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☆ Trump Indictment, Part IV: A Spectacle That Has Become Surreally Routine
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Peter Baker | More About Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For the fourth time in as many months, former President Donald J. Trump was charged on Monday with serious crimes and what was once unprecedented has now become surreally routine. But a country of short attention spans has now seen this three times before and grown oddly accustomed to the spectacle. The Georgia indictment went further than previous ones by charging 18 others with collaborating in a criminal enterprise with the former president, including associates like Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Jeffrey Clark and John Eastman. Yet most Americans made up their minds about Mr. Trump long before prosecutors like Fani T. Willis or Jack Smith weighed in, polls have shown. The Georgia indictment, powerful as it is in its language, has been priced into the market, as the Wall Street types would put it.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Rudolph W, Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Jeffrey Clark, John Eastman, Willis, Jack Smith Locations: United States, Georgia

Mr. Trump is facing four separate criminal cases, a staggering legal burden for a politician running for another term. It remains unclear when the former president will face trial, and in what court system, since he and his co-defendants have varying legal strategies. Some have filed to move the case to federal court, while others are seeking speedy state trials. As of Sept. 5, all 19 defendants had pleaded not guilty and had waived their right to a formal arraignment. This is the second of the four criminal cases facing Mr. Trump to be centered on his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Persons: Trump, Scott McAfee, Trump’s, Mark Meadows, Rudolph W, Giuliani, John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro, Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, Biden Organizations: White House, New York Times, Siena Locations: Georgia, Fulton County

☆ Trump and Allies in Georgia Face RICO Charges. Here’s What That Means.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( James C. Mckinley Jr. | More About James C. Mckinley Jr. | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Prosecutors need only show “a pattern of racketeering activity,” which means crimes that all were used to further the objectives of a corrupt enterprise. The Georgia courts have concluded that a pattern consists of at least two acts of racketeering activity within a four-year period in furtherance of one or more schemes that have the same or similar intent. That means the act might allow prosecutors to knit together the myriad efforts by Donald J. Trump and his allies, like Rudolph W. Giuliani, to overturn his narrow loss in Georgia in the 2020 presidential race. At its heart, the statute requires prosecutors to prove the existence of an “enterprise” and a “pattern of racketeering activity.” The enterprise does not have to be a purely criminal organization. A number of the crimes Mr. Trump and his allies are accused of are on the list, including making false statements.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Rudolph W, Giuliani, Brad Raffensperger Locations: Georgia

☆ Who Has Been Charged in the Election Inquiry in Georgia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Now he himself faces a racketeering charge for his central role in the plot to keep Mr. Trump in power. Mark Meadows Former White House chief of staff Mr. Meadows was deeply involved in efforts to keep Mr. Trump in power. During a visit to Georgia, he showed up at a vote-counting facility and put Mr. Trump on the phone with a top state elections investigator. Jeffrey Clark Former Justice Department official A former senior Justice Department official who caused outrage among his colleagues by advancing false election fraud claims and seeking to intervene in the presidential election in Georgia. Ms. Latham was also one of 16 fake electors in Georgia who cast their electoral votes for Mr. Trump.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Rudolph W, John C, Joseph R, Biden, Ray Smith III, Sidney Powell, ” Kenneth Chesebro, Mr . Biden, Mark Meadows, Meadows, Michael Roman Trump, Jeffrey Clark, Misty, Robert Cheeley Lawyer, Jenna Ellis, Ms, Ellis, Cathy Latham, Latham, David Shafer, Shafer, ”, Mike Pence, Shawn Still, Mr, Trevian, Kutti, Ye, Stephen C, Lee Pastor, Willie Lewis Floyd Organizations: Giuliani, New York, Eastman, Trump, Mr, Mark Meadows Former White House, Jeffrey Clark Former Justice Department, Department, Misty Hampton, Republican Party, Georgia Republican Party, Electoral College of Georgia, Kanye West, Prosecutors Locations: Georgia, U.S, Trump, Misty Hampton Coffee, Coffee County, Fulton County, Illinois, Atlanta

