FEED Validator

for Atom and RSS and KML

Sorry

This feed does not validate.

line 36, column 20: Unexpected Text (20 occurrences) [help]

			<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/f29/904/7a37c883cba37cb7 ...
                    ^

line 36, column 142: Missing media:thumbnail attribute: url (20 occurrences) [help]

... oem-book-roundup.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
                                             ^

In addition, interoperability with the widest range of feed readers could be improved by implementing the following recommendations.

line 1, column 54: Use of unknown namespace: http://schemas.ingestion.microsoft.com/common/ [help]

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?><rss xmlns:content="ht ...
                                                      ^

line 59, column 0: content:encoded should not contain data-conversation attribute (7 occurrences) [help]
```
      
```
line 83, column 0: content:encoded should not contain data-cards attribute (7 occurrences) [help]
line 183, column 0: content:encoded should not contain data-instgrm-captioned attribute (4 occurrences) [help]
```
      What type of cancer does Kate Middleton have?
```
line 183, column 0: content:encoded should not contain data-instgrm-permalink attribute (4 occurrences) [help]
```
      What type of cancer does Kate Middleton have?
```
line 183, column 0: content:encoded should not contain data-instgrm-version attribute (4 occurrences) [help]
```
      What type of cancer does Kate Middleton have?
```
line 183, column 0: style attribute contains potentially dangerous content: background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px); (128 occurrences) [help]
```
      What type of cancer does Kate Middleton have?
```

line 183, column 0: Non-html tag: svg (20 occurrences) [help]

      <p><strong>What type of cancer does Kate Middleton have?</strong></p>

line 200, column 0: content:encoded should not contain iframe tag (3 occurrences) [help]

      <p><strong>Have there been any updates on Charles’s health?</strong></p>

line 479, column 1: Missing atom:link with rel="self" [help]
```
	</channel>
 ^
```
line 479, column 1: Missing recommended iTunes channel element: itunes:category [help]
```
	</channel>
 ^
```
line 479, column 1: The recommended <itunes:email> element is missing [help]
```
	</channel>
 ^
```

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/nymag/intelligencer?format=xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?><rss xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" xmlns:mi="http://schemas.ingestion.microsoft.com/common/" version="2.0">
<channel>
<title>Intelligencer - Daily News, Politics, Business, and Tech</title>
<description>Intelligencer is a New York Magazine site covering news and analysis about politics, business and finance, technology, sports, and media.</description>
<link>https://www.nymag.com/intelligencer</link>
<lastBuildDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 04:54:35 -0400</lastBuildDate>
<docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
<generator>Feed delivered by Clay</generator>
<category>tremendous content,kristi noem,politics,early and often</category>
<category>hush money trial,what we know,donald trump,michael cohen,stormy daniels,alvin bragg,politics,trump trials,david pecker,early and often,crime and punishment,trump on trial</category>
<category>early and often,politics,marco rubio,donald trump</category>
<category>politics,donald trump,trump on trial,michael cohen,david pecker,new york magazine,stormy daniels</category>
<category>the money game,fraud,trump media</category>
<category>king charles,royals,prince harry,kate middleton</category>
<category>early and often,politics,kristi noem,donald trump</category>
<category>the law,michael cohen,donald trump,trump hush money trial</category>
<category>the inside game,politics,early and often,the clash on campus,israel-hamas war,school protests,antisemitism,joe biden,israel-palestine,2024 presidential election,young voters</category>
<category>early and often,kristi noem,sean hannity,politics</category>
<category>tremendous content,donald trump,politics,trump hush money trial,trump on trial</category>
<category>politics,early and often,mtg,matt gaetz,antisemitism</category>
<category>politics,early and often,2024 presidential election,libertarian party,donald trump</category>
<category>student loans,biden administration,joe biden,politics,save,department of education,explainer,what we know,student debt,bureaucracy,personal finance</category>
<category>new york knicks,nba</category>
<category>early and often,robert kennedy jr.,2024 presential election</category>
<category>politics,the national interest,remove interruptions</category>
<category>politics,columbia university,eric adams,nypd,the clash on campus,student protests</category>
<category>the clash on campus,ucla,columbia university</category>
<category>politics,the national interest,remove interruptions,joe biden,the clash on campus</category>
<language>en-us</language><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:subtitle>Articles from Intelligencer</itunes:subtitle><item>
<title>All the Weird Stories in Kristi Noem’s New Book</title>
<link>http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/kristi-noem-book.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 20:55:00 GMT</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/kristi-noem-book.html</guid>
<description><![CDATA[From the “dog killer” story to an almost certainly made-up meeting with Kim Jong-un, here are Noem’s most eye-popping claims.]]></description>
<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/f29/904/7a37c883cba37cb7ed01a7177e8eb9e34a-Krisi-Noem-book-roundup.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
<category>tremendous content,kristi noem,politics,early and often</category>
<dc:creator>Margaret Hartmann</dc:creator>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/f29/904/7a37c883cba37cb7ed01a7177e8eb9e34a-Krisi-Noem-book-roundup.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg">
<figcaption>Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Book Cover: Center Street</figcaption>
</figure><a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/kristi-noem-dog-killer-hannity.html">Kristi Noem</a>’s book <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kristi-noem/no-going-back/9781546008163/?lens=center-street">No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong With Politics and How We Move America Forward</a> doesn’t come out until May 7 and it’s already the stuff of political legend. Mitt Romney’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitt_Romney_dog_incident">car-roof-riding dog</a> had his time in the sun, but Seamus did not end his owner’s career the way Cricket seems to be dashing Noem’s hope of being the <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-vp-pick-2024-candidates-odds.html">Trump VP pick</a>. As Romney himself <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kristi-noem-dog-mitt-romney_n_66316f70e4b0849b2edd5cd4">put it</a>, the two scandals are quite different because: “I didn’t eat my dog. I didn’t shoot my dog. I loved my dog, and my dog loved me.”Incredibly, it seems <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/kristi-noem-killed-dog.html">Noem’s “dog killer” anecdote</a> isn’t the only weird or possibly inaccurate tale in the book, which was clearly intended to make Noem a more attractive potential Trump running mate. Here’s a list, which we’ll keep updated, of every self-sabotaging story the South Dakota governor inexplicably included in No Going Back.Noem killed her dog.In the book Noem recalls the time she decided to haul her dog Cricket, “a wirehair pointer, about 14 months old,” to a gravel pit and fatally shoot her. Cricket’s crime: she had an “aggressive personality” and after Noem attempted to train her to hunt pheasant she attacked some chickens instead.Here’s the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/apr/26/trump-kristi-noem-shot-dog-and-goat-book">story</a>, per The Guardian:<blockquote>By taking Cricket on a pheasant hunt with older dogs, Noem says, she hoped to calm the young dog down and begin to teach her how to behave. Unfortunately, Cricket ruined the hunt, going “out of her mind with excitement, chasing all those birds and having the time of her life.”Noem describes calling Cricket, then using an electronic collar to attempt to bring her under control. Nothing worked. Then, on the way home after the hunt, as Noem stopped to talk to a local family, Cricket escaped Noem’s truck and attacked the family’s chickens, “grabb[ing] one chicken at a time, crunching it to death with one bite, then dropping it to attack another.” Cricket the untrainable dog, Noem writes, behaved like “a trained assassin.” When Noem finally grabbed Cricket, she says, the dog “whipped around to bite me.” Then, as the chickens’ owner wept, Noem repeatedly apologised, wrote the shocked family a check “for the price they asked, and helped them dispose of the carcasses littering the scene of the crime.” Through it all, Noem says, Cricket was “the picture of pure joy”. “I hated that dog,” Noem writes, adding that Cricket had proved herself “untrainable,” “dangerous to anyone she came in contact with” and “less than worthless … as a hunting dog.”</blockquote>Noem also fatally shot her goat (eventually).Incredibly, Noem’s horrific animal tale doesn’t end there. She writes that right after killing Cricket she decided she needed to put down her goat too, as he was “nasty and mean” because he had not been castrated. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/apr/26/trump-kristi-noem-shot-dog-and-goat-book">Per</a> The Guardian:<blockquote>Noem decided to kill the unnamed goat the same way she had just killed Cricket the dog. But though she “dragged him to a gravel pit”, the goat jumped as she shot and therefore survived the wound. Noem says she went back to her truck, retrieved another shell, then “hurried back to the gravel pit and put him down”. At that point, Noem writes, she realised a construction crew had watched her kill both animals. The startled workers swiftly got back to work, she writes, only for a school bus to arrive and drop off Noem’s children.</blockquote>Noem included her child’s bewildered reaction, for unclear reasons:<blockquote>“Kennedy looked around confused,” Noem writes of her daughter, who asked: “Hey, where’s Cricket?”</blockquote>Noem claims she met Kim Jong-un (but she didn’t).In the book Noem says she met the <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/01/did-trump-really-have-to-teach-kim-jong-un-about-elton-john.html">North Korean dictator</a> while she was serving in Congress, which almost certainly did not happen. She writes, <a href="https://www.thedakotascout.com/p/gov-kristi-noems-account-of-meeting">per The Dakota Scout</a>:<blockquote>Through my tenure on the House Armed Services Committee … I had the chance to travel to many countries to meet with world leaders. I remember when I met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. I’m sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants (I’d been a children’s pastor, after all). Dealing with foreign leaders takes resolve, preparation and determination. My experiences on those many foreign trips made me a better member of Congress and a stronger governor. It allowed me to hone my deal-making skills, which play a crucial role in leadership.</blockquote>Noem is not specific about when this meeting with Kim Jong-un took place, but she served on the House Armed Services Committee from 2013-2015. Multiple sources and North Korea experts told the Dakota Scout that there’s no record of this meeting taking place, and there’s no way a single junior member of Congress had a secret run-in with the dictator during this time. Even President Obama did not meet with Kim.It seems Noem is already backtracking on the story. The <a href="https://www.thedakotascout.com/p/gov-kristi-noem-blames-ghostwriter">Scout reports</a> that she is blaming her ghostwriter and editor for erroneously including the North Korean dictator among the world leaders she has met.Noem claims she canceled a meeting with Macron (but she probably didn’t).Noem says that while serving as governor last year she canceled a meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron.“While in Paris, I was slated to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron,” Noem writes. “However, the day before we were to meet he made what I considered a very pro-Hamas and anti-Israel comment to the press. So, I decided to cancel. There is no place for pro-Hamas rhetoric.”This is more plausible than secretly meeting Kim Jong-un, but it appears this story may also be untrue. The Dakota Scout <a href="https://www.thedakotascout.com/p/gov-kristi-noems-account-of-meeting">conferred</a> with Macron’s office, which said he never had a meeting scheduled with the governor:<blockquote>The Scout confirmed through the French president’s office that Noem did not receive a “direct invitation” from the French president. However, the office didn’t rule out the possibility that Noem – who was in Paris for a political conference – could have been scheduled to attend an event where Macron was also scheduled. Noem spoke at the conference on Friday, Nov. 10, the same day that Macron called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine conflict.</blockquote>Noem thinks Nikki Haley threatened her (but she probably didn’t).Noem claims that former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley got aggressive with her during a phone conversation in the summer of 2021. But it seems the governor may have gotten the date wrong, and nothing she recalls Haley saying sounds very threatening. Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/03/kristi-noem-book-excerpt-nikki-haley-dog-00155925">published</a> this excerpt from the book:<blockquote>“Hi, Governor, this is Ambassador Nikki Haley, and I just wanted to introduce myself and have a conversation. I just wanted to let you know that I follow you quite a bit. I have heard quite a bit about you, and you are doing a good job there in South Dakota. I was thinking that maybe you might like a mentor, and maybe I could be someone who could do that for you. Because you’re a governor, you’ve gone through some challenging things that I did as well. I would be more than willing to be a mentor, because you’ve never been in this type of role before.” She went on to tell me about her life story, her résumé, and some of the challenges she faced in her legislature as governor and as ambassador to the United Nations reading daily talking points from the State Department. Once again, I recall, she offered to mentor me, as she was sure I was facing some decisions and situations I’d never seen before. … After what seemed to me a bit of an awkward pause, she added, “I … just … also want you to know one more thing … I’ve heard a lot of really good things about you. But I also want you to know that if I hear something bad … I will be sure to let you know.” There was a long pause. “Um, well, thanks for that, Ambassador.” “Let me be clear,” she added. “I’ve heard many good things about you. But when I do hear bad things, I will make sure that you know. I’ve enjoyed talking to you. We will visit soon. Goodbye.” Click.</blockquote>Noem then told her assistant she thought Haley threatened her:<blockquote>“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I was just threatened by Nikki Haley. It was clear that she wanted me to know that there was only room for one Republican woman in the spotlight. It was weird.” Unsurprisingly, I never received any calls or “mentoring” from her, but the message was clear. I’m the alpha female here, and you should know your place. I actually felt a little sad for her.</blockquote>Haley spokesperson Chaney Denton confirmed that the former ambassador did speak to Noem, but she said her calendar showed the call took place in 2020, not 2021. And she cast doubt on the idea that Haley was issuing some kind of warning to Noem.“Nikki has long called and written notes supporting other women when they go through challenging times,” Denton said. “She called Governor Noem in 2020 to encourage her when she was criticized for keeping her state open during Covid. How she would twist that into a threat is just plain weird.”The <a href="https://www.thedakotascout.com/p/gov-kristi-noem-blames-ghostwriter">Dakota Scout reports</a> that Noem is also blaming her ghostwriter and editor for messing up the year she spoke with Haley.This post has been updated.<div>More tremendous content<ul><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/kristi-noem-book.html">All the Weird Stories in Kristi Noem’s New Book</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trumps-beautiful-blue-eyes.html">Trump: I’m Not Sleeping in Court, I’m Resting My ‘Beautiful Blue Eyes’</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-is-furious-that-he-got-caught-sleeping-in-his-trial.html">Trump Is Furious He Got Caught Sleeping in Court</a></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>What Happened in the Trump Trial Today: Hope Hicks Cries</title>
<link>http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/donald-trump-hush-money-trial-recap.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 20:28:00 GMT</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/donald-trump-hush-money-trial-recap.html</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A running recap of Donald Trump’s first criminal trial.]]></description>
<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/684/3c6/533d758a6c4868fb4647e242a49e0f2547-Trump-trial-hush-money-recaps.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
<category>hush money trial,what we know,donald trump,michael cohen,stormy daniels,alvin bragg,politics,trump trials,david pecker,early and often,crime and punishment,trump on trial</category>
<dc:creator>Nia Prater</dc:creator>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/684/3c6/533d758a6c4868fb4647e242a49e0f2547-Trump-trial-hush-money-recaps.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg">
<figcaption>Photo-Illustration: Joanne Imperio; Photos Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure><a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/donald-trump-running-for-president-2024.html">Donald Trump’</a>s first and potentially only <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/donald-trump-trial-is-rorschach-test.html">criminal trial</a> before Election Day has begun. It’s also the first-ever such trial for a former president, who could be sent to prison if convicted on charges that he broke the law by paying, and subsequently disguising, hush money to <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/stormy-daniels-donald-trump-arrest.html">Stormy Daniels</a> via his personal lawyer <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-trial-key-players-witnesses.html">Michael Cohen</a> during the 2016 campaign. (<a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/juan-marchan-trump-least-favorite-judge.html">Judge Juan Merchan</a> could punish him in the meantime for contempt of court, such as repeatedly violating a gag order.)Below is our recap of the untelevised trial, which we’ll update daily with all the important developments and drama. (You can learn more about <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-trial-key-players-witnesses.html">the key people involved in the trial here</a>.)<div>

