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☆ Opinion: How one text exchange gave Trump an ominous day in court
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Opinion Norman Eisen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Norm Eisen Courtesy Norm EisenIn Donald Trump’s Manhattan election interference trial, the case is coming in better than expected, and that is ominous for the former president. The prosecution asked Davidson to explain the meaning of a text he had sent to Howard that evening. As the election was about to be called for Trump, Davidson sent a text to Howard asking, “What have we done?”Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked Davidson what the meaning of those words were. It also highlighted the stakes here: Unlike Trump’s 2020 election interference cases pending in Georgia and federal court, the unlawful effort to impact the election alleged in this case might have actually worked. I was watching the jury closely when Davidson spoke, and they were riveted.

Persons: Norman Eisen, “, Donald Trump, CNN CNN —, Norm Eisen, Donald Trump’s, Keith Davidson, Davidson, Karen McDougal, Stormy Daniels, Trump, Michael Cohen, Daniels, David Pecker, Cohen, Dylan Howard —, Howard, Joshua Steinglass, ”, Matthew Colangelo Organizations: CNN, CNN CNN, American Media, Inc, National Enquirer, Trump, Twitter Locations: ”, Donald Trump’s Manhattan, Georgia

☆ Rare Oklahoma tornado wows Meteorologists
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Mary Gilbert | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

To be clear, in this loop we have a westward moving, dissipating cyclonic tornado AND and newly developed anticyclonic tornado also moving west-southwest with a debris signature. This storm produced a “large and extremely dangerous” tornado north of Loveland, Oklahoma, just before 10 p.m. CDT, according to a weather service warning. Reflectivity (left) and velocity (right) radar imagery captures a tornado taking a looping path just north of Loveland, Oklahoma, Tuesday night. Reflectivity (left) and velocity (right) radar imagery shows an anticyclonic tornado in progress just southeast of Loveland, Oklahoma, on Tuesday night. Most anticyclonic tornadoes are weak and short-lived, meaning this twister was rare on two fronts.

Persons: ” Rick Smith, SCpnyWXOgA — Taylor Trogdon, Smith, Sam Shamburger, “, ” Smith Organizations: CNN, National Weather Service, Oklahoma -, Loveland, Tornadoes, Northern, “ Tornadoes, Emergency Management, Nebraska Locations: Oklahoma, Tillman County , Oklahoma, Norman , Oklahoma, Oklahoma - Texas, Loveland , Oklahoma, Greensburg , Kansas, Loveland, ”, Hollister , Oklahoma, Tillman, Texas

☆ Opinion: Trump should go to jail if he violates judge’s gag order again
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Opinion Norman Eisen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Merchan sanctioned Trump for violating his gag order for nine posts and reposts on his Truth Social site and campaign website, targeting witnesses and jurors in his Manhattan prosecution. In his written order, summarized from the bench at the start of the trial on Tuesday, the judge also warned Trump that if he persists in violating the gag order, he faces jail time. Perhaps the new sanctions — or those likely to come in response to the newest four allegations of gag order violations — will be the end of it. As I have previously explained, Trump’s argument that the gag order infringes his First Amendment rights is specious. In any event, even if Trump believes those things, that is no excuse under New York law to violate a court order.

Persons: Norman Eisen, “, Donald Trump, Norm Eisen, Juan Merchan, Merchan, Trump, ” Trump, incarcerate, Nelson Mandela, it’s, —, ”, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Trump’s Organizations: CNN, Trump, Liberal, New, White House Locations: Manhattan, New York

☆ Opinion: Even if Trump can’t stay awake this week, the jury will have reason to
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Opinion Norman Eisen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Welcome to week two of the Trump 2016 election interference trial. And the case Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg brought is, at heart, a documents case – Trump has been charged with 34 counts of felony record falsification, actions allegedly taken to cover up hush money payoffs connected to the 2016 election. But as demonstrated by longtime Trump assistant Rhona Graff’s testimony Friday afternoon, the methodical nature of the testimony and evidence doesn’t mean it will be dull for the jury. The testimony of Gary Farro, Cohen’s onetime banker, is emblematic of what we are likely to hear from other witnesses this week. When defense counsel elicited from Graff on cross-examination that Trump was a good boss, she became a free character witness.

