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Trump reportedly describes Harris as a 'b****' in private conversations
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Aug 12, 2024 • 1 minute read
Former President Donald Trump reportedly has used a slur often targeted at women to describe Vice President Kamala Harris during at least two private conversations. His campaign denies it.
The New York Times cited two people who, on different occasions, heard Trump call Harris a “b****.” The people were granted anonymity to describe private discussions.
In response, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said, “That is not language President Trump has used to describe Kamala and it’s not how the campaign would characterize her.”
Trump, a Republican, has a history of making derogatory statements about women and his political opponents. He has called Harris, the Democrats’ presidential candidate, and other women, including 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, “nasty,” and he bragged about grabbing women’s genitalia in the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape.
He called Carly Fiorina, one of his rivals for the Republican nomination in 2016, “horseface” during a campaign debate. Last month, Trump said falsely that Harris, who is Black and of Asian descent, has misled voters about her race.
Trump has said that E. Jean Carroll, a writer who accused him of raping her, was a “nut job” who invented “a fraudulent and false story” to sell a memoir. A New York jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse, but not rape, in a civil case filed by Carroll.
Trump has also directed disparaging comments toward men. He branded former rivals Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida “liddle Marco,” Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas “lyin’ Ted” and former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida “low energy Jeb.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Aug 12, 2024 • 1 minute read
Former President Donald Trump reportedly has used a slur often targeted at women to describe Vice President Kamala Harris during at least two private conversations. His campaign denies it.
The New York Times cited two people who, on different occasions, heard Trump call Harris a “b****.” The people were granted anonymity to describe private discussions.
In response, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said, “That is not language President Trump has used to describe Kamala and it’s not how the campaign would characterize her.”
Trump, a Republican, has a history of making derogatory statements about women and his political opponents. He has called Harris, the Democrats’ presidential candidate, and other women, including 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, “nasty,” and he bragged about grabbing women’s genitalia in the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape.
He called Carly Fiorina, one of his rivals for the Republican nomination in 2016, “horseface” during a campaign debate. Last month, Trump said falsely that Harris, who is Black and of Asian descent, has misled voters about her race.
Trump has said that E. Jean Carroll, a writer who accused him of raping her, was a “nut job” who invented “a fraudulent and false story” to sell a memoir. A New York jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse, but not rape, in a civil case filed by Carroll.
Trump has also directed disparaging comments toward men. He branded former rivals Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida “liddle Marco,” Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas “lyin’ Ted” and former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida “low energy Jeb.”
Trump reportedly describes Harris as a 'b****' in private conversations
Trump, a Republican, has a history of making derogatory statements about women and his political opponents.
Donald Trump is returning to X for a live interview with Elon Musk
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Meg Kinnard
Published Aug 12, 2024 • 3 minute read
Donald Trump is returning — at least for one night — to do a live interview Monday on X, the platform from which he was banned for nearly two years following the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol.
Trump and Elon Musk, X’s owner, are slated to have what the tech titan has termed a “live conversation” at 8 p.m. Eastern Time that will be “unscripted with no limits on subject matter, so should be highly entertaining!” Musk is soliciting X users to pose their own questions.
The conversation serves not only as a way for the former president to reach potentially millions of voters directly. It’s also an opportunity for X, a platform that relies heavily on politics, to redeem itself after some struggles.
X has already been the scene of some of the 2024 cycle’s most memorable moments. As he skipped the first GOP presidential debate in August, Trump launched counterprogramming of his own, appearing in a taped interview with former Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson, which aired on X. Last month, President Joe Biden broke the news of his departure from the campaign in a letter posted to the platform.
Also notably, in May 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis used the platform as a way to officially announce his presidential bid, a disastrous rollout marred by technical glitches, overloaded by the more than 400,000 people who tried to dial in.
Ahead of his conversation with Trump, Musk posted on the platform that X was conducting “some system scaling tests” to handle what’s anticipated to be a high volume of participants.
Musk, who has described himself as a Democrat until a few years ago, endorsed Trump’s candidacy two days after the former president was wounded during an attempted assassination at a Pennsylvania rally last month.
Long before he endorsed Trump, Musk turned increasingly toward the right in his posts and actions on the platform, also using X to try to sway political discourse around the world. He’s gotten in a dustup with a Brazilian judge over censorship, railed against what he calls the “woke mind virus” and amplified false claims that Democrats are secretly flying in migrants to vote in U.S. elections.
Musk has also reinstated previously banned accounts such as the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and Trump, who was kicked off the platform — then known as Twitter — two days after the Jan. 6 violence, with the company citing “the risk of further incitement of violence.” By November 2022, Musk had bought the company, and Trump’s account was reinstated, although the former president refrained from tweeting, insisting that he was happier on his own Truth Social site, which he launched during the ban.
But Trump’s audience on X is legions larger than on Truth Social, which became a publicly traded company earlier this year. Trump has just over 7.5 million followers on Truth Social, while his mostly dormant X account is followed by 88 million. Musk’s account, which will host the interview, has more than 193 million followers.
Trump’s campaign didn’t immediately respond to a message as to whether he would cross-post his interview with Musk via his own accounts, including on X.
The former president has most recently posted on X only once, with a photo of his mug shot after he surrendered at an Atlanta jail a year ago on charges he conspired to overturn his election loss in the state.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Meg Kinnard
Published Aug 12, 2024 • 3 minute read
Donald Trump is returning — at least for one night — to do a live interview Monday on X, the platform from which he was banned for nearly two years following the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol.
Trump and Elon Musk, X’s owner, are slated to have what the tech titan has termed a “live conversation” at 8 p.m. Eastern Time that will be “unscripted with no limits on subject matter, so should be highly entertaining!” Musk is soliciting X users to pose their own questions.
The conversation serves not only as a way for the former president to reach potentially millions of voters directly. It’s also an opportunity for X, a platform that relies heavily on politics, to redeem itself after some struggles.
X has already been the scene of some of the 2024 cycle’s most memorable moments. As he skipped the first GOP presidential debate in August, Trump launched counterprogramming of his own, appearing in a taped interview with former Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson, which aired on X. Last month, President Joe Biden broke the news of his departure from the campaign in a letter posted to the platform.
Also notably, in May 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis used the platform as a way to officially announce his presidential bid, a disastrous rollout marred by technical glitches, overloaded by the more than 400,000 people who tried to dial in.
Ahead of his conversation with Trump, Musk posted on the platform that X was conducting “some system scaling tests” to handle what’s anticipated to be a high volume of participants.
Musk, who has described himself as a Democrat until a few years ago, endorsed Trump’s candidacy two days after the former president was wounded during an attempted assassination at a Pennsylvania rally last month.
Long before he endorsed Trump, Musk turned increasingly toward the right in his posts and actions on the platform, also using X to try to sway political discourse around the world. He’s gotten in a dustup with a Brazilian judge over censorship, railed against what he calls the “woke mind virus” and amplified false claims that Democrats are secretly flying in migrants to vote in U.S. elections.
Musk has also reinstated previously banned accounts such as the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and Trump, who was kicked off the platform — then known as Twitter — two days after the Jan. 6 violence, with the company citing “the risk of further incitement of violence.” By November 2022, Musk had bought the company, and Trump’s account was reinstated, although the former president refrained from tweeting, insisting that he was happier on his own Truth Social site, which he launched during the ban.
But Trump’s audience on X is legions larger than on Truth Social, which became a publicly traded company earlier this year. Trump has just over 7.5 million followers on Truth Social, while his mostly dormant X account is followed by 88 million. Musk’s account, which will host the interview, has more than 193 million followers.
Trump’s campaign didn’t immediately respond to a message as to whether he would cross-post his interview with Musk via his own accounts, including on X.
The former president has most recently posted on X only once, with a photo of his mug shot after he surrendered at an Atlanta jail a year ago on charges he conspired to overturn his election loss in the state.
Trump and Musk talk about assassination attempt and deportations during glitchy chat on X
Musk is soliciting X users to pose their own questions.
Hit by a DDoS attack. Go figure.Donald Trump is returning to X for a live interview with Elon Musk
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Meg Kinnard
Published Aug 12, 2024 • 3 minute read
Donald Trump is returning — at least for one night — to do a live interview Monday on X, the platform from which he was banned for nearly two years following the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol.
Trump and Elon Musk, X’s owner, are slated to have what the tech titan has termed a “live conversation” at 8 p.m. Eastern Time that will be “unscripted with no limits on subject matter, so should be highly entertaining!” Musk is soliciting X users to pose their own questions.
The conversation serves not only as a way for the former president to reach potentially millions of voters directly. It’s also an opportunity for X, a platform that relies heavily on politics, to redeem itself after some struggles.
X has already been the scene of some of the 2024 cycle’s most memorable moments. As he skipped the first GOP presidential debate in August, Trump launched counterprogramming of his own, appearing in a taped interview with former Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson, which aired on X. Last month, President Joe Biden broke the news of his departure from the campaign in a letter posted to the platform.
Also notably, in May 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis used the platform as a way to officially announce his presidential bid, a disastrous rollout marred by technical glitches, overloaded by the more than 400,000 people who tried to dial in.
Ahead of his conversation with Trump, Musk posted on the platform that X was conducting “some system scaling tests” to handle what’s anticipated to be a high volume of participants.
Musk, who has described himself as a Democrat until a few years ago, endorsed Trump’s candidacy two days after the former president was wounded during an attempted assassination at a Pennsylvania rally last month.
Long before he endorsed Trump, Musk turned increasingly toward the right in his posts and actions on the platform, also using X to try to sway political discourse around the world. He’s gotten in a dustup with a Brazilian judge over censorship, railed against what he calls the “woke mind virus” and amplified false claims that Democrats are secretly flying in migrants to vote in U.S. elections.
Musk has also reinstated previously banned accounts such as the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and Trump, who was kicked off the platform — then known as Twitter — two days after the Jan. 6 violence, with the company citing “the risk of further incitement of violence.” By November 2022, Musk had bought the company, and Trump’s account was reinstated, although the former president refrained from tweeting, insisting that he was happier on his own Truth Social site, which he launched during the ban.
But Trump’s audience on X is legions larger than on Truth Social, which became a publicly traded company earlier this year. Trump has just over 7.5 million followers on Truth Social, while his mostly dormant X account is followed by 88 million. Musk’s account, which will host the interview, has more than 193 million followers.
Trump’s campaign didn’t immediately respond to a message as to whether he would cross-post his interview with Musk via his own accounts, including on X.
The former president has most recently posted on X only once, with a photo of his mug shot after he surrendered at an Atlanta jail a year ago on charges he conspired to overturn his election loss in the state.
