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Wednesday, September 27, 2023

9/27 WAKE-UP CALL: Trump Deals Called Fraud


A New York judge ruled Donald Trump committed fraud in valuing his real-estate empire's assets. The judge ordered the cancellation of legal certificates that have allowed the Trumps to do business in New York. The ruling sided with state Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, on part of her civil-fraud case against the former president ahead of a trial that is set to begin next week. Trump has denied the allegations and attacked the case as politically motivated. A lawyer for Trump didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

If not successfully appealed, the decision will revoke the Trump Organization’s “business certificates,” preventing the 77-year-old from conducting business in the Empire State until the revocation is rescinded. “The decision today is a final decision that fraud is proven, The judge made this decision on the basis of Trump’s own documents. The evidence is Trump’s own documentation,” Andrew P. Napolitano, former New Jersey Superior Court judge, told The Post. “These are indisputable facts — the case is based entirely on the documents his lenders and his insurance companies produced.”


➤HUNTER BIDEN SUES RUDY GIULIANI: Hunter Biden filed a civil lawsuit Tuesday against Rudy Giuliani and his former attorney, claiming they caused “total annihilation” of his digital privacy and violated federal and state computer privacy laws through their alleged efforts to hack his devices. In the lawsuit filed in federal court in California, Hunter Biden accuses Giuliani and Robert Costello of spending years “hacking into, tampering with, manipulating, copying, disseminating, and generally obsessing over data that they were given that was taken or stolen from” his devices.

🍁CANADA HOUSE SPEAKER RESIGNS: The speaker of Canada’s House of Commons, Anthony Rota, resigned on Tuesday amid a spiraling scandal over his having led Parliament in a standing ovation Friday for a 98-year-old Ukrainian immigrant who turns out to have fought in a Nazi unit during World War II. Since the Forward reported Sunday morning on the background of the 98-year-old veteran, Yaroslav Hunka, Jewish groups and Canadian lawmakers have condemned the ovation, and the Polish minister of education said he had “taken steps” toward an extradition of Hunka for any potential atrocities committed against Poles and Jews during the war.

➤WRITERS HEADED BACK TO WORK: The Hollywood screenwriters' strike, one of two strikes that have stalled movie and TV productions for nearly five months, will officially end Wednesday. The Writers Guild of America board unanimously voted Tuesday to affirm the strike-ending deal, announced Sunday, with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the group that represents studios, streaming services and production companies in negotiations. "Today, our Negotiating Committee, WGAW Board, and WGAE Council all voted unanimously to recommend the agreement," the Writers Guild West announced on X, formerly Twitter. "The strike ends at 12:01 am." The agreed-upon three-year contract extension will go to the full WGA membership for a ratification vote. But the leadership board lifted the restraining order to allow writers to work during the ratification process. The members will vote between Oct. 2 and 9.


➤COLLISION COURSE: Senate Democratic and Republican leaders unveiled their plan to avoid a government shutdown. The bipartisan proposal would extend funding until Nov. 17 while also providing about $6 billion apiece for Ukraine and for disaster relief. The Senate plan was released as the chamber prepared a vote to open debate on the measure, while the House was preparing to vote to advance four full-year funding bills. Dissident House Republicans will determine whether to block that procedural vote, or if they want to entertain Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s proposal to pass all four, followed by a single stopgap bill later in the week that would give them more time to enact full-year spending measures. A government shutdown, which would take effect on Oct. 1 without a deal, could create havoc at airports and delay the routine release of fresh economic data that Fed officials will use to decide whether to raise interest rates at their next meeting.

➤AMAZON SUED: The FTC and 17 states sued Amazon, alleging it operates an illegal online-marketplace monopoly. The lawsuit alleges that the retailer violated antitrust laws by using anti-discounting measures that punished merchants for offering lower prices elsewhere. The government also said sellers on Amazon were compelled to use the retailer’s logistics service if they wanted their goods to appear in its Amazon Prime subscription program, and felt they must use Amazon’s services such as advertising to be successful on the platform. 

The lawsuit is “wrong on the facts and the law,” said David Zapolsky, Amazon’s general counsel and head of public policy, and the practices it challenges are beneficial to the company’s customers and third-party sellers. Separately, details of Google’s strategies—including hardball tactics used on key smartphone partners Apple and Samsung Electronics—are spilling out into public view as part of a landmark antimonopoly trial that began this month.

💸RISING INTEREST RATES HIT CONSUMERS: Consumers in the market for loans to buy homes and cars are discovering that, because of the Fed’s rate increases, their money gets them a lot less than it would have a few years ago. Meanwhile, those with credit cards and other loans that carry rates pegged to broader benchmarks are finding they have gotten much more expensive. Data released today show home prices rose 1% in July from a year earlier as low supply continued to frustrate buyers. Rising mortgage rates have spooked potential home sellers, who are staying put to keep their low rates.

