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☆ The 5 most memorable moments from the Sam Bankman-Fried trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Sam Bankman-Fried was found guilty Thursday following a monthlong trial that was almost as wild as the rapid rise and fall of cryptocurrency exchange FTX itself. He was found guilty of stealing billions of dollars from accounts belonging to customers of FTX. During the trial, Bankman-Fried took the unusual – and risky – decision to testify in his own defense. “I was kind of busy and lazy and didn’t bother getting a haircut for long periods of time,” Bankman-Fried said. “No offense to the Kansas City Royals, but we didn’t want to be known as the Kansas City Royals of crypto exchanges,” SBF testified.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Bernie Madoff’s, Caroline Ellison, SBF’s, Mark Cohen, ” Cohen, “, ”, Cohen, SBF, Ellison, ” SBF, Lewis Kaplan, Kaplan interjected, Bankman, Danielle Sassoon, …, Sassoon, ’ Organizations: New, New York CNN, Alameda Research, Miami Heat, American Airlines, FTX, New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, Kaseya, PR, Alameda Locations: New York, FTX, Bahamas, United States, Kansas City, Bankman, China, Alameda

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York jury began deliberating on Thursday whether FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was guilty of fraud in the disappearance of billions of dollars from his customers’ accounts on the cryptocurrency exchange he created four years ago. The Manhattan federal court jury began its work after a judge explained the law that will steer them through seven charges lodged against the California man. Bankman-Fried, 31, testified during the monthlong trial that he did not defraud thousands of investors worldwide. Earlier Thursday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon delivered a rebuttal argument, the last of closing arguments that began a day earlier. “When Sam testified before you, he told you the truth, the messy truth, that in the real world miscommunications happen, mistakes happen, delays happen,” Cohen said.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, He’s, Judge Lewis A, Kaplan, he'd, Palo, Danielle Sassoon, ” Sassoon, FTX, “, Mark Cohen, ” Cohen, Sam, ” Organizations: U.S, Alameda Research Locations: York, Manhattan, California, New York, Bahamas, Palo Alto , California, Alameda

☆ Sam Bankman Fried’s fate is now officially in the hands of 12 jurors
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Sam Bankman-Fried’s fate is now officially in the hands of a jury of his peers. Chief among those errors, according to his own testimony, was was not hiring a dedicated risk management team. “I made a number of small mistakes and a number of larger mistakes,” Bankman-Fried said on the stand last week. Although Bankman-Fried made mistakes, he never defrauded anyone, Cohen told jurors. “Poor risk management is not a crime.”Bankman-Fried’s parents, Barbara Fried and Joseph Bankman, were both in the courtroom again Thursday.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Lewis Kaplan, Kaplan, Fried, ”, They’ve, “, Danielle Sassoon, Mark Cohen, Cohen, ” Cohen, Barbara Fried, Joseph Bankman, Bankman, — Sabrina Souza Organizations: New, New York CNN, Prosecutors, Alameda Research Locations: New York, Manhattan, FTX, Alameda

☆ Qatar: How a small Arab state became indispensable in talks with Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But some have said that Qatar’s relationship with Hamas may become a liability. “(Qatar’s) relationship with Hamas has been a key component of the mediation strategy,” said Andreas Krieg, an associate professor at King’s College London who focuses on Gulf states. What is the nature of Qatar’s relationship with Hamas? That relationship has made Qatar an important mediator with Hamas during its conflicts with Israel. Despite its mediation efforts, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen last week accused Qatar of financing Hamas and harboring its leaders.

