Monday, August 7, 2023

8/7 WAKE-UP CALL: Trump Attorney Says Defense Is 'Quite Simple'

John Lauro, one of Donald Trump’s attorneys in the federal case over his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, vehemently defended the former president against allegations Trump knowingly spread false claims of election fraud to remain in power and claimed Trump's efforts were merely "aspirational," not criminal. “The defense is quite simple,” Lauro said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “President Trump believed in his heart of hearts that he had won that election.” Trump’s defense team has argued the free speech protections in the First Amendment shield Trump from the charges outlined in the indictment, which accuse him of a criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election and obstruct the certification of electors.

➤PENCE, TRUMP ATTORNEY CLASH: Donald Trump’s defense attorney says the former president never asked Mike Pence to overturn the will of the voters in the 2020 election, but only wanted the former vice president to “pause” the certification of votes to allow states to investigate his claims of election fraud. Those baseless claims had already been rejected by numerous courts. The former president on Sunday also lashed out at the judge overseeing the case, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan. On his Truth Social platform, Trump said his legal team would be “immediately asking for recusal of this judge,” as well as to move the case outside of Washington.

➤JUDGE TURNS DOWN TRUMP REQUEST: A federal judge on Saturday denied a request from former President Donald Trump’s legal team for a deadline extension over the handling of evidence in the 2020 election subversion case. Trump’s lawyers will have to respond by Monday afternoon to the Justice Department’s proposal for a protective order. John Lauro, an attorney for Trump, told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” Sunday that Trump’s team intends to keep fighting the requested order. “The press and the American people in a campaign season have a right to know what the evidence is in this case provided that this evidence is not protected otherwise,” Lauro said.

➤AMERICANS SPLIT OVER TRUMP: Half of American voters think former President Donald Trump tried to stay in office illegally, putting democracy at risk, but another third believes his efforts to overturn the 2020 election were legal, a poll showed Sunday. Sharply divided along party lines, the CBS News/YouGov poll released Sunday found 57% of Americans see last week’s federal indictment of the former president as upholding the rule of law while 52% said it was upholding democracy. But roughly the same number, 59%, said they thought the indictment was an attempt to stop Trump’s presidential campaign. That sentiment was particularly strong among 86% of Republicans.

Taken last Wednesday through Friday, the poll found 56% percent of Republicans considered the indictment as ‘an attack on people like you.” That number hit 77% among so-called MAGA Republicans who have adopted Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan The poll found 51% of Americans think Trump tried to stay in office illegally, and another 29% said what he did was legal. Two-thirds of Republicans surveyed said they do not believe President Biden was legitimately elected. By comparison, 97% of Democrats said Biden was the honest winner.

⚽U-S FANS ANGRY: Angry USA soccer fans rounded on Megan Rapinoe for laughing after she missed a crucial penalty in the World Cup penalty shoot-out against Sweden, which USWNT eventually lost to be knocked out of the tournament. It meant that Rapinoe, 38, has played her last World Cup game for the USA.  She was crying on the field with her devastated teammates in Melbourne after Sweden won but it was her immediate reaction to her own penalty miss that left many fans with little sympathy.


⚽TRUMP ZEROES IN ON RAPINOE: Donald Trump on Sunday laughed at Megan Rapinoe for missing a penalty in the World Cup, which saw the team crash out. The outspoken Rapinoe is as well known for her activism and support of left-wing causes as she is for her sporting achievements , and Trump on Sunday singled her out, as usual, for particular opprobrium. Trump and Rapinoe have years of history of feuding. 'The 'shocking and totally unexpected' loss by the U.S. Women's Soccer Team to Sweden is fully emblematic of what is happening to the our once great Nation under Crooked Joe Biden,' wrote Trump on social media. 'Many of our players were openly hostile to America - No other country behaved in such a manner, or even close. WOKE EQUALS FAILURE. Nice shot Megan, the USA is going to Hell!!! MAGA.'

➤RUSSIA, CHINA CRUISE OFF ALASKA: Eleven military vessels from China and Russia found operating near the Aleutian Islands last week were met by four U.S. Navy destroyers, Alaska’s two U.S. senators said.  The two Republican senators, Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski, issued a joint news release Saturday night saying they had been briefed about the operation. "We have been in close contact with leadership from Alaska Command for several days now and received detailed classified briefings about the foreign vessels," Murkowski said. "The incursion by 11 Chinese and Russian warships operating together – off the coast of Alaska – is yet another reminder that we have entered a new era of authoritarian aggression led by the dictators in Beijing and Moscow," Sullivan said.

➤'RENOWNED' NYC CANCER DOCTOR KILLS HER INFANT AND HERSELF: A prominent New York City cancer doctor shot her young child before turning the gun on herself, police said Saturday. Few details were immediately provided by investigators probing the deaths of Dr. Krystal Cascetta, 40, and her infant. The New York State Police said in a press release that the scene at the family’s home in Westchester County was “consistent with a murder/suicide.” A preliminary investigation had revealed that Cascetta, whom state police characterized as a “renowned” oncologist at Mount Sinai, entered her baby’s room at around 7 a.m. on Saturday. The doctor shot the child before shooting herself, state police said.

