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Wednesday, April 5, 2023

4/5 Wake-Up Call: "Not Guilty" Says Trump













Former President Donald Trump was charged on Tuesday with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a historic case over allegations he orchestrated hush-money payments to two women before the 2016 U.S. election to suppress publication of their sexual encounters with him. Prosecutors in Manhattan accused Trump, the first sitting or former U.S. president to face criminal charges, of trying to conceal a violation of election laws during his successful 2016 campaign. 

"Not guilty," Trump, 76, said when asked by the judge in court how he pleaded. Wearing a dark blue suit and red tie, Trump sat, subdued, with his hands folded at the defense table flanked by his lawyers.

On his flight back to Florida, over fast food from McDonald’s, the former president and his entourage put the final touches on his response: A speech that would serve as both a rebuttal to prosecutors and a reboot of the comeback bid for the White House he launched almost five months ago.  

Before hundreds of supporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach on Tuesday night, Trump assailed the 34-count indictment as politically motivated and sought to link the case to grievances he’s long deployed to great effect to hold sway over his supporters. “The only crime that I’ve committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it,” he said. “They can’t beat us at the ballot box, so they try and beat us through the law.”

Donald Trump tore into the judge and district attorney in New York who oversaw his arraignment on Tuesday, going after Judge Juan Merchan's family and calling Alvin Bragg a 'criminal' in front of a packed crowd of supporters at Mar-a-Lago but his wife Melania was nowhere to be seen. Trump let his frustration with the case shine through and slammed his legal opposition, despite a warning from Judge Merchan to use his words carefully in order to avoid a gag order. 

The 76-year-old former president described his foes as a 'Trump-hating judge with a Trump-hating wife and a family whose daughter worked for Kamala Harris,' which drew groans from the crowd. Trump went through a litany of crimes he claims have been committed against him, including both impeachments, his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him, that the government spied on his 2016 presidential campaign, the FISA warrants against his advisers, and investigations into reports Russia tried to influence the election in his favor. Daughter Tiffany Trump and sons Eric and Don Jr were present during the speech but Ivanka and husband Jared Kushner were noticeably absent. 

➤NOW STORMY HAS TO PAY TRUMP: The US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit issued a six-page order directing Stormy Daniels to pay nearly $122,000 in legal fees to Trump’s attorneys. That sum is in addition to the more than $293,000 that Daniels had been ordered to pay after losing a libel case against the former president in federal district court and $245,000 for unsuccessfully pursuing an earlier appeal. The New York and California cases aren’t directly related, but the timing was striking since they involve the same underlying events: Daniels’ claim that she had an affair with Trump — which he has denied — and efforts by Trump’s former longtime lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen to stop her story from becoming public ahead of the 2016 presidential election by orchestrating a $130,000 hush-money payment. 

Chicago Tribune 4/5/23

➤CHICAGO ELECTS PROGRESSIVE NEW MAYOR: Brandon Johnson, a union organizer and former teacher, was elected as Chicago’s next mayor Tuesday in a major victory for the Democratic Party’s progressive wing as the heavily blue city grapples with high crime and financial challenges. Johnson, a Cook County commissioner endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union, won a close race over former Chicago schools CEO Paul Vallas, who was backed by the police union. 

Johnson, 47, will succeed Lori Lightfoot, the first Black woman and first openly gay person to be the city’s mayor. Lightfoot became the first Chicago mayor in 40 years to lose her reelection bid when she finished third in a crowded February contest. Johnson’s victory in the nation’s third-largest city capped a remarkable trajectory for a candidate who was little known when he entered the race last year. He climbed to the top of the field with organizing and financial help from the politically influential Chicago Teachers Union and high-profile endorsements from progressive Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Sanders appeared at a rally for Johnson in the final days of the race.

➤LIBERAL WINS WISCONSIN COURT SEAT AHEAD OF ABORTION RULING: A Milwaukee judge with Democratic support won a tight race for a spot on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The outcome means the state’s highest court will now be liberal leaning, represented by a majority of Democratic judges for the first time in 15 years. The results come ahead of a case that will decide future abortion laws across Wisconsin.

➤UKRAINE DRIVES BACK 45-RUSSIAN ATTACKS: Ukraine's armed forces said they had repelled 45 Russian attacks during the past 24 hours as fighting raged in and around the city of Bakhmut, while Washington pledged more weapons to help Kyiv prepare for a spring counteroffensive.

After weathering a punishing, months-long assault in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv's military commanders have said a counteroffensive is not far off but have stressed the importance of holding towns, including Bakhmut, and inflicting losses in the meantime. The United States on Tuesday unveiled $2.6 billion more in military assistance for the government of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, including three air surveillance radars, anti-tank rockets and fuel trucks. The U.S. has now provided more than $35 billion in military aid to Ukraine since Russia's invasion.