Trump and Musk talk about assassination attempt and deportations during glitchy chat on X
Musk is soliciting X users to pose their own questions.
A year later, sprawling Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump has stalled
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Kate Brumback
Published Aug 13, 2024 • 5 minute read
081324-Georgia-Election-Indictment
ATLANTA (AP) — A year after a Georgia grand jury accused Donald Trump and others of illegally trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state, the case has stalled with no chance of going to trial before the end of this year.
When Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis secured the indictment a year ago Thursday, it was the fourth and most sprawling of the criminal cases against the former president. Trump narrowly lost Georgia to Democrat Joe Biden, and Willis used Georgia’s anti-racketeering law to allege that he and 18 others had participated in a wide-ranging scheme to subvert the will of the state’s voters.
Willis’ team notched some early victories in the case, but explosive allegations raised by one of Trump’s co-defendants early this year have caused a delay and could even derail the prosecution.
Here are some things to know about the case.
A lengthy indictment that cast a wide net
Nearly 100 pages long, the indictment included 41 criminal counts against Trump and 18 others. High-profile people charged along with the former president include his White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and conservative attorney Sidney Powell.
All of the defendants were charged with violating the state’s anti-racketeering law and the indictment includes 161 alleged acts to support that charge. The narrative put forth by prosecutors alleges multiple people committed separate crimes to accomplish a common goal — challenging Trump’s electoral loss.
The indictment includes charges related to a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger during which Trump urged the state’s top elections official to help him “find” the votes he needed to win. Other charges have to do with a getting a slate of Republican electors to falsely declare that Trump won the state, allegations of harassment of a Georgia election worker and a breach of election equipment in a rural south Georgia county.
The judge overseeing the case in March dismissed six counts in the indictment, including three of the 13 counts against Trump. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee wrote that prosecutors had failed to provide enough detail about the alleged crime in those counts. Willis’ team has appealed that ruling.
A first-of-its-kind mug shot
When Trump arrived in Atlanta last August to be booked on the charges against him, he was quickly released on bond. But his brief stop at the Fulton County Jail marked the first time that a former president has had to sit for a mug shot.
While Trump and the others indicted all had to be booked at the jail, they waived their first court appearances. While his lawyers have been present and made arguments at numerous hearings over the last year, Trump has yet to set foot in a Georgia courtroom.
Early victories for prosecutors
Four of the 18 people charged along with Trump in Georgia pleaded guilty to lesser charges after reaching plea deals with prosecutors within a few months of the indictment.
Bail bondsman Scott Hall pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in September. Prosecutors had accused him of participating in a breach of election equipment in rural Coffee County.
The following month, Powell and lawyer Kenneth Chesebro each pleaded guilty. Powell was also accused in the Coffee County breach, while Chesebro had helped organize the Republican elector plan. The two of them reached deals with prosecutors just before they were scheduled to go to trial, having asserted their rights to a speedy trial.
Days later, attorney Jenna Ellis, a vocal part of Trump’s reelection campaign in 2020, entered a tearful guilty plea.
Salacious allegations upend the case
In early January, a lawyer for co-defendant Michael Roman, a Trump campaign staffer and onetime White House aide, alleged in a court filing that Willis had improperly engaged in a romantic relationship with lawyer Nathan Wade, whom she had picked to lead the prosecution against Trump and the others.
The court filing alleged that Willis benefitted financially from the case since Wade used his earnings to take her on trips. It said that caused a conflict of interest and that Willis and her office should be removed from the case. Willis and Wade acknowledged the relationship but said they had split travel and other costs.
During an extraordinary hearing, intimate details of Willis and Wade’s personal lives were aired in court and broadcast live on television. Judge McAfee chided Willis for a “tremendous lapse in judgment” but found no conflict of interest that merited her removal, as long as Wade left the case. Wade resigned hours later.
Trump and other defendants have appealed McAfee’s ruling. That appeal is currently pending before the Georgia Court of Appeals, which plans to hear arguments in December and then must rule by mid-March. Meanwhile, the appeals court has barred McAfee from taking any further action in the case against Trump and the others participating in the appeal while it is pending.
What’s next
It’s not entirely clear.
Regardless of how the Court of Appeals rules, the losing side will likely ask the Georgia Supreme Court to weigh in. That would cause a further delay if the high court agrees to hear the case.
The general election in November, in which Trump is the Republican nominee for president, provides more uncertainty. Even if the appellate courts ultimately decide that Willis can remain on the case, it seems unlikely she would be able to move forward with the prosecution against Trump while he’s president if he wins the election.
Complicating things further, the U.S. Supreme Court last month ruled that former presidents have absolute immunity from prosecution for official acts that fall within their “exclusive sphere of constitutional authority” and are presumptively entitled to immunity for all official acts. They are not protected for unofficial, or private, actions.
Trump’s lawyers in Georgia had already filed a motion earlier this year asserting presidential immunity. If Willis is allowed to continue her prosecution at some point, his lawyers will surely use the Supreme Court ruling to argue it should be dismissed.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Kate Brumback
Published Aug 13, 2024 • 5 minute read
081324-Georgia-Election-Indictment
ATLANTA (AP) — A year after a Georgia grand jury accused Donald Trump and others of illegally trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state, the case has stalled with no chance of going to trial before the end of this year.
When Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis secured the indictment a year ago Thursday, it was the fourth and most sprawling of the criminal cases against the former president. Trump narrowly lost Georgia to Democrat Joe Biden, and Willis used Georgia’s anti-racketeering law to allege that he and 18 others had participated in a wide-ranging scheme to subvert the will of the state’s voters.
Willis’ team notched some early victories in the case, but explosive allegations raised by one of Trump’s co-defendants early this year have caused a delay and could even derail the prosecution.
Here are some things to know about the case.
A lengthy indictment that cast a wide net
Nearly 100 pages long, the indictment included 41 criminal counts against Trump and 18 others. High-profile people charged along with the former president include his White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and conservative attorney Sidney Powell.
All of the defendants were charged with violating the state’s anti-racketeering law and the indictment includes 161 alleged acts to support that charge. The narrative put forth by prosecutors alleges multiple people committed separate crimes to accomplish a common goal — challenging Trump’s electoral loss.
The indictment includes charges related to a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger during which Trump urged the state’s top elections official to help him “find” the votes he needed to win. Other charges have to do with a getting a slate of Republican electors to falsely declare that Trump won the state, allegations of harassment of a Georgia election worker and a breach of election equipment in a rural south Georgia county.
The judge overseeing the case in March dismissed six counts in the indictment, including three of the 13 counts against Trump. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee wrote that prosecutors had failed to provide enough detail about the alleged crime in those counts. Willis’ team has appealed that ruling.
A first-of-its-kind mug shot
When Trump arrived in Atlanta last August to be booked on the charges against him, he was quickly released on bond. But his brief stop at the Fulton County Jail marked the first time that a former president has had to sit for a mug shot.
While Trump and the others indicted all had to be booked at the jail, they waived their first court appearances. While his lawyers have been present and made arguments at numerous hearings over the last year, Trump has yet to set foot in a Georgia courtroom.
Early victories for prosecutors
Four of the 18 people charged along with Trump in Georgia pleaded guilty to lesser charges after reaching plea deals with prosecutors within a few months of the indictment.
Bail bondsman Scott Hall pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in September. Prosecutors had accused him of participating in a breach of election equipment in rural Coffee County.
The following month, Powell and lawyer Kenneth Chesebro each pleaded guilty. Powell was also accused in the Coffee County breach, while Chesebro had helped organize the Republican elector plan. The two of them reached deals with prosecutors just before they were scheduled to go to trial, having asserted their rights to a speedy trial.
Days later, attorney Jenna Ellis, a vocal part of Trump’s reelection campaign in 2020, entered a tearful guilty plea.
Salacious allegations upend the case
In early January, a lawyer for co-defendant Michael Roman, a Trump campaign staffer and onetime White House aide, alleged in a court filing that Willis had improperly engaged in a romantic relationship with lawyer Nathan Wade, whom she had picked to lead the prosecution against Trump and the others.
The court filing alleged that Willis benefitted financially from the case since Wade used his earnings to take her on trips. It said that caused a conflict of interest and that Willis and her office should be removed from the case. Willis and Wade acknowledged the relationship but said they had split travel and other costs.
During an extraordinary hearing, intimate details of Willis and Wade’s personal lives were aired in court and broadcast live on television. Judge McAfee chided Willis for a “tremendous lapse in judgment” but found no conflict of interest that merited her removal, as long as Wade left the case. Wade resigned hours later.
Trump and other defendants have appealed McAfee’s ruling. That appeal is currently pending before the Georgia Court of Appeals, which plans to hear arguments in December and then must rule by mid-March. Meanwhile, the appeals court has barred McAfee from taking any further action in the case against Trump and the others participating in the appeal while it is pending.
What’s next
It’s not entirely clear.
Regardless of how the Court of Appeals rules, the losing side will likely ask the Georgia Supreme Court to weigh in. That would cause a further delay if the high court agrees to hear the case.
The general election in November, in which Trump is the Republican nominee for president, provides more uncertainty. Even if the appellate courts ultimately decide that Willis can remain on the case, it seems unlikely she would be able to move forward with the prosecution against Trump while he’s president if he wins the election.
Complicating things further, the U.S. Supreme Court last month ruled that former presidents have absolute immunity from prosecution for official acts that fall within their “exclusive sphere of constitutional authority” and are presumptively entitled to immunity for all official acts. They are not protected for unofficial, or private, actions.
Trump’s lawyers in Georgia had already filed a motion earlier this year asserting presidential immunity. If Willis is allowed to continue her prosecution at some point, his lawyers will surely use the Supreme Court ruling to argue it should be dismissed.
A year later, sprawling Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump has stalled
Here are some things to know about the case.
UAW sues Trump, Musk claiming they intimidated workers in X Interview
Author of the article:Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Ian Kullgren
Published Aug 13, 2024 • 1 minute read
(Bloomberg Law) — The United Auto Workers union has filed an unfair labor practice charge against former President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, arguing that the two men illegally intimidated workers in a Monday night interview on X.
In a statement Tuesday, the union said the complaint centered on disparaging comments made by Trump on the platform, formerly known as Twitter, about striking workers. Trump suggested that employers could fire workers for going on strike.
The move escalates an ongoing feud between Trump and Musk as the former president tries to win over Midwestern swing-state voters who backed him in 2016 but defected in 2020. It also exposes both men to legal repercussions from the National Labor Relations Board.
