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“Demanding that evidence be destroyed is the most basic form of obstruction and is easy for a jury to understand,” said Mr. Goldstein, who is now a white-collar defense lawyer at the firm Cooley. “It is more straightforwardly criminal than the obstructive acts we detailed in the Mueller report,” he said. “And if proven, it makes it easier to show that Trump had criminal intent for the rest of the conduct described in the indictment.”The accusation about Mr. Trump’s desire to have evidence destroyed adds another chapter to what observers of his career say is a long pattern of gamesmanship on his part with prosecutors, regulators and others who have the ability to impose penalties on his conduct. And it demonstrates how Mr. Trump viewed the conclusion of the Mueller investigation as a vindication of his behavior, which became increasingly emboldened — particularly in regards to the Justice Department — throughout the rest of his presidency, a pattern that appears to have continued despite having lost the protections of the office when he was defeated in the election. In his memoir of his years in the White House, John R. Bolton, who served as Mr. Trump’s third national security adviser, described Mr. Trump’s approach as “obstruction as a way of life.”

Persons: ”, Goldstein, Cooley, Mueller, Trump, —, John R, Bolton, Trump’s Organizations: Justice Department —

☆ It’s official: Silicon Valley’s entire business model is a scam
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

The problem is, conservative economists at the University of Chicago have spent the past 50 years insisting that under capitalism, predatory pricing is not a thing. Predatory companies could never recoup their losses, which meant predatory behaviors are irrational. Lots of economists have come up with solid counter-counterarguments to the Chicago School's skepticism about predatory pricing. A company that engages in predatory pricing and its late-stage investors might not recoup, but the venture investors do. "If people in Silicon Valley start thinking about this as a predatory pricing scam, then I think the late-stage investors will start asking questions."

Persons: Matt Wansley, Wansley, we're, Uber, Cardozo, Sam Weinstein, gobs, you've, —, Brooke, Spencer Waller, Matsushita, Weinstein —, Justice Department —, it's, Weinstein, Matt, that's, Will Uber, Waller, David, Maurer, they've, Adam Rogers Organizations: Lyft, Big Tech, Cardozo School of Law, Justice Department, University of Chicago, Chicago School, Supreme, Matsushita Electric Industry Co, Zenith Radio Corp, Brooke Group, Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp, United, Loyola's School of Law, Venture, Matsushita, VCs, Chicago, Loyola, pharma, aha, Wansley Locations: United States, Chicago, Silicon Valley, Silicon

☆ Over 800,000 student-loan borrowers are getting their debt wiped out in the coming months. Here's what other borrowers should know if they also want that relief.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Education Department announced $39 billion in debt relief for over 800,000 borrowers. On Friday, President Joe Biden's Education Department announced that over 800,000 student-loan borrowers will receive $39 billion in debt relief in the coming months thanks to a one-time adjustment to accounts enrolled in an income-driven repayment plan. Here's what borrowers should know if they want to benefit from the relief. How to make sure your loans qualifyThe account adjustment only applies to direct federal loans and FFEL loans held by the Education Department. How to get a refund if a borrower overpaysOnce a borrower reaches the repayment threshold, they automatically qualify for forgiveness.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Education Department —, you'll Organizations: Education Department, Service, Joe Biden's Education Department, Family Education, Federal Student Aid Locations: Wall, Silicon, PAYE

☆ 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

☆ Biden's labor secretary pick may not have the votes. She also may not need them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Liz Brown-Kaiser | Sahil Kapur | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The Senate is stalled on President Joe Biden's pick for secretary of labor, Julie Su, and Democrats face a conundrum on how to proceed. But Su, who currently serves as the acting labor secretary, could just keep running the department anyway. Federal law places no limits on how long Su can serve as acting labor secretary without being confirmed. He said he wants a voice for "both labor and industry" in the labor secretary role. Any Senator who voted to confirm Secretary [Marty] Walsh should vote to confirm Acting Secretary Su, too.

