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More Than 50 Potential Jurors Dismissed on First Day of Historic Trump New York Criminal Trial

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More Than 50 Potential Jurors Dismissed on First Day of Historic Trump New York Criminal Trial

The historic first criminal trial ever against a former President of the United States started with emphatic energy as dozens of prospective jurors, more than 50, were dismissed from the first pool during the jury selection process on Monday. According to various reports, most said they felt they could not hear the case fairly or impartially and were denied the running of the 12-seat jury. 

Full stop CNN and other news outlets reported Trump seemingly nodded off during day one of the trial’s jury selection process. He reportedly fell asleep. You can’t make this up. 

This underscores the scathing reality of finding not only an adequate but also an impartial jury during easily one of the most high-profile criminal cases in this country’s history.

Get this: at least nine more jurors were excused after saying they could not serve for any other reason. That left about 34 of the 96 potential jurors from the first pool, this from reporters inside the courtroom as cameras are not allowed in New York hearings. One juror said, “I just couldn’t do it,” from the hallway outside the courtroom.

The remaining members of the first pool must fill out a questionnaire about how they consume media and the news, along with their habits for such indulgence, where they reside, and whether they have a relative or have ever volunteered or worked for the Trump campaign, as well as a host of other inquiries.

As you can imagine, attorneys from both sides will scrutinize the remaining candidates. They will also review their social media profiles and ask more personal questions to search for potential bias against or for the polarizing defendant. 

“You really don’t want jurors who bring something to the table, other than the fact that they have a general understanding Trump was the president,” said Joshua Naftalis, a former federal prosecutor in New York and now a partner at Pallas, who told Axios.

Whoever they seat to be jurors, along with the alternates, is in for one heck of a ride in the first of four criminal trials Trump is facing. 

The post More Than 50 Potential Jurors Dismissed on First Day of Historic Trump New York Criminal Trial first appeared on The Source.

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The People of New York v. Donald Trump: First Criminal Trial of U.S. President Begins

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Donald Trump will once again negatively make history. Today (April 15), Trump will be the first former president to stand tiral on criminal charges. The first step in the trial will be jury selection.

Trump is required to attend each trial hearing, which, according to NBC News, could last up to eight weeks. Trump has pleaded not guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records, which can be punishable of up to four years in prison.

The charges are connected to hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office claim Trump engaged in a plot with his former attorney, Michael Cohen, and the National Enquirer’s publisher to suppress scandalous reports about him leading up to Election Day.

One of these reports involved adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who asserted she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006. Trump has refuted the allegation, and Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 in October 2016 to silence her about the claim. Subsequently, after Trump’s election, he reimbursed Cohen through payments categorized as legal expenses within his company’s records—documents the DA alleges were doctored to conceal the hush money transactions.

Trump attempted to delay the case, with focusing on the election. However, that attempt failed. Just selection is expected to last up to two weeks.

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Trump Clarifies His Stance on Abortion Rights in Video Posted on Truth Social

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Donald Trump said today that if he is elected POTUS, abortion rights should be left to the states, as reported by CNN. For once, he gave a clear stance on a hot-button issue across politics in America.

“My view is now that we have abortion where everyone wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation, or perhaps both. And whatever they decide must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state,” from Trump in a video he posted to his Truth Social account. The same Truth Social that just lost 2 billion in value and had two large shareholders plead guilty to insider trading. 

“Many states will be different,” Trump added. “Many will have a different number of weeks, or some will have more conservative than others, and that’s what they will be. At the end of the day, this is all about the will of the people.”

Trump previously said he might support a 15-week federal ban with exceptions in the cases of incest, rape, and when the life of the mother is in danger. But, his decision to hand off the delicate issue back to the states and stand on a national ban like some of his hard right-leaning Republican lackeys, oops, meant to say colleagues, was still “denounced by a major anti-abortion rights organization, which said his position did not go far enough” as stated in CNN’s reporting.