“I look at what you do,” Trump said to Musk in the interview. “You walk in and you just say, ‘You wanna quit?’ They go on strike, I won’t mention the name of the company, but they go on strike, and you say ‘That’s OK, you’re all gone. You’re all gone. So every one of you is gone.’”
Trump’s statement is a clear violation of federal protections for workers, said Sharon Block, a former Democratic member of the NLRB. Employers are banned from making statements that intimidate employees out of exercizing their protected rights, which includes collective action.
“It’s definitely a ULP to fire someone—or, in fact, fire someone—because they go on strike,” Block said.
Unfair labor practice charges are investigated by the agency’s general counsel and a network of regional directors, who can then file charges based on the findings.
The UAW filed complaints against both Trump and Musk, meaning they both could be held liable as employers—Trump of the Trump Organization, and Musk of Telsa, X, or any of his other business ventures.
The Trump campaign and Tesla didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Ian Kullgren
Published Aug 13, 2024 • 1 minute read
(Bloomberg Law) — The United Auto Workers union has filed an unfair labor practice charge against former President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, arguing that the two men illegally intimidated workers in a Monday night interview on X.
In a statement Tuesday, the union said the complaint centered on disparaging comments made by Trump on the platform, formerly known as Twitter, about striking workers. Trump suggested that employers could fire workers for going on strike.
The move escalates an ongoing feud between Trump and Musk as the former president tries to win over Midwestern swing-state voters who backed him in 2016 but defected in 2020. It also exposes both men to legal repercussions from the National Labor Relations Board.
“I look at what you do,” Trump said to Musk in the interview. “You walk in and you just say, ‘You wanna quit?’ They go on strike, I won’t mention the name of the company, but they go on strike, and you say ‘That’s OK, you’re all gone. You’re all gone. So every one of you is gone.’”
Trump’s statement is a clear violation of federal protections for workers, said Sharon Block, a former Democratic member of the NLRB. Employers are banned from making statements that intimidate employees out of exercizing their protected rights, which includes collective action.
“It’s definitely a ULP to fire someone—or, in fact, fire someone—because they go on strike,” Block said.
Unfair labor practice charges are investigated by the agency’s general counsel and a network of regional directors, who can then file charges based on the findings.
The UAW filed complaints against both Trump and Musk, meaning they both could be held liable as employers—Trump of the Trump Organization, and Musk of Telsa, X, or any of his other business ventures.
The Trump campaign and Tesla didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
UAW sues Trump, Musk claiming they intimidated workers in X Interview
the union said the complaint centered on disparaging comments made by Trump on the platform about striking workers.
Judge rejects Donald Trump’s latest demand to step aside from hush money criminal case
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Michael R. Sisak And Jennifer Peltz
Published Aug 14, 2024 • 1 minute read
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump has lost his latest bid for a new judge in his hush money case as it heads toward a key ruling and potential sentencing next month.
Judge Juan M. Merchan on Wednesday declined to step aside, rejecting the third such request from lawyers for the Republican presidential nominee.
All three times, they argued that Merchan has a conflict of interest because of his daughter’s work as a political consultant for prominent Democrats and campaigns. Among them was Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential run.
A state court ethics panel said last year that Merchan could continue on the case, writing that a relative’s independent political activities are not “a reasonable basis to question the judge’s impartiality.”
Merchan has repeatedly said he is certain he can handle the case fairly and impartially.
But with Harris now Trump’s Democratic opponent in this year’s White House election, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche wrote in a letter to the judge last month that the defense’s concerns have become “even more concrete.”
Prosecutors called the claims “a vexatious and frivolous attempt to relitigate” the issue.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Michael R. Sisak And Jennifer Peltz
Published Aug 14, 2024 • 1 minute read
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump has lost his latest bid for a new judge in his hush money case as it heads toward a key ruling and potential sentencing next month.
Judge Juan M. Merchan on Wednesday declined to step aside, rejecting the third such request from lawyers for the Republican presidential nominee.
All three times, they argued that Merchan has a conflict of interest because of his daughter’s work as a political consultant for prominent Democrats and campaigns. Among them was Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential run.
A state court ethics panel said last year that Merchan could continue on the case, writing that a relative’s independent political activities are not “a reasonable basis to question the judge’s impartiality.”
Merchan has repeatedly said he is certain he can handle the case fairly and impartially.
But with Harris now Trump’s Democratic opponent in this year’s White House election, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche wrote in a letter to the judge last month that the defense’s concerns have become “even more concrete.”
Prosecutors called the claims “a vexatious and frivolous attempt to relitigate” the issue.
Judge rejects Donald Trump’s latest demand to step aside from hush money criminal case
Judge Juan M. Merchan on Wednesday declined to step aside, rejecting the third such request from lawyers.
Suspected Trump hack comes as 'chaos agent' Iran flexes digital muscles
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
David Klepper
Published Aug 14, 2024 • 5 minute read
With less than three months before the U.S. election, Iran is intensifying its efforts to meddle in American politics, U.S. officials and private cybersecurity firms say.
WASHINGTON — With less than three months before the U.S. election, Iran is intensifying its efforts to meddle in American politics, U.S. officials and private cybersecurity firms say, with the suspected hack of Donald Trump’s campaign being only the latest and most brazen example.
Iran has long been described as a “chaos agent” when it comes to cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns and in recent months groups linked to the government in Tehran have covertly encouraged protests over Israel’s war in Gaza, impersonated American activists and created networks of fake news websites and social media accounts primed to spread false and misleading information to audiences in the U.S.
While Russia and China remain bigger cyber threats against the U.S., experts and intelligence officials say Iran’s increasingly aggressive stance marks a significant escalation of efforts to confuse, deceive and frighten American voters ahead of the election.
The pace will likely continue to increase as the election nears and America’s adversaries exploit the internet and advancements in artificial intelligence to sow discord and confusion.
“We’re starting to really see that uptick and it makes sense, 90 days out from the election,” said Sean Minor, a former information warfare expert for the U.S. Army who now analyzes online threats for the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future, which has seen a sharp increase in cyber operations from Iran and other nations. “As we get closer, we suspect that these networks will get more aggressive.”
The FBI is investigating the suspected hack of the Trump campaign as well as efforts to infiltrate the campaign of President Joe Biden, which became Vice-President Kamala Harris’ campaign when Biden dropped out. Trump’s campaign announced Saturday that someone illegally accessed and retrieved internal documents, later distributed to three news outlets. The campaign blamed Iran, noting a recent Microsoft report revealing an attempt by Iranian military intelligence to hack into the systems of one of the presidential campaigns.
“A lot of people think it was Iran. Probably was,” Trump said Tuesday on Univision before shrugging off the value of the leaked material. “I think it’s pretty boring information.”
Iran has denied any involvement in the hack and said it has no interest in meddling with U.S. politics.
That denial is disputed by U.S. intelligence officials and private cybersecurity firms who have linked Iran’s government and military to several recent campaigns targeting the U.S., saying they reflect Iran’s growing capabilities and its increasing willingness to use them.
Iran has a few different motives in seeking to influence U.S. elections, intelligence officials and cybersecurity analysts say. The country seeks to spread confusion and increase polarization in the U.S. while undermining support for Israel. Iran also aims to hurt candidates that it believes would increase tension between Washington and Tehran.
That’s a description that fits Trump, whose administration ended a nuclear deal with Iran, reimposed sanctions and ordered the killing of an Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, an act that prompted Iran’s leaders to vow revenge.
The two leaders of the Senate intelligence committee issued a joint letter on Wednesday warning Tehran and other governments hostile to the U.S. that attempts to deceive Americans or disrupt the election will not be tolerated.
“There will be consequences to interfering in the American democratic process,” wrote the committee’s chairman, Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, along with Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, the vice-chairman.
In 2021, federal authorities charged two Iranian nationals with attempting to interfere with the election the year before. As part of the plot, the men wrote emails claiming to be members of the far-right Proud Boys in which they threatened Democratic voters with violence.
Last month, National Intelligence Director Avril Haines said the Iranian government had covertly supported American protests against Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. Groups linked to Iran’s government also posed as online activists, encouraged campus protests and provided financial support to some protest groups, Haines said.
Recent reports from Microsoft and Recorded Future have also linked Iran’s government to networks of fake news websites and social media accounts posing as Americans. The networks were discovered before they gained much influence and analysts say they may have been created ahead of time, to be activated in the weeks immediately before the election.
The final weeks before an election may be the most dangerous when it comes to foreign efforts to impact voting. That’s when voters pay the most attention to politics and when false claims about candidates or voting can do the most damage.
So-called “hack-and-leak” attacks like the one reported by Trump’s campaign involve a hacker obtaining sensitive information from a private network and then releasing it, either to select individuals, the news media or to the public. Such attacks not only expose confidential information but can also raise questions about cybersecurity and the vulnerability of critical networks and systems.
Especially concerning for elections, authorities say, would be an attack targeting a state or local election office that reveals sensitive information or disables election operations. Such an incursion could undermine trust in voting, even if the information exposed is worthless. Experts refer to this last possibility as a “perception hack,” when hackers steal information not because of its value, but because they want to flaunt their capabilities while spreading fear and confusion among their adversaries.
“That can actually be more of a threat — the spectacle, the marketing this gives foreign adversaries — than the actual hack,” said Gavin Wilde, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former National Security Council analyst who specializes in cyber threats.
In 2016, Russian hackers infiltrated Hillary Clinton’s campaign emails, ultimately obtaining and releasing some of the campaign’s most protected information in a hack-and-leak that upended the campaign in its final weeks.
Recent advances in artificial intelligence have made it easier than ever to create and spread disinformation, including lifelike video and audio allowing hackers to impersonate someone and gain access to their organization’s systems. Nevertheless, the alleged hack of the Trump campaign reportedly involved much simpler techniques: Someone gained access to an email account that lacked sufficient security protections.
While people and organizations can take steps to minimize their vulnerability to hacks, nothing can eliminate the risk entirely, Wilde said, or completely reduce the likelihood that foreign adversaries will mount attacks on campaigns.
“The tax we pay for being a digital society is that these hacks and leaks are unavoidable,” he said. “Whether you’re a business, a campaign or a government.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
David Klepper
Published Aug 14, 2024 • 5 minute read
With less than three months before the U.S. election, Iran is intensifying its efforts to meddle in American politics, U.S. officials and private cybersecurity firms say.
WASHINGTON — With less than three months before the U.S. election, Iran is intensifying its efforts to meddle in American politics, U.S. officials and private cybersecurity firms say, with the suspected hack of Donald Trump’s campaign being only the latest and most brazen example.
Iran has long been described as a “chaos agent” when it comes to cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns and in recent months groups linked to the government in Tehran have covertly encouraged protests over Israel’s war in Gaza, impersonated American activists and created networks of fake news websites and social media accounts primed to spread false and misleading information to audiences in the U.S.
