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Friday, August 19, 2022

Wake-Up Call: Judge May Release Affidavit in Trump Search


A federal judge is willing to unseal parts of the affidavit used to obtain the search warrant executed at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home, ordering the Justice Department yesterday to submit within a week proposed redactions to the affidavit for information it wants to keep secret. Yesterday's hearing in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart was held after news organizations sought to unseal the affidavit, as well as other records related to the search. Justice Department prosecutor Jay Bratt argued in court that even a redacted version could reveal investigate steps in the probe into whether Trump retained and mishandled classified and sensitive government records, which he said is in its "early stages," or lead to witnesses being identified. Reinhart yesterday also agreed to unseal other documents, including the warrant’s cover sheet and the DOJ’s motion to seal the documents, which showed the FBI was investigating the, quote, "willful retention of national defense information," the concealment or removal of government records, and obstruction of a federal investigation.

➤EX-TRUMP ORG. CFO PLEADS GUILTY TO EVADING TAXES, AGREES TO TESTIFY: Former longtime Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg pled guilty yesterday to evading taxes on a free Manhattan apartment and other perks, including school tuition for grandchildren and lease payments for a luxury car, worth a total of over $1.7 million. As part of the deal in which he pled guilty to all 15 charges he faced, Weisselberg, who remains a senior adviser to the Trump Organization, agreed to testify against former President Donald Trump's real estate company at trial. The 75-year-old was sentenced to five months in prison, and will have to pay nearly $2 million in taxes, penalties and interest. The trial against the Trump Organization begins in October, with the company accused of helping Weisselberg and other executives avoid income taxes by failing to report their full compensation. Trump is not himself charged in the case.

➤U.N. HEAD, TURKEY'S PRESIDENT MEET WITH UKRAINE PREZ ZELENSKYY: U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Ukraine Thursday with President Volodymr Zelenskyy. But little progress was reported in the high-level talks toward ending the war that began six months ago when Russia invaded Ukraine, despite hopes there might be some breakthroughs at least on certain issues. The leaders discussed matters including expanding prisoner of war exchanges and having U.N. atomic energy experts visit and help secure Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant. Fears of disaster have been raised as the Zaporizhzhia plant has been in the middle of fierce fighting. Erdogan said he would follow up with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and urged the international community not to abandon diplomatic efforts to end the war, saying, "I remain convinced that the war will end at the negotiating table."

 
➤U.S. TO HOLD TRADE TALKS WITH TAIWAN, CHINA WARNS: The U.S. government announced that it will hold trade talks with Taiwan, a sign of support that led China to warn Thursday that it will take action if needed to, quote, "safeguard its sovereignty." The news comes amid heightened tensions in the wake of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit earlier this month to the self-governing island that China claims as its own. That visit by the highest-ranking American official to visit Taiwan in 25 years led China to carry out military drills around the island. A following visit by a group of five U.S. lawmakers led Beijing to carry out a second round of military drills. China accuses the U.S. of encouraging Taiwan's independence, but the U.S. says it doesn't support the island's independence.

➤BAIL DENIED FOR ACCUSED RUSHDIE ATTACKER: A judge denied bail yesterday for the 24-year-old man accused in the stabbing attack on The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie in western New York before a planned talk last week. Hadi Matar (right) of New Jersey has pled not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault. Matar's public defender asked the judge to stop reporters from trying to contact his client in jail, saying media coverage could lead to a biased jury. Matar gave a brief interview from prison to The New York Post, during which he talked about disliking Rushdie and praised Iran's late supreme leader, Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie's death in 1989 over The Satanic Verses, which some Muslims consider blasphemous. The judge declined the request, but ordered the attorneys involved in the case not to give interviews.

Bulger
➤THREE MEN CHARGED IN 2018 JAILHOUSE KILLING OF WHITEY BULGER: The Justice Department said yesterday that three men, including a Mafia hitman, had been charged in the 2018 West Virginia jailhouse killing of Boston crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger. Fotios "Freddy" Geas, Paul J. DeCologero and Sean McKinnon were charged with conspiracy to commit first degree murder. Geas and DeCologero were also charged with aiding and abetting first degree murder and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Bulger was beaten to death as USP Hazelton hours after he was transferred from a Florida prison where he'd been serving a life sentence for 11 murders and other crimes, raising questions about why he'd been placed in the general population given that he was known to have been a government informant. Bulger ran the mob in Boston in the 1970s and ’80s and was also an FBI informant. He fled after his FBI handler warned him he was about to be indicted and was a fugitive for more than 16 years before being captured in California.