Day 12: What to ExpectCourt will resume on Monday. It’s not clear if Judge Merchan will weigh in on the four additional gag-order violations that were discussed on Thursday.Day 11: Hope Hicks Takes the StandCourt began Friday morning with the continuation of the cross-examination of Douglas Daus, a forensic analyst from the Manhattan district attorney’s office. The jury later heard testimony from Hope Hicks, a former aide to Trump. Proceedings ended before 4 p.m. in order to accommodate an appointment for one of the jurors.Yes, you can testify, TrumpAs he left the courtroom Thursday, Trump had <a href="https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1786132874380333155">told</a> the press that he was unable to testify due to the gag order placed on him. But Judge Merchan <a href="https://twitter.com/eorden/status/1786389714385207798">made it clear at the beginning of Friday’s proceedings</a> that isn’t the case: “You have an absolute right to testify at trial if that’s what you decide to do after consultation with your attorneys.”Data analyst back on the standEmil Bove, Trump’s attorney, continued his cross-examination of Daus. Bove continued his attempt to cast doubt on the 2016 audio recording entered into evidence by the prosecution yesterday. He asked about the chain of custody of Cohen’s phone that held the recording and whether a reset of the phone could “raise questions” about the audio. Daus testified that the audio of a conversation between Trump and Cohen appeared to cut off at the end and said that metadata could determine whether the file was edited or not.Prosecutor Chris Conroy pushed back on Bove’s line of thinking during his chance to requestion Daus. Referencing Bove’s various questions about past wipes and usages of Cohen’s phone, Conroy asked simply, “Is it unusual for a phone to be used?” Daus replied, “No.” Conroy also asked Daus directly if he noticed any signs of tampering on the phone. He said he hadn’t.Trump tweets introduced as evidenceAfter Daus finished on the stand, the prosecution called Georgia Longstreet, a paralegal with the Manhattan district attorney’s office. Longstreet testified that she has worked on the Trump matter for a year and the half and was tasked with saving news articles and social-media posts relevant to the case, including reviewing Trump’s accounts on both Twitter and TruthSocial.The prosecution then displayed and played Trump’s video statement from 2016 responding to the infamous Access Hollywood tape. “Anyone who knows me knows that these words don’t reflect who I am,” Trump said in the video shared on Twitter.Prosecutors introduced several additional social-media posts from Trump including an October 11, 2016, post with Trump railing against Senator John McCain for dropping his support of him and several tweets from the following days that criticized the emerging stories of women accusing him of sexual assault. In one from October 15, 2016, Trump wrote, “Nothing ever happened with any of these women. Totally made up nonsense to steal the election. Nobody has more respect for women than me!”They also displayed more current posts from Trump on TruthSocial including one from March 15, 2023, in which he referred to Stormy Daniels as “Horseface” and another from August 4, 2023, in which he wrote, “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!”A moment of levity, at Michael Cohen’s expenseLongstreet got a big laugh in the courtroom while being cross-examined by Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche. He asked her about her familiarity with Michael Cohen and whether she had listened to his podcast, Mea Culpa. Longstreet replied, “Absolutely not,” prompting laughs throughout the room, including from both the prosecution and the defense.“The people call Hope Hicks”The prosecution called its next witness: Hope Hicks, a former top aide to Trump. The news was met with gasps and murmurs in the overflow room. Hicks took the stand wearing a dark suit. As Hicks began her testimony, her voice was quiet, and she was asked to lean in closer to the mic. “Sorry, I’m really nervous,” she said.Hicks described how she began working for the Trump Organization in 2014 under Ivanka Trump and was later brought on to Trump’s presidential campaign to work on communications. She testified that she hasn’t spoke to Trump since 2022. When asked who she reported to during her time at the Trump Organization, Hicks said that all employees “in some sense” reported to Trump. “It’s a very big and successful company, but it’s really run like a small family business in certain ways,” she said.During her time as press secretary on his 2016 campaign, Hicks said she spoke to Trump every day and that he would weigh in on media responses. Hope acknowledges knowing several people in Trump’s orbit including Michael Cohen and David Pecker, describing the latter as Trump’s friend.Hope Hicks talks Access HollywoodHicks testified that the first time she learned about the Access Hollywood tape was through an email from Washington Post reporter David Fahrenthold asking for comment about the tape. The court was shown the email, which included a transcript of Trump’s comments in the video. Hicks said she was “very concerned” about the email and forwarded the message to other members of the Trump campaign including Jason Miller, David Bossie, Kellyanne Conway, and Steve Bannon. She confirmed that she wrote to them in an initial message, “Need to hear the tape to be sure,” and “Deny, deny, deny.”Hicks recalled Trump’s first reaction to the tape. “He said that it didn’t sound like something he would say,” she testified. Hicks went on to say that she and others on the campaign felt that the tape was a “damaging development” and “a crisis.” The court was shown the initial campaign statement on the tape, which described it as “locker room banter.” Hicks said she spoke with Cohen following the Access Hollywood tape after he mentioned the possibility of another potentially scandalous tape’s existence. “There was no such tape, regardless, but he chased that down for me,” she said. The former Trump aide also confirmed that Trump considered his Twitter account to be crucial to his campaign and said that only Trump and one other staffer, Dan Scavino, were able to post on the account.Hicks first learned of McDougal from a WSJ reporterHicks testified that she first learned of Karen McDougal following a request for comment from Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Rothfeld about a story that revealed American Media, Inc.’s, deal with the model. She said she forwarded the email to Jared Kushner because he was running a lot of the campaign at that point and was friendly with Rupert Murdoch, who owns the Journal. Hicks said she reached out to AMI CEO David Pecker about the inquiry. She said he described the deal as legitimate and said McDougal was paid for magazine covers and doing a fitness column.Hicks said she also spoke to Cohen about McDougal, and the court was shown an email between them containing a potential campaign statement. Cohen sent along edits to the remarks, which denied the allegations in the piece.More from HicksFollowing the lunch break, the prosecution displayed the Journal article in question, focusing on the comment given by Hicks denying the allegations. Hicks said those remarks represented the feelings of the campaign but couldn’t remember specifically if Trump directed her to put out the comment. The prosecution showed a series of text messages between Hicks and Cohen following the release of the Journal’s article, several days before the 2016 election. In one exchange, Hicks asked for Pecker’s cell-phone number, which Cohen provided. “Mr. Trump wanted to speak with him,” she said. Hicks later thanked Cohen and said Trump was able to talk to Pecker.Hicks said she spoke with Trump about the story and he was worried about it. “He was concerned about the story. He was concerned about how it would be viewed by his wife, and he wanted me to make sure that the newspapers weren’t delivered to his residence that morning,” she said.The prosecution asked Hicks about the events following the Journal’s 2018 story about Trump paying off Stormy Daniels. She said she spoke to Cohen about the piece and he denied that it was true. During a conversation with Trump, he told Hicks that Cohen did make a payment to Daniels as an act of kindness. When asked if that sounded like something Cohen would do, Hicks said it seemed out of character for him. “I didn’t know Michael to be an especially charitable person or selfless person,” she said. “He’s the kind of person who seeks credit.”The cross-examination becomes emotionalEmil Bove, Trump’s attorney, rose to cross-examine Hicks after the prosecution wrapped up. As Bove began to ask her about her time with the Trump Organization, Hicks started to cry, pulling out a tissue from her purse. This prompted Merchan to call for a quick break. After they returned, Hicks apologized and Bove told her to let him know if she needs to take a minute.The cross-examination began with Hicks’s recalling her time with the Trump Organization, confirming that she felt like she had Trump’s “trust and respect.” Bove had a line of questioning about Cohen, asking if he ever did things that weren’t authorized by the campaign or were unhelpful. Hicks agreed with this characterization. “He liked to call himself a fixer, or Mr. Fix-it, and it was only because he first broke it,” she said with a laugh.Hicks testified that Trump was concerned about what his family might think about the mounting scandals. On Melania Trump, she said Trump really valued her opinion. “She doesn’t weigh in all the time, but when she does, it’s really meaningful to him and he really, really respects what she has to say,” she said. Later, Hicks said he didn’t want anyone in his family to be “hurt or embarrassed” by what was happening on the campaign trail. “He wanted them to be proud of him,” she said. Shortly after, Bove ended his questioning and Hicks was dismissed from the stand.Weird weekend message from TrumpAfter court was adjourned for the weekend, Trump spoke to the press outside the courtroom as usual and wished everyone a good weekend in typical Trump fashion:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">"They destroy people. And it's a shame. So I just want to wish everybody a very good weekend ... our country has gone to hell" -- bonkers stuff from Trump <a href="https://t.co/D911JQUIkx">pic.twitter.com/D911JQUIkx</a>— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1786482667963224113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2024</a></blockquote>
Day 10: Another Day, Another HearingCourt began Thursday morning with another hearing on more of Trump’s alleged gag-order violations. After the hearing, Keith Davidson, the former attorney for Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, completed his testimony, and the prosecution called forensics analyst Douglas Daus.A second gag-order hearingJust two days after Merchan handed down his first penalty against Trump for gag-order violations, the judge held a second hearing on four additional claims made by the prosecution. Chris Conroy, one of the prosecutors, laid out the alleged violations, which include comments about Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen as well as former Enquirer publisher David Pecker. Conroy said they were once again seeking a $1,000 fine per infraction. “To minimize disruptions to this proceeding, we are not yet seeking jail,” he <a href="https://twitter.com/hugolowell/status/1786028887148777777">said</a>.The judge did not seem impressed with the defense’s justifications for Trump’s loud open mouth:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Blanche argues Trump *has* to respond to journalists. Judge: "It was *your* client who went down that holding area & stood in front of the press & started to speak. It wasn’t the press that went to him. He went to the press. He didn't need to go down to that direction."— Jose Pagliery (@Jose_Pagliery) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jose_Pagliery/status/1786033112977219894?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
Merchan didn’t immediately issue a ruling; it’s not clear when that might come down.Stormy’s lawyer back on the standKeith Davidson resumed his testimony on Thursday morning, and prosecutors asked him to detail how he received the $130,000 hush-money payment from Cohen. He described how the dynamic between himself and Cohen had deteriorated, requiring National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard to step in. Davidson said he believed Cohen wasn’t telling him the truth about why the payment for Stormy Daniels’s story was delayed.Davidson was also asked about texting, “What have we done?” to Howard after it was becoming clear Trump had won the election in 2016. Davidson called it “sort of gallows humor,” because “there was an understanding that our efforts may have in some way — strike that — our activities may have in some way assisted the presidential campaign of Donald Trump.” Davidson testified about the statement that Stormy Daniels initially signed, denying the affair between her and Trump. (Weeks earlier, Trump had shared the previously known document on Truth Social, alleging that it was newly discovered.) He said that he believed that he helped to prepare the statement. Davidson described Daniels’s claim that she didn’t have a “sexual and/or romantic relationship” with Trump as being technically true. “I don’t think that anyone had alleged that any interaction between she and Mr. Trump was romantic,” he <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-05-02-24/h_5d9abf4c9c2a33a832085ee83731b0e9">said</a>.When asked if he would describe the agreement between his client and Cohen as “hush money,” Davidson said no. “I would never use that word,” he <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-05-02-24/h_9890bb53cdf0dfed5b523067998f924e">said,</a> adding that he would call it “consideration.”Cross-examination grows testyEmil Bove, a member of Trump’s legal team, began to cross-examine Davidson after a short break in the proceedings. Davidson testified that Cohen had anticipated receiving a job in Trump’s administration after the election, either chief of staff or even as high up as U.S. attorney general. But when neither of those roles panned out, Davidson spoke on the phone with Cohen, who he said was extremely upset. “I thought he was going to kill himself,” he said.The back-and-forth between the two attorneys grew tense as Bove asked about extortion and whether Howard had concerns about running afoul of extortion laws. He raised several celebrities including Charlie Sheen, essentially accusing Davidson of extorting these celebrities on his clients’ behalf. Bove asked Davidson if he got Sheen to pay. He responded, “That settlement would be confidential and I wouldn’t it discuss it here.”After Davidson gave a few denials or claimed he didn’t recall details, Bove suggested that his memory seemed “fuzzy.”“We’re both lawyers. I’m not here to play lawyer games with you,” Bove said.Davidson responded, “You’re getting truthful answers, sir.”An audio interludeAt one point, Davidson was asked to don a pair a headphones to listen to audio recorded by Cohen during one of their phone calls. The call, which was not officially entered into evidence, wasn’t played aloud for the rest of the courtroom. Bove <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-05-02-24/h_0805148559049c1c34a51c697d248b91">asked</a> if Daniels sought to use “leverage” against Trump, with Davidson having used the word in that recorded conversation. He denied the claim.During the prosecution’s redirect of Davidson, another clip of Cohen was played to the entire room. Per <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-05-02-24/h_3ce3ce4bdb1e25691fddd723e76c9196">CNN</a>, Cohen could be heard saying, “I’m sitting there saying to myself, ‘What about me. What about me.’ I can’t even tell you how many times he said to me, ‘I hate the fact that we did it,’ and my comment to him was, ‘But every person that we’ve spoken to tells you it was the right move.’”In regards to the clip, Davidson <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/02/nyregion/trump-hush-money-trial/a5ea4254-ab16-512d-b5cb-08377ec583f9?smid=url-share">said</a> “the fact that we did it” referred to the payment made to Daniels.Another witnessFollowing Davidson’s testimony, the prosecution called Douglas Daus, a forensics analyst with the Manhattan district attorney’s office. Daus testified that he was assigned to analyze and extract data from several cell phones belonging to Michael Cohen. According to Daus, one phone in particular had 39,745 contacts, which he <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-05-02-24/h_4c12ffee220ccad800cfe2f67c83db5a">said</a> was “unusual.”The prosecution used Daus’s testimony as an entry point to submit text messages between Cohen and Hope Hicks, a former top aide to Trump. Hicks is expected to testify in this trial at a later date. Daus later confirmed the veracity of the metadata associated with audio recordings on Cohen’s phones. The prosecution then played a recording featuring Trump’s voice for the court. In the clip, Cohen can be <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-05-02-24/h_83f1892147840305269bb12d6ce72a49">heard </a>saying to Trump, “I need to open up a company for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend David.”During a cross-examination, Daus <a href="https://twitter.com/TylerMcBrien/status/1786126246973161957">explained</a> the chain of custody for devices like Cohen’s.Day 9: Judge Rules Trump Violated Gag OrderCourt resumed on Tuesday after a day off. Before the proceedings began, Judge Merchan ruled that Trump had violated his gag order nine times by posting about his former attorney Michael Cohen and adult-film star Stormy Daniels, two likely witnesses in the case. He was ordered to take down offending social-media posts and pay a $9,000 fine. Merchan also wrote that he was open to jailing Trump for possible future infractions. The prosecution then continued its questioning of banker Gary Farro, who previously worked at the now-shuttered First Republic Bank, where Cohen, his client, set up the account used to pay Daniels. The court also heard testimony from Davidson.More on the McDougal and Daniels dealsDavidson continued his testimony after the court returned from lunch. As the prosecution presented more text messages between him and Dylan Howard, the former editor-in-chief of the National Enquirer, Davidson relayed how the $150,000 McDougal deal ultimately came together. He said that American Media, Inc.’s counsel asked him to talk to Cohen, something he had been trying to avoid after a 2011 conversation. “I didn’t particularly like dealing with him, and that’s why I was trying like hell to avoid talking to him,” he <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-30-24/h_ae4f7912e545515e61ef3571e3004705">said</a>.The prosecution then began to ask Davidson about Daniels, whom he acknowledged was a former client of his. Davidson <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/30/nyregion/trump-hush-money-trial/8b017c9a-168a-5bfe-a931-2e9d61aadd55?smid=url-share">testified</a> that, after the Access Hollywood tape, interest in Daniels’s story “reached a crescendo.” The Daniels deal was ultimately set at $130,000, as shown in an email between Davidson and Cohen, which had the agreement attached. Davidson drew it up using fake names for both parties with Daniels being listed as “Peggy Peterson” and Trump as “David Dennison.” (Davidson revealed that there is a real David Dennison, who played on his high-school hockey team. When asked how Dennison feels about his name being used, Davidson <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/30/nyregion/trump-hush-money-trial/cb4323cd-df2e-5f70-b0a0-ab369bd005b8?smid=url-share">said</a>, “He’s very upset,” prompting laughs in the courtroom.)Davidson testified that Cohen didn’t provide the agreed-upon money as scheduled and that he felt that subsequent emails from him amounted to him providing excuses. Davidson said he also got the sense that Cohen wasn’t able to make the decision to pay himself, as he kept citing Trump’s campaign travel as reasons for the delay. “I thought he was trying to kick the can down the road until after the election,” he <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-30-24/h_35b268ca59c6de9551a5f06b8e33de2c">said</a>. Davidson and Howard also discussed Trump’s frugality in a <a href="https://twitter.com/AnnaBower/status/1785403430938308863">series of texts</a>.Deadline stuck toAs part of his ruling on Trump’s gag-order violations, Merchan ordered the nine posts deleted by 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. By the time court returned from lunch, all of the offending posts had been taken down from Truth Social and Trump’s campaign website.Stormy Daniels’s former lawyer testifiesDavidson took the stand. He confirmed that he was there under a subpoena and that he was offered immunity but did not take it. He said that the retainer agreement between himself and McDougal gave him the authority to negotiate with the press on her behalf. The prosecution presented a series of text messages between Davidson and Howard. In one <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-30-24/h_b1fa31f6f12f15d4de852989b296aca8">exchange</a>, Davidson wrote, “I have a blockbuster trump story.” Howard responded, “Talk 1st thing. I will get you more than ANYONE for it. You know why …”In another, Davidson said McDougal’s story was one that “should be told.” Howard said “I agree” in response.Davidson described the behind-the-scenes negotiations over McDougal’s story, testifying about talking with ABC News as well as the Enquirer to “create a sense of urgency.” The ABC deal reportedly <a href="https://twitter.com/akarl_smith/status/1785380676105113600">involved</a> a potential appearance on Dancing With the Stars. He <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-30-24/h_82f1b63577af898dab435bb9634791e5">said </a>McDougal wanted to revive her career but didn’t want to tell her story involving Trump, which made the deal with American Media, Inc. and the Enquirer more appealing. In other texts, Davidson first asked for a million dollars, but Howard indicated that the final amount would likely be in the “hundreds.”“We’re going to lay it on thick for her,” Howard <a href="https://twitter.com/KlasfeldReports/status/1785352467888136319">said</a> in one exchange.Davidson joked in response, “Good. Throw in an ambassadorship for me. I’m thinking Isle of Mann [sic].”Trump dozesOnce again, Trump was caught nodding off during his trial.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">NBC News: Trump appears to have fallen asleep while listening to testimony — at times appearing to stir and then falling back to sleep. Trump's eyes were closed for extended periods and his head has at times jerked in a way consistent with sleeping. <a href="https://twitter.com/MSNBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MSNBC</a>— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) <a href="https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1785348440513204585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
Prosecution enters new evidenceRobert Browning, the executive director of C-SPAN’s archives, took the stand. He said his network was subpoenaed by the Manhattan attorney general’s office in order to hand over videos of Trump. The prosecution proceeded to play three video clips of Trump that were entered into evidence. In one clip from October 2016, Trump slammed the women who accused him of sexual assault following the release of the Access Hollywood tape. “As you have seen, right now I’m being viciously attacked with lies and smears. It’s a phony deal. I have no idea who these women are,” he <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-30-24/h_c6a4b17f17a2263c93136cd5e7ac752d">said</a>.In another, from a 2017 press conference, Trump could be heard praising his then-lawyer Michael Cohen. “Michael Cohen is a very talented lawyer, he’s a good lawyer,” he <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/30/nyregion/trump-hush-money-trial/7cbc1bb6-9b3e-572f-9fdd-769c8d461304?smid=url-share">said</a>.Next up was Philip Thompson, an employee of Esquire Deposition Solutions, a court-reporting company that produced the transcripts and video of Trump’s 2022 deposition in one of the cases involving E. Jean Carroll. Thompson was asked to verify the veracity of several clips of Trump, including one where he confirmed that it was his voice on the Access Hollywood tape.Texas attorney general shows upKen Paxton, the Texas attorney general who has experienced some legal troubles of his own, attended Trump’s trial today in a show of support.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">With President Trump in NYC to sit through this sham of a trial. This trial is a travesty of justice. I stand with Trump.— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/1785289907453284432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
Cohen’s former banker continues testimonyGary Farro, a former senior managing director at First Republic Bank, took the stand again on Tuesday morning, continuing his testimony from Friday. Farro testified that Michael Cohen’s account for Essential Consulting, LLC, which he used to pay porn star Stormy Daniels, was set up within five to six hours, which was swift. “Everything was urgent with Michael Cohen,” he <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/30/nyregion/trump-hush-money-trial/92aa80be-1884-52b3-97eb-e15859d3b644?smid=url-share">said</a>. According to Farro, Cohen said the account was for consulting and gave no indication that it would be used to pay Daniels. He said a connection to the adult-film world would’ve prompted further examination from bank officials. “It is an industry that we do not work with,” he said.The prosecution displayed paperwork that showed Cohen transferred $131,000 from his home-equity line of credit into the account and tried to expedite the transfer. The next day, Cohen transferred $130,000 to the account of Keith Davidson, Daniels’s attorney. Farro <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-30-24/h_7c3a12904a9cb972b81d8c93d87d6b6b">said</a> the transfer was listed as a “retainer.”Todd Blanche, Trump’s attorney, then began his cross-examination of Farro. Blanche acknowledged past testimony from Farro that he was assigned Cohen since he’s better with more difficult clients. “Cohen, you believe he’s an aggressive guy, fast speaker. Not easy if you’re not firm,” he <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-30-24/h_225cf583facc5aaba20411d8f21c9535">asked</a>. Farro agreed. The banker indicated that he was unaware that the account was opened as a shell company and said he would’ve refused Cohen’s request had he known. “If the client had told me that this would be a shell corporation, the account would not have been opened,” Farro <a href="https://twitter.com/KatiePhang/status/1785321974496920061">said</a>. Before he left the stand, Farro also confirmed that he never spoke to Trump directly.Merchan is open to jailing Trump over gag-order violationsOn Tuesday morning, Judge Merchan found Trump <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/what-does-donald-trump-gag-order-mean.html">in contempt</a> for violating the gag order he placed on him nine times. He ordered Trump to pay a $9,000 fine, $1,000 per violation. Trump has until 2:15 p.m. this afternoon to delete the seven Truth Social posts and two posts from his campaign website in question.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">READ Justice Merchan's contempt order: <a href="https://t.co/K1KHksEmTv">https://t.co/K1KHksEmTv</a> <a href="https://t.co/JlIS02zMAR">pic.twitter.com/JlIS02zMAR</a>— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) <a href="https://twitter.com/kyledcheney/status/1785304995757195728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
In the order, Merchan <a href="https://twitter.com/kyledcheney/status/1785305646369259645">notes</a> that the court “will not tolerate continued willful violations” of the order and that jail time is a possible punishment for continued infractions.Trump can attend Barron’s graduationMerchan ruled that Trump can be excused from court on May 17 in order to attend the high-school graduation of his youngest son, Barron, citing the quickness of the trial so far. Trump had taken to social media, falsely alleging that the judge was refusing to let him go to the family event when his legal team first raised the issue earlier this month. Actually, Merchan had indicated that he would decide at a later date.Trump wants more from his legal teamIn a familiar pattern, Trump has apparently become frustrated with his own attorneys. The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/30/us/politics/trump-trial-todd-blanche.html">New York Times</a> reports that he has begun to complain privately about his legal team, particularly Todd Blanche:<blockquote>Although Mr. Blanche has been Mr. Trump’s favorite lawyer for some time, behind closed doors and in phone calls, the former president has complained repeatedly about him in recent weeks, according to four people familiar with the situation. He has griped that Mr. Blanche, a former federal prosecutor and veteran litigator, has not been following his instructions closely, and has been insufficiently aggressive. Mr. Trump wants him to attack witnesses, attack what the former president sees as a hostile jury pool, and attack the judge, Juan M. Merchan.</blockquote>It’s a family affairCNN reports that Eric Trump will be joining his father in court after he was seen entering Trump’s motorcade before it left Trump Tower for court. He’ll be the first family member to accompany Trump to this trial since it began.Day 8: Trump’s Attorney Challenges PeckerOn Friday, Trump’s attorney Emil Bove picked up his cross-examination of former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker from where he left off the previous day. After four days on the stand, Pecker finished his testimony. The court then heard from two new witnesses: Trump’s former executive assistant Rhona Graff and banker Gary Farro. Judge Merchan scheduled a hearing on the prosecution’s new gag order violations accusations for next Thursday. His ruling on their first claims has yet to be handed down.A sketch recap of Day 8<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/f02/9e5/770e03819d70a2cf923ba5d04a5e7381f8-brourmanpecker.2x.w710.jpg" alt="">
<figcaption>Art: Isabelle Brourman</figcaption>
</figure>A banker details his connection to Michael CohenGary Farro, a former senior managing director at the now-defunct First Republic Bank, took the stand as the trial’s third witness. Farro testified that Michael Cohen was previously a client of his and that the ex-attorney was assigned to him due to his ability to “to handle individuals that may be a little bit challenging.” He said he returned a call from Cohen in October 2016 about opening a new LLC account. Prosecutor Rebecca Mangold displayed an <a href="https://twitter.com/KlasfeldReports/status/1783950986089816098">email</a> from Farro that read, “Need an account opened for Mike Cohen immediately. He wants no address on the checks. Calling you now to discuss.”The <a href="https://twitter.com/innercitypress/status/1783953066976329845">account </a>in question was for Resolution Consultations LLC, which Cohen intended to use to facilitate the payment to McDougal. Farro testified that he believed that Cohen planned to use the account for “real estate.” Documents presented by the prosecution showed that Cohen marked “no” on a form that asked if the LLC concerned political fundraising or a political action committee. Cohen <a href="https://twitter.com/AnnaBower/status/1783955889990316374">answered similarly</a> on forms for a separate LLC that the former attorney would ultimately use for the Daniels payment: Essential Consultants LLC.Trump’s former assistant takes the standPecker wrapped up his testimony after four days on the witness stand. The prosecution then called its next witness: Rhona Graff, Trump’s longtime executive assistant. Graff, who is testifying persuant to a subpoena, said that her attorneys are being paid for by the Trump Organization, the company that employed her for 34 years. Graff testified that she recalled seeing Stormy Daniels in the waiting area for Trump’s office in Trump Tower prior to him becoming president. She also confirmed that Trump kept contacts for both Daniels and McDougal.During her cross-examination, Graff was asked about her time working for Trump. “I never had the same day twice in all that time,” she said “It was a very stimulating, exciting, fascinating place to be.”Graff also recalled Trump as being a “fair” boss. As she spoke, Trump could be seen smiling. Trump’s attorney Susan Necheles sought to explain Daniels’s visit to Trump Tower, asking Graff if she thought she was there in connection to a possible appearance on Celebrity Apprentice. Graff said she “vaguely” remembers Trump considering Daniels for the show.After Graff left the stand following her relatively brief testimony, Trump was observed moving towards her and attempting to shake her hand as she left the courtroom.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Graf done. Trump greets her and tries to shake her hand as she leaves(in front of jury). She gives him big grin. Guards more or less stop him. DA asks for sidebar before next witness. And 15 minute recess--suspense builds!— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) <a href="https://twitter.com/harrylitman/status/1783939692498419838?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></blockquote>
The prosecution refocuses on the McDougal ‘catch and kill’In his redirect, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked Pecker more questions about the McDougal contract. Previously, Bove tried to suggest that McDougal did benefit from some of the aspects of the agreement and it wasn’t merely packaging for the suppression of her story. Pecker <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-26-24/h_a77a6cad319c360d03998926ff08748e">said</a> the added perks of magazine columns and covers were “included in the contract as a disguise.”Steinglass questioned Pecker on his claim that he had no intentions of publishing McDougal’s story, suggesting that it actually went against the National Enquirer’s interests to do so.“Had you published a story about a Playboy model having a year-old sexual affair while he was married with a presidential candidate, would that have sold magazines, you think?,” he asked.“Yes,” said Pecker.“That would be National Enquirer gold?,” Steinglass <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-26-24/h_a4a5a632493b00cb967f2d2b116f9ac6">said</a>.Pecker once again agreed.Steinglass brought up Pecker’s 2018 FBI testimony after court reconvened following a lunch break. Bove suggested in his cross-examination that Pecker contradicted himself on the stand when he said Trump thanked him for handling the McDougal and Trump Tower doorman stories, citing notes from that FBI interview. When asked if he told the FBI that Trump thanked him, Pecker said, “Yes I did.”Before he wrapped up his redirect, Steinglass asked Pecker if prosecutors ever tried to influence his testimony. He answered no.Defense continues its cross-examinationOn Friday morning, Trump’s attorney Emil Bove picked up his cross-examination of Pecker from where he left off the previous day. Bove raised AMI running negative stories about Bill and Hillary Clinton, asking if they decided to do that prior to the August 2015 meeting between him, Michael Cohen, and Trump. Pecker confirmed that they did, saying it was beneficial for the company. Bove asked the former publisher if AMI ever recycled stories, raising pieces that they published about Trump’s political rivals like Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. “Yes,” Pecker said.At one point, Bove referred to Trump as President Trump while questioning Pecker about a 2016 conversation, prompting an objection from prosecutor Joshua Steinglass. “He wasn’t president then!” he <a href="https://twitter.com/eorden/status/1783867087158415645">said</a>. Merchan sustained. During his opening statement, Bove’s co-counsel Todd Blanche had <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/-will-call-president-trump-defense-lawyers-vacillate-honorifics-rcna149180">said</a> his team would call their client President Trump “out of respect for the office that he held from 2017 to 2021.”Bove also continued a line of questioning from Thursday where he tried to cast doubt on Pecker’s memory of events. He asked if Pecker made an error when he testified that Trump thanked him for his handling of the McDougal and doorman stories.“Was that a mistake?,” Bove asked.“No,” Pecker responded.Bove then raised Pecker’s 2018 testimony to the FBI where he said that Trump expressed no gratitude. “I know what I testified to yesterday and I know what I remember,” Pecker <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-26-24/h_d567c6510375f40def79e6c6f95c00d6">said</a>.Bove concluded his cross-examination of Pecker before the lunch break and Steinglass stood to begin his redirect.To testify or not to testifyIn the past, Trump has seemed confident that he will ultimately take the stand during his hush money trial. But during a post-court interview on Thursday, he appeared slightly less enthusiatic about the prospect:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Former President Trump now says he is “more or less likely” to testify in his hush money trial. “If it’s necessary,” he said in an interview Thursday night. Walking back earlier comments that he would definitively take the stand.— Kellie Meyer (@KellieMeyerNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/KellieMeyerNews/status/1783839274691141935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></blockquote>
Turning up the heatTrump railed against a new enemy during his typical pre-court remarks: the air conditioning in the courthouse:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Trump: So we have another day of court in a freezing courthouse. It’s very cold in there.. on purpose I believe. They don’t seem to be able to get the temperature up. It shouldn’t be that complicated. We have a freezing courthouse and that’s fine <a href="https://t.co/O4nT3v6hqH">pic.twitter.com/O4nT3v6hqH</a>— Acyn (@Acyn) <a href="https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1783851872870183226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></blockquote>
For what it’s worth, yesterday’s temperature in the overflow room just down the hall was cool, but manageable.
</div><div>

