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The investigation focuses in part on a phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, on Jan. 2, 2021. Trump asked Raffensperger to "find" enough votes needed to overturn Trump's election loss in Georgia. Legal experts said Trump may have violated at least three Georgia criminal election laws: conspiracy to commit election fraud, criminal solicitation to commit election fraud and intentional interference with performance of election duties. Both investigations involving Trump are being overseen by Jack Smith, a war crimes prosecutor and political independent. NEW YORK CRIMINAL PROBEAlthough Trump was not charged with wrongdoing, his real estate company was found guilty on Dec. 6 of tax fraud in New York state.

☆ Suspect in California's latest shooting rampage due in court
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Alexandra Ulmer | Thomson Reuters | U.S. National Affairs Correspondent Who Spent Four Years In Venezuela Covering President Maduro'S Administration | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] A suspect is arrested by law enforcement personnel after a mass shooting at two locations in the coastal northern California city of Half Moon Bay, California, U.S. January 23, 2023 in a still image from video. HALF MOON BAY, Calif., Jan 25 (Reuters) - The man accused of shooting and killing seven farm workers near San Francisco in the latest of two back-to-back gun rampages in California that claimed 18 lives overall was due in court on Wednesday for his initial appearance before a judge. Chunli Zhao, 66, the lone suspect in Monday's massacre at two mushroom farms in the seaside town of Half Moon Bay, is expected to be formally presented with murder and other charges at the San Mateo County Superior Court in nearby Redwood City. The suspect was described as a resident of Half Moon Bay, a community of about 12,000 residents known for its foggy weather, fishing, and agriculture. San Mateo County jail records showed Zhao was booked on suspicion of premeditated murder, attempted murder and firearms offenses.

One man carried out his attack with a gun banned by the state, while the other used a gun he legally owned, police said. Even in California, a state with some of the country's strictest gun laws, the limits can be sidestepped. The prospects for new federal gun laws are dim. The majority of guns used in mass shootings were obtained legally, according to the nonprofit Violence Project, which maintains a database of attacks. Chunli Zhao legally owned the gun used in the Half Moon Bay attack on Monday, police said.

☆ Suspect in Half Moon Bay shooting rampage appears in California court
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Jorge Garcia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/6] A suspect is arrested by law enforcement personnel after a mass shooting at two locations in the coastal northern California city of Half Moon Bay, California, U.S. January 23, 2023 in a still image from video. The hearing was held at the San Mateo County Superior Court in nearby Redwood City, California. The complaint against Zhao also alleged "special circumstances" accusing Zhao of "personally and intentionally" shooting to kill. IMMIGRANT VICTIMSHalf Moon Bay, a community of about 12,000 residents south of San Francisco, is home to both a luxury resort and a low-income farming community. Two days before the Half Moon Bay killings, another gunman 380 miles to the south opened fire at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, a club frequented mostly by older patrons of Asian descent in Monterey Park.

☆ The 1-page media kit a TikToker with 874K followers uses to get brand deals, and how much he charges across platforms including Instagram and YouTube Shorts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Arujo shares his one-page media kit and rates for YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and user-generated content. When TikTok chose Latino creator Joseph Arujo in March to join its newly formed Creator Diversity Collective as a community leader, he was ecstatic. His kit was initially three pages, but he condensed it to one because he views it as a "creator resume." The media kit also focuses on Arujo's TikTok engagement, rather than his Instagram and YouTube statistics, because he has the most followers on the short-video app and lands most of his brand deals there. The platform allowed him to see what other creators made from specific brand deals.

It is not clear whether the special grand jury's findings will lead to criminal charges against Trump or anyone else for election interference. Members of the special grand jury voted to recommend the public release of their findings. In a statement on Monday, his Georgia-based legal team said the grand jury never subpoenaed Trump or asked him to appear voluntarily. The special grand jury had subpoena power to gather evidence and compel witness testimony but did not have the authority to issue indictments. If Willis determines that charges are warranted based on the findings, she could seek indictments from a regular grand jury.

[1/5] Police officers detain a man, believed by law enforcement to be the Half Moon Bay mass shooting suspect, in Half Moon Bay, California, U.S., January 23, 2023, in this screengrab taken from a social media video. California Governor Gavin Newsom said he was visiting wounded survivors from Saturday night's massacre in the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park when he was informed of Monday's killings in northern California. A semi-automatic handgun was found in his car, San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus told an evening news conference. It ranked as the deadliest mass shooting ever in Los Angeles County, according to Hilda Solis, a member of the county Board of Supervisors. Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese said investigators were looking into unconfirmed reports that the violence may have been precipitated by jealousy or relationship issues.