➤DETAINED REPORTER MEETS LAWYERS: WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich met with his lawyers for the first time, nearly a week after Russian authorities arrested him. Editor in chief Emma Tucker said that the attorneys reported he’s in good health and “grateful for the outpouring of support from around the world,” and that his family is relieved to know the paper is finally in contact with him. The White House said Gershkovich’s release is a priority for President Biden. The WSJ vehemently denies the espionage charges against him.

ࣸ➤LABOR MARKET REMAINS TIGHT: The number of U.S. job openings in February dropped below 10 million for the first time in nearly two years. The month saw a seasonally adjusted 9.9 million job openings, the Labor Department said, down from January’s downwardly revised 10.6 million. February’s openings were below a record 12 million last March, according to revised 2022 data, but still well above the 7 million openings in February 2020 before the pandemic. Job openings in February far outnumbered the 5.9 million unemployed people seeking work.

🏈NFL DRAFT 2023 RUMORS: TEXANS DOWN TO TWO QB CHOICES FOR NO. 2 PICK; HERE'S WHAT SETS THESE PROSPECTS APART: Rumor has it that the Houston Texans have boiled down their quarterback choices to two players—Bryce Young from Alabama and C.J. Stroud from Ohio State. The Texas team will have the second pick of players overall during the 2023 NFL draft. James Palmer of the NFL Network said: “If you listen to any of the decision-makers down there in Houston, they'll tell you, 'We're not going to compare the two, but they both check a lot of the boxes that we want checked on the field and off the field.'" (CBS NFL)

✞WWE LEGEND BUSHWHACKER BUTCH DEAD AT 78: Bushwhacker Butch—a Hall of Fame pro wrestler from New Zealand whose legal name is Robert Miller—died at the age of 78. The athlete was known for being half of the legendary duo known as The Bushwhackers, which included another New Zealander who announced his friend’s death on Instagram: “Late last night, I lost my friend, brother and tag team partner of over 50 years…we appeared in the largest venues in the world, in front of the biggest crowds professional wrestling had ever seen!... We did it all, we saw it all, and we accomplished it all together…If you were to read the story of my life it would say that I am only child, but it would be wrong. In life I had a brother and his name was Bob Miller. I love you, Bob.” (Fox News)

➤CAITLYN JENNER LAUNCHES 'FAIRNESS FIRST' PAC TO 'KEEP BOYS OUT OF WOMEN'S SPORTS': A political action committee called “Fairness First” was created by Caitlyn Jenner to stop transgender youth from competing in sports activities to “keep boys out of women’s sports.” Jenner argues that identifying as trans makes it easier for kids—especially trans girls who were assigned male at birth—to outcompete others in sporting events. While their website says the organization is non-partisan, Jenner stated that she created the organization in part because: "the radical left and their radical gender ideology have really tried to, over the years, blur that line between men and women.”

⚾ANGELS' ANTHONY RENDON SUSPENDED AFTER AGGRESSIVE ALTERCATION WITH A'S FAN: The fiery third baseman of the Los Angeles Angels will be suspended for four games after grabbing the shirt and attempting to swipe the hat of a fan heckling him during a game. Rendon’s initial punishment was a 5-game suspension but after appealing the punishment he will receive a four-game suspension.

🏀JILL BIDEN'S PRESS SECRETARY WALKS BACK COMMENT ON INVITING IOWA TO WHITE HOUSE AFTER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP LOSS: After witnessing the heart players from this year’s womens college basketball championship possessed on the court, First Lady Jill Biden suggested that the President invite both teams to the White House following the tight game. While the Iowa women’s basketball team fought hard, LSU reigned supreme as this year’s champions. After fans were upset Jill Biden suggested both teams should attend the exclusive White House visit, her press secretary tweeted out a series of posts clarifying that she is excited to celebrate: “the LSU Tigers on their championship win at the White House.”

➤SEVERE WEATHER STILL A RISK: Over 62 million are at risk of severe weather Wednesday as a major tornado-spawning storm system treks across the Central US, threatening more damage ahead after battering Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Michigan. At least five tornadoes were reported Tuesday, including two in Iowa and three in Illinois, where several buildings, including a gas station, were damaged in the town of Colona and multiple semi-trucks blown over along the I-88. The most notable impact has been large, baseball-sized hail. There were over 100 hail reports mainly across Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Michigan Tuesday. Davenport, Iowa, was pelted with 4-inch hail – just larger than a softball – while Oswego received smaller, baseball-sized hail.“Worst hail I’ve ever heard in Davenport. Sounded like bricks hitting the roof,” Davenport resident Paul Schmidt wrote on Facebook.


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