📺STREAMING IS NOW BIGGER THAN CABLE: For the first time, internet-based streaming services have edged past cable tv services as the top way that Americans get their video entertainment, according to a new report from the rating service Nielsen. Streaming now accounts for more than one-third of all programming consumed in the U.S. The top streaming platform right now is Netflix, followed by YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus. Nielsen says streaming platforms now are used for 34.8% of television viewing, compared with 34.4% for cable and 21.6% for broadcast television. “Other” adds up to 9.2%

➤MONKEYPOX VACCINE DISTRIBUTION STEPPED UP: The vaccine against monkeypox will be more widely available as soon as next Monday. The Biden administration has expanded the supply available for local distribution by 1.8 million doses. The White House has been criticized for its slow response to monkeypox testing and vaccine distribution. Monkeypox is rarely fatal, but it is said to be extremely painful.


🏡HOME SALES DROP BY ALMOST 6% NATIONWIDE: Sales of existing homes declined by 5.9% in July compared to June, and by 20.2% compared to just one year before. The numbers were released yesterday by the National Association of Realtors. Higher mortgage interest rates and inflation pressures on family budgets are blamed for the fast decline. Home prices have barely budged though. They’re still 10.8% higher on average than a year ago, although a little bit down from the previous month.

🎥'GREASE' RETURNS TO THEATERS:  On Thursday, AMC CEO Adam Aron announced that the classic movie musical will play in 135 of the chain’s theaters for a $5 admission fee, and $1 of each ticket sold will be donated to breast cancer research.  "To honor the late Olivia Newton-John, many of our U.S. theaters this weekend will show her classic 1978 hit movie Grease, again on the big screen," Aron wrote on Twitter.

➤FINALLY, AN ‘UNSEND’ BUTTON: If you’ve ever had second thoughts regarding the wisdom of one of your text messages, you’ll be happy to hear this. Apple’s latest iPhone software, called iOS16, will let users edit and delete their text messages. The recipient will be able to see that a message was edited or deleted but won’t see the original text, as long as that person also is using the latest software version. The upgrade is expected to be released next month. 


🚘MUSCLE CAR GOES ALL-ELECTRIC: The automaker Dodge just unveiled a muscle car for the electric vehicle age. The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT was shown as a concept car in Detroit and is expected to be in production in 2024. The electric version will replace the company’s classic Challenger and Charger muscle cars. Dodge declined to release performance metrics. Electric cars can be virtually silent, but Dodge added a sound feature that gives its muscle car the right vroom.

🏈BROWNS' WATSON SUSPENDED 11 GAMES, CONTINUES TO CLAIM INNOCENCE: Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will serve an 11-game unpaid suspension and pay a $5 million fine under a settlement reached by the NFL and the NFL Players Association Thursday after he was accused by more than two dozen women of sexual harassment and coercion during massage sessions. He will also undergo professional evaluation and treatment. The NFL wanted to ban Watson for at least one year, and had appealed a six-game suspension given by disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson. Watson maintained his innocence yesterday, saying, "I’ve always stood on my innocence and always said that I’ve never assaulted anyone or disrespected anyone and I’m continuing to stand on that." Two grand juries declined to indict Watson, who has settled 23 of the 24 lawsuits against him by women who claimed misconduct.

 
🏒KADRI SIGNS SEVEN-YEAR, $49 MILLION DEAL WITH FLAMES: Free agent center Nazem Kadri has signed a seven-year, $49 million deal with the Calgary Flames, leaving the Colorado Avalanche after helping them win their first Stanley Cup since 2001 last season. The 31-year-old Kadri set career highs last season with 59 assists and 87 points in 71 games, and had seven goals and eight assists during the Avalanche’s Stanley Cup run.

⚾ASTROS POUND WHITE SOX 21-5, MATCHING SECOND-MOST RUNS IN TEAM HISTORY: The Houston Astros pounded the Chicago White Sox 21-5 yesterday, matching the second-most runs scored in a game in Astros' team history. Alex Bregman hit two homers and two doubles, driving in a career-high six runs, and Bregman, Kyle Tucker and Christian Vazquez all tied career highs with four hits each. Four of the Astros' runs came in the ninth inning, when the White Sox sent out second baseman Josh Harrison to pitch.

⚾PUJOLS HAS PINCH-HIT GRAND SLAM: Veteran Albert Pujols had a pinch-hit grand slam in the St. Louis Cardinals' 13-0 rout of the Colorado Rockies yesterday. The 42-year-old future Hall of Famer hit the slam in the third inning when he was put in to pinch hit for designated hitter Brendan Donovan. It was Pujols' 690th career home run and 16th career grand slam, tying him with Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Dave Kingman for 10th-most slams of all-time.

Easton Oliverson
⚾BOY HURT IN LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES FALL EATING, WALKING: The 12-year-old Little League World Series player who underwent surgery after suffering a head injury Monday when he fell from the top bunk while sleeping at the LLWS dorm complex has been moved out of intensive care and is able to sit up, eat, and walk with support, his family said Thursday. A post on an Instagram account set up by the family of Easton Oliverson of the Snow Canyon team from Santa Clara, Utah, said, "He has been communicating more frequently with his Mom, Dad, and uncles who have been at the hospital with him. His voice has been significantly more clear when he talks! He asked [his mother] Nancy about his hair, and why he was there." A video was attached to the post showing Easton drinking and feeding himself.



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