It is exceedingly rare for a person over 70 to carry out a mass shooting. Flowers are left near the scene of a shooting that took place during a Chinese Lunar New Year celebration, in Monterey Park, California, U.S. January 22, 2023. Police in Monterey Park had no prior interactions with Tran, Chief Scott Wiese said at a news conference on Monday. He lived in San Gabriel, near Monterey Park, from the early 1990s until around 2014, records show. Reporting by Tim Reid in Monterey Park, California, and Rich McKay in Atlanta; Writing and additional reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A TikToker shares the 1-page media kit he used to get a brand deal with Netflix and how much he charges for sponsored posts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Arujo shares his one-page media kit and rates for YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and user-generated content. When TikTok chose Latino creator Joseph Arujo in March to join its newly formed Creator Diversity Collective as a community leader, he was ecstatic. Condensing his media kit to a single page made a big difference when pitching brandsOnce brands started reaching out to Arujo, he said he hired a manager who focused on Latinx representation and created a media kit that showcased what he could bring to potential brand partnerships. His kit was initially three pages, but he condensed it to one because he views it as a "creator resume." Joseph Arujo's media kit.

Protests in major French cities, including Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes and Nice, brought transport services to a standstill. Eight of the biggest unions had called for a “first day of strikes and protests” against pension reforms unveiled by President Emmanuel Macron’s government. Train lines across France were seeing “severe disruption,” according to French rail authority SNCF. Macron’s proposed pension reforms come as workers in France, as elsewhere, are being squeezed by rising food and energy bills. The French government has said that raising the retirement age is necessary to tackle a pension funding deficit.

☆ Joseph A. Hardy III Built the No-Frills 84 Lumber Chain
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( James R. Hagerty | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Joseph A. Hardy III once purchased a British royal title, lord of the manor of Henley-in-Arden, and began holding mock royal receptions at his resort. Joseph A. Hardy III , the founder of 84 Lumber Co., tried to keep the business simple by selling building supplies to contractors and remodelers in no-frills outlets scattered across the U.S.His personal life was more complicated.

Eight of France’s largest unions - covering transportation, education, police, executives and public sectors - called for Thursday to be the “first day of strikes and protests” against the proposed pensions reform. Widespread strikes are expected, and it may be “a hellish Thursday” on public transport networks, Transport Minister Clement Beaune warned French broadcaster France 2 Tuesday. Paris’ transport authority predicts “very disrupted” service on the city’s transport network. But many have blasted the reforms as ill-timed at best; at worst, an insult to hard-working people in France. “This reform falls at a moment where there is lots of anger, lots of frustration, lots of fatigue.

☆ Trump to make first 2024 campaign appearance in South Carolina
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a rally at Florence Regional Airport in Florence, South Carolina, U.S., March 12, 2022. Two well-known South Carolina Republicans - U.S. South Carolina holds outsize influence as one of the first states to hold presidential nominating contests during election years. The Republicans have chosen to maintain the traditional sequence for the first three states: Iowa, New Hampshire and then South Carolina. Two other South Carolina Republicans - former Governor Nikki Haley and U.S.

☆ Philly’s newly ID’d ‘Boy in the Box’ gets grave marker at 70
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The family lived down the street from the potter’s field where the boy was first buried, and placed flowers there on holidays. It’s a confluence of great detective work, cutting-edge science and the careful art of genealogical research, retired city detective William Fleisher said in his graveside remarks Friday. “It is a big part of our city’s history, a big part of the Philadelphia Police Department’s history. So this is everybody’s victory.”Police now believe the boy lived in West Philadelphia, miles across town from where his body was found. “This has been our whole lives, with this boy, our whole entire lives, since we were children,” said Kim Augustine, 56, Braxton’s sister.

☆ U.S. House Republicans who bucked McCarthy are powered by small-dollar donors
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Jason Lange | Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives Republicans who tried to block Kevin McCarthy’s leadership bid last week share more than far-right political views. That’s about twice the share reported by the rest of the Republican House conference. Trump raised massive amounts of cash from small donors, thanks to a supply of controversial statements that drew him constant media attention. Close to 60% of his funding came from small donors. Both Gaetz and Boebert were in the top 15 House Republican campaigns ranked by funds raised.

From September this year, the regular retirement age will increase by three months a year until 2030. The higher retirement age should tackle a pension funding deficit, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne told reporters on Tuesday as she laid out the reforms. Revamping the pensions system has been a key element of French President Emmanuel Macron’s election campaigns. In the United States and the United Kingdom, the retirement age is between 66 and 67, depending on the year in which you were born. An earlier attempt by Macron to revamp the pensions system was met with nationwide strikes in 2019 before being abandoned during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In an order, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney dissolved the grand jury now that its work is complete and set a Jan. 24 hearing to determine whether the report will be made public. The special grand jury, which was convened at the request of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, had subpoena power but not the ability to issue indictments. Willis will ultimately decide whether to bring charges against Trump or anyone else, though the jury's report could include recommendations. The grand jury heard testimony from numerous state officials, including Georgia Governor Brad Raffensperger, and key Trump advisers such as U.S. The investigation is one of several civil and criminal probes threatening Trump and his inner circle.

