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#1 Mar 18 - Pro-Trump attorney arrested after court hearing about leaked Dominion emails

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@news      By Ymmot      1 hour ago

A pro-Trump lawyer who tried to overturn the 2020 election was arrested Monday after a court hearing about her recent leak of internal emails belonging to Dominion Voting Systems.

There was an existing arrest warrant for the attorney, Stefanie Lambert, stemming from her failure to appear at recent court hearings in her separate criminal case in Michigan, where she was charged with conspiring to seize voting machines after the 2020 election.

Lambert and a cadre of election deniers have disrupted one of DominionÂ’s many ongoing defamation lawsuits by publicly leaking thousands of the companyÂ’s internal emails in recent days, using the disclosures to resurrect false claims about voter fraud.

The controversy erupted when Lambert provided the confidential Dominion documents to Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf, who has embraced conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and has used his office to hunt for supposed voter fraud against Donald Trump. In the last 24 hours, Leaf has posted more than 2,000 internal Dominion documents on his social media account.

Lambert had access to the Dominion files because she represents former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne, who is being sued for defamation by the voting company over his 2020 election lies. As part of the case, they have access to “discovery” from Dominion, whose lawyers said they have already turned over more than a million documents.

Lambert attended a hearing Monday in ByrneÂ’s defamation case in Washington, DC, but was never seen leaving the courtroom, and questions swirled among the other attorneys about whether she had been taken into custody.

The judge told Lambert to stay behind as the hearing wrapped up. The other attorneys left the courtroom, and two federal marshals then went inside and locked the doors. Lambert was never seen exiting the courtroom. The marshals declined to say whether they arrested her, and she didnÂ’t answer messages seeking comment after the hearing.

The US Marshals Service confirmed in a statement late Monday that Lambert was arrested.

“The U.S. Marshals Service can confirm the arrest of Stefanie Lambert earlier this afternoon. Lambert is currently being held on local charges,” the statement said, referring to her Michigan-based criminal case.

The Dominion leaks have, at least for now, diverted attention away from the alleged 2020 election-related defamation. More hearings will be needed to deal with the matter and for the judge to consider potential consequences for Lambert.

DominionÂ’s lawyers also said in filings that company employees are already receiving new death threats in the wake of the disclosures. The messages posted online by Leaf contain names, email addresses, cell phone numbers and office addresses of Dominion employees.

During the at-times testy hearing Monday, Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya peppered Lambert with sharp questions about the disputed Dominion materials. The judge ordered that Lambert be restricted from accessing the database containing the Dominion documents.

“I will deal with the why later – but for now, I need to preserve the status quo,” Upadhyaya said, adding that “we need to prevent any future dissemination.”

The judge said there would be a future hearing to determine whether Lambert violated a court order by leaking the Dominion files – and that Byrne would need to appear and answer questions. Dominion wants Lambert removed from the case and suggested in court Monday that she might have committed a crime by disseminating the files to Leaf.

Lambert, Leaf and Byrne have claimed in court filings and public statements that the documents they disclosed contain evidence that Serbian nationals meddled in the 2020 election at DominionÂ’s request.

“As has been public for years, Dominion has a small staff presence in Serbia, but any allegation that Dominion employees anywhere tried to interfere with any election is flatly false,” a Dominion spokesperson told CNN after the hearing.

During the hearing, Lambert admitted that she gave the materials to Leaf, though she said she was allowed to because she was reporting a crime to “law enforcement.” She also called on Congress to investigate her claim that “foreign nationals” interfered with the 2020 election, which the US Intelligence Community has said was the most secure ever.

“I did turn the documents over to law enforcement,” Lambert told the judge.

Dominion blasted Lambert and Byrne in court filings before the hearing, saying their claims of Serbian meddling in the US election were “xenophobic” and noting that Lambert was nearly sanctioned for her role in a frivolous, conspiracy-laden election lawsuit.

“It has been nearly four years – when does it stop?” Dominion lawyer Davida Brook said Monday in court, where she accused Lambert and Byrne of “using these lawsuits to spread yet more lies.”

Dominion is suing several other pro-Trump figures who peddled similar lies about the 2020 election, including former Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell and right-wing cable networks Newsmax and One America News. Dominion settled a defamation suit against Fox News last year for $787 million in the largest publicly known defamation settlement in US history.


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#2 Mar 18 - con gress....reaches deal to avoid yet another govt shut down

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@news      By messy marv stan      3 hours ago


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#3  Mar 18 - SCOTUS wary of restricting gov. contact with social media in free speech case

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@news      By HERMES      4 hours ago

YT
The Supreme Court on Monday appeared wary of limiting the Biden administration's contacts with social media platforms in a closely watched dispute that tests how much the government can pressure social media companies to remove content before crossing a constitutional line from persuasion into coercion.

The case, known as Murthy v. Missouri, arose out of efforts during the early months of the Biden administration to push social media platforms to take down posts that officials said spread falsehoods about the pandemic and the 2020 presidential election.

A U.S. district court judge said White House officials, as well as some federal agencies and their employees, violated the First Amendment's right to free speech by "coercing" or "significantly encouraging" social media sites' content-moderation decisions. The judge issued an injunction restricting the Biden administration's contacts with platforms on a variety of issues, though that order has been on hold.

During oral arguments on Monday, the justices seemed skeptical of a ruling that would broadly restrict the government's communications with social media platforms, raising concerns about hamstringing officials' ability to communicate with platforms about certain matters.

"Some might say that the government actually has a duty to take steps to protect the citizens of this country, and you seem to be suggesting that that duty cannot manifest itself in the government encouraging or even pressuring platforms to take down harmful information," Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson told Benjamin Aguiñaga, the Louisiana solicitor general. "I'm really worried about that, because you've got the First Amendment operating in an environment of threatening circumstances from the government's perspective, and you're saying the government can't interact with the source of those problems."

Justice Amy Coney Barrett warned Aguiñaga that one of the proposed standards for determining when the government's actions cross the bound into unlawful speech suppression — namely when a federal agency merely encourages a platform to remove problematic posts — "would sweep in an awful lot." She questioned whether the FBI could reach out to a platform to encourage it to take down posts sharing his and other Louisiana officials' home addresses and calling on members of the public to rally.

Aguiñaga said the FBI could be encouraging a platform to suppress constitutionally protected speech.

The legal battle is one of five that the Supreme Court is considering this term that stand at the intersection of the First Amendment's free speech protections and social media. It was also the first of two that the justices heard Monday that involves alleged jawboning, or informal pressure by the government on an intermediary to take certain actions that will suppress speech.

