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Former President Donald Trump appears in court with his lawyers Todd Blanche, Emil Bove and Susan Necheles for his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 28 in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesAs the jury is set to begin deliberating today, former President Donald Trump and his team are preparing for a possible conviction in his criminal New York hush money case. While there remains hope for a hung jury, legal advisers have privately warned Trump and his team to prepare for a possible conviction in the case. Privately, Trump has asked allies what they think the outcome will be, while complaining that the trial is rigged against him. “It’s all the about the messaging—pre-trial, during the trial and then after the trial,” one source close to Trump told CNN.

Persons: Donald Trump, Todd Blanche, Emil Bove, Susan Necheles, Spencer Platt, Trump, “, ” Organizations: Manhattan Criminal, Trump, CNN Locations: New York City, York, Manhattan

CNN —The jury in Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial finished its first day of deliberations Wednesday without reaching a verdict after meeting for more than four-and-a-half hours. ET to resume deliberations, but the 12 men and women will also again hear from Judge Juan Merchan. Jurors also want to re-hear Merchan’s instructions on the law that he had given them earlier Wednesday morning. The testimony the jurors are requesting relates to interactions Trump had directly with Pecker. While most federal judges will send the actual document with the jury as it deliberates, New York state courts forbid this practice.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Juan Merchan, David Pecker, Michael Cohen, Trump, Karen McDougal’s, Cohen, Pecker, Joe Biden, Merchan, Stormy Daniels, ” Merchan, Elie Honig, “, ” Honig, ”, They’ve Organizations: CNN, National Enquirer, AMI, Trump, New Locations: York, New York, Manhattan

☆ There’s a Reason Most People Aren’t Following the New York Trump Trial - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Matthew Walther | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Christopher Hitchens once described participation in the absurd debate over who actually wrote Shakespeare’s plays as “an unfailing sign of advanced intellectual and mental prostration.” It would be unsporting to apply this characterization of literary conspiracy theorists to the enthusiastic followers of Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York, but only, I think, because the verdict in the latter case is still an open question. For the uninitiated (a category to which a great majority of voters belong), the most immediately striking feature of both Shakespeare denialism and the Trump trial is impenetrability: endless rolls of decontextualized names and dates; speculative chronologies; inconsequential or irrelevant details invested with a lurid significance; complex, novel theories of evidence that are somehow applicable only to one individual. How many people, even those who purport to be following the case against Mr. Trump, can summarize the premise on which the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, has based his claim that various alleged low-level bookkeeping offenses somehow congeal into a felony, much less explain why Mr. Trump is the only person of note whose ostensible accounting errors are treated like this? People recognize, at least implicitly, that the trial is in effect an attempt to settle an issue that courts are poorly suited to decide: namely, whether Mr. Trump should again be elected president of the United States. That, as they say, is a question for another day, specifically Nov. 5.

Persons: Christopher Hitchens, Donald Trump’s, Shakespeare denialism, Trump, Alvin Bragg, Shakespeare, Francis Bacon Locations: New York, Manhattan, United States

☆ Harvey Weinstein retrial: New accusers have come forward, prosecutor says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Jean Casarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

NEW YORK CNN —A Manhattan prosecutor said Wednesday a new indictment against Harvey Weinstein is possible as additional accusers have come forward with claims against the powerful Hollywood producer whose downfall became a symbol of the #MeToo movement. That trial similarly used “prior bad acts” witnesses and has also been appealed. In addition, three other women testified at trial as “prior bad acts” witnesses. They argued the “prior bad acts” witnesses should not have been allowed to testify and the court should not have given prosecutors the ability to question Weinstein about instances of verbal abuse and bullying on cross-examination. In sexual assault cases, their testimony can turn a difficult “he said, she said” case into a more convincing “he said, they said” case.