Persons: Julie Su, Joe Biden's, Su, Biden, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Kyrsten Sinema, Jon Tester, Joe Manchin, pushback, there's, Mazie Hirono, haven't, She's, she'll, she's, Mark Kelly, John Hickenlooper, I'm, Su aren't, Tester, you've, Manchin, Bill Cassidy of, Sinema, Tammy Duckworth, Marty, Walsh, We're, Sherrod Brown, Elizabeth Warren of, Chuck Schumer Organizations: Health, Education, Labor, Capitol, Labor Department —, Pensions, Su's, Democrats, HELP, Su's Democratic, White, Department, Democratic Locations: Washington, American, Sens, Hawaii, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts

☆ In a Texas City, Heat Proved Deadly Even for Those Long Used to It
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( J. David Goodman | More About J. David Goodman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In all, 10 people died from heat-related illnesses within the city limits of Laredo between June 15 and July 3, a toll unheard of in this heat-accustomed corner of Texas. Across the country, extreme heat, which can strain the heart, lungs and kidneys, is a leading weather-related cause of death. In Texas last year, 298 people died of heat-related causes, according to the state health department — the highest annual total in more than two decades. During the heat wave in Webb County, at least two migrants were found dead on local ranches, according to the sheriff, Martin Cuellar. And the temperature readings tell only part of the story, public health officials cautioned, because humid air worsens the heat, making it much more difficult for the body to cool down.

Persons: Martin Cuellar, Alicia Van Doren, “ We’re, ” Locations: Laredo, Texas, Webb County, California, Florida, In Louisiana, Virginia, Louisiana

The White House is seen on June 25, 2023 in Washington, DC. WASHINGTON — The U.S. Secret Service is investigating a "small amount" of a "white, powdery substance" discovered in a "work area in the West Wing" on Sunday, a Secret Service official said. The Secret Service is testing the substance, which they determined was "non-hazardous," and said in a statement they are investigating the matter. "On Sunday evening, the White House complex went into a precautionary closure as officers from the Secret Service Uniformed Division investigated an unknown item found inside a work area," said Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service. The White House declined to comment.

Persons: WASHINGTON —, —, Anthony Guglielmi, Joe Biden, Camp David Organizations: WASHINGTON, Service, D.C, Secret Service Uniformed Division, Secret, DC Fire Department, White, Camp Locations: Washington , DC, WASHINGTON — The, Washington

☆ Trump ignored his legal team's advice to settle the classified documents case. Instead, he listened to a conservative activist.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Trump reportedly rejected his legal team's proposal to try to settle the classified documents case. He instead took the advice of a conservative activist who urged him to fight, The Washington Post reported. However, Trump dismissed that strategy, and Kise never approached prosecutors, three people briefed on the matter told The Washington Post. Fitton was blamed by several Trump advisors for convincing the former president that he could hold on to the classified documents, according to The Washington Post. Trump pleaded not guilty in Miami federal court on Tuesday to the Justice Department's 37-count indictment against him.

Persons: Trump, Department's, —, Donald Trump, Justice Department —, Christopher Kise, General Merrick Garland, Kise, Tom Fitton, Fitton, filet mignon Organizations: Washington Post, Service, Justice Department, Trump's Mar, Judicial, The Washington Post, Trump, The Washington, Wednesday Locations: Lago, Palm Beach , Florida, Miami

☆ Donald Trump Scrambles to Assemble a Legal Team
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Trump fights charges with politicsDonald Trump, who last week became the first former president to face federal charges, arrived in Florida before his scheduled first appearance tomorrow in federal court on criminal charges of mishandling sensitive national security documents and seeking to thwart the government’s efforts to reclaim them. My colleagues reported that Trump is planning to spend tonight at his Doral resort in Miami, where he and his legal team will conduct last-minute interviews with lawyers to represent him in the case. (One of his current attorneys could be a key witness.) His defense against the federal prosecution, which is likely to play out during his campaign for president, is likely to focus more on the politics of charging a former president than on the facts of the case. It is unclear, in the end, what a jury of Floridians will make of it all; even some reliable Republicans there have complicated feelings about the former president.

Persons: Trump, Donald Trump, Justice Department —, Floridians Organizations: Justice Department Locations: Florida, Doral, Miami

The North Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 18, 2022. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images/FileThe White House is declining to comment on reports that former President Donald Trump has been indicted. Biden upheld that very notion earlier on Thursday when he was asked what he would tell Americans to convince them that they should trust the independence and fairness of the Justice Department. “Because you’ll notice, I have never once, not one single time, suggested to the Justice Department what they should do or not do on whether to bring any charges or not bring any charges. I’m honest,” Biden said.