While Russia and China remain bigger cyber threats against the U.S., experts and intelligence officials say Iran’s increasingly aggressive stance marks a significant escalation of efforts to confuse, deceive and frighten American voters ahead of the election.
The pace will likely continue to increase as the election nears and America’s adversaries exploit the internet and advancements in artificial intelligence to sow discord and confusion.
“We’re starting to really see that uptick and it makes sense, 90 days out from the election,” said Sean Minor, a former information warfare expert for the U.S. Army who now analyzes online threats for the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future, which has seen a sharp increase in cyber operations from Iran and other nations. “As we get closer, we suspect that these networks will get more aggressive.”
The FBI is investigating the suspected hack of the Trump campaign as well as efforts to infiltrate the campaign of President Joe Biden, which became Vice-President Kamala Harris’ campaign when Biden dropped out. Trump’s campaign announced Saturday that someone illegally accessed and retrieved internal documents, later distributed to three news outlets. The campaign blamed Iran, noting a recent Microsoft report revealing an attempt by Iranian military intelligence to hack into the systems of one of the presidential campaigns.
“A lot of people think it was Iran. Probably was,” Trump said Tuesday on Univision before shrugging off the value of the leaked material. “I think it’s pretty boring information.”
Iran has denied any involvement in the hack and said it has no interest in meddling with U.S. politics.
That denial is disputed by U.S. intelligence officials and private cybersecurity firms who have linked Iran’s government and military to several recent campaigns targeting the U.S., saying they reflect Iran’s growing capabilities and its increasing willingness to use them.
Iran has a few different motives in seeking to influence U.S. elections, intelligence officials and cybersecurity analysts say. The country seeks to spread confusion and increase polarization in the U.S. while undermining support for Israel. Iran also aims to hurt candidates that it believes would increase tension between Washington and Tehran.
That’s a description that fits Trump, whose administration ended a nuclear deal with Iran, reimposed sanctions and ordered the killing of an Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, an act that prompted Iran’s leaders to vow revenge.
The two leaders of the Senate intelligence committee issued a joint letter on Wednesday warning Tehran and other governments hostile to the U.S. that attempts to deceive Americans or disrupt the election will not be tolerated.
“There will be consequences to interfering in the American democratic process,” wrote the committee’s chairman, Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, along with Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, the vice-chairman.
In 2021, federal authorities charged two Iranian nationals with attempting to interfere with the election the year before. As part of the plot, the men wrote emails claiming to be members of the far-right Proud Boys in which they threatened Democratic voters with violence.
Last month, National Intelligence Director Avril Haines said the Iranian government had covertly supported American protests against Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. Groups linked to Iran’s government also posed as online activists, encouraged campus protests and provided financial support to some protest groups, Haines said.
Recent reports from Microsoft and Recorded Future have also linked Iran’s government to networks of fake news websites and social media accounts posing as Americans. The networks were discovered before they gained much influence and analysts say they may have been created ahead of time, to be activated in the weeks immediately before the election.
The final weeks before an election may be the most dangerous when it comes to foreign efforts to impact voting. That’s when voters pay the most attention to politics and when false claims about candidates or voting can do the most damage.
So-called “hack-and-leak” attacks like the one reported by Trump’s campaign involve a hacker obtaining sensitive information from a private network and then releasing it, either to select individuals, the news media or to the public. Such attacks not only expose confidential information but can also raise questions about cybersecurity and the vulnerability of critical networks and systems.
Especially concerning for elections, authorities say, would be an attack targeting a state or local election office that reveals sensitive information or disables election operations. Such an incursion could undermine trust in voting, even if the information exposed is worthless. Experts refer to this last possibility as a “perception hack,” when hackers steal information not because of its value, but because they want to flaunt their capabilities while spreading fear and confusion among their adversaries.
“That can actually be more of a threat — the spectacle, the marketing this gives foreign adversaries — than the actual hack,” said Gavin Wilde, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former National Security Council analyst who specializes in cyber threats.
In 2016, Russian hackers infiltrated Hillary Clinton’s campaign emails, ultimately obtaining and releasing some of the campaign’s most protected information in a hack-and-leak that upended the campaign in its final weeks.
Recent advances in artificial intelligence have made it easier than ever to create and spread disinformation, including lifelike video and audio allowing hackers to impersonate someone and gain access to their organization’s systems. Nevertheless, the alleged hack of the Trump campaign reportedly involved much simpler techniques: Someone gained access to an email account that lacked sufficient security protections.
While people and organizations can take steps to minimize their vulnerability to hacks, nothing can eliminate the risk entirely, Wilde said, or completely reduce the likelihood that foreign adversaries will mount attacks on campaigns.
“The tax we pay for being a digital society is that these hacks and leaks are unavoidable,” he said. “Whether you’re a business, a campaign or a government.”
Suspected Trump hack comes as 'chaos agent' Iran flexes digital muscles
With less than three months before the U.S. election, Iran is intensifying its efforts to meddle in American politics.
Video of Florida congresswoman in sexy MAGA swimsuit draws jeers and cheers
'You can tell I am biologically a woman'
Author of the article
enette Wilford
Published Aug 15, 2024 • Last updated 18 hours ago • 2 minute read
U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) waits for President Joe Biden's State of the Union address during a joint meeting of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on February 07, 2023 in Washington, DC.
U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) waits for President Joe Biden's State of the Union address during a joint meeting of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on February 7, 2023 in Washington, DC. Photo by Win McNamee /Getty Images
A Republican congresswoman in Florida is speaking out after a nearly decade-old video of her in a swimsuit resurfaced online and sent the internet into a frenzy.
Anna Paulina Luna, who began serving in the House of Representatives in January 2023, wore a sexy red, white and blue one-piece with “Make America Great Again” plastered across her body in the 2016 footage, showing her support for Donald Trump.
After the video started making the rounds online this week, she waded into the social media pool, where people were split between drooling over and lambasting the old footage.
“I’m confirming that I have indeed worn swimsuits and you can tell I am biologically a woman,” she posted on X with the hashtag “MAGA.”
Luna also mentioned that she has previously been featured by Sports Illustrated and Maxim and designed swimwear and women’s shirts.
“I have a confession to make since the TikTok Democrats are onto me: I wear bikinis to the beach and mineral sunscreen,” she wrote in another post.
While one X user accused the married mother of one of dishonouring her family and the country “by stripping down half naked for the world to see,” others called her the “hottest member of Congress,” and applauded her for resuscitating Women Crush Wednesday.
The Republican took it all in stride, slamming bored liberals for unearthing the footage of her, with one even saying she should be working at Hooters, not in Congress.
“There are better to do with your time (sic) than digging up modeling photos of me from almost a decade ago,” she wrote in a follow-up post on X.
“The left is attempting to make this a thing yet can’t define a woman,” Luna added. “Very low IQ behavior. Get over it.”
Aside from appearing in sexy magazines and being an influencer prior to her congresswoman days, Luna also served in the U.S. Air Force from 2009 to 2014.
She had her son in August 2023, becoming the 12th member of Congress to give birth while in office.
torontosun.com
'You can tell I am biologically a woman'
Author of the article
enette WilfordPublished Aug 15, 2024 • Last updated 18 hours ago • 2 minute read
U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) waits for President Joe Biden's State of the Union address during a joint meeting of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on February 07, 2023 in Washington, DC.
U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) waits for President Joe Biden's State of the Union address during a joint meeting of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on February 7, 2023 in Washington, DC. Photo by Win McNamee /Getty Images
A Republican congresswoman in Florida is speaking out after a nearly decade-old video of her in a swimsuit resurfaced online and sent the internet into a frenzy.
Anna Paulina Luna, who began serving in the House of Representatives in January 2023, wore a sexy red, white and blue one-piece with “Make America Great Again” plastered across her body in the 2016 footage, showing her support for Donald Trump.
After the video started making the rounds online this week, she waded into the social media pool, where people were split between drooling over and lambasting the old footage.
“I’m confirming that I have indeed worn swimsuits and you can tell I am biologically a woman,” she posted on X with the hashtag “MAGA.”
Luna also mentioned that she has previously been featured by Sports Illustrated and Maxim and designed swimwear and women’s shirts.
“I have a confession to make since the TikTok Democrats are onto me: I wear bikinis to the beach and mineral sunscreen,” she wrote in another post.
While one X user accused the married mother of one of dishonouring her family and the country “by stripping down half naked for the world to see,” others called her the “hottest member of Congress,” and applauded her for resuscitating Women Crush Wednesday.
The Republican took it all in stride, slamming bored liberals for unearthing the footage of her, with one even saying she should be working at Hooters, not in Congress.
“There are better to do with your time (sic) than digging up modeling photos of me from almost a decade ago,” she wrote in a follow-up post on X.
“The left is attempting to make this a thing yet can’t define a woman,” Luna added. “Very low IQ behavior. Get over it.”
Aside from appearing in sexy magazines and being an influencer prior to her congresswoman days, Luna also served in the U.S. Air Force from 2009 to 2014.
She had her son in August 2023, becoming the 12th member of Congress to give birth while in office.
Video of Florida congresswoman in sexy MAGA swimsuit draws jeers and cheers
Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has responded after a video of her from a decade ago resurfaced online and instantly went viral.
Donald Trump asks judge to delay sentencing in hush money case until after November election
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Michael R. Sisak
Published Aug 15, 2024 • 3 minute read
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump is asking the judge in his New York hush money criminal case to delay his sentencing until after the November presidential election.
In a letter made public Thursday, a lawyer for the former president and current Republican nominee suggested that sentencing Trump as scheduled on Sept. 18 — about seven weeks before Election Day — would amount to election interference.
Trump lawyer Todd Blanche wrote that a delay would also allow Trump time to weigh next steps after the trial judge, Juan M. Merchan, is expected to rule Sept. 16 on the defense’s request to overturn the verdict and dismiss the case because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s July presidential immunity ruling.
“There is no basis for continuing to rush,” Blanche wrote.
Blanche sent the letter to Merchan on Wednesday after the judge rejected the defense’s latest request that he step aside from the case.
In the letter, Blanche reiterated the defense argument that the judge has a conflict of interest because his daughter works as a Democratic political consultant, including for Kamala Harris when she sought the 2020 presidential nomination. Harris is now running against Trump.
By adjourning the sentencing until after that election, “the Court would reduce, even if not eliminate, issues regarding the integrity of any future proceedings,” Blanche wrote.
Election Day is Nov. 5, but many states allow voters to cast ballots early, with some set to start the process just a few days before or after Trump’s scheduled Sept. 18 sentencing date.