The second case raises whether a New York financial regulator violated the National Rifle a*sociation's free speech rights when she pressured banks and insurance companies in the state to sever ties with the gun rights group after the 2018 shooting in Parkland, Florida. Decisions from the Supreme Court in both cases are expected by the end of June.

The Biden administration's efforts to stop misinformation

The social media case stems from the Biden administration's efforts to pressure platforms, including Twitter, now known as X, YouTube and Facebook, to take down posts it believed spread falsehoods about the pandemic and the last presidential election.

Brought by five social media users and two states, Louisiana and Missouri, their challenge claimed their speech was stifled when platforms removed or downgraded their posts after strong-arming by officials in the White House, Centers for Disease Control, FBI and Department of Homeland Security.

The challengers alleged that at the heart of their case is a "massive, sprawling federal 'Censorship Enterprise,'" through which federal officials communicated with social media platforms with the goal of pressuring them to censor and suppress speech they disfavored.

U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty found that seven groups of Biden administration officials violated the First Amendment because they transformed the platforms' content-moderation decisions into state action by "coercing" or "significantly encouraging" their activities. He limited the types of communications agencies and their employees could have with the platforms, but included several carve-outs.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit then determined that certain White House officials and the FBI violated free speech rights when they coerced and significantly encouraged platforms to suppress content related to COVID-19 vaccines and the election. It narrowed the scope of Doughty's order but said federal employees could not "coerce or significantly encourage" a platform's content-moderation decisions.

The justices in October agreed to decide whether the Biden administration impermissibly worked to suppress speech on Facebook, YouTube and X. The high court temporarily paused the lower court's order limiting Biden administration officials' contact with social media companies.

In filings with the court, the Biden administration argued that the social media users and states lack legal standing to even bring the case, but said officials must be free "to inform, to persuade, and to criticize."

"This case should be about that fundamental distinction between persuasion and coercion," Brian Fletcher, principal deputy solicitor general, told the justices.

Fletcher argued that the states and social media users were attempting to use the courts to "audit all of the executive branch communications with and about social media platforms," and said administration officials public statements are "classic bully pulpit exhortations."

But Aguiñaga told the justices that the platforms faced "unrelenting pressure" from federal officials to suppress protected speech.

"The government has no right to persuade platforms to violate Americans' constitutional rights," he said. "And pressuring platforms in in backrooms shielded from public view is not using the bully pulpit at all. That's just being a bully."

The oral arguments

Several of the justices questioned whether the social media users who brought the suit demonstrated that they suffered a clear injury traceable to the government or could show that an injunction against the government would correct future injuries caused by the platforms' content moderation, which much be shown to bring a challenge in federal courts.

"I have such a problem with your brief," Justice Sonia Sotomayor told Aguiñaga. "You omit information that changes the context of some of your claims. You attribute things to people that it didn't happen to. ... I don't know what to make of all this because I'm not sure how we get to prove direct injury in any way."

Aguiñaga apologized and said he takes "full responsibility" for any aspects of their filings that were not forthcoming.

Justice Elena Kagan asked Aguiñaga to point to the piece of evidence that most clearly showed that the government was responsible for his clients having material taken down.

"We know that there's a lot of government encouragement around here," she said. "We also know that the platforms are actively content moderating, and they're doing that irrespective of what the government wants, so how do you decide that it's government action as opposed to platform action?"

The justices frequently raised communications between the federal government and the press, which often involve heated discussions.

Justice Samuel Alito referenced emails between federal officials and platforms, some of which he said showed "constant pestering" by White House employees and requests for meetings with the social media sites.

"I cannot imagine federal officials taking that approach to the print media, our representatives over there," he said, referencing the press section in the courtroom. "If you did that to them, what do you think the reaction would be?"

Alito speculated that the reason why the federal officials felt free to pressure the platforms was because it has Section 230, a key legal shield for social media companies, and possible antitrust action "in its pocket," which he called "big clubs available to it."

"It's treating Facebook and these other platforms like they're subordinates," Alito said. "Would you do that to the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal or the a*sociated Press or any other big newspaper or wire service?"

Fletcher conceded that officials' anger is "unusual," but said it's not odd for there to be a back-and-forth between White House employees and the media.

Kavanaugh, though, said that he "assumed, thought, experienced government press people throughout the federal government who regularly call up the media and berate them." He also noted that "platforms say no all the time to the government."

Chief Justice John Roberts — noting that he has "no experience coercing anybody" — said the government is "not monolithic, and that has to dilute the concept of coercion significantly." Roberts said one agency may be attempting to coerce a platform one way, while another may be pushing it to go the other direction.

The NRA's court f*ght

In the second case, the court considered whether the former superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services violated the NRA's free speech rights when she pushed regulated insurance companies and banks to stop doing business with the group.

Superintendent Maria Vullo, who left her post in 2019, had been investigating since 2017 two insurers involved in NRA-endorsed affinity programs, Chubb and Lockton, and determined they violated state insurance law. The investigation found that a third, Lloyd's of London, underwrote similar unlawful insurance products for the NRA.

Then, after the Parkland school shooting in February 2018, Vullo issued guidance letters that urged regulated entities "to continue evaluating and managing their risks, including reputational risks" that may arise from their dealings with the NRA or similar gun rights groups.

Later that year, the Department of Financial Services entered into consent decrees with the three insurance companies it was investigating. As part of the agreements, the insurers admitted they provided some unlawful NRA-supported programs and agreed to stop providing the policies to New York residents.

The NRA then sued the department, alleging that Vullo privately threatened insurers with enforcement action if they continued working with the group and created a system of "informal censorship" that was designed to suppress its speech, in violation of the First Amendment.

A federal district court sided with the NRA, finding that the group sufficiently alleged that Vullo's actions "could be interpreted as a veiled threat to regulated industries to disassociate with the NRA or risk DFS enforcement action."

But a federal appeals court disagreed and determined that the guidance letters and a press release couldn't "reasonably be construed as being unconstitutionally threatening or coercive," because they "were written in an even-handed, nonthreatening tone" and used words intended to persuade, not intimidate.

The NRA appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, which agreed to consider whether Vullo violated the group's free speech rights when she urged financial entities to sever their ties with it.

"Allowing unpopular speech to form the basis for adverse regulatory action under the guise of 'reputational risk,' as Vullo attempted here, would gut a core pillar of the First Amendment," the group, which is represented in part by the American Civil Liberties Union, told the court in a filing.

The NRA argued that Vullo "openly targeted the NRA for its political speech and used her extensive regulatory authority over a trillion-dollar industry to pressure the institutions she oversaw into blacklisting the organization."

