Wednesday, May 29, 2024

5/29 WAKE-UP CALL: Jury Gets Trump Case Today


In closing arguments, the prosecution and the defense in Donald Trump’s hush-money case described to jurors what sounded like two different trials. A prosecutor told jurors that Trump forged a corrupt bargain with a tabloid publisher and former fixer Michael Cohen to silence negative stories—resulting in one of the most valuable contributions ever made to the Trump campaign. Earlier, the former president’s lawyer argued that prosecutors portrayed minor criminal charges involving business records as a sweeping conspiracy, calling Cohen, the prosecution’s star witness, a “G.L.O.A.T.,” or the Greatest Liar Of All Time. Jury deliberations will likely begin tomorrow. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying records for allegedly covering up a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels over a sexual encounter that he denies.

Jurors will be back on Wednesday morning, when they will get instructions from Judge Juan Merchan, and then begin deliberations. What exactly would happen if the jury finds Trump guilty is difficult to predict. 


Trump is being tried in New York state court, where judges have broad authority to determine when sentences are handed down after convictions and what exactly they will be, according to former Manhattan prosecutor Duncan Levin. That differs from federal court, where there's typically a waiting period between a conviction and sentencing.

➤MISCONDUCT COMPLAINT FILED: Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) filed a misconduct complaint Tuesday against the judge overseeing Donald Trump’s Manhattan hush money trial, alleging that his selection to handle the former president’s case — and others involving his allies — is “not random at all.”  The House Republican Conference chairwoman’s complaint with the inspector general of the New York State Unified Court System called for an investigation into Justice Juan Merchan “to determine whether the required random selection process was in fact followed.”  “The potential misconduct pertains to the repeated assignment of Acting Justice Juan Merchan, a Democrat Party donor, to criminal cases related to President Donald J. Trump and his allies,” Stefanik wrote.

➤ISRAELI TANKS ADVANCE ON RAFAH: Israeli tanks advanced further into Rafah, according to witnesses, as international condemnation grows. Israel is trying to fight Hamas in the southern Gazan city without further damaging its relationship with the U.S. or derailing fragile relations with the Arab world. A Sunday airstrike that Palestinian officials said killed dozens of civilians demonstrated the challenge; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the deaths a “tragic mistake.” The airstrike turned up political pressure on President Biden. For months, Israel has said it wants to destroy the last of Hamas’s military structure in Rafah and disrupt the U.S.-designated terrorist organization’s Egypt-Gaza smuggling network.

➤TWH: ISRAEL HASN'T CROSSED THE RED-LINE:  The Biden administration said on Tuesday it was closely monitoring the probe into a deadly Israeli airstrike it called tragic, but that the recent deaths in Rafah didn't constitute a major ground operation there that crosses any U.S. red lines. "The Israelis have said this is a tragic mistake," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the White House, when asked about whether the events over the weekend qualified as the type of "death and destruction" U.S. officials have warned could result in the withholding of more aid to Israel.

"We've also said we don't want to see a major ground operation in Rafah that would really make it hard for the Israelis to go after Hamas without causing extensive damage and potentially a large number of deaths. We have not seen that yet," he said, noting that Israel's operations were mostly in a corridor on the outskirts of Rafah.


BIDEN'S PIER DAMAGED BY SEAS: The $320 million pier the Pentagon built to ferry desperately needed aid to Palestinians in Gaza was damaged by high seas and must be towed to Israel for repairs. The Biden administration had touted the pier for weeks as a vital alternative to land routes to ship food and medicine to Palestinians caught in the war between Israel and Hamas. Its operation, however, got off to a rough start with the first trucks laden with aid prevented by mobs from reaching their destination. High seas in recent days combined with a storm that moved in from west Africa have damaged the pier, Sabrina Singh, deputy Pentagon press secretary, told reporters Tuesday.

➤DEMS IN FULL-BLOWN 'FREAKOUT' OVER BIDEN:  A pervasive sense of fear has settled in at the highest levels of the Democratic Party over President Joe Biden’s reelection prospects, even among officeholders and strategists who had previously expressed confidence about the coming battle with Donald Trump. All year, Democrats had been on a joyless and exhausting grind through the 2024 election. But now, nearly five months from the election, anxiety has morphed into palpable trepidation, according to more than a dozen party leaders and operatives. And the gap between what Democrats will say on TV or in print, and what they’ll text their friends, has only grown as worries have surged about Biden’s prospects. Politico