Persons: Harvey Weinstein, Nicole Blumberg, Justice Curtis Farber, “, ”, Weinstein, Blumberg, ” Blumberg, –, ” Weinstein, Arthur Aidala, Miriam “ Mimi ” Haley, Haley, ” Aidala, Farber, CNN Weinstein, Love, Jessica Mann, Mann, Prosecutors, – Dawn Dunning, Tarale Wulff, Lauren Young –, uncharged Organizations: YORK CNN, Hollywood, Manhattan Supreme, ” Prosecutors, New, ”, CNN, Weinstein’s Locations: Manhattan, “, Los Angeles, Hollywood, York, New York

☆ Crypto exchange Gemini returns $2.2 billion to users after pausing withdrawals 18 months ago
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Customers with funds locked up in crypto exchange Gemini's defunct crypto lending program are finally going to start getting their money back. The email adds: "This means that if you lent one bitcoin in the Earn program, you will receive one bitcoin back. At $2.18 billion, the fund distribution represents a 232% recovery for users since Gemini froze withdrawals for customers of its Earn program 18 months ago. Gemini then lent customers' crypto to institutional borrowers through Genesis Global Capital, its lending partner of choice. In November 2022, Genesis Global Capital paused new loan originations and redemptions, forcing Gemini to halt withdrawals from its Earn program.

Persons: Tyler Winklevoss, Cameron Winklevoss, Cameron, Genesis, Gemini, Letitia Organizations: Gemini, Mana Convention, Genesis Global Capital, New York Locations: Wynwood, Miami , Florida, Manhattan

☆ Supreme Court Justice Alito rejects calls to recuse from Trump, Jan. 6 cases
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Associate Justice Samuel Alito poses during a group photo of the Justices at the Supreme Court in Washington, April 23, 2021. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday rejected Democratic lawmakers' requests that he recuse himself from key cases related to former President Donald Trump and the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot following reports that flags linked to Trump's supporters were flown at his properties. "I was not aware of any connection between that historic flag and the 'Stop the Steal Movement,' and neither was my wife," Alito wrote. Trump, who is awaiting a verdict in his criminal hush money trial in Manhattan Supreme Court, applauded Alito for declining to remove himself from the case. "Congratulations to United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for showing the INTELLIGENCE, COURAGE, and 'GUTS' to refuse stepping aside from making a decision on anything January 6th related," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social .

Persons: Samuel Alito, Donald Trump, Alito, Joe Biden, Rather, Jack Smith, Trump, —, Martha, Ann Alito, Dick Durbin, Durbin, Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse Organizations: Supreme, Wednesday, Democratic, Capitol, New York Times, Times, Alito, United States Supreme Locations: Washington, Virginia, Alexandria , Virginia, Long Beach, , New Jersey, Manhattan

☆ Walgreens announces price cuts on 1,300 items amid ongoing consumer spending fatigue
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Rob Wile | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Signage is seen outside of a Walgreens, owned by the Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc., in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 26, 2021. Walgreens announced Wednesday it would continue to cut prices on some 1,300 items — the latest company to pivot to value amid signs U.S. consumers are experiencing spending fatigue. "Walgreens understands our customers are under financial strain and struggle to purchase everyday essentials," said Tracey D. Brown, EVP, President, Walgreens Retail & Chief Customer Officer. Lower-income consumers have been cutting back more substantially. Meanwhile, other areas of the economy more closely tied to wealthier consumers continue to outperform, especially travel.

Persons: Tracey D, Brown, we've, Ramon Laguarta, Jamie Baker Organizations: Walgreens, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc, Walgreens Retail, Target, Walmart, Conference Board, PepsiCo, American Airlines, JPMorgan Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S

☆ Can Trump vote in November if he's convicted of a felony in New York?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Jane C. Timm | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

That means that Florida voters like Trump would lose their voting rights only if the state where they are convicted would disenfranchise them for the crime, too. New York prohibits those serving time behind bars for felony convictions from voting, and voting rights are restored as soon as the individual leaves prison. Those convicted of felonies who do not go to prison never lose their voting rights. In the event of Trump losing his voting rights in Florida, there would also be avenues for him to regain them. Trump could seek clemency to restore his voting rights in Florida, where GOP Gov.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Blair Bowie, wouldn't, Bowie, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Ron DeSantis —, DeSantis, who's Organizations: U.S, Manhattan Criminal, Trump, Center, GOP Locations: New York City, Manhattan, New York, Florida, . New York, York, Trump's Manhattan, Washington ,

☆ Opinion: Robert De Niro should have turned down role with Biden campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( David Axelrod | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Biden did not want to feed Trump’s feverish charge that he was the cause of the former president’s myriad legal problems. But Biden and his campaign has mostly gone for the capillary, not the jugular. (It’s also a little bewildering why Team Biden, struggling with younger voters, cast De Niro as its point man here. Navigating Trump’s legal thicket has been a challenge for Biden from the start. Predictably, the Trump campaign jumped all over Tuesday’s events, accusing the Biden campaign of desperation and jury tampering.

