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☆ Fact check: Trump makes false courthouse claims about bail and his campaign schedule
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Daniel Dale | Kristen Holmes | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —Continuing his barrage of courthouse deception, former President Donald Trump made more false claims about his Manhattan trial on Friday. Trump’s false claim about bailTrump said: “New York City is a violent city; it’s become violent with the cashless bail. I’m the only one who has to put up bail.”Facts First: Trump’s claim is false. Trump’s assertion that New York City is “a violent city” is subjective. Trump’s false claim about his scheduleTrump continued Friday to complain that the New York trial is preventing him from being on the campaign trail.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, —, it’s, “ Organizations: Washington CNN —, “, New, Republican, Miami, Prix, Georgia, North Carolina, Trump Locations: York, Fulton County , Georgia, New York, Washington , DC, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Manhattan, Bedminster , New Jersey

☆ Middle East Crisis Turkey Severs Trade With Israel, Citing Conditions in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Gulsin Harman | Ben Hubbard | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Turkey said late Thursday that it had halted all trade with Israel until “uninterrupted and adequate humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza,” signaling further deterioration in relations between the two countries. Turkey’s Trade Ministry said in a statement that exports and imports “for all products” would pause. Mr. Katz also said he had instructed the Foreign Ministry to create alternatives for trade with Turkey, focusing on local production and imports from other countries. Turkey reported $5.4 billion in exports to Israel in 2023 and $1.64 billion in imports, according to United Nations figures. The Turkish leader has also forcefully defended Hamas and recently met with Ismail Haniyeh, the group’s political leader, and other Hamas officials in Istanbul on April 20.

Persons: Israel Katz, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mr, Katz, Erdogan, Ismail Haniyeh, “, “ Israel, Hakan Fidan Organizations: Turkey’s Trade Ministry, Bloomberg, Foreign Ministry, United Nations, Ministry, Trade Ministry, Israel, International Court of Justice Locations: Turkey, Israel, Gaza, Istanbul, “ Israel, Palestine

☆ Hear the tapes: DA's theory of Trump as the hush-money mastermind takes a hit in newly-released defense recordings
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Defense tapes played in court Thursday have been posted to SoundCloud by Law360. They are recordings of 2018 phone calls between the two lawyers who struck the 2016 hush-money deal. They suggest an alternate reality to the DA's — where Trump is more victim than mastermind. Davidson's surmise — that Cohen was likely taping him at the time — makes a pair of newly-released defense tapes all the more compelling and perplexing. AdvertisementAnd while Colangelo told jurors that prosecutors will prove Trump "orchestrated" an election-influencing hush-money conspiracy, the charges do not require proof of who played whom.

Persons: Trump, —, Stormy Daniels, Keith Davidson, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Davidson, Donald Trump's fixer, Davidson's, Daniels, Trump’s, Keith Davidson hesitantly, ODuQQ4i1tg, Frank G, hesitatingly, Attorney Alvin Bragg, 89n0yKPqe3, Anthony Kotzev, Gina Rodriguez, Rodriguez, Matthew Colangelo, Colangelo Organizations: Law360, Service, Manhattan, Attorney, Trump, Prosecutors

☆ European court says Italy is the rightful owner of Getty Museum bronze statue
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Barbie Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Rome CNN —Italy has the right to confiscate a life-size bronze statue dating back to the second or third centuries B.C. The ruling came after the Getty Museum asked the European Court of Human Rights to intervene following a 2018 Italian court decree that the bronze statue should be confiscated and returned to Italy. The contested statue is being held at the Getty Villa Museum in Malibu, Los Angeles. Rolf_52/Alamy Stock PhotoThe Getty Museum does not agree with the latest ruling. Italy will now work with US authorities to return the statue, a spokesperson for the cultural ministry told CNN.

