|
|
Post by mhbruin on May 27, 2023 7:46:33 GMT -8
These are things people actually said in court.
============================================
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Take a guess.
There Are Tapes
Prosecutors have obtained a recording of a phone conversation between Donald Trump and an undisclosed witness in the Stormy Daniels case, according to a document that was made public Friday, CBS News reports.
The document, which is called an automatic discovery form, describes the nature of the charges a defendant is facing along with evidence prosecutors expect to use at a preliminary hearing.
Media organizations and Trump’s legal team had sought the public release of the document since Trump’s April 4 arrest in a 34-count indictment on allegations he falsified business documents in an effort to conceal hush money payments to an adult film star.
The former president has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office in the automatic discovery form reveals it has shared with Trump’s legal team a “recording of a conversation between defendant and a witness."
The document also indicates that prosecutors plan to release additional recordings between the witness and other people.
They Proably Aren't on Tape, but Electronic ,,, Oh, Nevermind
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on May 27, 2023 7:49:20 GMT -8
Will Democrats Vote to Keep Kevin as Speaker?
As House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) continues to negotiate a deal to avoid a debt crisis, members of the far-right Freedom Caucus are growing furious with him over broken promises he made to them.
According to MSNBC political analysts Steve Benen, with a slim GOP majority in the House, McCarthy is walking a tightrope to get a budget deal passed and may need help from House Democrats if members of his caucus refuse to go along with him.
As Benen points out, in order to win the speakership McCarthy agreed to an easier path for a motion to "vacate the chair" which could end his tenure as Speaker. That could come into play if the Freedom Caucus stages a revolt.
"... as the negotiations approach an apparent finish line, the House Republicans’ most radical faction is learning that it isn’t likely to get everything its members demanded — and for the Freedom Caucus, that’s not going to work," he wrote in his MSNBC column.
Citing a Washington Times report that stated, "[Freedom Caucus members] want everything from the debt limit bill passed by the House last month plus several new concessions from the White House," Benen suggested far-right House Republicans are now issuing veiled threats.
In an interview, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) stated, "I am going to have to go have some blunt conversations with my colleagues and the leadership team. I don’t like the direction they are headed.”
Is Part of a Debt-Ceiling Deal That Some Democrats Will Vote to Keep Kevin (Not Joe) McCarthy? Will the QOP Have a Cow If That Happens?
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on May 27, 2023 7:51:09 GMT -8
Auf Wiedersehen. Do Svidaniya
Hundreds of Germans working in the education and cultural sectors will be expelled from Russia next month, the German foreign ministry says.
It confirmed media reports that Russia had decided to cap the number of German employees from the start of June.
They include teachers at the German school in Moscow and staff at the Goethe Institute cultural association.
The move follows tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats and increasingly strained relations between Russia and Germany.
Last month, Russia and Germany each declared 40 employees of their respective embassies personae non gratae - or unwelcome - and expelled them.
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on May 27, 2023 7:54:53 GMT -8
Who Killed Baby Raccoon?
A baby raccoon was euthanized in Maine after an unidentified woman brought it to a Petco for a nail trimming service on Tuesday where the animal was handled and even kissed by others.
The incident prompted fears that many had been exposed to rabies because raccoons are one of the most common carriers of the virus in Maine, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife said in a post published Thursday.
The animal has since tested negative for the deadly virus, a process which required it to be euthanized, per Maine's rabies testing guidelines.
The woman walked into the Petco on Mt. Auburn Avenue on Tuesday afternoon with the raccoon and requested nail trimming services.
"It is illegal to possess wildife in Maine, and Petco does not trim raccoon nails," the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife said in a news release.
While waiting to receive the service, many different people handled the animal, and some kissed it.
Raccoons are common carriers of rabies, which can be spread to humans if a rabid animal's saliva or neural tissue comes into contact with a bite, scratch, cut or gets in the mouth, nose or eyes. The virus can be lethal unless treated after exposure.
Ukraine prepares 'for a new phase of the war' as counteroffensive appears imminent
"Once the store manager was alerted to the raccoon, the manager asked the woman with the racoon to leave the store, and contacted the Maine CDC and the Maine Warden Service," the agency said.
In an update from the agency, they confirmed the animal tested negative for rabies and those who came into contact with it did not need treatment.
Per Maine's testing guidelines, "animals submitted for testing must be euthanized."
Maybe It's Resting
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on May 27, 2023 7:57:01 GMT -8
Let's Make a Deal. Do You Want a US Default or What's Behind Curtain #2?