Day 7: Pecker Gets Into ‘Catch and Kill’ DetailsFormer National Enquirer publisher <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-trial-key-players-witnesses.html">David Pecker</a> continued his testimony on Thursday, and the defense began their cross-examination of him.Taking things in strideThough the trial will keep Trump largely in New York and away from campaigning across the country, he indicated this morning that he will bring the campaign trail to the city instead.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Trump says he will be doing a "number of large rallies" soon: "We're going to South Bronx for a rally and we're going to be doing a rally at Madison Square Garden, I believe...We're going to have a big rally honoring the police and firemen. A lot of people. Including teachers."— Meridith McGraw (@meridithmcgraw) <a href="https://twitter.com/meridithmcgraw/status/1783488481559285866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2024</a></blockquote>
Prosecution raises Stormy DanielsAfter a 20-minute recess, the judge and attorneys discussed various exhibits and whether they should be admitted to the court. Among these was a series of text messages between former National Enquirer editor-in-chief Dylan Howard and an unknown relative. In one text, which will likely not be allowed into evidence, Howard wrote on Election Night 2016, “At least if he wins I will be pardoned for electoral fraud.”Pecker was asked about adult-film star Stormy Daniels. The former publisher said Howard had called him following the release of the Access Hollywood tape to say that Daniels was shopping around a story about her alleged affair with Trump. The prosecution shared a series of texts between Pecker and Howard. In one exchange regarding Daniels, Howard said, “I know the denials were made in the past- but this story is true.”Pecker said Michael Cohen wanted him to purchase Daniels’s story, but he was reluctant after the previous payouts he had made on Trump’s behalf. “We’ve already paid $30,000 to the doorman. We paid $150,000 to Karen McDougal. I’m not a bank,” he said. Pecker said he didn’t want to be associated with a porn star, citing his company’s relationship with Walmart.Pecker was asked about the <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/the-reporter-behind-the-trump-hush-money-trial.html">Wall Street Journal article</a> that broke the news about AMI’s payment to McDougal. When asked why the company had provided a false statement in response to the Journal, denying that it paid for stories, Pecker said, “I wanted to protect my company. I wanted to protect myself. And I also wanted to protect Donald Trump.”Pecker goes into detail about McDougalPecker resumed his testimony from Tuesday, which touched on model <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-trial-key-players-witnesses.html">McDougal</a> and the deal AMI had struck with her to “catch and kill” her story about an alleged affair with Trump. The former publisher, dressed in a dark suit, white shirt, and red tie, described a three-way phone conversation between himself, Cohen, and Howard about McDougal’s story. Pecker subsequently received a call from Trump in which he encouraged him to buy it. “I believed that the story is true. It would’ve been very embarrassing to himself and to the campaign,” Pecker said on the stand.AMI negotiated a $150,000 fee in exchange for McDougal to write a health and fitness column and appear on magazine covers. During a later conversation, Cohen said Pecker should pay the fee, which prompted him to ask who would reimburse him. Cohen said, “Don’t worry. The boss will take care of you,” which Pecker said he took to mean that either Trump or the Trump Organization would pay him back. Pecker said he knew Cohen didn’t have the authorization “to buy, to acquire, or spend any money” without Trump’s prior approval. He noted that whenever they went out to lunch together, Pecker always paid. The former publisher also described some hesitancy around the deal owing to a past experience of buying stories on behalf of Arnold Schwarzenegger ahead of his bid for California governor. In one instance, a woman whose story he purchased went to the Los Angeles Times, which later published her story.When asked why the agreement included all these extra benefits for McDougal when the real goal was acquiring limited life rights, Pecker said he wanted to “substantiate the $150,000 payment.”‘We committed a campaign violation’Pecker testified that he and Cohen had discussed letters AMI received in 2018 from the FEC. Worried, Pecker had said to Cohen, “We committed a campaign violation.” He said Cohen replied, “Jeff Sessions is the attorney general, and Donald Trump has him in his pocket.”Pecker’s cross-examination beginsWhen Trump attorney Emil Bove cross-examined Pecker, his line of questioning seemed designed to establish that AMI’s “catch and kill” for Trump wasn’t something nefarious or criminal, but just profitable business as usual for the publisher. He asked Pecker about other times AMI used the practice, like for Arnold Schwarzenegger — and Pecker noted a few other bold-faced names, too:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-cards="hidden">Pecker concedes he's also suppressed stories about Mark Wahlberg and Rahm Emanuel. Bove pointedly asks whether he's gotten FEC scrutiny about Emanuel. Pecker agrees he hasn't.— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) <a href="https://twitter.com/KlasfeldReports/status/1783585676371390604?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2024</a></blockquote>
Pecker and Trump sort of exchange pleasantriesThe prosecution also asked Pecker if he bore any ill will toward Trump. He responded, “On the contrary. I felt that Donald Trump was my mentor. He helped me throughout my career.” Pecker said that he hasn’t spoken to Trump since 2019 but that “even though we haven’t spoken, I still consider him a friend.” Before court on Thursday morning, Trump called Pecker a “nice guy.”Prosecution submits more Trump gag-order violationsOn Thursday, the prosecution filed a motion alleging that Trump had violated the court’s gag order against him four more times, including with comments he made against Cohen outside the courtroom on Monday and his praise of Pecker on Thursday morning at a campaign event before court:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">“He’s been very nice.” Trump praises David Pecker. (Video: Fox News) <a href="https://t.co/iJtWP6aMTk">pic.twitter.com/iJtWP6aMTk</a>— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeSington/status/1783485688329257457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2024</a></blockquote>
“It’s a message to everyone involved in these proceedings,” Chris Conroy, one of the prosecutors, said of the motion. Judge Merchan set a hearing for 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday to discuss the additional allegations.Day 6: A Bad Day for Trump’s LawyerTuesday’s proceedings began at 9:30 a.m. with a hearing on whether Trump violated his gag order, as previously alleged by the prosecution. National Enquirer publisher <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-trial-key-players-witnesses.html">David Pecker</a> is now continuing his testimony, which began on Monday. Judge Merchan said proceedings would wrap up at 2 p.m.Pecker returns to the standEx-Enquirer publisher David Pecker returned to the witness stand after briefly beginning his testimony on Monday.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This is notable: David Pecker is testifying that he saw Trump review and sign invoices and checks. He described sitting in Trump's office when Trump's assistant Rhona Graff walked in and gave him invoices and checks to sign. "I noticed that he reviewed the invoice and looked at…— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) <a href="https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1782797316522496074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
On Tuesday, Pecker was asked about the crucial 2015 meeting with Trump and Cohen at Trump Tower, where he says the two asked him what his magazines could do to help Trump’s presidential campaign. In addition to agreeing to publish positive Trump stories and negative pieces about his rivals, Pecker said he would be Trump’s “eyes and ears” and let Cohen <a href="https://twitter.com/KlasfeldReports/status/1782800977109688416">know</a> if he came across anything potentially harmful, particularly regarding women. Pecker <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-23-24/h_45731fec5ea6b5fb1ac66ad2522d40a6">told </a>Dylan Howard, the editor-in-chief of the Enquirer at the time, that the agreement between him and the Trump campaign was “highly confidential.” Prosecutors showed examples of some of the <a href="https://twitter.com/benkochman/status/1782806944144564669">unfavorable headlines </a>that the Enquirer ran about Trump’s political opponents, including “BUNGLING SURGEON BEN CARSON LEFT SPONGE IN PATIENT’S BRAIN” and “TED CRUZ SHAMED BY PORN STAR.”Pecker testified about the $30,000 “catch and kill” agreement his company struck with <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-doorman-love-child-story-hush-money-trial.html">Trump Tower doorman Dino Sajudin</a>, who tried to sell a story about an alleged love child of Trump’s, <a href="https://twitter.com/kaitlancollins/status/1782822737909629416">confirming</a> that it was the first time he paid to kill a story on Trump’s behalf. He recalls telling Cohen about Sajudin and saying that he thought it was important that the story be “removed from the market.” When asked why he paid so much for the story, Pecker <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/23/nyregion/trump-hush-money-trial-news/67e18a87-8545-5525-99cf-af10b8dae199?smid=url-share">said</a>, “I made the decision to buy the story because of the potential embarrassment it would have to the campaign and Mr. Trump.”Before court let out for the day, Pecker was asked about model Karen McDougal. He said Howard first told him about McDougal and her alleged affair with Trump and that Howard went out to California to meet her and vet her story. Pecker said, during this time, he would speak to Cohen multiple times a day and that the attorney even asked if they could speak using the encrypted app Signal. He said Cohen seemed agitated and would frequently ask about McDougal. “It looked like he was getting a lot of pressure to get the answer like right away,” Pecker <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/23/nyregion/trump-hush-money-trial-news/d0eb79c5-e17d-572e-be0d-20a3f201860a?smid=url-share">said</a>.In one bit of potentially damaging testimony, he said he recalled Trump being presented with checks and invoices to sign, which may undercut assertions that the former president did not know about a hush-money scheme.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This is notable: David Pecker is testifying that he saw Trump review and sign invoices and checks. He described sitting in Trump's office when Trump's assistant Rhona Graff walked in and gave him invoices and checks to sign. "I noticed that he reviewed the invoice and looked at…— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) <a href="https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1782797316522496074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
Trump calls for Merchan’s recusalDuring a short break following the hearing, Trump took to <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112321129168247640">Truth Social</a> to rail against Merchan and call for his recusal. “HIGHLY CONFLICTED, TO PUT IT MILDLY, JUDGE JUAN MERCHAN, HAS TAKEN AWAY MY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH. EVERYBODY IS ALLOWED TO TALK AND LIE ABOUT ME, BUT I AM NOT ALLOWED TO DEFEND MYSELF. THIS IS A KANGAROO COURT, AND THE JUDGE SHOULD RECUSE HIMSELF!” he wrote.Merchan loses patience with BlancheTuesday’s scheduled gag-order hearing quickly grew heated when Judge Merchan lost his patience with Trump attorney Todd Blanche as he tried to argue that Trump’s social-media posts did not violate the order. If Trump is found to have violated the gag order, he could be found in contempt and face a $1,000 fine per violation and potentially jail time. Blanche said that there was no “willful violation” of the gag order, that his client was simply responding to political attacks from Daniels and Cohen, and that his words weren’t related to the case. Merchan pushed Blanche for examples of political attacks from Cohen, at one point raising his voice. “I keep asking you over and over again for a specific answer, and I’m not getting an answer,” he <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-23-24/h_eb6d12ae71626e22822df94cb7ee5062">said</a>.Merchan appeared frustrated with Blanche’s answers, saying that he’s “presented nothing” when asked for the specific posts that Trump was responding to. At one point, Merchan <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-23-24/h_da315de1430a05b6d26819eca37bdbe0">said</a> to Blanche, “You’re losing all credibility with the court.” The judge decided to reserve his decision in the matter for now, but the sense in the room is his ruling likely won’t favor Blanche and his client.Earlier, prosecutor Chris Conroy laid out the ten alleged violations of the gag order made by Trump, saying that his words “pose a very real threat” to the proceedings. Eight of the posts were made on his social-media platform <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/23/nyregion/trump-hush-money-trial-news/0ea83080-efa0-5501-995e-6320c7b198ac?smid=url-share">Truth Social</a>, while the remaining two were on his campaign website. He said Trump has gone after potential witnesses like Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels, whom the ex-president has called “sleazebags,” as well as prospective jurors. Conroy pointed out that a seated juror left the case the day after Trump quoted a TV segment from Fox News’ Jesse Watters, which called potential jurors “undercover liberal activists.” “What happened here is precisely what this order was designed to prevent, and this defendant doesn’t care,” he<a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-23-24/h_dead47923bbe35a776d119b4a9094d2a"> said</a>.Day 5: The Trial BeginsMonday’s proceedings included opening statements from attorneys on both sides. The prosecution also called its first witness: David Pecker. Though court was initially <a href="https://twitter.com/eorden/status/1781422002344972662">slated</a> to end at 2 p.m. in observance of the beginning of Passover, it ended at <a href="https://twitter.com/eorden/status/1782403260499853555">12:30 p.m. instead</a> because of a juror’s medical appointment.New York frees the Trump-trial transcriptsThe New York court system announced on Monday afternoon that it would be <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/free-the-trump-hush-money-trial-transcripts.html">releasing trial transcripts</a> to the public, amid criticism about the system’s lack of transparency. Per a <a href="https://twitter.com/frankrunyeon/status/1782453494575767970">press release</a>, daily transcripts will be available to view on the <a href="https://ww2.nycourts.gov/press/index.shtml">court’s website</a>.‘The People call David Pecker’The prosecution called its first witness: former Enquirer publisher David Pecker. On the stand, he described his work at the tabloid as “checkbook journalism,” saying that the publication paid for stories and that he had to personally approve any story that cost more than $10,000. Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-22-24/h_35bb834cba47f668c10dfe725646056a">asked </a>Pecker about his email addresses and phone numbers, and Pecker confirmed he had a private email account separate from the one he used for work.Pecker said Dylan Howard, the former editor-in-chief of the Enquirer, reported directly to him. When Steinglass asked Pecker if Howard ran decisions on “juicy stories” by him, he <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-22-24/h_07ca64471311c3f2ddc7f98b488eeab8">responded</a>, “Yes, he did.”Pecker and the jury were then dismissed for the day around 12:30 p.m. He’s expected to continue his testimony on Tuesday.The defense tries to discredit Cohen and DanielsTrump’s attorney Todd Blanche summed up his team’s argument in the first few sentences of his opening statement. “President Trump is innocent. President Trump did not commit any crimes,” he said. “The Manhattan district attorney’s office should never have brought this case.”Blanche sought to put distance between Trump and the business records the prosecution alleges he falsified in order to hide the purpose of payments made to Cohen, saying his client had “nothing to do with any of the 34 pieces of paper” aside from signing the checks. “The reality is Mr. Trump is not on the hook — is not criminally responsible for something Mr. Cohen may have done years after the fact,” he said.He also began to raise doubts about Cohen, who is a highly anticipated witness in the trial, calling him a criminal and suggesting he holds a grudge against his former employer. “He has a goal, an obsession with getting President Trump,” Blanche said. However, when Blanche tried to suggest to the jury that Cohen perjured himself during his testimony in the civil fraud trial last year, the prosecution <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-22-24/h_84ac13906d75e34a1b42b9a4002074a5">objected</a>, and Merchan sustained the objection. Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo also objected to an <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-22-24/h_3261d4c6bf02566a543c7e5a795d3dfe">assertion from Blanche</a> that Stormy Daniels’s allegations was an extortion attempt. Merchan sustained that as well.The prosecution: Trump ‘orchestrated a criminal scheme’Colangelo began his opening statement <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-22-24/h_2d955df0a37c41a2af7ae41bbf2f834c">by laying out</a> the DA office’s main argument: “The defendant, Donald Trump, orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election, then he covered up that criminal conspiracy by lying in New York business records over and over and over again.”He described a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-22-24/h_8984453a57c0cf7476495497d94182ba">2015 meeting</a> between Trump, Pecker, and Cohen as the genesis of the agreement between them that Pecker would help to kill negative stories about Trump, run positive ones about him, and publish bad headlines about Trump’s political rivals in the Enquirer. Colangelo raised the Enquirer’s payment to model Karen McDougal over her alleged affair with Trump and said the jury will hear Pecker himself testify about the arrangement.Colangelo also read Trump’s infamous comments from the Access Hollywood tape, saying his campaign sought to minimize the damage in the run-up to the election, prompting the hush-money payment to Daniels. “It was election fraud, pure and simple,” he <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/22/nyregion/trump-hush-money-trial/67432d17-f8df-5a58-9143-73a5ba6bec3b?smid=url-share">said</a>. The prosecutor said that when it became clear that Trump had won on Election Night, Daniels’s lawyer, Keith Davidson, <a href="https://twitter.com/benkochman/status/1782424304136655279">sent a text</a> to Dylan Howard, the editor of the Enquirer, that read, “What have we done?”Odds and ends to start the dayAs the day began, a juror expressed concerns about the level of media attention the case is receiving. Trump was briefly left alone in the courtroom as Merchan and the attorneys for both sides went elsewhere to speak to the juror. Once they returned, Merchan announced that the juror would stay on the panel, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-22-24/h_2989ea914218fed1e86df60f35be8ad2">adding</a>, “That’s not going to be an issue.”Next, Merchan announced his Sandoval ruling, which determines what Trump could be cross-examined about if he decides to testify. The judge ruled that the <a href="https://twitter.com/KlasfeldReports/status/1782406665700098387">decision</a> in Trump’s civil fraud case could be raised as well as his <a href="https://twitter.com/KlasfeldReports/status/1782406988854403436">violations of a gag order</a> in that matter. The prosecution is also allowed to mention the rulings in writer <a href="https://www.thecut.com/article/donald-trump-assault-e-jean-carroll-other-hideous-men.html">E. Jean Carroll</a>’s successful <a href="https://twitter.com/molcranenewman/status/1782408052659863911">defamation cases</a> against Trump.As Merchan instructed the jury, Trump focused his attention on the judge in very Trump-ian fashion, per New York’s Olivia Nuzzi:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Trump is tilting his head dramatically and making trout-like movements with his mouth as he listens to judge Merchan.— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olivianuzzi/status/1782410540674863515?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
A deeper look at Trump lawyer Todd BlancheIn <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-trial-lawyer-todd-blanche-defense.html">New York’s latest cover story</a>, features writer Andrew Rice took an inside look at Trump’s lead attorney, Todd Blanche, and how his atypical path led him to the one of the biggest trials in American history:<blockquote>“There are some people who represent Trump who are terrible lawyers,” says Aitan Goelman, a former prosecutor in the Southern District. “There are some people who represent Trump who are terrible people. And Todd is neither of those things.” They first met in the late 1990s when Blanche was a young paralegal who had taken a job in the district’s lower-Manhattan offices. “He was very organized, worked his ass off, he had very good judgment,” recalls Goelman. Before long, he was insisting that Blanche work with him on every trial. Then word got around and everyone started wanting him on their cases too. Blanche was putting in long, intense hours in the courtroom. At night, he was taking classes at Brooklyn Law School. “I wanted to be a prosecutor so badly,” Blanche told me. The prosecutors at the Southern District were taking on the biggest cases of the time, trying Al Qaeda terrorists and Wall Street fraudsters. The office had a lofty institutional ethos and a reputation as a proving ground for high-powered lawyers. Blanche was self-deprecating about his lack of an Ivy League pedigree. He would joke about it with his colleagues, referring to some of them as “Harvard-Harvards.”</blockquote>Day 4: The Jury Is CompleteAfter four days of jury selection, a full jury of 12 jurors and six alternates has officially been seated. Friday’s proceedings began with the goal of selecting five additional alternates from the remaining members of the jury pool, a task that was accomplished by early afternoon. After one last dismissal of a potential juror over anti-Trump social-media posts, five new alternates were sworn in by the court. With the jury set, next week will mark the official beginning of the trial. “We’re going to have opening statements on Monday morning. This trial is starting,” Merchan <a href="https://twitter.com/JesseRodriguez/status/1781417680576090233">said</a>.It’s going to be a long six weeksTrump was briefly scolded by Judge Merchan before court adjourned for the day. New York’s Olivia Nuzzi set the scene:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">Judge Merchan seemed to really enjoy reprimanding Trump’s lawyers and Trump himself. As the Sandoval hearing concluded, after about an hour, Trump sprung up from his seat. Merchan told him: “Sir, can you please take a seat? Thank you.” Trump promptly sat down, unhappily.— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olivianuzzi/status/1781424861824328065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
A blast from the pastThe court proceeded with a scheduled hearing in which both sides discussed which topics are potentially off-limits if Trump testifies (which he <a href="https://twitter.com/GaryGrumbach/status/1781422290695012646">says he will</a>).What followed was a walk down legal memory lane. Emil Bove, one of Trump’s attorneys, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-19-24/h_61d54df62ecf36cd2fe3e3edd4fcff14">argued that </a>the prosecution should not be allowed to mention the hefty judgments levied against Trump in his civil fraud case and in his E. Jean Carroll defamation case. Also under consideration as relevant: a case in which Trump sued his former rival Hillary Clinton. The judge in that matter called the lawsuit “completely frivolous, both factually and legally,” per theNew York <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/19/nyregion/trump-trial-hush-money/835e4ece-4199-53e2-a88c-9fb71bd36ef0?smid=url-share">Times</a>. Merchan said he’ll determine how to proceed with these matters on Monday.A self-immolation outside the courtroomMoments after the full jury had been empaneled, horrific news broke from outside the courtroom: A man had set himself on fire in the designated protest area across the street.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">As Judge Merchan announced a break for lunch, news breaks that a demonstrator has self immolated outside the Manhattan criminal courthouse.— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olivianuzzi/status/1781378702946766995?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">At the scene of the reported self immolation across the street, ash billows towards the criminal courthouse. Police officers are standing around with horrified, frozen expressions. The smell is unlike anything I have ever encountered. This is horrific. <a href="https://t.co/enkRiJ0LDK">pic.twitter.com/enkRiJ0LDK</a>— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olivianuzzi/status/1781380079844794743?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
There is no initial word on the victim’s condition or his motive for setting himself on fire.More from jury selectionTwo jurors were dismissed by Merchan early on after saying they wouldn’t be able to be fair and impartial. One juror said her father is a personal friend of former New Jersey governor and frequent Trump critic Chris Christie. Per the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/19/nyregion/trump-trial-hush-money/6eba27ed-d988-57e7-9724-a53a07141f16?smid=url-share">Times</a>, Trump smiled “grimly” as she spoke. She also <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-19-24/h_7ce7072aa10aa423699723b3efe926e0">said</a> a relative of potential witness Michael Cohen works at her place of employment, but added that they’ve never worked together. Another prospective juror said that they knew a court officer present at the trial. (When asked about his hobbies, he joked, “I try to find a wife in my spare time. It’s not working.”)The day grew emotional at times for the everyday people called into this high-profile process. One potential juror was excused after she started crying. “This is so much more stressful than I thought it was going to be,” she <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/19/nyregion/trump-trial-hush-money/e428dd94-52f2-52ac-a7ab-b80f4e35950f?smid=url-share">said</a>. Another juror was brought to tears as she explained a past conviction in another state. Though her past wouldn’t have prevented her from serving, she was dismissed due to missing paperwork. CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-19-24/h_ac49d833ffbcb66de88afba8a6c580a6">reports </a>that Merchan thanked the departing juror for sharing her story. “What you just did is something that most people in this courtroom would not be able to do, so thank you,” he said.Trump sleeps once moreFor the third time in four days, Donald Trump seems to have dozed off in the courtroom. Per the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/19/nyregion/trump-trial-hush-money/e8f3dfda-683e-536a-8c13-435a801777ee?smid=url-share">New York Times’ Maggie Haberman</a>, “Trump appears to have fallen asleep in court again. It happened several times just now. His eyes were closed for extended periods and his head dropped down twice.”That’s not what that meansBefore Friday’s proceedings began, Trump once again spoke to the assembled media in the hallway outside of the courtroom. He continued to rail against the trial and the gag order placed on him, saying inaccurately that he’s barred from talking to the press.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Trump spoke in the hallway before re-entering the hold room. Apparently without a sense of irony, he told reporters, “They’ve taken away my constitutional rights to speak and that includes speaking to you.”— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) <a href="https://twitter.com/maggieNYT/status/1781311716367761633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
On social media, Trump posted five times about the need for presidential immunity. In <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112298101345821428">one post</a>, he wrote, “Without Presidential Immunity, the Presidency will lose its power and prestige, and under some Leaders, have no power at all. The Presidency will be consumed by the other Branches of Government. THAT IS NOT WHAT OUR FOUNDERS WANTED!”Day 3: A Full JuryIn a flurry of activity late Thursday afternoon, Judge Merchan seated several new jurors, upping the number to 12 — a full jury, minus the six alternates that still need to be selected. A brief snapshot of the jurors:• Juror 1: A man who works in sales and will serve as foreperson. • Juror 2: A male investment banker who is married with no kids • Juror 3: A male corporate lawyer • Juror 4: A married security engineer who is a father of three • Juror 5: A female middle-school teacher • Juror 6: A female software engineer • Juror 7: A male civil litigator and lawyer • Juror 8: A male retiree who previously worked as a wealth manager • Juror 9: A female speech therapist • Juror 10: A male retail employee • Juror 11: A female apparel company employee • Juror 12: A female physical therapist • Alternate 1: A female asset management company analystThe Times published a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/18/nyregion/trump-trial-jury-hush-money.html">detailed look </a>at the men and women who have been chosen to serve on this historic trial.Judge Merchan also <a href="https://twitter.com/eorden/status/1780967568909521110" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">dismissed</a> 48 prospective jurors, who said they couldn’t be impartial, followed by another nine who gave other reasons for opting out. One man, a native of Italy, mentioned that the Italian media frequently <a href="https://twitter.com/eorden/status/1781006600712470859" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">compared </a>Trump to the country’s own controversial former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. He was dismissed. During the direct questioning portion, Trump lawyer Necheles attempted to challenge a juror because of a personal connection: she apparently hosted the juror and her family at her home years prior. Merchan ultimately <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-18-24/h_64528974abe764504d3e5b89aded822c" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">denied her request</a>. Another juror was questioned about her past social media posts including one that said Trump was “anathema to everything I was taught about love” and described him as racist and sexist. New York’s Olivia Nuzzi was in the room as the woman was required to read her own social-media posts:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The prospective juror is now reading her own tweet aloud and she remarks, “Oof, that sounds bad!” lol— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olivianuzzi/status/1781055083397959841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
The juror<a class="gmail-c-link" href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-18-24/h_df47407e6e26d55b2301bdab88f591c4"> apologized to Trump</a> for the tone of those posts, but was later dismissed by Merchan.Jury ChaosEarlier on Thursday, the seven jurors who had been selected on Tuesday were whittled down to five. In the morning, Judge Merchan brought in Juror Two for additional questioning after she expressed concerns about her ability to be impartial and said she was worried about information that had been published about her in the media. She<a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-18-24/h_c68c7959ea351f1184ec6d066786b0d8"> said</a> friends and family members showed her posts that seemed to <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/a-trump-juror-has-been-outed-in-the-hush-money-case.html">identify her as a juror</a>.Multiple news outlets homed in on biographical details of the selected jurors including Fox News’ Jesse Watters, who expressed skepticism specifically about Juror Two. Trump later quoted Watters on <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112288751107447732">TruthSocial</a>, writing, “They are catching undercover Liberal Activists lying to the Judge in order to get on the Trump Jury.”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Fox News host Jesse Watters on Tuesday broadcast extensive biographical details about Juror No. 2 -- her neighborhood, occupation, education, marital and family status, and what industry her fiance works in. He concluded by saying, "I'm not so sure about Juror No. 2." He… <a href="https://t.co/PCMMOvnoGw">pic.twitter.com/PCMMOvnoGw</a>— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronBlake/status/1780970065552113792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
Juror Two was later excused, dropping the total of seated jurors to six. Merchan then asked members of the press to refrain from publishing explicit information about where prospective jurors work.But then another issue cropped up when prosecutors raised questions about the veracity of one juror’s answers on their questionnaire. According to the New York <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/18/nyregion/trump-hush-money-trial/aade2fae-4f5e-5de9-bab5-d1ad3385b74a?smid=url-share">Times</a>, prosecutors discovered that either Juror Four or someone who shares their name was once arrested for tearing down political ads in the 1990s. Also, the juror’s spouse was once involved in a corruption investigation. If true, these two facts weren’t included in their questionnaire answers. The juror was questioned by the attorneys on both sides and was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/18/nyregion/trump-hush-money-trial/aa9709c1-6fd9-5983-8470-ba600608d0e0?smid=url-share">later excused</a> by Merchan.The three men and two women who were selected Tuesday and remain on the jury include a civil litigator, a software engineer, and a middle school teacher. Opening statements could begin as early as Monday if the court is able to agree upon 18 jury members — 12 jurors and six alternates — by the end of the week.Merchan also <a href="https://twitter.com/eorden/status/1780967568909521110">dismissed</a> 48 prospective jurors who said they couldn’t be impartial, followed by another nine who gave other reasons against serving. Attorneys continued to review the remaining jurors. One man, a native of Italy, mentioned that the Italian media frequently <a href="https://twitter.com/eorden/status/1781006600712470859">compared </a>Trump to the country’s own controversial former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. He was dismissed.Prosecutors call out Trump rhetoricProsecutors alleged Thursday that Trump has <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-18-24/h_1fe13dc98ce990e4447aeb33afe08de6">continued to violate the gag order</a> set on him by Merchan. They named seven new infractions including linking to a New York Post article that calls likely witness Michael Cohen a “serial perjurer,” as well as his quote of Watters’s criticism of the jury-selection process. “It’s ridiculous and it has to stop,” said prosecutor Chris Conroy. Merchan has already scheduled a hearing on the prosecution’s previous gag-order-violation claims for next week.Take of the day: What Trump sentencing could look likeNorm Eisen, a former White House special counsel for ethics and government reform, considers in a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/18/opinion/donald-trump-trial-prison.html">Times op-ed</a> what sentencing might look like for Trump if found guilty:<blockquote>Justice Merchan would have to wrestle in the middle of an election year with the potential impact of sentencing a former president and current candidate. If Mr. Trump is sentenced to a period of incarceration, the reaction of the American public will likely be as polarized as our divided electorate itself. Yet as some polls suggest — with the caveat that we should always be cautious of polls early in the race posing hypothetical questions — many key swing state voters say <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/26/opinion/trump-polling-conviction.html?unlocked_article_code=1.e00.AHjD.U8Q5xEzoC6yD&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&ugrp=u&sgrp=c-cb">they will not vote</a> for a felon.</blockquote>Day 2: The Few, the Proud, the ImpartialSeven jurors were officially seated after many more were dismissed on Tuesday following doubts about their impartiality and questions about their social media posts about Trump; district attorney Alvin Bragg filed a <a href="https://twitter.com/kyledcheney/status/1780234724482408877">motion</a> to hold Trump in contempt over an alleged gag-order violation, with a hearing on the matter set for April 23; and Trump appeared to nod off in the courtroom once again.Signs of progressThe mass draining of the jury pool continued on day two, but unlike on day one, it was not a complete washout: Seven people were eventually selected to serve.Some prospective jurors were dismissed after expressing concerns that their biases would interfere with serving on the jury. Others cited job responsibilities and previously scheduled events. Another said he had read several of Trump’s books, including The Art of the Deal and How to Get Rich, <a href="https://apnews.com/live/trump-trial-hush-money-updates-april-16#0000018e-e767-d37c-a59e-ef77af060000">causing </a>Trump to grin and nod his head excitedly. The afternoon session focused heavily on the potential jurors’ past social-media posts as Trump’s legal team attempted to strike several from serving. In one contentious exchange, a prospective juror was asked to explain a Facebook video that showed people celebrating in the streets after Trump lost the 2020 presidential election. As she spoke about the clip, Trump could be seen gesturing in her direction and muttering, prompting an admonishment from Judge Merchan. “I won’t tolerate that — I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom,” he <a href="https://twitter.com/molcranenewman/status/1780305306842431945">said</a>. Though Merchan accepted the woman’s explanation, he did go on to dismiss several other jurors. One had previously <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/16/nyregion/trump-hush-money-trial/bd72b705-0333-54a3-a2e8-6a11880afd94?smid=url-share">celebrated</a> Trump’s travel ban being struck down in court and once wrote of Trump, “get him out and lock him up.” Another had <a href="https://twitter.com/molcranenewman/status/1780313953177944566">shared</a> an AI video of Trump saying “I’m dumb as fuck.”The jurors so farSeven jurors were selected by Tuesday afternoon, out of an eventual 18 (including six alternates). Two of that group, however, have since been dimissed:• A West Harlem man originally from Ireland who works in sales and will serve as foreperson.• <s>A female oncology nurse who lives on the Upper East Side with her fiancé.</s>• A male corporate lawyer who lives in Chelsea.• <s>A Puerto Rican male who has lived on the Lower East Side for four decades and works as an IT consultant.</s>• A Black female middle-school teacher and Harlem native.• A female software engineer who lives in Chelsea.• A male civil litigator and lawyer from the Upper East Side.Trump is angry that he’s being treated like an average AmericanIn New York, defendants in criminal cases are <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-trial-begins-today-jury-selection/">required</a> to be in court for every day of their trial unless granted a special exception by a judge. Trump has been complaining that Judge Merchan won’t let him skip a day to attend his youngest son Barron’s graduation later this spring. “The Judge, Juan Merchan, is preventing me from proudly attending my son’s Graduation. Seems very unfair, doesn’t it? But this whole event is unfair,” he wrote in one <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112277423663686687">TruthSocial post</a>. In reality, Merchan hasn’t officially ruled on the request but suggested he was open to adjourning that day if the trial goes as planned. “It really depends on how we’re doing on time and where we are in the trial,” he <a href="https://apnews.com/live/Trump-trial-hush-money-updates-april-15#0000018e-e21d-d37c-a59e-ee3dd2830000">said</a>.Maybe he’s not a morning personLaw 360’s Frank G. Runyeon reported that Trump <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-asleep-hush-money-trial.html">nodded off</a> for the second day in a row.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">Now: Trump's head slowly dropped, his eyes closed. It jerked back upward. He adjusts himself. Then, his head droops again. He straightens up, leaning back. His head doops for a third time, he shakes his shoulders. Eyes closed still. His head drops. Finally, he pops his eyes open.— Frank G. Runyeon (@frankrunyeon) <a href="https://twitter.com/frankrunyeon/status/1780242475828834482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
Take of the day: A fair jury is possibleDr. Julie Blackman, a social psychologist who has worked on several prominent trials as a jury consultant, said in a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/15/opinion/trump-trial-jury.html">New York Times op-ed</a> published Monday that the court should be able to put together a fair and impartial jury despite the high-profile nature of the case:<blockquote>What is likely to unfold in the trial will undoubtedly absorb the jurors’ full attention. Having sworn to the court that they will shelve their preconceptions, the jurors are likely to focus on the evidence and follow it to where it leads. Our brains tend to focus on what’s in front of us, and the evidence in this case surely will be compelling for the jurors.</blockquote>Day 1: Trump Takes a NapOn the first day of the trial, Judge Merchan worked to hammer down what would and wouldn’t be allowed in the court proceedings moving forward. Prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office sought a fine against Trump over a social-media post that called potential witnesses Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels “sleaze bags.” On his way into the courtroom, Trump railed against the trial, but he dozed off in his chair. And the jury-selection process got underway, but just barely.Arriving for the “assault on America”Trump arrived at the courthouse in his motorcade around 9 a.m., stopping in the hallway outside of the courtroom to address reporters. He reiterated his <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1779869871066448377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">claims</a> that the case against him is unfair and politically motivated, calling it “political persecution” and “an assault on America.”<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/d4d/439/c506adcaec64c078ef8b73657c10b5acfd-trump-blanche-arrival.2x.rhorizontal.w700.jpg" alt="">
<figcaption>Photo: Mark Peterson</figcaption>
</figure>Access Hollywood is out, McDougal is inJudge Merchan denied a motion from Trump’s legal team that called for him to recuse himself. He <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-15-24/h_8dcbe9d56cdfc86199222d23e927321f">said</a> that Trump was using a “series of inferences, innuendos, and unsupported speculation” to support his recusal claim. He reiterated his <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-access-hollywood-hush-money-new-york-2c52279a45ede2a111ff1fe447d2fdac">earlier decision</a> that the Access Hollywood tape could not be shown in court, deeming it too prejudicial. Prosecutors are also barred from mentioning the numerous sexual-assault allegations against Trump. However, he <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-judge-melania-pregnant-testimony-playboy-model-affair-2024-4">ruled</a> that Karen McDougal will be allowed to testify, though the prosecution won’t be allowed to mention her claim that her alleged affair with Trump occurred while his wife, Melania, was pregnant with their son, Barron. The prosecution will also be allowed to enter <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/live-blog/trump-hush-money-trial-stormy-daniels-michael-cohen-live-updates-rcna145934/rcrd38947?canonicalCard=true">evidence</a> about the National Enquirer’s past coverage of Trump.Would $1,000 shut him up?Prosecutors filed a motion, claiming that several of Trump’s social-media posts violated the gag order Merchan set on Trump, which bars him from commenting publicly on potential witnesses, among others — he called Daniels and Cohen “sleaze bags.” Prosecutors are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/15/nyregion/trump-hush-money-trial/a3d67e59-76fc-5f0c-850f-1893f80b956f?smid=url-share">seeking</a> a $1,000 fine per post.The defense literally restsThe buzz of pretrial hype wasn’t enough to keep the 77-year-old awake. The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/15/nyregion/trump-hush-money-trial/026c9154-dd74-5ab9-b4b7-1046f6cdd694?smid=url-share">caught </a> Trump appearing to fall asleep at one point during the proceedings, writing, “His head keeps dropping down and his mouth goes slack.”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden">Haberman: Trump appeared to be asleep. His head would fall down… He didn’t pay attention to a note his lawyer passed him. His jaw kept falling on his chest and his mouth kept going slack. <a href="https://t.co/Y9niQfZc3W">pic.twitter.com/Y9niQfZc3W</a>— Acyn (@Acyn) <a href="https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1779917161651188128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2024</a></blockquote>
P.S. <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-asleep-hush-money-trial.html">Will “Sleepy Don” stick?</a>A jury wasn’t built in a day96 prospective jurors were brought into the courtroom to kick off the jury-selection process, but more than half were quickly sent home after stating they couldn’t be impartial or were unable to serve. By the end of the day’s proceedings, Merchan had only gotten through the questionnaires of <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-15-24/h_b12805ad56fda26b1770d6887361d4da">nine jurors</a>, and none have been selected for the final panel. The novelty of possibly sitting on this particular jury wasn’t lost on these Manhattanites, some of whom <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/live-blog/trump-hush-money-trial-stormy-daniels-michael-cohen-live-updates-rcna145934/rcrd38996?canonicalCard=true">were seen</a> craning their heads to sneak a peek at the defendant. One juror was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-15-24/h_c842c611fc69c1b07db3e8b1a685fb54">excused</a> owing to a potential conflict with his son’s wedding in June, prompting congratulations from Merchan. Another who listed clubbing among her hobbies was dismissed after acknowledging she had “strong opinions or firmly held beliefs” about Trump. Another potential juror said his girlfriend worked in finance but admitted that he didn’t know what she did, sparking laughter from <a href="https://twitter.com/eorden/status/1779968211879948693">the prosecutors</a>. A second group of prospective jurors will get their shot on Tuesday.The photo of the dayBehold the dour glowerer-in-chief:<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/955/622/d6f6389acdacaeba726e15d8e2e6e02470-trump.2x.rhorizontal.w700.jpg" alt="">
<figcaption>Photo: MICHAEL NAGLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>When MAGA comes to ManhattanA kidnapped-Biden truck drove in circles outside court on Monday morning:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Ultra MAGA pickup truck with graphic of hog-tied Biden on the tailgate making loops on Lafayette and Centre Streets outside of the Manhattan criminal courthouse. <a href="https://t.co/a6xdL0wxVC">pic.twitter.com/a6xdL0wxVC</a>— JOSH RUSSELL (@jruss_jruss) <a href="https://twitter.com/jruss_jruss/status/1779885684766994810?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2024</a></blockquote>
</div><div>

