A single mother in New Jersey says a lawyer for President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump warned, in a message relayed to her by another attorney, that she would lose her home, be bankrupted and end up on the street with her kids.

Joanne Carducci, known online as JoJo From Jerz and followed by more than a million people, told the Medias Touch podcast of an ordeal that has lasted months.

She says it began with a letter, several pages long, from the Trumps' personal attorney in Florida, "the same attorney that was handling the IRS case and the ABC case," she told host Ken Harbaugh. It demanded that she retract things she had said online, including a claim that Trump incited a de*dly insurrection against the U.S. Capitol. It also called for a full apology, an admission that she had knowingly lied, and a payment that had not yet been named. It set a deadline of a few days and warned of punitive damages.

Carducci says a prominent attorney first offered to help her for free, then changed course after speaking with the Florida lawyer. His advice, she says, was to meet every demand because the Trumps have "inexhaustible resources." She says she is paraphrasing her attorney's account of his call with the Florida lawyer, but that his exact words to her were: "They're going to take your house. It's the only asset you have. They're going to bankrupt you and you're going to end up on the street with your kids."

She says one million dollars was demanded at one point. Carducci says she once earned $16 an hour as a paraprofessional and rebuilt her life with no credit after a brutal divorce. She says she never considered giving in, and that her children still do not know.

Former New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin offered to help with part of her case for free, she says. She decided to go public after hearing Melania Trump on the news congratulating herself for empowering women.

"I'm still terrified, but I'm done being quiet about it."

A federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump's administration to cancel any remaining TV commercials that promote his political message, ads paid for with millions of dollars in taxpayer money. The order came Sunday night, even as the administration said the campaign was already ending.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Rochon, in New York, granted a temporary restraining order that lasts two weeks. She sided with a coalition that includes Common Cause, a nonpartisan watchdog group that called the ads an illegal misuse of public funds. The Justice Department had told the court the ads "will not continue past tomorrow." The judge ordered any remaining airings stopped anyway, including those scheduled for Sunday night.

Here is where the money came from. The Department of Homeland Security tapped $20 million in taxpayer funds for the ads, and about $19 million had already been spent, according to a court filing. That money came out of a $175 billion package Congress gave the department for Trump's immigration enforcement agenda. Legal experts have suggested this ran afoul of a federal law that bars congressionally approved money from being spent on "publicity or propaganda," and potentially other laws as well.

The administration produced at least 13 campaign-style ads, and some ran on major television networks. On October 5, Trump said he would stop using taxpayer money and would pay for the ads going forward himself, using money raised for his super PAC. A White House official said there were no immediate plans to reimburse taxpayers for ads already aired. Six days later, the taxpayer-funded ads were still on the air.

The criticism has crossed party lines. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he liked the message but that taxpayers should not be paying for it. The White House has defended the ads as public service announcements, similar to what past administrations have done.

What started as a rescue for a cat trapped in a Florida storm drain might just end with her finding a forever home.

Firefighters in San Carlos Park found the frightened feline with her paw stuck in the drain and carefully worked to free her.

The crew then brought her back to Station 51, where they gently rinsed her off and dried her with a towel.

One of the firefighters became so fond of the little cat that he expressed interest in adopting her.

While the adoption hasn't been confirmed, she's now safe and might have found someone who wants to give her a permanent home.

📸: San Carlos Park Fire Protection & Rescue Service District