"In the main, she succeeded," the organization wrote. "But in doing so, she violated the First Amendment principle that government regulators cannot abuse their authority to target disfavored speakers for punishment."

Vullo, though, told the court that the insurance products the NRA was offering its members were unlawful, and noted that the NRA itself signed a consent order with the department after Vullo left office after it found the group was marketing insurance producers without the proper license from the state.

"Accepting the NRA's arguments would set an exceptionally dangerous precedent," lawyers for the state wrote in a Supreme Court brief. "The NRA's arguments would encourage damages suits like this one and deter public officials from enforcing the law — even against entities like the NRA that committed serious violations."

The NRA, they claimed, is asking the Supreme Court to give it "favored status because it espouses a controversial view," and the group has never claimed that it was unable to exercise its free speech rights.

 https://www.cbsnews.com/n .. a-free-speech/


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#4 Mar 18 - Trump: ‘Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion’

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@news      By Sh33d      4 hours ago

Quote:

Former President Trump on Tuesday claimed Democrats “hate Israel” and that Jewish voters who back Democrats hate their religion amid tensions between the Biden administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump, speaking with conservative radio host Sebastian Gorka, was asked why Democrats like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) “hate” Netanyahu, a reference to Schumer’s recent call for new elections in Israel.

“I actually think they hate Israel,” Trump responded. “And the Democrat Party hates Israel.”

He suggested Schumer, who is Jewish, has become “very anti-Israel” for political reasons, citing large pro-Palestinian protests across the country amid violence in Gaza.

“Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion, they hate everything about Israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves because Israel will be destroyed,” Trump said.

Trump has repeatedly positioned himself as deeply supportive of Israel, citing his recognition of the Golan Heights territory, his relocation of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and his administrationÂ’s signing of the Abraham Accords to normalize relations among countries in the Middle East.

But he has also drawn backlash for frequently suggesting Jews who do not support him politically or who are not supportive of Israel are disloyal.

Trump in September shared an image on social media telling “liberal Jews” to “make better choices” amid celebrations of the Jewish New Year.

And in October, days after Hamas terrorist attacks that left more than 1,000 Israelis dead, Trump questioned how “anybody who loves Israel” could vote for Democrats.

President Biden has sought to balance his frustrations with Netanyahu and his administrationÂ’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas. The president has repeatedly a*serted Israel has a right to defend itself after HamasÂ’s attacks last October, while simultaneously urging Israel to do more to protect civilians and allow aid into Gaza.

Schumer last week said the prime minister had “lost his way,” pointing to the political and legal battles he has faced recently, while also allowing that the off-and-on prime minister’s “highest priority is the security of Israel.”
 https://thehill.com/homen .. heir-religion/

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#5 Mar 18 - Conservative social media influencer arrested, charged over Jan. 6 Capitol riots

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@news      By Sh33d      4 hours ago


Quote:

A conservative social media influencer was arrested Friday after being charged with multiple misdemeanors related to her participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, according to court records.

Isabella Maria Deluca, 24, has over 300,000 followers on X and over 125,000 followers on Instagram, where she posts conservative political content.

Sparked by an online tip, FBI investigators questioned DeLucaÂ’s mother, who confirmed that her daughter was at the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, according to court documents. After reviewing DeLucaÂ’s Instagram account, investigators found texts, photos and video from inside and around the Capitol.

DeLuca briefly entered the Senate side of the Capitol through a broken window before a*sisting other rioters in moving a table outside into the crowd, court documents claim. Investigators said rioters used parts of the broken table to attack law enforcement defending the Lower Terrace Tunnel, the area that saw the most violent conflict between police and rioters.

In the days after the attack, DeLuca commented on social media posts that the riots were justified because “it’s our house,” and later described how she treated herself from tear gas and mace burns.

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“I was there on Jan. 6. I have mixed feelings,” she wrote on Jan. 14, 2021, according to investigators. “People went to the Capitol building because that’s Our House and that’s where we go to take our grievances. People feel, as do I that an election was stolen from them and it was allowed.”

A week later, she messaged that she would be in favor of former President Trump declaring martial law in order to stay in office.

“I can see from the notes that he suggests martial law,” she wrote. “If Trump declares martial law in 7 states, his campaign allies could take control of the state’s ballots & overturn the results of the election in Trump’s favor. Which would be ideal.

She was charged with theft of government property, disorderly conduct and trespassing.

DeLuca posted a scripture quote to her X account on Tuesday in response to news of her arrest.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” she wrote, later posting a link for donations.

Over 1,350 people have been arrested on charges related to the Capitol riots, according to the Department of Justice, including nearly 500 for a*saulting police officers.
 https://thehill.com/regul .. -capitol-riot/

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#6  Mar 18 - Hundreds of schools in path of solar eclipse cancel classes over safety concerns

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@news      By HERMES      4 hours ago


The kids will be over the moon.

Hundreds of school districts from Maine to Texas that will experience near-total darkness during next monthÂ’s total solar eclipse will shut down or end classes early out of an abundance of caution.

The move is an effort to keep students safe, both protecting their eyes from harmful solar radiation and ensuring they safely arrive home as thousands of out-of-towners crowd small-town streets to catch an optimal glimpse of the rare cosmic phenomenon.

On April 8, the moon will pass between the sun and the Earth, briefly blocking out some or all of its light in one of the most stunning celestial events known to mankind.

Most of the US will be able to see a less-thrilling — but still very neat — partial eclipse.

But residents within a narrow 115-mile-wide band of the country, including 14 states, will be in a zone known as the path of totality, where broad daylight will be completely engulfed by darkness in a total solar eclipse, lasting for around four minutes.

Stargazers beware: NASA warns watching the sun as itÂ’s slowly obscured by the moonÂ’s shadow without specialized eye protection designed for solar viewing can cause serious eye injury.

With the start of the totality set to hit around the time school lets out across the US, many districts are giving kids the day off to be on the safe side.

Meghan Piper, public information officer for Liverpool School District in central New York, told NewsChannel 9 that the district would be closed on April 8, following discussions with local emergency management offices.

The district had originally planned to hold half a day of classes, but became concerned about getting kids safely to and from school in light of increased vehicular traffic as throngs of eclipse-gawkers descend on the area, she told the outlet.

“School districts in other regions of the country that have experienced total eclipses like this have encountered those issues and the district decided to make the switch.”

With parts of central and western New York directly in the totalityÂ’s path, dozens of schools are giving kids the day off or holding early dismissals. The totality begins in Buffalo at 3:18 p.m. EDT, according to NASA.