➤MAN IN FLOODED BOAT SAW SHARKS CIRCLING WHILE TRAPPED 38 HOURS OFF FLORIDA: The U.S. Coast Guard successfully located a missing boater, Charles Gregory, 25, who was found drifting 12 miles off St. Augustine, Florida, in a partially submerged boat. The man had been reported missing on Friday. After launching Thursday, a rogue wave hit the boat and knocked it over. A second wave came and knocked everything out of the boat and Charles needed to tread water next to the boat because if he got on the boat it would sink. Gregory's boat was filled with water, and he faced challenges with circling sharks during the nearly two-day ordeal. Fortunately, he suffered no life-threatening injuries, although his leg muscles were atrophied, causing difficulty in walking. Despite watching numerous boats and planes pass by, Gregory remained unnoticed until his rescue. His father expressed gratitude for the miraculous rescue, emphasizing the power of faith in such challenging circumstances.

➤NASA REESTABLISHES CONTACT WITH VOYAGER 2 SPACECRAFT AFTER WEEKS OF SILENCE: NASA has restored full communications with its Voyager 2 spacecraft following weeks of silence. The agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said Friday that NASA's Deep Space Network facility in Canberra, Australia, sent the "equivalent of an interstellar ‘shout’ more than 12.3 billion miles to Voyager 2," commanding the spacecraft to turn its antenna back to Earth. "With a one-way light time of 18.5 hours for the command to reach Voyager, it took 37 hours for mission controllers to learn whether the command worked." Shortly before 12:30 a.m. EDT Friday, the spacecraft began returning science and telemetry data.

⛟THE END FOR YELLOW: Yellow, the 99-year-old trucking company, filed for bankruptcy and is closing the business, falling victim to mounting debt including a government loan and a standoff with the Teamsters union. The bankruptcy follows years of struggles for the Nashville, Tenn.-based trucker as it tried to address the debt it accumulated through a series of mergers and a $700 million federal Covid-19 relief loan during the pandemic. On July 30, the company shut down its operations and laid off a large number of workers. “It is with profound disappointment that Yellow announces that it is closing after nearly 100 years in business,” Chief Executive Darren Hawkins said in announcing the filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late Sunday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.

➤MEGA MILLIONS GOES MEGA: Another Mega Millions drawing, another night without a jackpot winner. The numbers drawn Friday night were: 11, 30, 45, 52, 56 and the gold ball 20. Because no one matched all six numbers and won the estimated $1.35 billion jackpot, the top prize increased to $1.55 billion for the next drawing Tuesday night. There now have been 31 straight drawings without a jackpot winner. The last time someone won the Mega Millions jackpot was April 18. The $1.55 billion prize would be for a sole winner who chooses the annuity option with payment stretched over 30 years. Most winners opt for a lump-sum payment, which would be an estimated $757.2 million on Tuesday.

🎥BARBIE LOOKS A BILLION': After just three weekends in theaters, "Barbie" is set to drive past $1 billion in global ticket sales, breaking a record for female directors that was previously held by Patty Jenkins, who helmed "Wonder Woman." "Barbie," which Greta Gerwig directed and co-wrote, added another $53 million from 4,178 North American locations this weekend, according to studio estimates on Sunday. The Margot Robbie-led and produced film has been comfortably seated in first place since the film's release July 21. Warner Bros. said the film will cross $1 billion before the end of the day. In modern box-office history, just 53 movies have made more than $1 billion, not accounting for inflation, and "Barbie" is now the biggest to be directed by one woman, supplanting "Wonder Woman's" $821.8 million global total.


⚽USWNT'S MEGAN RAPINOE RUES ENDING WORLD CUP CAREER WITH PENALTY MISS: Megan Rapinoe lamented ending her final World Cup with a missed penalty as the United States women's national team exited in the round of 16 for the first time in its history. Asked what she was thinking when she stepped up to take her penalty, Rapinoe said: "I'm gonna score. Back of the net. Always." And what was going through her mind after she missed? "A sick joke," Rapinoe said. "That's why I had that smile on my face."

⚾MLB SCORES

  • Astros 9 Yankees 7
  • Phillies 8 Royals 4
  • Rays 10 Tigers 6
  • White Sox 5 Guardians 3
  • Orioles 2 Mets 0
  • Blue Jays 13 Red Sox 1
  • Nationals 6 Reds 3
  • Pirates 4 Brewers 1
  • Twins 5 D-Backs 3
  • Rockies 1 Cardinals 0
  • Cubs 6 Braves 4
  • Rangers 6 Marlins 0
  • Mariners 3 Angels 2
  • Athletics 8 Giants 6
  • Dodgers 8 Padres 2

🏈NFL HALL GETS NEW MEMBERS: Darrell Revis, Joe Klecko, DeMarcus Ware, Ken Riley, Joe and Zach Thomas, Ronde Barber, Don Coryell and Chuck Howley were enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio Saturday. A late-arriving crowd filled with Jets and Browns fans came for Revis, Klecko and local hero Joe Thomas for the week of festivities that included Cleveland´s 21-16 victory over New York in the NFL preseason opener on Thursday. After Klecko and Fireman Ed got the green-clad crowd roaring 'J-E-T-S! Jets! Jets! Jets!' four-time All-Pro cornerback Revis took his spot on the stage, and in the hall.



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