Persons: ”, Andreas Krieg, “, David Barnea, –, Israel, Tzachi Hanegbi, ” Hanegbi, Biden, ” Krieg, Majed Al, Ansari, Krieg, ” Hiltermann, Eli Cohen, ” Cohen, Antony Blinken, Joost R, Hiltermann, Qatar’s coziness, Hamas’s, “ You’ll, ” Israel, Becky Anderson, Ibrahim Dahman, Hamdi Alkhshali, Aimee Look, Abu Dhabi Organizations: UAE CNN, Qatar, King’s College London, Israel, CNN, National Security, United Arab, Reuters, NATO, Doha, Al, Hamas, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, US, UN, Washington Post, Qatari, “, Group Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, Qatar, Israel, Gaza, Egypt, United States, Rafah, Al, Arish, Washington, Hamas, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Doha, Western, Arab, Al Jazeera, Tehran, Afghanistan, “ Qatar, North Africa, Brussels, “, Atlanta, Abu

A decade later, Trump's failed Bills bid is one of the business moves under scrutiny in the trial of a lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James. In offering to buy the Bills, Trump cited his net worth as $8 billion in an initial offer letter but never provided his financial statements. Throughout the sale process, Cohen insisted Trump was serious about his bid and his commitment to keeping the Bills in Buffalo. “There’s nobody more serious than Donald Trump,” Cohen said in an interview with The Associated Press in 2014. Trump told the AP in 2016 that had he been able to buy the Bills, it’s unlikely that he would've run for president.

Persons: Donald Trump, “ Trump, Morgan Stanley, K, Don Cornwell, doesn’t, he'd, Jeffrey Holzschuh, Trump, Ralph Wilson, Terry, Kim Pegula, Jon Bon Jovi, Trump's, Letitia James, James, He'd, Pete Rozelle, Rozelle, Michael Cohen, Forbes, Cohen, ” Cohen, Cornwell, ” Holzschuh, Holzschuh, he'd “, ” Trump, “, Christopher Kise, John Wawrow Organizations: Buffalo Bills, NFL, Bills, of Fame, NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, New York, Republican, Trump, New, New Jersey Generals, USFL, U.S, Supreme, Forbes magazine's, Associated Press Locations: New Jersey, Buffalo, ”, Buffalo , New York

☆ Judge shuts down Fox bid to look for links between George Soros and Smartmatic
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Liam Reilly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice David B. Cohen rejected Fox Corp. and Fox News’ attempts to subpoena George Soros, his son Alex Soros, and their philanthropic organization Open Society Foundation (OSF) for documents related to the election defamation case. Fox argued that Alex and George Soros, as well as OSF, possess material necessary to the network’s defense in the defamation trial. The documentation, Fox argued, would establish a connection between George Soros and Smartmatic. “I base that on the finding that the crux of Smartmatic’s claims is that Fox has asserted they were part of rigging [the election], not that Smartmatic was affiliated with George Soros, Alex Soros, or the OSF,” Cohen said. “We’re interested in the closeness of the relationship, what Soros has done for Smartmatic over time,” Marks said.

Persons: George Soros, David B, Cohen, Fox News ’, Alex Soros, Soros, Fox, Alex, Smartmatic, ” Cohen, “, ”, ” Smartmatic, George, Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Trump, Sidney Powell, ” Aaron Marks, Mark Malloch, Brown, Giuliani, Powell, “ We’re, ” Marks, Marks, Benjamin McCallen, “ They’re, ” McCallen Organizations: CNN, Fox News, Manhattan, Fox Corp, Open Society Foundation, OSF, Fox, New, Soros, Trump Locations: York, Smartmatic, New York

New York CNN —Former crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried took the stand in front of a judge and jury last week in his criminal fraud trial. “I was kind of busy and lazy and didn’t bother getting a haircut for long periods of time,” Bankman-Fried said. Bankman-Fried is being accused of using this “back door” to transfer billions of dollars in FTX customer funds to Alameda. He initially thought FTX would failWhen Bankman-Fried and Gary Wang started FTX in 2019, there were already dozens of crypto exchanges. I’m not sure that I would quite answer yes to the question as you most recently phrased it.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, “, ”, we’ve, Caroline Ellison, Bankman, Mark Cohen, ” Cohen, Cohen, didn’t, FTX, Gary Wang, Binance, ” SBF, Lewis Kaplan, Kaplan interjected, Danielle Sassoon, I’m Organizations: New, New York CNN, Prosecutors, Alameda Research, Miami Heat, American Airlines, FTX, New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, Kaseya Locations: New York, Bahamas, Alameda, Kansas City, Bankman, FTX

About 7% of U.S. adults and 2% of children got the new COVID-19 vaccines during the first month it was available, according to national survey data. The data was presented on Thursday at a meeting held by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It found that vaccine recipients from mid-September to mid-October were more likely to be older, insured and have higher incomes. It found that the groups most likely to get the shots are people 65 and older and Democrats. The recent decrease in coronavirus metrics should not dissuade Americans from getting the new COVID-19 shot, experts warn, noting that the threat of another wave is always looming.

