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☆ Day 3 of Trump’s Criminal Trial: Five Takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The third day of Donald J. Trump’s trial started with drama and ended with a jury. Here are five takeaways from Mr. Trump’s third day on trial:Things slowed down fast. But hopes were high on Thursday that the 12 members might be seated by close of business after seven members were picked Tuesday. For the prosecutors, that meant challenging a previously seated juror who they had discovered had credibility issues. Justice Merchan spent a long sidebar discussing the issue with lawyers from both sides and the juror.

Persons: Donald J, Trump’s, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Justice Juan M, Merchan, Justice Merchan Organizations: Justice Locations: American

At 4:34 p.m. on Thursday, a jury of 12 citizens was selected to determine the fate of an indicted former president for the first time in American history, a moment that could shape the nation’s political and legal landscapes for generations to come. The dozen New Yorkers will sit in judgment of Donald J. Trump, the 45th president turned criminal defendant, who has been accused of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal. If the jurors convict Mr. Trump, he could face up to four years in prison, even as he seeks to reclaim the White House as the presumptive Republican nominee. “We have our jury,” Justice Juan M. Merchan proclaimed as the 12th juror was added. He then swore the seven men and five women to an oath that they would render a fair and impartial verdict, which they accepted with sober expressions as Mr. Trump stared from the defense table.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Mr, “, Juan M, Merchan Organizations: Republican

☆ Day 2 of Trump’s Criminal Trial: Five Takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After the first day of jury selection in Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial saw the dismissal of dozens of potential jurors who said they could not be impartial, the first seven jurors were chosen on Tuesday as the defendant looked on. The picks came after a morning session in which several more potential jurors said that they could not be unbiased, underscoring the challenges of seating a panel in Manhattan, a profoundly Democratic borough. Mr. Trump, 77, is charged with falsifying nearly three dozen business records in an attempt to cover up a payment to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, who has said she had a brief sexual encounter with him in 2006. If convicted, he could face probation or up to four years of prison time. Mr. Trump denies having been involved with Ms. Daniels, and has declared his innocence, calling the charges against him a “witch hunt” conjured by the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, a Democrat.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Alvin L, Bragg Organizations: Democrat Locations: Manhattan, Democratic

☆ Day 1 of Trump’s Criminal Trial: Five Takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The criminal trial of Donald J. Trump, the nation’s 45th president and the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee, started Monday with potential jurors assembling in a drab courtroom in New York City while Mr. Trump looked on. Mr. Trump denies that encounter happened, and has declared his innocence, calling the charges politically motivated. He has attacked the judge, Juan M. Merchan, and the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, a Democrat, who also attended the first day of trial on Monday. Mr. Trump faces 34 felony counts and could face probation or up to four years of prison time. The trial, which is expected to last weeks, has a fascinating list of potential witnesses: Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump’s former fixer turned apostate, who made the payment; Karen McDougal, a Playboy model who says she, too, had an affair with Mr. Trump; and Hope Hicks, a former aide to Mr. Trump.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Juan M, Alvin L, Bragg, Michael Cohen, Trump’s, Karen McDougal, Hope Hicks, Daniels Organizations: Republican, Democratic, Mr, Democrat, fixer Locations: New York City, Manhattan

☆ Inside the Manhattan Courtroom at the Center of American Politics
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

It was about 2:30 on Monday afternoon when the first 96 potential jurors filed into a drab courtroom in Lower Manhattan to encounter the world’s most famous defendant: Donald J. Trump. Some craned their necks to catch a glimpse, an indication of the undeniable power of Mr. Trump’s celebrity. But not long after, more than 50 of those same prospective jurors — drawn from one of the nation’s most liberal counties — were dismissed because they said they could not be impartial about the 45th president.

Persons: Donald J, — Organizations: Trump, — Locations: Lower Manhattan

☆ Opinion: ‘Civil War’ is more than a reflection on America’s divisions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Opinion Noah Berlatsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Noah Berlatsky Noah BerlatskyAlex Garland’s “Civil War” has mostly been discussed as a reflection of, and a warning about, America’s current partisan divisions. Unlike the actual US Civil War, this one doesn’t seem to have any particular racial or racist connotations. But it’s the same kind of cop out that powers most of Hollywood’s most iconic Vietnam war movies. Hollywood Vietnam war movies generally aren’t about whether America did the right thing, nor are they about how America’s choices affected people in Vietnam. Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket" (1987), starring Matthew Modine as Joker, is based on the events of the Vietnam war.