How the Jury Will Be selectedLike any other trial, this one begins with the process of selecting a jury, which could take several days. Attorneys for the defense and prosecution will question a large pool of Manhattan residents until they find 12 jurors and six alternates. Judge Merchan drafted a <a href="https://www.nycourts.gov/LegacyPDFS/press/PDFs/Letter-re-jury-selection-4-8-24.pdf">42-question-long survey</a> for prospective jurors to fill out in order to determine their impartiality. In addition to personal questions, potential jurors are asked about their media diets, whether they’ve volunteered for Trump’s campaign or attended a rally, and if they’ve ever read any books or listened to any podcasts by Michael Cohen, a key witness for prosecutors, or Mark Pomerantz, the attorney who previously worked on the DA’s investigation into Trump. It also asks whether they have been a member of several extremist groups and movements, such as the Proud Boys and antifa.Merchan <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/judge-restricts-access-jurors-identities-trump-hush-money-trial-rcna142348">previously ruled</a> that jurors will be anonymous and have their identities shielded from the public owing to the risk of “a likelihood of bribery, jury tampering, or of physical injury or harassment.” Trump, his attorneys, and prosecutors will have access to the jurors’ names and addresses.
</div>This post has been updated.<div>More on the Trump trial<ul><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/donald-trump-hush-money-trial-recap.html">What Happened in the Trump Trial Today: Hope Hicks Cries</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/the-trump-trial-is-a-view-into-the-gossip-racket.html">David Pecker and Keith Davidson, the Gossip Racketeers</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trumps-beautiful-blue-eyes.html">Trump: I’m Not Sleeping in Court, I’m Resting My ‘Beautiful Blue Eyes’</a></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded>
<enclosure length="5028586" type="application/pdf" url="https://t.co/K1KHksEmTv"/><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:subtitle>A running recap of Donald Trump’s first criminal trial.</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary>A running recap of Donald Trump’s first criminal trial.</itunes:summary><itunes:keywords>hush money trial,what we know,donald trump,michael cohen,stormy daniels,alvin bragg,politics,trump trials,david pecker,early and often,crime and punishment,trump on trial</itunes:keywords></item>
<item>
<title>A Trump-Rubio 2024 Ticket Could Spark a Constitutional Crisis</title>
<link>http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-rubio-2024-ticket-could-spark-a-constitutional-crisis.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 17:50:14 GMT</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-rubio-2024-ticket-could-spark-a-constitutional-crisis.html</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Trump is looking at Little Marco as a running mate. But because of the 12th Amendment, that would risk of saddling him with Kamala Harris as VP.]]></description>
<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/36a/43d/385c6ef317d5b97fb6650c54f30138650e-trump-marco-rubio.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
<category>early and often,politics,marco rubio,donald trump</category>
<dc:creator>Ed Kilgore</dc:creator>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/36a/43d/385c6ef317d5b97fb6650c54f30138650e-trump-marco-rubio.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg">
<figcaption>Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>One of the big remaining mysteries that makes the Trump-Biden 2024 rematch a bit less of a rematch is the identity of <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/two-big-lies-trump-is-telling-on-abortion.html">Donald Trump</a>’s running mate. And there are now regular signals from MAGA land that the 45th president has been steadily winnowing his initially long <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-vp-pick-2024-candidates-odds.html">list of VP prospects</a>. Word is that a small group of vice-presidential wannabes are finalists, and Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-02/trump-auditions-vp-picks-before-wealthy-donors-in-palm-beach">reports</a> that major donors are getting very involved:<blockquote>Donald Trump is sharpening his focus on a possible running mate by taking a page from his days hosting reality show “The Apprentice” and parading the top contenders for the slot in front of rich benefactors this weekend … An exclusive donor retreat at the Four Seasons in Palm Beach this week promises a similar vibe — drawing hundreds of deep-pocketed GOP backers as well as allies eyeing the No. 2 spot on the Republican presidential ticket. The spectacle comes as Trump is narrowing his gaze on a handful of potential running mates: Ohio Senator JD Vance, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, according to people familiar with the deliberations as recently as this week.</blockquote>If this really is the state of play, it’s interesting that Trump has eliminated the many women who were for so long a big part of the veep speculation. Only one of them has <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/kristi-noem-killed-dog.html">fallen from grace for shooting a pet</a>, so far as we know. Gender aside, the remaining prospects have various pros and cons, but the one who seems to stand out is <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/04/trump-and-rubio-best-of-frenemies.html">Rubio</a>, a donor and Establishment favorite who has sufficiently sucked up to Trump recently to overcome the <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/feud-marco-rubio-donald-trump-escalates/story?id=37223251">unpleasantness of their encounters</a> in 2016, when Trump crushed him in the GOP primaries. Little Marco, as Trump used to call him then, is relatively young (52) and telegenic. He’s been in the public eye long enough to have some name recognition and prove there are no skeletons in his closet. Rubio is associated with some <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/02/shockingly-pro-worker-conservatives-are-actually-pro-boss.html">vaguely interesting ideas</a> about catering to the GOP’s white working-class supporters. And he’s one of the nation’s most prominent Hispanic politicians at a time when Hispanic voters could be <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/biden-is-losing-the-election-in-the-center-not-the-left.html">Joe Biden</a>’s most crucial vulnerability.According to The Bulwark’s Marc Caputo, Rubio is eager for the gig:<blockquote>The question is how badly Rubio wants to be Trump’s vice president. Answer: bad enough. Rubio has already run for president, and would be a heartbeat away from the White House under a one-term president who’s 77 and likes to eat McDonald’s too often … “Marco can almost smell the Naval Observatory,” said a Trump adviser, referring to the official residence of the vice president, and echoing others who know Rubio, Trump, and the former president’s vetting process.</blockquote>There’s just one problem with Trump-Rubio 2024. It’s the <a href="https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/amendments/amendment-xii/interpretations/171">12th Amendment</a>, which stipulates that the first formal step in determining presidential-election results is that “the Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves.” According to the most common interpretation of this language, Florida’s 30 electoral votes could not be cast for both Trump and Rubio.So let’s say the Trump-Rubio 2024 ticket wins somewhere between 270 and 300 electoral votes (which is entirely plausible; Trump won 304 in 2016 and Biden won 306 in 2020). Trump would become president, but if Rubio is denied 30 electoral votes, the vice-presidency would be determined by a vote in the Senate (as also provided by the 12th Amendment). Senators would get to choose between the top two electoral-vote winners, i.e., the Democratic and Republican vice-presidential nominees. If the Senate is still controlled by Democrats at that point, you could have Donald Trump taking the oath of office on January 20, 2025, alongside his vice-president, <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/vp-pick-matter-2024-election.html">Kamala Harris</a>. The mind reels.There are potentially ways around the same-state prohibition in the 12th Amendment. Most famously, in 2000, when <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/george-bush-shoe-throw-oral-history-al-zaidi.html">George W. Bush</a> decided on <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/05/cheney-endorses-gina-haspel-for-cia-and-a-return-to-torture.html">Dick Cheney</a> as his running mate, both were living in Texas. Cheney promptly re-established residency in Wyoming, the state he had lived in for many years and represented in Congress. Rubio is a sitting member of the U.S. Senate from Florida, a state that has always been his home aside from an interlude in childhood when he and his family lived in Las Vegas. Will he give up the Senate seat he has held since 2011, just two years into his third term? If so, where will he move? Back to Las Vegas? That’s not clear, though it is clear Trump’s not the one who’s going to move in that situation (he’s definitely not going to reestablish residency in New York, the state where he is allegedly being persecuted by evil Marxist prosecutors, judges and jurors).There are theories surrounding the meaning of the 12th Amendment term inhabitant that might somehow allow Rubio to keep his Senate seat despite moving away temporarily, and <a href="https://twitter.com/Road_To_Now/status/1757076485246963777">at least one legal expert</a> believes only Congress, not the courts, can enforce the 12th Amendment provisions against same-state ticket mates. Republicans could roll the dice by moving ahead and figuring it all out later. But if they guess wrong and federal courts decide the ban on electors voting for two of their “inhabitants” means what it says, you could again wind up with the Trump-Harris partnership, the worst situation since Aaron Burr became Thomas Jefferson’s veep in 1801 (precisely the situation that led to the adoption of the 12th Amendment).All in all, it’s much safer if Trump goes with one of the many VP options that do not in any way risk a constitutional crisis. He’s got enough problems in the legal system now — and if he wins in November, in quashing indictments — without inviting more trouble in the courts.<div>More on politics<ul><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/donald-trump-hush-money-trial-recap.html">What Happened in the Trump Trial Today: Hicks On The Stand</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/the-trump-trial-is-a-view-into-the-gossip-racket.html">David Pecker and Keith Davidson, the Gossip Racketeers</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/kristi-noem-killed-dog.html">Kristi Noem Killed Her Dog. Why Is She Telling Us This?</a></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>David Pecker and Keith Davidson, the Gossip Racketeers</title>
<link>http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/the-trump-trial-is-a-view-into-the-gossip-racket.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 16:05:43 GMT</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/the-trump-trial-is-a-view-into-the-gossip-racket.html</guid>
<description><![CDATA[At the heart of the Trump trial is a sleazy caper gone wrong.]]></description>
<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/6f9/738/eabefac3509154995929d7e2ad9d21e5b9-trumpledebrourman.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
<category>politics,donald trump,trump on trial,michael cohen,david pecker,new york magazine,stormy daniels</category>
<dc:creator>Andrew Rice</dc:creator>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/6f9/738/eabefac3509154995929d7e2ad9d21e5b9-trumpledebrourman.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg">
<figcaption>Art: Isabelle Brourman</figcaption>
</figure>Both sides in <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-hush-money-trial-opening-arguments.html">Donald Trump’s trial in Manhattan</a> say that the case, which technically concerns the crime of falsifying business records, is truly about politics. In his opening argument, Matthew Colangelo, an assistant district attorney, told the jury that Trump had “orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election.” On Thursday, during the latest in a series of contempt hearings, <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-trial-lawyer-todd-blanche-defense.html">Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche</a> said he and his client “very much believe that this is a political persecution, that it’s a political trial.” While that message may resonate with Trump’s audience outside the courtroom, the jury has been hearing a very different kind of story over the past two weeks. The trial narrative is less about any election than it is about secrets — a crime of gossip.The first two major witnesses, <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/08/enquirers-pecker-snitched-on-trump-in-michael-cohen-case.html">David Pecker</a>, the former chief executive of American Media Inc., which owns the National Enquirer, and <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/02/lawyer-for-trumps-mistresses-turns-sex-scandals-into-cash.html">Keith Davidson</a>, a Hollywood lawyer who <a href="https://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/investigation/keith-davidson-profile-907453">makes his living from scandals</a>, have offered the jurors an unusual tutorial in the way professionals obtain secrets, assess their value, and put them to use. It’s a trade that powerful men have long used to protect themselves and undermine one another. Pecker testified that in 2015, he went to Trump Tower to meet with the candidate, an old friend and Enquirer staple, and proposed to act as Trump’s “eyes and ears,” watching out for any stories “in the marketplace” that could damage him. Davidson picked up the story in June 2016, when by his own telling, the caper began with a late-night text message.“I have a blockbuster trump story,” Davidson wrote to Dylan Howard, the chief content officer of American Media, who edited the Enquirer.“Talk 1st thing,” Howard replied. “I will get you more than ANYONE for it. You know why …”Howard has not testified at the trial — he is apparently living at home in Australia and unable to travel for health reasons — but the prosecution has presented text messages to show how the scheme unfolded in real time, reinforced with commentary from Davidson, a ruddy-faced, fidgety character. By his own account, Davidson was a sort of dirt broker, who either publicized or hushed up celebrity embarrassments as the circumstances dictated. (On cross-examination, Trump’s attorneys questioned him about his reported involvement in peddling sex tapes involving Hulk Hogan and Tila Tequila and a rehab rumor about Lindsay Lohan.) Davidson and Howard were both friends and frequent counterparties. Pecker testified unapologetically that the Enquirer practiced “checkbook journalism,” and he described Davidson and one of Howard’s best sources.In their initial exchanges, Davidson informed Howard that his client, the former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal, had carried on a roughly nine-month affair with Trump back when he hosted The Apprentice. Although accounts of Trump’s history of philandering were not exactly a scarce commodity, he had just emerged as the surprise winner of the Republican primaries, and his secrets were suddenly in demand.“Do you know if the affair was during his marriage to Melania?” Howard texted back.Even better: McDougal said the affair began in 2006, when Barron Trump was an infant. According to Ronan Farrow’s book Catch and Kill, McDougal first met Trump at the Playboy Mansion and afterward got together with him for sex whenever he was in Los Angeles. Trump has always denied having the affair, but true or not, a tabloid sex scandal right before the Republican National Convention seemed like the sort of thing that might lead religious conservatives to revolt. (We were all more naïve then.) Pecker testified he thought it would be vital for Trump to take the story off the market, and he proposed to do it by buying the rights to McDougal’s story and locking them in a drawer, effectively silencing her. He had previously done this to help other politicians, notably Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 2015, the Enquirer had also done a smaller deal for Trump, paying $30,000 to a shady doorman who was trying to sell a (later-debunked) scoop about a love child.If McDougal was believable, it would potentially make her secret much more valuable. Howard flew from New York to Los Angeles to meet Davidson at his office. While he was there, he sent frequent updates to <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/michael-cohens-secret-tapes-will-roil-the-trump-trial.html">Michael Cohen</a>, Trump’s in-house attorney, who was playing a hands-on role. “I’m wrapping up with them,” Howard texted Cohen during the meeting. “Understand I’ve got this locked down for you. I won’t let it out of my grasp.”McDougal was accompanied to the meeting at Davidson’s office by a few men who were acting as unofficial representatives. They said McDougal had other offers, but said she did not want to be known for sleeping with Trump. She wanted to make some money and revive her career. Howard came back to New York convinced that he wanted to make a deal. “He said she was a 12 out of 10,” Pecker testified, in a way that suggested Howard wasn’t just rating her credibility. Soon all the guys got down to negotiating her price.Donald Trump, who is not known for his wise reflexes, is the only party to the deal who seems to have immediately recognized it would probably backfire. For decades, he had been an incessant subject of gossip columns, as well as often a source for them, giving the tabloids everything they wanted and more. (See: “Best Sex I’ve Ever Had,” New York Post, 2/16/1990.) Pecker testified that as the negotiations were in motion, Trump called him up, pulling the media executive out of a meeting with investors in his company to tell him he opposed paying hush money. “I don’t buy any stories,” Trump said, according to Pecker. “Anytime you do anything like this, it always gets out.”Soon afterward, though, Pecker testified that Cohen called him back and assured him he would be handling things for “the boss.” They came to an understanding, he testified, that American Media would sign a contract with McDougal, then transfer ownership of her exclusive story rights to an LLC controlled by Cohen in return for reimbursement. Still, Pecker showed some reluctance about going through with the deal. Howard and Davidson haggled for weeks via text. The lawyer claimed that McDougal was getting pressure from “the estrogen mafia” — her female friends — to go public by taking a competing offer from ABC. The network couldn’t offer explicit payment, but Davidson said McDougal was under the impression that she might end up with a slot on Dancing With the Stars.“Get me a price,” Howard texted. “All in. Consulting gig perhaps as a fitness expert thrown into the mix.” Davidson asked for a $1 million up-front payment, plus a $75,000-a-year contract.“I’ll take it to them but thinking it’s more hundreds than millions,” Howard replied. He said he would talk to McDougal about promotional opportunities American Media could offer by placing her in its fitness magazines, promising to “lay it on thick for her.”“Good,” Davidson replied. “Throw in an ambassadorship for me. I’m thinking the Isle of Mann [sic].”Howard managed to knock McDougal’s price down to $150,000, far less than what she had originally asked for, but still much more than the Enquirer usually paid for stories, especially ones they didn’t plan to publish. Pecker said he did the deal for one reason: “We didn’t want the story to embarrass Mr. Trump or embarrass or hurt the campaign.” That “we,” he testified, included Cohen, who was supposed to pay him back. But then, just as the deal was about to close, American Media’s general counsel vetoed the arrangement, presumably because it looked like it could easily be interpreted as an illegal campaign contribution. Pecker told Cohen his company would make the payment and keep the rights, voiding their transfer agreement. For Trump, it was a great outcome: all the hush, no money.“Ok we are paying,” Howard texted Davidson. “Glad it all sorted … Fucken Jesus.”Throughout the negotiations, the pair had communicated with the fluency of experienced brokers, griping about the people they represented and rolling their eyes at the buffoonish antics of their common frenemy, Cohen. “He’s hopeless,” Howard wrote. “Oh well. Another one done!” For them, the middlemen, there would always be a next deal. That same June, right as they were in the midst of trying to sort things out with McDougal, Howard texted Davidson to say that he had heard from a mutual contact, Gina Rodriguez, a porn star turned talent manager.“FYI,” Howard wrote, “Gina is trying to hawk Stormy again.”Stormy,” as we all now know, is Stormy Daniels, an actress whose credits include Breast Friends 2 and Dirty Minds. Her acquaintance with Trump is indisputable. The DA’s office called Rhona Graff, Trump’s longtime personal assistant, to the stand to testify that she had seen Daniels around his office at Trump Tower at least once. Her contact information was also in Trump’s virtual rolodex. Daniels has claimed that she and Trump had sex once, at a celebrity golf tournament, also in 2006. Trump denies it happened, but for the purposes of his prosecution, it hardly matters whether Daniels was telling the truth — the transaction is the root of the crime Trump is charged with, 34 counts of falsifying records related to a deal brokered by Michael Cohen.An item about the alleged Daniels encounter had first appeared on a gossip website called The Dirty in 2011. Davidson, who was friendly with Rodriguez, had sent the publication a cease and desist letter and the item was taken down. Five years later, though, Daniels and her manager saw an opportunity to monetize her piece of Trump’s history.“Are you working in favor of trump?” Rodriguez asked Howard.The editor told her that Pecker had endorsed him, but that he was open to pitches.“Depends what it is!”“Stormy Daniels,” Rodriguez wrote.“Is she ready to talk? I though [sic] she denounced it previously.”“She’s had sex with him. She wants 100k.”The Enquirer was not interested in buying her story at that price in the summer of 2016. Then, that October, an external event jump-started negotiations. The Washington Post published the Access Hollywood tape, and women started coming out of the woodwork to accuse Trump of sexual harassment and worse. It appeared as if Trump’s candidacy might not survive. “Trump is fucked,” Howard wrote Davidson. “Wave the white flag. It’s over, people!”That same day, October 8, Rodriguez let Howard know Daniels was still in the market. She said Good Morning America and the Daily Mail were interested. Her price was now $250,000.“You have that bid?” Howard asked.“Yes working on it.”Howard was skeptical. He knew that by network policy, ABC could only compensate Daniels in roundabout ways; for instance by licensing photos. He promised that he could provide a more straightforward deal. “I will tie up ASAP if we can get a realistic price,” he wrote. Over the course of two minutes, they exchanged a series of numbers and “LOLs” before converging.“120,” Howard wrote.“Sold,” Rodriguez replied.When Howard called up his boss, though, Pecker balked. “I said, ‘We already paid $30,000 to the doorman, we paid $150,000 to Karen McDougal, and I am not a bank,’” Pecker testified. He worried that if it got out that he was doing business with porn stars, it would look bad for his company, which depended on supermarkets and chains like Walmart for newsstand distribution. He directed Howard to call Michael Cohen. He wanted to be Trump’s fixer, so here was a problem for him.Cohen has yet to testify, but already he has emerged as a colorful character in the trial narrative. “He liked to call himself a fixer, or Mr. Fix-it,” Hope Hicks, Trump’s former communications director, testified Friday, “It was only because he first broke it.” Davidson testified that he had first encountered him back in 2011, when The Dirty published its post, and Rodriguez called him up to say that “some jerk” had called her up, threatening to sue.“Who was that jerk?” prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked.“It was Michael Cohen,” Davidson replied, deadpan, getting a laugh from some jurors.The prosecution seems to be trying to inoculate the jury, so that when it finally meets Cohen, it will know what to expect. In the days after the Access Hollywood tape emerged, Trump’s attorney threw himself into a furious cover-up effort. Howard connected him via text to Davidson, who represented Daniels in negotiations. “He was highly excitable,” Davidson said. “Sort of a pants on fire kind of guy.” He compared Cohen to the easily distracted dog from the animated movie Up, and said he would sometimes conduct two conversations simultaneously, with phones at each ear. Although Davidson testified that Cohen never explicitly said that Trump was funding the deal, he had no doubt about who was on line two.“It was part of his identity and he let me know it every opportunity he could,” Davidson said, “that he was working for Donald Trump.”Davidson drew up what he described as a standard contract, using pseudonyms for the parties, who were named only in a side letter that was supposed to remain solely in Cohen’s possession. The sale price was bumped up by $10,000 to cover his attorney fees. Davidson waited for the $130,000 wire to arrive. It didn’t come. He called up Cohen, who was full of excuses. His email must have gotten caught in the firewall. It was Yom Kippur. “My guy is in five fucking states today.” Davidson began to suspect that Cohen “was trying to kick the can down the road until after the election,” when the secret would lose its value.Davidson told Cohen the deal was off. Daniels resumed talks with other buyers, and rumors about her story began to circulate, eventually making their way to Hicks and the Trump campaign. Cohen freaked.“I can’t believe Cohen let this go,” Davidson texted Howard. “It’s going to be a shit show.”“All because Trump is tight,” Howard replied.At this point, Howard returned to David Pecker to tell him that if Daniels went public, it would “look awfully bad for everyone.” Pecker agreed. Cohen told Davidson the deal was back on and the Enquirer would foot the bill. The Enquirer guys said hold on a second. They thought Trump was paying.It went back and forth like that for a couple of days. Finally, Davidson testified, Cohen got fed up and declared: “Goddamn it, I’ll just do it myself.” On October 26, two weeks before Election Day, he went to his bank and opened an account in the name of a newly formed company, Essential Consultants LLC. He took out a home equity loan in the amount of $131,000 and wired Davidson his money the next morning. The deal was done. Unfortunately for Cohen and Davidson, while they were buying silence from one woman, the cat was coming out of their other bag. On November 4, The Wall Street Journal, citing “people familiar with the matter,” reported that the Enquirer had paid McDougal for the story without the intention of publishing it, introducing its readers to an old tabloid term: catch and kill.Cohen texted Pecker, telling him to expect a call from “the boss.” Pecker testified that Trump was livid with him. “How could this happen?” he said Trump demanded to know. “I thought you had this under control.” He accused Pecker or one of his minions of leaking the story. Pecker told him “there was no way on earth” the call had come from inside his building. (This April, Howard’s then-deputy, Lachlan Cartwright, revealed he was one of the Journal’s sources in a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/03/magazine/national-enquirer-trump-lachlan-cartwright.html">New York Times Magazine cover story</a>.)The leak did not end up making a difference, at least at the time. On Election Night, as the swing states started to be called for Trump, Davidson texted Howard again.“What have we done?”“Oh my god,” Howard replied.In his cross-examination of Davidson, Trump attorney Emil Bove sought to undermine any connection between his client and the seamy story told by the texts.“You’ve never met President Trump, correct?” Bove asked.“Never,” Davidson said.“You’ve never spoken to President Trump?”“Never.”Then Bove asked: “What does the word extortion mean to you?”The evidence suggests that Trump, being practiced in matters of gossip, managed to keep himself distanced from the negotiations. Pecker testified they never communicated in writing. Only Trump and Cohen know what they said to each other. To quote Billy Martin: One’s a born liar and the other’s convicted. The evidence introduced in the trial so far presents an ambiguous picture of their codependent relationship. Cohen put his career — and his home equity — on the line to do the deal with Howard and Davidson, but they soon discovered Trump’s fixer could not even score them tickets to the inauguration.That December, Davidson testified, he received a despondent call from Cohen. He said he vividly recalled the conversation, because it occurred at “this strangely decorated department store” with huge displays done in a trippy Alice in Wonderland vein. Cohen had told him he hoped to be named White House chief of staff or even attorney general. Instead, he had been informed there was no payoff for him. Trump had not even bothered to reimburse him the $130,000.“He said something to the effect of,” Davidson testified, “Jesus Christ, can you fucking believe I’m not going to Washington? After everything I’ve done for that fucking guy.” He said he worried that Cohen might kill himself. Davidson testified that he looked at the giant stuffed animals around him and felt “a very odd feeling.” They were down the rabbit hole, and Cohen was digging himself deeper.<div>More on the trump trial<ul><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/donald-trump-hush-money-trial-recap.html">What Happened in the Trump Trial Today: Hicks Gets Emotional</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/the-trump-trial-is-a-view-into-the-gossip-racket.html">David Pecker and Keith Davidson, the Gossip Racketeers</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trumps-beautiful-blue-eyes.html">Trump: I’m Not Sleeping in Court, I’m Resting My ‘Beautiful Blue Eyes’</a></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>Who Could Have Ever Seen That Trump Media’s Auditor Is a ‘Massive Fraud"?</title>
<link>http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/who-knew-trump-medias-auditor-is-a-massive-fraud.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 16:03:59 GMT</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/who-knew-trump-medias-auditor-is-a-massive-fraud.html</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In an unbelievable coincidence, the number cruncher for Trump’s Twitter clone is bad at his job]]></description>
<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/c43/02b/ab174eeceab314f469d7943acb9693404e-tump-fraud.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
<category>the money game,fraud,trump media</category>
<dc:creator>Kevin T. Dugan</dc:creator>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/c43/02b/ab174eeceab314f469d7943acb9693404e-tump-fraud.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg">
<figcaption>Photo: Seth Wenig/AP Photo/Bloomberg via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>Sometimes, the forces of attraction are just too strong to resist — the heart wants what it wants. This sentiment is at work not just in love affairs, but in all kinds of relationships, even oddball corporate partnerships. Take, for instance, the pairing of Trump Media & Technology Group, the former President’s corporate parent for his Twitter clone, and BF Borgers, its auditor since 2022. On the surface, they don’t appear to have much in common. Trump’s company is a $6 billion publicly traded entity, while Borgers is an unknown auditor run by an obscure number cruncher. They aren’t even located anywhere near each other with Trump Media in Florida and Borgers headquartered in Colorado. But on Friday, federal regulators charged Trump Media’s auditor with “massive fraud” and shut down the company, and all of a sudden the pairing started to make a little more sense.Auditors are supposed to be the people who look over all of a company’s financial statements and make sure they are both accurate and non-fraudulent. It is, statistically speaking, not a job for everyone, since the work is incredibly detail-oriented. But the <a href="https://www.sec.gov/files/litigation/admin/2024/33-11283.pdf">forder,</a> filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, accuses the company of basically doing the exact opposite of what it was supposed to. According to the 15-page document, BF Borgers, as well as its CEO, Benjamin Borgers, oversaw a “deliberate and systematic failure to audit and review public company and SEC-registered broker-dealer clients’ financial statements.” Its auditors copied old financial documents to save time (this is bad) and “review important workpapers” (also bad) and made false records of meetings that never occurred (very bad!). They also auto-deleted their emails, tried to circumvent the auditing industry’s watchdog agency, and weren’t able to provide any proof of much of their work.Of course, Trump — the man, as well as his broader real-estate organization — was found liable for fraud in New York in February for fabricating financial documents that were used to get loans. (He’s appealing the ruling, a process that hasn’t been going great.) It’s worth pointing out that Trump Media is not being accused of any kind of fraud here. While the SEC’s settlement says that BF Borgers fabricated more than 1,500 filings from 2021 to last June, the court documents don’t actually mention Trump Media, and it’s unclear if any of the former president’s filings were affected. However, it’s statistically likely that Trump Media is among that batch, since the SEC estimated that “at least 75 percent” of its customers’ public filings and disclosures were botched. So far, this isn’t quite on the level of the mess created by former auditing giant Arthur Anderson — the company that helped Enron and WorldCom cover up their massive frauds — but 1,500 is a large number of filings, and many of those companies will likely have to publicly disclose new, correct financial figures in the coming months.BF Borgers didn’t bother to get back to me. The company didn’t admit any wrongdoing, but it is paying a $12 million fine — the CEO is paying an additional $2 million — and shutting down. (Borgers has also been banned from auditing.) As for Trump Media, it looks like the company’s brief relationship with BF Borgers is over. “Trump Media looks forward to working with new auditing partners in accordance with today’s SEC order,” a spokeswoman for Trump media said. (She didn’t respond to a question about whether the company would have to restate its filings.) The company’s stock dropped by about 4 percent, which is fairly small for a meme stock. But then again, maybe seeing “massive fraud” in a headline with Trump Media isn’t so shocking.]]></content:encoded>
