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Donald J. Trump first ran for president nearly a decade ago. Now, as he runs again in a political climate that he helped create, his Manhattan criminal trial is partly a referendum on his tactics during that first campaign. The trial’s very premise is that prosecutors believe Mr. Trump orchestrated an election interference scheme. But in a development that will bolster their case, prosecutors on Monday secured permission from the judge to admit evidence connected to Mr. Trump’s overall political strategy in 2016. The judge’s ruling showed how the weapons that worked so well for Mr. Trump then are being turned against him in the courtroom now.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Trump’s Organizations: Mr

☆ New York trial of Donald Trump: an unusual request on trial Day 1
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Of the first group of 96 potential jurors who crammed into the courtroom, more than half were immediately excused for saying they could not be fair and impartial. A Manhattan jury also found Trump’s business, the Trump Organization, guilty of tax evasion, although Trump was not personally named in that case. And here is an excellent visual timeline of the entire hush money scandal. It was Cohen who orchestrated the hush money payments and who pleaded guilty to federal charges of violating campaign finance law, for which he served time in prison. Trump is accused by New York of falsifying business records when he paid Cohen back for the hush money scheme.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, CNN’s Kara Scannell, Jeremy Herb, Scannell, “, ” Scannell, Jeffrey Abramson, ”, ” Abramson, Jean Carroll, Abramson, Judge Juan Merchan, Kellyanne Conway, Rudy Giuliani, Stormy Daniels, Karen McDougal, CNN’s Kaanita Iyer, McDougal – She’s, Trump’s, Melania, Barron, Merchan, Carroll –, Carroll, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Maggie Haberman, Jake Tapper Organizations: CNN, America, Democracy, New, Trump, Trump Organization, National Enquirer, Trump . ►, Enquirer, – Prosecutors, New York Times Locations: Manhattan, sidebars, New York, Trump

☆ A Weary Trump Appears to Doze Off in Courtroom Ahead of Criminal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Maggie Haberman | More About Maggie Haberman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Former President Donald J. Trump seemed alternately irritated and exhausted Monday morning, as his lawyers and prosecutors hashed out pretrial motions before jury selection in his criminal case. Even as a judge was hearing arguments on last-minute issues in a criminal case that centers on salacious allegations and threatens to upend his bid for the presidency, Mr. Trump appeared to nod off a few times, his mouth going slack and his head drooping onto his chest. The former president’s lead lawyer, Todd Blanche, passed him notes for several minutes before Mr. Trump appeared to jolt awake and notice them. At other times, Mr. Trump whispered and exchanged notes with Mr. Blanche. He sat motionless while his own words from the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape — on which bragged about grabbing women’s genitals — were read from a transcript by a prosecutor.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Todd Blanche, jolt, Blanche

After years of investigation and weeks of delay, the criminal case known as the People of the State of New York vs. Donald J. Trump went to trial Monday, with hundreds of citizens summoned to potentially join a jury that will decide the fate of the first American president to face prosecution. The judge immediately excused them. One prospective juror, a woman in her 30s, was heard outside the courtroom saying, “I just couldn’t do it.”The prospective jurors, who represented a cross-section of Manhattanites of various ages and demographics, filed past Mr. Trump and into the rows of a dingy courtroom. Some strained their necks for a glance at the former president. He stood and turned after the judge introduced him as the defendant, flashing them a tight-lipped smile.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, “ Locations: New York

Follow our live coverage of Trump’s hush money trial. The start of Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial on Monday thrusts the 2024 presidential race into uncharted territory and Mr. Trump back into the public spotlight in ways he hasn’t been since he left the White House more than three years ago. The trial will begin with perhaps the most scrutinized jury selection since the trial of O.J. “This looks like no other presidential campaign in the history of the country,” said Neil Newhouse, a Republican pollster who has worked on past presidential races. “It kind of puts the regular presidential campaign on sabbatical.”

Persons: Donald J, Trump, hasn’t, O.J, Simpson, ”, Neil Newhouse, Republican pollster Organizations: White, Republican Locations: Manhattan, New York City

The Stickney Water Reclamation Plant in Illinois is one of the largest wastewater-treatment facilities in the world, serving about 2.3 million people and cleaning an average of 700 million gallons of wastewater a day. During rainfall, the facility can handle a whopping 1.44 billion gallons of wastewater in a single day — that's a million gallons every minute. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account?