Persons: Noah Berlatsky, CNN —, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Noah Berlatsky Noah Berlatsky Alex Garland’s “, ”, he’s, Garland, Nick Offerman, Lee, Kirsten Dunst, Joel, Wagner Moura, Jessie, Cailee, Sammy, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Lee Wagner, Trump, Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, Jesse Plemons, that’s, Francis Ford Coppola’s, Stanley Kubrick’s, don’t, —, Dawn ”, Stanley Kubrick's, Matthew Modine, It’s, transfixed Organizations: CNN, Union, Hollywood, America, Central, Warner Bros Locations: Chicago, Vietnam, Viet, American, Washington, California, Texas, Hollywood Vietnam, American Vietnam, Hollywood

☆ Protests, Traffic, Crowds: Court Braces for a Trump Trial Like No Other
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Jonathan Swan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Manhattan’s Criminal Courts Building, at 100 Centre Street, is short on charm: circled in scaffolding, lit like an aging cafeteria and, in recent months, neighbor to a colossal pile of rubble, the remains of the Manhattan Detention Complex, which is being demolished. Yet come Monday, it will be the pulsing center of a swirling mass of security measures, and likely headaches, as the first criminal trial of Donald J. Trump kicks off on its 15th floor. Court and law enforcement personnel have been tight-lipped about the exact steps they are taking, but a court lawyer said at a hearing this week that preparations had been underway for months. They will have plenty to contend with. Right-wing supporters of the former president have already announced plans to protest near the courthouse on Monday as jury selection begins, and cable news networks have promised wall-to-wall coverage of the case.

Persons: Donald J, Trump Locations: Manhattan

Lawyers representing the State of New York and Donald J. Trump will help select the 12 people who will decide the former president’s fate. The lawyers will try to divine unspoken political biases, opinions about law enforcement and other hidden agendas. The potential jurors, who could face public anger and threats if they are chosen, will be asked about their education, occupations, families and news sources. The questions will drill slowly deeper: Potential jurors, all from one of the state’s most liberal counties, will be asked to reveal whether they volunteered for or against Mr. Trump. Perhaps most critically, they will be asked whether their feelings would interfere with their ability to be fair.

Persons: Donald J, Trump Organizations: State Locations: Manhattan, American, New York

Follow our live coverage of Trump’s hush money trial. Inside a dreary Lower Manhattan courtroom on a recent Wednesday, Justice Juan M. Merchan convened a special session for people with mental health troubles who had landed in legal jeopardy. But on April 15, a different type of criminal defendant will enter the same courtroom and test the judge’s equanimity: Donald J. Trump. It will be the first prosecution of a former U.S. president, a man who revels in attacking the legal system and its judges. Last week, the former president demanded for a second time that Justice Merchan step aside, citing his daughter’s position at a Democratic consulting firm that worked for the 2020 Biden campaign.

Persons: Juan M, Merchan, Donald J, Trump, Trump’s Organizations: Biden Locations: New, U.S, Manhattan

The New York judge overseeing Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial later this month expanded a gag order on Monday to bar the former president from attacking the judge’s family members, who in recent days have become the target of Mr. Trump’s abuse. Justice Juan M. Merchan last week issued an order prohibiting Mr. Trump from attacking witnesses, prosecutors, jurors and court staff, as well as their relatives. That order, however, did not cover Justice Merchan himself or the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, who brought the criminal case against the former president. And although the ruling issued on Monday still does not apply to the judge or the district attorney, Justice Merchan, granting a request from Mr. Bragg’s office, amended the gag order so that it does now cover their families. In his ruling, the judge cited recent attacks against his daughter, and rejected Mr. Trump’s argument that his statements were “core political speech.”

Persons: Donald J, Juan M, Merchan, Trump, Alvin L, Bragg, Justice Merchan, ” Locations: York, Manhattan

☆ Trump Spreads Apparent Hoax in Attacking Judge’s Daughter
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Ben Protess | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

It was an explosive claim from Donald J. Trump, just weeks before his Manhattan criminal trial is set to begin: He assailed the judge’s daughter on Wednesday, saying she had used an image of the former president behind bars as a social media profile picture. The photo made it “completely impossible for me to get a fair trial,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. But there was a problem with his claim: The New York State Court system says the account on X is bogus. Although the handle once belonged to the judge’s daughter, Loren Merchan, she deleted it about a year ago, a court spokesman said. Its profile picture is now a childhood portrait of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, ” Mr, Juan M, Merchan, Loren Merchan, —, Kamala Harris Organizations: New York

Jesus Campos said he worked at Brawner Builders alongside the men missing after a bridge collapse in Baltimore. “We’re low-income families,” said Jesus Campos, who has worked at the construction company, Brawner Builders, for about eight months. The executive, Jeffrey Pritzker, and the Coast Guard said that all of the missing workers were presumed dead, given how long it had been since the collapse. Embassies for the other two countries mentioned by Mr. Campos did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Officials said that in addition to the six missing workers, two people had been rescued from the water.