Persons: David Axelrod, ”, Barack Obama, Obama, Robert De Niro, Joe Biden, Donald, Biden, Trump, “ I’ve, Niro, De, De Niro, he’s, it’s, Fingers, De Niro’s, It’s, Gen, Donald Trump Jr, Jr Organizations: CNN, White, Union, Trump, Twitter, Facebook, Biden Locations: Manhattan, De Niro

☆ Opinion: I’ve observed the Trump jury. Here’s what could be happening in deliberations
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Opinion Norman Eisen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

They are the first jury in the 235-year history of the United States to be confronted with that weighty question. The payment was made to keep her silent about allegations that she and Trump had a sexual encounter (which Trump denies) ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Merchan then offered a detailed explanation of the legal rules that the jury must apply to make those determinations. This time it was for the judge to re-read the jury instructions to them, another indicator of the care they are taking in deliberations. We will see how long their deliberations take, but this afternoon’s developments suggest that it will not be an instant process.

Persons: Norman Eisen, “, Donald Trump, ”, Juan Merchan, Donald Trump’s Manhattan, Trump, Norm Eisen, Norm Eisen Trump, Stormy Daniels, Merchan, —, David Pecker, Todd Blanche, Michael Cohen, Blanche, Pecker, Cohen, Karen McDougal, McDougal Organizations: CNN, Yorkers, National Enquirer, Trump, Twitter, Facebook Locations: American, United States, Manhattan

☆ Trump trial jury set to begin deliberations in New York criminal hush money case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Former US President Donald Trump attends his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs, at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on May 16, 2024. Jurors in the criminal hush money trial of former President Donald Trump are set to begin deliberating a potential verdict Wednesday, after they receive instructions from a judge in a New York courtroom. Trump's lawyer and a prosecutor gave closing arguments all day Tuesday and into the early evening. The case marks the first time a former U.S. president has faced criminal charges. Cohen testified at trial in Manhattan Supreme Court that he paid Daniels at Trump's direction to buy her silence about an alleged one-time sexual tryst with Trump in 2006.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Joe Biden, Michael Cohen, Daniels, Cohen, Hillary Clinton, Trump's, Juan Merchan Organizations: Manhattan Criminal, Republican, Trump Organization, Prosecutors, Democratic Locations: New York City, New York, U.S, Manhattan

☆ Robert De Niro called Donald Trump a 'clown' and a 'monster' outside his New York hush money trial. Here's a timeline of their 13-year feud.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Ayomikun Adekaiyero | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Robert De Niro outside Manhattan Criminal Court on May 28, 2024. CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / Getty ImagesThe Democrats seem to be using De Niro's feud against Trump again this year ahead of the 2024 elections. "Trump wants revenge, and he'll stop at nothing to get it." De Niro claimed in his speech that Trump wants to destroy New York, America, and the world. "I never knew how small, both mentally and physically, Wacko Former Actor Robert De Niro was," Trump wrote on Wednesday.

Persons: De Niro, Robert De Niro, CHARLY TRIBALLEAU, Trump, Harris, Niro, TRUMP, Biden Organizations: Biden, White, Truth, Radical Locations: Manhattan, New York, America

☆ Owner and Manager of Grimaldi’s Pizzeria Plead Guilty to Wage Theft
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Lola Fadulu | More About Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The owner of Grimaldi’s Pizzeria and the manager of the restaurant’s Manhattan location pleaded guilty to stealing more than $32,000 in wages from 18 employees by bouncing checks and sometimes by not paying workers at all, prosecutors announced on Wednesday. The owner, Anthony Piscina, 63, and the manager, Frank Santora, 71, each pleaded guilty to one count of attempted scheme to defraud in the first degree. They submitted a cashier’s check to the Manhattan district attorney’s office on Wednesday to pay full restitution as their sentence. The plea means that “18 hard-working New Yorkers will be made whole,” Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, said in a statement. Gerard Marrone, a lawyer representing both Mr. Piscina and Mr. Santora, said his clients had entered guilty pleas to put the case behind them and that they were merely “guilty of very bad record-keeping.”