Organizations: Reclamation, Business Locations: Stickney, Illinois

☆ Online Dating After 50 Can Be Miserable. But It’s Also Liberating.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Maggie Jones | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Online dating is a mixed bag for most people — queer, hetero, nonbinary. That includes profiles that are fake, created by scammers to try to lure private information from users. As tough as the process can be, older women have it worse than most. They report more negative online-dating experiences compared with men of all ages and younger women, according to a Pew Center for Research study. The pool of men narrows with time: Men’s life expectancy is seven years shorter than women’s.

Persons: scammers, ” “ Organizations: Pew Center for Research Locations: nonbinary . Plenty

The first criminal trial of Donald J. Trump will begin on Monday, and the 45th president thinks he can win — no matter what the jury decides. Mr. Trump will aim to spin any outcome to his benefit and, if convicted, to become the first felon to win the White House. Manhattan prosecutors, who have accused Mr. Trump of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal, hold advantages that include a list of insider witnesses and a jury pool drawn from one of the country’s most liberal counties. Mr. Trump and some aides and lawyers privately concede that a jury is unlikely to outright acquit him, according to people with knowledge of the discussions. So Mr. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee, is seeking to write his own reality, telling a story that he believes could pave his return to the White House.

Persons: Donald J, Trump Organizations: White, Republican Locations: Manhattan

☆ Inside Donald Trump’s Embrace of the Jan. 6 Rioters
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Alan Feuer | Maggie Haberman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two days before former President Donald J. Trump was booked at an Atlanta jail on his fourth indictment, he held an event at his golf club in New Jersey for another group of people facing criminal charges: rioters accused of storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Standing next to a portrait of himself portrayed as James Bond, Mr. Trump told the defendants and their families that they had suffered greatly, but that all of that would change if he won another term. “People who have been treated unfairly are going to be treated extremely, extremely fairly,” he said to a round of applause at the event last August in Bedminster, N.J. “What you’ve suffered is just ridiculous,” he added. “But it’s going to be OK.”That private event was emblematic of how Mr. Trump has embraced dozens of Jan. 6 defendants and their relatives and highlights how he has sought to undermine law enforcement when it suits him, while he also puts forth a law-and-order campaign.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, James Bond, ”, you’ve Locations: Atlanta, New Jersey, Bedminster, N.J

☆ How Muslim Americans are observing Eid-al-Fitr in the midst of the crisis in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Harmeet Kaur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

In Gaza, it’s customary to make large batches of the cookies during Eid and other holidays to distribute to family and friends. Ahead of Eid, El-Haddad and her daughters prepare ka'ik, traditional ring-shaped cookies stuffed with date paste. Some other Muslim Americans aren’t in the mood to celebrateFor some other Muslim Americans, the ongoing assault on Gaza has cast a shadow over Eid festivities. Given the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, some Muslim American communities are not in the mood for elaborate Eid celebrations this year. So on Eid, El-Haddad will honor her aunt by cooking sumagiyya the way she knows how.

Persons: Laila El, Haddad, Eid, Haddad —, —, An’am Dalloul, Hoda, Hani, Dalloul —, El, “ Um Hani, ”, Hani ” —, An’am, Maggie Schmitt, ’, “, that’s, It’s, she’s, ” El, aren’t, Joe Biden’s, Laura Oliverio, CNN Arafat Herzallah, Herzallah, Herzallah’s, He’ll, he’s, they’ll, Abdul Elenani, Ayat Masoud, Elenani, they’d Organizations: CNN, sumagiyya, El, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Hamas, Palestinian American Community Center, ” Locations: Gaza, chard, chickpeas, El, Maryland, Gaza City, Israel, Rafah, New Jersey, Patterson, Palestine, San Francisco, New York

Allies of Donald J. Trump are discussing ways to elevate third-party candidates in battleground states to divert votes away from President Biden, along with other covert tactics to diminish Democratic votes. They plan to promote the independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a “champion for choice” to give voters for whom abortion is a top issue — and who also don’t like Mr. Biden — another option on the ballot, according to one person who is involved in the effort and who, like several others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the plans. Trump allies also plan to amplify the progressive environmental records of Mr. Kennedy and the expected Green Party candidate, Jill Stein, in key states — contrasting their policies against the record-high oil production under Mr. Biden that has disappointed some climate activists. A third parallel effort in Michigan is meant to diminish Democratic turnout in November by amplifying Muslim voters’ concerns about Mr. Biden’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza. Trump allies are discussing running ads in Dearborn, Mich., and other parts of the state with large Muslim populations that would thank Mr. Biden for standing with Israel, according to three people familiar with the effort, which is expected to be led by an outside group unaffiliated with the Trump campaign.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Biden, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Mr, Kennedy, Jill Stein Organizations: Democratic, Green Party Locations: Michigan, Gaza, Dearborn, Mich, Israel