But let’s not forget how he placed the SCOTUS judges on the bench that overturned Roe v. Wade. Trump stood on his business when he stated he was “proudly the person responsible” for doing just that and took the issue “out of the federal hands and brought it into the hearts, minds, and vote of the people in each state.”

Trump’s video on Truth Social came with immediate backlash from anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which states that a 15-week national ban is their standard for Republican candidates in the presidential primary. These, sheesh.  “We are deeply disappointed in President Trump’s position. Unborn children and their mothers deserve national protections and national advocacy from the brutality of the abortion industry. The Dobbs decision clearly allows both states and Congress to act,” said the group’s president, Marjorie Dannenfelser. Naturally, Trump had to add yet another false statement when he said “all legal scholars, both sides” wanted Roe v. Wade terminated and that we now have “abortion where everybody wanted it, from a legal standpoint.” If this issue bothers you, here’s a way to do something about it – vote, vote, and keep voting. 

The post Trump Clarifies His Stance on Abortion Rights in Video Posted on Truth Social first appeared on The Source.

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Billionaire Firm Backed Trump’s $175 Million Bond Saying It Was an ‘Easy Transaction’

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Donald Trump Reportedly Teases 2024 Presidential Run at CPAC

In Trump’s world, the former president was up against the wall after losing his civil case, in which he, his sons, and his organization were found liable for fraud in New York. To appeal the astronomical judgment, he had to post a bond of $464 million. Trump seemingly lucked out after an appellate judge dropped his required bond from half a billion bucks to only $175 million. Only.

In a CNN report, Don Hankey, the chairman and majority shareholder of Knight Specialty Insurance, saved Trump as the underwriter of the $175 million. As Hankey put it, the deal came together quickly. And get this: Trump supposedly posted all cash as collateral.

“It’s what we do. I’m happy to do it. We would have done it for anybody else,” Hankey said in a phone interview. “It was an easy transaction. It was put together very quickly.” Knight Specialty Insurance is based in California, and is known for providing subprime auto loans to car buyers with weaker credit scores. Oh, they do that type of business. “We had a conversation about putting together a bond of that size,” Hankey said to CNN.

It’s not a coincidence that Hankey came to the rescue. He has supported Trump’s presidential campaigns in the past. CNN reports that he “initially reached out to the Trump Organization last month when the former president was having trouble putting together a bond of $464 million.” Hankey is pretty well off and has a fortune that Forbes values at $7.4 billion.

“Ultimately, he put up all cash,” Hankey added but says he does not know where the $175 million in cash that Trump posted came from. It is interesting that they don’t do any due diligence on a transaction of that magnitude. 

It’s no surprise that Hankey told CNN that he, along with his wife and two sons, have all donated to Trump’s presidential campaigns and will support him again in 2024. Well, everybody is entitled to their own opinion. 

Even with all that he has done Hankey said he hasn;t event heard directly from Trump, but he said Trump’s son Eric reached out Tuesday to thank him for the business. How nice of him. 

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Trump’s Media Stock Plummets, Dropping His Net Worth by $1 Billion  

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Trump’s Media Stock Plummets, Dropping His Net Worth by $1 Billion  

For those who swear by Trump being so great for the American economy, here’s something for your bingo card today. His shares of Truth Social just plummeted. That’s his social media app, with the ironic name that he owns and uses to regularly rage over, well, anyone that stands in his way, starting with the “radical liberals” and the witch-hunting ‘insert prosecutor’ in any of his criminal cases. H

ere’s how it all went down, quite literally. CNN reported that Trump Media & Technology Group just disclosed that it lost more than $58 million and only generated very little revenue in 2023, like $4.1 million for the entire year. Comparatively, the same company allegedly profited $50.5 million in 2022. 

Now, as you can imagine, the former president is the majority shareholder of Trump Media & Technology Group. Hence, after the financial disclosure, his net worth is nose-dived by more than $1 billion today. Donald Trump owns a majority stake of 78.8 million in the newly public company. But the revenue has been in a tailspin, dropping 39% “year-over-year in the fourth quarter to just $751,500,” as CNN reports. That is pretty scary; investors never want to see that from any start-up.