Persons: Jesus Campos, “, ”, Jeffrey Pritzker, Mr, Pritzker, “ It’s, Campos, Francis Scott Key, Miguel Luna, Luna, Gustavo Torres, Jacey Fortin, Miriam Jordan, Patricia Mazzei, Emiliano Rodríguez Mega, Kirsten Noyes Organizations: Brawner Builders, Brawner, Coast Guard, Baltimore Banner Locations: Baltimore, Baltimore County, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Maryland, Petén, Mexican, Washington, Brawner

Mr. Trump, casting the disclosure as evidence of prosecutorial misconduct, has asked Justice Merchan to delay the trial 90 days, or throw out the case altogether. The tentative April 15 trial date, Mr. Bragg’s prosecutors said in a court filing Thursday, provides “a more than reasonable amount of time” for Mr. Trump to review the information. It is unclear whether the judge will set a trial date on Monday or rule later this week. If he sets the case for trial next month, Mr. Trump would for the first time face the prospect of time behind bars. Here’s what else you need to know about Mr. Trump’s daunting day:

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Mr, Stormy Daniels, Juan M, Merchan, Michael D, Cohen, Trump’s, Alvin L, Bragg Organizations: New, Mr Locations: Manhattan, American

The last presidential rematch came in 1956, when Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower again defeated Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic opponent he had four years prior. Grover Cleveland, meanwhile, was the nation's 22nd and 24th president, winning elections in 1884 and 1892. Here's how it stacks up in history:Photos You Should See View All 60 ImagesWhen was the last rematch of a presidential race? Republican President William McKinley topped Democrat William Jennings Bryan in the election of 1896 and then again in 1900. A Democratic anti-corruption crusader and governor of New York, Cleveland narrowly won the presidential election of 1884.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Trump, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Adlai Stevenson, Grover Cleveland, Stevenson, William McKinley, William Jennings Bryan, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison of, Harrison, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Adams, Jackson, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Jefferson, Republican Benjamin Harrison, Cleveland, Ulysses S, Grant, James A, Garfield, wasn't, Teddy Roosevelt, Roosevelt, William H, Taft, “, Woodrow Wilson, Millard Fillmore, Zachary Taylor, Fillmore, William Henry Harrison ., Van Buren Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democratic, Biden, Trump, Republican, Whig Party, Federalist, Cleveland, GOP, Bull Moose Party, Free Soil Party Locations: New York, —, Maryland

☆ Why are prices still so high? Corporate greed, some say.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Tami Luhby | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

While supply chain problems and high demand may have helped spur inflation early in the pandemic, Rosolino believes there’s another key reason why prices have soared and remained high: Corporate greed. It’s corporate greed.”Nick Rosolino feels businesses won't lower their prices as long as consumers keep spending. “Too many corporations raise prices to pad their profits, charging more and more for less and less,” Biden said. Companies are typically slower to reduce their prices when costs decline than they are to raise prices when their expenses jump. Corporate profits have contributed to inflation, though experts differ on the extent.

Persons: Nick Rosolino, Rosolino, there’s, ”, “ It’s, Nick Rosolino Reluctantly, Joe Biden, “, ” Biden, Cookie Monster, Lael Brainard, Goldman Sachs, Neil Bradley, Heather Vargas, ” Vargas, ” Heather Vargas, Heather Vargas Vargas, –, Kellogg, Gary Pilnick’s, Companies haven’t, Aaron Hackman, McKinley Conner, Aaron Hackman “, Hackman Organizations: CNN, America, White, Economic Council, Federal Reserve, Companies, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, US Chamber of Commerce, of Labor Statistics, “ Locations: Maine, New Gloucester , Maine, Portland, Heights , California, Fort Lauderdale , Florida

☆ After Letitia James Wins Big in Courtrooms, She Celebrates in Public
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This has been a very good year for Letitia James. Over the past month, Ms. James, New York’s attorney general, has racked up hard-fought victories over two formidable opponents. First, in mid-February, her office won a staggering $454 million judgment against former President Donald J. Trump in a civil fraud trial stemming from accusations that he had inflated his net worth. A week later, Ms. James, a Democrat, prevailed again, this time against the National Rifle Association and its longtime leader, Wayne LaPierre, who was found personally liable for more than $5 million in misused funds. Ms. James, who won a second term handily in 2022, is seemingly reveling in her reputation as an antagonist of right-wing political figures, some of whom have reacted to her public pronouncements with fury.