Meanwhile, the superintendent of Livingston Public Schools in New Jersey sent a letter to parents this week alerting them it would be dismissing early that day after consulting with the districtÂ’s physician.

With the eclipse expected in Livingston right around the time the 3 oÂ’clock school bell rings, some parents and staff had expressed concerns excited students might damage their eyes trying to sneak a peek.

“Our physician added that the glare and distraction caused by the solar eclipse could also present a challenge with driving during this time, which might negatively impact the safety of our parents, staff, and bus drivers,” the letter read in part.

More than a dozen school districts within the totality zone in Central Texas have announced they will be calling off classes on April 8, with Manor Independent School District declaring it a student holiday on its website, KVUE reported.

“The decision came after consulting with local city organizations, Travis County Emergency Management, and the Manor Police Department and a*sessing the predicted extreme traffic conditions during the afternoon and evening of the eclipse,” the statement read in part.

Parts of the Austin metro area will go dark as the eclipse reaches totality around 1:36 p.m. local time.

In Central Indiana, a number of districts are shifting schedules, either canceling classes altogether or holding e-learning days instead.

One school that will be in session that day, University High School in Carmel, is using the occasion to teach students about the cosmos, hosting an eclipse viewing party led by science faculty, Indy Star writes.

It wasnÂ’t the only school district to acknowledge the significance of the eclipse, with one anticipating it from the start of the school year.

Earlier this year, the superintendent of Rocky River City Schools in northeast Ohio reached out to parents to announce the districtÂ’s annual spring break would be extended by a day due to the timing of the eclipse, which will be in totality just as the school day usually ends.

Nearby Canton City Schools announced back in February on the district’s Facebook page that it would have a “calamity day” on April 8, noting that “Ohio is expecting a traffic gridlock around our dismissal times.”

The last total solar eclipse viewable in the US was Aug. 21, 2017, which NASA says was viewed by more than 215 million American adults, either live or online.

The next solar eclipse to be visible from the contiguous United States wonÂ’t be until 2044.

 https://nypost.com/2024/0 .. fety-concerns/

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#7 Mar 18 - Judge declines TrumpÂ’s request to block Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels testimony

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@news      By Sh33d      5 hours ago

Quote:

Former President TrumpÂ’s hush money judge will allow Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels to testify at the trial over TrumpÂ’s objections.

In two separate decisions issued Monday, Judge Juan Merchan ruled on more than a dozen requests between the two sides to exclude various evidence.


MerchanÂ’s ruling allows Manhattan District Attorney Alvin BraggÂ’s (D) office to tell the jury a broad story, including about three people who say they were paid hush money by TrumpÂ’s then-fixer, Michael Cohen, to stay quiet about their salacious accusations against Trump.

The trial was slated to begin next Monday, but it has since been delayed for at least a few weeks after new relevant documents came to light. The case still could head to a jury this spring and become TrumpÂ’s first criminal trial.

Bragg alleges Trump illegally falsified business records when he reimbursed Cohen for the payment to Daniels, a pr0n actress who claimed an affair with Trump. Trump, who denies the affair, pleaded not guilty to his 34 charges.

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Prosecutors have looked to portray the payment as part of a broader “catch-and-kill” scheme to quash negative gossip about Trump in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election.

MerchanÂ’s ruling enables prosecutors at trial to not only call Daniels and Cohen as witnesses but also former Playboy model Karen McDougal and former Trump World Tower doorman Dino Sajudin. Both claim they also were paid off over their salacious accusations about Trump.

Trump sought to block the jury from hearing from Cohen and all three individuals. Merchan rejected those demands, but he did agree to place some limitations on what Sajudin and McDougal can testify about.


“Unless the People provide a satisfactory offer of proof, the testimony by or about Sajudin and McDougal, will be limited to ‘the fact of’ and may not explore the underlying details of what allegedly transpired between those individuals and the defendant,” Merchan wrote, adding that he would explain in more detail at the start of trial.

Trump has denied the underlying accusations levied by all three individuals.

Though TrumpÂ’s lawyers sought to block each of them from testifying and attacked their credibility, the former presidentÂ’s attorneys left their most brutal attacks for Cohen, portraying him as a liar who could not be allowed to take the stand given his past legal troubles.


Merchan further ruled that any testimony regarding Cohen’s past guilty plea would not “open the door” for Trump’s counsel to introduce evidence regarding past FEC complaints dismissed against him or the Justice Department’s decision not to charge him with campaign finance violations.

“There are countless reasons why the FEC and DOJ could have decided not to pursue enforcement against Defendant, all having nothing to do with whether he is guilty of the charges here against him,” Merchan wrote.

The judgeÂ’s pair of rulings on Monday also resolved a handful of other evidentiary disputes between the two sides.


Last week, Trump in court filings suggested that he intended to present a watered-down, informal advice of counsel defense, wherein the former president would elicit evidence concerning “the presence, involvement and advice of lawyers in relevant events giving rise to the charges in the Indictment.” That evidence, his lawyers said, would be elicited in large part from Cohen.

Merchan ruled Monday that Trump “may not offer, or even suggest,” a so-called “presence-of-counsel” defense, noting that such a defense would shield Trump from any of the tactic’s downsides, like giving up the right to claim privilege.

“To allow said defense in this matter would effectively permit the defendant to invoke the very defense he has declared he will not rely upon, without the concomitant obligations that come with it,” Merchan wrote. “The result would undoubtedly be to confuse and mislead the jury. This Court can not endorse such a tactic.”
 https://thehill.com/regul .. els-testimony/

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#8 Mar 18 - Drug maker capping inhaler prices

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@news      By Sh33d      5 hours ago

Quote:

The cap is effective June 1 and will apply to the companyÂ’s entire range of inhaler products used to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including inhalers Symbicort, Breztri Aerosphere and Airsupra. The cap will be applicable for patients who are uninsured or underinsured.


The announcement, which follows a similar move by rival company Boehringer Ingelheim and comes amid scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers over the cost of inhalers, speaks to the political pressures facing drug manufacturers over the cost of widely used products.


The four major manufacturers of inhalers — Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline and Teva — are under investigation by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and other Democrats for charging Americans significantly more than consumers pay overseas for the same products.



The inhaler makers are also facing scrutiny from federal regulators for anticompetitive practices that can delay lower-cost generics from coming to market.

The Federal Trade Commission recently challenged more than 100 patents as improperly listed in the Food and Drug AdministrationÂ’s database of patents and exclusivity information, including five of AstraZenecaÂ’s patents on its blockbuster inhaler Symbicort.