<enclosure length="321957" type="application/pdf" url="https://www.sec.gov/files/litigation/admin/2024/33-11283.pdf"/><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:subtitle>In an unbelievable coincidence, the number cruncher for Trump’s Twitter clone is bad at his job</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary>In an unbelievable coincidence, the number cruncher for Trump’s Twitter clone is bad at his job</itunes:summary><itunes:keywords>the money game,fraud,trump media</itunes:keywords></item>
<item>
<title>Who Could Have Ever Seen That Trump Media’s Auditor Is a ‘Massive Fraud"?How Are King Charles & Kate Middleton Doing? Latest Health Updates.Who Could Have Ever Seen That Trump Media’s Auditor Is a ‘Massive Fraud"?</title>
<link>http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/king-charles-cancer-news.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 15:53:00 GMT</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/king-charles-cancer-news.html</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Both the king and the princess are battling cancer. Here’s what we know about their health, and how Britain’s royal family is handling the situation.]]></description>
<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/7a5/f3a/bd6dbb77fece83cb6164e79cf5147c5655-kate-charles.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
<category>king charles,royals,prince harry,kate middleton</category>
<dc:creator>Margaret Hartmann</dc:creator>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/7a5/f3a/bd6dbb77fece83cb6164e79cf5147c5655-kate-charles.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg">
<figcaption>Photo: Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage</figcaption>
</figure><a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/11/king-charles-forced-to-deliver-speech-he-hates.html">King Charles III</a> was diagnosed with cancer in early February, just 17 months into his reign. Buckingham Palace announced that the 75-year-old monarch has suspended public engagements to undergo treatment. <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2024/01/camilla-supports-king-charles-breaks-royal-hospital-rules.html">Queen Camilla</a>, <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/07/king-charles-miffed-prince-william-charging-rent.html">Prince William</a>, took over some of the king’s duties, and <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/07/harry-meghan-air-force-one.html">Prince Harry</a> rushed to the U.K. to visit his father.Charles is not the only royal dealing with health issues. Just weeks before news broke about the king’s cancer, <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/kate-middleton-photo-editing-conspiracy-theory.html">Kate Middleton</a> underwent a “planned” abdominal procedure. Catherine, the Princess of Wales, was not seen in public for months and the palace offered few updates on her health, leading to wild speculation about her condition and whereabouts. The “Where is Kate Middleton” saga ended on March 22, when the princess shared devastating news: she has also been <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/kate-middleton-video-cancer-diagnosis.html">diagnosed with cancer</a> and is undergoing “a course of preventative chemotherapy.”Here’s a roundup, which we’ll keep updated, of the latest news about the king and the princess’s health, and how Britain’s royal family is handling the situation.<div>
What type of cancer does Kate Middleton have?
We don’t know. On January 17 Kensington Palace announced that the 42-year-old Princess of Wales had undergone a “planned abdominal surgery” at The London Clinic the previous day.The statement said she was “unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter” and expressed “her wish that her personal medical information remains private.”<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C2NDoYrN-9r/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C2NDoYrN-9r/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C2NDoYrN-9r/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales (@princeandprincessofwales)</a></div></blockquote>At the time, a royal source <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/05/uk/king-charles-cancer-explainer-intl-gbr/index.html">told</a> CNN that Kate Middleton’s condition was noncancerous. But as the princess explained in a video posted March 22, that diagnosis changed.“The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present,” she said. “My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">A message from Catherine, The Princess of Wales <a href="https://t.co/5LQT1qGarK">pic.twitter.com/5LQT1qGarK</a>— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1771235267837321694?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
Kate is 42 and has three children with Prince William: George, 10, Charlotte, 8, and Louis, 5.The princess said that the news came as “huge shock,” but, “I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal, in my mind, body and spirits.”
</div><div>
What’s the latest news on Kate Middleton’s health?
Kensington Palace has not given any updates on the princess’s condition since her video announcement, and she has not been seen in public.After taking several weeks off to support his wife, Prince William <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/prince-william-returns-public-princess-kate-middleton-continues-cancer-treatment/">returned</a> to public duties on April 18 with a visit to a food charity. William mentioned Kate while visiting a high school on April 25, <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-13349893/Prince-William-Kate-Middleton-apologises-cancer-school-visit.html">telling</a> a staff member, “I am sorry Catherine can’t be here as well. She would have loved to.”Children’s clothing designer Amaia Arrieta, who frequently dresses William and Kate’s children, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/royals/amaia-arrieta-princess-wales-royal-children-clothes/">commented</a> on the princess’s condition in a piece published by The Telegraph on May 2:<blockquote>‘Dressing the royals gives me so much pride, I really do care about how they look,’ reflects Arrieta. ‘I’m heartbroken at the moment, I think they are going through hell, I hope they will be back. It’s really personal.’</blockquote>While greeting members of the public on April 30 at James’ Place Newcastle in England a woman asked Prince William “Do you mind if I ask how your wife and children are?” He replied, “We’re all doing well, thank you.” The woman asked, “And obviously Catherine?” and William said, “We’re all doing well.”<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6ZG07Ho19s/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6ZG07Ho19s/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6ZG07Ho19s/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by VIDEOS OF THE WALES FAMILY 👑❤️ (@walesvideos)</a></div></blockquote>
</div><div>
What kind of cancer does King Charles have?
We don’t know the type of cancer Charles has, or its stage. Buckingham Palace announced the king’s diagnosis on February 5, a week after he was released from a London hospital following unrelated treatment for an enlarged prostate. The <a href="https://www.royal.uk/a-statement-from-buckingham-palace-5Feb24">statement</a> read:<blockquote>During The King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer. His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties. Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual. The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible. His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.</blockquote>Palace officials confirmed Charles does not have prostate cancer, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/05/world/europe/king-charles-cancer.html">according to</a> the New York Times, but “made clear that they would not issue regular updates on the king’s condition, and they asked reporters not to attempt to contact those involved in his treatment.”It was unusual for the king to reveal he was being treated for an enlarged prostate, as the royals are extremely private about their health (for example, Queen Elizabeth II’s <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-63078676">official cause of death</a> at the age of 96 was listed as only “old age” on her death certificate).Prime Minister Rishi Sunak may have disclosed a small detail during a BBC radio interview days after Charles’s diagnosis. “Thankfully, this has been caught early,” he <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/king-charles-cancer-caught-early-prince-harry-flies-home-rcna137410">said</a>. “And now everyone will be wishing him that he gets the treatment that he needs and makes a full recovery.”
</div><div>
What treatment is the king receiving?
Charles began outpatient treatment on Monday, February 5. No further details have been released.
</div><div>
Is Charles still able to perform his royal duties?
The king initially stopped appearing at public events as he was undergoing treatment. But the Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/05/world/europe/king-charles-cancer.html">reported</a> that he was still conducting some royal business:<blockquote>Palace officials said the king would continue to carry out other duties, including his weekly meeting with the prime minister, as well as the daily pile of paperwork he completes as Britain’s head of state. Officials said there were no plans to appoint counselors of state to act in his place — a procedure that could signal that the sovereign was unable to fulfill his duties because of illness.</blockquote>On March 6 Buckingham Palace shared a photo of King Charles on a video call with the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4Lf2KesTQp/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4Lf2KesTQp/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4Lf2KesTQp/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily)</a></div></blockquote>A day later the palace posted more photos showing the king conducting royal duties in person. He was photographed greeting Samba Mamadou Ba, the ambassador from the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, and Nourredine Yazid, the ambassador from the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria. Charles also <a href="https://people.com/king-charles-photographed-meeting-buckingham-palace-amid-cancer-treatment-8604221">met</a> with Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt earlier in the week.<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4L2algswWe/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4L2algswWe/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4L2algswWe/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily)</a></div></blockquote>
</div><div>
Have there been any updates on Charles’s health?
On April 27, Buckingham Palace said King Charles’s progress has been encouraging and he will resume public engagements this week — though it won’t be a full return to royal duties. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68906421">Per</a> the BBC:<blockquote>“It is too early to say” for how much longer his treatment will continue, the palace said. It added that doctors were “very encouraged by the progress made so far and remain positive about the King’s continued recovery”. The type of cancer has not been disclosed, but the King’s medical team are “sufficiently pleased with the progress made so far that the King is now able to resume a number of public-facing duties”.</blockquote>On Tuesday, April 30 Charles and Camilla visited the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in London to show their support for cancer research and highlight the importance of getting an early diagnosis. (It is not the facility where the king is receiving treatment.) The king was smiling and looked healthy during the visit, and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/king-charles-visit-cancer-centre-his-return-public-duties-2024-04-29/">told</a> one patient, “I’m alright, thank you,” when asked about his health.<iframe class="youtube-player" type="text/html" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/EId3q8t_ppk?rel=0&enablejsapi=1" allowfullscreen frameborder="0"></iframe>
</div><div>
How has Queen Camilla responded to Charles’s diagnosis?
<a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2024/01/camilla-supports-king-charles-breaks-royal-hospital-rules.html">Queen Camilla</a>, who broke royal protocol by accompanying her husband to the hospital for his prostate procedure, is expected to continue her usual schedule of public engagements during his cancer treatment.After filling in for Charles at some official engagements she took her regularly scheduled <a href="https://www.thecut.com/article/queen-camilla-is-reportedly-taking-a-break-from-royal-duties.html">vacation</a> at the beginning of March — which, naturally, outraged some people. Camilla returned to royal duties on March 11.
</div><div>
How has Prince William responded to his father’s diagnosis?
Hours before Charles’s diagnosis was made public, it was announced that Prince William would return to public duties on February 7. He had taken time off to support his wife after her surgery.Prince William <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/prince-william-speaks-after-king-charles-cancer-diagnosis-princess-kate-surgery/">attended</a> an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on the morning of February 8. Later that evening he showed up to a gala dinner for London’s Air Ambulance Charity, which Tom Cruise also attended.“I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days,” William said at the gala.“It’s fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather medical focus, so I thought I’d come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all,” he joked.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Prince William thanked the nation for its ‘kind messages of support’ for his wife and father tonight He said the heartfelt words of comfort received by his family following Kate’s hospitalisation and King Charles’ shock cancer diagnosis ‘means a great deal to us all’. <a href="https://t.co/UmP8vTMT70">pic.twitter.com/UmP8vTMT70</a>— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) <a href="https://twitter.com/RE_DailyMail/status/1755336306010235163?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
</div><div>
How has Prince Harry responded to his father’s diagnosis?
Though <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2024/01/prince-harry-pilot-living-legend-aviation-award.html">Prince Harry</a>’s relationship with his father has been rocky since he stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and released a <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/revelations-prince-harry-book-spare-ranked.html">tell-all memoir</a> last year, Charles called Harry to break the news before the news was made public, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/king-charles-cancer-caught-early-prince-harry-flies-home-rcna137410">according to</a> a spokesperson for the prince and his wife Meghan Markle.Harry immediately took an 11-hour flight from Los Angeles to London to be with the king. Markle and their two young children, Archie and Lilibet, did not accompany Harry to the U.K.On February 6 the prince was spotted arriving at Clarence House, the king and queen’s London residence, where Charles was resting following outpatient treatment, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/feb/06/prince-harry-uk-king-charles-cancer-diagnosis">per</a> The Guardian. A short time after reuniting with Harry, Charles and Camilla were driven to Buckingham Palace. About ten minutes later, a helicopter took off from the palace grounds and later landed at the king’s Sandringham estate.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">BREAK: King Charles & Queen Camilla have left Buckingham Palace for Sandringham via helicopter. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KingCharlesIII?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KingCharlesIII</a> <a href="https://t.co/lu98KfGLL5">pic.twitter.com/lu98KfGLL5</a>— Oliver Whitfield-Miočić (@olivermiocic) <a href="https://twitter.com/olivermiocic/status/1754895360676217269?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2024</a></blockquote>
Harry spent the night in a London hotel, not a royal residence, and did not see his brother William, <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13054195/prince-harry-glady-accepted-reunion-william.html">according to</a> the Daily Mail. The prince <a href="https://people.com/prince-harry-spotted-london-airport-24-hours-meeting-king-charles-cancer-news-no-reunion-prince-william-8559951">left the U.K.</a> a day later.Harry talked about his father’s diagnosis in an <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/prince-harry-visiting-king-charles-after-cancer-diagnosis/story?id=107271548">interview</a> with Good Morning America that aired on February 16. The prince was in Whistler, British Columbia touring the site of the 2025 Invictus Games.“I jumped on a plane and went to go see him as soon as I could,” Harry said. “Look, I love my family. The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go and see him and spend any time with him, I’m grateful for that.”Harry declined to give more details on Charles’s health, saying that “stays between me and him.” But he revealed that he intends to visit his father again soon. “I’ve got other trips planned that will take me through the U.K., or back to the U.K., and so I’ll stop in and see my family as much as I can,” he said.When asked if Charles’s illness might have a “reunifying effect” on the family, Harry replied, “Absolutely. Yeah, I’m sure.”“Throughout all of these families, I see it on a day-to-day basis — again, the strength of the family unit coming together,” Harry said. “So, yeah, I think any illness, any sickness, brings families together. I see it time and time again, and that makes me very happy.”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">EXCLUSIVE: Prince Harry to <a href="https://twitter.com/ReeveWill?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ReeveWill</a> on visiting King Charles after cancer diagnosis: “I love my family. The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go see and spend anytime with him, I’m grateful for that.” <a href="https://t.co/yDp82WU7Bk">https://t.co/yDp82WU7Bk</a> <a href="https://t.co/lO0cebeO9i">pic.twitter.com/lO0cebeO9i</a>— Good Morning America (@GMA) <a href="https://twitter.com/GMA/status/1758471644228592016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
</div><div>
What happens if Charles can’t perform his duties at all?
If King Charles is temporarily unable to conduct his constitutional duties, two “counselors of state” can be appointed to carry out official business. CNN has more <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/05/uk/king-charles-cancer-explainer-intl-gbr/index.html">details</a>:<blockquote>Two counselors can be appointed to act on the monarch’s behalf through what’s known as a letters patent and help keep the state ticking over. They would be authorized to sign documents, attend Privy Council meetings, and receive new ambassadors, but not perform some of the most important constitutional roles, such as appointing a Prime Minister. CNN understands there are no current plans to appoint any counselors.</blockquote>Usually, the counsellor of state position can go to the monarch’s spouse and the first four people in the line of succession over the age of 21. After Prince Andrew and Prince Harry ceased being “working royals,” Charles <a href="https://people.com/royals/princess-anne-prince-edward-king-charles-counsellors-of-state/">added two of his siblings</a> to the list in 2022. Since Harry no longer resides in the U.K., the following people are eligible to fill this role: Queen Camilla, Prince William, Prince Andrew, Princess Beatrice, Prince Edward, and Princess Anne.
</div><div>
Will King Charles abdicate?
That does not appear to be under consideration at the moment, and there is a step between appointing counsellors of state and Charles permanently giving up the throne.If the monarch is completely unable to fulfill their duties, the person next in line to the throne, in this case Prince William, could fully assume those powers as regent. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/05/uk/king-charles-cancer-explainer-intl-gbr/index.html">Per</a> CNN:<blockquote>For that to happen, there has to be medical evidence “that the Sovereign is by reason of infirmity of mind or body incapable for the time being of performing the royal functions” or “is for some definite cause not available for the performance of those functions.” A panel of four needs to be satisfied with the evidence by a majority vote. That panel consists of the Lord Chancellor, the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Lord Chief Justice of England, the Master of the Rolls, and The Queen. They would need to declare their decision in writing and would also declare if or when the King is ready to resume his duties. In the meantime, Prince William would act in his name.</blockquote>Once Charles recovers, William could relinquish the role of regent with the declaration of a “cessation of incapacity.”
</div><div>
Who is next in the British line of succession?
The royal website features a list of the next <a href="https://www.royal.uk/encyclopedia/succession">24 people</a> in line to the throne. From the top, the order is Prince William; his children George, Charlotte, and Louis; then Prince Harry; his children Archie and Lilibet; and Prince Andrew.This post has been updated throughout. 
</div><div>More on the royals<ul><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/king-charles-cancer-news.html">How Are King Charles & Kate Middleton Doing? Latest Health Updates.</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/senior-royals-snubbing-prince-harry.html">Senior Royals Are Still Snubbing Prince Harry</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/what-its-like-covering-kate-middleton-and-the-royal-family.html">What It’s Like to Be a Member of the Royal Press Pack</a></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>Kristi Noem Killed Her Dog. Why Is She Telling Us This?</title>
<link>http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/kristi-noem-killed-dog.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 14:47:00 GMT</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/kristi-noem-killed-dog.html</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Why does Trump’s potential VP pick tell a story about fatally shooting a puppy she “hated” in her new book? Here are the top four theories.]]></description>
<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/381/573/4ad357bff7b420a8a42ced84b7275d7356-Kristi-Noem.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
<category>early and often,politics,kristi noem,donald trump</category>
<dc:creator>Margaret Hartmann</dc:creator>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/381/573/4ad357bff7b420a8a42ced84b7275d7356-Kristi-Noem.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg">
<figcaption>Photo: Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>Despite being <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/noem-potential-trump-vp-pick-banned-from-15-of-her-state.html">banned</a> from a chunk of her own state, holding extreme <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-boots-anti-abortion-extremists-from-his-vp-shortlist.html">anti-abortion</a> views, and getting <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/kristi-noem-faces-lawsuit-promoting-texas-dentist-social-media-rcna143325">sued</a> over a weird infomercial-style plug for her dentist, South Dakota governor <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/07/super-patriot-kristi-noem-really-hates-this-america.html">Kristi Noem</a> still appears to be hovering near the top of <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-vp-pick-2024-candidates-odds.html">Donald Trump’s VP shortlist</a> — but maybe not for long!Noem’s book <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kristi-noem/no-going-back/9781546008163/?lens=center-street">No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong With Politics and How We Move America Forward</a> is set to be published on May 7. As you can tell from that title, this is one of those books politicians typically release when they’re campaigning to be selected as their party’s vice-presidential nominee. But The Guardian’s Martin Pengelly obtained a copy of the book and found it contains a very atypical anecdote about Noem killing her dog.Perhaps you’re thinking, Come on — it can’t be that bad! I assure you it is. I bet the dog was old. It was a 14-month-old puppy. Well, the dog was probably sick. She was healthy and “having the time of her life.” The dog must have mauled a kid or something. She just killed some chickens, after being trained to hunt birds. Surely Noem found a humane way to put the dog down. She took the dog to a gravel pit and fatally shot it. Okay, but at least Noem loved her dog? “I hated that dog,” Noem writes.Here’s the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/apr/26/trump-kristi-noem-shot-dog-and-goat-book">full story</a>, per The Guardian:<blockquote>“Cricket was a wirehair pointer, about 14 months old,” the <a href="https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2Fsouth-dakota">South Dakota</a> governor writes in a new book, adding that the dog, a female, had an “aggressive personality” and needed to be trained to be used for hunting pheasant. By taking Cricket on a pheasant hunt with older dogs, Noem says, she hoped to calm the young dog down and begin to teach her how to behave. Unfortunately, Cricket ruined the hunt, going “out of her mind with excitement, chasing all those birds and having the time of her life.”Noem describes calling Cricket, then using an electronic collar to attempt to bring her under control. Nothing worked. Then, on the way home after the hunt, as Noem stopped to talk to a local family, Cricket escaped Noem’s truck and attacked the family’s chickens, “grabb[ing] one chicken at a time, crunching it to death with one bite, then dropping it to attack another.” Cricket the untrainable dog, Noem writes, behaved like “a trained assassin.” When Noem finally grabbed Cricket, she says, the dog “whipped around to bite me.” Then, as the chickens’ owner wept, Noem repeatedly apologised, wrote the shocked family a check “for the price they asked, and helped them dispose of the carcasses littering the scene of the crime.” Through it all, Noem says, Cricket was “the picture of pure joy”. “I hated that dog,” Noem writes, adding that Cricket had proved herself “untrainable,” “dangerous to anyone she came in contact with” and “less than worthless … as a hunting dog.”</blockquote>Noem writes that she “realized I had to put her down,” so she got her gun and led Cricket to a gravel pit. “It was not a pleasant job,” she writes, “but it had to be done. And after it was over, I realized another unpleasant job needed to be done.”Oh, you thought this bloody tale of animal cruelty was done? Nope! Noem then decided she had to murder the family’s “nasty and mean” goat, too, so she dragged it to the same gravel pit and took a shot — but the goat jumped away and survived. As Noem went back to get another shell from her truck, she noticed a construction crew saw her kill both animals. Then her kids’ school bus pulled up.<blockquote>“Kennedy looked around confused,” Noem writes of her daughter, who asked: “Hey, where’s Cricket?”</blockquote>On Friday afternoon, Noem suggested on X that anyone upset by her folksy tale of puppy murder just doesn’t understand how things work in Real America:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden">We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm. Sadly, we just had to put down 3 horses a few weeks ago that had been in our family for 25 years. If you want more real, honest, and politically INcorrect stories that’ll have the media gasping,… <a href="https://t.co/bKhpUkchHV">pic.twitter.com/bKhpUkchHV</a>— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) <a href="https://twitter.com/KristiNoem/status/1783849977409671483?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></blockquote>
Then on Sunday, <a href="https://twitter.com/KristiNoem/status/1784631108207849781">Noem responded to the uproar again</a>, insisting that she had the legal right and obligation to gun down her own dog and “was being a responsible parent, dog owner, and neighbor” by doing so:<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/a42/7fc/2bdf0b5da8838ac060c2c922314f4a18cf-29-noem.2x.w710.png" alt="">
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>And on May 1, <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/kristi-noem-dog-killer-hannity.html">Noem defended her decision on Hannity</a>, claiming that 14-month-old Cricket “was not a puppy” and painting her as a dangerous doggie superpredator. “Once an animal like this starts killing, and starts killing just because they enjoy it, that is a very dangerous animal,” Noem said. She also blamed the debacle on the “fake news” misrepresenting the facts.<iframe class="youtube-player" type="text/html" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/CGKjLHoswsA?rel=0&enablejsapi=1" allowfullscreen frameborder="0"></iframe>Sure, most journalists I know have never fatally shot a pet — but neither have the majority of American voters, whom this book is clearly meant to appeal to. So why did Noem include this story in her book? Here, some possible explanations:Theory #1: Kristi Noem is an incredibly bad politician.This is actually the reason Noem provides in the book. “I guess if I were a better politician I wouldn’t tell the story here,” she writes.Indeed, you don’t have to be a keen political analyst to predict that a story about hurting dogs wouldn’t go over well with Americans. You just have to be a person who was alive in 2012 and remembers <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2012/08/mitt-romney-ferret-dishwasher-tea-party.html">Mitt Romney</a> being roasted for making his diarrhea-ridden dog ride on the roof of the family car. Or even someone who knows the plot of 101 Dalmatians.According to The Guardian, the point of Noem’s story is that she’ll do anything “difficult, messy and ugly” if it simply needs to be done. Presumably, there was a less upsetting way for her to express this. Unless …Theory #2: Kristi Noem is trying to get ahead of the story.Perhaps Noem only saw two options: tell this story now with a folksy spin, or see “Trump’s VP pick is a dog killer” become an “October surprise” when those construction workers who witnessed the incident go to the media.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden">Now think the more conventional explanation makes more sense: She wants to be Trump's VP, but she knows (or was advised) that this story's out there and she had to prove she could survive the hit in order to be considered. Get the bad news out of the way. <a href="https://t.co/uKjF9AuvAk">https://t.co/uKjF9AuvAk</a>— Mickey Kaus (@kausmickey) <a href="https://twitter.com/kausmickey/status/1784674514263306423?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2024</a></blockquote>
Theory #3: Kristi Noem is trying to impress Trump, and he hates dogs.The GOP’s vice-presidential nominee isn’t going to be selected via a nationwide vote; the decision comes down to one guy who reportedly thinks owning pets is “<a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/04/whos-leading-the-2020-democratic-puppy-primary.html">low class</a>.” Julie Alderman Boudreau, presidential-research director for American Bridge 21st Century, offered this <a href="https://twitter.com/juliealdermanb/status/1783855608778637356?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1783855608778637356%7Ctwgr%5Edecf36a86f5a44a1b8f37a0a56a061401953571f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnymag.com%2Fintelligencer%2F_pages%2Fclvgtv6ed00000ihlxry2ok3z.html">explanation</a>:<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/a7e/74f/6dc056c046add5c19d897f50621ce6f15e-26-noem-dog.2x.w710.png" alt="">
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>This is an intriguing idea, but eventually wussy, animal-loving Americans will get a say on who winds up in the White House. And presumably the only pet story the Trump team wants to talk about over the next six months is <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/biden-dog-commander-biting-scandal.html">Biden’s bite-y (yet still living) dog</a>.Various Trump World sources have suggested the controversy isn’t helping Noem’s chances of being picked for the VP slot. One Trump ally <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/04/29/us-news/kristi-noem-has-no-shot-as-trumps-vp-pick-after-puppy-killing-controversy-sources/">told</a> the New York Post that his team was “bewildered” by the dog story.“She was already unlikely to be picked as VP, but had a shot,” the person said. “After this, it’s just impossible.”Theory #4: Kristi Noem wants off Trump’s VP shortlist.Is Noem’s tale an intentional act of self-sabotage? That’s the theory put forth by Semafor’s Benjy Sarlin:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden">I am 100% convinced at this point Kristi Noem doesn’t want to be Trump’s running mate, but doesn’t want to offend him by turning it down, and is pulling a Producers instead <a href="https://t.co/YrVaJaqAkc">https://t.co/YrVaJaqAkc</a> <a href="https://t.co/JZ1UmTuLN6">pic.twitter.com/JZ1UmTuLN6</a>— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenjySarlin/status/1783850598267298196?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2024</a></blockquote>
Why fade away into obscurity when you can make yourself a political legend as the GOP’s own Cruella de Vil?This post has been updated.<div>More politics<ul><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/donald-trump-hush-money-trial-recap.html">What Happened in the Trump Trial Today: Cohen’s Data Dump</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/college-protests-its-not-1968-to-joe-biden.html">It’s Not 1968 to Joe Biden</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/kristi-noem-dog-killer-hannity.html">Kristi Noem Says Dog She Shot Was the Real Killer</a></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Secret Tape That Will Roil the Trump Trial</title>
<link>http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/michael-cohens-secret-tapes-will-roil-the-trump-trial.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 10:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/michael-cohens-secret-tapes-will-roil-the-trump-trial.html</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Michael Cohen recorded his former client and boss. Prosecutors will wish he hadn’t.]]></description>
<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/c04/94a/063e6422b6de2c03e59bc28da98bab20b3-michael-cohen.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
<category>the law,michael cohen,donald trump,trump hush money trial</category>
<dc:creator>Elie Honig</dc:creator>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/c04/94a/063e6422b6de2c03e59bc28da98bab20b3-michael-cohen.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg">