Merchan, who has said he is confident in his ability to remain fair and impartial, did not immediately rule on the delay request.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office, which prosecuted Trump’s case, declined to comment.
Trump was convicted in May of falsifying his business’ records to conceal a 2016 deal to pay off porn actor Stormy Daniels to stay quiet about her alleged 2006 sexual encounter with him. Prosecutors cast the payout as part of a Trump-driven effort to keep voters from hearing salacious stories about him during his first campaign.
Trump says all the stories were false, the business records were not and the case was a political maneuver meant to damage his current campaign. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is a Democrat.
Trump’s defense argued that the payments were indeed for legal work and so were correctly categorized.
Falsifying business records is punishable by up to four years behind bars. Other potential sentences include probation, a fine or a conditional discharge which would require Trump to stay out of trouble to avoid additional punishment. Trump is the first ex-president convicted of a crime.
Trump has pledged to appeal, but that cannot happen until he is sentenced.
In a previous letter, Merchan set Sept. 18 for “the imposition of sentence or other proceedings as appropriate.”
Blanche argued in his letter seeking a delay that the quick turnaround from the scheduled immunity ruling on Sept. 16 to sentencing two days later is unfair to Trump.
To prepare for sentencing, Blanche argued, prosecutors will be submitting their punishment recommendation while Merchan is still weighing whether to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. If Merchan rules against Trump on the dismissal request, he will need “adequate time to assess and pursue state and federal appellate options,” Blanche said.
The Supreme Court’s immunity decision reins in prosecutions of ex-presidents for official acts and restricts prosecutors in pointing to official acts as evidence that a president’s unofficial actions were illegal. Trump’s lawyers argue that in light of the ruling, jurors in the hush money case should not have heard such evidence as former White House staffers describing how the then-president reacted to news coverage of the Daniels deal.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Michael R. Sisak
Published Aug 15, 2024 • 3 minute read
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump is asking the judge in his New York hush money criminal case to delay his sentencing until after the November presidential election.
In a letter made public Thursday, a lawyer for the former president and current Republican nominee suggested that sentencing Trump as scheduled on Sept. 18 — about seven weeks before Election Day — would amount to election interference.
Trump lawyer Todd Blanche wrote that a delay would also allow Trump time to weigh next steps after the trial judge, Juan M. Merchan, is expected to rule Sept. 16 on the defense’s request to overturn the verdict and dismiss the case because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s July presidential immunity ruling.
“There is no basis for continuing to rush,” Blanche wrote.
Blanche sent the letter to Merchan on Wednesday after the judge rejected the defense’s latest request that he step aside from the case.
In the letter, Blanche reiterated the defense argument that the judge has a conflict of interest because his daughter works as a Democratic political consultant, including for Kamala Harris when she sought the 2020 presidential nomination. Harris is now running against Trump.
By adjourning the sentencing until after that election, “the Court would reduce, even if not eliminate, issues regarding the integrity of any future proceedings,” Blanche wrote.
Election Day is Nov. 5, but many states allow voters to cast ballots early, with some set to start the process just a few days before or after Trump’s scheduled Sept. 18 sentencing date.
Merchan, who has said he is confident in his ability to remain fair and impartial, did not immediately rule on the delay request.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office, which prosecuted Trump’s case, declined to comment.
Trump was convicted in May of falsifying his business’ records to conceal a 2016 deal to pay off porn actor Stormy Daniels to stay quiet about her alleged 2006 sexual encounter with him. Prosecutors cast the payout as part of a Trump-driven effort to keep voters from hearing salacious stories about him during his first campaign.
Trump says all the stories were false, the business records were not and the case was a political maneuver meant to damage his current campaign. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is a Democrat.
Trump’s defense argued that the payments were indeed for legal work and so were correctly categorized.
Falsifying business records is punishable by up to four years behind bars. Other potential sentences include probation, a fine or a conditional discharge which would require Trump to stay out of trouble to avoid additional punishment. Trump is the first ex-president convicted of a crime.
Trump has pledged to appeal, but that cannot happen until he is sentenced.
In a previous letter, Merchan set Sept. 18 for “the imposition of sentence or other proceedings as appropriate.”
Blanche argued in his letter seeking a delay that the quick turnaround from the scheduled immunity ruling on Sept. 16 to sentencing two days later is unfair to Trump.
To prepare for sentencing, Blanche argued, prosecutors will be submitting their punishment recommendation while Merchan is still weighing whether to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. If Merchan rules against Trump on the dismissal request, he will need “adequate time to assess and pursue state and federal appellate options,” Blanche said.
The Supreme Court’s immunity decision reins in prosecutions of ex-presidents for official acts and restricts prosecutors in pointing to official acts as evidence that a president’s unofficial actions were illegal. Trump’s lawyers argue that in light of the ruling, jurors in the hush money case should not have heard such evidence as former White House staffers describing how the then-president reacted to news coverage of the Daniels deal.
Donald Trump asks judge to delay sentencing in hush money case until after November election
Lawyer suggested that sentencing Trump as scheduled on Sept. 18 would amount to election interference.
NY state urges appeals court to uphold Donald Trump’s nearly $500 million civil fraud judgment
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Michael R. Sisak
Published Aug 21, 2024 • 4 minute read
NEW YORK — New York state lawyers urged an appeals court late Wednesday to uphold Donald Trump’s nearly $500 million civil fraud judgment, arguing there’s “overwhelming evidence” to support a judge’s finding that the former president lied for years about his wealth as he built his real estate empire.
In paperwork filed ahead of oral arguments next month, New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office said the current Republican nominee’s appeal is awash in “meritless legal arguments” and ignores volumes of trial evidence showing that he and his co-defendants engaged in “fraud and illegality on an immense scale.”
“On appeal, defendants tellingly ignore almost all their deceptions,” Assistant Solicitor General Daniel S. Magy wrote in a 168-page submission to the state’s mid-level appeals court known as the Appellate Division.
Trump, his company and top executives including his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr. “created and used financial statements rife with blatant misrepresentations and omissions to maintain loans worth more than half a billion dollars and to generate over $360 million in ill-gotten profits,” Magy wrote.
The Appellate Division said Wednesday that it will hear the case on Sept. 26, about six weeks before Election Day and just after the start of early voting in some states. The court typically rules about a month after arguments, meaning a decision could come before the presidential race ends.
If upheld, the judgment threatens to dent Trump’s personal wealth, disrupt his Trump Organization and damage his identity as a savvy businessman. As of Wednesday, the Trump defendants owe more than $485 million. That includes interest that continues to accrue even after Trump posted a $175 million bond in April to halt collection of the sum and prevent the state from seizing his assets while he appeals.
Trump is asking the Appellate Division to overturn Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron’s Feb. 16 finding that he lied to banks, insurers and others about his wealth on financial statements used to secure loans and make deals. He and his lawyers argue the verdict was “erroneous” and “egregious.”
The Appellate Division could either uphold Engoron’s verdict, reduce or modify the penalty or overturn the decision entirely. If Trump is unsuccessful at the Appellate Division, he can ask the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, to consider taking his case. If he wins, he won’t have to pay the state anything and will get back his bond money.
Trump and his lawyers contend the case should never have gone to trial, the statute of limitations barred some allegations, and the state shouldn’t be policing private business transactions. They also object to the legal mechanics of James’ lawsuit, arguing that the law she sued him under is a consumer-protection statute that’s normally used to rein in businesses that rip off customers.
Trump denies wrongdoing and he and his lawyers say no one was harmed. He has decried the verdict as “election interference” and “weaponization against a political opponent,” complaining he was being punished for “having built a perfect company, great cash, great buildings, great everything.” James and Engoron are Democrats.
In their response Wednesday, state lawyers said the statute of limitations was applied properly and that state law authorizes the state’s attorney general to take action against fraudulent or illegal business conduct, “regardless of whether it targets consumers, small businesses, large corporations, or other individuals or entities.”
Wednesday’s scheduling of oral arguments adds to a busy September for Trump, as he campaigns to retake the White House while navigating the aftermath of multiple courtroom losses.
Trump is scheduled to debate his Democratic opponent, Vice-President Kamala Harris, on Sept. 10. On Sept. 16, the judge in Trump’s hush money criminal case is expected to rule on a defence request to overturn his felony conviction and dismiss the case on presidential immunity grounds. Two days later, Trump is scheduled to be sentenced in the criminal case — though his lawyers have asked that it be postponed until after Election Day, Nov. 5.
Engoron found that Trump, his company and top executives schemed for years to puff up his financial statements to create an illusion that he and his properties were more valuable than they really were. Trump inflated his net worth on the financial statements by as much as $800 million to $2.2 billion a year, state lawyers said.
In addition to the hefty monetary penalty, the judge put strict limitations on the ability of Trump’s company to do business. Among other consequences, Engoron put the Trump Organization under the supervision of a court-appointed monitor for at least three years.
If upheld, Engoron’s ruling will force Trump to give up a sizable chunk of his fortune. The judge ordered Trump to pay $355 million in penalties, accounting for what he deemed “ill-gotten gains” derived from his inflated financial statements, including lower loan interest rates and profits from projects he wouldn’t have otherwise been able to finish.
With interest the total was $485.2 million as of Wednesday — including $20.6 million in interest that has accrued since the verdict. The sum will increase by nearly $112,000 per day until he pays, unless the verdict is overturned.
Trump maintains that he is worth several billion dollars and testified last year that he had about $400 million in cash, in addition to properties and other investments. James has said that if Trump is unable to pay, she will seek to seize some of his assets.
In a filing last month, Trump’s lawyers said that if Engoron’s decision is upheld, it would bestow James with “limitless power” to target anyone she desires, including her self-described political opponents.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Michael R. Sisak
Published Aug 21, 2024 • 4 minute read
NEW YORK — New York state lawyers urged an appeals court late Wednesday to uphold Donald Trump’s nearly $500 million civil fraud judgment, arguing there’s “overwhelming evidence” to support a judge’s finding that the former president lied for years about his wealth as he built his real estate empire.
In paperwork filed ahead of oral arguments next month, New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office said the current Republican nominee’s appeal is awash in “meritless legal arguments” and ignores volumes of trial evidence showing that he and his co-defendants engaged in “fraud and illegality on an immense scale.”
“On appeal, defendants tellingly ignore almost all their deceptions,” Assistant Solicitor General Daniel S. Magy wrote in a 168-page submission to the state’s mid-level appeals court known as the Appellate Division.
Trump, his company and top executives including his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr. “created and used financial statements rife with blatant misrepresentations and omissions to maintain loans worth more than half a billion dollars and to generate over $360 million in ill-gotten profits,” Magy wrote.
