Thursday, May 11, 2023

5/11 WAKE-UP CALL: Trump Combative During CNN Town Hall


Donald Trump and Kaitlan Collins often got out of their chairs to go at each other in a tense 70-minute town hall on CNN on Wednesday night. The former president blasted Collins as a 'nasty person' slammed writer E. Jean Carroll for her rape accusation, refused to say he lost to Joe Biden in the 2020 election and defended the January 6th rioters. The former president blamed Nancy Pelosi for not securing the Capitol on the day of the riot and even pulled out notes of old tweets he posted that day.

Trump, 76, lost his temper with Collins, 31, when she pressed him as to why he had classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, his home in Palm Beach. The CNN anchor had a tough task keeping Trump on track in his appearance outside the conservative media bubble since 2020. The crowd at New Hampshire's St. Anselm College - made up of Republican primary voters and independent voters - cheered and applauded Trump's signature moves, which included name calling, taking out props, and dashing off quips at Collins. 'I like you guys,' Trump told them. 'We love New Hampshire.'

Former President Trump covered topics ranging from the 2nd Amendment to the debt ceiling in 70 minutes of tense questioning on CNN 

  • When moderator Kaitlan Collins grilled him on why he took so long to return classified documents, Trump blasted her as a 'nasty person'
  • Trump again denies knowing E. Jean Carroll as he responds to civil jury verdict - and mocks the name of her cat called 'vagina'
  • Says he had 'every right' to take classified documents with him after leaving White House - and calls Collins a 'nasty person'
  • Defends comments he made on 'Access Hollywood' tape, says he won't take it back
  • Doesn't feel he owes former VP Mike Pence an apology for January 6 riot
  • Trump pulls out tweets he sent during the Capitol Riot and says he will pardon suspects if elected again in 2024
  • Trump again refuses to acknowledge that he lost the 2020 election
  • Says he would accept 2024 election results if he believes 'it's an honest election'
  • Trump says he will protect 2nd Amendment if he's reelected - and would do 'numerous things' to address mass shootings
  • On debt ceiling: US should default if the White House does not agree to Republican spending cuts
  • Trump won't say whether he wants Russia or Ukraine to win war - and says Europe should be giving more money to Kyiv
  • Won't say if he believes Vladimir Putin is a war criminal while discussing Russia's war in Ukraine
  • Trump doesn't say whether he would sign federal abortion ban - and calls overturning Roe v. Wade a 'great victory'
REACTION:
  • Liberal journalists, AOC blast CNN over Trump town hall: 'Lost total control'
  • Chris Christie says Trump would give 'Ukraine over to Putin' to end war
  • CNN town hall 'proved Trump is stuck in the past': pro-DeSantis super PAC
  • CNN Media Reporter Oliver Darcy Slams ‘Spectacle of Lies’ in Network’s Trump Town Hall
  • Trump Town Hall Gets Failing Grade From CCN Viewers on Twitter: ‘It’s a Trump Infomercial’

➤HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE SAYS BIDENS RECEIVED OVERSEAS CASH: House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer identified nine members of President Biden’s family Wednesday who allegedly received foreign income after teasing the bombshell for weeks. “Since you asked, I’ll tell you,” Comer (R-Ky.) told a rapt room of reporters at the Capitol after laying out new bank record evidence showing first son Hunter Biden received $1 million from a corrupt Romanian businessman while his dad was vice president.

“Joe Biden’s son [Hunter], Joe Biden’s brother [James], Joe Biden’s brother’s wife [Sara], Hunter Biden’s girlfriend or Beau Biden’s widow [Hallie], however, you want to write that, Hunter Biden’s ex-wife [Kathleen Buhle], Hunter Biden’s current wife [Melissa Cohen], and three children of the president’s son and the president’s brother,” Comer said. The chairman seemed to indicate that only one of Biden’s grandchildren and two of his brother’s children got the foreign funds. “We’re talking about grandchil — a grandchild,” Comer said at the press conference. “That’s odd, most people that work hard every day’s grandchild doesn’t get a wire from a foreign national.” 

James Biden has three children, including daughter Caroline, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to making over $100,000 in charges on a stolen credit card. Emails from Hunter’s abandoned laptop show Caroline turned up her nose at an $85,000 job offer that would have allowed her to serve her probationary period near her beloved cousin in California.