Persons: Mandy Cohen, Cohen, –, “, ” Cohen Organizations: Centers for Disease Control, Politico, CDC Locations: U.S, COVID

☆ Trump rages as former acolytes turn against him under legal heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

She was the third former Trump acolyte to agree to testify against the ex-president and others this week. “If I knew then what I knew now, I would have declined to represent Donald Trump in these post-election challenges. One of Trump’s former associates was feeling no remorse when he arrived in court in New York on Tuesday seeking to undermine another Trump legal defense. It has long been the case that while those around Trump in business and politics often find themselves slipping deep into legal trouble, he skips free. The apparent decisions of Meadows, Ellis and Cohen – together with the mass of legal threats now facing the former president – suggest that charmed life is about to meet its biggest challenge yet.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Mark Meadows, Meadows, Trump, Jenna Ellis, Joe Biden’s, Ellis, Fani Willis, Donald Trump, ” Ellis, Rudy Giuliani, Michael Cohen, Cohen, “ Heck, ” Cohen, hasn’t, Nelson Mandela, Biden, –, doesn’t, Jack Smith, CNN Meadows, Smith’s, Cohen – Organizations: CNN, GOP, ABC News, Trump, Peach State, New York, Republican, ABC Locations: Meadows, Georgia, Fulton County, New York, “, Robben, South Africa, New Hampshire, Washington, North Carolina, Fulton County , Georgia, Trump

NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Cohen returned to the witness stand Wednesday in his ex-boss Donald Trump's civil business fraud trial as the former president's defense team tried to undermine the credibility and question the motives of his onetime personal attorney turned adversary. She tried to suggest that Cohen had angled unsuccessfully for a job in Trump’s White House — Cohen insisted he never sought one — and asked whether he had “significant animosity" toward Trump. Cohen is a key witness in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ civil case against Trump. Cohen is also expected to be an important prosecution witness in a criminal trial scheduled for next spring in which Trump is accused of falsifying business records. That case is one of four criminal prosecutions Trump faces in New York, Florida, Georgia and Washington.

Persons: — Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's, Alina Habba, Cohen, Trump, — Cohen, ” Cohen, “, ” Habba, Habba, underscoring, Letitia James ’, James, ”, ” Trump, Jill Colvin Organizations: Trump, Democrat, Associated Press Locations: New, New York , Florida, Georgia, Washington

☆ What Michael Cohen said about his testimony and why it matters in the Trump fraud trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Jeremy Herb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —An apparent backtrack by Donald Trump’s ex-lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen threw the New York civil fraud trial into more chaos Wednesday afternoon. But after lunch, Cliff Robert, another Trump attorney, pressed Cohen further on his congressional testimony, and Cohen had a different response, saying that the testimony was not false. “The witness just admitted that we won the trial,” Trump told reporters in the hallway. “And the judge should end this trial immediately.”The New York attorney general’s lawyers asked Cohen in follow up questions to clarify his response. New York Attorney General Letitia James downplayed Cohen’s significance to her case against Trump in comments to reporters at the conclusion of Cohen’s two-day testimony.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Trump, Alina Habba, “, Allen Weisselberg, Cliff Robert, ” Robert, ” Cohen, Judge Arthur Engoron, ” Trump, ”, Robert, ” “, ” Engoron, Engoron, didn’t, Letitia James, Cohen’s, ” James, “ It’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, Trump, Trump Organization, CNN, New York Locations: New York

