The Biggest Loser

lousubcap

"Former President Trump committed fraud by repeatedly misrepresenting his wealth by hundreds of millions of dollars, a New York judge ruled. The ruling has resolved a central issue in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against Trump, his two adult sons, and the Trump Organization. It means the trial will now focus on a more narrow set of claims and determine the size of any potential penalty. The ruling will likely also impede Trump’s ability to do business in the state. Sam Cabral reports for BBC News. 

Federal magistrate judge Kandis Westmore ordered a pair of top Trump administration officials to testify in a lawsuit concerning the separation of families at the southern border. Former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and ex-attorney general Jeff Sessions will be deposed as lawyers representing the families allege their agencies acted in bad faith to separate undocumented immigrants from their minor children. Maria Sacchetti reports for the Washington Post. 

Concerns about former President Trump seeking retaliation on officials if elected are “legitimate,” Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper warned this week. “The president has … said that a second term would be about retribution, right? So, I think these are all legitimate concerns,” Esper added. This warning comes after Trump made comments last week accusing Chair of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley of a “treasonous act.” Tara Suter reports for The Hill.  "

lousubcap

Wish that I could have posted this as a website but the paywall rolled in.

So enjoy the read (CHEETO unmasked once again!):

Years of Lies

(Scott Olson / Getty)

View in browser Donald Trump is a deals guy. He rode his image as real-estate mogul and a maestro of transactions first to pop-culture stardom, then to the White House. Now a judge has ruled that much of that dealmaking was fraudulent: New York Judge Arthur Engoron found yesterday that Trump and his associates, including his sons Eric and Donald Jr., committed persistent fraud by toggling estimates of property values in order to get insurance and favorable terms on loans. The judge ordered that some of the Trump Organization’s “certificates,” or corporate charters, be canceled, and that a receiver be appointed by the court to dissolve some of its New York companies. This latest blow for Trump puts on record that his mythos of business acumen was largely built on lies. This ruling on its own hinders some of the Trump Organization’s operations in New York State by cutting off Trump’s control of assets. But really, it is just a first step toward the broader business restrictions on Trump that New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking, Celia Bigoness, a clinical professor of law at Cornell, told me. And to the extent that this ruling shows how the judge feels about James’s suit, first brought against Trump last year, things are not looking great for him. In the trial set to start next week, the judge will determine penalties for the fraud committed: James has requested that those include a $250 million fine and restrictions that prevent the former president and some of his children from running a company in New York ever again. “Trump is synonymous with New York,” Bigoness said. Losing control of his New York businesses and properties would amount to “his home and the place that he has tied himself to shutting him out entirely.” It could also be hugely costly. This week’s summary judgment is unusual, legal experts told me: The judge essentially determined that it was so clear that Trump had committed fraud that it wasn’t worth wasting time at a trial figuring that part out. Instead, the trial will be used to determine whether Trump’s New York businesses should be further limited as punishment for the fraud—and whether the other demands of James’s suit will be met. It’s somewhat rare for a summary judgment to get to the core of a case like this, and the judge’s decision was distinctly zingy and personal. Responding to Trump’s team’s claims that the suit wasn’t valid, Judge Engoron said that he had already rejected their arguments, and that he was reminded of the “time-loop in the film ‘Groundhog Day.’” In a footnote to his ruling, he quoted a Chico Marx line from Duck Soup: “Well, who ya gonna believe, me or your own eyes?” In another unusual move, the judge also included individual fines against Trump’s lawyers as part of the ruling, charging each $7,500 for bringing arguments so “frivolous” that they wasted the court’s time. Separately, Trump’s lawyers are trying to sue the judge (a long-shot attempt). Trump, for his part, posted on Truth Social that he had “done business perfectly”; he also called the judge “deranged.” Reached for comment, the Trump attorney Christopher Kise called the decision “outrageous” and “completely disconnected from the facts and governing law.” “President Trump and his family will seek all available appellate remedies to rectify this miscarriage of justice,” he said in an emailed statement. An appeals process from Trump’s camp could extend into the next presidential-election cycle. His team might also attempt to get an emergency stay to prevent the trial from starting next week. This ruling, and the rest of James’s suit, are circumscribed to New York. Technically, Trump would still be free to spin up new businesses as he sees fit in another state, and he has holdings beyond New York. But even if he could legally incorporate a new business in, say, Florida or Illinois, it might not make financial or brand sense for him. The fallout from this case could wind up being very costly for Trump, so setting up shop elsewhere, although not impossible, could be a major financial hurdle. Plus, “New York is the place Trump wants to do business and has been doing business for forever,” Caroline Polisi, a white-collar defense attorney and lecturer at Columbia Law School, told me. Yesterday’s ruling may do little to dampen Trump’s appeal among his die-hard fans, who have stuck with him through all manner of scandals, including a running list of criminal indictments. But it could puncture Trump’s persona. My colleague David A. Graham wrote today that the fact that Trump and his co-defendants, including his sons, committed fraud is not surprising. What is surprising, he argued, is that they are facing harsh consequences. “Trump’s political career is based on the myth that he was a great businessman,” David told me. “This ruling cuts straight to the root of that, showing that his business success was built on years of lies.” Indeed, when Letitia James filed suit against Trump last year, she dubbed his behavior the “art of the steal.”

HeavyG

Free link for anyone that would prefer to view the above article on its native website: https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2023/09/new-york-ruling-trump-organization/675475/?utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

lousubcap

@HeavyG - thanks for option for members to read. 

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1707708160834757105?s=20

lousubcap

"Former President Trump’s civil fraud trial in New York is set to begin on Monday after an appeals court rejected his bid to delay proceedings. Trump and three of his adult children are expected to be called as witnesses in the case. Prosecutors are seeking a fine of $250 million and a ban on Trump doing business in the state. Madeline Halpert reports for BBC News. 