The move from both AstraZeneca and BI also follows similar action taken by insulin manufacturers like Novo Nordisk, Sanofi and Eli Lilly, who committed to cap costs and slash list prices amid pressure.



In a statement, Sanders said he has spoken to the CEOs of all the companies since the investigation launched and called on GlaxoSmithKline and Teva to take similar action.

 https://thehill.com/newsl .. nhaler-prices/

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#9 Mar 18 - Australia: Man falls to death from hot-air balloon

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@news      By Sh33d      5 hours ago



Quote:

A man fell from a hot-air balloon that was passing over the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city, Australian news agency AAP reported on Monday.

The balloon was up in the air 30 minutes before the incident occurred in the northern suburbs of the city. The balloon landed safely 5 miles (8 kilometers) away from the site of the body, the report said.

After the body was found in a residential area, Victoria state police announced that they would prepare a report for the coroner.

AAP quoted police as saying that the death is not being treated as suspicious.


Balloons 'designed with safety in mind'
"Passengers and the pilot are understandably traumatized by this," said a joint statement by the National Commercial Hot Air Ballooning Industry and the Australian Ballooning Federation.

The pilot and passengers of the hot-air balloon have been offered psychological support, according to the statement.

"Hot-air balloon baskets are designed with safety in mind, specifically to prevent passengers from falling out accidentally or from any accidental exit," the federation added, while expressing condolences for the man's family and friends.
 https://www.dw.com/en/aus .. oon/a-68599939

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#10 Mar 18 - Cohen says possibility of Trump receiving foreign money to pay bills is no joke

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@news      By Sh33d      6 hours ago

Quote:

Michael Cohen warned Monday that former President Donald Trump could try to elicit money from foreign nations to pay for his mounting bills after his former boss’s lawyers said it was “impossible” for them to secure the full bond due in his New York fraud case.

“As Americans, we should be very concerned where that money is coming from,” said Cohen, who was an attorney for Trump before their breakup. Cohen made the remarks during a Monday interview with MSNBC’s “Deadline: White House.”

“First and foremost, if it’s coming from a company like Chubb or Federated [Insurance], yes we know that company, it’s an American company and so on. But what if hypothetically, the money is coming from Saudi Arabia, from Qatar?

“What is by chance, it’s coming through a backdoor channel of Russia? That now leaves a potential presidential candidate…basically owing a foreign entity. All at the expense of America’s security? This is no joke,” he continued.

Earlier on Monday, Trump’s legal team indicated in court filings it is “impossible” for them to secure the $464 million bond due in his fraud case in New York.

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His attorneys told the state’s intermediate appeals court they spent “countless hours” in negotiations with “one of the largest insurance companies in the world,” and approached 30 companies to back the bond.

A New York judge ordered Trump to pay nearly $355 million — plus interest — in penalties after concluding he conspired to alert his net worth to receive tax and insurance benefits. The total judgement climbs nearly $112,000 in interest each day he doesn’t pay, and it now amounts to over $454 million.

Cohen argued TrumpÂ’s situation could put national security at risk if he is elected to a new term as president.

“This places our national security in jeopardy and continues to make Donald Trump the single most, right, the most dangerous thing in America to our national security and democracy,” he said, adding later: “He [Trump] doesn’t care where the money omes from as long as he gets it.”

Democratic Rep. Sean Casten (Ill.) argued a similar point, writing on X, formerly Twitter, “The presumptive @GOP nominee for President is desperate for $464M (and counting) which he cannot personally access. That fact alone makes him a massive national security risk; any foreign adversary seeking to buy a President knows the price.”

TrumpÂ’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

MondayÂ’s filings came nearly a week after a federal judge signed off on TrumpÂ’s $91 million bond in a separate defamation case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, though the former president found an insurance company to underwrite that bond.

Court documents indicated insurance company Chubb underwrote TrumpÂ’s bond in the defamation case, but it was not immediately clear the amount of cash or collateral the former president was required to put down.

Trump has amassed massive legal fees across these cases, along with the four criminal cases he is facing. Federal election filings released earlier this year said his fundraising committees spent nearly $30 million legal fees during the second half of 2023.

Filings in February said TrumpÂ’s Save America leadership PAC spent nearly $3 million in legal consulting in the first month of this year.
L
emoji

 https://thehill.com/regul .. ls-is-no-joke/

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#11  Mar 18 - Biden told Netanyahu major Rafah ground operation would be 'mistake'.

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@news      By Sh33d      7 hours ago

YT

Quote:

US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday that a major ground offensive in Gaza's Rafah would be a "mistake," as the two leaders spoke for the first time in a month amid growing tensions.
Netanyahu had also agreed to Biden's request to send a delegation of senior Israeli officials to Washington to discuss Israel's Rafah plans and a possible "alternative approach," the White House said.

But in a sign of the increasingly difficult relationship, Netanyahu said that he had insisted to Biden on achieving all of Israel's war aims against Hamas, the Palestinian militant group behind the October 7 attacks on Israel.

The pair last spoke on February 15, and Biden has been increasingly vocal in his criticisms of the Palestinian death toll and dire humanitarian situation in Gaza where the UN has warned of famine.

Biden was caught on a hot mic moment recently saying that he would have a "come to Jesus meeting" with the Israeli premier as his frustration grew with Netanyahu.
The president explained why he is so deeply concerned about the prospect of Israel conducting major military operations in Rafah," US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told a briefing Monday.

"A major ground operation there would be a mistake, it would lead to more innocent civilian deaths, worsen the already dire humanitarian crisis, deepen the anarchy in Gaza, and further isolate Israel internationally," said Sullivan.

Biden had asked Netanyahu to send a senior team of military, intelligence and aid officials to Washington to "hear US concerns" about the current Rafah plan -- and discuss an "alternative approach" involving targeted raids on Hamas.

Netanyahu agreed to "have this discussion and this engagement," Sullivan said.


Sullivan described the call as "businesslike." Explaining why the two leaders had not spoken for 32 days, Sullivan said Biden reserves his calls for Netanyahu for "when he believes there is a key strategic moment."

- 'War objectives' -

 https://www.ndtv.com/worl .. anyahu-5264758

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#12 Mar 18 - Pakistani airstrikes k*ll 8, all women and children, in Afghanistan

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@news      By Sh33d      7 hours ago

Quote:

Pakistan carried out two air strikes in the border regions of Afghanistan, k*lling eight people, all women and children, a Taliban government spokesman said on March 18.

The border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have risen since the Taliban government seized power in 2021, with Islamabad claiming militant groups are carrying out regular attacks from the neighbouring country.