Rudolph W. Giuliani, a central figure in the investigation into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia, was among those charged on Monday night in the case. A former federal prosecutor and mayor of New York City, Mr. Giuliani served as Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer during the waning days of his presidency and led the legal efforts in several states to challenge Mr. Biden’s victories and keep Mr. Trump in power. Prosecutors have scrutinized false allegations of election fraud that Mr. Giuliani made before state legislative committees in December 2020, as well as his role in a plan to send a slate of electors who supported Mr. Trump to Congress — even though Georgia had already certified electors who supported Joseph R. Biden Jr., who won the state by about 10,000 votes. State prosecutors in Atlanta informed Mr. Giuliani last year that he was a target of their investigation, but he sought to avoid testifying to a special grand jury investigating the matter. He was ordered to do so in August of last year by a judge who told him to come to Atlanta “on a train, on a bus or Uber.”

Persons: Rudolph W, Giuliani, Trump, Congress —, Joseph R, Biden, Mr, ” Organizations: Prosecutors, Congress Locations: Georgia, New York City, Atlanta

☆ Giuliani Maligns Jews and Women in Transcript Filed in Harassment Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | More About Jonah E. Bromwich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The woman, Noelle Dunphy, filed a lawsuit in May claiming that Mr. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, began harassing and assaulting her shortly after he hired her in January 2019. Mr. Giuliani has responded that Ms. Dunphy was never his employee and that the two had a consensual relationship. Ms. Dunphy said in her lawsuit that she had audio recordings that supported her claims. In the transcripts filed on Tuesday by Ms. Dunphy’s lawyer, Justin T. Kelton, Mr. Giuliani uses a homophobic slur, makes disparaging remarks about Jews and women and uses sexually explicit language in conversation with Ms. Dunphy. In one excerpt, he complains that the Jewish people continue to celebrate the ancient holiday of Passover.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Rudolph W, Giuliani, Noelle Dunphy, Mr, Dunphy, Ms, Justin T, Kelton Locations: New York City

The indictment of former President Donald J. Trump in connection with his efforts to retain power after his 2020 election loss left a number of unanswered questions, among them: Who is Co-conspirator 6? The indictment asserted that six people aided Mr. Trump’s schemes to remain in office. Identified by the indictment as “a political consultant who helped implement a plan to submit fraudulent slates of presidential electors to obstruct the certification proceeding,” the person could have been a number of figures in Mr. Trump’s orbit. But a close look at the indictment and a review of messages among people working with Mr. Trump’s team provides a strong clue. An email from December 2020 from Boris Epshteyn, a strategic adviser to the Trump campaign in 2020, to Mr. Giuliani matches a description in the indictment of an interaction between Co-conspirator 6 and Mr. Giuliani, whose lawyer has confirmed that he is Co-conspirator 1.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Rudolph W, Giuliani, John Eastman, Mike Pence, Boris Epshteyn Organizations: New Locations: New York

By the time Jack Smith, the special counsel, was brought in to oversee the investigation of former President Donald J. Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election, the inquiry had already focused for months on a group of lawyers close to Mr. Trump. Many showed up as subjects of interest in a seemingly unending flurry of subpoenas issued by a grand jury sitting in the case. Some were household names, others less familiar. Among them were Rudolph W. Giuliani, John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark, Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell. On Tuesday, most of these same lawyers showed up again — albeit unnamed — as Mr. Trump’s co-conspirators in a federal indictment accusing him of a wide-ranging plot to remain in office despite having lost the election.

Persons: Jack Smith, Donald J, Trump’s, Trump, Rudolph W, Giuliani, John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark, Kenneth Chesebro, Sidney Powell, ”

☆ How Rudy Giuliani Became Co-Conspirator 1
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | More About Jonah E. Bromwich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Rudolph W. Giuliani is co-conspirator 1. But co-conspirator 1, who Mr. Giuliani’s lawyer acknowledged appeared to be his client, figures in each of the three conspiracies it alleges took place — leaving open the possibility that Mr. Giuliani could be charged himself. The former mayor who made his name as a lawman now faces a reckoning with the law. Mr. Giuliani’s relationship with Mr. Trump hangs in the balance. A person close to Mr. Trump who spoke confidentially to describe a private relationship said that while they don’t speak regularly, the former president retains a fondness for Mr. Giuliani born from his stint as mayor, when the two dealt with each other often.