Persons: Mandel Ngan, Donald Trump, Ian Sams, Justice Department —, “, Joe Biden, Biden, ” Biden Organizations: White, Getty, Justice Department, Department of Justice Locations: Washington ,, AFP

☆ William Burns, a C.I.A. Spymaster With Unusual Powers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Robert Draper | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To mark the 20th anniversary of the American-led invasion of Iraq, the C.I.A. director, William J. Burns, stood in the lobby of the agency’s headquarters in Langley, Va., and sought to exorcise the ghosts of the prewar intelligence failures that haunt the building to this day. officials on March 19, Mr. Burns acknowledged how the agency catastrophically blundered in its assessment that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Notably Mr. Burns added, “We’ve learned from that hard lesson.” The intelligence the agency and others collected on Russia’s plans to invade Ukraine, he said, “stands as a powerful example of that. And yet the moment only hinted at how Mr. Burns, a key figure in the Biden administration’s support of Ukraine, has amassed influence beyond most if not all previous C.I.A.

☆ U.S. passport delays may be four months long — and could get worse. Here's what to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. State Department must also restaff positions that were reassigned or eliminated as passport demand cratered in 2020. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies during a House Appropriations Committee hearing on the State Department 2024 budget on March 23, 2023 in Washington. (A traditional passport — a passport book — costs $130 to renew; there's an additional $35 acceptance fee for first-time applicants.) Importantly, Americans may not be allowed to travel if their passport expires within a few months after their trip. The State Department website has information about passport and visa requirements for specific countries.

☆ Michael Cohen predicts 'liar' Trump won't testify as Manhattan hush-money indictment looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( El Calabrese | Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Cohen took a shot at 'liar' Trump before meeting Friday with Manhattan 'hush-money' prosecutors. "It's another thing to turn around and lie before a grand jury," Cohen said. "Donald Trump, as a private citizen, right before the election, directed Michael Cohen to pay hush money that Michael Cohen went to prison for," Davis said. "Now there's no dispute that it was Donald Trump's Justice Department that wrote that in a sentencing memo and in their information filed against Michael Cohen," Davis said. "So if he directed Michael Cohen to do a crime, according to his Justice Department — go look it up it's a public document — then how is it possible that he's not guilty, if he directed Michael Cohen to pay the hush money."

Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), said she has personally spoken to Jeffries and recommended that Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., should be the ranking member. “The Republicans made it very clear that the committee is primarily focused on … counter intelligence and economic espionage issues which have been the focus of my own work, especially on the Intelligence Committee,” Krishnamoorthi said in an interview. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., a former CIA analyst who is eyeing a possible Senate bid in 2024, has also expressed interest in the top role on the China panel. But while CAPAC is divided, its members agree that the ranking member of the new panel should be Asian American. Think about that," said one CAPAC member.

☆ A Wall Street Journal reporter was handcuffed by police while standing outside a Chase Bank. The newspaper is demanding answers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The incident between The Journal reporter Dion Rabouin and the Phoenix officer occurred in late November, but just became public his week after ABC affiliate KNXV reported on the matter. In a statement, The Journal said that it is “deeply concerned” with how its reporter was treated and has asked the Phoenix Police Department to conduct an investigation. The video shows Rabouin repeatedly identified himself as a reporter for The Journal, but the officer did not appear to care. A representative for Chase told me Thursday that the bank did apologize to Rabouin over the incident. The Phoenix Police Department can start now.”The Committee to Protect Journalists has also sounded the alarm over the incident.

☆ How this millennial CEO steered the world's largest vaccine maker during the pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Olivia Choo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Adar Poonawalla became the CEO of the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, Serum Institute of India, when he was 30 years old. | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesAdar Poonawalla became the CEO of the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, Serum Institute of India, when he was 30 years old. Today, it is the world's largest vaccine manufacturer — by number of doses produced and sold globally. In 1966, at the age of 25, the elder Poonawalla embarked on a journey to set up the Serum Institute of India. Vaccine production at the Serum Institute of India pharmaceutical plant in Pune, Maharashtra, India.