Persons: Rome, Paul, Lysippos, “, Getty, Gennaro Sangiuliano, ”, It’s, ” Maurizio Fiorilli Organizations: Rome CNN —, Paul Getty Villa Museum, European, of Human, Getty Museum, of Human Rights, The Getty Museum, Cultural Heritage Ministry, Getty Villa Museum, Getty, American, of Culture, Louvre Museum, Minneapolis Museum, CNN Locations: Rome CNN — Italy, Los Angeles , California, Italian, Italy, ”, Malibu , Los Angeles, Greece, Strasbourg, Italian State, Marche, Stabia

☆ TikTok Tells Advertisers: ‘We Are Not Backing Down’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hundreds of advertisers, including major brands like L’Oreal and Victoria’s Secret, flocked to the Lower East Side on Thursday night for TikTok’s annual spring pitch to marketers. It had been about a week since President Biden signed a law that says TikTok must be sold from its Chinese parent company or face a potential ban, and marketers were champing at the bit to hear TikTok’s thoughts. Blake Chandlee, TikTok’s president of global business solutions, kicked off the evening by thanking advertisers for their “tremendous support and trust” and said that the company considered the law unconstitutional and would challenge it in court. “We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side and that we will ultimately prevail,” Mr. Chandlee told more than 300 attendees, some of whom couldn’t find chairs in the crowd. “I want you to know we are not backing down.”But for the rest of the roughly 45-minute presentation, which took place in a large gallery with the fuchsia and light blue lights of TikTok’s logo, it was business as usual.

Persons: Biden, Blake Chandlee, ”, “, Mr, Chandlee, couldn’t, Madison Locations: Washington

☆ Elon Musk wants to use AI to summarize the news on Twitter and ... it's not a terrible idea?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Elon Musk wants to combine Twitter and Grok, his AI engine, and create a news machine. Elon Musk thinks news is something different: It's what people talk about on the service formerly known as Twitter. Musk said Grok will not look directly at article text, and will instead rely solely on social posts. Definitely not in the Elon Musk era of the company formerly known as Twitter. The to-be-sures: Yes, you'd be foolish to rely on an Elon Musk-run AI machine for factual information.

Persons: Elon Musk, Grok, —, Alex Kantrowitz, Musk, Igor Babuschkin, xAI, CNN —, it's, you'd, Ben, Elon Musk's, It's Organizations: Twitter, Service, Elon, CNN, Google Locations: London

☆ Canada charges three Indian nationals for assassination of Sikh separatist
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The suspects were identified in court filings as Karanpreet Singh, Kamalpreet Singh, and Karan Brar. The men are accused of conspiring “with others to commit the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” according to the filings. Authorities are currently investigating if they have ties to the Indian government – the latest development in a long-running intrigue that has fueled diplomatic tension between Canada and India. Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was gunned down by masked men last June outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia. Officials speak at a press briefing on Friday, May 3, regarding arrests made in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Karanpreet Singh, Kamalpreet Singh, Karan Brar, “, Hardeep Singh, …, Trudeau, Nijjar, David Teboul, Gurpatwant Singh, Nikhil Gupta, Pannun, Gupta, ” Gupta, Pritpal Singh, ” Organizations: CNN, Canadian, Authorities, Government of, ” Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Indian, American Sikh Caucus Committee, FBI Locations: Canada, New Delhi, India, Canadian, Surrey, British Columbia, India’s Punjab, Government of India, United States, American

☆ Trump trial resumes after infamous Cohen phone call tape is played for jury
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends the first day of his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 15, 2024 in New York City. The lawyer, Keith Davidson, negotiated six-figure hush money deals for porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal ahead of the 2016 presidential election. On the night Trump won that election, Davidson texted the Enquirer's then-editor in chief, "What have we done?" But he added that he and the top editor, Dylan Howard, understood at the time that "our activities may have in some way assisted the presidential campaign of Donald Trump." Jurors heard a recording of Trump saying asking Cohen, "So what do we got to pay for this — 150?"

Persons: Donald Trump, Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels, Karen McDougal, Trump, Daniels, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Judge Juan Merchan, Merchan, Davidson, Trump's, Michael Cohen, David Pecker, Dylan Howard, Douglas Daus, Cohen, McDougal Organizations: U.S, Manhattan Criminal, Prosecutors, New, Trump, Manhattan, Attorney, National Enquirer, American Media Locations: New York City, New York

☆ Liberia Moves to Create War Crimes Court, Decades After Civil Wars Ended
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Dounard Bondo | Ruth Maclean | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Liberia’s president has signed an executive order establishing a war crimes court, the culmination of a decades-long effort to bring justice to victims of the country’s two civil wars, which killed an estimated 250,000 people from 1989 to 2003. Lawmakers in Parliament — including some who are expected to face prosecution under the court — passed a resolution calling for the move last month. “For peace and harmony to have a chance to prevail, justice and healing must perfect the groundwork,” President Joseph Boakai said as he signed the order on Thursday, to the applause of lawmakers and ministers. Although some of those behind the violence have faced prosecution abroad, no one has been held legally accountable within the country for the massacres, rape, torture and conscription of child soldiers that left deep scars on generations of people in Liberia, a West African nation founded 200 years ago by freed slaves from the United States.