The disclosures of the significant losses are so drastic that Trump Media’s accountants warned they “raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern,” which can be taken as Wall Street jargon for: We may not be able to stay in business. One can only hope … they figure it out. Wink. Wink.

The post Trump’s Media Stock Plummets, Dropping His Net Worth by $1 Billion   first appeared on The Source.

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Trump Says During Interview He’s ‘Thinking Of’ Backing 15-Week Federal Abortion Ban

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Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, is apparently “thinking in terms of” supporting a 15-week federal abortion ban. Yes, he said that in an interview that aired Tuesday. Just wondering how we came up with 15 weeks and why. 

“The number of weeks now, people are agreeing on 15, and I’m thinking in terms of that, and it’ll come out to something that’s very reasonable. But people are really, even hard-liners are agreeing, seems to be, 15 weeks seems to be a number that people are agreeing at. But I’ll make that announcement at the appropriate time,” Trump said in a radio interview with Sid & Friends in the Morning. Trump then reiterated his support for exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is in danger. 

The former POTUS told Fox News he remains undecided about whether he would back a federal abortion ban but did say, “More and more I’m hearing about 15 weeks.” Over the weekend, he said he would make a decision “pretty soon” on whether he will back a federal abortion ban.

President Joe Biden is attacking Trump over his stance on abortion. Just last month, after The New York Times reported that Trump privately expressed support for a 16-week federal ban. Biden went after Trump by saying the twice impeached former President would “rip away your rights” while falsely casting himself as “running to protect them.”

A Trump campaign spokeswoman told CNN Trump is yet to commit to a national abortion ban. They said Trump would “sit down with both sides and negotiate a deal that everyone will be happy with,” from spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt in a statement responding to the Times report.

Trump has not been clear on this issue, and the national debate has hurt Republicans at the ballot box since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Trump has criticized his party over their abortion messaging.

Still, Trump frequently flaunts his role in the elimination of abortion protections on the federal level, which came after he appointed three conservative Supreme Court justices who each voted with the conservative majority that lead to overturning Roe. He calls this a key achievement of his administration. This is what President Biden is up against. Someone who is considering a federal abortion ban. Let that sink in.

The post Trump Says During Interview He’s ‘Thinking Of’ Backing 15-Week Federal Abortion Ban first appeared on The Source.

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Trump Says If He Doesn’t Win the Election There Will be a ‘Bloodbath’

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Donald Trump Hints at Possible 2024 Presidential Run

Donald Trump delivered a threat to all of America while at a rally in Ohio. Speaking in his trademark MAGA hat, Trump stated there would be a “bloodbath” if he lost the election.

“Now if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s gonna be the least of it,” Trump said. “It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country. That will be the least of it.”

He also said, “If this election isn’t won, I’m not sure that you’ll ever have another election in this country.”

The Biden administration responded, via spokesperson James Singer:

“This is who Donald Trump is: a loser who gets beat by over 7 million votes and then instead of appealing to a wider mainstream audience doubles down on his threats of political violence. He wants another January 6, but the American people are going to give him another electoral defeat this November because they continue to reject his extremism, his affection for violence, and his thirst for revenge.”

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The post Trump Says If He Doesn’t Win the Election There Will be a ‘Bloodbath’ appeared first on The Source.

Trump Posts Whopping Near $92 Million Bond in E. Jean Carroll Defamation Case

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So when you lose a civil trial, and you have to pay, but you want to file an appeal, you can’t just say let’s wait for the appeal, and I’ll pay later if I lose said appeal. You have to post a bond. Usually, it is for more than the total amount.

Now that we got that lament legal stuff out the way, Former President Donald Trump, who was Defendant Trump in this case, among others, just posted an enormous $91.63 million bond as he goes through the appeals process to challenge the civil judgment against him in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case, where she said he raped her years ago. A jury of Trump’s peers found that Trump sexually assaulted Carroll and ordered him to pay a few million bucks. Then Trump defamed Carroll AGAIN, and she won $83.3 million, ouch, in the judgment against the former president.