Persons: Rudolph W, Giuliani, Donald J, Trump, Giuliani’s, Jack Smith Organizations: New Locations: New York City, Georgia

☆ The indictment says Trump had six co-conspirators in his efforts to retain power.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Alan Feuer | More About Alan Feuer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The indictment of former President Donald J. Trump mentions — but does not identify by name — six co-conspirators who prosecutors say worked with him in seeking to overturn the 2020 election. It is not clear why the office of the special counsel, Jack Smith, decided to seek only Mr. Trump’s indictment for now, though it is possible that some of the co-conspirators could still face charges in the weeks ahead. Here is how the indictment describes those conspirators. The identities of the co-conspirators could not immediately be determined, but the descriptions of them appear to match up with a number of people who were central to the investigation into election tampering conducted by prosecutors working for Mr. Smith. Among those people central to the inquiry were Rudolph W. Giuliani, a lawyer who oversaw Mr. Trump’s attempts to claim the election was marred by widespread fraud; John Eastman, a law professor who provided the legal basis to overturn the election by manipulating the count of electors to the Electoral College; Sidney Powell, a lawyer who pushed Mr. Trump to use the military to seize voting machines and rerun the election; Jeffrey Clark, a Justice Department official at the time; and Kenneth Chesebro and James Troupis, lawyers who helped flesh out the plan to use fake electors pledged to Mr. Trump in states that were won by President Biden.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Jack Smith, Smith, Rudolph W, Giuliani, Trump’s, John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Jeffrey Clark, Kenneth Chesebro, James Troupis, Biden Organizations: Mr, Electoral College, Justice Department

Mr. Biden paid the overdue tax bill in 2021. Mr. Weiss’s office has also charged Mr. Biden in connection with the purchase of a handgun in 2018, when Mr. Biden falsely said on a government form that he was not using drugs. But as part of the deal, the Justice Department, under what is known as a pretrial diversion agreement, said it would not prosecute Mr. Biden on the charge as long as Mr. Biden no longer owns a weapon and remains drug free for two years. As president, Mr. Trump, realizing that Mr. Biden was the candidate with the best chance to beat him in 2020, tried to weaponize Hunter Biden’s business dealings against his father. At the height of the 2020 election, Mr. Giuliani and other Trump confidants believed they had an October surprise that would catapult Mr. Trump to re-election when they obtained a cache of files from Hunter Biden’s laptop.

Persons: Hunter Biden, Biden’s, Biden, David C, Weiss, Harris, —, Justice Department meddled, General Merrick B, Garland, Maryellen Noreika, Donald J, Trump, Hunter, Trump’s, Christopher Clark, Mr, Beau, Clark, Obama, Rudolph W, Giuliani Organizations: U.S, Trump, Biden Justice Department, Court, Biden, Republicans, Justice Department, Republican, Obama Locations: Delaware, Wilmington —, Ukraine, Ukrainian

Even as the special counsel, Jack Smith, appears to be edging closer toward bringing charges against former President Donald J. Trump in connection with his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, prosecutors have been continuing to investigate multiple strands of the case. In recent weeks, Mr. Smith’s team has pushed forward in collecting new evidence and in arranging new interviews with witnesses who could shed light on Mr. Trump’s mind-set in the chaotic postelection period or on other subjects important to the inquiry. At the same time, word has emerged of previously undisclosed investigative efforts, hinting at the breadth and scope of the issues prosecutors are examining. In the past few days, a lawyer for Bernard B. Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner who worked closely after the election with Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, gave hundreds of pages of documents to prosecutors working with Mr. Smith. The documents detailed efforts by Mr. Kerik and Mr. Giuliani to identify and investigate allegations of fraud in the election — an issue that is likely to be front and center as prosecutors seek to understand what Mr. Trump may have been thinking when he set in motion various efforts to maintain his grip on power.