Persons: —, Joseph Boakai Organizations: Lawmakers Locations: —, Liberia, West African, United States

☆ Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife allegedly took nearly $600,000 in bribes, indictment says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | Haley Talbot | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife have been charged with accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities, according to an indictment in federal court in Texas. The alleged scheme took place from late 2014 through at least November 2021, the indictment says. The Justice Department declined to comment on the indictment, which was first reported by NBC News. In a statement on Friday, Cuellar said: “I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations. “On top of being an amazing wife and mother, she’s an accomplished businesswoman with two degrees.

Persons: Henry Cuellar, Cuellar, “, ” Cuellar, ”, Imelda, she’s, ’, Delanie Organizations: Democratic, NBC News, Washington DC, FBI, National Republican Locations: Henry Cuellar of Texas, Texas, South Texas, Laredo , Texas

☆ Biden's new student-loan forgiveness plan has already received over 24,000 comments. There are 2 weeks left to give the administration input.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

There are two weeks left for the public to comment on Biden's new student-debt relief plan. Once the public comment period ends, the administration will move toward final implementation. AdvertisementThe American people have just two weeks left to give President Joe Biden's administration input on its new student-loan forgiveness plan. Related storiesThe plan is now in the public comment period, and there are two weeks left for anyone who wishes to provide input on the administration's proposals. AdvertisementThe comments are available to be viewed publicly, and some of them were supportive of Biden's plan.

Persons: —, Joe Biden's, Biden's, Andrew Bailey, Biden Organizations: Service, Education Department, Federal Register Locations: Missouri

☆ Guo Wengui chief of staff Yvette Wang pleads guilty to $1 billion fraud conspiracy in New York
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Fugitive Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui hold a news conference on November 20, 2018 in New York, on the death of of tycoon Wang Jian in France on July 3, 2018. The chief of staff to controversial exiled Chinese businessman Guo Wengui pleaded guilty in New York on Friday to a fraud conspiracy that swindled more than $1 billion from hundreds of thousands of victims around the world, prosecutors said. Yvette Wang's plea came weeks before the 53-year-old Guo is set to stand trial in Manhattan federal court for related charges. Wang was scheduled to stand trial with Guo in that case before her plea. She faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in prison for the charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Persons: Guo Wengui, Wang Jian, Yvette Wang's, Guo, Wang, Steve Bannon, Damian Williams Organizations: Trump White House, Manhattan U.S Locations: New York, France, Manhattan, United States

☆ From Australia to the UK: Where pro-Palestinian university protests are happening around the world
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Here’s a look at some of the pro-Palestinian campus protests around the world. AustraliaOver the past few weeks, pro-Palestinian protest camps have appeared in at least seven universities across Australia. FranceIn Paris, pro-Palestinian protests erupted at the Sciences Po university and the Sorbonne university in late April. At McGill University in downtown Montreal, pro-Palestinian student protesters have set up an encampment on the front lawn. On May 2, a Quebec Superior Court judge rejected an injunction request that would have forced the pro-Palestinian protesters to leave their encampment.

Persons: Hilary Whiteman, ”, Owen Humphreys, Miguel Medina, Emmanuel Macron, ” Louise, ” Samuel Lejoyeaux, “ I’ll, “, India Eric Garcetti, Christinne, Oliver Marsden, ” Ali Organizations: CNN, New York’s Columbia University, Portland State, UCLA, United Nations, The University of Queensland, Students for Palestine, Palestine, University of Sydney, Sydney, United, United Kingdom Pro, Newcastle University, Newcastle University’s, ”, Sciences Po, Sorbonne, . Riot, Sorbonne University, Getty Images Sciences, Columbia University, Columbia, Harvard, Yale, UNC, Vanderbilt, “, Union of Jewish Students of France, Le Monde, CRS, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Milia Islamia University, BJP, Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party, ’ Federation of India, At McGill University, Palestinian, Israel . Mounted, McGill University's, University of Toronto’s, University of British, CBC News, Reuters, American University of Beirut, American University of, Getty Locations: Gaza, United States, Europe, Asia, Israel, Gaza’s Rafah, Australia, Brisbane, United Kingdom, Newcastle, England, Leeds, Bristol, Warwick, Britain, France, Paris, Palestine, AFP, de, India, New Delhi, Columbia, Jamia, Canada, Montreal, Quebec, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Lebanon, American University of Beirut, Beirut