Former President Trump will not seek to move the Georgie election interference case to a federal jurisdiction, court filings showed yesterday. The decision comes after co-defendant Mark Meadows’ similar bid failed, though Meadows has appealed. It is unclear when Trump’s trial will begin. Mariah Timms reports for the Wall Street Journal. "

HeavyG

https://twitter.com/digby56/status/1707869029648744449?s=20

For me, the really funny thing is that he truly thinks he is a person with deep, intelligent thoughts/ideas.

lousubcap

CHEETO falls into the "Brad" category-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hrm-rPSCIBw  

Legume

HeavyG said:

https://twitter.com/digby56/status/1707869029648744449?s=20

For me, the really funny thing is that he truly thinks he is a person with deep, intelligent thoughts/ideas.

https://wildfiretoday.com/2021/10/31/largest-wildfire-ever-in-austria-being-battled-by-hundreds-of-personnel/

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/MeidasTouch/status/1708873933909540941?s=20

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1708873307729154172?s=20

HeavyG

https://twitter.com/JohnFugelsang/status/1708868120318783772?s=20

lousubcap

Here is an article that puts CHEETO in his true perspective-

Former Chief of Staff John Kelly and CHEETO's narcissism shining thru-what a F'tard:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/02/politics/john-kelly-donald-trump-us-service-members-veterans/index.html

Botch

lousubcap

Judge Arthur Engoron, overseeing Former President Trump’s civil fraud case in New York, has imposed a gag order on Trump after he made “disparaging” remarks about a court clerk. The order is limited and restricted to public comments against court staff members. Engoron warned of severe sanctions if the order was disobeyed. Jacob Gershman reports for the Wall Street Journal.

lousubcap

What CHEETO has done to the R party:

Worth a read-

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-republican-delusion-machine/ar-AA1hGVG0?utm_

paqman

Botch said:

JohnInCarolina said:

He seems upset!

Wow, I've never seen  this before (and this has nothing to do with trump's statement, just his "post").
 
One of the coolest features of recent MacOS's has been the ability to copy text off of an image, in Preview, Photos, and probably other programs; you just move your mouse pointer (the black arrow) over the text until it turns into the vertical "text select" bar (vertical line with top/bottom serifs) and you could select/copy text off the image, and post it in other programs (Pages, Mail, Safari, etc), so cool.  I was hoping I could do the same off an internet post, or even off of a paused internet video.  Well,  that wish came true a few months ago, and I was quite happy (didn't have to pause a video, take a screenshot, then re-open the image in Preview to copy/paste anymore).  
 
Well, it doesn't work on the above post (on JiC's original post; it  does work on my "Reply"??), specifically on lines 5-6 of the main text!!  Then, the Text Select bar turns back into the mouse arrow, and I can't copy any text from lines 5 thru 6.  This is really, really odd and I'm not smart enough in HTML to know what's going on.  Anyone?  
 
Oh, and I just went to the top with the text select cursor, swept down about ten lines, and here's what I got:
 

THE 45™# PRESIDENT

OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

DONALD J. TRUMP The widespread, radical attack against me, my family, and my supporters has now devolved to new, un-American depths, at the hands of a DERANGED New York State

 
...It just stopped copying where my cursor first turned back into a mouse pointer (when I first selected the text the top turned blue/selected, then no effect, and then selected from "lea" (first part of "leading" in the orig post), and the blue "selection" was off an inch or so, making me think this was a doctored traitor post to begin with.  I dunno.  
 
Anyone else on a Mac see this?  My laptop is on OS 13.5.2, will be updating to the new macOS in a week or so.  

I have a new Mac mini (m2 pro) on OS 14 and I have the same problem but in a different spot.  The text is recognized, except for the 2 lines on the original post and on the quote.  All the text is recognized on my iPhone.

Botch

paqman said:
I have a new Mac mini (m2 pro) on OS 14 and I have the same problem but in a different spot.  The text is recognized, except for the 2 lines on the original post and on the quote.  All the text is recognized on my iPhone.

Yeah, I've noticed the issue on a few websites now, all totally unrelated; must be an Apple bug, and not a part of the yuge oligarchy takeover.    

fishlessman

behind bars, first commander, then hunter, then......

JohnInCarolina

Columbo here is so close to cracking the case:

http://twitter.com/adammocklerr/status/1709711946595844359?s=20

Legume

He's so genuinely curious.  It's perfect.

lousubcap

An article from the New Yorker worth some drivers behind CHEETO and his campaign-worth a read:

https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/trumps-bloody-campaign-promises?utm_ 

lousubcap

"Former President Trump sought a dismissal of the federal election interference case against him, arguing he acted within his duties as president, which should not be subject to criminal prosecution. Mike Wendling reports for BBC News.

Special counsel Jack Smith has investigated whether former President Trump shared classified information about U.S. nuclear submarines with Anthony Pratt, an Australian billionaire at Mar-a-Lago. Pratt shared the sensitive details with several others, people familiar with the matter said. Federal prosecutors interviewed Pratt to investigate Trump’s handling of classified documents. While Trump likely did not show Pratt documents, he has been known to share classified information verbally. Alan Feuer, Ben Protess, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan report for the New York Times. "

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/emptywheel/status/1710700183929979176?s=20

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1710743708511912088?s=20

Legume

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/DecodingFoxNews/status/1711407948096791001?s=20

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1712275180285030883?s=20

StillH2OEgger

We used to demand way more from our cult leaders when it came to public speaking. What has happened to this country?

nolaegghead

JohnInCarolina said:

http://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1712275180285030883?s=20

What an incredible deductive mind