☆ Gaza: UN agency warns its fuel to run dry on Wednesday as Palestinian officials say 700 killed in a single day
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Gaza needs at least 160,000 liters (42,267 gallons) of fuel a day for basic necessities, UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma said. Just eight out of 20 aid trucks scheduled to cross into Gaza on Tuesday made the journey, UNRWA said. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday ruled out any fuel being allowed to enter Gaza, saying Hamas would co-opt fuel for its operational infrastructure and to continue its rocket attacks. In the wake of the assault, Israel launched a sustained aerial bombardment of Gaza that Palestinian health officials say has now killed more than 5,000 people. An aid truck arrives at a UN storage facility as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, in central Gaza on October 21, 2023.

Persons: Juliette Touma, Mustafa Hassona, General Herzi Halevi, “, ”, Mohammed Salem, General António Guterres, ” Guterres, Guterres, Antonio Guterres, Seth Wenig, Gilad Erdan, Eli Cohen, ” Cohen, John Kirby, –, Cohen, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Vital, UN, Israel, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Nasser Hospital, Getty, World Health Organization, WHO, Israel Defense Forces, Hamas, Palestinian Ministry of Health, UN Security, Guterres, Twitter, US, National Security, Foreign, Israeli Locations: Gaza, East, Rafah, Khan Yunis, Anadolu, Israel, UN, Ramallah, “, United States, Qatar, Egypt, Iraq

With Trump sitting feet away, Trump’s one-time lawyer and fixer described how he manipulated Trump’s financial statements – “reverse-engineering” them to hit an arbitrary net worth. We’re not worried at all about his testimony,” Trump said during a lunch break. The tense questioning is going to continue into Wednesday, as Habba hadn’t even started on the substance of Cohen’s testimony in the civil fraud trial. In the July 2014 letter submitting a bid to buy the Bills, Trump claimed his net worth was $8 billion. Before Engoron’s ruling, the state attorneys and Trump’s lawyers clashed over Michael Cohen’s testimony about the letter.

Persons: CNN — Michael Cohen, Donald Trump, Trump, –, Cohen, Trump’s, he’d, Quickly, intently, “, ” “ It’s, We’re, ” Trump, “ Heck, ”, Allen Weisselberg, ” Cohen, Allen, Alina Habba, Chris Kise, Habba, ” Cohen sneered, ” Habba, ” Kise, hadn’t, “ Mr, you’re, ’ you’re, Michael Cohen, Eric Trump, Arthur Engoron, general’s, ” Engoron, overruling, Engoron’s, Michael Cohen’s, Kise, Mazars, Bill Kelly, Tom Emmer, Emmer, RINO Tom Emmer, he’s Organizations: CNN, Trump, Trump Organization, Mr, United Nations Plaza, Miss, New, Buffalo Bills, Bills, Minnesota GOP Locations: York, Seven Springs, New York, Washington ,

Tuesday, Trump and Cohen are expected to be face to face in a New York courtroom as Cohen delivers testimony as part of the New York attorney general’s civil fraud case against the former president. When Cohen takes the stand, he will face down a very angry Donald Trump. Cohen is expected to testify about meetings with former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg and Trump regarding Trump’s financial statements and net worth. Cohen has claimed there were meetings with Weisselberg and Trump about Trump’s net worth before the financial statements were filed. Eric Trump said in a deposition for the case that he didn’t remember being involved in any appraisals for Trump properties.

Persons: CNN — Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s, Cohen, Trump’s, ”, Trump, Donald Trump, ” Cohen, Letitia James, Michael Cohen, Eric Trump, CNN Trump, Judge Arthur Engoron –, –, Engoron, Allen Weisselberg, Weisselberg, “, Colleen Faherty, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Karen McDougal, Stormy Daniels, Bill Kelly, Mazars, Jeff McConney, Cushman & Wakefield, Ivanka Trump Organizations: CNN, Trump, New, New York, Trump Organization, Weisselberg, Trump ., Manhattan, Attorney, Playboy, Cushman &, Seven, Trump National Golf Locations: New York, Briarcliff Manor , New York

