Cross-examination of #MichaelCohen resumes, an opportunity for the defense to poke holes in his testimony & perhaps trip up or provoke the state’s key witness. The questioning of Cohen, #Trump’s fmr fixer, is the beginning of the end of Trump’s #criminal trial, which began April 15 & might conclude before Memorial Day weekend at this pace.
#Blanche notes that #MichaelCohen said under oath that he accepted responsibility & then later undermined that outside of court. (Something #Trump constantly does)
A similar tack tripped Cohen up when he was questioned about his federal guilty pleas at Trump’s #civil#fraud trial. He was led into saying he had lied about one of the pleas itself. But earlier in the trial he clarified that he thought he had not been charged,but was not objecting to the underlying facts
#Trump has his posse again. Today it’s more #Republican elected officials. Today, Trump will be joined by the #House speaker, #MikeJohnson, as well as #NorthDakota’s governor, #DougBurgum, a contender to be Trump's running mate. Also present will be Representatives #ByronDonalds & #CoryMills of Florida, & #VivekRamaswamy, who was one of Trump's primary rivals this year. Both Donalds & Ramaswamy are longshot hopefuls to be Trump's running mate.
In 2023, during #MichaelCohen’s testimony at #Trump’s #civil#fraud trial, the defense was able to trip him up while asking him about one of his federal guilty pleas. There, he seemed to suggest that he wasn’t actually #guilty of one of the #crimes he had pleaded guilty to. Ever since, Trump’s lawyers have accused him of perjury.
#MichaelCohen is still calm, but focused, & turning around #Blanche’s questions wherever possible. He’s not being defiant, as he was during his shaky cross-examination in #Trump's #civil#fraud trial. Some of his answers, perhaps unintentionally, are funny, which could be taking the sting out of some of Blanche’s insinuations. The jurors look amused. One is smiling.
#MichaelCohen is called. Susan #Hoffinger, the head of investigations at the Manhattan DA's office, will handle the questioning for the prosecution. She was in the courtroom when Cohen testified in #Trump’s #civil#fraud trial — he did well during direct examination but not-so-much during cross.
Hoffinger starts by asking Cohen about his background, & he says he’s a descendant of Holocaust survivors. He “really didn’t want to be a lawyer,” but that his family is filled w/them.
A fmr White House aide who worked closely w/ #Trump returned to the stand to testify about a significant meeting between Trump & #MichaelCohen his personal lawyer that is at the center of Trump’s #criminal trial.
Civil engineering is a vast and multifaceted field that encompasses a wide range of specializations, each playing a crucial role in shaping the built environment. From designing skyscrapers to constructing bridges and managing water resources, civil engineers contribute to society's infrastructure and development in numerous...
Alright, who’s ready to see #Trump get his just deserts? He fucked up the whole damn world & that’s not an overstatement.
PS #BabySquirrel & I had a lovely weekend. It’s as boy! (He’s developed discernible - stuff)
He is doing quite well! Name: “Ramone” because he’s a sweet little punk rocker.
the #civil#fraud finding that he misstated his assets; his 2 violations of a #GagOrder stemming from that case; 2 separate court findings of #defamation of #EJeanCarroll; & the dissolution of the #Trump foundation as part of a settlement w/the NYAG. The judge said he would not allow prosecutors to discuss in detail the underlying facts of those matters — but added a warning that could change.
#Merchan has explained the concept of #ReasonableDoubt, instructed the jurors that statements made by the various attorneys are not to be accepted as fact, & #jurors are listening intently, a reminder that jurors take many cues from judges - as the impartial arbiter & why #Trump's attacks on judges are stupid.
Besides this case, today there's a hearing to determine the sufficiency of Trump’s #civil#fraud#bond for the $454M penalty, & Thurs, #SCOTUS hears arguments on his bs #immunity defense.
Fmr #Trump exec #Weisselberg sentenced to 5 months in #jail after pleading guilty to lying under oath in the NYAG’s #civil#fraud investigation into business practices at the #TrumpOrganization. #AllenWeisselberg, who worked for the Trump family for a half-century before retiring recently, was taken into custody after a brief proceeding in NY Sup Court & is expected to serve his sentence at #RikersIsland.
In Feb, #Meta unveiled plans to develop a system to identify #AIgenerated#content that users create using services from other #tech companies which have agreed to embed an AI identifier or a watermark.
Meta’s #AI policy will probably be a welcome development to #civil society groups & experts who have been warning that AI-generated #misinformation is already proliferating online during a pivotal #election year.
#NYAG#LetitiaJames asked an appeals court to require Trump to prove within 10 days that the company providing his $175M bond in the state’s #civil#fraud case is financially capable of delivering if his #legal challenges fail.
The request was made in a filing Thurs by the state.
When #Trump posted a bond in NY on Mon, it appeared that he had evaded a #financial crisis. He had paused enforcement of the >$460M judgment against him, while his appeal is pending.
But the surety bond was missing vital information typically included in those filings, experts say.
I come home to find my feeds/streams flooded with vitriolic politicial drivel emanating from a group to which I belong that states emphatically that it doesn't tolerate off-topic traffic.
The stated purpose of this Fediverse group on my home Friendica server is stated as follows:
This is a Friendica group dedicated to #Fediverse news. What are the advantages of a group over a hashtag?Groups can do things that hashtags can't. For example, groups:
are moderated
can re-share content
can speak as a group
Joining and contributing to a Friendica group is easy. To share your posts to @Fediverse News, follow these steps:
The @Fediverse News group will then re-share your post
This is an actively moderated group. Be sure to stay on topic, or your posts will be removed.