☆ Trump Trial Live Updates: Witness Who Extracted Secret Recordings to Return to the Stand
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Matthew Haag | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Before the tape was revealed, Mr. Trump’s legal team aggressively attacked the credibility of Mr. Davidson during a cross-examination that quickly turned hostile. Frequently, Mr. Davidson would respond, “I don’t recall.”Mr. Bove confronted Mr. Davidson about his “fuzzy” memory and Mr. Davidson responded forcefully that his answers had been truthful. Image The jury heard a recording, made by Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trump’s longtime fixer, during the 2016 campaign. That included one in which Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen discussed a hush-money deal for Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who was trying to sell a story about an affair with Mr. Trump. The potential witness list has several major names, including Ms. Daniels, Mr. Cohen and Hope Hicks, who is Mr. Trump’s former spokeswoman.

Persons: Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels, Donald J, Juan M, Trump, Merchan, Daniels, Davidson, Michael D, Cohen, Mr, Emil Bove, ” Mr, Bove, ”, “, Trump’s, Maansi Srivastava, Davidson’s, Justice Merchan, Alvin L, Bragg, Todd Blanche, ” Trump, Blanche, Doug Mills, Biden’s, Biden, We’re, Douglas Daus, Karen McDougal, Hope Hicks Organizations: Trump, Prosecutors, Trump White House, New York, ., White, Playboy Locations: Manhattan, Michigan, Wisconsin

☆ How the US became hooked on sports betting – and the cost it’s having on lives
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Thomas Schlachter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“I noticed all my memories were really gambling related,” Malek explains to CNN Sport. So right where the AGA and the National Council for Problem Gambling is located – the nation’s capital – they abolished all public funds for problem gambling,” adds Whyte. Ramon Zelaya, the moderator of Reddit’s problem gambling forum, concurs. “I think the pace of innovation right now, particularly as it relates to fan engagement and betting, and in play betting and live betting will continue to increase,” said Maloney. Reportedly there were two specific games in which DraftKings Sportsbook flagged prop bets involving Porter in its daily betting insights.

Persons: CNN —, Saul Malek, he’d, “, ” Malek, I’d, Malek, ”, Michael Reaves, Getty, Dominick Reuter, Joe Maloney, ” Maloney, ” Keith Whyte, Maloney, “ We’re, Al Bello, Whyte, “ We’ve, LeBron James ’, DraftKings, you’re, Greg Olsen, Jared C, Tilton, Adam Silver, Silver, Ramon Zelaya, ” Zelaya, “ I’ve, Sportradar, expained, Candice Ward, Reuters Maloney, Jontay Porter, Porter, “ It’s, Brian Sevald Organizations: CNN, CNN Sport, Gamblers Anonymous, Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Derby, Supreme, District of Columbia, Super, American Gaming, Monmouth, Getty, “, Republicans, National Council, Belmont Park, ESPN, NCAA, NFL, NASCAR Hall of Fame, NBA, Reuters, Sporting, Toronto Raptors Locations: Saturday’s, Churchill, Nevada, Monmouth, Oceanport , New Jersey, AFP, America, New York, Belmont, District, –, North Carolina

Hope Hicks, a former longtime advisor to Donald Trump, took the witness stand in his hush-money trial Friday. Hicks was Trump's 2016 campaign press secretary and later his White House communications director. AdvertisementHope Hicks, an ex-White House aide and longtime advisor to Donald Trump, broke down in tears while on the witness stand on Friday in the former president's hush-money criminal trial. After answering "yes," Hicks grabbed a tissue and turned to her left while sitting on the witness stand. Hicks took the witness stand again after about a five-minute break, looking flushed but calmer.

Persons: Hope Hicks, Donald Trump, Hicks, —, Emil Bove, Ms, Juan Merchan, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Trump's, Michael Cohen, Hicks —, Cohen, Daniels Organizations: White House, Service, White, Trump Organization, Trump, Prosecutors, Attorney's, Daniels, National Enquirer Locations: Trump, Manhattan

☆ What’s at stake in the Google antitrust case? Billions of dollars (and the way we use the internet)
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Whenever you type a search into Apple’s Safari browser — say, on an iPhone — chances are it’s Google that returns the results. You can tell Safari to pick another search engine, but in practice most people tend to stick with Google by default. You might know that Google pays Apple enormous sums of money every year for that prime placement. Those eye-popping figures, newly unsealed this week, come from a blockbuster antitrust lawsuit against Google that’s just entered its closing stages. Nothing prevented Apple from choosing a different default search partner, Google contends.