CNN reported, “The notice of Trump’s bond and appeal was made with the federal court in New York on Friday.”

So the insurance company Chubb, that’s their name, underwrote the bond for Trump. Like, they must think he’s good for it especially since he lost another New York civil trial for $454 million. Anyway, the former president signed on it Tuesday.

According to CNN, the bond terms are as follows: “Chubb will only secure the appeal of the $83.3 million judgment, not any future appeals. The bond size is greater than the judgment because the district court generally requires a party to post 110% of the bond.”

In Carroll’s case, like most civil cases that end with a significant monetary judgment against the defendant, Trump argued that the jury award was excessive and should be reduced. But Carroll’s highly talented lawyers argued that Trump should be hit with a big number in damages so that he actually stops defaming Carroll and, who knows, hopefully others.

Whelp, that’s how the cookie crumbles. 

The post Trump Posts Whopping Near $92 Million Bond in E. Jean Carroll Defamation Case first appeared on The Source.

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President Biden Calls for Unity Against Trump White House Return in Post-Super Tuesday Statement

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Biden Pardons All Federal Offenses of Simple Marijuana Possession in First Major Steps Toward Decriminalization

Following the Super Tuesday election results, President Biden issued a statement emphasizing the critical choice facing the American people. He framed the decision as one between progress and regression, urging citizens to consider the stark contrast between moving forward or reverting to the chaos and division of the past administration.

Biden highlighted the significant advancements made during his tenure, including job creation, wage growth, and victories against powerful interests like Big Pharma and the gun lobby. However, he cautioned that these achievements could be jeopardized if Donald Trump were to return to the White House. Biden warned that the former president’s agenda threatens to undermine democracy, restrict personal freedoms, and further enrich the wealthy.

The President appealed to voters of all backgrounds, urging them to stand united against Trump’s divisive tactics and extreme policies. He called upon Americans to defend democracy, protect civil rights, and safeguard the right to vote.

You can read the full statement below:

“Tonight’s results leave the American people with a clear choice: Are we going to keep moving forward or will we allow Donald Trump to drag us backwards into the chaos, division, and darkness that defined his term in office?

Four years ago, I ran because of the existential threat Donald Trump posed to the America we all believe in. Since then, we’ve made enormous progress: 15 million jobs, wages rising faster than inflation, taking on Big Pharma and the gun lobby — and winning. But we have more to do.

If Donald Trump returns to the White House, all of this progress is at risk. He is driven by grievance and grift, focused on his own revenge and retribution, not the American people. He is determined to destroy our democracy, rip away fundamental freedoms like the ability for women to make their own health care decisions, and pass another round of billions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy — and he’ll do or say anything to put himself in power.

Today, millions of voters across the country made their voices heard — showing that they are ready to fight back against Donald Trump’s extreme plan to take us backwards.

My message to the country is this: Every generation of Americans will face a moment when it has to defend democracy. Stand up for our personal freedom. Stand up for the right to vote and our civil rights. To every Democrat, Republican, and independent who believes in a free and fair America: This is our moment. This is our fight. Together, we will win.”

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Nikki Haley to Drop Out Presidential Race After Trump Dominates Super Tuesday

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Rep. Candidate Nikki Haley Gains Powerful Endorsement from Koch Network Ahead of Primaries

Super Tuesday marked the end of Nikki Haley’s run for President. A source revealed the decision to the Associated Press after Donald Trump dominated primary matchups nationwide.

The United States appears set for another political battle between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

Haley’s formal announcement is expected on Wednesday morning (March 6). During Super Tuesday, Vermont was the only state Haley won. She also won D.C.

As of midnight Wednesday, Trump had 893 delegates, more than half of the 1,215 needed to clinch the nomination. Haley had just 66.

“They call it Super Tuesday for a reason,” Trump said from Mar-a-Lago. “This is a big one. And they tell me, the pundits and otherwise, that there’s never been one like this.”

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