Persons: Letitia James, James, Donald J, Trump, Wayne LaPierre, Nick Suplina Organizations: National Rifle Association, Safety Locations: James , New

Allen H. Weisselberg, a longtime lieutenant to former President Donald J. Trump, has reached an agreement with Manhattan prosecutors to plead guilty to perjury charges on Monday, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Yet Mr. Weisselberg, who for years has remained steadfastly loyal to Mr. Trump in the face of intense prosecutorial pressure, is not expected to implicate his former boss. Mr. Weisselberg, 76, is now expected to concede that he lied to investigators from the New York attorney general’s office when they were investigating Mr. Trump for fraud. The attorney general, Letitia James, had accused Mr. Trump of wildly inflating his net worth to obtain favorable loans and other benefits. That civil case recently ended with a judge imposing a huge financial penalty on the former president — more than $450 million with interest.

Persons: Allen H, Donald J, Trump, Weisselberg, Letitia James, — Organizations: New Locations: Manhattan, New York

☆ He Cursed at a Police Officer. Now He’s Caught in a Free Speech Fight.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Tony Rupp didn’t intend to become a fighter for the First Amendment. He was really just out for some pasta. In December 2016, Mr. Rupp, a Buffalo-area lawyer, was leaving Chef’s Restaurant, a popular Italian place in the city’s downtown, when he said he saw a black SUV — its lights off — bearing down on two women crossing the street. The driver came to a halt just short of the women, and then, disaster averted, kept going as Mr. Rupp shouted, “Turn your lights on, asshole!”Little did the lawyer know that the driver was a Buffalo police officer, Todd C. McAlister, who turned into the parking lot, followed Mr. Rupp and told him that he was being detained. After about a half-hour, which Mr. Rupp spent arguing with the police in the parking lot, he was stunned when the police handed him a ticket for violating the city’s noise ordinance, despite the argument occurring on a nonresidential street near a buzzing freeway.

Persons: Tony Rupp didn’t, Rupp, Todd C, McAlister Organizations: Mr Locations: Buffalo

☆ ‘Dune: Part Two’ Review: Bigger, Wormier and Way Far Out
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Manohla Dargis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Having gone big in “Dune,” his 2021 adaptation of Frank Herbert’s futuristic opus, the director Denis Villeneuve has gone bigger and more far out in the follow up. Set in the aftermath of the first movie, the sequel resumes the story boldly, delivering visions both phantasmagoric and familiar. Like Timothée Chalamet’s dashingly coifed hero — who steers monstrous sandworms over the desert like a charioteer — Villeneuve puts on a great show. The art of cinematic spectacle is alive and rocking in “Dune: Part Two,” and it’s a blast. “Dune” made it clear that Villeneuve isn’t that kind of textualist.

Persons: Frank Herbert’s, Denis Villeneuve, —, — Villeneuve, “, Jon Spaihts, Stephen McKinley Henderson Organizations: Villeneuve

The jury, after a week of deliberations, found that the group’s former leader, Wayne LaPierre, had used N.R.A. Mr. LaPierre has repaid some of that sum, but must still repay $4.35 million. In addition to Mr. LaPierre, the defendants included the group’s former treasurer, Wilson Phillips, and its general counsel, John Frazer. Mr. Phillips must repay $2 million. “Today, LaPierre and the N.R.A.