Persons: Anthony, Frank Santora, ” Alvin Bragg, Gerard Marrone, Santora, ” Locations: Manhattan

☆ Read the Jury Instructions in the Trump Manhattan Criminal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

While you are here in the courthouse, deliberating on the case, you will be kept together in the jury room. You may not leave the jury room during deliberations. You must deliberate about the case only when you are all gathered together in the jury room. Thus, if for any reason, all twelve of you are not gathered together in the jury room, please stop deliberating until you are all present. However, we can work later if the jury wishes to do so and all the jurors are in agreement.

☆ Trump has touted potential VP picks for months. He may end up picking someone off the public’s radar
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Kristen Holmes | Steve Contorno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —In recent weeks, an increasingly familiar list of Republicans has dominated the not-very-subtle competition to become Donald Trump’s running mate. Trump himself has added to the air of inevitability by floating these names in interviews and appearances over and over. Many around the campaign believe the lack of secrecy surrounding the open audition raises the possibility Trump ultimately picks someone off the public’s radar. A source confirmed Trump floated Cotton’s name during a recent private dinner, surprising some of his guests. Earlier this year, Hagerty was spotted at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach with the former president.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Trump, “, Ben Carson, Florida Sen, Marco Rubio, Marco Rubio , Ohio Sen, J.D, Vance, Elise Stefanik, Doug Burgum, South Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Maria Elvira Salazar, Sens, Tom Cotton of, Bill Hagerty of, Tulsi Gabbard, Nikki Haley, Rubio, Salazar, ” Salazar, Trump’s, Lester Woerner, Cotton, –, Gabbard, Howard Lutnick, Hagerty, Doug Kaplan, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Ron DeSantis, Kristi Noem, Kaplan, ” Kaplan, ”, Haley, Ralph Norman of, ” Norman Organizations: CNN, Republicans, Urban, Republican National Convention, Florida Rep, Hawaii Rep, South Carolina Gov, Trump, Univision, Mar, New York Times, Democratic, Kaplan, Florida Gov, South Dakota Gov, Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach, Republican, GOP Locations: Manhattan, Trump, Florida, Marco Rubio , Ohio, North Dakota, South Carolina, Milwaukee, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, English, New York, Cuban, Miami, Palm Beach, Washington, –, Cotton, Congress, South, Carson, Hagerty, Japan, West Palm, Pennsylvania, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Indiana, Trump’s

Fresh off a red-eye flight from California, Cynthia Frybarger dropped off her luggage at the Margaritaville hotel in Midtown early Wednesday and boarded a downtown Q train, bound for the hottest pop-up spot in Manhattan. Her destination: Collect Pond Park, the square plot of cement and trees across Centre Street from the front doors of the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, where a few hours later a group of 12 New Yorkers began deliberating whether to convict Donald J. Trump in the first criminal trial of an American president. “I didn’t come strictly for this, but it fit in perfectly,” Ms. Frybarger, 73, said, holding up the “Lock Him Up!! !” poster she had made back home in San Jose. As Mr. Trump’s trial has unfurled through its various stages, the park has played host to a daily tableau of New York writ small — gawkers and tourists, politicians and celebrities, demonstrators and protesters, all of whom have stood for hours in the baking sun and driving rain, to see and be seen.

Persons: Cynthia Frybarger, Donald J, Trump, “, Ms, Frybarger, Trump’s Organizations: Yorkers Locations: California, Midtown, Manhattan, San Jose, York

☆ Trump claims the hush money porn star case is so 'rigged' against him that not even Mother Teresa could get acquitted
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Donald Trump invoked Mother Teresa as jurors began deliberations in his Manhattan criminal trial. "Mother Teresa could not beat these charges," the former president said. Trump is accused of helping falsify business records to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementFormer President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that the Manhattan District Attorney's case that he falsified business records to cover up hush money payments to a porn star is so "rigged" that not even one of the most famous modern Catholic saints could not get acquitted.