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump returns to a New York City courthouse Tuesday to be a spectator at the civil fraud trial threatening to disrupt his real estate empire. His appearance was initially supposed to coincide with testimony by Michael Cohen, his former attorney turned foe. But Cohen's planned appearance on the witness stand was delayed until at least next week, due to a health problem. Instead of Cohen, Trump's courtroom visit is likely to overlap with the resumption of testimony from his company's assistant controller, Donna Kidder. The trial concerns six remaining claims in the lawsuit, including allegations of conspiracy, insurance fraud and falsifying business records.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Michael Cohen, Cohen's, Cohen, “, ” Cohen, Donald, Letitia James ’, Donna Kidder, Jack Weisselberg, Trump Organization Allen Weisselberg, James, Arthur Engoron Organizations: Trump, New York, Trump Organization, Ladder, Secret Service Locations: New York City, Manhattan, Washington

In a pretrial court filing, James’ office estimated that Trump exaggerated his wealth by as much as $3.6 billion. They've also called accountants Donald Bender and Camron Harris, whose firms Trump hired to prepare his financial statements. A retired Deutsche Bank official testified the financial statements were key to Trump securing hundreds of millions of dollars in loans. Weisselberg acknowledged that information in Trump’s financial statements wasn’t always accurate, such as valuing his penthouse based on the wrong size. In a decision last month, Engoron resolved the lawsuit's top claim, ruling that Trump committed years of fraud by inflating the value of assets in his financial statements.

Persons: — Donald Trump, Michael Cohen, Cohen, I’m, ” Cohen, Judge Arthur Engoron, It's, Trump, Letitia James, James ’, James, Eric, Donald Trump Jr, —, Allen Weisselberg, Jeffrey McConney, Weisselberg, ”, maligning, Patrick Birney, Mark Hawthorn, They've, Donald Bender, Camron Harris, wasn’t, “, Engoron, he'll, She's Organizations: New, Twitter, Trump, New York, Trump Organization, WHO, Longtime Trump Organization, Democrat, Deutsche Bank, Mar Locations: New York, Lago, Doral, Miami , Florida, Chicago, New York City, Manhattan, Georgia, Washington, Florida, __, Sisak, x.com

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried may need a Hail Mary if he wants to win over jurors
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Nishad Singh, former director of engineering at FTX, arrives at federal court in New York on Monday. Whether or not to testify is case-dependent, and clients take a big risk in opening themselves up to cross-examination by prosecutors. The Adderall issueSam Bankman-Fried, center, has pleaded not guilty to seven federal counts of fraud and conspiracy. So he’s only getting one in the morning before he’s transferred to the courthouse and one in the evening. While they have not yet presented their case, Bankman-Fried’s lawyers have repeatedly failed to stick the landing when it comes to cross-examining the government’s witnesses.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Sam Bankman, Mary, Nishad Singh, Yuki Iwamura, wouldn’t, ”, Jordan Estes, Kramer Levin, Estes, aren’t, Hail Mary, Elizabeth Williams, Mark Cohen, he’s, Cohen, hasn’t, Fried, Bankman, ” Cohen, Caroline Ellison, you’ll Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Alameda Research, Bloomberg, US Attorney’s, Hail, AP, Metropolitan Detention, of Prisons Locations: New York, Manhattan, Bankman, Alameda, FTX

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried’s lawyers prepare to question star witness
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —After two days of at-times emotional testimony from Caroline Ellison, a former top adviser to fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried, defense lawyers were set to begin questioning her on the stand Thursday. Ellison, 28, told jurors this week that she and Bankman-Fried, whom she dated on and off, committed financial crimes for years. Former crypto hedge fund Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison arrives for Sam Bankman-Fried's trial at Federal Court in New York City, October 11, 2023. Sam acted in good faith in trying to build and run FTX and Alameda.”But “things were happening quickly, very quickly,” Cohen said. “Sam and others made hundreds of decisions a day … as a result, some things got overlooked.”This story is developing and will be updated.