Persons: Wayne LaPierre, LaPierre, Wilson Phillips, John Frazer, Phillips, Letitia James Organizations: National Rifle Association Locations: Manhattan, “

☆ Bobi, named world’s oldest ever dog, loses title after investigation
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Bobi the dog, who died last year reportedly at the age of 31, has been stripped of the world’s oldest ever dog title following a review by Guinness World Records (GWR), the organization announced Thursday. Bobi, a Rafeiro do Alentejo, had been known as the world’s oldest dog until he provisionally lost his title in January pending the result of a GWR investigation. For now, it is not clear who holds the title of oldest dog ever. “We’re not yet in a position to confirm a new holder for the record, although we certainly hope that the publicity around the record title encourages pet owners from around the world to get in touch,” said McKinley. Bobi was a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo – a breed of livestock guardian dog – according to his owner.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Patricia de Melo Moreira, Mark McKinley, McKinley, “, we’re, “ We’re, Bobi, Leonel Costa, Costa, Bluey Organizations: CNN, Guinness World Records, GWR, AFP, Getty, American Kennel Locations: Alentejo, Portuguese, Conqueiros, Lisbon

☆ Democrats Hope the Road to House Control Starts in Long Island
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Ellen Yan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Within hours of Tom Suozzi’s decisive victory in a House special election in New York last week, the optimistic pronouncements from Democrats began rolling in. Kathy Hochul vowed that her party’s path to regaining control of the House of Representatives “flows through New York.” And the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn, took a shot at the “much-hyped Nassau County Republican machine.”The outcome for Democrats was a welcome reversal of fortune on Long Island, where voters — wary of property taxes, inflation and a pandemic-era jump in crime — had recently embraced Republicans. Until Mr. Suozzi’s victory in New York’s Third Congressional District, Republicans had held all four congressional seats on Long Island, and they crushed Democrats in a pivotal 2022 election, helping swing the House to Republican control.

Persons: Tom Suozzi’s, Kathy Hochul, “, Hakeem Jeffries, — Organizations: Gov, Nassau County Republican, Democrats, Congressional District, Republicans Locations: New York, Brooklyn, Nassau County, Long, New

☆ Lawyers in N.R.A. Trial Deliver Closing Arguments, Sending Case to Jury
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Liset Cruz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Lawyers for New York State concluded their case against the National Rifle Association on Thursday, bringing an end to a closely watched civil showdown that accused leaders of the nation’s most prominent gun rights group of financial misconduct and corruption. Over the last six weeks, lawyers for New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, have outlined a case that paints the N.R.A. as a mismanaged organization with little fealty to its mission of defending the Second Amendment or to the gun owners who prize that right. funds to pay for private jets, luxury vacations, and the occasional spin on a superyacht. “This case is about corruption: Misuse of funds spent on jets, black cars, five-star hotels, hundreds of thousands of dollars of suits, million-dollar deals to insiders, payments to loyal board members and pervasive violations of internal controls,” Ms. Connell said to the nearly full courtroom in Manhattan.

Persons: Letitia James, Monica Connell, “, Wayne LaPierre, Ms, Connell Organizations: New York State, National Rifle Association, New Locations: Manhattan

☆ Eiffel Tower: Joy for maker of tallest matchstick landmark as record refusal reversed
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Paris Reuters —Guinness World Records on Thursday told Frenchman Richard Plaud that his 7.2 meter (23.6 feet) matchstick Eiffel Tower was a record height, a day after rejecting it for using the wrong matches. “For eight years, I’ve always thought that I was building the tallest matchstick structure,” he told Reuters. However, Guinness World Records initially told him he didn’t make the cut as he hadn’t used matches that were “commercially available.”The tower is nearly 24 feet tall. Richard Plaud/ReutersPlaud started off by using commercial matches, cutting the head off each. Tired of this tedious process, he asked the manufacturer if he could buy just the wooden sticks without the head, prompting Guinness to refuse his record.

Persons: Paris Reuters —, Frenchman Richard Plaud, Plaud, I’ve, ”, Richard Plaud, Reuters Plaud, Guinness, “ We’re, Mark McKinley Organizations: Paris Reuters, Paris Reuters — Guinness, Records, Reuters, World Records, Guinness World Records

☆ A Gen X woman bought a crumbling 1890s manor. She thought she'd be done restoring it a year into the project, but the work kept coming.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewNear downtown Rensselaer, Indiana, stood a charming old house that Tabetha Heemstra fell in love with at first sight. The Queen Anne-style property was in disrepair, but even with paint peeling off its exterior, Heemstra could see its potential. She has to use different types of paint scrapers and even dental tools on some of the exterior details. Sometimes Heemstra even had to resort to using dental tools to scrape the old paint off. That would've meant that Heemstra completed the restoration project within a year of buying the home.

Persons: —, Tabetha Heemstra, Anne, Heemstra, George F, Barber, It's, that's, she'll, She's, I've Organizations: Service, Business, National Register of Historic Places, BI, McKinley Locations: Rensselaer , Indiana, McKinley, Rensselaer, Chicago, Indianapolis, Jasper

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