Persons: Norman Eisen, “, Donald Trump, David Pecker, Norm Eisen, Attorney Alvin Bragg, – Trump, Rhona Graff’s, Trump’s, paramours, Karen McDougal, Stormy Daniels, Pecker, Dallas ”, ” –, Trump, Michael Cohen, Daniels, Gary Farro, Cohen’s, Farro, Graff, Cohen, Rebecca Mangold, McDougal, Mangold, It’s, Team Trump Organizations: CNN, National Enquirer, Attorney, Trump, Dallas, Prosecutors, Team, DA Locations: Manhattan

☆ Norman Kansfield, 83, Dies; Defrocked for His Daughter’s Same-Sex Wedding
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Alex Traub | More About Alex Traub | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Dr. Norman Kansfield seemed to personify the Reformed Church in America. To an extraordinary extent, he had grown up in the world of his church’s 17th-century Dutch founders. So when his daughter, Ann Kansfield, was considering coming out of the closet to him, she was nervous. After she did, Dr. Kansfield went beyond responding with warm acceptance. Years later, in June 2004, he insisted that he officiate at her wedding, held in Massachusetts weeks after the state legalized same-sex marriage.

Persons: Norman Kansfield, Kansfield, Ann Kansfield Organizations: Reformed Church, Ill, New Brunswick Theological Seminary Locations: America, South Holland, New Jersey, United States, Massachusetts

☆ Opinion: Trump attorney gives David Pecker an embarrassing courtroom apology
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Opinion Norman Eisen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Indeed, Bove was forced to apologize to Pecker in front of the jury to open the day. Bove got Pecker to concede that the National Enquirer did “catch and kill” stories to bury damaging information about high-profile people all the time. Bove also contrasted Pecker’s testimony with what was in the FBI notes of Pecker’s first 2018 interview with the feds. And Bove intimated that Pecker cannot directly connect Trump to the allegedly illegal payments then-Trump fixer Michael Cohen made to Daniels at a later date. As for Trump’s recognition of yours truly, it happened again as he left the courtroom Friday for the mid-day break.

Persons: Norman Eisen, “, Trump, Donald Trump, David Pecker, Norm Eisen, Emil Bove, Bove, Stormy Daniels, —, Juan Merchan, Bove’s, Pecker, Daniels, Hope Hicks, Merchan, Trump’s, ” Merchan, blunting, Pecker’s, Michael Cohen Organizations: CNN, Trump, National Enquirer, White House Communications, Twitter Locations: New York, Manhattan, Washington, York, —, Trump

☆ New York Vowed to Shut Down Illegal Weed Shops. It Just Licensed One.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Ashley Southall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A year after New York legalized marijuana for recreational use, a bright-green sign shaped like the plant’s leaf signaled the arrival of a dispensary called Budega on an industrial corner in Queens. The sleek shop, where customers purchase memberships for points that can be redeemed for weed, is one of thousands of illegal dispensaries that the state vowed to shut down. Their owners would be banned from the legal cannabis market, officials said. The situation exposes lapses in the vetting process, undercutting New York officials’ assurances that those who jumped the line to cash in on cannabis would not be rewarded over those who played by the rules. He owns Budega NYC, a clothing and lifestyle brand whose name he intended to use for his own dispensary.

Persons: Budega, “, ”, Alex Norman Organizations: New Locations: York, Queens, New York