<figcaption>Photo: Alex Kent/AFP via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>During my career as a prosecutor, anytime I worked a case involving a large mafia takedown, defense lawyers would sidle up throughout arraignment day and ask this one key question: “So, is this a tape case?” There’s no insider lingo involved here; tape meant “tape,” as in, “Do you have my guy on tape?” When I’d answer “nope,” I’d see eyebrows raise in a Maybe there’s hope for my guy yet manner. But when I answered “yes,” I’d typically get a quick nod communicating that the defense lawyer understood it would be all about negotiating a guilty plea from that point on.Indeed, tapes are the prosecutor’s best friend — usually. But when Michael Cohen <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/07/24/the-trump-michael-cohen-tape-transcript-annotated/">secretly recorded a phone call</a> with his own client Donald trump in September 2016, he created a piece of evidence that could become a key part of Trump’s defense in his ongoing criminal trial in Manhattan.It’s not all bad news for the prosecutors, of course. The tape confirms an important pillar of the district attorney’s case: Trump plainly knew about and approved of hush money payments to women with whom he had allegedly had sexual dalliances years before. But that was never seriously in dispute. Trump’s lawyer conceded as much during his <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-opening-stormy-daniels-6beee9b99114898ee0dd60185d43bac5">opening statement</a>.Remember that the crime here is not payment of hush money — it’s falsification of business records around those payments to evade campaign-finance laws. The crime, in other words, lies in the accounting behind the hush-money payments. And Cohen’s tape casts doubt on a central element that the prosecution must prove to the jury beyond a reasonable doubt: that Trump was involved in the fraudulent scheme to structure reimbursements to Cohen to make the hush-money payments look like legal expenses.Let’s set the scene for Cohen’s recording of Trump. It’s September 2016, two months before the election. Cohen decides — for reasons that remain unclear but surely will be explored in depth when he testifies — to record a phone call with Trump without Trump’s knowledge. While it wasn’t illegal for Cohen to record his client, it was bizarre and brazenly unethical. Ask any defense lawyer whether he’s ever secretly recorded a client and watch him respond like you’ve just asked whether he ever ate a banana with the peel on. He’ll be more confused than offended. Why would anyone do that? Perhaps tellingly, Cohen never voluntarily came forward with the recording. Rather, the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/23/politics/cohen-trump-audio-recordings/index.html">FBI seized</a> it from his office when they executed a search warrant in 2018. Any plausible explanation here will hurt Cohen’s credibility as a witness. Did Cohen secretly record other clients, too? Did he tape conversations with Trump beyond this one? If so, did he preserve or delete those recordings? Any claim by Cohen that he was playing good cop and trying to catch Trump in the act won’t fly. Cohen stayed by Trump’s side and continued to do his bidding for nearly another two years before he flipped in 2018 after the FBI search.The <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/07/24/the-trump-michael-cohen-tape-transcript-annotated/">September 2016 call</a> begins with Trump talking to somebody offline about unrelated business. When Trump turns his attention to the call, Cohen opens with “Great poll, by the way.” It’s jarring now, given Cohen’s all-consuming public hatred for Trump, to recall a time when Cohen was an eager sycophant, yelping giddily about any snippet of good news for the boss man.Cohen quickly raises the then-ongoing effort to pay off former Playboy model Karen McDougal, to “catch and kill” her story — to buy the rights and then bury it, that is. (The McDougal payoff is not part of the indictment, but the judge has ruled that the DA can introduce it as evidence to support the charged crimes, which center on a separate but similar scheme to pay off Stormy Daniels.)Cohen explains to Trump that “I need to open up a company for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend David [Pecker], you know, so that — I’m going to do that right away … And I’ve spoken to Allen Weisselberg about how to set the whole thing up with …” Pecker was the DA’s first witness at trial; he was the chair of AMI, the company that published the National Enquirer, and he worked closely with Trump and Cohen to execute the “catch and kill” strategy. Weisselberg is the longtime Trump Organization chief financial officer, currently behind bars for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/10/nyregion/allen-weisselberg-sentenced-trump.html">committing perjury</a> in the Trump Organization civil fraud trial earlier this year.Read Cohen’s words again and ask: Who exactly set up the accounting behind the hush-money payments? Remember — the crime isn’t the payment, it’s the structuring of those payments to make them look like legal expenses. On the recording, Cohen (the lawyer) explains to Trump (the client) that he has spoken with Weisselberg (the CFO) “about how to set the whole thing up.” Trump is characteristically uninterested in the nuances. He cuts Cohen off with a bottom-line question: “So what do we got to pay for this? One-fifty?” Trump obviously knows about and agrees to make the payments. But importantly, Cohen never actually explains to Trump how the payments will be structured. All Cohen says is that he and Weisselberg will “set the whole thing up.”Moments later, after some irrelevant cross talk, this exchange happens:<blockquote>COHEN: So, I’m all over that. And, I spoke to Allen about it, when it comes time for the financing, which will be — TRUMP: Wait a sec, what financing? COHEN: Well, I’ll have to pay him something. TRUMP: [Unintelligible] pay with cash … COHEN: No, no, no, no, no. I got it. TRUMP: … check. </blockquote>Once again, the dynamic is apparent. Trump is fine with paying McDougal to ensure her silence. But Cohen is the one handling the mechanics and internal accounting behind those payments. If anything, Trump seems clueless. It’s a bit unclear whether Trump suggests they pay by cash or by check. Either way, Cohen has something more complicated in mind — “the financing,” as he puts it. And when Trump suggests a straightforward one-time payment (“pay with cash,” likely meaning pay up front without financing, as a former Trump lawyer has <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/michael-cohen-s-lawyer-airs-cash-recording-disputes-trump-team-n894336">reasonably explained</a>), Cohen blows him off in favor of something more complicated: “No, no, no, no, no. I got it.”This, folks, is a problem for the prosecutors. Sure, they’ll advocate for a more favorable interpretation of the call. They’ll argue that the tape shows Trump knew about the McDougal hush-money payments (which he did) and that he spoke with Cohen about how to make those payments. But the tape makes plain that when it came to how those payments would be structured, transmitted, and internally logged — the actual crime charged, with respect to the Daniels payments — Cohen and Weisselberg led the way with Trump dimly apprised, if at all.The DA’s case has come in smoothly, so far, and it remains more likely than not that the jury will find Trump guilty. But I assure you: Prosecutors wish Cohen had never hit “record” on that call with his own client. Even if Cohen’s secret recording is a stalemate of sorts — even if it cuts both ways, helps and hurts both sides in some measure — that’s a problem for prosecutors. They’re the ones who have to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. As we prosecutors would sometimes say: If you’re explaining, you’re losing.This article originally appeared in the free <a href="https://cafe.com/article/the-stay-tuned-newsletter/">CAFE Brief</a> newsletter. You can find more analysis of law and politics from Elie Honig, Preet Bharara, Joyce Vance, and other CAFE contributors at <a href="http://cafe.com/">CAFE.com</a><div>More on the Trump Trial<ul><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/michael-cohens-secret-tapes-will-roil-the-trump-trial.html">The Secret Tape That Will Roil the Trump Trial</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trumps-beautiful-blue-eyes.html">Trump: I’m Not Sleeping in Court, I’m Resting My ‘Beautiful Blue Eyes’</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/what-does-donald-trump-gag-order-mean.html">Donald Trump Is a Special Kind of Courtroom-Discipline Problem</a></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>It’s Not 1968 to Joe Biden</title>
<link>http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/college-protests-its-not-1968-to-joe-biden.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 09:01:08 GMT</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/college-protests-its-not-1968-to-joe-biden.html</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The president isn’t worried about campus protests sinking the youth vote. Should he be?]]></description>
<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/e66/aca/edbc440cb2a3d7c05da031782b4b64dc06-Biden-1968.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
<category>the inside game,politics,early and often,the clash on campus,israel-hamas war,school protests,antisemitism,joe biden,israel-palestine,2024 presidential election,young voters</category>
<dc:creator>Gabriel Debenedetti</dc:creator>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/e66/aca/edbc440cb2a3d7c05da031782b4b64dc06-Biden-1968.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg">
<figcaption>Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photos: Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>For about a week, <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/biden-is-losing-the-election-in-the-center-not-the-left.html">Joe Biden</a> seemed confident that he’d said enough about the spreading <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/student-palestine-protesters-school-their-universities.html">campus protests</a> against <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/what-its-like-to-be-a-unicef-aid-worker-shot-at-in-gaza.html">Israel’s war in Gaza</a>. He had mostly held back, occasionally condemning <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/biden-statement-condemn-anti-semitism-palestinians-going-on-campus-protests.html">antisemitism</a> at the demonstrations and the forcible takeover of buildings, <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/columbias-hamilton-hall-takeover-photos-from-inside.html">like at Columbia</a>. He’d also gone out of his way to add denunciations of “those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians” but sought to avoid getting sucked into the quickly widening political maw.It took two days of <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/counterprotesters-shoot-fireworks-into-ucla-encampment.html">violence on campuses</a> on both coasts for the president to conclude he had to speak out more clearly. His message on Thursday morning was unambiguous: “We’ve all seen images, and they put to the test two fundamental American principles,” Biden said from the White House. “The first is the right to free speech and for people to peacefully assemble and make their voices heard. The second is the rule of law. Both must be upheld.” As he defended protesters’ rights to share their views and deplored discrimination and bigotry against Jews, Muslims, Arab Americans, and Palestinian Americans, he zeroed in on the idea that “violent protest is not protected. Peaceful protest is. It’s against the law when violence occurs.” Speaking in the Roosevelt Room, he continued: “Destroying property is not peaceful protest. It’s against the law. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations — none of this is a peaceful protest.”Biden’s reticence to weigh in aggressively early on had a lot to do with his primary focuses, which were far from any American campus: T<a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/bidens-leverage-campaign-against-bibi-isnt-enough-in-gaza.html">rying to pressure</a> Israeli leader <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/israelis-are-hostages-of-netanyahu.html">Benjamin Netanyahu</a> to scale back his assault on Gaza and to strike a ceasefire deal with Hamas that would secure the release of the remaining Israeli hostages.But in his stance it was also impossible to miss a skepticism, shared by many of his allies, that young voters will actually abandon him en masse over Gaza. (Many of Biden’s allies have recently noted the <a href="https://iop.harvard.edu/youth-poll/47th-edition-spring-2024">Harvard Youth Poll</a> showing that young voters ranked the war 15th in importance out of 16 issues presented to them, far behind first-place inflation.) Even so, it is an article of faith among some prominent Democrats in his camp that a ceasefire could significantly ease the current pressure that he is feeling from young voters. His remarks showed that he has a greater long-term concern about civility and the perception of chaos — a line pushed by <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/republicans-campus-protest-law-order.html">many of his Republican critics</a> in the past week.The protesters, many Bidenites conclude, are not representative of the broader youth population, and the encampments may fade away once summer vacation begins. They believe the dynamic is reminiscent of a familiar one for Biden: Young activists seeking to push him left ultimately siding with him over the unacceptable alternative presented by Trump’s Republicans. When House Speaker Mike Johnson visited Columbia, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for one— no fan of Biden’s Gaza policy — cheered students for booing Johnson but focused on an issue that unites Democrats, not the protests Johnson was there to talk about. (“Good,” she <a href="https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1783229718407307482">posted</a>, “he’s trying to take all their reproductive rights away.”)The administration’s restrained response also reflects its rejection of a common comparison of 2024 to 1968. Some around Biden have begun rolling their eyes at the frequent invocations of ’68 in the press, arguing that while that tumultuous year — marked by campus protests, in some cases in the same buildings as this spring — is now used as a shorthand for chaos, actual similarities to the present are limited. (If there is any parallel to be drawn, some allies posit, it is to 2020. Plenty of Democratic leaders maintain that they would have won more widely then if not for some in the party embracing “Defund the police” amid that summer of protest.) Biden, who did not join the Vietnam War protests as a young lawyer, still remembers the political backlash to that year’s demonstrations. He has talked on occasion about quitting his law firm to become a public defender in Wilmington when it was occupied by the National Guard following Martin Luther King, Jr.’s murder that year. Jill Biden, whom he married a few years later, had known one of the students shot at Kent State in 1970. By 1972, the Washington that greeted him upon his election to the Senate had transformed, jerked right by backlash to the antiwar and civil-rights movements and unrest in major cities as Richard Nixon’s law-and-order campaign and administration dug in.That’s not to say everyone in Biden world is exactly confident about young voters on their left this time, particularly given all the polling that shows Biden performing relatively poorly with the group. For months, both Biden and Kamala Harris have been hosting smaller-than-typical campaign events for fear of disruptions — even their first big abortion-focused rally this year was interrupted repeatedly by pro-ceasefire demonstrators. There has been apprehension around the White House that Biden’s coming convocation speech at Morehouse College could be peppered with protests, too. They are closely monitoring Columbia, where Doug Emhoff has spoken with leaders of the school’s Jewish community about antisemitism. The university official in charge of the public affairs is a former Biden aide, and a number of its trustees have been in the Biden orbit, including private-equity investor Mark Gallogly, who worked under John Kerry in Biden’s administration, former Obama Homeland Security secretary Jeh Johnson, and journalist Claire Shipman, the board co-chair who is married to Biden’s former communications director Jay Carney.Still, the tentative overall approach could also be a result of an emerging split in top Democratic ranks about just how worried Biden should be. The prevailing view is similar to the one summed up by John Della Volpe, the director of the Harvard poll and an adviser to Biden in 2020. “The top line to me is this issue is similar to climate: Among young people, for the candidates they would even consider voting for, there needs to be recognition and sympathy for innocent civilians, whether it’s the 30-odd-thousand in Palestine or the kidnapped victims and other civilians in Israel. That is the most important thing,” he said, suggesting that Biden was meeting this mark.Others aren’t so sure. Proponents of this view don’t doubt the Harvard findings that Gaza is far from the top of most young voters’ priorities list, but they worry that it is the animating concern for the specific young voters who are peeling away from Biden himself even as they say they support Democrats down-ballot. “This is kind of classic Biden land, where it’s like, ‘Don’t worry, it’ll all work itself out,’” says one senior Democrat who has known Biden for years. “A lot of times, it does! Except young people are really hard to get to and communicate with, and I’m not sure they really give a fuck right now” about Biden’s pressure on Netanyahu. “The Biden way is just to dismiss it. I say dismiss it at your own peril.”In discussions with Biden allies, it’s not uncommon to hear a final note of cautious optimism about even some of the protesters. Some are hopeful that a ceasefire could be reached before November, or even before this summer’s convention in Chicago (where, in 1968, protesters clashed with police). Sentiment around the war could still shift. “It could change on a dot,” says Della Volpe. “If a peace deal gets brokered, then Biden could enjoy a well-deserved bump.” It wasn’t a prediction, but you don’t have to look back to 1968 to know how much can change in the final six months of an election.In public, Biden has been unbudging even as he has made a point in recent weeks of meeting with critics of his Gaza approach, including a quiet sit-down in the Oval Office two weeks ago with Bernie Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez. (No one aligned with any of them will say a word about what was discussed, except that Biden heard them out. Before they met, Biden said of the congresswoman, “I learned a long time ago to listen to that lady.”) Asked on Thursday as he left the lectern whether the protests had given him reason to rethink his policies on the war, Biden answered simply “no.”<div>More on the ongoing campus protests<ul><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/the-nypds-outside-agitators-columbia-claim-is-thin-so-far.html">NYPD Attempts to Back Up ‘Outside Agitators’ Columbia Claim</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/counterprotesters-shoot-fireworks-into-ucla-encampment.html">Police Shoot Nonlethal Bullets at UCLA Students</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/biden-is-losing-the-election-in-the-center-not-the-left.html">Biden Is Losing the Election in the Center, Not the Left</a></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>Kristi Noem Says Dog She Shot Was the Real Killer</title>
<link>http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/kristi-noem-dog-killer-hannity.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 22:27:32 GMT</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/kristi-noem-dog-killer-hannity.html</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The governor responded to the “dog killer” scandal on Hannity by emphasizing that Cricket was a “dangerous” jerk who killed “for fun.”]]></description>
<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/30d/362/42b6254d743363acff78aa2a26bcc89034-GettyImages-1251836950.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
<category>early and often,kristi noem,sean hannity,politics</category>
<dc:creator>Margaret Hartmann</dc:creator>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/30d/362/42b6254d743363acff78aa2a26bcc89034-GettyImages-1251836950.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg">
<figcaption>Photo: Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images/=</figcaption>
</figure><a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/07/super-patriot-kristi-noem-really-hates-this-america.html">Kristi Noem</a> is in a tough spot. The best way to avoid having to tell Americans why you should still be on <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-vp-pick-2024-candidates-odds.html">Donald Trump’s VP short list</a> despite killing your dog is to not take your 14-month-old puppy to a gravel pit and <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/kristi-noem-killed-dog.html">fatally shoot it</a>. The second best way is to not tell that story in your own book. Unfortunately, neither of those options is available to Noem, so she had to go with a third option: explain yourself in an incredibly sympathetic interview with Sean Hannity.In a way, the South Dakota governor’s Wednesday-night appearance on Fox News could not have gone better. Hannity brought up <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/biden-dog-commander-biting-scandal.html">Joe Biden’s bite-y dog</a> twice and came close to suggesting that the president should have put down Commander. He ended the interview by not only encouraging viewers to purchase No Going Back, but explaining how to do so. “The book is available, by the way, online. You go to <a href="http://Amazon.com">Amazon.com</a>,” he said.Best of all, Hannity offered no pushback as Noem hit her talking points. The governor argued that the “dog killer” debacle is all the “fake news” media’s fault:<blockquote>“Well, Sean, you know how the fake news works. They leave out some or most of the facts of a story, they put the worst spin on it, and that’s what happened in this case.”</blockquote>She claimed that 14-month-old Cricket wasn’t a “<a href="https://www.purina.com/articles/dog/puppy/health/when-is-a-dog-not-a-puppy">puppy</a>”:<blockquote>“Because the truth of this story is that this was a working dog, and it was not a puppy.” </blockquote>Noem painted Cricket as a monster who enjoyed killing:<blockquote>“It was a dog that was extremely dangerous; it had come to us from a family who had found her way too aggressive. We were her second chance. And the day she was put down was the day she massacred livestock that were part of our neighbors’. She attacked me. And it was a hard decision. Farmers and ranchers, they expect it. They know that once an animal like this starts killing, and starts killing just because they enjoy it, that is a very dangerous animal.”</blockquote>And Noem presented herself as a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mama_grizzly">mama grizzly</a> who had to protect her children (and the “small kiddos” who <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/02/labor-shortages-child-labor-migrants.html">worked at her business</a>?):<blockquote>“I do hope people read the facts of the story and truly understand that I’m a mom, and at the time I had small children and a lot of small kiddos that worked around our business and people, and I wanted to make sure that they were safe. And that dogs that have this kind of a problem, that have been to training for months and still kill for fun, they are extremely dangerous, and a responsible owner does what they need to do and what the law will allow.” </blockquote><iframe class="youtube-player" type="text/html" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/CGKjLHoswsA?rel=0&enablejsapi=1" allowfullscreen frameborder="0"></iframe>Despite this capably delivered, MAGA-y spin, the interview probably won’t save Noem, because all she really did was double down on the original problem with the Cricket story. If Noem’s book included a story about her wrestling with the decision to put down a loved but dangerous hunting dog, then tearfully concluding that putting her down herself was the most humane option, it would’ve been controversial but maybe not career ending.Instead, in the book, Noem reportedly emphasizes that Cricket was young and “having the time of her life.” She remarks, “I hated that dog” and calls Cricket “less than worthless … as a hunting dog.” Then she make the story even weirder by mentioning a botched attempt to put down her goat, and her confused daughter asking, “Hey, where’s Cricket?”Noem told Hannity “it was a hard decision” and claimed “I’m a dog lover.” But her broader point is still that Cricket was a real jerk and she wasn’t that torn up about taking out this canine super-predator. It seems Noem told a story to sound tough and folksy and wound up MAGA girlboss-ing too close to the sun.<div>More kristi noem<ul><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/kristi-noem-killed-dog.html">Kristi Noem Killed Her Dog. Why Is She Telling Us This?</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-boots-anti-abortion-extremists-from-his-vp-shortlist.html">Trump Boots Anti-Abortion Extremists From His VP Shortlist</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/noem-potential-trump-vp-pick-banned-from-15-of-her-state.html">Noem, Potential Trump VP Pick, Banned From 15 Percent of Her State</a></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>Trump: I’m Not Sleeping in Court, I’m Resting My ‘Beautiful Blue Eyes’</title>
<link>http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trumps-beautiful-blue-eyes.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 20:57:12 GMT</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trumps-beautiful-blue-eyes.html</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The defense Trump posted on Truth Social is about as believable as claiming his dog ate documents about his hush-money payments.]]></description>
<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/137/cd6/77ac902258adfe1e6aef653795ac51866e-trump-sleepy.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
<category>tremendous content,donald trump,politics,trump hush money trial,trump on trial</category>
<dc:creator>Margaret Hartmann</dc:creator>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/137/cd6/77ac902258adfe1e6aef653795ac51866e-trump-sleepy.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg">
<figcaption>Photo: Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure><a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trumps-second-term-agenda.html">Donald Trump</a> often denies stories in a way that just provides more evidence that the underlying claim is true. For example, months after the New York Times first reported that Trump was stressing about finding a good <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/donald-trump-ron-desantis-nickname-ranked.html">nickname for Ron DeSantis</a>, he declared he <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/02/trump-insult-meatball-ron-is-better-than-desanctimonious.html">“doesn’t even think about it,”</a> seemingly confirming that he’d been stewing for some time. And in February, weeks after an anonymously sourced report claimed <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2024/01/trump-popularity-taylor-swift.html">Trump was obsessing</a> about <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/taylor-swift-endorse-joe-biden.html">Taylor Swift endorsing Joe Biden</a>, the former president went on Truth Social and <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-practically-begs-taylor-swift-not-to-endorse-biden.html">practically begged</a> the pop star not to back his opponent.Now Trump is at it again. He <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112372819456433498">posted</a> this defense of his frequent naps during his <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/donald-trump-hush-money-trial-recap.html">hush-money trial</a> to Truth Social on Thursday afternoon:<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/c26/e64/4edcdd8159f723b0572d1a23664b574f09-2-trump-eyes.2x.w710.png" alt="">
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>Last month, Rolling Stone <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-is-furious-that-he-got-caught-sleeping-in-his-trial.html">reported</a> that Trump “has privately raged over … reports that he can’t stop dozing off” in court. The story was pretty embarrassing for Trump; it claimed his perceived enemies (journalists and late-night talk-show hosts) were really getting under his skin by mocking his courtroom antics. Nevertheless, everyone would have forgotten the story fairly quickly if Trump had (a) ignored it and (b) managed to keep his eyes open during his hush-money trial.Instead, <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-asleep-hush-money-trial.html">Trump fell asleep in court for a fourth time</a> on Wednesday. And now he’s posted this absurd defense, which doesn’t explain why reporters keep seeing him closing his eyes, dropping his chin to his chest, and letting his head jerk “in a way consistent with sleeping,” as one reporter put it.But, sure, Trump is just determined to “take it ALL in!!!” as he’s forced to sit through the “Crooked D.A.’s Witch Hunt.” And maybe his nonexistent dog ate some key documents about his hush-money payments.<div>More tremendous content<ul><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trumps-beautiful-blue-eyes.html">Trump: I’m Not Sleeping in Court, I’m Resting My ‘Beautiful Blue Eyes’</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-is-furious-that-he-got-caught-sleeping-in-his-trial.html">Trump Is Furious He Got Caught Sleeping in Court</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/melania-trump-mothers-day-selling-necklace.html">Melania Trump Honors ‘All Mothers’ by Selling Ugly $245 Necklace</a></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>MTG and Gaetz Manage to Smear Both Jews and Fellow Christians</title>
<link>http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/mtg-gates-antisemitism-bill.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 19:25:04 GMT</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/mtg-gates-antisemitism-bill.html</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The House antisemitism bill rightly rejects the doctrine that Jews are responsible for Jesus’s death. They say it’s an essential Christian belief.]]></description>
<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/723/a93/50621298c3503b87f615b75b1c2e3c659c-Marjorie-Taylor-Greene.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
<category>politics,early and often,mtg,matt gaetz,antisemitism</category>
<dc:creator>Ed Kilgore</dc:creator>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/723/a93/50621298c3503b87f615b75b1c2e3c659c-Marjorie-Taylor-Greene.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg">
<figcaption>Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>The <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-vote-antisemitism-bill-campus-arrests-rcna150170">Antisemitism Awareness Act</a> passed by the House earlier this week would create a standard definition of antisemitism to guide federal policy-making in combatting hate speech. It was controversial mostly because it was so clearly aimed at pro-Palestinian protesters who aren’t necessarily guilty of antisemitism, and because it was transparently designed to divide Democrats, many of whom backed an <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6352033165112">alternative bill</a> with similar purposes.But two well-known MAGA Republicans, <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/marjorie-taylor-greene-mainstream.html">Marjorie Taylor Greene</a> and <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/10/can-matt-gaetz-really-dethrone-kevin-mccarthy.html">Matt Gaetz</a>, opposed the bill on grounds that it would condemn Christian teachings about Jews:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden">Antisemitism is wrong, but I will not be voting for the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023 (H.R. 6090) today that could convict Christians of antisemitism for believing the Gospel that says Jesus was handed over to Herod to be crucified by the Jews. Read the bill text and… <a href="https://t.co/Y0eeOiVfnw">pic.twitter.com/Y0eeOiVfnw</a>— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMTG/status/1785755752432296283?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden">This evening, I will vote AGAINST the ridiculous hate speech bill called the “Antisemitism Awareness Act.” Antisemitism is wrong, but this legislation is written without regard for the Constitution, common sense, or even the common understanding of the meaning of words. The… <a href="https://t.co/HYg2LJDLAI">pic.twitter.com/HYg2LJDLAI</a>— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMattGaetz/status/1785762505345691786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
Both Greene and Gaetz object to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, which is incorporated by the bill, because it labels “claims of Jews killing Jesus” as “classic antisemitism.” They differ in that Greene misreads the New Testament Gospels as asserting that Jews (rather than the <a href="https://www.jpost.com/jerusalem-report/article-690095">actual perpetrators, the Romans</a>, who had a monopoly on capital punishment at that time and place) actually crucified Christ. Gaetz quotes three non-Gospel passages attributing significant responsibility for the crucifixion to Jews without any specificity. Neither of these lawmakers seem to be aware that they are not only perpetuating the deadliest smear of Jews in human history, the source of constant pogroms and acts of discrimination, but also identifying their fellow Christians with antisemitic beliefs they largely don’t share and have in recent years been struggling to repudiate.The doctrine of collective Jewish responsibility for the crucifixion (which is what the IHRA definition is clearly talking about) was indeed a tenet of the Roman Catholic Church for many centuries, which is why it was a giant step forward for Christian-Jewish relations when it was <a href="https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decl_19651028_nostra-aetate_en.html">very clearly repudiated by the Second Vatican Council and Pope Paul VI</a> in 1965. Subsequent popes have been about as clear as possible on this subject, notably the very conservative John Paul II and Benedict XVI; the latter very specifically <a href="https://www.npr.org/2011/03/04/134264425/Pope-Jews-Are-Not-Responsible-For-Killing-Jesus">denied there was any basis in scripture</a> for the argument that the Jewish people were responsible for the death of Jesus Christ.Protestants like MTG and Gaetz have traditionally been less inclined to blame Jews for the crucifixion. Even the famously antisemitic <a href="https://www.ajc.org/news/on-luther-and-his-lies">Martin Luther</a> based his lethal views not on collective responsibility for the crucifixion but on his determination to impose Christianity on the Jews of his own time. Most Protestants now accept the twin propositions that the crucifixion was the <a href="https://gospelway.com/supper-collection/death-voluntary.php">will of God</a> and that to the extent human beings were responsible, their sinful natures made guilt universal.So Greene and Gaetz would be well advised to condemn the “classic antisemitism” of belief in Jewish responsibility for Christ’s death instead of insisting it’s an essential doctrine of Christianity.<div>More on politics<ul><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/donald-trump-hush-money-trial-recap.html">What Happened in the Trump Trial Today: Another Gag Hearing</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/libertarians-maga-trump-adjacent.html">Are Libertarians MAGA-Adjacent Now?</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/the-house-antisemitism-bill-is-bad-for-the-jews.html">The House Antisemitism Bill Is Bad for the Jews</a></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>Are Libertarians MAGA-Adjacent Now?</title>