Persons: Jack Smith, Donald J, Trump, Smith’s, Trump’s, Bernard B, Rudolph W, Giuliani, Smith, Kerik Organizations: New, Mr Locations: New York City

Weeks later, Mr. Trump is the former President Trump. Instead, in a brief televised address shortly before 2:30 a.m., Mr. Trump furiously laid down his postelection lie. For weeks, Mr. Trump had been peppering him with tips of fraud that, upon investigation by federal authorities, proved baseless. The cavalry “is coming, Mr. President,” Kylie Kremer tweeted to Mr. Trump on Dec. 19. On Jan. 15, Mr. Trump acquiesced to an Oval Office meeting with Mr. Lindell, who arrived with two sets of documents.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Joseph R, Biden, Justin Clark, Rudolph W, Giuliani, Clark, Weeks, Mitch McConnell, McConnell, Jared Kushner, McConnell’s, Biden’s, William P, Barr, Mr, Trump’s, Sidney Powell, Lin Wood, sleuths, MyPillow, Mike Lindell, Patrick Byrne, Stephen K, Bannon, Michael T, Flynn, platformed, Jared Taylor, Enrique Tarrio, Doug Mills, Eric, “ We’re, ”, Fox, Eric Trump, Newt Gingrich, Joe Biden’s, Kevin McCarthy, Laura Ingraham, Obama, Dennis Montgomery, Thomas McInerney, McInerney, John McCain, Bannon’s, “ it’s, Paul Gosar, Doug Ducey, Roy Blunt of, Roy Blunt, Anna Moneymaker, —, “, ” Mr, Mark Meadows, Josh Holmes, Kushner, — Mr, Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski, Lindsey Graham, Sean Hannity, Lindsey Graham of, Sean Hannity’s, — I’ve, Let’s, Graham, Pat A, Axios, Brendan Smialowski, “ Hannity, Thomas, Jenna Ellis, Matt Morgan, Al Gore, George W, Bush, Brooks, Stefan Passantino, Powell, Lynsey Weatherspoon, Gore, William H, Rehnquist, Giuliani —, Kris Kobach, Mark Martin, Lawrence Joseph, Kobach, Uncle Sam, Mr . Biden, Ken Paxton, Jeffrey M, Landry, Paxton, Kyle D, Hawkins, Jacquelyn Martin, Joseph, Richard L, Chris Carr, Carr, Mike Johnson of, Mike Johnson, McCarthy, Privately, Ted Cruz of, John Sauer, ’, ” James E, Nicolai, North, Wayne Stenehjem, Stenehjem, Wayne, Tasos Katopodis, MAGA, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Marsha Blackburn of, Ms, Blackburn, Amy Kremer, Ann Stone, Roger Stone, Amy Coney Barrett, Kremer’s, Kylie Jane Kremer, Jennifer Lawrence, Dustin Stockton, Lawrence, Stockton, I’ve, Lindell, they’d, Taylor, Greg Locke, Covid, Michael McKinney, Tucker Carlson, Carlson’s, “ Donald Trump, ” Ms, Meadows, Georgia runoffs, Byrne, Cipollone, he’d, Martin, Mike Pence, reconvene, ” Kylie Kremer, James Yeager, Kylie Kremer, Yeager’s, Lawrence whooped, John Kennedy, James Lyle, Josh Hawley, “ You’ve, Lyle, Couy Griffin, Kennedy, Pete Marovich, Kremer, Julie Jenkins Fancelli, Alex Jones, Caroline Wren, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr, Katrina Pierson, Brad Raffensperger, Jeffrey A, Rosen, Department’s, Jeffrey Clark, Scott Perry, Hawley, Cruz, Year’s, Tom Cotton of, Cotton, Cindy Chafian, Chafian, Jones, Stone, Locke, Jan, “ You’ll, Gosar, Griffin, Robert O’Brien, I’m, ’ ”, Kenny Holston, Donald Trump, ” Mark Walker, Ben Margot, Stefani Reynolds, Samuel Corum, Erin Schaff, David J, Ted Cruz, John Bazemore Organizations: Twitter, Dominion Systems, Trump, Biden, Dominion, New, New York City, The New York Times, Senate, New York, Republican Party, Capitol, White, Times, The Times, America News Network, Fox, America, Boys, New York Times, American, Air Force, Electoral College, Republicans, Joe Biden’s Democratic Party, Republican, Facebook, Democrats, Associated Press, “ Fox & Friends, White House, West Wing, “, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Veritas, Justice Department, Postal Service, York Daily, Agence France, Zignal Labs, Amistad, Thomas More Society, Mr, Electoral, Supreme, Lawyers, General Association, Associated, State, University of California, Republican House, Women, Tea Party, Trump -, Breitbart, of, Credit, SPAN, Tea Party Express, Republican National Committee, Internet, Army, Des Moines Register, Marine, General Services Administration, Swedish, Cowboys, Capitol ., Street Journal, Save, General Association ., Law Defense Fund, Freedom, Coalition, Proud Boys, Willard, Homeland Security, Party, Getty, Georgia Electoral College Locations: Detroit, Arizona, Georgia, New York, America, China, Trump, Grand Rapids, Mich, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Santa Cruz ,, Arizona —, Russia, North Vietnam, United States, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Kentucky, Utah, Alaska, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Erie, Pa, Pennsylvania, Long, Bush, Florida, tightest, Kansas, North Carolina, Ken Paxton of Texas, Texas, State of Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, Irvine, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Ted Cruz of Texas, Missouri, Washington, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Trump’s, Hudson, Stockton, Tennessee, Des Moines, Meadows, White, fistfights, Nashville, West Monroe, La, Louisiana, drumbeating, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Delaware