☆ Inside the White House’s monthslong push for Ukraine aid
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Arlette Saenz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Sullivan followed up four days later with a call to Johnson to highlight the measures in place to track aid in Ukraine. They spoke often with Johnson’s staff, including meetings at the White House and on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, White House chief of staff Jeff Zients, Ricchetti and Goff spoke with Schumer and Jeffries and their staff almost daily to strategize on how to push Ukraine aid forward. Biden and Johnson spoke by phone the next day as the speaker briefed him on his plan to move the aid package forward. “We discussed the contents of the next US military aid package,” Zelensky said.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Joe Biden, Johnson –, speakership, Biden, Johnson, Vladimir Putin, Jake Sullivan, Shalanda Young, Sullivan, Taiwan –, Hamas, Putin, ” Biden, Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, “, ”, Steve Ricchetti, Richetti, Shuwanza Goff, Ricchetti, Goff, Jeff Zients, Schumer, Jeffries, Young, McConnell, Michael McCaul, Intelligence Michael Turner, Bill Burns, Ukraine Bridget Brink, Chip Roy, Texas, Ralph Norman of, Biden’s, Anita Dunn, Jon, Lloyd Austin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, National Intelligence Avril Haines, Donald Trump’s, Burns, ” Zelensky Organizations: Washington CNN, Ukraine, White House, GOP, Management, Senate, Biden, Russia, House Democratic, White, Capitol, House Foreign, Intelligence, CIA, Republican, The Defense Department, House Republicans, National Intelligence, Democratic, CNN Locations: Ukraine, Europe, Russia, Israel, Taiwan, Ricchetti, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Washington ,, Johnson’s

☆ Opinion: Trump’s refusal to follow gag order could cost him
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Opinion Norman Eisen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Norm Eisen Courtesy Norm EisenTuesday morning, however, will be something I have never seen before in my three decades of criminal law practice. Seven of the 10 came after Trump was put on notice of the gag order hearing and were rolled into it. As the Court found in issuing the gag order, Trump’s history of attacking his perceived foes presents a serious threat to the safety of witnesses and jurors (among others) and thus to the integrity of the trial. Moreover, the comments at issue concern the trial and are not in regard to Trump’s presidential campaign – at all. The judge may split the baby and order sanctions for some but not all of Trump’s statements.

Persons: Norman Eisen, “, Trump, Donald Trump’s, Norm Eisen, Juan Merchan, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Daniels, Michael Cohen, Merchan, they’re, Emil Bove, Cohen “, Mr, Cohen, ” Organizations: CNN, Trump, Attorney, TRUMP Locations: York

☆ Opinion: Both sides brought their A-game for opening of Trump’s trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Opinion Norman Eisen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Opening statements, followed by a few minutes of testimony from the first witness, concluded Monday in the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump. Norm Eisen Courtesy Norm EisenMy takeaway: The prosecution has the upper hand based on the evidence and the law, and Trump knows it. As expected, prosecutor Matthew Colangelo hammered home his theory of the case: that it is all about election interference and its cover-up. Colangelo made the complex simple, going through the chronology of evidence that prosecutors will present to prove the election interference. ACT THREE: A payment to another person with a damaging story — Karen McDougal, who alleged she had an affair with Trump.

Persons: Norman Eisen, “, Donald Trump, Norm Eisen, Trump, Matthew Colangelo, ”, Colangelo, David Pecker, Pecker, Michael Cohen, Dino Sajudin, Karen McDougal, Hope Hicks, Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, Cohen, Daniels, Todd Blanche, Blanche, ” Blanche, Juan Merchan, –, “ Trump, couldn’t, Hicks Organizations: CNN, ACT ONE, Trump, American Media, National Enquirer, ACT FOUR, White House, ACT FIVE, Trump Organization, ” Locations: Trump

☆ Opinion: As Trump trial opens, attorneys have to make deft first moves
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Opinion Norman Eisen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Editor’s Note: Norman Eisen is a CNN legal analyst and editor of “Trying Trump: A Guide to His First Election Interference Criminal Trial.” He served as counsel to the House Judiciary Committee for the first impeachment and trial of Trump. CNN —I will be joining the line Monday morning to witness opening statements in the first-ever criminal trial of a former American president. As a trial lawyer, I always would rather the jury hear about any problems with witnesses from me first, together with the solution. If the DA wants to build a bridge for the jury into what Trump was thinking, Blanche wants to preemptively destroy it. But before that I’ll be back to you with an evaluation of how both sides did for the next installment of my trial diary.