☆ South Carolina congressional map deliberately hurt Black voters, judges rule
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 6 (Reuters) - South Carolina's Republican-created congressional map deliberately split up Black neighborhoods in Charleston to diminish their voting power and must be redrawn, a three-judge federal panel ruled on Friday. The Republican-controlled legislature adopted the map last year after the 2020 U.S. Census as part of the once-a-decade redistricting process that all states complete. Friday's decision focused on the state's 1st congressional district, which has long been anchored in Charleston County. The judges – all three appointed by Democratic presidents – gave the state legislature until the end of March to submit a new map. No elections can take place in the 1st district until it has been redrawn, the panel said.

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The harrowing detail was included in a newly unsealed affidavit on Thursday, just before Bryan Kohberger, the 28-year-old doctoral student charged with the slayings, was scheduled to make his first court appearance in Moscow, Idaho. He was arrested in Pennsylvania last week, where he was visiting his family, and flown to Idaho on Wednesday. Investigators were able to match DNA recovered from a knife sheath left at the scene with DNA taken from trash at the Kohberger family residence, according to the unsealed court document. About 15 minutes later, the car was seen leaving at a "high rate of speed." Reporting by Joseph Ax in New York and Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; Editing by David Gregorio and Howard GollerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/4] Traffic navigates around downed tree limbs along 19th Avenue after a new bout of rainstorms threatens to flood San Francisco, in California, U.S. January 4, 2023. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, and state officials urged Californians to avoid travel during the storm. Crews in San Francisco spent the night cleaning up debris from felled trees that blocked roadways. The area lies in the heart of the Sonoma Wine Country, a tourist magnet just north of San Francisco. Nearly 100 flights were canceled at San Francisco International Airport on Wednesday, and an additional 15 had already been canceled on Thursday.

☆ Grad student accused of Idaho college slayings to appear in court
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 3 (Reuters) - The graduate student accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death more than six weeks ago is scheduled to appear in a Pennsylvania court on Tuesday to determine whether he will return to Idaho immediately to face charges there. If he waives extradition at Tuesday's court hearing, he will be sent to Idaho to face four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary. Two other female roommates in the house at the time of the killings were unharmed, apparently having slept through the attack. Pullman, Washington, where Kohberger has been studying, is about 10 miles from the University of Idaho campus. Reporting by Joseph Ax; Additional reporting by Brendan O'Brien Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI dies at 95
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Corky Siemaszko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican," the statement said. Benedict was the longest-living pope, having surpassed Pope Leo XIII in September 2020. "We must think about what Pope Benedict said — 'It's the epoch of sin against God the Creator,'" Francis said at a gathering of Polish bishops. Unlike most priests, Benedict logged little time in parishes. In 2005, his first year as pope, he was accused in a lawsuit of having personally covered up a priest's abuse of three boys in Texas.

☆ Former Pope Benedict was first pontiff to resign in 600 years
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +14 min

[1/3] Pope Benedict XVI blesses a baby as he rides around St Peter's Square to hold his last general audience at the Vatican February 27, 2013. REUTERS/Max Rossi/File PhotoVATICAN CITY, Dec 31 - Former Pope Benedict, who died on Saturday aged 95, was the first pontiff in 600 years to resign, leaving behind a Catholic Church battered by sexual abuse scandals, mired in mismanagement and polarised between conservatives and progressives. Benedict, the first German pope in 1,000 years, had good relations with his successor, Pope Francis, but his continued presence inside the Vatican after he stepped down in 2013 further polarised the Church ideologically. Although he said he would remain "hidden from the world", Benedict did not live up to that promise and in retirement sometimes caused controversy and confusion through his writings. Ganswein's role as a middleman between Benedict and the cardinal was unclear, with many believing he had misled Benedict, the cardinal, or both.

☆ JP Morgan signs deal for stake in fintech Viva Wallet for over $800 million
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ATHENS, Dec 17 (Reuters) - JP Morgan (JPM.N) has signed a deal to buy a 48.5% stake in Athens-based payments fintech Viva Wallet for more than $800 million, a person with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Saturday. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the deal was expected to be announced early next week. Both JP Morgan and Viva Wallet declined to comment. JP Morgan announced in January that it had agreed to acquire a stake in Viva Wallet. Cloud-based Viva Wallet, which operates in 23 countries across Europe, provides card acceptance services through its POS application, add-on Google play devices and advanced payment systems in online stores.

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