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

Jared Kushner’s investment fund is not especially large by global finance standards. His $3 billion fund is financed almost entirely from overseas investors with whom he worked when he served as a senior adviser in the Trump White House. He has taken money from government wealth funds in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as well as from Terry Gou, a founder of Foxconn, the Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer, whose role in Mr. Kushner’s firm has not been previously disclosed. Mr. Kushner’s firm, Affinity Partners, is collecting approximately $40 million a year in management fees from those investors even before any share of profits earned on investments. He has made 10 investments to date, totaling $1.2 billion, many of them in companies based abroad.

Persons: Jared, Donald J, Trump, Terry Gou, Kushner’s Organizations: Trump White House, United Arab, Foxconn, Securities and Exchange Commission, Mr, Affinity Partners Locations: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Taiwan

Former President Donald J. Trump said in a video statement on Monday that abortion rights should be left up to the states, remarks that came after months of mixed signals on an issue that he and his advisers have worried could cost him dearly in the election. Mr. Trump said his view was that the states should decide through legislation, and that “whatever they decide must be the law of the land, and in this case, the law of the state.” But he added that he was “strongly in favor of exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother.”“Many states will be different, many will have a different number of weeks or some will have more conservative than others, and that’s what they will be,” Mr. Trump said in the video, which he posted on his Truth Social website. “At the end of the day, it’s all about will of the people,” he added. “That’s where we are right now and that’s what we want — the will of the people.”

Persons: Donald J, Trump, “, ”, Mr Organizations: “

Follow our live coverage of Trump’s hush money trial. Mr. Blanche recently bought a home in Palm Beach County near Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. He brought his family to Mr. Trump’s campaign celebration there on Super Tuesday. And during Mr. Trump’s first criminal trial, set to begin in Manhattan on April 15, he will use space at 40 Wall Street, the former president’s office tower near the courthouse. After a well-credentialed career as a federal prosecutor and a white-collar defense lawyer, Mr. Blanche, 49, has bet his professional future on representing Mr. Trump, the first former U.S. president to be indicted.

Persons: Todd Blanche, Donald J, Trump, Blanche, Trump’s Organizations: New York Democrat, Florida Republican Locations: Palm Beach, Mr, Lago, Manhattan, U.S

Mr. Biden replied that he understood. Mr. Biden’s staunch support of Israel has put him at odds with many Democrats. Mr. Biden is scheduled to speak with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Thursday, according to a senior administration official. That official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said that Mr. Biden’s anger and frustration had hit a peak in recent weeks. At other events that month, in Wisconsin and Vermont, people gathered outside of Democratic Party offices and homes of donors to protest American support for the war.

Persons: Jill Biden, Biden, Mr, Salima Suswell, ’, Suswell, White, “, ” Elizabeth Alexander, ”, Biden’s, Chris Coons, Avishag Shaar, Beau Biden, George W, Dr, Beau, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel Organizations: House, White, Israel, Black Muslim Leadership Council, Al, Shifa, Credit, Yashuv, The New York, Delaware Army National Guard, New York Times, Democratic, Central, Biden, Democratic Party Locations: Gaza, Israel, Delaware, Iraq, Afghanistan, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Vermont, Los Angeles

☆ Trump Spoke Recently With Saudi Leader
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Maggie Haberman | Jonathan Swan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Former President Donald J. Trump spoke recently with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, their first publicly disclosed conversation since Mr. Trump left office in January 2021, according to two people briefed on the discussion who were not authorized to speak publicly about it. It was unclear what the two men discussed and whether it was their only conversation since Mr. Trump’s departure from the White House. Neither representatives for Mr. Trump nor an official of the Saudi government responded to requests for comment. If President Biden manages to clinch a trilateral megadeal — which would probably include a Saudi-Israeli peace agreement, an Israeli commitment to a two-state solution, a U.S.-Saudi defense treaty and U.S.-Saudi understandings on a civilian nuclear program in Saudi Arabia — he will need support from two-thirds of senators to ratify the U.S.-Saudi treaty. Mr. Trump, as the presumptive Republican nominee in firm command of his party, could potentially either block any deal or greenlight it for congressional Republicans.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Trump’s, Biden, Saudi Arabia — Organizations: Mr, U.S ., Republican, Republicans Locations: Saudi, Israel, U.S, Saudi Arabia