<link>http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/libertarians-maga-trump-adjacent.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 18:00:25 GMT</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/libertarians-maga-trump-adjacent.html</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Trump’s speech to the Libertarian Party’s national convention will draw attention to the party’s takeover by a faction open to his transgressions.]]></description>
<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/a58/de3/c4e87a1626b42ddd0be8dc7724241ad34a-Trump.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
<category>politics,early and often,2024 presidential election,libertarian party,donald trump</category>
<dc:creator>Ed Kilgore</dc:creator>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/a58/de3/c4e87a1626b42ddd0be8dc7724241ad34a-Trump.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg">
<figcaption>Photo: Daniel Steinle/Bloomberg via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>From one angle, the <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4636581-trump-address-libertarian-party-convention/">announcement</a> that <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/two-big-lies-trump-is-telling-on-abortion.html">Donald Trump</a> will address the national convention of the Libertarian Party later this month was unsurprising. He’s in a close race for president where he needs every right-leaning voter he can get. And the Libertarian Party, whose share of the presidential vote dropped from 3 percent in 2016 to one percent in 2020, could use the attention.But still, how much common ground can there exist between libertarian opponents of government power at home and abroad and a former president who oozes authoritarianism from his pores? We’re talking about a man who once famously <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/07/23/trump-falsely-tells-auditorium-full-teens-constitution-gives-him-right-do-whatever-i-want/">said</a> that Article II of the U.S. Constitution gave him as president the right “to do whatever I want,” and who is <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trumps-second-term-agenda.html">openly and regularly threatening</a> to use every agency of federal power to smite his many enemies if he’s returned to the White House. After observing his initial performance in office, the Libertarian Party put out a <a href="https://www.semafor.com/article/05/01/2024/donald-trump-courts-an-increasingly-friendly-libertarian-party">statement</a> in 2018 that said, “Whatever libertarian impulses Trump the candidate seemed to have, his actual performance as president stands in stark contrast. Donald Trump is the opposite of a Libertarian.” That sounds about right.Yet there has always been a strain of American libertarianism that is so anti-liberal that it evinces sympathy for right-wing authoritarianism as a sort of enemy-of-our-enemy maneuver. Consider Senator <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/02/why-rand-paul-went-nowhere-fast.html">Rand Paul</a>, often regarded as the leader of libertarian-leaning Republicans, who has become a <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/02/rand-paul-has-become-trumps-most-loyal-toady.html">Trump toady</a> of the highest order. Even within the supposedly purist Libertarian Party, however, there has recently arisen a dominant MAGA-adjacent faction that doesn’t find the 45th president so offensive after all. Fed by anti-vaxx and anti-lockdown passions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the so-called Mises Caucus (named after Austrian free-market economist Ludwig von Mises) has taken over the Libertarian Party nationally and in many states, as Reason <a href="https://reason.com/2022/05/29/mises-caucus-takes-control-of-libertarian-party/">reported</a> in 2022:<blockquote>A four-year battle for <a href="https://reason.com/2018/07/04/libertarian-party-rebuffs-mises-uprising/">control</a> of the Libertarian Party (L.P.) ended Saturday in Reno with a victory for the Mises Caucus at the party’s national convention … The caucus’s <a href="https://lpmisescaucus.com/platform/?fbclid=IwAR0EDSzPn8lltUKWPYO4sUf8sx8AenBPcIdl6QvHyd9T-5BoNLvXufMV9u0">official platform</a> is plumb-line libertarian, but its foes say that too many Mises Caucus members and fans downplay libertarian positions that might offend the right, are intentionally obnoxious and bullying, and are often racist … The caucus, whose whipping of its team proved very effective at the convention … wants to eliminate from the L.P.’s platform a statement that “we condemn bigotry as irrational and repugnant.” (This <a href="https://lpedia.org/wiki/Document:National_Platform_1974">first entered the platform</a> in 1974, though it has not remained there consistently.) The caucus also wants to completely eliminate any mention of abortion, replacing a current plank that is effectively pro-choice, though it says in essence that Libertarians can differ in opinion based on when they think a protectable life begins.</blockquote>As a matter of heritage, the Mises Caucus venerates <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2013/07/racists-love-ron-and-rand-paul-for-some-reason.html">Ron Paul</a>’s brand of unapologetic and often provocative libertarian insurgency, and deplores the pragmatism that led the Libertarian Party to nominate a ticket of former Republicans <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/05/gary-johnson-wins-libertarian-nomination.html">Gary Johnson</a> and <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/04/weld-not-among-serious-challengers-to-incumbent-presidents.html">William Weld</a> (its most electorally successful presidential effort, as it happens) in 2016. Culturally speaking, the Mises Caucus seems to be trying to align the venerable and often stodgy Libertarian Party with a younger crowd of unruly rebels against respectability, including <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2022/02/joe-rogan-spotify-future.html?origSession=D230828vNRtpneMKWZ0k2ar8jvxYZmxK6Z71p3Jb%2BlRXGuCdFU%3D&_gl=1*wh784o*_ga*MjExNjUyMTgyNy4xNzE0NjU3ODc2*_ga_DNE38RK1HX*MTcxNDY1Nzg3My4yNjMuMS4xNzE0NjYxODY4LjAuMC4xMDg1NTEzNjg4*_fplc*R0tZOWdERVBYd1Zta1RwUWJldUp5JTJGWnFqeEdWdWhNSjdZTWdMRE1Ub2NiRncwdFRzJTJGNXZ5SzdXeFFwa0dBY0RyUlZhQTU4T0tiU2poTERpJTJCY09Bb05lN25VdHRqQXp6eUFPV2ZzMnRCYlVHJTJCRSUyRjhYOWxxcVVNVGR5MktSUSUzRCUzRA..#_ga=2.237936905.884820655.1714657876-2116521827.1714657876">Joe Rogan</a> fans and very online “edgelording” bully-boys. Whether this posture will enable libertarians to compete with <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/uniparty-delusion.html">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a> for the “I hate everybody” vote is debatable. But it definitely means a greater openness to Trump-style transgressions generally. The current Libertarian Party chairman, Angela McArdle, has harshly <a href="https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/4133381-libertarian-party-chair-rips-trump-indictment/">attacked</a> the Justice Department’s pursuit of criminal charges against Trump as “depraved and unscrupulous.” The Libertarian Party is also inclined to embrace his opposition to multilateral defense agreements and his hostility to Ukraine. Indeed, one of the signatures of Mises Caucus leaders is <a href="https://medium.com/@pattyforliberty/why-are-libertarians-supporting-putin-in-the-war-in-ukraine-14650490f72d">apparent sympathy for Vladimir Putin </a>reminiscent of his buddy the former president.All these unsettling developments in libertarian-land are likely to get fresh attention when Trump addresses the party convention in Washington. Maybe his speechwriters will even encourage him to give a shout-out to Ludwig von Mises.<div>More on politics<ul><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/the-house-antisemitism-bill-is-bad-for-the-jews.html">The House Antisemitism Bill Is Bad for the Jews</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/the-nypds-outside-agitators-columbia-claim-is-thin-so-far.html">NYPD Attempts to Back Up ‘Outside Agitators’ Columbia Claim</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/donald-trump-hush-money-trial-recap.html">What Happened in the Trump Trial Today: Another Gag Hearing</a></li></ul></div>]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>What to Know About the New Student-Loan-Forgiveness Plans</title>
<link>http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/what-to-know-about-the-latest-student-loan-forgiveness-plans.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 17:07:00 GMT</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/what-to-know-about-the-latest-student-loan-forgiveness-plans.html</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Biden’s relief measures and proposals are good news for borrowers — if you can figure out their looming deadlines and complexity.]]></description>
<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/013/05c/a3a22ed69eab18323160c2e3bb2c3dd133-student-loan-forgiveness.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
<category>student loans,biden administration,joe biden,politics,save,department of education,explainer,what we know,student debt,bureaucracy,personal finance</category>
<dc:creator>Lynnley Browning,Nia Prater,Chas Danner</dc:creator>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/013/05c/a3a22ed69eab18323160c2e3bb2c3dd133-student-loan-forgiveness.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg">
<figcaption>Photo: Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure><a href="https://educationdata.org/student-loan-debt-statistics">More than 43 million Americans</a> — one in five adults — collectively owe more than <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g19/HIST/cc_hist_memo_levels.html">$1.7 trillion</a> in federal and private <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2024/01/some-student-loan-borrowers-get-a-nice-surprise.html">student loans</a>. In recent years, the idea of the government <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/07/bidens-student-loan-forgiveness-program-just-got-bigger.html">forgiving federal student debt</a> went from fringe to mainstream with both <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trumps-second-term-agenda.html">Donald Trump</a> and <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/is-joe-bidens-bet-on-inflation-paying-off.html">Joe Biden</a> using emergency powers during the <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/eric-klinenberg-2020-covid-book-excerpt.html">pandemic</a> and after to ease the financial burden on college graduates, whether in their 20s or 70s. But sorting through the tangle of options, acronyms, requirements, and deadlines for lowering a crippling balance or potentially wiping it clean has become increasingly painful. Successfully navigating through yet another round of new steps in the <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/10/student-debtors-deserve-more-from-their-government.html">loan-forgiveness labyrinth</a>, starting this month, means the difference between two starkly different outcomes.Do it right and you can wind up with manageable, if not zeroed out, monthly payments that free up cash and make your daily financial life far more pleasant. Mess it up and you face the financial equivalent of an ineradicable pantry moth that gnaws away at your long-term savings and a longer-term credit-score blemish that will, among other things, raise the costs of home-buying. Forgiveness generally <a href="https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans/federal-vs-private">applies only to loans</a> funded by the federal government, not to private ones made by banks, state agencies, and schools. Still, nearly <a href="https://educationdata.org/student-loan-debt-statistics#:~:text=43.2%20million%20borrowers%20have%20federal,financial%20quarter%20(2021%20Q4).">93 percent of all student debt</a>, or $1.6 trillion, is federal, so even if you’re exhausted by the options, locking down on the government’s opportunities now unfolding, if you can, is essential.A quick history of Biden’s efforts to forgive student debtFor the fourth consecutive year, borrowers ranging from recent college graduates in the workforce to late-career professionals to even <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/retired-couple-arizona-student-debt-parent-loans-1873452">retirees</a> have endured whiplash over whether their often crippling debt will be a lifelong ball and chain. In March 2020, President Trump <a href="https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/memorandum-continued-student-loan-payment-relief-covid-19-pandemic/#:~:text=On%20March%2020,%202020,%20my,interest%20rates%20to%200%20percent.">paused</a> loan repayments and interest as the pandemic shuttered the economy. After <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/01/20/pausing-federal-student-loan-payments/">several extensions</a> under the Biden administration, interest restarted last September and payments resumed for all but the most recent graduates one month later. Borrowers who haven’t been making payments since last October are <a href="https://www.studentchoice.org/details-of-the-federal-student-loan-on-ramp-and-save-plan/">protected</a> through a September 30 “on-ramp” from having their delinquency reported to credit agencies.Still, the resumption hasn’t gone well. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau <a href="https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_federal-student-loan-return-to-repayment-report_2024-01.pdf">said</a> in January that borrowers faced long hold times when calling their loan servicer, “significant delays” in processing their applications for income-driven repayment plans, and “inaccurate billing statements.” A survey of 17,000 borrowers by the nonprofit Student Debt Crisis Center released on March 5 found that three in four borrowers were <a href="https://www.studentdebtcrisis.org/post/release-sdcc-survey-report-shows-borrowers-continue-to-face-unnecessary-obstacles-since-the-return">not confident</a> that the information provided by their servicer was complete and accurate.In August 2022, President Biden announced a sweeping executive action authorizing the Education Department to <a href="https://www.cbo.gov/publication/58494#:~:text=After%20accounting%20for%20those%20suspensions,limits%20and%20an%20additional%20$10,000">forgive nearly $400 billion</a> in loans, up to $20,000 per borrower. In June 2023, the <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/06/the-supreme-court-cant-kill-student-loan-relief.html">Supreme Court</a> <a href="https://bipartisanpolicy.org/blog/supreme-court-strikes-down-student-loan-forgiveness-what-next/">struck down</a> the plan, <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/scotus-student-loan-affirmative-action-fallout-updates.html">ruling</a> that it<a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47505#:~:text=The%20HEROES%20Act%20authorizes%20the,relation%20to%20their%20student%20loans"> violated a 2003 law</a> known as the HEROES Act.The setback from the nation’s highest court prompted Biden to shift to what’s called his plan B.Biden’s newest student-loan-forgiveness proposalOn April 8, Biden announced a sweeping new student-loan-forgiveness plan that aims to help roughly 30 million Americans. This time around, the plan relies on a different law — the Higher Education Act — than the plan that was struck down by the Supreme Court.The plan, if successful, would offer various forms of relief to five groups of Americans:Borrowers whose loan balance, because of interest, has exceeded the amount that they were initially loaned The new plan would cancel up to $20,000 in interest for 25 million borrowers who are enrolled in an income-driven repayment plan and now owe more than what they originally borrowed because of runaway interest. For individual borrowers who make up to $120,000 or families earning $240,000 or less, the plan would erase all of their interest, without the $20,000 maximum limit.Borrowers who have been in repayment for more than 20 years Biden’s new plan aims to automatically cancel the undergraduate debt of anyone who has been repaying their loans for 20 years (since July 1, 2005) and forgive the graduate-school debt of anyone who has been in repayment for 25 years (since July 1, 2000).Borrowers who attended “low-financial-value programs” like those offered by shady for-profit universities The new plan would also automatically cancel the debt of Americans who took out student loans to attend colleges that have since been stripped of their certification or barred from taking part in the Federal Student Aid program — making degrees earned at those institutions unmarketable.Borrowers who already qualify for forgiveness but haven’t yet applied The plan would automatically cancel the student-loan debt of 2 million low- and middle-income Americans who are already due forgiveness but have yet to apply for it, either because they don’t know about it or have had trouble figuring out how to submit an application.Borrowers experiencing hardship The details of this plan <a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-student-loan-cancellation-forgiveness-college-debt-f469500465aefa66aca67e3b31b27430">haven’t been fully worked out yet</a>, but the idea is to wipe out the student-loan debt of people at risk of defaulting on their loans who are experiencing financial hardships, like high medical or caregiving expenses, that are affecting their ability to pay off their loans. These people may need to apply for that relief, however.Per the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-cancellation-debt-college-forgiveness-c3ec59d4c1d89e77bc1afc6c8ded1615">Associated Press</a>, most of the loan cancellation should happen automatically without requiring borrowers to apply for it.The administration’s plan will not go into effect immediately. The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/08/us/politics/biden-student-loans-debt-relief.html">New York Times</a> reports that the new regulations will be subject to a public-comment period for several months and could potentially face legal challenges. This newly proposed loan-forgiveness plan stands alone from the SAVE plan, the new repayment program recently introduced by the administration.The SAVE planIn the summer of 2023, Biden launched his <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/08/22/fact-sheet-the-biden-harris-administration-launches-the-save-plan-the-most-affordable-student-loan-repayment-plan-ever-to-lower-monthly-payments-for-millions-of-borrowers/">Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan</a>, an income-driven repayment (IDR) program that can halve or zero out monthly payments. The plan calculates payments based on a borrower’s income and family size — not on their loan balance — and forgives remaining balances after a certain number of years. Borrowers have to sign up for SAVE unless they were already in the government’s Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE) program, in which case they’re automatically enrolled.<a href="https://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2021/idrfactsheetfinal.pdf">Under SAVE</a>, single people earning no more than $32,800 and with no discretionary income see their monthly payment plunge to $0 and get credit for a payment they otherwise would have made — forgiveness in disguise. The same is true for a family of four with an annual income of $67,500. SAVE also forgives any unpaid interest that accrued since your last timely payment. For borrowers earning discretionary income above 225 percent of the <a href="https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/7240229f28375f54435c5b83a3764cd1/detailed-guidelines-2024.pdf">federal poverty level</a> (this year, $33,885 for a single person and $70,200 for a family of four), monthly payments are lowered based on that discretionary income, meaning higher earners can also qualify, though the more you make, the less relief you get.The White House says <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/written-materials/2024/02/21/issue-brief-the-benefits-of-save/">the typical borrower will see</a> about $12,000 of interest payments waived and upwards of 95 percent of their principal forgiven under the program — a boost that it says creates “sizable potential lifetime wealth benefits.” The typical graduate of a four-year public university will save nearly $2,000 a year.Last February, SAVE made it possible for people who borrowed no more than $12,000 to see total loan forgiveness <a href="https://studentaid.gov/articles/6-things-to-know-about-save/#coming-july2024">in as few as ten years</a> rather than 20 to 25 years. Borrowers with debt above that level see one additional year to forgiveness for each $1,000 borrowed with the maximum time 20 years for undergraduate loans plus another five years for graduate loans. Come July, undergraduate-loan payments under the program <a href="https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/save-plan">drop</a> to 5 percent of discretionary income from 10 percent with payoff within 20 years. Graduate loans fall to 10 percent with payoff in 25 years. Borrowers with both types of loan will pay between 5 to 10 percent of their free income.On April 12, the Biden administration announced that <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/12/white-house-student-debt-relief-00151856">it was forgiving $7.4 billion worth of student debt</a> for roughly 277,000 borrowers who have been repaying their loans for at least a decade — including $3.6 billion worth of loans for nearly 207,000 borrowers enrolled in the SAVE plan. The administration said it had informed the borrowers via email.It’s also worth noting that, once again, Republicans are attempting to stymie Biden in court. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-debt-cancellation-college-forgiveness-f94b9706bd395b32e44d4d1b3f6ff051">Two groups of Republican attorneys general</a> have filed lawsuits to block the SAVE plan, arguing that the plan is illegal and will harm their states in a variety of ways.What about the new and improved forgiveness program for public servants?People who work full time for a nonprofit (excluding labor unions and political organizations) or a federal, state, local, or tribal government have additional options under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which erases a borrower’s federal student debt after 120 monthly payments over ten years. The program also covers some teachers, doctors, nurses, firefighters, social workers, U.S. Armed Forces members, and lawyers working for the government, among other low-paying not-for-profit jobs.The PSLF program has been around <a href="https://www.gao.gov/blog/eligibility-public-service-loan-forgiveness-has-changed-temporarily.-heres-what-it-means-borrowers#:~:text=Congress%20created%20the%20Public%20Service%20Loan%20Forgiveness%20program%20in%202007,remaining%20balance%20on%20their%20loans.">since 2007</a>, but was in an administrative quagmire until the Biden administration implemented reforms. Borrowers rejected in earlier years, generally due to the type of repayment plan they are enrolled in, are getting a second look under an Education Department <a href="https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/idr-account-adjustment">review</a> expected to be completed in July.As of March 21, 871,000 borrowers have been granted <a href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-approves-additional-58-billion-student-debt-relief-78000-public-service-workers">$62.5 billion in relief under PSLF</a> since October 2021. Prior to that, only 7,000 borrowers had ever received forgiveness.To enroll in PSLF, tell your current loan servicers — either through a phone call or through the government’s <a href="https://studentaid.gov/pslf/">PSLF Help Tool</a> — that you plan to apply for PSLF. When using the tool to complete your application, you either choose an IDR or let <a href="https://www.mohela.com/DL/common/contactUs.aspx">MOHELA</a> — a Missouri-based company that is the government’s official servicer for PSLF applicants — choose one for you. Loan servicers will transfer your loans to MOHELA.Even with the Biden administration’s improvements, however, that hasn’t always gone smoothly. The Student Debt Crisis Center has <a href="https://www.studentdebtcrisis.org/stories">first-person horror stories</a> but also <a href="https://www.studentdebtcrisis.org/resources">a wealth of helpful links</a> to the various federal programs, along with free web-based workshops, definitions of terms, and helpful Q&A sections. The Education Department, which <a href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-announces-withholding-payment-student-loan-servicer-part-accountability-measures-harmed-borrowers#:~:text=Due%20to%20the%20failure%20of,of%20October%20for%20this%20mistake.">sanctioned MOHELA</a> last October for sending borrowers delayed or faulty statements, is continuing to monitor the situation.Borrowers have until April 30 to apply for a onetime payment adjustmentUnder a separate Education Department program, borrowers with federal loans, including privately held FFEL (Federal Family Education), Parent PLUS, Perkins, and HEAL (Health Education Assistance) loans, have<a href="https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/consumer-advisory-opportunity-to-cancel-student-loan-debt-ends-soon/#:~:text=Many%20student%20loan%20borrowers%20have,act%20before%20April%2030,%202024.&text=Many%20student%20loan%20borrowers%20have%20an%20opportunity%20to%20receive%20full,or%20more%20credit%20towards%20cancellation."> until April 30</a> to apply for a onetime payment adjustment, which could allow them to have their entire debt canceled or receive credits that lower their balances. The process for that involves consolidating your student loans (borrowers typically have multiple loans) into one bunch, then enrolling in a <a href="https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/plans/income-driven">government-run income-driven repayment plan</a>, such as SAVE.If you are already in an income-driven repayment program but haven’t yet consolidated, or are seeking PSLF, you have until April 30 to consolidate your loans and have any IDR or PSLF payments you previously made count toward forgiveness. That’s known as a “<a href="https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/idr-account-adjustment">payment count adjustment</a>” — and it will allow more than 3.6 million people who borrowed through the popular William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program to receive <a href="https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/idr-account-adjustment">at least three years of credit</a> toward loan forgiveness. Many borrowers will see their loans forgiven automatically. But if you miss the April 30 deadline, your payment count towards forgiveness <a href="https://studentaid.gov/articles/5-things-before-consolidating-student-loans/#:~:text=Your%20monthly%20payment%20may%20go,driven%20repayment%20(IDR)%20forgiveness">resets to zero</a> once you get a new consolidated loan, meaning you’ll be paying off a higher amount, likely over a longer period of time.The first step, if you haven’t already, is to gather your loan details — type, servicer, loan amount, and interest amount — and <a href="https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/sign-in/landing">set up a Federal Student Aid account</a>. You’ll need that account to complete your application. And if you don’t know who your loan servicer is, logging into the account will tell you those details.Here’s <a href="https://studentaid.gov/articles/5-things-before-consolidating-student-loans/#:~:text=Your%20monthly%20payment%20may%20go,driven%20repayment%20(IDR)%20forgiveness.">what will happen</a> if you consolidate your student loans: Your monthly payment may decrease, but you may have to pay over a longer period of time, which could mean an increase in the total loan-lifetime interest you pay overall. If you have unpaid interest, your consolidated principal balance will include that interest and go up. And the new consolidation loan will typically carry a new interest rate. Studentaid.gov <a href="https://studentaid.gov/articles/5-things-before-consolidating-student-loans/">has put together a helpful guide</a> to the various implications. By the way, the consolidation itself is free — there are no annoying fees to worry about.To get started, go over to the government’s <a href="http://studentaid.gov/loan-consolidation/">student loan consolidation website</a> and click “Log in to Apply” on the upper right of the screen. The government says, mercifully, that the entire application process for a consolidation loan typically takes less than 30 minutes and doesn’t have to be done in one go — you can save your draft application and come back to it later.During the process, a prompt on the website will ask you to <a href="https://studentaid.gov/idr/application/assumptions">choose an income-driven repayment plan</a> for your Direct Consolidation loan. Here’s where things get a bit more complicated. Which plan to choose depends on a host of factors, including projected income, family size, and whether you’re including a spouse’s student loans in the consolidation. A helpful and easy-to-use <a href="https://studentaid.gov/loan-simulator/">loan simulator</a> lets you plug in your broader financial data, including employment status, health insurance premiums, and tax-deferred retirement savings — if you have a 401(k) or traditional individual retirement account — and compare the options. The government recognizes that life takes twists and turns and thus lets you change repayment plans at any time at no cost.Consolidation loans are typically <a href="https://blog.ed.gov/2023/12/seven-things-to-know-about-the-student-loan-payment-count-adjustment/">disbursed in roughly 60 days</a> but sometimes take longer.Sorting all this out can feel overwhelming, but there’s really only one downside. Borrowers who come out free and clear of student debt can find their<a href="https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/do-paying-off-student-loans-improve-my-credit-score/"> creditworthiness dented</a>: Somewhat perversely, a closed installment loan, like a student loan, is no longer a line of credit by which on-time payments can boost your score. But at least you’d be free and clear of student debt.This post has been updated.Related<ul><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/inside-the-craziest-college-admissions-season-ever.html">Inside the Craziest College-Admissions Season Ever</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/college-acceptance-rates-ivy-league-schools-wealth.html">How Rich (or Not) Do You Have to Be to Get Into the Ivy League?</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
<enclosure length="260266" type="application/pdf" url="https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_federal-student-loan-return-to-repayment-report_2024-01.pdf"/><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:subtitle>Biden’s relief measures and proposals are good news for borrowers — if you can figure out their looming deadlines and complexity.</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary>Biden’s relief measures and proposals are good news for borrowers — if you can figure out their looming deadlines and complexity.</itunes:summary><itunes:keywords>student loans,biden administration,joe biden,politics,save,department of education,explainer,what we know,student debt,bureaucracy,personal finance</itunes:keywords></item>
<item>
<title>Desperate 76ers Push Free Tickets to Prevent Knicks Takeover</title>
<link>http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/76ers-give-out-free-tickets-to-keep-out-horde-of-knicks-fans.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 16:47:50 GMT</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/76ers-give-out-free-tickets-to-keep-out-horde-of-knicks-fans.html</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Philadelphia Sixers management really doesn’t want Knicks fans to dominate the crowd with “F— Joel Embiid” chants again.]]></description>
<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/0da/90b/adecaabed89bd47eaecd5b0bd7ae6bf151-GettyImages-2150069414--1-.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
<category>new york knicks,nba</category>
<dc:creator>Matt Stieb</dc:creator>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/0da/90b/adecaabed89bd47eaecd5b0bd7ae6bf151-GettyImages-2150069414--1-.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg">
<figcaption> NBAE via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>Sunday was a sad day for Philadelphia sports fans. Not only did the 76ers lose to the <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/nba-playoffs-an-ode-to-knicks-genius-tom-thibodeau.html">New York Knicks</a> in a close game four of their <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/jalen-brunson-is-the-star-knicks-fans-have-been-waiting-for.html">first-round playoff series</a>, the fan base in the Wells Fargo Center was predominantly dressed in Knickerbocker blue-and-orange. Thanks to the weekend matchup, the close commute down I-95, and ticket prices far cheaper than those at Madison Square Garden, Knicks fans showed up in droves, <a href="https://twitter.com/SavageNtheBox/status/1784687493935497690/video/1">chanting</a> “Fuck Embiid” inside the stadium. When opposing fans are trash-talking the Sixers’ star center in his own building, it tends to erode home-court advantage. “I’ve been here for ten years, kind of pisses me off,” said <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2018/06/joel-embiid-interview.html?origSession=D230828e3pL2az4O%2FrJpVLhVddHyMs3VeH6Q5ua9NZKyjr6Oxo%3D&_gl=1*91ica9*_ga*MTY0ODU5ODM1NS4xNzA1OTQxMDI1*_ga_DNE38RK1HX*MTcxNDY2NTg5NC4yNzUuMS4xNzE0NjY3MzAwLjAuMC45ODk2NTUxMDM.*_fplc*NU1VOHp0UDl6bllmMm04R01HWGxiOENXS3kyQkF2d2VIbFV2SVlDUXNPTXhINnFKa1owMmIlMkY2dkRJRHlSUDYlMkZCV3luWU82Q1lsdXA0ek9vUVcxQ0ZxazAyMGprUERVODlUciUyRmFNcWxpTlolMkI3bFRSODRzUmR0WkZZRm1xQWclM0QlM0Q.#_ga=2.218888977.941716141.1714350973-1648598355.1705941025">Joel Embiid</a>.Thanks to a heroic effort by 76ers’ guard Tyrese Maxey to steal a win in New York on Tuesday, the series is heading back to Philadelphia, where management has a plan. As a token of brotherly love, the team’s executives <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/02/sport/philadelphia-76ers-ownership-buys-tickets-nba-playoffs-spt-intl/index.html">bought</a> 2,000 tickets to distribute to Sixers fans for free. Unfortunately, the generous concept turned a little desperate in its execution:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This is the saddest sports moment I’ve ever seen <a href="https://t.co/8N333hKE3Y">https://t.co/8N333hKE3Y</a>— Dan Amira (@DanAmira) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanAmira/status/1786044073175830747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