Here are 10 points to know
1. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, in a post on X, said, “At around 3:00 last night, Pakistani planes bombed residential houses in Lehman area of ​​Barmal district of Paktika province and Afghan Dubai area of ​​Sepira district of Khost province, as a result of which six people, three women and three children were k*lled and one house was destroyed in Paktika. And two women were martyred in Khost province."


2. Deploring these attacks in the strongest terms, Mujahid, in a statement further said that the Taliban government “strongly condemns these attacks and calls this reckless action a violation of Afghanistan's sovereignty."

3. In the statement, the spokesman also said that the people of Pakistan and the new government should stop army generals from continuing their wrong policies and “spoiling the relationship between the two neighbouring Muslim nations".

4. Notably, these strikes came after seven Pakistani troops were k*lled on Saturday in a suicide bombing and coordinated attacks in a northwestern region, for which the country's President Asif Ali Zardari had vowed retaliation.

5. In Saturday's attack, two officers were among the seven Pakistan Army personnel k*lled in a terrorist attack in the countryÂ’s restive North Waziristan region. A Lieutenant Colonel and a Captain were k*lled along with five soldiers. All the six terrorists who attacked the check post in Mir Ali area were shot dead. "Pakistan has decided that whoever will enter our borders, homes or country and commit terror, we will respond to them strongly, regardless of who it is or from which country," Zardari was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Pakistan Army, as reported by PTI.

6. Hafiz Gul Bahadur group of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan took responsibility for the suicide bombing at the military post. It is one of the strongest militant groups in North Waziristan

7. Speaking about the attack, a local government official in Pakistan border regions told AFP that the military carried out the strikes in response to Afghan forces "targeting Pakistani territory". "Announcements have been made in mosques to empty some areas in Kurram and North Waziristan as clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan continue on and off at the border," he added, according to the AFP report.

8. Areas along the border have long been a stronghold for militant groups such as Pakistan's home-grown Taliban group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which operates across the porous frontier with Afghanistan. Analysts have said that the militant groups in the former tribal regions have gained confidence following the Taliban's resurgence, leading to an escalation in TTP's attacks against security forces, as reported by AFP.

9. In 2021, with the United States and NATO forces nearing the end of their 20-year conflict, the Afghan Taliban took control of the country. The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan emboldened the TTP, whose top leaders and f*ghters are hiding in Afghanistan.

10. The Pakistani Taliban have increased their attacks within Pakistan in recent years, causing tensions between Kabul and Islamabad, even though the Taliban administration in Afghanistan frequently declares that it will not permit the TTP or any other militant group to attack Pakistan or any other country from its turf.
.
 https://www.livemint.com/ .. 747152162.html

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#13 Mar 18 - Potential Russia-NATO conflict just one step from WW3, Putin warns

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@news      By Sh33d      7 hours ago

Quote:

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Monday (18 March) that a direct conflict between Russia and the US-led NATO military alliance would mean the planet was one step away from World War Three but said hardly anyone wanted such a scenario.

The Ukraine war has triggered the deepest crisis in MoscowÂ’s relations with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Putin has often warned of the risks of nuclear war but says he has never felt the need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron last month said he could not rule out the deployment of ground troops in Ukraine in the future, with many Western countries distancing themselves from that while others, especially in eastern Europe, expressed support.

Asked by Reuters about the Macron remarks and the risks and possibility of a conflict between Russia and NATO, Putin quipped: “everything is possible in the modern world.”

“It is clear to everyone, that this will be one step away from a full-scale World War Three. I think hardly anyone is interested in this,” Putin told reporters after winning the biggest ever landslide in post-Soviet Russian history in elections considered rigged by the West.

Putin heads for landslide victory in rigged election, with 88% of vote early polls show
RussiaÂ’s President Vladimir Putin on Sunday (17 March) expectedly secured six more years in power, though thousands of opponents staged a symbolic noon protest at polling stations.
Exit polls indicated a landslide victory for Putin in RussiaÂ’s presidential election which had only Â…

Putin added, though, that NATO military personnel were present already in Ukraine, saying that Russia had picked up both English and French being spoken on the battlefield.

“There is nothing good in this, first of all for them, because they are dying there and in large numbers,” he said.

Buffer zone
Ahead of the 15-17 March Russian election, Ukraine stepped up attacks against Russia, shelling border regions and even used proxies to try to pierce RussiaÂ’s borders.

Putin vows revenge for Ukrainian attacks as Russians vote
President Vladimir Putin on Friday (15 March) vowed a strong military response to a string of Ukrainian attacks on RussiaÂ’s border that he described as an attempt by Kyiv to derail his bid for re-election.

Asked if he considered it necessary to take UkraineÂ’s Kharkiv region, Putin said if the attacks continued, Russia would create a buffer zone out of more Ukrainian territory to defend Russian territory.

“I do not exclude that, bearing in mind the tragic events taking place today, we will be forced at some point, when we deem it appropriate, to create a certain ‘sanitary zone’ in the territories today under the Kyiv regime,” Putin said.

He declined to give any further details but said such a zone might have to be big enough to preclude foreign made armaments from reaching Russian territory.

Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, triggering major European war after eight years of conflict in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian forces on one side and pro-Russian Ukrainians and Russian proxies on the other.

Putin said he wished Macron would stop seeking to aggravate the war in Ukraine but to play a role in finding peace: “It seems that France could play a role. All is not lost yet.”

“I’ve been saying it over and over again and I’ll say it again. We are for peace talks, but not just because the enemy is running out of bullets,” Putin said.

“If they really, seriously, want to build peaceful, good-neighbourly relations between the two states in the long term, and not simply take a break for rearmament for 1.5-2 years.”

US democracy
Putin dismissed US and Western criticism of the election, which the White House said was not free and fair, saying US elections were not democratic and criticising the use of state power against Donald Trump.

“The whole world is laughing at what is happening there,” Putin said of the United States. “It is just a catastrophe – it is not democracy – what on earth is it?”

When asked about the fate of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in unexplained circumstances at a Russian prison in the Arctic on 16 February, Putin said he had simply “passed away” using Navalny’s name for one of the first times in public.

Putin said he had agreed several days before NavalnyÂ’s death to swap him. Reuters reported in February that a prisoner exchange deal had been agreed for Navalny shortly before his death.

“I said: ‘I am agreed’,” Putin said about his approval for the prisoner swap. “I had one condition – we exchange him but he never returns.”