Persons: —, Google that’s, Trump, Amit Mehta, Mehta, ” Mehta, John Schmidtlein, Google’s, Sherman, “, ” Schmidtlein Organizations: CNN, Google, Apple, Justice Department, DOJ, Microsoft

☆ Diego Maradona’s children call for moving body to mausoleum for safety and tribute
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Reuters —Diego Maradona’s children filed a request with the Argentine Courts on Thursday to move the former football great’s body “to a much safer place” and for fans “to pay tribute” in a mausoleum. Maradona’s remains lie in a private cemetery on the outskirts of Buenos Aires where he was carried in November 2020 in a massive funeral procession. The mausoleum, called “Memorial del Diez,” is located behind the Casa Rosada, the seat of the executive branch of the Argentine government, and will be open to the public, Veronica Ojeda, mother of Maradona’s youngest son, told local media. Maradona died at age 60 in November 2020 from a heart attack. Fans of Napoli and of the Argentine national team worshipped him as the “god of football.”

Persons: Reuters — Diego Maradona’s, “, Veronica Ojeda, Maradona’s, ”, Gianinna Maradona, Ojeda, Diego Maradona Jr, Maradona Organizations: Reuters, Argentine, Casa, Dalma, Argentina, Napoli Locations: Buenos Aires, ”, Argentine

☆ Rue21, a mall staple, files for bankruptcy and will close all of its stores
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Rue21, a mall staple for teen apparel, is going out of business and closing all 540 of its stores within the coming weeks. The retailer, which has about $200 million in debt and 4,900 employees, has been struggling financially in recent years despite a 2017 bankruptcy that the company hoped would turn Rue21 around. Its stores, which are located in 45 US states, will close within the next 4 to 6 weeks and “going out of business” sales are beginning soon. Express filed for bankruptcy last month and announced it was closing about 100 stores. 99 Cents Only Stores, a discount chain, also said in April it was going out of business.

Persons: New York CNN —, Michele Pascoe, Rue21, ” Pascoe, “, Neil Saunders, ”, Rue21 didn’t, Joann Organizations: New, New York CNN, GlobalData, CNN Locations: New York, Pittsburgh, ”

☆ Missouri and South Dakota Move Toward Abortion Rights Ballot Questions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Kate Zernike | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two more states with near-total abortion bans are poised to have citizen-sponsored measures on the ballot this year that would allow voters to reverse those bans by establishing a right to abortion in their state constitutions. On Friday, a coalition of abortion rights groups in Missouri turned in 380,159 signatures to put the amendment on the ballot, nearly double the 172,000 signatures required by law. The Missouri organizers’ announcement followed a petition drive in South Dakota that announced on Wednesday that it, too, had turned in many more signatures than required for a ballot amendment there. Groups in about 10 other states have secured spots on the ballot for abortion rights measures or are collecting signatures to do so. Those include Arizona and Nevada, swing states where Democrats are hoping that voters who are newly energized around abortion rights will help President Biden win re-election.

Persons: Roe, Wade, Biden Organizations: United States Locations: Missouri, South Dakota, Arizona, Nevada

☆ Donald Trump says he wasn't sleeping in court but simply closing his 'beautiful blue eyes' so that he could 'listen intensely'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewFormer President Donald Trump says he didn't fall asleep during his hush-money trial. Trump has been regularly appearing in a Manhattan court since the trial kicked off on April 15. "I simply close my beautiful blue eyes, sometimes, listen intensely, and take it ALL in!!!" Related storiesHaberman, however, did acknowledge that there were times where Trump really was just closing his eyes. Besides the case in Manhattan, Trump has been charged in three other criminal cases, including a state criminal case in Georgia over accusations that he attempted to overturn the 2020 election results.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Hunt, Maggie Haberman, CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Haberman, It's, UBLPJEbA0y, Jon Stewart Organizations: Service, New York Times, CNN, Washington Post, Business, Times, Independent, Trump Locations: Manhattan, Georgia, Lago

☆ 4 Americans charged with ammunition offenses in Turks and Caicos
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Amanda Musa | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Four Americans are charged with possession of ammunition offenses in the tropical Atlantic getaway of Turks and Caicos, according to a post from the Turks and Caicos Islands Government. Carrying firearms in Turks and Caicos is prohibited, according to the TCI Government. Another man visiting Turks and Caicos from Pennsylvania is set to appear before a TCI court Friday on similar charges, according to CNN affiliate WPXI. Two additional Americans – a 31-year-old from Virginia and a 72-year-old from Texas – are also facing lengthy prison sentences for possessing ammunition, according to the TCI Government. Firearms, ammunition (including stray bullets), and other weapons are not permitted in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI).