Persons: Caroline Ellison, Sam Bankman, Ellison, Fried, Brendan McDermid, Mark Cohen, Sam didn’t, Sam, ” Cohen, “ Sam Organizations: New, New York CNN, Alameda Research, Alameda, Federal Court, Reuters Locations: New York, New York City, Alameda

NEW YORK (AP) — Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyer struggled through a meandering cross-examination of the FTX founder's former girlfriend Thursday, keeping both the judge and the public guessing as to the defense team's strategy in countering the testimony of the government's key witness. Ellison was the CEO of Alameda when it and FTX collapsed in November of last year. Ellison, 28, pleaded guilty to fraud charges in December, when Bankman-Fried was extradited to the United States from the Bahamas. Bankman-Fried, 31, was the majority owner and CEO of FTX until the crypto exchange filed for bankruptcy on Nov. 11. “Maybe this is a good time for a break,” Cohen said after an hour of his cross-examination of Ellison.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Caroline Ellison, Fried, Ellison, FTX, Mark Cohen, Cohen, “, Judge Lewis A, Kaplan, ” Cohen, Palo, Judge Kaplan Organizations: Alameda Research Locations: Alameda, United States, Bahamas, Ellison, Palo Alto , California

☆ Opinion: Biden’s stunning reversal on border barriers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Stuart Ross | Opinion Jon Gabriel | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Former President Donald Trump promised to build a border wall that Mexico would pay for during the 2016 campaign but the neighboring country never did. Candidate Joe Biden vowed “not another foot” of the border wall would be built during his presidency. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre continues to dodge questions while Biden bizarrely claimed that the border wall he approved won’t work. “I’ll answer one question on the border wall,” Biden said to reporters in the Oval Office Thursday. “The border wall — the money was appropriated for the border wall.

Persons: Jon Gabriel, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, “, Biden, Jon Gabriel Immigration, Alejandro Mayorkas, ”, Eric Adams, J.B . Pritzker, Robert Trenschel, we’ve, ” Trenschel, Oscar Leeser, Raphael S, Cohen, ” Cohen, Elisabeth Vallet, Karine Jean, Pierre, Mayorkas, ” Biden Organizations: The Arizona, Twitter, CNN, Homeland, US Border Patrol, US Customs, Border Protection, Border, Democratic, New York City, Apple, Illinois Gov, Gallup, Yuma Regional Medical Center, RAND Corporation, Center, University of Quebec, White Locations: The Arizona Republic, Mexico, Arizona, Texas, climes, New York, America, Chicago, Yuma , Arizona, Yuma, . El Paso, El Paso, York, Montreal

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump has dropped his $500 million lawsuit against Michael Cohen, his former lawyer and fixer who is now a key witness in a criminal case against him, Cohen and a Trump spokesperson said Thursday night. Trump has also accused Cohen of breaking a confidentiality agreement that he signed as a condition of his employment. That testimony was originally set for Oct. 3, but Trump rescheduled so he could attend the first three days of a separate New York civil fraud trial. A Trump spokesperson said Trump had decided “to temporarily pause" the suit against Cohen as he mounts another campaign for the White House and fights criminal charges in four separate jurisdictions, but said he would refile at a later date. “My legal team and I now look forward to turning our full attention to holding Mr. Trump accountable for his latest abuse of the legal system.

Persons: — Donald Trump, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Trump, “, ” Cohen Organizations: Trump, GOP, White, Columbus, Washington D.C, Southern, of Locations: New York, Florida, York, Great State of New Hampshire, Washington, Georgia, of New York, Miami

The summer increase of COVID-19 appears to have passed its peak. The mindset change is likely how health officials will examine COVID-19 during the fall and winter months for years to come. Last winter saw a peak of new weekly COVID-19 hospital admissions at nearly 44,500. That would mean that the U.S. enters peak respiratory disease season with an elevated level of COVID-19 circulating already, so a further increase could be possible on top of that. But to get the most protection against this form of the COVID virus that's circulating right now, get the updated COVID vaccine."