Meanwhile, The FBI missed a noon deadline Wednesday to provide a document allegedly linking Biden to a cash for access 'criminal scheme,' angering top Republicans who issued a subpoena last week demanding the unclassified record. After the deadline passed, the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee's Comer, accused the FBI of 'refusing' to provide the document to his committee.  'The FBI's position is 'trust, but you aren't allowed to verify.' That is unacceptable. We plan to follow up with the FBI and expect compliance with the subpoena,' Comer said in a statement.

➤MURDERER OF PROTESTER GETS 25 YEARS: An Army sergeant who was convicted of murdering a protester at a Black Lives Matter rally in 2020 has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Daniel Perry shot Garrett Foster at a rally in Austin, Texas, held two months after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Governor Greg Abbott has publicly said he wants to pardon Perry.

➤THE COVID EMERGENCY IS OVER: The nation’s Covid public health emergency officially ends today. That doesn’t mean that Covid has disappeared. It does mean that it will be treated like any other transmissible disease, at least as far as the federal government is concerned. In other words, no more free testing and treatment for all. In the three years the pandemic emerged, the Covid virus has caused 1.1 million deaths in the U.S. and nearly seven million worldwide.

➤FDA FAVORS O-T-C BIRTH-CONTROL PILLS: FDA advisers voted unanimously in favor of selling birth-control pills over the counter for the first time. They said the benefits of making oral contraceptives available without a prescription outweighed the risks. The FDA, which is expected to make a final decision this summer, isn’t required to follow the expert panel’s advice, though it often does. The FDA approved Opill for prescription use in 1973. Last July, a company that makes the pill, which is owned by Dublin-based generic drugmaker Perrigo, applied to sell it OTC.

➤CONGRESSMAN SANTOS BOOKED ON FRAUD CHARGES: U.S. Representative George Santos, the New York Republican whose biography turned out to be a work of fiction, was arrested on 13 charges yesterday, most of them related to his campaign fundraising for Congress. Federal prosecutors accused him of wire fraud, money laundering, stealing public funds and lying on federal disclosure forms. He pleaded not guilty to all charges in a hearing yesterday and was released on a $500,000 bond.

➤INFLATION EASED SLIGHTLY IN APRIL: but price gains remain historically high. The consumer-price index rose 4.9% in April from a year earlier, the Labor Department said, down slightly from March’s 5% increase. April is the 10th straight month of cooling. The Fed, which aggressively raised rates for more than a year to try to slow economic activity, is looking to see signs of inflation declining toward its 2% target as it makes its next decision on rates in June. The S&P 500 and U.S. bonds rose after the inflation data was released.

➤RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH ACCUSED OF SUPPORTING INVASION: Ukrainian authorities cracked down on the local Russian Orthodox Church as part of their effort to rid the country of Moscow’s influence.  The Russian-aligned church—officially known as the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate—supports the invasion, authorities say. Don’t confuse this with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, a newer Kyiv-based denomination with no ties to Russia, which is the country’s largest religious group. Millions of Ukrainians still belong to Moscow Patriarchate churches. Ukraine says the Moscow Patriarchate is full of spies and Russian sympathizers, but church leaders say they cut all remaining ties last May. Ukraine-aligned religious figures say that many members of the Moscow Patriarchate are loyal citizens and accuse top leaders of playing into Russia’s expansionist ambitions.

➤MIGRANT FLOOD STRAINS CHICAGO: A flood of migrants have been flown or bussed to Chicago from the southern states in recent days, straining the city’s resources. Dozens of police stations have opened their doors to offer temporary refuge, and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot declared a health emergency. The situation is expected to get worse starting today. A change in pandemic-era rules that allowed for the expulsion of many migrants is expiring. That has led to fears of a massive increase in border crossings. 

In New York State, Governor Kathy Hochul is mobilizing the National Guard to help deal with the expected surge in migrant arrivals.

➤FORT HOOD NO LONGER EXISTS: The U.S Army base formerly called Fort Hood is now officially Fort Cavazos. The renaming is part of a military campaign to remove honors bestowed on Confederate heroes. In this case, Confederate General John Bell Hood’s name is being replaced with that of General Richard Edward Cavazos, who fought in Korea and Vietnam and won both the Silver Star and the Distinguished Service Cross, plus five Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart.