Joe Biden Is the Master Deal Maker America Needs Right Now
If passed, the deal to preserve America’s financial standing in the world by avoiding the debt disaster threatened by Republicans would be one of Biden’s deftest accomplishments.
Joe Biden is the Congress whisperer.
Facing the toughest sort of Congressional opposition—obstructionist, nihilistic, extremist—the president has, during his first two and a half years in office, achieved extraordinary results. He has produced transformational legislation like the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, the $1 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the $750 billion Inflation Reduction Act and the $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act.
These were not just complex, major pieces of legislation that impacted the lives of millions, they were each historic in their own way—driving record job creation, leading to the biggest investment in our infrastructure in more than half a century, producing the biggest investment in combatting climate change in our history, resetting America’s approach to competitiveness.
Biden Should be the Real Author of The Art of the Deal
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on May 27, 2023 8:02:18 GMT -8
All Conservatives are Anti-Semites?
On Tuesday, Boebert went viral when she declared that having a child was cheaper than using birth control during a hearing on drug pricing.
On Thursday, it was revealed that one of her four kids called 911 in December to report that his dad, Boebert’s estranged husband, Jayson Boebert, was “throwing” him around the house.
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on May 27, 2023 8:05:45 GMT -8
The Trump Bucks Stop In the Trash HeapIn the recesses of the internet where some of Donald Trump’s most fervent supporters stoke conspiracies and plot his return to the White House, suspected con artists have been mining their disappointment over the last presidential election for gold. They’ve been peddling “Trump Bucks,” which are emblazoned with photos of the former president, and advertising them online as a kind of golden ticket that will help propel Trump’s 2024 bid and make the “real patriots” who support him rich when cashed in. John Amann told NBC News he bought $2,200 worth of Trump Bucks and other items over the past year only to discover they were worthless when he tried to cash them in at his local bank. So he’s gone on Twitter to warn other Trump supporters not to fall for this scam. NBC News has identified the Colorado-based companies behind the Trump Bucks as Patriots Dynasty, Patriots Future and USA Patriots and reviewed dozens of social posts, online complaints and hundreds of misleading ads for the products. Additionally, NBC News has found at least a dozen people like Amann who say they invested thousands of dollars after watching the pitches on Telegram and other websites that strongly suggested that Trump himself was endorsing these products. A booklet, check and collection of coins bought by an Alabama grandmother when she invested $1500 in “Trump Bucks.” "Trump Voters Are So Dumb." "How Dumb Are They?"‘Trump Bucks’ promise wealth for MAGA loyalty. Some lose thousands.
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on May 27, 2023 8:08:06 GMT -8
Tesla Will Sell You Enhanced Data Security for $8 Per Month --- Not ReallyTesla has failed to adequately protect data from customers, employees and business partners and has received thousands of customer complaints regarding the carmaker’s driver assistance system, Germany’s Handelsblatt has reported, citing 100 gigabytes of confidential data leaked by a whistleblower. The Handelsblatt report said customer data could be found “in abundance” in a data set labelled “Tesla Files”. The files include tables containing more than 100,000 names of former and current employees, including the social security number of the Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, along with private email addresses, phone numbers, salaries of employees, bank details of customers and secret details from production, according to Handelsblatt. The breach would violate the GDPR, the newspaper said. The Guardian has not independently verified the documents. The data protection office in Brandenburg, which is home to Tesla’s European gigafactory, described the data leak as “massive”. “I can’t remember such a scale,” the Brandenburg data protection officer, Dagmar Hartge, said. ‘Massive’ Tesla data leak reveals thousands of alleged safety complaints
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on May 27, 2023 8:10:01 GMT -8
They Denied Her a Feather in Her Cap
A Native American high school graduate has sued an Oklahoma school district for not allowing her to wear a sacred eagle feather at graduation.
Lena Black says Broken Arrow Public Schools violated her religious and free speech rights during her commencement ceremony last year.
The Broken Arrow Public Schools has declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Her lawsuit follows another in Colorado, where a student sued for not being allowed to wear her Mexican sash.
The lawsuit, filed on 15 May, says Ms Black was waiting to take her seat at her graduation ceremony when two school officials told her to remove the "decoration" from her cap. It alleges that they attempted to then pull off the eagle plume.
The plume was "physically and ceremonially damaged" as a result, according to the lawsuit, leaving Ms Black distraught.
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on May 27, 2023 8:13:34 GMT -8
Today's Science Fact. Weathermen Don't Make the Weather
“Murderers.” “Criminals.” “We are watching you.”