Persons: Norman Eisen, “, Trump, CNN —, Norm Eisen, Donald Trump –, Juan Merchan, Alvin Bragg’s, Matthew Colangelo, Susan Hoffinger, Joshua Steinglass, it’s, It’s, –, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, David Pecker –, Todd Blanche, he’s, Blanche, Cohen, Daniels, I’ll Organizations: CNN, Norm Eisen Journalists, Justice Department, New York, American Media, National Enquirer Locations: American, Manhattan

☆ Opinion: It’s time to change the way we think about sociopaths
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Opinion Sara Stewart | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —This piece contains mild spoilers for the Netflix series “Ripley” and a scene in the movie “Civil War.”Are we finally ready to take another look at why we love to hate sociopaths so much? But his rendition of Ripley – highly capable, chameleonic, but never what you’d call charming — represents a refreshing take on one of the most famous sociopaths in literature and film. Gagne feels Hollywood’s nearly always gotten it wrong with portrayals of sociopaths, reducing them to a collection of cartoonish, villainous traits. In fact, I found one of film’s most recent sociopaths to be singularly chilling because of his very plausibility. He’s in Alex Garland’s “Civil War,” the polarizing film about a vaguely-sketched conflict set in the modern-day United States.

Persons: Sara Stewart, Ripley ”, Sara Stewart Todd Thompson, Andrew Scott’s, Tom Ripley, Patricia Highsmith’s, Scott, who’s, Ripley –, Steven Zaillian’s, “ Ripley, Jennifer Rubin, ”, Rubin, Tony Soprano, Walter White, Patrick Bateman, Dexter Morgan, Don Draper, I’ve, Emily Nussbaum, Norman Lear’s “, Archie Bunker, Carroll O’Connor, Penn Badgley, Joe Goldberg, Sociopath, Patric Gagne, Gagne, Hollywood’s, vilify, Jenna Ortega, Alex Garland’s “, Jesse Plemons —, —, Owen Gleiberman’s, “ Garland, ” Gleiberman, Ripley, sociopathy, we’ll Organizations: CNN, Netflix, Washington, Vogue Locations: Pennsylvania, ”, United States, America

US House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks during a news conference following the House Republican caucus meeting at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on November 29, 2023. Speaker Mike Johnson, facing intense opposition from right-wing members, received crucial help from Democrats to move forward with the votes. Passing this legislation would send a powerful message about the strength of American leadership at a pivotal moment," the White House budget office said in a statement Friday endorsing the House package. But Johnson, who opposed Ukraine aid last year before he became speaker, now says he believes it is "critically important," based on the intelligence and briefings he has since gotten. Democrats praised the move to proceed to House votes, highlighting their party's key role.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Joe Biden, Thomas Massie, Chip Roy, Ralph Norman, Johnson, — Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene, I'm, Vladimir Putin, Don Beyer, Grace Meng Organizations: Republican, The, Democratic, White House, Administration, Naval Academy, U.S, Democrats, couldn't Locations: Washington ,, Ukraine, Israel, U.S, China, Ky, Texas, Europe, American

Gosar huddled on the House floor earlier in the day with GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie, the other two co-sponsors of the motion to vacate the speakership. The House adjourned for the rest of the day on Friday afternoon, meaning the earliest Greene could move to oust Johnson is Saturday. A floor vote to oust Johnson would require a majority to succeed. “My position is that I’m open, and I’m not going to tell you guys what I’m going to do. The speaker was surrounded on the House floor on Thursday by a number of far-right lawmakers in a heated discussion.

Persons: Paul Gosar, Mike Johnson, Gosar, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie, Greene, Johnson, Chip Roy, “ I’m, ”, “, Eli Crane, Kevin McCarthy, I’m, ” Crane, ’, Dan Bishop, we’ve, Bishop, Gosar’s, Bob Good, CNN’s Manu Raju, Johnson “, Ralph Norman, hardliner, “ We’ve, We’ll, Mike, Norman Organizations: Washington CNN —, Arizona Republican, GOP, Conservative, The Arizona Republican, Washington, ’ ”, Republican Conference, North Carolina Republican, CNN, Louisiana Republican Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Louisiana

☆ House conservatives have a special group dedicated to preserving their power. Of course, it's called the FART team.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

House conservatives have organized a crack team to monitor to potential ways to undermine their power. The House Freedom Caucus has formed a Floor Action Response Team. AdvertisementThe far-right House Freedom Caucus has formed a crack team of conservative lawmakers to monitor the House floor lest Speaker Mike Johnson or other Republicans try to limit their power. Massie is also not a member of the Freedom Caucus, whose membership is technically secret, but he does support many of the caucus' broader aims. Gaetz teamed up with seven other House Republicans and House Democrats to boot McCarthy from power.