☆ The highest-paying in-demand tech skill, according to Indeed—it can pay over $150,000 a year
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Gili Malinsky | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

It should come as no surprise, then, that among the highest paid tech skills, generative AI comes in at No. That's according to a recent report by job search site Indeed, which calculated which tech skills make the biggest difference in salary. When a job included generative AI as a desired skill, its salary was 47% higher, Indeed found. "Searches for generative AI jobs on Indeed have surged nearly 4,000% in the last year, and job postings for generative AI roles have seen a remarkable 306% increase since September 2022." Here's what employers are looking for, specifically, and how to gain some generative AI skills yourself.

Persons: they're, Maggie Hulce Organizations: Deloitte

☆ Trump Denies Elections and Praises Rioters, but R.F.K. Jr. Says It’s Biden Who Threatens Democracy
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Maggie Astor | Rebecca Davis O Brien | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Former President Donald J. Trump has refused to accept his loss in the 2020 election, painted as martyrs the supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, laid groundwork to deny the 2024 election results if he loses, and said he would be a dictator on his first day back in office if he wins. But according to the independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., it is President Biden who poses the greater threat to American democracy — a view that Mr. Kennedy shares with Mr. Trump himself, and that democracy experts called “absurd” and “preposterous.”Such a perspective is possible because Mr. Kennedy, who has founded his political career on promoting vaccine misinformation and conspiracy theories about the government, sees the Biden administration’s efforts to curtail the spread of misinformation as a seminal issue of our time. Censorship, as he calls it, overpowers all other concerns about the political system. Mr. Kennedy’s stance drew fresh scrutiny this week after he said in an interview on CNN, “President Biden is a much worse threat to democracy, and the reason for that is President Biden is the first candidate in history, the first president in history that has used the federal agencies to censor political speech, to censor his opponent.” He repeated himself on Fox News on Tuesday, saying that a president like Mr. Biden was “a genuine threat to our democracy.”

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Biden, Kennedy, ”, Mr Organizations: Capitol, CNN, “, Fox News

Former President Donald J. Trump will campaign on immigration and border policy today with events planned in Michigan and Wisconsin, two crucial battleground states in the Midwest. Mr. Trump and President Biden have already clinched their nominations, though, so the outcomes of today’s primaries are not in doubt. Nikki Haley, who dropped out of the race early last month, took nearly 18 percent of the vote against Mr. Trump in the Arizona primary two weeks ago. Mr. Biden won both Michigan and Wisconsin in the 2020 election, and Mr. Trump’s Tuesday trip to Grand Rapids follows a weaker-than-expected performance in the Michigan primary against Ms. Haley. Yet that has done little to quell the protest effort against Mr. Biden in upcoming primaries.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Biden, Nikki Haley, Mr, Trump’s, Haley, Grand, Heba Mohammad, “, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, ” Ms, Mohammad, “ He’s, ” Mr, Israel Organizations: Mr, Republicans, Wisconsin, Republican, Democratic, Michigan, Democratic Party, Democrats Locations: Michigan, Wisconsin, Midwest, Florida, Connecticut, Rhode Island , New York, . Delaware, Arizona, Grand Rapids, Kent County, Green Bay, Wis, New York, Rhode Island, Gaza

☆ Alex Murdaugh is scheduled to be sentenced today for nearly 2 dozen financial crimes
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Dakin Andone | Dianne Gallagher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A federal judge on Monday is scheduled to sentence Alex Murdaugh – the 55-year-old former attorney already serving two life sentences for the murders of his wife and son – for nearly two dozen financial crimes following his guilty plea last year, according to the US Department of Justice. Murdaugh denies the claim, and his attorneys asked the judge to disregard the government’s motion during sentencing Monday. In a filing last week, prosecutors recommended Murdaugh be sentenced to between 17.5 and almost 22 years in prison. While Murdaugh insists he is innocent of the murders, he has admitted to the financial crimes, saying he was maintaining a yearslong opioid addiction. In exchange for his guilty plea, federal prosecutors agreed to recommend Murdaugh’s sentence be served concurrently with the one imposed in South Carolina, court filings show.