The Appellate Division said Wednesday that it will hear the case on Sept. 26, about six weeks before Election Day and just after the start of early voting in some states. The court typically rules about a month after arguments, meaning a decision could come before the presidential race ends.
If upheld, the judgment threatens to dent Trump’s personal wealth, disrupt his Trump Organization and damage his identity as a savvy businessman. As of Wednesday, the Trump defendants owe more than $485 million. That includes interest that continues to accrue even after Trump posted a $175 million bond in April to halt collection of the sum and prevent the state from seizing his assets while he appeals.
Trump is asking the Appellate Division to overturn Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron’s Feb. 16 finding that he lied to banks, insurers and others about his wealth on financial statements used to secure loans and make deals. He and his lawyers argue the verdict was “erroneous” and “egregious.”
The Appellate Division could either uphold Engoron’s verdict, reduce or modify the penalty or overturn the decision entirely. If Trump is unsuccessful at the Appellate Division, he can ask the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, to consider taking his case. If he wins, he won’t have to pay the state anything and will get back his bond money.
Trump and his lawyers contend the case should never have gone to trial, the statute of limitations barred some allegations, and the state shouldn’t be policing private business transactions. They also object to the legal mechanics of James’ lawsuit, arguing that the law she sued him under is a consumer-protection statute that’s normally used to rein in businesses that rip off customers.
Trump denies wrongdoing and he and his lawyers say no one was harmed. He has decried the verdict as “election interference” and “weaponization against a political opponent,” complaining he was being punished for “having built a perfect company, great cash, great buildings, great everything.” James and Engoron are Democrats.
In their response Wednesday, state lawyers said the statute of limitations was applied properly and that state law authorizes the state’s attorney general to take action against fraudulent or illegal business conduct, “regardless of whether it targets consumers, small businesses, large corporations, or other individuals or entities.”
Wednesday’s scheduling of oral arguments adds to a busy September for Trump, as he campaigns to retake the White House while navigating the aftermath of multiple courtroom losses.
Trump is scheduled to debate his Democratic opponent, Vice-President Kamala Harris, on Sept. 10. On Sept. 16, the judge in Trump’s hush money criminal case is expected to rule on a defence request to overturn his felony conviction and dismiss the case on presidential immunity grounds. Two days later, Trump is scheduled to be sentenced in the criminal case — though his lawyers have asked that it be postponed until after Election Day, Nov. 5.
Engoron found that Trump, his company and top executives schemed for years to puff up his financial statements to create an illusion that he and his properties were more valuable than they really were. Trump inflated his net worth on the financial statements by as much as $800 million to $2.2 billion a year, state lawyers said.
In addition to the hefty monetary penalty, the judge put strict limitations on the ability of Trump’s company to do business. Among other consequences, Engoron put the Trump Organization under the supervision of a court-appointed monitor for at least three years.
If upheld, Engoron’s ruling will force Trump to give up a sizable chunk of his fortune. The judge ordered Trump to pay $355 million in penalties, accounting for what he deemed “ill-gotten gains” derived from his inflated financial statements, including lower loan interest rates and profits from projects he wouldn’t have otherwise been able to finish.
With interest the total was $485.2 million as of Wednesday — including $20.6 million in interest that has accrued since the verdict. The sum will increase by nearly $112,000 per day until he pays, unless the verdict is overturned.
Trump maintains that he is worth several billion dollars and testified last year that he had about $400 million in cash, in addition to properties and other investments. James has said that if Trump is unable to pay, she will seek to seize some of his assets.
In a filing last month, Trump’s lawyers said that if Engoron’s decision is upheld, it would bestow James with “limitless power” to target anyone she desires, including her self-described political opponents.
NY state urges appeals court to uphold Donald Trump’s nearly $500 million civil fraud judgment
New York state lawyers urged an appeals court late Wednesday to uphold Donald Trump's nearly $500 million civil fraud judgment.
Former U.S. ambassador to Canada gives ’tsunami warning’ about Trump
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Kelly Geraldine Malone
Published Aug 22, 2024 • 3 minute read
A former United States Ambassador to Canada is sounding the alarm that a second Donald Trump presidency would cause chaos for Canadians as he urged Americans abroad that their votes could prove crucial in the presidential election.
A former United States Ambassador to Canada is sounding the alarm that a second Donald Trump presidency would cause chaos for Canadians as he urged Americans abroad that their votes could prove crucial in the presidential election.
CHICAGO — A former United States ambassador to Canada is sounding the alarm that a second Donald Trump presidency would cause chaos for Canadians as he urged Americans abroad that their votes could prove crucial in the presidential election.
Bruce Heyman, who served as ambassador from 2014 to 2017, gave Canada a “tsunami warning,” saying if Trump takes the White House, Canada is at great risk.
Heyman’s warning came on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention, where thousands of party faithful have gathered to rally behind Kamala Harris and bask in the excitement building around the vice-president since she quickly ascended to the top of the ticket.
The enthusiasm, while palpable in the halls of the convention, does not guarantee a win in November and Heyman says it critical that Americans around the world ensure their vote counts.
He says there are at least 6.5 million eligible voters living in other countries, mainly in Canada and Mexico.
When President Joe Biden was elected in 2020, Heyman says votes from Americans abroad played a key role in clinching battleground states.
Heyman said much of that support was shored up through a website and outreach targeting American voters from abroad.
Those efforts resulted in the amount of votes from Americans elsewhere in the world increasing by more than 73 per cent in 2016, and half of those votes went to battleground states.
“Americans in Canada, you can be part of the decision of who wins the election in the United States,” Heyman said on Wednesday.
Harris is set to officially accept the party’s nomination Thursday and deliver a speech that will formally introduce her as the Democrats’ pick for president. The day’s theme is “For our Future.”
The former ambassador said the election could prove critical for the future of Canadians, too. Heyman, who was appointed under former president Barack Obama, became well known for strengthening the relationship between Canada and the U.S. under both former prime minister Stephen Harper and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Heyman and his wife, Vicki, left as Trump took America’s reins but remained connected to Canada, even writing a book about their experiences with Canadian diplomacy. They since have supported Democratic campaigns.
The first Trump administration proved tumultuous for Canada, he said, with the former president’s policies affecting more than trade.
Thousands of people in the U.S., afraid of rumours of deportation, started travelling into Canada outside of regular border crossings.
Trump has promised to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants if he gets a second term. Heyman said he believes that people, once again motivated by fear, would start to flee north in even higher numbers.
“I don’t believe Canada is prepared for those kinds of numbers to come across the border,” he said.
If bans against abortion expand further in the U.S., Heyman forewarned, people may look to Canada for help. If Trump claws back environmental policies, it could affect Canada’s investment into green technologies, Heyman said.
And if a Trump administration removes support from NATO and other alliances, Canada’s stature around the world would diminish alongside the U.S., Heyman said.
He added that Canada would likely have to fast-track its NATO defence funding commitments to avoid Trump’s wrath. Trudeau said last month that Canada expects to hit its target of two per cent of national gross domestic product on defence by 2032.
The Republican party’s platform hints at further protectionist policies, and Trump has signalled plans for a 10 per cent tariff on imports.
“I think that for Canada, it’s a high risk — the Trump administration — if he implements the policies he says he wants to implement,” Heyman said.
“And the greatest risk for Canada is he does it all at once as … swarm tactic to attack Democrats.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Kelly Geraldine Malone
Published Aug 22, 2024 • 3 minute read
A former United States Ambassador to Canada is sounding the alarm that a second Donald Trump presidency would cause chaos for Canadians as he urged Americans abroad that their votes could prove crucial in the presidential election.
A former United States Ambassador to Canada is sounding the alarm that a second Donald Trump presidency would cause chaos for Canadians as he urged Americans abroad that their votes could prove crucial in the presidential election.
CHICAGO — A former United States ambassador to Canada is sounding the alarm that a second Donald Trump presidency would cause chaos for Canadians as he urged Americans abroad that their votes could prove crucial in the presidential election.
Bruce Heyman, who served as ambassador from 2014 to 2017, gave Canada a “tsunami warning,” saying if Trump takes the White House, Canada is at great risk.
Heyman’s warning came on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention, where thousands of party faithful have gathered to rally behind Kamala Harris and bask in the excitement building around the vice-president since she quickly ascended to the top of the ticket.
The enthusiasm, while palpable in the halls of the convention, does not guarantee a win in November and Heyman says it critical that Americans around the world ensure their vote counts.
He says there are at least 6.5 million eligible voters living in other countries, mainly in Canada and Mexico.
When President Joe Biden was elected in 2020, Heyman says votes from Americans abroad played a key role in clinching battleground states.
Heyman said much of that support was shored up through a website and outreach targeting American voters from abroad.
Those efforts resulted in the amount of votes from Americans elsewhere in the world increasing by more than 73 per cent in 2016, and half of those votes went to battleground states.
“Americans in Canada, you can be part of the decision of who wins the election in the United States,” Heyman said on Wednesday.
Harris is set to officially accept the party’s nomination Thursday and deliver a speech that will formally introduce her as the Democrats’ pick for president. The day’s theme is “For our Future.”
The former ambassador said the election could prove critical for the future of Canadians, too. Heyman, who was appointed under former president Barack Obama, became well known for strengthening the relationship between Canada and the U.S. under both former prime minister Stephen Harper and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Heyman and his wife, Vicki, left as Trump took America’s reins but remained connected to Canada, even writing a book about their experiences with Canadian diplomacy. They since have supported Democratic campaigns.
The first Trump administration proved tumultuous for Canada, he said, with the former president’s policies affecting more than trade.
Thousands of people in the U.S., afraid of rumours of deportation, started travelling into Canada outside of regular border crossings.
Trump has promised to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants if he gets a second term. Heyman said he believes that people, once again motivated by fear, would start to flee north in even higher numbers.
“I don’t believe Canada is prepared for those kinds of numbers to come across the border,” he said.
If bans against abortion expand further in the U.S., Heyman forewarned, people may look to Canada for help. If Trump claws back environmental policies, it could affect Canada’s investment into green technologies, Heyman said.
And if a Trump administration removes support from NATO and other alliances, Canada’s stature around the world would diminish alongside the U.S., Heyman said.
He added that Canada would likely have to fast-track its NATO defence funding commitments to avoid Trump’s wrath. Trudeau said last month that Canada expects to hit its target of two per cent of national gross domestic product on defence by 2032.
The Republican party’s platform hints at further protectionist policies, and Trump has signalled plans for a 10 per cent tariff on imports.
“I think that for Canada, it’s a high risk — the Trump administration — if he implements the policies he says he wants to implement,” Heyman said.