Persons: —, Mike Johnson, Johnson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Greene, Thomas Massie, Massie, Lauren Boebert, Boebert, I'm, Kevin McCarthy, Matt Gaetz, McCarthy's, Gaetz, McCarthy, Chip Roy, Ralph Norman, Mike Lawler, Lawler Organizations: Service, Politico, Caucus, Freedom Caucus, Georgia Republican, Kentucky Republican, Republican, Colorado Republican, Blaze Media, Republicans, House Democrats, GOP, New York Republican Locations: Georgia, Ukraine, Kentucky, Colorado, Florida

☆ Opinion | What Sentencing Could Look Like if Trump Is Found Guilty
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Norman L. Eisen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The case — brought by Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, against Mr. Trump — represents the first time in our nation’s history that a former president is a defendant in a criminal trial. As such, it has generated lots of debate about the case’s legal strength and integrity, as well as its potential impact on Mr. Trump’s efforts to win back the White House. A review of thousands of cases in New York that charged the same felony suggests something striking: If Mr. Trump is found guilty, incarceration is an actual possibility. It’s not certain, of course, but it is plausible. Jury selection has begun, and it’s not too soon to talk about what the possibility of a sentence, including a prison sentence, would look like for Mr. Trump, for the election and for the country — including what would happen if he is re-elected.

Persons: Donald Trump, Alvin Bragg, Trump, it’s Organizations: Mr Locations: Manhattan, New York

☆ House passes key procedural vote on foreign aid bills, setting up final vote Saturday
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Annie Grayer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The House voted Friday in a bipartisan manner to advance a key foreign aid package, a significant step in sending aid to Ukraine and Israel and setting up a final vote as soon as Saturday. The move is likely to further inflame conservatives who are against additional aid to Ukraine and have threatened Johnson’s job over the issue. The committee activity capped off another contentious day on Capitol Hill as the renewed push to send foreign aid to Ukraine has divided House Republicans. Three bills in the foreign aid package would provide aid for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific region, with the latter intended to help deter Chinese aggression in the area. The three assistance bills are similar to the foreign aid legislation that passed the Senate in February.

Persons: Mike Johnson’s, Johnson, Thomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor, Greene, Republicans – Massie, Ralph Norman of, Chip Roy, Texas –, ”, “, CNN’s Haley Talbot, Katie Lobosco, Tami Luhby, Brian Fung Organizations: Democratic, GOP, Republicans, CNN, Caucus Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Texas, Iran

☆ Some House Republicans need this reminder that Russia is not their friend
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —There is a major disconnect between two CNN stories on Wednesday about Russia and the US. While it is mostly Republicans who oppose additional funding for Ukraine, they are still a minority, even within their own party. In February, 22 Republicans in the Senate joined all but three Democrats to form a 70-vote majority in favor of the funding. Asked about that propaganda comment by Tapper earlier this month, Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, agreed. The two appeared together at Mar-a-Lago last week, and Johnson has bought into Trump’s proposal to structure some Ukraine aid as a loan rather than direct aid.

Persons: Sean Lyngaas, ”, Mike Johnson, Johnson, “, ” Johnson, CNN’s Jake Tapper, “ We’re, Matt Gaetz, Chip Roy didn’t, he’s, it’s, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Defense Lloyd Austin, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Tucker Carlson, Vladimir Putin, Ralph Norman, Thomas Massie, Chip Roy, Tom Williams, It’s, Liz Cheney, Donald Trump, Michael McCaul, Puck, Tapper, Mike Turner of Ohio, ” Turner, Greene, Ken Buck, Moscow Marjorie ”, Putin, Trump Organizations: CNN, Capitol Hill, GOP, White, Conservative, Ukraine, Republicans, Senate, Florida, ” Texas, Defense, Republican, Fox News, Putin, Texas Republican, Foreign Affairs, House Intelligence, Trump, Mar, Lago Locations: Russia, Texas, Russian, Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Wyoming, Colorado

