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☆ Trump’s former ‘thug’ Michael Cohen set for trial-defining testimony in hush money case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Cohen’s testimony is set to be the critical moment of the hush money trial that could make Trump the first ex-president to be convicted of a crime. He has talked extensively about his desire to see President Trump go to prison. He has talked extensively about his desire to see President Trump’s family go to prison. He has talked extensively about President Trump getting convicted in this case,” Blanche said. While the hush money trial harks back to the 2016 election, its end game could play a significant role in the destiny of the White House eight years later.

Persons: CNN — Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s “, Trump, Stormy Daniels, —, Cohen, Daniels, ” Cohen, “, Matthew Colangelo, “ Cohen, ”, ” Colangelo, Anthony Scaramucci, Donald Trump, Michael Cohen, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Todd Blanche, Trump’s, ” Blanche, John Dean, Roy Cohn, He’s, Judge Juan Merchan, Fani Willis, Joe Biden, he’s Organizations: CNN, Trump, Republican, Trump Organization, House, Nixon White, “ CNN, Mr, Fulton, White House, GOP Locations: Russia, New York, Florida, Fulton County

☆ Analysis: Elon Musk puts his conspiratorial thinking on display for the world to see in Don Lemon interview
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Elon Musk is showing the world how radicalized he has become. To those not fluent in the intricacies of right-wing media, some of what Musk said may have sounded bizarre or even foreign. But in the right-wing fever swamps, where Musk is now deeply entrenched, these are the issues that animate the masses. Once upon a time, Musk welcomed having a media personality like Lemon on the X platform. Unfortunately for the rest of the world, Musk is hell bent on taking everyone else down there with him.

Persons: CNN — Elon Musk, Don Lemon, Musk, ”, Joe, Donald Trump’s, Zoë Schiffer, Casey Newton, Lemon, “, ” Lemon, Jason Sheeler Organizations: CNN, Biden, Pravda, SpaceX Locations: America, “ America

“It is necessary to conduct this operation unilaterally and without notifying Venezuelan officials,” reads the 15-page 2018 memo expanding “Operation Money Badger,” an investigation that authorities say targeted dozens of people, including Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Within weeks, senior DEA officials plotted to deploy at least three undercover informants to surreptitiously record top officials suspected of converting Venezuela into a narco state. And “to limit or mitigate the exposure of the unilateral activities,” the document advised DEA officials to protect their informants and curtail in-person meetings with targets. I think they figured they had nothing to lose.”RELEASED BY ACCIDENTThe Operation Money Badger memo was never intended to be made public. The DEA memo authorized three informants to secretly record undercover meetings with the targets.

Persons: –, ”, Nicolás Maduro, Maduro’s, Alex Saab, Wes Tabor, “ We’re, Maduro, “, Biden, ” Maduro, Donald Trump’s, Trump, Joe Biden, ” —, Evan Criddle, William & Mary, there’s, Mike Vigil, Manny Recio, John Costanzo Jr, Costanzo, ” Michael Nadler, Washington –, launderer, Jose Vielma, Hugo Chávez, Vielma’s, Luis Motta, Vielma, Motta, Motta’s, Zach Margulis, Hugo Carvajal, Jennifer Farrar Organizations: MIAMI, The Associated Press, U.S . Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, Justice, AP, CIA, State, Justice Department, U.S, Attorney’s, Democratic, Supreme, William &, Saab, Miami Field Division’s, IRS Locations: Venezuela, United States, U.S, America, Venezuelan, Miami, Manhattan, Russia, China, OPEC, Mexico, Virginia, “, Colombian, New York, Houston, Washington, Investigative@ap.org

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A former Republican legislative candidate pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement officers during the U.S. Capitol riot, officials said. His group was stopped by again by police before chemical spray was used to break up the demonstrators, prosecutors said. Brackley will be sentenced May 14 in Washington, D.C., after reaching an agreement in which he pleaded guilty Thursday to assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesBrackley tried unsuccessfully to unseat Democratic state Sen. Eloise Vitelli of Arrowsic last year. His campaign website described him as a Maine Maritime Academy graduate whose approach would be to have “respectful, thoughtful conversations on the issues.”

Persons: —, Matthew Brackley, Donald Trump’s “, Nancy Pelosi’s, “ Let’s, Brackley, Steven Levin, ” Levin, Sen, Eloise Vitelli, ” Organizations: Republican, U.S, Capitol, U.S . Capitol, Washington , D.C, Brackley, Democratic, Maine Maritime Academy Locations: PORTLAND, Maine, Waldoboro , Maine, Washington, Washington ,, Arrowsic

Views of former President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement — or MAGA — reveal a lot about likely Iowa Republican caucusgoers’ candidate preferences ahead of Monday’s GOP caucuses. Overall, the new NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll finds a combined 40% of likely caucusgoers identifying themselves as either “Ultra MAGA” (18%) or “Regular MAGA” (22%) when asked how they view the phrase. Among the likely caucusgoers who say Trump is their first choice, a combined 60% describe themselves as either Ultra MAGA (31%) or Regular MAGA (29%). And DeSantis’ supporters are in the middle: 24% are either Ultra or Regular MAGA; 57% are neutral; and 17% are anti-MAGA. The NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll of Iowa was conducted Jan. 7-12 of 705 likely Republican caucusgoers, and it has an overall margin of error of plus-minus 3.7 percentage points.