“And the greatest risk for Canada is he does it all at once as … swarm tactic to attack Democrats.”
Former U.S. ambassador to Canada gives ’tsunami warning’ about Trump
He says there are at least 6.5 million eligible voters living in other countries, mainly in Canada and Mexico.
Arizona man arrested after alleged threats against Trump
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Aug 22, 2024 • 1 minute read
The booking photo provided by the Cochise County, Ariz., Sheriff's Office shows Ronald Lee Syvrud, 66, of Benson, Ariz., who was arrested Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, on suspicion of making death threats against Republican presidential candidate former president Donald Trump the same day he was visiting the border in the area.
The booking photo provided by the Cochise County, Ariz., Sheriff's Office shows Ronald Lee Syvrud, 66, of Benson, Ariz., who was arrested Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, on suspicion of making death threats against Republican presidential candidate former president Donald Trump the same day he was visiting the border in the area.
BISBEE, Ariz. — A southern Arizona man was arrested for allegedly making death threats against Donald Trump on social media, authorities said Thursday, the same day the Republican former president and 2024 candidate was in the area to visit the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as Ronald Lee Syvrud, 66, from the city of Benson. It’s in the same county as the border area that Trump was visiting in the afternoon and that his running mate Sen. JD Vance went to in recent weeks.
The sheriff’s office said Syvrud was arrested around 2:30 p.m. during a traffic stop.
“As part of the operations plan in place for the visit of candidate Donald Trump on today’s date, locating this subject was a priority,” the agency said in a statement.
An online search failed to turn up any social media accounts in Syvrud’s name or any contact information for him. His name did not immediately appear on the list of inmates at the county jail, and there was no word yet on whether he had a court date or an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
The sheriff’s office said Syvrud was booked on several outstanding warrants in Wisconsin for driving under the influence and failure to appear in court, as well as a felony hit and run charge in Graham County, Arizona, and failure to register as a sex offender in Coconino County, Arizona.
Trump survived an assassination attempt July 13. This Wednesday, at his first outdoor rally since the attempt, he spoke from behind bulletproof glass in North Carolina at an event focused on national security.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Aug 22, 2024 • 1 minute read
The booking photo provided by the Cochise County, Ariz., Sheriff's Office shows Ronald Lee Syvrud, 66, of Benson, Ariz., who was arrested Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, on suspicion of making death threats against Republican presidential candidate former president Donald Trump the same day he was visiting the border in the area.
The booking photo provided by the Cochise County, Ariz., Sheriff's Office shows Ronald Lee Syvrud, 66, of Benson, Ariz., who was arrested Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, on suspicion of making death threats against Republican presidential candidate former president Donald Trump the same day he was visiting the border in the area.
BISBEE, Ariz. — A southern Arizona man was arrested for allegedly making death threats against Donald Trump on social media, authorities said Thursday, the same day the Republican former president and 2024 candidate was in the area to visit the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as Ronald Lee Syvrud, 66, from the city of Benson. It’s in the same county as the border area that Trump was visiting in the afternoon and that his running mate Sen. JD Vance went to in recent weeks.
The sheriff’s office said Syvrud was arrested around 2:30 p.m. during a traffic stop.
“As part of the operations plan in place for the visit of candidate Donald Trump on today’s date, locating this subject was a priority,” the agency said in a statement.
An online search failed to turn up any social media accounts in Syvrud’s name or any contact information for him. His name did not immediately appear on the list of inmates at the county jail, and there was no word yet on whether he had a court date or an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
The sheriff’s office said Syvrud was booked on several outstanding warrants in Wisconsin for driving under the influence and failure to appear in court, as well as a felony hit and run charge in Graham County, Arizona, and failure to register as a sex offender in Coconino County, Arizona.
Trump survived an assassination attempt July 13. This Wednesday, at his first outdoor rally since the attempt, he spoke from behind bulletproof glass in North Carolina at an event focused on national security.
Arizona man arrested after alleged threats against Trump
A southern Arizona man was arrested for allegedly making death threats against Donald Trump on social media, authorities said Thursday.
Trump would veto legislation establishing a federal abortion ban, Vance says
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Jill Colvin
Published Aug 25, 2024 • 4 minute read
NEW YORK — Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance says Donald Trump would not support a national abortion ban if elected president and would veto such legislation if it landed on his desk.
“I can absolutely commit that,” Vance said when asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” whether he could commit to Trump not imposing such a ban. “Donald Trump’s view is that we want the individual states and their individual cultures and their unique political sensibilities to make these decisions because we don’t want to have a nonstop federal conflict over this issue.”
The Ohio senator also insisted that Trump, the former president who is the Republican nominee this year, would veto such legislation if it were passed by Congress.
“I mean, if you’re not supporting it as the president of the United States, you fundamentally have to veto it,” he said in an interview that aired Sunday.
Vance’s comments come after Democrats spent night after night of their national convention in Chicago last week assailing Trump for his role in appointing the Supreme Court Justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion in the United States and paving the way for bans and restrictions across Republican-led states.
But efforts to try to neutralize an issue that Democrats hope will galvanize voters this fall also risk alienating parts of Trump’s base opposed to abortion rights.
“God have mercy on this nation if this is now the position of what was the Pro-Life Party,” wrote Family Research Council president Tony Perkins in a post Sunday linking to a story on Vance’s comments.
While Trump has repeatedly boasted about his role in overturning Roe, he has, in recent days, pushed back on Democrats’ warnings that he will go even further to restrict access if he wins a second term.
“My Administration will be great for women and their reproductive rights,” he wrote Friday on his Truth Social platform, appropriating language used by abortion rights activists and the left.
His comments drew a wave of criticism from anti-abortion advocates, including the editor of the conservative National Review, which published an article titled “Trump’s Abandonment of Pro-Lifers Is Complete.”
Trump repeated his claim hours later at an event in Las Vegas.
“I’m very strong on women’s reproductive rights. The IVF (in vitro fertilization), very strong. I mean, we’re leaders in it. And I think people are seeing that,” he told reporters.
Democrats have responded to Trump with deep skepticism.
“American women are not stupid and we are not going to trust the futures of our daughters and granddaughters to two men who have openly bragged about blocking access to abortion for women all across this country,” said Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren told NBC.
Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., brushed off a question asking how Trump would be “great’ on reproductive rights.
“You need to ask him about that. What I would say is that President Trump was a very good pro-life president,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“The pro-life community,” Graham said,, “is organized around the well-being of the child, giving the mother options other than an abortion.” Graham said “that movement will continue after he’s gone.”
Trump has often struggled to talk about abortion. Before he entered politics, he had described himself as “very pro-choice.” Earlier this year, he grappled with his stance on a federal abortion ban, suggesting at one point that he would support one at around 15 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions in cases of rape, incest and when the life of the mother is at risk. He then settled on his current position: That restrictions should be left to individual states.
Trump has not said how he plans to vote on an upcoming ballot measure on Florida’s six-week ban.
In an interview with CBS News earlier in the week, Trump said he had “no regrets” about his role in overturning Roe v. Wade. But after months of confusing statements, he said he would not use a federal law known as the Comstock Act to try to ban the distribution of medication that is used as an alternative to surgical abortions. That is something that some of his allies have urged and that Vance supported in the past.
“We will be discussing specifics of it, but generally speaking, no,” he said. “I would not do that.”
“It’s going to be available and it is now. And as I know it, the Supreme Court has said: ‘Keep it going the way it is.’ I will enforce and agree with the Supreme Court, but basically they’ve said, keep it the way it is now,” he said.
Abortion has been a powerful motivator for Democrats since the Roe decision in the summer of 2022, and the party expects it to continue to play a key role this year.
On stage at the Democratic convention, women told harrowing personal stories of having to carry unviable pregnancies to term and being denied miscarriage care, putting their future fertility at risk.
“This is what’s happening in our country because of Donald Trump. And understand, he is not done,” Vice-President Kamala Harris said in her speech accepting her party’s nomination.
Trump, who had been responding to the speech in real time, falsely insisted that, “Everybody, Democrats, Republicans, Liberals, and Conservatives, wanted Roe v. Wade TERMINATED, and brought back to the States.”
“I do not limit access to birth control or I.V.F. – THAT IS A LIE, these are all false stories that she’s making up,” he wrote. “I TRUST WOMEN, ALSO, AND I WILL KEEP WOMEN SAFE!”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Jill Colvin
Published Aug 25, 2024 • 4 minute read
NEW YORK — Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance says Donald Trump would not support a national abortion ban if elected president and would veto such legislation if it landed on his desk.
“I can absolutely commit that,” Vance said when asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” whether he could commit to Trump not imposing such a ban. “Donald Trump’s view is that we want the individual states and their individual cultures and their unique political sensibilities to make these decisions because we don’t want to have a nonstop federal conflict over this issue.”
The Ohio senator also insisted that Trump, the former president who is the Republican nominee this year, would veto such legislation if it were passed by Congress.
“I mean, if you’re not supporting it as the president of the United States, you fundamentally have to veto it,” he said in an interview that aired Sunday.
Vance’s comments come after Democrats spent night after night of their national convention in Chicago last week assailing Trump for his role in appointing the Supreme Court Justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion in the United States and paving the way for bans and restrictions across Republican-led states.
But efforts to try to neutralize an issue that Democrats hope will galvanize voters this fall also risk alienating parts of Trump’s base opposed to abortion rights.
“God have mercy on this nation if this is now the position of what was the Pro-Life Party,” wrote Family Research Council president Tony Perkins in a post Sunday linking to a story on Vance’s comments.
While Trump has repeatedly boasted about his role in overturning Roe, he has, in recent days, pushed back on Democrats’ warnings that he will go even further to restrict access if he wins a second term.
“My Administration will be great for women and their reproductive rights,” he wrote Friday on his Truth Social platform, appropriating language used by abortion rights activists and the left.
His comments drew a wave of criticism from anti-abortion advocates, including the editor of the conservative National Review, which published an article titled “Trump’s Abandonment of Pro-Lifers Is Complete.”
Trump repeated his claim hours later at an event in Las Vegas.
“I’m very strong on women’s reproductive rights. The IVF (in vitro fertilization), very strong. I mean, we’re leaders in it. And I think people are seeing that,” he told reporters.
Democrats have responded to Trump with deep skepticism.
“American women are not stupid and we are not going to trust the futures of our daughters and granddaughters to two men who have openly bragged about blocking access to abortion for women all across this country,” said Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren told NBC.
Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., brushed off a question asking how Trump would be “great’ on reproductive rights.