As per the instructions for this Friendica / Fediverse group, I'm notifying the moderation team by CC'ing the following address with this complaint and request to remove the vicious hate that's been spewing into the group here all day long while I've been away working:
People who sign up for a Fediverse News site should not be subjected to hatred being fomented, propagated, and bantered about with respect to unrelated matters, such as (abominable) off-topic, political vitriol.
) Posting announcements concerning the onboarding and subesquent federating nature of a public figure's account on threads.net is a relevant matter to the Fediverse, Fediverse Technology, and Fediverse News.
) acerbic comentary, name calling, ad hominem, and libel, as has consumed the group today, is not - those posts are a cause of severe harm and should most certainly, IMO be removed as per the terms/rules quoted above.
) The level of cacophony and pejorative hate speech permitted to continue throughout the day today is shameful. This is not the place to engage or encourage such juvenile behavior, let alone permit it to foment and spread across the Fediverse as it has today!
Moderation Team: Thank you, in advance, for taking your time to address and resolve this matter, returning this group to the decorum it usually enjoys with people conversing and observing the principles of civil discourse.
Trump’s attacks also come amid growing concerns about the #safety of federal #judges. Reuters found that #threats against fed judges have more than doubled since late 2020, when #Trump significantly increased his criticism of the #judiciary.
If Donald Trump returns to the White House, close allies want to dramatically change the government's interpretation of #Civil#Rights-era laws to💥 focus on "anti-white racism" 💥rather than discrimination against people of color.
Trump's Justice Department would push to #eliminate or #upend programs in government and corporate America that are designed to counter racism that has favored whites.
Targets would range from decades-old policies aimed at giving minorities economic opportunities, to more recent programs that began in response to the pandemic and the killing of George Floyd.
Trump campaign spokesperson #Steven#Cheung told Axios: "As President Trump has said, all staff, offices, and initiatives connected to Biden's un-American policy will be immediately #terminated."
Longtime aides and allies preparing for a potential second Trump administration have been laying legal groundwork with a flurry of lawsuits and legal complaints — some of which have been successful.
A central vehicle for the effort has been #America#First#Legal, founded by former Trump aide #Stephen#Miller, who has called the group conservatives' "long-awaited answer to the ACLU."
America First cited the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in February in a lawsuit against CBS and Paramount Global for what the group argued was discrimination against a white, straight man who was a writer for the show "Seal Team" in 2017.
In February, the group filed a civil rights complaint against the NFL over its "Rooney Rule."
The rule — named for Dan #Rooney, late owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers — was instituted in 2003 and expanded in 2022.
It requires NFL teams to interview at least two minority candidates for vacant general manager, head coach and coordinator positions.
American First argued that "given the limited time frame to hire executives and coaches after the season, this results in fewer opportunities for similarly situated, well-qualified candidates who are not minorities."
In 2021, Miller's group successfully sued to block the implementation of a $29 billion pandemic-era program for women- and minority-owned restaurants, saying it discriminated against white-owned businesses.
"This ruling is the first, but crucial, step towards ending government-sponsored racial discrimination," Miller said then.
Other Trump-aligned groups are preparing for a future Trump Justice Department to implement — or challenge — policies on a broader scale.
The #Heritage#Foundation's well-funded "#Project2025" envisions a second Trump administration ending what it calls "affirmative discrimination."
Part of the plan, written by former Trump Justice Department official #Gene#Hamilton, argues that "advancing the interests of certain segments of American society ... comes at the expense of other Americans — and in nearly all cases violates longstanding federal law."
Hamilton is America First Legal's general counsel.
Such groups have gained momentum with the #Supreme#Court's turn to the right
— most notably its recent rejection of affirmative action in college admissions.
The court ruled that programs designed to benefit people of color and address past injustices discriminate against white and Asian Americans.
In 2021, a federal judge blocked a $4 billion program to help Black farmers
The ruling by a 5-judge panel of appellate court judges is a crucial & unexpected victory for #Trump, staving off a looming financial disaster. Had the court denied his request — & he failed to obtain the full #bond — he was at risk of losing control over his bank accts &, eventually, even some of his properties.
For now, those dire outcomes might be on hold. The bond will prevent the #NYAG’s office, which brought the #civil#fraud case, from collecting the judgment while he appeals.
per Lisa Rubin, though I’m not sure, pt4 seems to address this
#Trump got his #civil#fraud case #bond reduced to $175M…,but the court denied his motion to stay the provision of the judgment forbidding him from borrowing from financial institutions registered or chartered in #NY.
His #legal team previously told a judge on the panel that staying that provision was integral to his ability to obtain a bond.w/o a stay of that provision, Trump may have to post his own cash in the next 10 days. #law
The court DID stay the provision barring #Trump & his companies from borrowing from financial institutions registered or chartered by NY's Department of Financial Services. Trump now has to post less & can borrow $ more easily.
Lawyers for #Trump asked a judge on Tues night to pause a group of #civil lawsuits seeking to hold him accountable for the #violence at the Capitol on #Jan6, 2021, until after his #federal#criminal trial connected to the same events was over.
The request…to pause the civil cases was the latest example of Trump trying to pit his multiple #legal matters against one another in an effort to #delay them.
In the past several wks, #Trump & his lawyers have managed to gum up each of the 4 #criminal cases he is facing, sometimes by persuading judges that the timing of the various proceedings were in conflict w/one another.
In their request for a pause in the #civil cases, Trump’s lawyers told Judge Amit P. Mehta, who is overseeing the proceedings, that it would be unfair to force TFG to defend himself against the suits at this point.
What Are The Seven Specializations Of Civil Engineering?
Civil engineering is a vast and multifaceted field that encompasses a wide range of specializations, each playing a crucial role in shaping the built environment. From designing skyscrapers to constructing bridges and managing water resources, civil engineers contribute to society's infrastructure and development in numerous...