🏀NBA KNICKS 112 HEAT 103: Jalen Brunson dropped a stunning 38 points as he, Julius Randle and R.J. Barrett combine for 88 in dramatic 112-103 victory over the Heat to keep NBA playoff hopes alive and force Game 6 in Miami

🏀NBA WARRIORS 121 LAKERS 106: In Game Four on Monday, the Golden State Warriors let a dominant Steph Curry performance fall by the wayside as they blew away their chance to tie the series against the Los Angeles Lakers. They did not repeat that mistake on Wednesday. Golden State last trailed at the 7:41 mark of the second quarter. After letting the Lakers tie things up that same quarter, the Warriors pulled away and never looked back - ultimately defeating Los Angeles 121-106. That result pushes elimination from the NBA Playoffs to another day as the Warriors sent the series back to Los Angeles and will fight again with the deficit trimmed down to a 3-2 Laker advantage.

🏀WHO’S ON FIRST? The All-NBA first team announced yesterday includes Joel Embiid of the 76ers, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks, Jayson Tatum of the Celtics, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder, and Luka Doncic of the Mavericks. On the second team are Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets, Jaylen Brown of the Celtics, Jimmy Butler of the Heat, Stephen Curry of the Warriors and Donovan Mitchell of the Cavaliers. The third team gets De’Aron Fox of the Kings, Damian Lillard of the Trail Blazers, Julius Randle of the Knicks, LeBron James of the Lakers and Domantas Sabonis of the Kings. This is LeBron James’ 19th All-NBA selection in 20 seasons.

🏒NHL HOCKEY:  Toronto Maple Leafs fend off late charge from the Florida Panthers, winning 2-1 to avoid a sweepWilliam Nylander and Mitch Marner scored the goals needed to avoid the sweep. Game 5 will see the series move back to Toronto on Friday evening

⚾MLB METS 2 CINCY 1:  Justin Verlander pitched seven innings of two-hit ball for his first victory with the Mets, and Pete Alonso hit his major league-leading 13th home run as New York squeezed out a 2-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday night. Brandon Nimmo had three hits, including a go-ahead single in the fourth to help the Mets win for just the fourth time in 16 games. Cincinnati had been the only MLB team Verlander had never beaten. The three-time Cy Young Award winner became the 21st pitcher in big league history with at least one win against all 30 current clubs. He joined Gerrit Cole, Zack Greinke and teammate Max Scherzer as the only active pitchers to do it.

⚾MLB YANKEES 11, ATHLETICS 3: Rookie Anthony Volpe hit his first career grand slam to cap a seven-run fifth inning and New York pulled away to rout Oakland and complete their first series sweep this season. Harrison Bader hit a three-run homer in the first inning that was upheld after a review and DJ LeMahieu added a two-run shot in the fifth. The Yankees hit nine homers in the series.

⚾MLB ORIOLES 2, RAYS 1:  Dean Kremer pitched six scoreless innings and Baltimore edged out Tampa Bay to take two of three in a series between the top two teams in the American League. Kremer (4-1) allowed four hits and the Orioles broke through for two runs in the sixth. After allowing a single and a double, Yonny Chirinos (1-1) committed a pitch clock violation with the count 3-1 on Ryan Mountcastle. That walk loaded the bases with nobody out. Yennier Cano pitched a perfect ninth for his third save.

🏈FORMER RAIDERS PLAYER PLEADS GUILTY IN FATAL DUI: Henry Ruggs the Third, a former wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders, has pleaded guilty in a fatal crash that killed a young woman in Las Vegas in late 2021. He faces a sentence of three to 10 years in a state prison for his plea of guilty to a charge of DUI resulting in death and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. Ruggs was a first-round pick out of Alabama for the Raiders in 2020 and played just 13 games before being released after the fatal crash.

🏀WEST VIRGINIA COACH PAYS FOR ON-AIR SLUR: West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins has been docked $1 million in pay for a radio interview during which he managed to disparage gay people and Catholics in the same sentence. He’ll also be suspended for three games. The pay hit will bring his annual salary down to about $3.2 million. In an interview on News Radio 700 WLW in Cincinnati, Huggins commented on an incident in which fans who he thinks must have been gay and Catholic apparently threw rubber penises on the floor during a game between Cincinnati and Xavier.

🏈JETS MEET DOLPHINS IN FIRST BLACK FRIDAY GAME: The New York Jets will host the Miami Dolphins in the NFL’s first Black Friday game. The game is scheduled for November 24th. The full NFL schedule will be released later today.



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