➤NIGERIA'S FIRST LADY RIPS CELEBS OVER 'NAKEDNESS': Nigeria’s first lady slams US celebs after Meghan Markle visit over 'nakedness' . . . In a bold address just weeks after Meghan Markle’s high-profile visit, Nigeria’s First Lady issued a stern warning to the nation’s women: Don’t lose yourself trying to emulate American celebrities. Oluremi Tinubu urged teenagers and young people to dress more modestly and reject the scantily-clad styles popularized by US stars. “We have to salvage our children,” she declared. “We see the way they dress. We are not having the Met Gala. And everyone, the nakedness, is just everywhere and the men are well-clothed.” She continued, “Tell them we don’t accept nakedness in our culture. New York Post 

➤GAS BLAST ROCKS YOUNGSTOWN: Seven people were hospitalized and one person was unaccounted for after a natural gas explosion damaged a building in downtown Youngstown, Ohio on Tuesday, fire officials said. Youngstown Fire Chief Barry Finley, speaking to local media Tuesday afternoon, said the missing person had come into work at the building, but crews had not located him after the blast.

"His wife said he came to work, his coworkers said he came to work, but we can't find him," Finley said. The blast rang out at Chase Bank, which occupies the first floor of the 13-story building that also houses numerous apartments, local outlets WFMJ and WKBN reported. Fire officials encouraged area residents to avoid the downtown area.

⛽SHAREHOLDERS OKAY MASSIVE OIL DEAL: Hess’s shareholders voted to approve a $53 billion deal to sell the company to Chevron. The agreement came amid the two companies’ public feud with Exxon Mobil over Hess’s share of a massive oil bounty in Guyana. Exxon says it has a right to challenge Chevron’s offer for Hess’s shares in a drilling consortium it is part of alongside Chinese oil giant Cnooc, and is pursuing arbitration. Several large Hess shareholders had said they would abstain from voting due to the disagreement. In other deal news, T-Mobile agreed to buy most of U.S. Cellular’s operations including debt in a roughly $4.4 billion deal. The latter is one of the last major regional wireless carriers in the U.S.

➤GRACELAND SNAFU ENDS: A bizarre legal battle over “fraudulent” efforts to sell Elvis Presley’s Graceland mansion came to close after a Tennessee judge granted his granddaughter Riley Keough a court order blocking the looming foreclosure before the mysterious loan company that orchestrated the event reportedly withdrew its filings. But the story isn’t over, as Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti launched an investigation into potential “misconduct” by the shadowy creditors behind the incident: “My office has fought fraud against homeowners for decades and there is no home in Tennessee more beloved than Graceland."

⚾GIANTS 1 PHILLIES 0: Tyler Fitzgerald raced from second to third, then third to home on consecutive fly balls in the bottom of the 10th inning Tuesday night, lifting the San Francisco Giants to a 1-0 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies.

Starting with the extra-innings courtesy baserunner on second, the Phillies elected to walk Heliot Ramos intentionally before Wilmer Flores' fly to center field got Fitzgerald to third. Luis Matos then lifted a pitch by Matt Strahm (3-1) to left field, just deep enough to allow Fitzgerald to dive home ahead of a strong throw by Brandon Marsh. The Phillies did nothing with their opportunity in the top of the 10th against Sean Hjelle (2-1).

In a game that featured just one extra-base hit -- a double by Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto leading off the sixth -- scoring opportunities were in scarce supply over the first nine innings. The Phillies failed in their five chances with a runner in scoring position, while Giants hitters went 0-for-9.

⚾MLB SCORES

  • Giants 1 Phillies 0
  • Angels 4 Yankees 3
  • Athletics 3 Rays 0
  • Mariners 4 Astros 2
  • Padres 4 Marlins 0
  • Guardians 13 Rockies 7
  • Rangers 4 D-Backs 2
  • Cubs 6 Brewers 3
  • Twins 4 Royals 2
  • Dodgers 3 Mets 0
  • Braves 2 Nationals 0
  • Cardinals 7 Reds 1
  • Red Sox 8 Orioles 3
  • Dodgers 5 Mets 2
🏀NBA SCORES:
  • Timberwolves 105 Mavericks 100

🠊The Minnesota Timberwolves stayed alive in the Western Conference finals Tuesday night, riding Anthony Edwards' game-high 29 points and Karl-Anthony Towns' recalibrated long-range shooting form to a 105-100 victory over the host Dallas Mavericks in Game 4. With their first win in the best-of-seven series, the Timberwolves earned a Game 5 at home on Thursday night, hoping to blaze a trail to become the first team in NBA history to rally and advance after trailing 3-0 in a playoff series.

🏒NHL SCORES:
  • Panthers 3 Rangers 2 (OT)

➤WEDNESDAY'S WEATHER:




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