☆ Second Republican backs effort to oust Speaker Mike Johnson from power
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Scott Wong | Rebecca Kaplan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"He should pre-announce his resignation (as Boehner did), so we can pick a new Speaker without ever being without a GOP speaker," Massie wrote on X , referring to former GOP Speaker John Boehner, who resigned in the middle of his term in 2015 while facing a similar conservative rebellion from Massie and others. WASHINGTON — A second House Republican said he will support an effort to oust Speaker Mike Johnson from power over his handling of foreign aid for Ukraine and other issues. Johnson told rank-and-file House Republicans in the room that he won't resign, Massie said, a point he reiterated to reporters. "I stand with the speaker," Trump told reporters when asked about Greene's efforts, adding that he gets along great with both Greene and Johnson. One moderate Republican facing a tough re-election bid this fall, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., called Greene and Massie's efforts "idiotic."

Persons: Thomas Massie, Anthony Fauci, Tom Williams, Massie, Johnson, Boehner, John Boehner, Marjorie Taylor Greene, WASHINGTON —, Mike Johnson, Rosie, Greene, Republicans —, —, Kevin McCarthy, Jared Moskowitz, Ralph Norman, Matt Gaetz, Troy Nehls, Jim Jordan, MAGA, Donald Trump, Trump, Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro, Molinaro, McCarthy, — Kyle Stewart, Syedah Asghar, Lori Rampani, Ryan Nobles, Sahil Kapur Organizations: Capitol Visitor Center, National Institute of Allergy, Inc, Getty, Triple, FISA, GOP, Republicans, Republican, U.S, Capitol, Caucus, MAGA Republicans, New York Republican Locations: Ky, Kentucky, Ukraine, WASHINGTON, DC, Washington , DC, Texas, Ohio, Mar, Israel, Taiwan, Mexico

☆ Opinion: Trump trial isn’t a hush money case, but an election interference one
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Opinion Norman Eisen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

We should call it an “election interference” trial going forward. Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass skillfully advanced the election interference theory by structuring his evidentiary points in chronological order within that frame. Trump’s alleged 2020 attempt to overthrow our government distorts perceptions of how serious the charges related to the 2016 election are. How can we call this an election interference trial, they ask, if the election was already over when the 34 alleged document falsification crimes occurred? It is an election interference one and we should say so.

Persons: Norman Eisen, “, Donald Trump, Juan Merchan, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Joshua Steinglass, Steinglass, Michael Cohen, David Pecker, Daniels, Cohen, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Jack Smith, Fani Willis, Trump’s, Bragg Organizations: CNN, Trump, ”, American Media, National Enquirer, DA, Attorney, Fulton, Twitter Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Manhattan

☆ Norman Lear’s Art Goes to Auction
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Robin Pogrebin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Norman Lear was best known for what he created on television, but he also appreciated the kind of art you can hang on the wall and collected his fair share over the years. Lear died in December at 101. On May 16, his wife, Lyn, is selling seven of the producer’s prime pieces of artwork at Christie's with a total estimate of more than $50 million. The artworks will be featured in the auction house’s evening sale of 20th-century art, with additional works offered in the postwar and contemporary art day sales and subsequent auctions. “It will be like letting go of old friends and moving on to make new friends,” Lyn Davis Lear said in a telephone interview, adding, “Norman’s philosophy was buy what you love, don’t buy anything thinking you’re going to make a lot of money.”

Persons: Norman Lear, Lear, ” Lyn Davis Lear, ” Locations: Lyn

☆ Opinion: What does Iran really want?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“A modern, strong, peaceful Iran could become a pillar of stability and progress in the region,” former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger wrote in 2006. Iran introduced into the Iraqi war zone highly effective roadside bombs known as EFPs – Explosively Formed Penetrators – that wounded and killed hundreds of American soldiers. The official US Army history of the Iraq War concluded that Iran was the only winner of that war. Iran’s ‘cookie-cutter approach’Norman Roule was the top US intelligence official on Iran from 2008 to 2017. The withdrawal of the US troops from neighboring Iraq is a key goal of Iran, which exerts considerable influence over some Iraqi politicians.