“You need to ask him about that. What I would say is that President Trump was a very good pro-life president,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“The pro-life community,” Graham said,, “is organized around the well-being of the child, giving the mother options other than an abortion.” Graham said “that movement will continue after he’s gone.”
Trump has often struggled to talk about abortion. Before he entered politics, he had described himself as “very pro-choice.” Earlier this year, he grappled with his stance on a federal abortion ban, suggesting at one point that he would support one at around 15 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions in cases of rape, incest and when the life of the mother is at risk. He then settled on his current position: That restrictions should be left to individual states.
Trump has not said how he plans to vote on an upcoming ballot measure on Florida’s six-week ban.
In an interview with CBS News earlier in the week, Trump said he had “no regrets” about his role in overturning Roe v. Wade. But after months of confusing statements, he said he would not use a federal law known as the Comstock Act to try to ban the distribution of medication that is used as an alternative to surgical abortions. That is something that some of his allies have urged and that Vance supported in the past.
“We will be discussing specifics of it, but generally speaking, no,” he said. “I would not do that.”
“It’s going to be available and it is now. And as I know it, the Supreme Court has said: ‘Keep it going the way it is.’ I will enforce and agree with the Supreme Court, but basically they’ve said, keep it the way it is now,” he said.
Abortion has been a powerful motivator for Democrats since the Roe decision in the summer of 2022, and the party expects it to continue to play a key role this year.
On stage at the Democratic convention, women told harrowing personal stories of having to carry unviable pregnancies to term and being denied miscarriage care, putting their future fertility at risk.
“This is what’s happening in our country because of Donald Trump. And understand, he is not done,” Vice-President Kamala Harris said in her speech accepting her party’s nomination.
Trump, who had been responding to the speech in real time, falsely insisted that, “Everybody, Democrats, Republicans, Liberals, and Conservatives, wanted Roe v. Wade TERMINATED, and brought back to the States.”
“I do not limit access to birth control or I.V.F. – THAT IS A LIE, these are all false stories that she’s making up,” he wrote. “I TRUST WOMEN, ALSO, AND I WILL KEEP WOMEN SAFE!”
Trump would veto legislation establishing a federal abortion ban, Vance says
Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance says Donald Trump would not support a national abortion ban if elected president.
Trump campaign was warned not to take photos at Arlington before altercation, defense official says
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Tara Copp, Adriana Gomez Licon And Hannah Schoenbaum
Published Aug 28, 2024 • 4 minute read
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s campaign was warned about not taking photographs before an altercation at Arlington National Cemetery during a wreath-laying ceremony earlier this week to honor service members killed in the Afghanistan War withdrawal, a defense official told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter concerning Monday’s events. It came a day after NPR reported, citing a source with knowledge of the incident, that two Trump campaign staff members “verbally abused and pushed” aside a cemetery official who tried to stop them from filming and photographing in Section 60, the burial site for military personnel killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The defense official told the AP that the Trump campaign was warned about not taking photographs in Section 60 before their arrival and the altercation. Trump was at Arlington on Monday at the invitation of some of the families of the 13 service members who were killed in the Kabul airport bombing exactly three years prior.
Arlington National Cemetery is the resting place for more than 400,000 service members, veterans and their families. Cemetery officials said in a statement that “an incident” had occurred and a report had been filed, but it did not address details of what had happened. They declined to share the report.
“Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign,” the cemetery officials’ statement said. “Arlington National Cemetery reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants. We can confirm there was an incident, and a report was filed.”
Trump’s spokesperson Steven Cheung said the Republican presidential candidate’s team was granted access to have a photographer. He contested the allegation that a campaign staffer pushed a cemetery official.
“The fact is that a private photographer was permitted on the premises and for whatever reason, an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony,” he said.
Chris LaCivita, a top Trump campaign adviser, noted that Trump was there at the invitation of the families of the service members who were killed in the airport bombing. The Trump campaign posted a message signed by relatives of two of the service members killed in the bombing that said “the president and his team conducted themselves with nothing but the utmost respect and dignity for all of our service members, especially our beloved children.”
“For a despicable individual to physically prevent President Trump’s team from accompanying him to this solemn event is a disgrace and does not deserve to represent the hollowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery,” he said in a written statement, misspelling the word hallowed. “Whoever this individual is, spreading these lies are dishonoring the men and women of our armed forces.”
Michael Tyler, a spokesperson for Trump’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, called the reports “pretty sad when it’s all said and done.”
“This is what we’ve come to expect from Donald Trump and his team,” Tyler said on CNN. “Donald Trump is a person who wants to make everything all about Donald Trump. He’s also somebody who has a history of demeaning and degrading military service members, those who have given the ultimate sacrifice.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox also came under fire Wednesday for including a photo of him and Trump at the ceremony in a campaign email soliciting donations for his reelection bid.
The Republican governor recently surprised voters when he pledged his support to Trump just after the July assassination attempt, despite saying days earlier on CNN that he hadn’t voted for Trump in 2016 or 2020 and would not cast a ballot for him again this year. Cox’s sudden embrace of Trump, who has not endorsed him back, represents a puzzling departure from his carefully curated persona as a Mitt Romney-esque moderate.
Cox’s campaign has apologized for using the photo and politicizing the graveside ceremony.
“This was not a campaign event and was never intended to be used by the campaign,” the governor wrote in a post on X. “It did not go through the proper channels and should not have been sent.”
Democratic U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia has called on cemetery officials to release more information about what happened Monday.
“It’s sad but all too expected that Donald Trump would desecrate this hallowed ground and put campaign politics ahead of honoring our heroes,” he said. “His behavior and that of his campaign is abhorrent and shameful.”
Trump’s running mate JD Vance was asked about the incident Wednesday at a campaign event in Erie, Pennsylvania, and said that “apparently somebody at Arlington Cemetery, some staff member, had a little disagreement with somebody” and “the media has turned this into a national news story.”
He instead tried to focus on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling Harris “disgraceful” for not firing anyone for the deaths of service members in the terror attack. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.
A Pentagon investigation into the deadly attack concluded that the suicide bomber acted alone and that the deaths of more than 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members were not preventable. But critics have slammed the Biden administration for the catastrophic evacuation, saying it should have started earlier than it did.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Tara Copp, Adriana Gomez Licon And Hannah Schoenbaum
Published Aug 28, 2024 • 4 minute read
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s campaign was warned about not taking photographs before an altercation at Arlington National Cemetery during a wreath-laying ceremony earlier this week to honor service members killed in the Afghanistan War withdrawal, a defense official told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter concerning Monday’s events. It came a day after NPR reported, citing a source with knowledge of the incident, that two Trump campaign staff members “verbally abused and pushed” aside a cemetery official who tried to stop them from filming and photographing in Section 60, the burial site for military personnel killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The defense official told the AP that the Trump campaign was warned about not taking photographs in Section 60 before their arrival and the altercation. Trump was at Arlington on Monday at the invitation of some of the families of the 13 service members who were killed in the Kabul airport bombing exactly three years prior.
Arlington National Cemetery is the resting place for more than 400,000 service members, veterans and their families. Cemetery officials said in a statement that “an incident” had occurred and a report had been filed, but it did not address details of what had happened. They declined to share the report.
“Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign,” the cemetery officials’ statement said. “Arlington National Cemetery reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants. We can confirm there was an incident, and a report was filed.”
Trump’s spokesperson Steven Cheung said the Republican presidential candidate’s team was granted access to have a photographer. He contested the allegation that a campaign staffer pushed a cemetery official.
“The fact is that a private photographer was permitted on the premises and for whatever reason, an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony,” he said.
Chris LaCivita, a top Trump campaign adviser, noted that Trump was there at the invitation of the families of the service members who were killed in the airport bombing. The Trump campaign posted a message signed by relatives of two of the service members killed in the bombing that said “the president and his team conducted themselves with nothing but the utmost respect and dignity for all of our service members, especially our beloved children.”
“For a despicable individual to physically prevent President Trump’s team from accompanying him to this solemn event is a disgrace and does not deserve to represent the hollowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery,” he said in a written statement, misspelling the word hallowed. “Whoever this individual is, spreading these lies are dishonoring the men and women of our armed forces.”
Michael Tyler, a spokesperson for Trump’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, called the reports “pretty sad when it’s all said and done.”
“This is what we’ve come to expect from Donald Trump and his team,” Tyler said on CNN. “Donald Trump is a person who wants to make everything all about Donald Trump. He’s also somebody who has a history of demeaning and degrading military service members, those who have given the ultimate sacrifice.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox also came under fire Wednesday for including a photo of him and Trump at the ceremony in a campaign email soliciting donations for his reelection bid.
The Republican governor recently surprised voters when he pledged his support to Trump just after the July assassination attempt, despite saying days earlier on CNN that he hadn’t voted for Trump in 2016 or 2020 and would not cast a ballot for him again this year. Cox’s sudden embrace of Trump, who has not endorsed him back, represents a puzzling departure from his carefully curated persona as a Mitt Romney-esque moderate.
Cox’s campaign has apologized for using the photo and politicizing the graveside ceremony.
“This was not a campaign event and was never intended to be used by the campaign,” the governor wrote in a post on X. “It did not go through the proper channels and should not have been sent.”
Democratic U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia has called on cemetery officials to release more information about what happened Monday.
“It’s sad but all too expected that Donald Trump would desecrate this hallowed ground and put campaign politics ahead of honoring our heroes,” he said. “His behavior and that of his campaign is abhorrent and shameful.”
Trump’s running mate JD Vance was asked about the incident Wednesday at a campaign event in Erie, Pennsylvania, and said that “apparently somebody at Arlington Cemetery, some staff member, had a little disagreement with somebody” and “the media has turned this into a national news story.”
He instead tried to focus on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling Harris “disgraceful” for not firing anyone for the deaths of service members in the terror attack. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.
A Pentagon investigation into the deadly attack concluded that the suicide bomber acted alone and that the deaths of more than 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members were not preventable. But critics have slammed the Biden administration for the catastrophic evacuation, saying it should have started earlier than it did.
Trump campaign was warned not to take photos at Arlington before altercation, defense official says
Trump's campaign was warned about not taking photos before an altercation at Arlington National Cemetery during a wreath-laying ceremony
Yeah, convicted felon Trump mugging and grinning over the grave of a fallen American soldier just demonstrates his conviction that they are "suckers and losers."
No wonder y'all like him so much.
No wonder y'all like him so much.
Thankfully not all of us.
Why the hell that family didn't walk away is beyond me but then they probably are part of MAGA so...
If there is a God and this person is somehow "watching" I hope their fallen family member haunts their fucking dreams for the rest of their lives for their betrayal.