☆ A failed war helped bring down the Soviet Union. Now Putin's failing war in Ukraine might set Russia up for a bleak future.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Joy Neumeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

The Soviet Union's war in Afghanistan and Russia's current war in Ukraine have obvious similarities in their disastrous planning and execution. In the 1990s, Afghanistan veterans' sense of aggrievement fused with that of veterans returning from Boris Yeltsin's war in Chechnya. Putin's war, Russia's futurePutin meets soldiers at a military training center outside the town of Ryazan in October. While glasnost-era revelations about the Soviet war shocked the country into supporting withdrawal, these days there is little left to expose. Public self-criticism surrounding the Soviet war in Afghanistan, however brief and contested, shows that reassessment of imperial ambitions is possible.

☆ Almost every Black officer at this Tennessee police department says they’ve experienced discrimination
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Zachary Schermele | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Almost all the 15 Black officers at the police department in Knoxville, Tennessee, have felt discriminated against, according to an external review of the department. Last year, the paper reported that department leadership had attempted to conceal an officer’s racist comments and deter a Black officer from making a complaint about the incident. “If you are a Black officer, you have to work five times harder, and officers will always second-guess you,” one anonymous officer says in the report. Black officers were also the least likely to say they felt there was a clear process for de-escalating problems internally. In recent years, amid many high-profile deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police, a significant number of Black officers have left some of the country’s largest departments.

☆ Biden's Education Department just announced permanent steps to bring student-loan borrowers in targeted forgiveness programs closer to debt relief
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Education Department announced permanent fixes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. This comes just days before the PSLF waiver expires on October 31 and isn't being extended. Nearly one year ago, the Education Department announced reforms to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which is intended to forgive student debt for government and nonprofit workers after ten years of qualifying payments. "Today, we're encouraging public service workers to take advantage of the program's temporary changes before the deadline on October 31," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement. Although the PSLF waiver is soon expiring, the account adjustment will give borrowers one more chance to get their payment counts corrected.

☆ Lin-Manuel Miranda's first songbook is out, from 'In the Heights' to 'Hamilton' and 'Encanto'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

So even for Grammy, Emmy, Tony and Pulitzer winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, his first songbook, containing 27 songs from “Hamilton,” “Encanto,” “In the Heights” and more, was a big deal. At the event, his nephew Alejandro performed “Dos Oruguitas” (from “Encanto”) on the piano, and was joined by his own teacher for “You’ll Be Back” (from “Hamilton”). You grew up with musical theater and piano lessons — how does it feel to have your own songbook? And it really was a teacher who brought me out of just writing songs about girls in the back of the classroom. That’s a really fun thing about the whole process: When you’re there early enough, your songs can really be a part of a give-and-take.

☆ Satanic panic is making a comeback, fueled by QAnon believers and GOP influencers
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Brandy-Zadrozny-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Brandy Zadrozny | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +23 min

Utah County Attorney David O. Leavitt speaks on July 31, 2019, in Provo. The accusations were part of a new case from Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith. Discussion about satanism and satanic abuse has increased in recent years, according to data provided to NBC News by Zignal Labs, which analyzes social media conversations. Popular culture and social media have also ferried ideas about satanism and widespread child abuse from fringe to the mainstream. (Anti-LGBTQ politicians and activists have equated LGBTQ people with predators who abuse children as part of a “gay agenda,” the well-worn panic that the gay rights movement’s true motivation is recruitment.

☆ My family and I got $10,000 to move from Portland, Oregon, to a small town in Alabama, and it was worth it: 'The grant gave us this vessel to help make our dreams come true'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-05 | by ( Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Shannon Milliman, 42, and her family moved from Portland, Oregon, to Florence, Alabama, in 2021. The Remote Shoals program paid Milliman and other remote workers $10,000 to help them relocate. Moving from Portland, Oregon, to Florence, Alabama, during the pandemic pushed me in ways that I didn't expect. Portland, Oregon. Because I said yes to the improvisation of moving with the Remote Shoals program, it's caused other parts of my life to open up as well.

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