☆ At N.Y.C. Police Union, Will the New Leader Be a Lot Like the Old One?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Chelsia Rose Marcius | More About Chelsia Rose Marcius | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Patrick Hendry, the new head of New York City’s police officers’ union, has much in common with his predecessor: Their mothers are from Ireland. They grew up in Queens, the sons of union men. And they believe a police union must defend officers, even those accused of wrongdoing. For nearly a quarter century, the booming voice of Mr. Lynch, who stepped down June 30, made the union a key player in New York politics. Now Mr. Hendry, 51, who is untested as a public figure, must decide whether he will deviate from that path.

Persons: Patrick Hendry, Hendry, Patrick J, Lynch, Rudolph W, Giuliani, Bill de Blasio, Donald J, Trump, watchdogs Organizations: Police Benevolent Association, Department Locations: York, Ireland, Queens, New York

☆ Giuliani Should Lose His Law License in D.C., Bar Panel Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Alan Feuer | More About Alan Feuer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A legal ethics committee in Washington that oversaw a disciplinary case late year against Rudolph W. Giuliani recommended on Friday that he be disbarred for his “unparalleled” attempts to overturn the 2020 election in favor of his client at the time, President Donald J. Trump. In its recommendation, the panel from the D.C. Bar’s board on professional responsibility said that Mr. Giuliani’s efforts to “undermine the integrity” of the election had “helped destabilize our democracy” and “done lasting damage” to the oath to support the U.S. Constitution that he had sworn when he was admitted to the bar. While the panel acknowledged a record of public service by Mr. Giuliani, a former New York City mayor and U.S. attorney in Manhattan, it also noted that “all of that happened long ago.”“The misconduct here sadly transcends all his past accomplishments,” the panel wrote. “It was unparalleled in its destructive purpose and effect. He sought to disrupt a presidential election and persists in his refusal to acknowledge the wrong he has done.”