NavalnyÂ’s widow, Yulia, has accused Putin of k*lling her husband. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that claim was simply wrong.
 https://www.euractiv.com/ .. step-from-ww3/

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#14 Mar 18 - China comments on Swiss-proposed Ukraine peace talks

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@news      By Sh33d      7 hours ago

Quote:

China will consider taking part in a peace conference aimed at ending the war in Ukraine which neutral Switzerland plans to host in the coming months, the Asian country's ambassador to Bern was quoted as saying on Monday.
Wang Shihting, China's ambassador to Switzerland, said in an interview with the Neue Zuercher Zeitung that all parties should work to end the war, which began over two years ago.
"The crisis must be prevented from getting even worse, or even getting out of control," he said. "We are closely following the Ukraine conference that Switzerland will host, and are examining the possibility of taking part."

The Swiss government has said it aims to hold the peace conference by this summer after the idea was floated in January.
Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, then called the peace conference plan "pointless" and indicated it was doomed to fail without Moscow's participation.
Last month, Swiss President Viola Amherd said it was doubtful that Russia would take part at the outset of talks.
In the interview, Wang stressed China had put forward a strategy for a political end to the conflict

The territorial sovereignty of all countries must be respected, and the U.N. Charter must be adhered to," he said.
"We should support Russia and Ukraine resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible so that the situation can be gradually de-escalated," Wang said.

 https://www.reuters.com/w .. ys-2024-03-18/

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#15 Mar 18 - Rishi SunakÂ’s father-in-law gifts $30 million in stock to infant grandson

3 people viewing this

@news      By Sh33d      7 hours ago

Quote:

Four-month-old Ekagrah Rohan Murty has become a millionaire even before learning how to walk on two legs as his grandfather and billionaire NR Narayana Murthy has gifted him 15 lakh Infosys shares worth over Rs 240 crore.


Regulatory filings show that 77-year-old Murthy gifted 15 lakh shares or 0.04% stake to his grandson in an off-market transaction last Friday. After the gift was executed, the Infosys co-founder's holding in the IT company fell to 0.36%.

At today's price of Rs 1,620 on BSE in the afternoon, Ekagrah has amassed a fortune of Rs 243 crore.


Ekagrah was born to Infosys Founder NR Narayana Murthy's son Rohan Murthy and daughter-in-law Aparna Krishnan on November 10 last year in Bengaluru.
 https://m.economictimes.c .. /108584066.cms

@Yopa
Real sh*t, no?

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#16 Mar 18 - Withdrawal of US troops from Niger on the table

4 people viewing this

@news      By Sh33d      7 hours ago

Quote:

The Pentagon is working with Niger officials, seeking a way for U.S. troops to stay in the country — a key base for counterterrorism operations in sub-Saharan Africa — following a weekend directive that they leave.

Last week a high level-delegation of U.S. officials, including a*sistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee, a*sistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander and the head of U.S. Africa Command Gen. Michael Langley, traveled to Niger to meet with members of the military junta.

Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said Monday the U.S. officials had “lengthy and direct” discussions with the junta officials that were also in part spurred by concerns over Niger’s potential relationships with Russia and Iran.

“We were troubled on the path that Niger is on,” Singh said.


White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the U.S. was “closely monitoring the Russian defense activities” there in order “to a*sess and mitigate potential risk to U.S. personnel, interests and a*sets.”

On Saturday, following the meeting, the juntaÂ’s spokesperson, Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, said U.S. flights over NigerÂ’s territory in recent weeks were illegal. Meanwhile, Insa Garba Saidou, a local activist who a*sists NigerÂ’s military rulers with their communications, criticized U.S. efforts to force the junta to pick between strategic partners


“The American bases and civilian personnel cannot stay on Nigerien soil any longer,” he told The a*sociated Press.

Singh said the U.S. was aware of the March 16 statement “announcing the end of the status of forces agreement between Niger and the United States. We are working through diplomatic channels to seek clarification. These are ongoing discussions and we don’t have more to share at this time.”

State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said the discussions were prompted by Niger’s “trajectory.”

“We are in touch with transition authorities to seek clarification of their comments and discuss additional next steps,” Patel said.

The junta has largely been in control in Niger since July when mutinous soldiers ousted the countryÂ’s democratically elected president and months later asked French forces to leave.

The U.S. military still had some 650 troops working in Niger in December, largely consolidated at a base farther away from Niamey, NigerÂ’s capital. Singh said the total number of personnel still in country, including civilians and contractors, is roughly 1,000.

The Niger base is critical for U.S. counterterrorism operations in the Sahel and has been used for both manned and unmanned surveillance operations, although Singh said the only drone flights being currently conducted are for force protection.

In the Sahel the U.S. has also supported local ground troops, including accompanying them on missions. However, such accompanied missions have been scaled back since U.S. troops were k*lled in a joint operation in Niger in 2017.
 https://apnews.com/articl .. a3f5e9957a9fe3

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#17 Mar 18 - North Korea tests missiles as Blinken visits Seoul

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@news      By Sh33d      7 hours ago

Quote:

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles tests Monday morning locally as Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Seoul for a democracy summit with several allied leaders.

The launches are the countryÂ’s first known missile tests in roughly a month and come days after the end of annual U.S.-South Korean military drills in the region that North Korea has described as proactive.


South Korean officials said in a statement that the country’s military detected “several aircraft presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles.” They were launched from the Pyongyang area and traveled nearly 200 miles before landing in the East Sea, according to a translation of the statement, which also stated that launches were detected from about 7:44 a.m. to 8:22 a.m. local time.

JapanÂ’s Defense Ministry similarly said North Korea fired three missiles, two at 7:44 a.m. and one about 37 minutes later, The a*sociated Press reported.

U.S., South Korean and Japanese officials all said in their respective statements they were collaborating closely with each other to share information and, according to South Korean officials, “comprehensively analyze” the “detailed specifications.”

All three condemned the launch.

The U.S. said it has determined there was no immediate threat to personnel.

“We are aware of the DPRK’s March 17 ballistic missile launches and are consulting closely with our allies and partners. We have a*sessed these events did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory,” the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command statement said.

The United States condemns these launches and calls on the DPRK to refrain from any further destabilizing acts,” the statement continued.

“We strongly condemn North Korea’s missile launch as a clear provocation that seriously threatens peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula,” the South Korean statement read. “Our military will maintain the ability and readiness to respond overwhelmingly to any provocation while keeping a close eye on North Korea’s various activities under a solid ROK-US joint defense posture.”

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida denounced North Korea’s repeated ballistic missile tests as acts “that threaten the peace and safety of Japan, the region and the international society,” at a parliamentary session, according to the AP.