These are just a handful of the threats and abuse sent to meteorologists at AEMET, Spain’s national weather agency, in recent months. They come via social media, its website, letters, phone calls – even in the form of graffiti sprayed across one of its buildings.
Abuse and harassment “have always happened” against the agency’s scientists, Estrella Gutiérrez-Marco, spokesperson for AEMET, told CNN.
But there has been a rapid rise recently, coinciding with extreme weather in Spain. A severe drought has shrunk water levels to alarming lows, exacerbated by record-breaking April temperatures.
The abuse got so bad that in April, AEMET posted a video on Twitter calling for an end to the harassment, and asking for respect. Even the government intervened. Teresa Ribera, Spain’s minister for the ecological transition, posted on Twitter in support of the agency: “Lying, giving wings to conspiracy and fear, insulting … It is time to say enough.”
The harassment of meteorologists by conspiracy theorists and climate deniers is not a phenomenon confined to Spain.
National weather services, meteorologists and climate communicators in countries from the US to Australia say they’re experiencing an increase in threats and abuse, often around accusations they are overstating, lying about or even controlling the weather.
And Anchormen Don't Make Anchors
|
|
|
|
Post by mhbruin on May 27, 2023 8:21:50 GMT -8
Crusing for a RefusingCruises are back in full swing this summer, but the industry's resurgence has introduced a new headache for passengers (beyond fiercer competition for pool chairs): overbooked ships. Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises have seen a spate of overbooked ships in recent months, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The Wonder of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship, has been overbooked three times in the past six months, according to industry blog Cruise Hive. Just like airlines, cruise lines may sell more suites than they have physically available as a buffer for last-minute cancellations. When the math doesn't work out, cruise lines will offer guests varying compensation to entice them to change their travel plans, hopefully preventing the need to forcibly cancel guests' reservations. Royal Caribbean is building the new world's largest cruise ship — see what the upcoming Icon of the Seas is like under construction In mid-May, Royal Caribbean International invited a group of reporters to visit the upcoming Icon of the Seas while under construction in Turku, Finland's Meyer Turku shipyard. As of now, the vessel has yet to resemble the amenity-filled vacation hotspot it's destined to become. But come January 2024, this mega cruise ship will begin accommodating 7,600 guests on year-round seven-night cruises from Miami to the Caribbean and Perfect Day at CocoCay. That's what happened to 68-year-old Diane Gainey and her family, who were notified at the end of last month that their September cruise onboard the Celebrity Millennium had been oversold. After she declined to reschedule the 12-night cruise from Japan, she was informed by her travel agent that Celebrity Cruises had canceled her sailing. A Celebrity Cruises spokesperson said the company continuously monitors their sailings to prevent disruptions to guests' travel plans. To avoid potential oversell issues, the cruise line offers guests the ability to voluntarily choose another sailing if their plans are flexible and onboard credit to use on their next vacation. Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises did not respond to questions about their recent overbooking incidents, how many reservations have been forcibly canceled as a result, or their compensation guidelines for airfare and lodging not booked directly through the cruise line. When Cruising is LosingCustomers who spent thousands of dollars on a multi-year cruise billed to hit every continent are demanding their money back after issues with the cruise company's founding staff arose, months after the venture was announced. The first-of-its-kind cruise MV Gemini Cruise, announced in late February, was set to launch from Istanbul in November, with plans to visit all seven continents and 135 countries. The voyage is now plagued with management issues that are leaving customers wary of hopping aboard. The MV Gemini cruise was organized by Miray Cruises and its subsidiary company Life at Sea Cruises. However, ties between Life at Sea at Miray for the project were severed this month, according to CNN, citing the former managing director of Life at Sea Cruises. In a press release on March 10, Miray Cruises mentioned that the ship would be "overhauled" ahead of the trip, now months away. Miray Cruises did not immediately return Insider's request for comment but said in a May webinar for passengers that the trip was still going ahead, per CNN. Kimberly Arizzi was among the first to sign up in March, and sent a $5,000 down payment for the cruise at the time, interfacing directly with the Life at Sea sales team, Arizzi told Insider. But the uncertainty over the ship and the staffing shakeup made her and other prospective passengers walk back their plans. Arizzi, who lives in Chicago, sold thousands of dollars worth of clothes, furniture, and her TVs, in preparation for the cruise. She recently retired and had also sold her apartment, moved to a park trailer, she said. A woman sold her apartment and furniture to join a much-hyped 3-year cruise. Now, she and others have demanded refunds with the ship's future in flux.
|
|