Persons: Rudolph W, Giuliani, Donald J, “, ” Organizations: Trump, New York City Locations: Washington, U.S ., New York, Manhattan

☆ House Republicans Summon Officials to Testify About Hunter Biden Inquiry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Luke Broadwater | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Mr. Shapley provided emails and messages to support crucial portions of his account, which was backed up by a second I.R.S. The New York Times has also independently confirmed a key allegation made by Mr. Shapley: that prosecutors in California denied a request from Mr. Weiss to pursue charges against Hunter Biden in that state. He also denied that the elder Mr. Biden or his staff “in any way” assisted Mr. Zlochevsky. Republicans produced no proof that the elder Mr. Biden accepted payments from foreign businesses or that he took any action as a result of Hunter Biden’s overseas work. Speaker Kevin McCarthy has pledged to add Mr. Garland to the list if Republicans determine that he lied about Mr. Weiss’s authority in the Hunter Biden investigation.

Persons: Gary Shapley, Hunter Biden, Shapley, Biden, Hunter Biden’s, Mr . Shapley, Weiss, General Merrick B, Garland, —, Hunter, Donald J, Rudolph W, Giuliani, Mykola Zlochevsky, Burisma, ”, Zlochevsky, Kevin McCarthy, ” Mr, McCarthy, Merrick Garland Organizations: Republicans, Mr, Justice Department, New York Times, House Republicans, Trump, Democrats, What’s, Biden, Twitter Locations: California

☆ Girlfriend of dentist who killed his wife on their African safari is sentenced to 17 years in prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Rebekah Riess | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Martinez instead granted the federal prosecutors’ motion for a longer-than-usual sentence. Bianca Rudolph was killed in 2016 while she and Lawrence Rudolph were on a hunting trip in Zambia. I would not murder my wife,” Rudolph told jurors when he took the stand in his own defense at his trial. Prosecutors argued Rudolph killed his wife of 30 years for the insurance money and to be with his girlfriend, Milliron. American investigators reopened the case after a friend of Bianca Rudolph contacted authorities and said she suspected foul play.

Persons: Lori Milliron, Lawrence Rudolph, William J, Martinez, Milliron, ” “ Lori Milliron, Bianca Rudolph, Rudolph, propofol, Bianca, ”, John Dill, ” Dill, “, Husband, ” Rudolph Organizations: CNN, Department of Justice, Prosecutors, FBI Locations: American, Africa, Denver, Zambia, Phoenix

☆ Officials Who Cast Doubt on Hunter Biden Laptop Face Questions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Luke Broadwater | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

As Justice Department officials weigh the matter, the investigator overseeing the Internal Revenue Service’s portion of the case has also come forward with allegations of political favoritism in the inquiry. On Monday, a lawyer for that investigator sent a short letter to Congress that said the investigator and the rest of his team were being removed from the inquiry, which is reaching its end as officials weigh whether to pursue charges. The former intelligence officials stress that their letter stated that they had no evidence of a Russian disinformation campaign, and that they were merely stating an opinion. “The Congress is wasting its time and our money by investigating the First Amendment rights of private citizens,” Mark Zaid, a lawyer who represents seven signers of the letter, said in an interview. Democrats also argue that the letter must be understood in its proper context.

☆ The Week in Business: A Trial With a Twist
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Marie Solis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

In an unexpected twist in the courtroom on Tuesday — after jurors had been selected and opening statements delayed — Fox News agreed to a $787.5 million settlement. But even at less than half that amount, the settlement is still one of the largest ever in a defamation case. Caveats released in August said vehicles and plug-in hybrids assembled outside North America were not eligible for the $7,500 credit. The list of eligible vehicles is expected to grow as carmakers fine-tune their supply chains and catch up with demand. When the bank reports its quarterly earnings this week, analysts expect to see an enormous flight of deposits — that is, customers pulling their money from the bank — and losses.