Persons: Donald Trump, Mother Teresa, Teresa, Trump, —, Todd Blanche Organizations: Service, Manhattan District, Business

☆ Judge’s Instructions Will Be a Road Map for Jury Weighing Trump’s Fate
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( William K. Rashbaum | Jonah E. Bromwich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Within about an hour, a Manhattan jury will begin a discussion of historic import: determining whether Donald J. Trump is guilty of 34 felonies. But before the jurors begin to deliberate, the judge, Juan M. Merchan, will deliver legal instructions that will help guide the 12 New Yorkers who will hash out Mr. Trump’s fate. Justice Merchan will describe the legal meaning of the word “intent” and the concept of the presumption of innocence. He will remind the jurors that they pledged to set any biases aside against the former president before they were sworn in, and that Mr. Trump’s decision not to testify cannot be held against him. Then, according to a person with knowledge of the instructions that Justice Merchan plans to deliver, he will explain the 34 charges of falsifying business records that Mr. Trump faces.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Juan M, Yorkers, Merchan, Trump’s Locations: Manhattan

☆ Trump’s Hush-Money Trial Heads Into the Unknown as Jury Deliberations Begin
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Jess Bidgood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Today, at 11:28 a.m., a jury of 12 New Yorkers began deliberating in the criminal trial against former President Donald Trump. It’s worth lingering on that point. It’s a sharp contrast from the norm in a presidential campaign where so much has seemed baked in, starting with two candidates. Trump and President Biden emerged from primary elections that generated nothing in the way of suspense to face each other in a matchup Americans have already seen. We have no idea how it will shape the campaign in the months to come or whether, whichever way it goes, voters will care.

Persons: Donald Trump, —, Trump, Biden Organizations: Yorkers Locations: Manhattan

☆ Weinstein May Face New Charges as More Accusers Emerge, Prosecutors Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Hurubie Meko | Maia Coleman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Manhattan prosecutors on Wednesday signaled that they might seek to indict Harvey Weinstein on new charges, saying they were vetting allegations from people who have accused him of sexual assault in recent years as they prepared to retry him after his 2020 sex crimes conviction was overturned. Prosecutors did not say how many accusers they were interviewing or provide details of their allegations but said they were reviewing which of the accusations fell within the statute of limitations. At the hearing on Wednesday in Criminal Court in Manhattan, Mr. Weinstein, 72, entered in a wheelchair, dressed in a dark suit and white shirt, holding a large tan book under his left arm. It was the second hearing since Mr. Weinstein’s conviction was overturned last month. In a 4-to-3 decision, the New York Court of Appeals agreed with Mr. Weinstein’s lawyers that the trial judge who presided over his 2020 case had erred by allowing prosecutors to call several accusers as witnesses, even though their allegations had not led to charges.

Persons: Harvey Weinstein, Weinstein, Weinstein’s Organizations: Prosecutors, New, Mr Locations: Manhattan

☆ Live Updates: Jury to Consider Felony Charges Against Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Ben Protess | Jonah E. Bromwich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Mr. Bragg has accused Mr. Trump of concealing a federal campaign finance violation and a state election-law crime. The defense argued that Mr. Trump was a victim of extortion, led by Mr. Cohen. The defense’s main witness was a lawyer linked to Mr. Trump’s circle, Robert J. Costello, who in 2018 had acted as Mr. Cohen’s back channel to Mr. Trump’s legal team. The maximum sentenceThe charges against Mr. Trump are all Class E felonies, the lowest category of felonies in New York. But nothing in the law requires Justice Merchan to imprison Mr. Trump if he’s convicted by a jury.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Trump’s, Michael D, Cohen, Daniels, Alvin L, Bragg, Juan M, Karen McDougal, Playboy’s, ”, McDougal, Cohen’s, Hope Hicks, Mr, Robert J . Costello, Merchan, Justice Merchan Organizations: Prosecutors, The National Enquirer, Trump Tower, White, Trump, Defense, Mr Locations: New York City, Manhattan, Nevada, New York