Persons: Peter Bergen, Osama bin Laden, Shah, Henry Kissinger, Iran’s ayatollahs, Karim Sadjadpour, Sadjadpour, Reagan, bin Laden, bin, al, Saddam Hussein, –, Noam Chomsky, Iran’s, Norman Roule, Roule, propping, Bashar al, Assad, Christine Abizaid, ”, Trump, Obama, Donald Trump, ‘, Benjamin Netanyahu, hasn’t, Joe Biden, Netanyahu, hadn’t, Biden, Abizaid, Mohammed Shia Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, Saturday, East, CIA, US Army, Israel, US National Counterterrorism Center, US Treasury Department, ‘ Deemed, United Nations, Israel’s, Hamas, Iran, White, ISIS Locations: New America, Israel, Iranian, Damascus, Iran, United States, Palestine, ”, Lebanon, Beirut, Saudi, al Qaeda, Iraqi, Saddam, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Red, Suez, Gaza, New York, Damascus ”, Jordan

☆ Could Trump go to jail? Questions about Trump’s trial, answered
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

If Trump were sent to prison, would he still have his presidential Secret Service protecting him in jail? The judicial process is built around the idea that defendants are there to answer charges, and New York law requires that a defendant be present at trial. The felony charge here, which is the lowest level felony under New York law, is falsifying business records to further some other crime. His federal trial on classified documents is proceeding slowly in Miami. While Trump, under New York law, has a right to know their names, their identities will be kept from public view.

Persons: CNN —, Donald Trump’s, –, I’ve, Trump, Laura Coates, Coates, Watch Coates, David, Juan Merchan, Stormy Daniels, CNN’s, Daniels, Bruce, Karen McDougal, Trump’s fixer, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Will, Francis, Elie Honig, Honig, SCOTUS, Mark Honig, He’s, Kathryn, Trump’s, It’s, hasn’t, Norman Eisen, ”, Scott, That’s, Frank Bowman, he’s, Bowman Organizations: CNN, Trump, Raleigh NC Daniels, Seattle Trump, National Enquirer, Playboy, of Justice, Manhattan, Attorney, New, University of Missouri, Prisons, White Locations: New York, Tokyo, York, Georgia, Seattle, Cupertino, Miami, Fulton County , Georgia, Philadelphia

☆ When my 6-year-old asked to get her ears pierced, I took her to a professional piercer. It was much safer than the way I did it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Saba Khonsari | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewThis year, we took our 6-year-old to get her ears pierced. If our kids wanted them, we would take them to get their ears pierced. I got my ears pierced with a piercing gun at a mallI myself was not allowed to pierce my ears until I was 12. AdvertisementWhen my kids decided they wanted to get their ears pierced, I opted to take them to a professional piercing studio. AdvertisementNow, it's a place I go on a Monday night to get my daughter's ears pierced.

Persons: —, Merle Norman, Professional Piercers, it's, Johns Hopkins, Rachel Dawkins, piercers Organizations: Service, Business, Professional

☆ Why Retirement Feels so Scary for Millennials and Gen Z
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Emily Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Then you get to collect Social Security, on top of drawing from the nest egg you've built up over your career. In a recent CNBC survey, over half of respondents in the US said they thought they were behind on saving and planning for retirement. The burden of saving for retirement — and the anxiety that comes with it — is a fairly new phenomenon. There's nothing irrational about being nervous that you won't have enough money to live on to last your whole life. AdvertisementIt's not likely that Social Security will just dry up — Congress could increase the retirement age or up the funding for the program.

Persons: they'll, Teresa Ghilarducci, —, they'd, Larry Fink, there's, Fink, It's, they're, Norman Stein, Drexel University's Thomas R, Chris Woods, They're, Stein, Riley Moynes, it's, Woods, Emily Stewart Organizations: Social, CNBC, The New School, Workers, BlackRock, Drexel, Kline School of Law, Silvis, Social Security, GOP, Security, Business Locations: America, New, Charlotte , North Carolina

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