☆ Testimony Suggests Trump Was at Meeting About Accessing Voting Software
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Richard Fausset | Danny Hakim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

ATLANTA — Former President Donald J. Trump took part in a discussion about plans to access voting system software in Michigan and Georgia as part of the effort to challenge his 2020 election loss, according to testimony from former Trump advisers. The testimony, delivered to the House Jan. 6 committee, was highlighted on Friday in a letter to federal officials from a liberal-leaning legal advocacy group. Allies of Mr. Trump ultimately succeeded in copying the elections software in those two states, and the breach of voting data in Georgia is being examined by prosecutors as part of a broader criminal investigation into whether Mr. Trump and his allies interfered in the presidential election there. The former president’s participation in the discussion of the Georgia plan could increase his risk of possible legal exposure there. Mr. Lyons recounted that during the meeting, Rudolph W. Giuliani, then Mr. Trump’s personal attorney, opposed seizing voting machines and spoke of how the Trump campaign was instead “going to be able to secure access to voting machines in Georgia through means other than seizure,” and that the access would be “voluntary.”

☆ How M&M’s is making the most of its spokescandies controversy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Given the outsize attention, some think M&M’s announcement is a PR stunt to hype its upcoming Super Bowl commercial. M&M’s relatively subtle changes aimed at inclusivity didn’t seem like they were designed to spark much controversy, if any. At the Washington Post, for example, an opinion piece declared “the M&M’S changes aren’t progressive. “In the last year, we’ve made some changes to our beloved spokescandies,” M&M’s said. “The original colorful cast of M&M’s spokescandies are, at present, pursuing other personal passions,” Wesley said.

☆ M&M’s Ditches ‘Spokescandies’ for Maya Rudolph After Backlash Over New Look
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Jennifer Calfas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The brand said it believes Maya Rudolph will ‘champion the power of fun to create a world where everyone feels they belong.’The M&M characters are taking a break a year after their new looks sparked controversy. The Mars Inc. brand said Monday that its candy characters—known as “spokescandies”—will begin an “indefinite pause” from their duties. Comedian Maya Rudolph will take their place as the brand’s spokesperson and will star in the candy’s upcoming advertisement at Super Bowl LVII in February, the brand said.

☆ M&M’S says its taking a ‘pause’ from polarizing spokescandies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“In the last year, we’ve made some changes to our beloved spokescandies,” the chocolate candy brand said in a statement Monday. The Green M&M, pre-makeover, is seen here in her go-go boots. Anthony Behar/Sipa USA/AP“[Rudolph] will serve as the brand’s new spokesperson, allowing the colorful cast of M&M’S spokescandies to step away and embrace a new path to pursue other passions,” An M&M’S spokesperson told CNN in an email. A petition to “keep the green M&M sexy” garnered over 20,000 signatures. Purple was recently deployed as part of a limited-edition pack of purple, brown and green M&M’S — the colors of the female spokescandies — in honor of International Women’s Day.

☆ In Thailand, Santa delivers presents on elephants
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/6] A mahout dressed as Santa Claus gives a gift to an elephant to be handed over to students ahead of Christmas celebrations at a primary school, in Ayutthaya, Thailand, December 23, 2022. REUTERS/Chalinee ThirasupaAYUTTHAYA PROVINCE, Thailand, Dec 23 (Reuters) - A trunk, rather than a red nose, is what Rudolph would need to join a herd of elephants helping Santa Claus deliver presents in Thailand. Mahouts dressed as Santa led the gentle giants to a school in central Thailand to hand out Christmas presents to about 2,000 students this week, part of an annual tradition. Students lined the school courtyard and hall while the elephants approached slowly and unfurled their trunks to give out balloons, toys and dolls. Reporting Napat Wesshasartar; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The secrets behind these Christmas movie classics
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Aj Willingham | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ was supposed to be a flop"A Charlie Brown Christmas" is a beloved special, but those involved in its production worried that they'd created a dud. Classic songs were reused, rewritten and dubbed for ‘White Christmas’"White Christmas" is a movie that has a lot of behind-the-scenes lore. Paramount/Kobal/ShutterstockThe 1954 film “White Christmas” is brimming with behind-the-scenes lore, especially when it comes to the music. The animators behind 1993’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” used about 400 different hand-sculpted heads to bring Jack Skellington to life. Michael Caine did a literal balancing act during ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’The Ghost of Christmas Present, left, and Michael Caine, right, in 1992's "The Muppet Christmas Carol."

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