The missile tests come amid heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has framed the strengthening of the alliance between the U.S., South Korea and Japan as a threat, and has sharpened his rhetoric around what he characterizes as provocative actions by the U.S.

In response to North KoreaÂ’s barrage of missile tests since 2022, U.S., South Korean and Japanese forces have expanded their joint training exercises and drills to strengthen their defense.

Before the recent launches, North KoreaÂ’s last missile tests were carried out in mid-February.


Blinken, following the North Korean launches, posted statements reaffirming the U.S.Â’s commitment to democracy and to its South Korean allies.

“Thanked Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Cho for @MOFAkr_eng’s work on a successful Summit for Democracy. We discussed continued cooperation to deter DPRK aggression and shared concerns about Pyongyang’s military support for Russia and increased rhetoric aimed at the ROK,” Blinken wrote in a Monday post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Earlier Monday, he posted a photo with the South Korean president, saying they met ahead of the third day of the Summit for Democracy and “reiterated our continued resolve in the face of the DPRK’s hostile rhetoric and destabilizing activities.”
 https://thehill.com/polic .. -visits-seoul/

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#18 Mar 18 - "ghislaine maxwell"...allegedly transferred to cushy prison unit in florida

4 people viewing this

@news      By messy marv stan      7 hours ago

 https://www.thedailybeast .. on-unit-report


Ghislaine Maxwell has been transferred to a new, “cushy” unit at her low-security prison in Florida, The Daily Mail reported Monday—a big change from the convicted s*x trafficker’s digs in the facility’s general population wing, which earned the nickname “the snake pit” due to its high rate of violence.


Maxwell is currently serving out her 20-year sentence at FCI Tallahassee and was recently awarded a spot in the prison’s “honor wing,” officially dubbed D South, a smaller unit that houses up to 40 of the lockup’s better behaved inmates, according to the Mail


“The conditions in D South are more like the sort of thing Maxwell will have experienced when she attended boarding school as a young girl,” a prison source told the British tabloid.

“Everything is well-ordered, there’s less problems, less drama, f*ghts are unheard of. Everyone gets along because they are so happy to be there,” the source added

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#19 Mar 18 - 17 people slapped with charges for running $300 million cryptofx ponzi scheme

2 people viewing this

@news      By messy marv stan      7 hours ago

 https://cointelegraph.com .. m-ponzi-scheme


According to the SEC, CryptoFX allegedly targeted crypto investors from the Latino community across 10 U.S. states and two foreign countries

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged 17 individuals with orchestrating a $300 million Ponzi scheme under the guise of crypto trading platform CryptoFX.

CryptoFX was registered as a crypto trading platform in Houston in February 2020.

In September 2022, the SEC filed an emergency action to halt all operations of CryptoFX, suspecting it of being an ongoing crypto-asset Ponzi scheme.

About 18 months later, on March 14, the SEC identified 17 individuals allegedly involved in the scheme




Gurbir Grewal, director of the SECÂ’s Division of Enforcement, said:

“We allege that CryptoFX was a $300 million Ponzi scheme that targeted Latino investors with promises of financial freedom and life-altering wealth from ‘risk free’ and ‘guaranteed’ crypto and foreign exchange instruments.”


According to the SEC, CryptoFX allegedly targeted crypto investors from the Latino community across 10 U.S. states and two foreign countries.

Grewal said that a Ponzi scheme of such a large magnitude requires many participants, and the SEC charged the principal architects and the perpetrators


The SEC found several individuals linked to CryptoFX misappropriated investorsÂ’ funds by falsely promising investments into potentially lucrative cryptocurrencies and nonfungible tokens (NFTs). At the time, investors were lured in by the ongoing crypto bull market.

The SEC requested that the court charge the individuals for violating various sections of the Securities and Exchange Act.

In addition, the SEC wants the 17 individuals to “disgorge” or return the funds and additionally pay civil penalties for the violations


On March 6, the SEC publicly postponed its decision on whether to approve options trading on spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs)


Its deferral gives the agency another 45 days — its maximum under the law is 90 days — to come to a final decision, which is April 24

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#20  Mar 18 - New Biden-Harris ads highlight Donald TrumpÂ’s ‘failuresÂ’ to Black Americans*

2 people viewing this

@news      By Sh33d      7 hours ago

YT
YT


Quote:

The Biden-Harris re-election campaign have launched two new television ads aimed at highlighting the “disaster” Donald Trump would be for Black Americans if he is reelected president.

The ads, “Back” and “Price,” feature President Biden speaking directly to Black voters in a reelection ad for the first time.

“As bad as Trump was, his economy was worse and Black America felt it the most,” Biden said. “He cut health insurance while giving tax breaks to the wealthy and big business. He stoked racial violence, attacked voting rights, and, if re-elected, vowed to be a dictator and, quote, get revenge. We can’t go back.”

The two ads will run from March 17 to April 21 in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, four critical swing states in the presidential election.

The Biden-Harris r campaign also plans to air the ads on Black-owned properties including NewsOne, Blavity and The Shade Room, and on streaming platforms during NCAA “March Madness” college basketball games.

ADVERTISING
This is the second set of ads the Biden-Harris 2024 team has launched speaking directly to Black voters in battleground states.

In February, Black History Month, the team aired two ads highlighting the promises the administration kept to the Black community.

Trump has also been working to court Black voters over the last few months.

From attending the Black Conservative FederationÂ’s annual gala to hinting at choosing a Black running mate to starting a sneaker line, Trump has been working to build Black voter support.

Quentin Fulks, principal deputy campaign manager for the Biden-Harris re-election campaign, said Trump was a “complete failure” for Black Americans.

“Black unemployment and uninsured rates spiked, his botched response to COVID-19 put the lives of our community at risk, and he dismantled a rule that combated housing bias against Black Americans,” Fulks said in a statement.

But under Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Fulks said, Black wealth increased by 60 percent since the pandemic and Black unemployment hit a historic low.

Fulks also pointed to the $137 billion forgiven in student loan debt, which disproportionately impacts Black borrowers.

“The stakes are extremely high for Black America and unlike Donald Trump, President Biden and Vice President Harris have put in the work and are not taking a single voter for granted,” said Fulks.

The Biden-Harris re-election campaign has been outspoken in recent months on what they call Trump’s history of “anti-Black” comments.

Still, Biden may have his work cut out for him.

Though Black voters in swing states like Georgia were key to Biden’s 2020 victory over Trump, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 37 percent of Biden’s Black supporters were “considerably less likely than his white backers” to respond that they were voting for him to stop Trump.

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