Persons: Ryan Watson, Watson, Valerie, “, Valerie Watson, ”, Bryan Hagerich, Hagerich, Ashley, ” Ashley, WPXI, ” Hagerich, CNN’s Michael Rios, Tanika Gray, Forrest Brown Organizations: CNN, Turks, Caicos, Caicos Islands Government, TCI Government, British Overseas Territory, Embassy, Howard Hamilton International Airport, TCI, TSA, Will Rogers, Airport, WPXI, “, Transportation Security Administration, US State Department, British Overseas, State Department, United States, Firearms, Caicos Islands Locations: Caicos, Caicos Islands, Bahamas, Providenciales, Oklahoma, America, Oklahoma City, Turks, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas, United States, United

☆ A judge has ordered the owners of get-rich-on-Amazon startup Wealth Assistants to have their assets frozen
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Clients paid upfront fees ranging from $35,000 to more than $100,000 to have their stores run by Wealth Assistants. AdvertisementThe complaint also alleges that Carroll — who was Wealth Assistants' founder and CEO — and the Days violated securities laws because the business opportunity they sold through Wealth Assistants could be considered unregistered securities. Related stories"Plaintiffs' evidence shows that each of the Individual Defendants made intentional misrepresentations in connection with Wealth Assistants' services," the order reads. It follows another lawsuit that was brought against Wealth Assistants in California Superior Court in San Bernardino County in January. Wealth Assistants claimed that the digital bank froze its accounts without warning or explanation in October and is still withholding its funds.

Persons: —, — Ryan Carroll, Max K, Michael Day —, Max O, Carroll —, Judge Wesley Hsu, Carroll, Nico Banks Organizations: Service, Court, Central, Central District of, Wealth, Business, Washington, Banks Law Office, Bank Locations: Central District, Central District of California, DC, California, San Bernardino County, Tennessee, mstone@insider.com

☆ John Eastman: Judge denies ex-Trump election lawyer’s request to reactivate law license while he fights disbarment
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Mary Kay Mallonee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An attorney discipline judge in California has rejected a request from ex-Trump election lawyer John Eastman to reactivate his law license following her recent recommendation that he be disbarred, which rendered him unable to practice law for now. Judge Yvette Roland, who oversees state bar proceedings in California, recommended in March that Eastman be disbarred for his election subversion efforts. The California Supreme Court will ultimately decide whether to endorse or reject Roland’s recommendation to disbar Eastman. “Eastman failed to uphold his primary duty of honesty and breached his ethical obligations by presenting falsehoods to bolster his legal arguments,” Roland wrote in her opinion recommending he be disbarred. He also was indicted last month in Arizona in connection with efforts to overturn the 2020 election, along with more than a dozen other Trump allies, including Mark Meadows and Rudy Giuliani.

Persons: John Eastman, Eastman, Mike Pence, Yvette Roland, disbar Eastman, Roland’s, Donald Trump’s, “ Eastman, ” Roland, ”, Roland, disbarment, Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, “, Michael R, Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani Organizations: CNN, California Supreme, ” Politico, Trump Locations: California, Georgia, Arizona

☆ Fact check: Trump falsely claims he’s not allowed to testify at hush money trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN —Former President Donald Trump falsely claimed Thursday that he is not allowed to testify in his own defense at a criminal trial in Manhattan over his alleged falsification of business records. After leaving the courtroom for the day, Trump told reporters, “I’m not allowed to testify. I’m under a gag order. He is allowed to testify at the trial; the decision is entirely up to him. Judge Juan Merchan’s gag order, which narrowly restricts his out-of-court speech, does not in any way stop him from testifying.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, “ I’m, who’s, ”, he’s, I’m, Judge Juan Merchan’s, Joe Biden, Merchan, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Bragg Organizations: Washington CNN, Trump, Manhattan, Attorney Locations: Manhattan, Michigan

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