Persons: Donald Trump’s “, MAGA, Iowa Republican caucusgoers, MAGA ”, Trump, DeSantis, caucusgoers Organizations: Iowa Republican, Monday’s GOP, NBC, Des Moines Register, Republican Locations: Monday’s, Iowa

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday denounced those who advocate “an American retreat from responsibility” and said sustained U.S. leadership is needed to help keep the world as safe, free and prosperous as possible. He also urged Congress to end the partisan gridlock that has stalled the federal budget and war spending. Those who “try to pull up the drawbridge,” he said, undermine the security that has led to decades of prosperity. Political Cartoons View All 1277 Images“You’ll hear some people try to brand an American retreat from responsibility as bold new leadership,” Austin said. About 100 hostages were freed as part of the truce, but about 140 remain held by Hamas and others in Gaza.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, “, Austin, ” Austin, Donald Trump’s “, Vladimir Putin, Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Tuberville Organizations: —, Reagan National Defense, Senate Armed, Committees, Senate, Administration, Pentagon, Republicans, Senior, Hamas Locations: SIMI VALLEY, Calif, United States, Simi Valley, Israel, Ukraine, Austin, Europe, Israeli, Gaza

He attached remarks by Johnson praising Louisiana's abortion ban and penalty of "hard labor for 1-10 years" and fines of $10,000-$100,000 for those who perform abortions. The Biden-Harris campaign and other groups circulated and posted images of three bills Johnson has sponsored that the Democrats said would "ban abortion nationwide." Already, six states – Michigan, California, Vermont, Kentucky, Kansas and Montana – have passed referendums that either enshrined abortion rights or rejected efforts to undo the right to abortion. Another referendum, one that would guarantee abortion rights, is on the ballot next month in Ohio. These numbers have Democrats believing they can keep the White House and flip the House – and Johnson has put a face to that effort.

Persons: Joe Biden, Mike Johnson, Johnson, MAGA Mike Johnson’s, Ammar Moussa, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Donald Trump’s “, Johnson –, Kevin McCarthy, California –, Nancy Pelosi, Biden, Harris, Don Beyer, Roe, Wade, Marjorie Dannenfelser Organizations: Republican, House Republican Conference, Biden, Louisiana Republican, Republicans, California Democrat, Democratic, Virginia Democrat, Democratic National Committee, Lincoln, Social Security, SBA, Kaiser Family Foundation, White Locations: Louisiana, California, Virginia, America, – Michigan, California , Vermont , Kentucky , Kansas, Montana, Ohio

Several months before his guilty plea, Kelley posted on social media that the Capitol riot was an FBI “set up." Kelley spoke at a “Stop the Steal” rally at the state Capitol in Lansing in November 2020, shortly after the presidential election. Kelley remained on Capitol grounds for nearly two hours but isn't accused of entering the building that day. Also on Tuesday, a woman who smashed a window at the Capitol and used a bullhorn to direct other rioters on Jan. 6 was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison. A prosecutor has said Powell, 41, of Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania, played a “leading role” during the riot.

Persons: Ryan Kelley, Kelley, FBI “, ”, Christopher Cooper, ” Cooper, Donald Trump’s “, Trump, “, ” Kelley, isn’t, “ Mr, Shanai Watson, Tudor Dixon, Gretchen Whitmer, Mr, Gary Springstead, Kelley “, Royce Lamberth, Rachel Marie Powell, Lamberth, Powell Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Republican, Michigan, U.S . Capitol, FBI, Facebook, District, Washington , D.C, Capitol, Democrat, ” Locations: Allendale , Michigan, Washington ,, Lansing, Michigan, U.S, Sandy Lake , Pennsylvania

☆ What Putin will take away from the first Republican presidential debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —If Vladimir Putin was watching the Republican presidential debate on Wednesday night, he would have found one more reason to dig in for a long war of attrition in Ukraine. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy acted as Trump’s stand-in, mining a deep seam of skepticism over the war among GOP grassroots voters. Chris Christie, who recently returned from Ukraine, warned: “This is the Vladimir Putin, who Donald Trump called brilliant and a genius. The debate underscored one of the tragedies of the war for Ukraine. They can’t control what Putin does, which means their fate will also be on the ballot in the US in 2024.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump’s “, Ronald Reagan, Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Joe Biden, Trump, Ukraine’s, Biden, Vivek Ramaswamy, ” Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy, he’s, –, Chris Christie, Donald Trump, ”, Nikki Haley, Ukraine –, “, Haley, Mike Pence, Pence, Putin, it’s, ” Pence, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, ” DeSantis, you’re, I’m Organizations: CNN, Republican, GOP, “, Former New Jersey Gov, United, Ukraine, Republicans, South, ”, Russia, China, Putin, NATO, Trump, Florida Gov Locations: Ukraine, Milwaukee, “ Ukraine, United States of America, Iraq, Vietnam, China, Russia, South Carolina, America, United States, Florida