Persons: Ashish Jha, ”, – COVID, don’t, Andrew Pekosz, It’s, Mandy Cohen, ” Pekosz, “ pirola, it's, Biden, ” Cohen, Cohen, – Organizations: White, for Disease Control, CDC, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Locations: U.S, hospitalizations, Boston

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto empire was ‘built on lies,’ US prosecutor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —In their opening statements to a newly sworn-in jury in Manhattan federal court, lawyers laid out previews of their cases, offering two divergent narratives for the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto empire. The US government has charged Bankman-Fried with multiple counts of fraud and conspiracy, following the implosion of his crypto-trading platform, FTX, last year. But as his own lawyer, Mark Cohen, stepped up to speak, Bankman-Fried’s demeanor softened and his focus shifted to the jury box. “Sam didn’t defraud anyone,” he told jurors, arguing that his client acted in good faith throughout the rise and fall of his startups. Legal experts say Bankman-Fried’s lawyers have their work cut out for them.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Thane Rehn, ” Rehn, Fried, “, ”, Elizabeth Williams, Rehn, Mark Cohen, Cohen, Sam didn’t, Sam, ” Cohen, FTX’s, FTX, “ It’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, Prosecutors Locations: New York, Manhattan, Bahamas

☆ Residents alarmed as shoplifting incidents trigger store departures: ‘As a community we can’t allow this to continue’
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“Having Target here helped revitalize East Harlem with hundreds of new jobs, customers and more services to our area. Courtesy Lou MartinsThe retail industry said it is grappling with a particular type of store theft that is more dangerous than petty shoplifting, called “organized retail crime” or ORC. The East River Plaza shopping center in New York City's East Harlem neighborhood. “The East Harlem store could have been doing very high volume in sales but still losing money because of theft,” Cohen said. The Target store in NYC's East Harlem is set to close in October.

Persons: Lou Martins, “ I’ve, ”, Martins, Maria Gonzalez Arrieta, “ We’ve, ” Lou Martins, Alex Abreu, Abreu, “, ” Abreu, it’s, We’ve, Tom Wickman, ” Wickman, “ Abuelitas, ” Xavier Santiago, Santiago Xavier, Santiago, I’ve, Mark Cohen, ” Cohen, Venkatesh Shankar, ” Shankar, Fatih Aktas, Ted Wheeler, ” – CNN’s Matt Egan Organizations: New, New York CNN, Costco, 118th, Target, eBay, Facebook, ”, East Harlem, Blumfeld, The New York Times, New York Police, Walgreens, Business, US Chamber of Commerce, “, Commerce, Community Board, East, Community, Columbia, Texas, Mays Business School, Anadolu Agency, Blumenfeld, CNN, Portland Police Bureau Locations: New York, Manhattan —, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Target, Plaza, Harlem, Aldi, Burlington, Pleasant Avenue, East Harlem, NYC's East Harlem, River, Portland

CNN —Intelligence gained by the “Five Eyes” network led to Canada’s public accusation that the Indian government may have played a role in the assassination of a Sikh separatist activist on Canadian soil, the US Ambassador to Canada said Sunday. Five Eyes is an intelligence sharing pact between the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, though the ambassador would not confirm if that shared intelligence came from the US. The spat then escalated further last week when India suspended visa services for Canadian citizens over what it said were “security threats” against diplomats in Canada. On Sunday, Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair sought to shift the focus from questions over its intelligence to the criminal investigation of Nijjar’s killing. His death both shocked and outraged the Sikh community in Canada, one of the largest outside India and home to more than 770,000 members of the religious minority.

Persons: I’m “, David Cohen, Vassy, “ I’m, ” Cohen, Justin Trudeau, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, ”, Arindam Bagchi, Cohen, Bill Blair, Blair, “, we’d, Trudeau, Bagchi, ’, ” Bagchi, Nijjar Organizations: CNN — Intelligence, Canadian, CTV, Canadian Defense, CBC, Canada, United Nations, that’s, India’s, Indian National Investigation Agency, Khalistan Locations: Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, India, New Delhi, Surrey, British Columbia, United, India’s Punjab

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