While some of the young fans in the video seemed genuinely thrilled to attend a playoff basketball game where the nosebleeds are going for $125, the man weakly chanting “Let’s go Sixers” after getting a lone ticket seems like he might opt to hawk the thing for a free dinner instead. Either way, it doesn’t stop the main factor sending Knicks fans down to Philly — the <a href="https://seatgeek.com/philadelphia-76ers-tickets?adId=680902779117&aid=10717&ap=&dt=c&ext=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw88yxBhBWEiwA7cm6pQJXuEvzyLeNy2AEtSwIYKXV-BKgBSp_-xBt-Wh5QSUdc1fWKgFv5xoCJdIQAvD_BwE&gid=155068109505&loc_interest=&loc_physical=9060354&mt=b&n=g&pid=20779066727&rid=kwd-817837769728">$500 cost to enter</a> Madison Square Garden during the playoffs.]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>The RFK Jr. Campaign Is Afraid of Microwaves</title>
<link>http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/the-rfk-jr-campaign-is-afraid-of-microwaves.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 16:36:13 GMT</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/the-rfk-jr-campaign-is-afraid-of-microwaves.html</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Members of the candidate’s team are reportedly fearful of microwave technology and go on spirit quests during election years.]]></description>
<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/ee2/2a3/c6f21bbe3029ffe9119c088a5273403d0a-Robert-F-Kennedy-Jr.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
<category>early and often,robert kennedy jr.,2024 presential election</category>
<dc:creator>Matt Stieb</dc:creator>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/ee2/2a3/c6f21bbe3029ffe9119c088a5273403d0a-Robert-F-Kennedy-Jr.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg">
<figcaption>Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>The thankless work and long hours of a presidential bid tends to require campaign staffers who truly believe in the vision of a politician. For <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/robert-f-kennedy-jr-2024-presidential-campaign-politics.html">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>, whose recent career has focused on an <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/what-polls-say-today-biden-trump-haters-cool-on-rfk-jr-too.html">anti-vaccine agenda</a>, that means that some of his campaign staffers believe some weird stuff.In a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/rfk-junior-campaign-staff-cb17cf42">report</a> on the campaign, the Wall Street Journal explains the RFK team’s unusual approach to politics. In February, top adviser Charles Eisenstein took a few weeks to go to Costa Rica for a trip in which he said he would be “reconnecting with spirit.” His comms director, a fellow anti-vaccine proponent named Del Bigtree, spoke at a rally a block from the Capitol on January 6. Every Sunday, staff are invited to a virtual prayer session with a reverend who is against vaccine requirements for children. A number of staffers are worried about electromagnetic radiation from microwaves, which makes some events, like volunteer potlucks, tricky. To assuage the campaign’s anxieties, attendees were asked to bring crockpots.As RFK hovers at a sizable 10 percent in <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/general/2024#!">polling averages</a> which include him, his crack team has managed to get him on the ballot in California, Utah, and Michigan — where his presence could make him a deciding factor in the crucial swing state. Despite this pressure, it appears that he’s remaining calm about his pivotal role in the election:<blockquote>During the campaign’s virtual Christmas party, held over Zoom, Kennedy said that he was high before someone interrupted to clarify that the candidate had just left the dentist and was still feeling the effects of anesthesia, according to former aides who were on the call.</blockquote>Aside from the true believers, campaigns also usually attract experts trying to make a boatload on consulting fees. Former staffer Kiera Hall told the Journal that RFK’s campaign is also full of “grifters and opportunists.” Of particular note is one digital strategist who graduated high school in 2021. The campaign is paying them $8,000 a month. After leaving the campaign, Hall wondered: “If someone’s going to do that to their campaign, how do I know they won’t do that in their administration?”Related<ul><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/what-polls-say-today-biden-trump-haters-cool-on-rfk-jr-too.html">Biden and Trump–Hating Voters Aren’t Wild About RFK Jr. Either</a></li><li><a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/robert-f-kennedy-jr-2024-presidential-campaign-politics.html">The Mind-Bending Politics of RFK Jr.’s Spoiler Campaign</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>The House Antisemitism Bill Is Bad for the Jews</title>
<link>http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/the-house-antisemitism-bill-is-bad-for-the-jews.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 15:30:48 GMT</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/the-house-antisemitism-bill-is-bad-for-the-jews.html</guid>
<description><![CDATA[And free speech.]]></description>
<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/6f2/155/e0c1961bfb71d14d23947d3fd7563ac2ef-Chait-ucla.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
<category>politics,the national interest,remove interruptions</category>
<dc:creator>Jonathan Chait</dc:creator>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/6f2/155/e0c1961bfb71d14d23947d3fd7563ac2ef-Chait-ucla.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg">
<figcaption>Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photo: Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed the “Antisemitism Awareness Act,” which requires colleges to enforce rules on discrimination using a definition that equates anti-Zionism with antisemitism. The problem of <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/columbia-protest-anti-semitism-campus-israel-jewish-students-justice-palestine.html">campus anti-Israel activism creating an atmosphere of antisemitism</a> is real. The “solution” of regulating anti-Zionism as hate speech is absurd.Representative <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/07/gottheimer-is-on-a-mission-to-destroy-bidens-presidency.html">Josh Gottheimer</a>, a moderate Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill, is at least blunt about what he hopes the bill would accomplish. “It allows criticism of Israel,” he said. “It doesn’t allow calls for the destruction or elimination of the Jewish state.”But why shouldn’t colleges allow students or faculty to call for the destruction or elimination of the state of Israel? To be clear, destroying or eliminating Israel is a ghastly idea that could only be accomplished through Hitlerian-scale violence. Colleges are supposed to allow people to advocate bad ideas.What makes this bill so controversial among Democrats is its reliance on equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism. That equation is accepted as a truism on the right and among many Israel supporters, but it rests on shaky ground.Zionism was the solution Jews devised for the problem of endemic discrimination. Centuries of experience had shown that even countries that initially welcomed them eventually discriminated against them, expelled them, or murdered them. The crisis grew especially acute after the Holocaust, which left the Jewish survivors homeless and stateless. The latter problem hasn’t fundamentally changed: If Israel’s Jewish population were somehow persuaded to leave, where would they go? Nobody, including the United States, is lining up to take in 7 million Jewish immigrants.You can disagree historically with the premise of Zionism without being antisemitic. Not every ethnic group enjoys self-determination — is it bigotry to oppose statehood for Kurds or Tibetans? You can even believe that somehow the Jewish population of Israel will survive and prosper in a world in which their state has dissolved, because naïveté is not bigotry.In practice, anti-Zionist activism tends to place intense pressure on Jews to abandon their communal traditions to be accepted into the wider community. It has long been a fact of life that progressive activist spaces often require participants to renounce Israel as the price of admission to groups and causes that have nothing to do with Israel. Since Jewish people disproportionately (if not universally) believe in Israel’s existence in one form or another, this informal requirement amounts to de facto discrimination.The encampments that have sprung up around campuses provide a vivid sense of this discrimination in its most literal form. Student protests have illegally seized campus spaces for their exclusive use. Their first step has been to bar “Zionists” from entering territory they control. Encampment after encampment has established rules barring “Zionists” from areas of campus that remain open to non-Zionists. At <a href="https://www.jns.org/ucla-allows-anti-israel-protesters-to-block-jewish-students/">UCLA</a>, the protesters seem to have set up checkpoints they used to keep Zionists from accessing parts of campus:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Wristbands are being used to identify anti-Israel students at <a href="https://twitter.com/UCLA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UCLA</a> so that they are allowed to enter Royce Quad, Royce Hall, and Powell Library. Some students are allowed in and out, others are kept out. This is ILLEGAL and UCLA is not just tolerating it but facilitating it. <a href="https://t.co/CbdodKLK53">pic.twitter.com/CbdodKLK53</a>— Sia Kordestani (@SiaKordestani) <a href="https://twitter.com/SiaKordestani/status/1785397163662745610?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
This is, functionally, antisemitism. They may not be preventing Jews per se from accessing these areas, but they have created a litmus test that will effectively deter many and perhaps most Jewish students while creating a general atmosphere of discrimination and fear.Predictably, the UCLA method of giving radical students autonomous control of portions of campus quickly spiraled into anarchy, and pro-Israel counterdemonstrators unleashed horrific (and, to be clear, totally wrong) violence that night.It is the spectacle of these sort of unauthorized encampments that have caused Congress to leap to its legislative response. “We must give the Department of Education the tools to … hold college administrators accountable for refusing to address antisemitism on their campuses,” said Republican representative Michael Lawler of New York, a lead sponsor.But the tools to handle these actions already exist. Colleges simply need to enforce their time/place/manner restrictions on public spaces. Those restrictions not only don’t need to piggyback on defining anti-Zionism as hate speech, they shouldn’t. Effective and legitimate rules about public spaces must be content-neutral. If you want to hold a march at the National Mall, you need to get a permit, and those permits aren’t granted on the basis of whether or not your cause is hateful.Campuses allocate their public space the same way. If you abstract away from the merits of the cause, the need to regulate common space on campus is obvious. The glee club isn’t allowed to set up camp on the quad and decide they want to make everybody listen to their songs day and night. Protesters who hate Israel can’t do that, either.The crisis of antisemitism on campus is ultimately going to require a solution arrived at through force of reason — that is to say, a liberal solution. You don’t win the argument by having Congress pass a vote saying you’re right.]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>NYPD Attempts to Back Up ‘Outside Agitators’ Columbia Claim</title>
<link>http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/the-nypds-outside-agitators-columbia-claim-is-thin-so-far.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 15:28:00 GMT</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/the-nypds-outside-agitators-columbia-claim-is-thin-so-far.html</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Officials claim a significant number of nonstudents were among those arrested this week.]]></description>
<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/3a0/671/81a14b699bf9bfd7bc09c1e04ca25eee7c-eric-adams-response.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
<category>politics,columbia university,eric adams,nypd,the clash on campus,student protests</category>
<dc:creator>Nia Prater</dc:creator>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/3a0/671/81a14b699bf9bfd7bc09c1e04ca25eee7c-eric-adams-response.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg">
<figcaption>Photo: Mike Segar/Reuters</figcaption>
</figure>On Tuesday night, the NYPD arrested nearly 300 pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the campuses of <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/columbia-orders-protesters-to-disperse-as-negotiations-stall.html">Columbia University</a> and City College of New York. Ahead of the police sweep, Mayor Eric Adams <a href="https://twitter.com/NYPDnews/status/1785431471702094244">warned</a> students to leave, claiming that the protests had been hijacked by “outside agitators.” On Wednesday morning, Adams and law-enforcement officials extended this line of argument, defending the department’s tactics as a necessary response to chaos perpetuated by external actors.“There is a movement to radicalize young people, and I’m not going to wait until it’s done and all of a sudden acknowledge the existence of it,” Adams said at a <a href="https://twitter.com/NYPDnews/status/1785661500767752670">press conference</a>. “This is a global problem that young people are being influenced by those who are professionals at radicalizing our children, and I’m not going to allow that to happen as the mayor of the City of New York.”In news appearances, NYPD officials cited the use of heavy bike chains to secure the doors of Hamilton Hall as evidence of the professional nature of the protests. “This is not what students bring to school. This is what professionals bring to campuses and universities,” Deputy Commissioner of Communication Tarik Sheppard <a href="https://twitter.com/Morning_Joe/status/1785636351330713667">said</a> during an appearance on MSNBC Wednesday. But social-media users unearthed <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cupublicsafety/posts/need-a-bike-lock-public-safety-offers-discount-kryptonite-bike-locks-at-costhttp/1437015676678762/">old posts </a>from Columbia University’s public-safety department that recommended the Kryptonite bike locks in question to students who biked and even offered a discount for purchasing them.Authorities also misidentified protesters or blurred their roles. Adams cited one woman, Nahla Al-Arian, whose husband he claimed was “convicted of terrorism.” But Al-Arian wasn’t on Columbia’s campus this week, and she <a href="https://apnews.com/article/columbia-protests-eric-adams-outsiders-5319fdf36599295a3840d77c69458b57">told the AP</a> that Adams had misstated her husband’s legal past. Another woman, Lisa Fithian, a longtime activist who has made appearances at Occupy Wall Street and many other protests, was seen instructing protestors on how to barricade a door outside Hamilton Hall the night it was first occupied. But Fithian, whom the NYPD describes as a “confirmed professional agitator,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/01/nyregion/columbia-university-protest-consultant-lisa-fithian.html">told the New York Times</a> that she wasn’t on campus Tuesday evening when the arrests were made.Reporters questioned Sheppard further about the claim following Wednesday’s press conference. He said the NYPD did arrest nonstudents Tuesday evening but did not elaborate on the numbers or whom they were associated with.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Here is <a href="https://twitter.com/katie_honan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@katie_honan</a> confronting <a href="https://twitter.com/NYPDDCPI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYPDDCPI</a> with evidence that the chain he wielded to imply that “outside agitators” barricaded Hamilton Hall is a common bike lock that <a href="https://twitter.com/Columbia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Columbia</a> itself sold to their students <a href="https://t.co/j7lU9Nm1GO">pic.twitter.com/j7lU9Nm1GO</a>— Christopher Robbins (@ChristRobbins) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChristRobbins/status/1785690103580389859?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
On Thursday, the NYPD claimed that almost half of those arrested at Columbia and CUNY were not affiliated with the schools, though more specifics <a href="https://hellgatenyc.com/the-outside-agitator-narrative-eric-adams-messy">were not forthcoming</a>.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">New: Of the 282 arrested at <a href="https://twitter.com/Columbia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Columbia</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/CityCollegeNY?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CityCollegeNY</a>, 134 were not “affiliated” with either school. The remaining 148 did have an affiliation, according to a NYPD official who shared the breakdown with CNN.— Gloria Pazmino (@GloriaPazmino) <a href="https://twitter.com/GloriaPazmino/status/1786022017143103504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
Those taken into custody face a variety of potential charges, including trespass, criminal mischief, and burglary. Columbia University president Nemat Shafik requested that the NYPD maintain a presence on campus through May 17, two days after commencement, in her <a href="https://twitter.com/evanhill/status/1785484555253690568">letter</a> asking for police intervention.Adams cited what he saw as a change in strategy, noting “destruction of property” and “disruptions of cameras” as proof of outside involvement. But the mayor said that any further information will be released on the department’s timeline owing to the sensitive nature of the investigation.“Let me be very clear: This is an ongoing, evolving investigation. The intelligence division must be extremely sensitive about information they release,” Adams said. “Our goal is not to ensure you get a good story. Our goal is to make sure that we tell the right story.”The term <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/6/3/21275720/george-floyd-protests-outside-agitators-ferguson-civil-rights-movement">outside agitator</a> is notably fraught: It was frequently deployed by authorities to undermine civil-rights protests in the 1960s. And in 2020, New York’s then-police commissioner Dermot Shea <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/2020/06/05/george-floyd-protest-in-bronx-started-peacefully-but-ended-with-nypd-officers-swinging-batons-witnesses-say/">used the term</a> to justify harsh police crackdowns on social-justice demonstrators in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>Police Shoot Nonlethal Bullets at UCLA Students</title>
<link>http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/counterprotesters-shoot-fireworks-into-ucla-encampment.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 13:36:00 GMT</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/counterprotesters-shoot-fireworks-into-ucla-encampment.html</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Officers violently dismantled the encampment early on Thursday, as videos showed the use of flashbang grenades and less-than-lethal ammunition.]]></description>
<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/dc0/a50/f36c19b94ca9666c1407c3042f94ea07a7-GettyImages-2150533188.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
<category>the clash on campus,ucla,columbia university</category>
<dc:creator>Matt Stieb</dc:creator>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/dc0/a50/f36c19b94ca9666c1407c3042f94ea07a7-GettyImages-2150533188.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg">
<figcaption> AFP via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>Early on Thursday morning, the <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/07/when-cops-commit-property-damage.html">Los Angeles Police Department</a> cracked down on pro-Palestinian <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/republicans-campus-protest-law-order.html">demonstrators</a> at the University of California, Los Angeles, violently dismantling the encampment set up last week.The Daily Bruin, UCLA’s student newspaper, <a href="https://twitter.com/dailybruin/status/1785972332449992943">reports</a> that hundreds of police officers had arrived on campus, where thousands of demonstrators were gathered in support of Palestine and to call for the school’s divestment from Israel. Police moved in on the encampment around 1:20 a.m. after warning the crowd to disperse. Videos show LAPD officers shooting nonlethal munitions at students at close range:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Cops are shooting students at UCLA with less lethal munitions. They'd rather shoot kids than stop this genocide.<a href="https://t.co/4RafQgTGZP">pic.twitter.com/4RafQgTGZP</a>— Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Esqueer_/status/1785999390647181772?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Police are shooting rubber bullets at UCLA student kids: "I can tell you from doing stories about rubber bullets, they are extremely painful. If they hit your leg, your arm, they could break your arm." <a href="https://t.co/OX2piXMV7o">pic.twitter.com/OX2piXMV7o</a>— HalalFlow (@halalflow) <a href="https://twitter.com/halalflow/status/1785988236831031620?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
In the early moments of the standoff, demonstrators were briefly able to dispel some of the officers by surrounding them and forcing them to retreat:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">VIDEO: LAPD officers forced to retreat out of the UCLA encampment at about 1:53 a.m. (via ABC7) <a href="https://t.co/o4hoR926G3">https://t.co/o4hoR926G3</a> <a href="https://t.co/xuiY69LPyo">pic.twitter.com/xuiY69LPyo</a>— Louis Keene (@thislouis) <a href="https://twitter.com/thislouis/status/1785958444060868848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
As the night wore on, officers with the LAPD and the California Highway Patrol broke through the barriers to the encampment, reportedly using flashbang grenades and tear gas on protesters. By 5 a.m., the encampment was mostly cleared. The Daily Bruin reports that students had been detained and that officers <a href="https://twitter.com/dailybruin/status/1785974153625112667?s=46&t=npEYdSnrjWuazNDy-GLGpw">threatened</a> to arrest the student reporters still on campus early in the morning.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Flashbang and tear gas have been deployed on peaceful protesters at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UCLA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UCLA</a> by police. <a href="https://t.co/vzMFK7FJ8I">pic.twitter.com/vzMFK7FJ8I</a>— Lana (@RashadLana18915) <a href="https://twitter.com/RashadLana18915/status/1786001083598582185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">UCLA BREAKING 🚨 : CHP RIOT POLICE HAVE BROKEN THROUGH, POLICE HAVE BREACHED THE ENCAMPMENT. PEOPLE BEING DETAINED. <a href="https://t.co/uxcAOReRp5">pic.twitter.com/uxcAOReRp5</a>— Anthony Cabassa (@AnthonyCabassa_) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnthonyCabassa_/status/1785987471446262228?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
The crackdown came one night after the Los Angeles Police Department was notably absent as counterprotesters attacked the UCLA encampment. On Tuesday night, KABC Los Angeles <a href="https://abc7.com/clashes-break-out-at-ucla-amid-dueling-demonstrations-between-pro-palestinian-and-pro-israeli-protesters/14749246/">reports</a> that a large number of counterprotesters arrived on campus around 11 p.m. and began attacking students. Videos showed that counterprotesters shot fireworks into the camp where students have been set up since last week:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">Fireworks <a href="https://t.co/OglRgNncFL">pic.twitter.com/OglRgNncFL</a>— Mel Buer (@mel_buer) <a href="https://twitter.com/mel_buer/status/1785550864809337280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">Another firework in the camp <a href="https://t.co/aJN4HTeHlI">pic.twitter.com/aJN4HTeHlI</a>— Mel Buer (@mel_buer) <a href="https://twitter.com/mel_buer/status/1785560079368130702?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
<a href="https://abc7.com/clashes-break-out-at-ucla-amid-dueling-demonstrations-between-pro-palestinian-and-pro-israeli-protesters/14749246/">According to</a> the Los Angeles Police Department, officers began to step in to stop the violent skirmishes around 1:30 a.m. — roughly two and a half hours after the conflict began. By morning, at least one person had been driven away in an ambulance, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/ucla-leaders-declare-pro-palestinian-encampment-as-unlawful-orders-everyone-to-leave/?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot">per CBS</a>, though the full number of injuries and arrests remain unclear. UCLA <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1785700044089282747">announced</a> that all classes will be canceled for Wednesday.Police officials and college administrations throughout the country have responded more forcefully this week to student encampments. At City College in Manhattan, police <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/columbia-university-protests-nypd-arrests/">stated</a> that 173 people were arrested in the crackdown on Tuesday night, though it is not clear how many of those were students, as it is an open campus. Thirty-one students were <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article288146950.html">arrested</a> at California State Polytechnic University on Tuesday after demonstrators took over two administrative buildings last week. Early on Wednesday morning, police with riot shields <a href="https://www.wkbn.com/news/national-world/ap-the-latest-arrests-and-suspensions-at-tulane-university-over-protests/">broke up the encampment</a> at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. And at Dartmouth College early on Thursday morning, police <a href="https://twitter.com/AnneliseOrleck1/status/1785901354336104489">threw</a> a 65-year-old history professor, Annelise Orleck, on the ground. Orleck says she is now banned from campus.]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>Biden Is Losing the Election in the Center, Not the Left</title>
<link>http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/biden-is-losing-the-election-in-the-center-not-the-left.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=social_acct&utm_campaign=feed-part</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 12:00:46 GMT</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/biden-is-losing-the-election-in-the-center-not-the-left.html</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The voters he needs aren’t occupying college campuses.]]></description>
<media:thumbnail>https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/888/913/940abbc34b852f21db96d8d6bb46f5b2f3-national-interest-joe-biden.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg</media:thumbnail>
<category>politics,the national interest,remove interruptions,joe biden,the clash on campus</category>
<dc:creator>Jonathan Chait</dc:creator>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure>
<img src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/888/913/940abbc34b852f21db96d8d6bb46f5b2f3-national-interest-joe-biden.2x.rhorizontal.w710.jpg">
<figcaption>Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photo: Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>Earlier this year, national pundits began connecting<a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/polls-trump-lead-biden-skewed-red-wave-simon-rosenberg.html"> President Joe Biden’s poor standing in the presidential election</a> with the revolt on the left over his policy on Gaza. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/27/us/politics/biden-young-voters-trump-michigan.html">Michigan</a> was the epicenter of the crisis, and polls seemed to indicate Biden’s unpopularity was especially acute there. With its large Arab American population and vocal protests in Ann Arbor, Michigan supplied evidence that left-wing alienation had spilled over beyond the progressive niche into the realm of concrete national political stakes.There’s no longer any evidence this is true. The <a href="https://twitter.com/DecisionDeskHQ/status/1785708179893944526">polling average</a> shows that, far from having a Michigan problem, Michigan is Biden’s best swing state, or his least-bad one, anyway. At the moment, he’s trailing by 0.3 points in Michigan, a smaller deficit than Wisconsin (-1.2), Pennsylvania (-2.7), or the Sunbelt states (where he’s trailing by around five points or more).Yet, even though Biden turns out not to have a specific “Michigan problem,” the broader narrative — that Biden’s election depends on winning back young left-wing voters alienated by his centrism in general and support for Israel in particular — has calcified.The causes of Biden’s lagging campaign are banal. The inflation run-up of 2021–22 tanked his approval ratings, and his aged demeanor makes it harder for people to believe he is fixing the problem. That run-up has simultaneously made Trump’s presidency appear retrospectively better — a <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24623637-cnn-poll-april-28-2024">CNN poll</a> found 55 percent of respondents consider Trump’s term a success.It is true that Biden is disproportionately shedding non-white Democrats to Trump. But that is totally consistent with the fact that Black and Latino Democrats are more moderate than white Democrats. When you lose votes in the center, the most moderate members of your coalition are the ones who defect.That hypothesis is consistent with <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/while-biden-worries-about-the-left-the-voters-he-needs-are-in-the-center-d9130c8b?st=nirg9qzydjj75a0&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink">findings</a> by Blueprint (a moderate but partisan Democratic Party outfit). Analyzing polls of voters who switched from Biden in 2020 to Trump now, it finds more than half identify as “moderate,” one-third as “conservative,” and only 14 percent as liberal. The phenomenon of far-left voters looking to punish Biden certainly exists, but its numerical scale is tiny.What about the angry youth? The <a href="https://iop.harvard.edu/youth-poll/47th-edition-spring-2024#key-takeaway--id--1564">Harvard youth poll</a> asked voters age 18–29 to rank 16 issues in importance. The Israel-Palestine conflict ranked 15th. The issues at the top of the list — inflation (which ranked first), health care, housing — are the same traditional meat-and-potatoes issues that concern other voting cohorts. Young people are angry with Biden for basically the same reason everybody else is.So why has the narrative of disillusioned young progressives played such a dominant role in the media’s coverage? One reason is that the progressive movement has several groups whose entire mission is to push the Democratic Party leftward by threatening that “the base” won’t be “energized” unless various policy demands are met. These organizations have little to no grassroots support, so their entire job is to get the media to report on their claims. They are good at their job.Media frequently treats these claims, which provide juicy intraparty drama, at face value. A recent <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/25/biden-climate-coal-power-00154229">Politico</a> story is a fairly representative sample of how this form of lobbying gets covered. Headlined “Biden’s latest aggressive climate rule launched today. Will it satisfy unhappy green voters?,” the story quotes various progressive-group leaders warning that Biden must do more to turn out climate voters. “Biden can’t create green jobs on Monday, on Tuesday approve a big oil export project, and then expect young people to turn out in the numbers that he needs us to,” said Stevie O’Hanlon, spokesperson for the youth climate group Sunrise Movement. “As a climate-passionate young person, it’s my responsibility to stand for Palestinian liberation. If Biden cares about us showing up for him in November, he can’t give us a cookie regarding one issue and treat us with hostility on another,” wrote Elise Joshi, executive director of Gen-Z for Change.Voters in general have extremely low tolerance for giving up anything to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Phasing out gasoline cars, even by as distant a date as 2035, is underwater by <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2023/06/28/what-americans-think-about-an-energy-transition-from-fossil-fuels-to-renewables/">20 points</a>. Just one-quarter of Americans <a href="https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2023-04/Ipsos%20Global%20Advisor%20-%20Earth%20Day%202023%20-%20Full%20Report%20-%20WEB.pdf">said</a> they’d be willing to pay higher taxes to help stop climate change.Young voters might care more about this than other voters, but not much. Climate change ranked 12th out of the 16 issues surveyed by the Harvard youth poll.The second reason is that the campus protests have captured enormous amounts of public attention. Anti-Israel activists have successfully found a leverage point to attract media coverage, and they’re taking full advantage. (Remember how progressives used to complain that we pay too much attention to the goings-on at elite universities? You don’t hear that much anymore.)Since these campus stories are dominating news coverage, it’s natural to juxtapose them against the backdrop of the presidential election, which campaign reporters and pundits habitually assume is “about” whatever is dominating the news environment at the time.And the protests are surely having an effect on the race. They are elevating the salience of the conflict between Gaza and Israel, which <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/anti-israel-encampments-protest-palestine-republicans-trump-israel-anti-semitism.html">splits Biden’s base and unites Trump’s</a>, at the expense of issues that unite Biden’s base and splits Trump’s. And they are contributing to a general image of crisis that Trump can exploit.So I would never say the issue doesn’t matter to the presidential race. It matters quite a bit. But the way it matters is not quite what the media is making it out to be. The story is contributing to the sense of chaos and failure that is harming Biden and helping Trump.Of course, every vote Biden loses matters, and even a tiny number of left-wing defections could prove decisive in a close race. But the reason the race is close, and Biden is losing, is moderate or cross-pressured voters. The people he needs to win back are not occupying college campuses.]]></content:encoded>
<enclosure length="6683854" type="application/pdf" url="https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2023-04/Ipsos%20Global%20Advisor%20-%20Earth%20Day%202023%20-%20Full%20Report%20-%20WEB.pdf"/><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:subtitle>The voters he needs aren’t occupying college campuses.</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary>The voters he needs aren’t occupying college campuses.</itunes:summary><itunes:keywords>politics,the national interest,remove interruptions,joe biden,the clash on campus</itunes:keywords></item>
</channel>
</rss>

Home · About · News · Docs · Terms