately accepts the plea agreement, she will have the final say on whether he serves any time behind bars. Prosecutors have said that they will recommend probation, but the judge can decide not to follow that. The two tax charges carry up to a year in prison. And the judge suggested on Wednesday that it was too soon to say whether she's willing to sign off on probation. “I can’t predict for you today whether that is an appropriate sentence or not,” Noreika said. “I can’t say that I will accept the sentence recommendation or whether a different sentence would be more appropriate.” WHAT'S GOING ON IN CONGRESS? The collapse of the younger Biden’s plea deal Wednesday came as joyful news to House Republicans vying to connect him and his questionable business dealings to his father. Republicans had already slammed the agreement as a “sweetheart deal." “The judge did the obvious thing, they put a pause on the plea deal, so I think that was progress,” Rep. James Comer, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said Wednesday. “I think it adds credibility to what we’re doing.” He added that this will only propel their investigation to get answers “as to what the family did, and what level of involvement the president had.” Comer has been investigating Hunter Biden’s financial ties and transactions since gaining the gavel in January. The Kentucky lawmaker has obtained thousands of pages of financial records from various members of the Biden family through subpoenas to the Treasury Department and various financial institutions. Last month, shortly after Hunter Biden reached an agreement with the government, Comer joined forces with two chairmen of powerful committees to launch a larger investigation into claims by two IRS agents who claimed the Justice Department improperly interfered in the yearslong case. IRS supervisory special agent Greg Shapley and a second agent, Joe Ziegler, testified before Congress last week that there was a pattern of “slow-walking investigative steps” into Hunter Biden, including during the Trump administration in the months before the 2020 election that Joe Biden won. One of the most detailed claims was that U.S. Attorney David Weiss in Delaware, the federal prosecutor who led the investigation, asked for special counsel status in order to bring the tax cases against Hunter Biden in jurisdictions outside Delaware, including the District of Columbia and California, but was denied. Weiss and the Justice Department have denied that, saying he had “full authority” and never sought to bring charges in other states. Despite the denials, Republicans are moving forward with their probes, asking Weiss to come in and testify about the case directly. The Justice Department has offered to have the prosecutor come before lawmakers after the August recess. ____ Richer reported from Boston. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide White House attacks McCarthy’s impeachment gambit as ‘ridiculous, baseless stunt’ Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to two tax charges after chaos around deal Hunter Biden’s plea deal appears at risk of falling apart. What happens next?

Republican 2024 presidential candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy concluded an interview on Fox & Friends by trying to rap. Host Steve Doocy said, “Someone has uncovered that in college … you were a libertarian rapper.” “Some of these opposition research stories are false, but I will confirm that one is true,” Mr Ramaswamy replied with a smile. “I was a little bit of a libertarian freestyler in college and had some fun with it.” “That’s kind of what I’m doing on the campaign trail: freestyling my message,” he added. Then the GOP candidate showed that the rumours were true, breaking into a freestyle on the air: “My name’s Vivek, it rhymes with ‘cake,’” he opened. “It is about thee, the United States is about lib-er-tee, so Fox & Friends join us on the trail, we’ll have some fun, I’ll see you at the trail.” Viewers quickly mocked Mr Ramaswamy’s rap abilities. One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, wrote: “One Watch 2024 Candidate Vivek ‘Da Vek’ Ramaswamy Freestyle Rap on Fox & Friends (He’s Not Great)” Another commented on the video: “*gag*” And yet another wrote: “Aaaaand that just ended his campaign lol” Someone even went so far as to say that Mr Ramaswamy “is just embarrassing at this point.” Read More Ramaswamy slated to headline South Carolina county GOP fundraiser in return to early voting state The presidential candidates who have so far met criteria to join first RNC debate GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy lists Senators Ted Cruz and Mike Lee as possible Supreme Court picks

Multiple major US cities are under heat advisories which are expected to extend into the weekend.

Donald Trump’s lawyers are expecting the former president to be indicted as soon as Thursday over attempts to

As many as 450,000 Americans could have contracted an allergy to red meat that’s linked to tick bites,

Paris Hilton was caught stuck in her boots – a pair of gargantuan $450 animation-like boots - in a recent Instagram post. The DJ exposed a behind-the-scenes look at the cost of wearing the Brooklyn-based brand MSCHF’s x Crocs Big Yellow Boots in her 26 July video. Hilton was seen slipping off her chair as her team member attempted to tear the stompers from her feet. The extremely narrow vamp of the shoes made the extraction all the more difficult, resulting in her friend being jerked around on the floor, grunting, as she pulled at the croslite material. At one point, it seemed the oversize boots had won and were never coming off when Hilton’s colleague drifted into the legs of her chair. Hilton, who was wearing a yellow catsuit that read “sliving,” laughed uncontrollably, gripping the seat so she didn’t fall onto the floor. Finally, one last yank from both women set the 42-year-old model’s foot free. “Yes!” Hilton exclaimed feeling triumphant, while she acknowledged it was “a full-team effort”. Hilton’s followers loved to see her candid video. “The whole team, it’s iconic like you can tell,” one person said, while another joked: “When you can’t take off the shoes from your Bratz Doll.” Even Hilton’s husband weighed in, sending her a string of laughing face emojis. Before the new mom demonstrated the fashion struggle is indeed real, Hilton posed in front of the camera as the face of MSCHF’s x Crocs collaboration campaign. She posed in what fans deemed a very Kill Bill look with black wrap-around shades and a matching yellow two-piece tracksuit. “My new campaign for @MSCHF is hot,” she wrote in the caption of a separate 26 July photo. “Barbie who?” one fan commented, while another added: “Serving up looks like the queen you are.” Aside from The Bling Ring star, other A-listers have recently styled the MSCHF’s boots, including Victoria Beckham, Lil Wayne, and Diplo. Beckham took to her Instagram story, styling the chunky yellow footwear with a long black skirt and understated vest. She captioned the photo with a matching heart even though she had once admitted platform Crocs weren’t for her. MSCHF turned the streets of Manhattan into their own runway during February’s fashion week this year as several influencers and celebrities strutted in their Big Red Boots. The cartoonish design is meant to be “abstraction that frees us from the constraints of reality,” according to the company’s website. “Big Red Boots are really not shaped like feet, but they are extremely shaped like boots.” Read More Victoria Beckham shows off new $450 Crocs boots after claiming she would ‘rather die’ than wear brand Digital art collective MSCHF sells ‘fashion statement’ Pirate Bay and Megaupload email addresses Lil Nas X’s ‘Satan Shoes’ containing human blood sell out in under a minute, amid Nike lawsuit

LeBron James thanked fans on Thursday for their love and prayers for his son Bronny, who suffered a

The Chicago Cubs are willing to trade Marcus Stroman to the right suitor, assuming they can meet the asking price.Starting pitching is at a premium at the 2023 MLB trade deadline. Just hours after Lucas Giolito was traded to the Angels in a package which sent back a top-100 prospect to the White...

L’Oreal SA sales rose as European customers spent more on lipstick and skincare, offsetting a tepid recovery in

The tech giant claims millions of people were sent a warning before the deadly earthquake earlier this year.

Predicting the NBA's Christmas Day schedule.

The Phoenix Suns star says cannabis is "like wine at this point", and the league commissioner agreed.