Persons: Alex Murdaugh –, –, Murdaugh, Maggie, Paul –, “ ‘, ’ confiding, Van der Sloot, Natalee Holloway, ”, Richard M, Gergel Organizations: CNN, US Department of Justice, US, Office, District, FBI Locations: District of South Carolina, South Carolina, Murdaugh

The Republican outrage machine kicked into gear over Easter weekend after President Biden noted that Sunday was being celebrated for more than one reason. International Transgender Day of Visibility is observed every year on March 31. This year, for the second time since Transgender Day of Visibility was established 15 years ago, and the last time until 2086, the two happened to coincide. President Biden publicly honored both of them, as he has done every year since he took office in 2021. He centered the poor,” Mr. Warnock said on CNN on Sunday.

Persons: Biden, Mr, ”, ” Karoline Leavitt, Donald J, Trump, Jesus Christ, Mike Johnson, “, Marsha Blackburn of, Raphael Warnock of, “ Jesus, Warnock, ” Ms, Leavitt, Johnson, ” Andrew Bates, Bates, Bud Light, Biden’s Organizations: Republican, CNN Locations: Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Raphael Warnock of Georgia

Donald J. Trump watched anxiously from the White House in April 2018 as news broke about federal agents searching the home of Michael D. Cohen, the man entrusted to conceal some of the president’s deepest secrets. After initially coming to Mr. Cohen’s defense, Mr. Trump washed his hands of his fixer within weeks, brushing aside Mr. Cohen’s feelers about a pardon and disavowing his legal bills. Mr. Trump took a different tack when prosecutors shifted their scrutiny to Allen H. Weisselberg, the Trump family’s longtime financial gatekeeper. Mr. Trump’s company paid Mr. Weisselberg’s legal bills and awarded him a $2 million severance, with a condition: He could not voluntarily cooperate with any law enforcement agency. But prosecutors say Mr. Weisselberg lied during his testimony, and this month he pleaded guilty to perjury.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Michael D, Cohen, Cohen’s, Allen H, Weisselberg, Mr Organizations: White House, Trump Locations: Manhattan, U.S

On Tuesday, lawyers for Ms. Lake indicated she would not dispute the facts of a defamation lawsuit that Stephen Richer, the Maricopa County recorder, had filed against her. But they seem to be more durable and pervasive in Maricopa County, home to Phoenix, riling up residents long after campaigns have closed up shop. Credit... Rebecca Noble for The New York TimesThe numbers back up Arizona’s outsize role in election fraud claims. At a news conference on Monday, Gary M. Restaino, the U.S. attorney for Arizona, said seven of the nation’s roughly 18 federal cases regarding election threats involved people targeting Arizona election officials, though the suspects are not Arizonans. Image Bill Gates, a Maricopa County supervisor, during Arizona’s primary presidential election in Phoenix earlier in March.

Persons: Joseph R, Biden, Donald J, Kari Lake, Trump, baselessly, hasn’t, Lake, Stephen Richer, Richer, —, ”, Joshua Garland, Rebecca Noble, Gary M, “, Mr, Restaino, Lake’s, ” Mr, they’re, Katie Hobbs, Bill Gates, Gates, Lake —, ‘, ’ ‘, ’ ”, “ It’s Organizations: Republican, Arizona State University, “, The New York Times, Arizona, U.S, Supreme, Lake’s Democratic, Mr, Republicans Locations: Arizona, Maricopa, Maricopa County, Phoenix, Georgia, U.S, . Credit, Gitmo

Marilyn Lands, a Democrat, won a special election Tuesday for a State House seat in Alabama after campaigning on access to abortion and in vitro fertilization, underscoring the continued political potency of reproductive rights. Ms. Lands defeated her Republican opponent, Teddy Powell, by about 25 percentage points — an extraordinary margin in a swing district where she lost by seven points in 2022. The special election was called when David Cole, the Republican who had held the seat, resigned and pleaded guilty to voter fraud. “Today, Alabama women and families sent a clear message that will be heard in Montgomery and across the nation,” Ms. Lands, a licensed counselor, said Tuesday night. And last month, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos were people with rights — upending I.V.F.

Persons: Marilyn Lands, Teddy Powell, David Cole, ”, Roe, Wade, — upending, Kay Ivey, Powell, Heather Williams, ” Ms, Williams, Biden’s, Donald J, Trump, Mr, Julie Chavez Rodriguez Organizations: Democrat, House, Lands, Republican, Republicans, Alabama Legislature, Democratic Legislative, Committee, “ Locations: Alabama, Montgomery, “

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