➤ROB MOB HITS DOWNTOWN PHILLY:   Large crowds of juveniles looted multiple stores and damaged property across Center City Philadelphia Tuesday night, police said. It was around 8 p.m. when police started receiving calls that large crowds off juveniles were making their way into Center City, police said.

Among the stores looted were the Footlocker and the Apple store near 15th and Chestnut and the Lululemon in Center City. Acting Police Commissioner John Stanford said Tuesday night's looting had nothing to do with the peaceful protest that took place earlier after charges were dismissed against the officer who shot and killed Eddie Irizarry. Stanford also said police have made 15-20 arrests so far and two firearms have been recovered, but they aren't sure if they are connected to the looting. Over 100 juveniles and young adults were involved but at this time police are not sure how many businesses were affected.

NY Post 9/27/23
➤TARGET CLOSING  9 STORES: Target is pulling up stakes in Harlem because of rampant theft and violence — one of nine stores the discount chain plans to shutter in crime-riddled cities nationwide, the company said Tuesday. The big-box retailer — which opened the East Harlem location to great fanfare in 2010 as a revitalization of the neighborhood — announced it will close all nine stores on Oct. 21. “We cannot continue operating these stores because theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of our team and guests, and contributing to unsustainable business performance,” the Minneapolis-based chain said in a statement. The other locations to be shuttered are in San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland, Ore. — all cities with progressive prosecutors who refuse to go after shoplifters despite the growing scourge of organized retail theft since the pandemic.


➤COMMANDER BIDEN BITES AGENT:
President Joe Biden's dog Commander bit another Secret Service agent, the agency confirmed, the 11th known biting incident of an officer by the 2-year-old purebred German Shepherd. The incident occurred Monday night around 8 p.m. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said that a Uniformed Division police officer "came in contact with a First Family pet and was bitten." The injured officer was treated by medical personnel on White House grounds and is doing OK, Guglielmi said. Records made public by the conservative group Judicial Watch in July revealed 10 previous biting incident attacks from Commander against Secret Service officers. In one instance, a Secret Service agent had to be treated at a hospital.

✞ORIOLES GREAT BROOKS ROBINSON: Brooks Robinson, a virtuoso third baseman who was known as "The Human Vacuum Cleaner" because of his defensive prowess during a Hall of Fame career spent entirely with Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles, died on Tuesday. He was 86. Considered by many to be the greatest defensive third baseman the game has ever seen, and adored by fans for both his on-field exploits and his humble and gracious demeanor, Robinson helped Baltimore advance to the postseason six times and win two World Series titles . 

“We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of Brooks Robinson. An integral part of our Orioles Family since 1955, he will continue to leave a lasting impact on our club, our community, and the sport of baseball,” the Orioles said in a statement posted on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Robinson won 16 Gold Gloves as the best at his position and was named an All-Star 18 times. But it will be his stellar play at third base during the 1970 World Series against the powerful Cincinnati Reds for which will be remembered by most fans.

⚾MLB PHILLIES 3 PIRATES 2:  Johan Rojas singled to center field with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning and the host Philadelphia Phillies clinched a playoff berth for the second consecutive season with a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday. Rojas had two hits and Brandon Marsh hit a solo home run for the Phillies (88-69). "Once again, the word is incredible," Rojas said on a postgame interview on NBC Sports Philadelphia. "What a moment. What a year. It was a great team effort."

⚾MLB  ANGELS 9 RANGERS 3: Brandon Drury smacked a three-run homer and Reid Detmers pitched seven solid innings to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 9-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night in Anaheim, Calif. Michael Stefanic and Eduardo Escobar drove in two runs apiece for Los Angeles, which won for just the third time in the past 13 games. Drury had three hits and scored twice while Randal Grichuk, Logan O'Hoppe and Joey Adell each had two hits during a 12-hit attack.

⚾MLB SCORES:

  • Yankees 2 Blue Jays 0
  • Rays 9 Red Sox  7
  • Rockies 4 Dodgers 1
  • Reds 11 Guardians 7
  • Orioles 1 Nationals 0
  • Tigers 6 Royals 3
  • Braves 7 Cubs 6
  • D-Backs 15 White Sox 4
  • Cardinals 4 Brewers 1
  • Twins 11 Athletics 3
  • Dodgers 11 Rockies 2
  • Padres 4 Giants 0
  • Mariners 6 Astros 2
  • Marlins at Mets PP

🏈RAIDERS' CHANDLER JONES SAYS HE WAS HOSPITALIZED AGAINST WILL: Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones wrote in a social media post Monday night that he was taken to a hospital "against my will" by the Las Vegas Fire Department and later transferred to a behavioral health facility last week. Jones was placed on the non-football illness list last week by the Raiders with what the team has described as a personal matter. He has been away from the team since Labor Day weekend when he began a series of social media posts aimed at the Raiders, owner Mark Davis, general manager Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels.



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