CNN —After months of either ignoring or poking fun at former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial, the Biden campaign on Tuesday decided for the first time to stage a news conference about Trump’s record outside the courthouse where closing arguments were taking place. In their view, Trump’s trial would speak for itself, reintroducing the former president and the chaos that surrounds him to voters who may have tuned him out. “The entire news media is camped out here, day in and day out,” campaign communications director Michael Tyler said, explaining the choice to address reporters outside the lower Manhattan courthouse. Biden campaign officials are still grappling with the reality, this person said, that a substantial part of the population still doesn’t see that the choice on Election Day will be between Biden and Trump. “We knew Trump was out of control when he was president,” De Niro says over a shot of Trump behind the Resolute Desk.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Biden, Robert De Niro, Trump, ” De Niro, That’s, Michael Tyler, De Niro, Michael Fanone, Harry Dunn, “, Donald Trump, United States —, ” Fanone, Jason Miller, Steven Cheung, Karoline Leavitt, Miller, ” Miller, Juan Merchan, ”, won’t, Harris, Niro, ” Dunn, We’ve, –, Biden’s, Aquilino Gonell, Danny Hodges, Dunn, Gonell, Hodges, CNN’s Kate Sullivan Organizations: CNN, White, Capitol, Trump, United, Top Trump, Biden, ”, Resolute, Metropolitan Police, US Capitol Police, Capitol Police, DC’s Metropolitan Police Department Locations: Manhattan, United States, White, —, Washington, DC

☆ Top FTX Executive Sentenced to Seven and a Half Years in Prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( David Yaffe-Bellany | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ryan Salame, a top executive at the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison on Tuesday, making him the first of Sam Bankman-Fried’s circle of advisers at FTX to receive prison time. Mr. Salame, 30, a trusted lieutenant of Mr. Bankman-Fried, the exchange’s founder, pleaded guilty last year to a campaign finance law violation and a charge of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. He is one of four top deputies in the FTX empire who have pleaded guilty to crimes since the company imploded in November 2022. Mr. Salame’s sentence exceeded the five to seven years that prosecutors had recommended. Judge Kaplan called Mr. Salame’s crimes “astonishing.”

Persons: Ryan Salame, Sam Bankman, Salame, Judge Lewis A, Kaplan, Judge Kaplan Organizations: Defense Locations: U.S, Manhattan

☆ Trump continues his revenge tour against pro-DeSantis lawmakers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

DeSantis and Good later endorsed Trump, who will formally receive the GOP's presidential nomination in July. Advertisement"Thank you President Trump for endorsing my campaign for Congress!" Before Trump endorsed McGuire, Good had gone to great lengths to appear close to the former president. Trump's most successful revenge tour has been against the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach him for inciting the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Last month, Trump endorsed a primary challenger to one of those two, Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Bob Good, Trump, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Sen, John McGuire, McGuire, Good, Matt Gaetz's, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, Tony Gonzales, Chip Roy, Texas, Roy, Dan Newhouse Organizations: Service, Truth, Business, Caucus, Florida, Save, Trump, Republicans, Republican, Democrats, GOP, Capitol, Dan Newhouse of Washington Locations: Virginia, New York City, Manhattan, Florida, Tony Gonzales of Texas, Dan Newhouse of

☆ Defense Lawyers to Begin Closing Arguments in Trump’s Criminal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | Ben Protess | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Former President Donald J. Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial will enter its final stage Tuesday as defense lawyers and prosecutors deliver their closing arguments in a last attempt to sway the 12 New Yorkers who will decide his fate. First the defense and then the prosecution will spend hours weaving disparate strands of evidence into a cohesive story that they hope will resonate with the jurors. The undisputed facts concern that $130,000 transaction; Mr. Cohen paid the porn star, Stormy Daniels, to silence her story of a sexual encounter with Mr. Trump. Prosecutors have argued that Mr. Trump directed Mr. Cohen to pay Ms. Daniels and approved a criminal scheme to reimburse Mr. Cohen, disguising the repayments by saying that they were made for legal services that in fact were nonexistent. Their case is backed by the testimony of Mr. Cohen himself, as well as Ms. Daniels, several other witnesses and phone records, text messages and emails.

Persons: Donald J, Yorkers, Trump, Michael D, Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Mr Organizations: Prosecutors

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