☆ Opinion | Your Brain Has Tricked You Into Thinking Everything Is Worse
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Adam Mastroianni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Perhaps no political promise is more potent or universal than the vow to restore a golden age. What these political myths have in common is an understanding that the golden age is definitely not right now. I and my colleague Daniel Gilbert at Harvard have found evidence for that bug, which we recently published in the journal Nature. We first collected 235 surveys with over 574,000 responses total and found that, overwhelmingly, people believe that humans are less kind, honest, ethical and moral today than they were in the past. Respondents of all sorts — young and old, liberal and conservative, white and Black — consistently agreed: the golden age of human kindness is long gone.

Persons: Caesar Augustus, Medicis, Adolf Hitler, Xi Jinping, “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Donald Trump’s “, ”, Joe Biden’s, Daniel Gilbert, pollsters, — Organizations: Harvard Locations: China, Philippines

☆ Opinion: What happens when you knock on a door
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. In Kansas City, Andrew Lester, an 84-year-old White homeowner shot Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager who rang his doorbell. And, “with Trump as the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, Fox has resumed coverage of him which often veers into the free-advertisement category. Neither Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who announced his candidacy last week, nor Marianne Williamson represents a serious threat, Axelrod noted. “The calendar reads 2023,” wrote the Republican former lieutenant governor of Georgia, Geoff Duncan, “but it feels like 2016 all over again.

President Joe Biden on Thursday is expected to criticize the fiscal proposals of House Republicans in his first major economic speech of the year, which he will deliver at a steamfitters union hall in Springfield, Virginia. Biden will talk about his goals of growing the U.S. economy with new factories and construction in communities across the country and creating well-paying jobs for the middle class that don’t require a four-year degree, a White House official said. Biden also is expected to announce a new “Invest in America” Cabinet comprised of the secretaries of commerce, labor, transportation, treasury, energy, and health and human services; the EPA administrator; and senior White House advisers, a White House official told NBC News. In his remarks, Biden will contend that the House GOP's economic agenda would pose a threat to the economy and the working class, the official said. Biden is expected to characterize the House GOP’s economic proposals as a “MAGA economic plan,” the White House official said — a reference to former President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” 2016 campaign slogan.

☆ Blinken vows US support for Israel despite unease over govt
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday the U.S. will not shrink from its unwavering support for Israel despite stark differences with Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu and concerns the Biden administration may have about potential members of his incoming right-wing government. Blinken said the Biden administration would engage with Netanyahu’s government based on its policies and not on personalities, including potential senior Cabinet ministers who have expressed vehement anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab views in the past. He said those would be detrimental to Israel’s long-term security or future as a Jewish democratic state. We will hold it to the mutual standards we have established in our relationship over the past seven decades,” Blinken said. He lauded the recent completion of a maritime border accord between Israel and Lebanon.

☆ Rhode Island’s Allan Fung Tries to Blaze Trail for GOP in Deep-Blue Northeast
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Natalie Andrews | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Republican Allan Fung gestured toward Democrat Seth Magaziner during a debate Tuesday between the two candidates vying for a House seat representing Rhode Island. CRANSTON, R.I.—Republicans’ efforts to expand their House map and win over voters in unfriendly Democratic territory hinge on candidates such as Allan Fung , who casts himself as a moderate in a Trump-dominated party. Mr. Fung, the former mayor of Cranston, south of Providence, criticizes President Biden and Democrats for their spending programs, saying they have fueled inflation, while accusing the party of not doing enough to fight rising costs. But unlike many Republicans, he opposes federal abortion restrictions and has shunned former President Donald Trump’s “America First” brand of conservatism, speaking instead of finding bipartisan solutions to voters’ problems.

☆ Republicans Target Deep-Blue New England in Midterms
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Natalie Andrews | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Biden aides are quietly assembling a 2024 campaign as they await a final decision on his political future
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Carol-Lee-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Carol E. Lee | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

But, they said, if Republicans win one or both chambers, that would likely trigger a quicker pivot to a Biden re-election campaign. Relying on the party apparatus would allow the Biden campaign to forgo trying to build up its own separate campaign infrastructure in each state. But while a DNC-centric campaign might seem to be a natural fit for Biden, relying on the committee poses risks. “The Biden approach is the more traditional approach.”Far more than Obama, Biden is a creature of the Democratic Party. Biden aides say no final decisions on campaign staffing have been made, and they’re not expected to be until after the midterms.

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