@Nonilex@masto.ai
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Nonilex

@Nonilex@masto.ai

… paring down time on social media … ?? Fully migrated to mastodon now that the bird self destructed. Though if you want to view my old posts, same username.

#BabySquirrel

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Nonilex, to conservative
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🧵 Monday 20 May 2024

has a huge posse today, including ; , a party leader in NY; , fmr NYPD commissioner who was imprisoned for tax fraud & false statements; , lawyer who defended Trump during his first impeachment, & , legal adviser who was in AZ for attempts to keep Trump in power after the 2020 election.

Nonilex,
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Justice #Merchan says that it’s become apparent that closings will not take place tomorrow. It’s looking more like #evidence, #testimony & all other business before closings will happen this week & closing arguments will take place next Tues.

“It was either have a long break now or have a long break then, & unfortunately the calendar is what it is,” the judge says, re the Memorial Day weekend.

#law #Trump #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #MobTactics

Nonilex,
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The new schedule provides the w/less of an interruption between closeting arguments & deliberations, allowing jurors to hear the defense & prosecution summations, the judge’s legal instructions, & then begin their deliberations w/it all fresh in mind.

, one of the prosecutors, is addressing some exhibits that defense wants to enter into . One relates to comms between & his lawyer, Jeff Citron, about another lawyer, Bob Costello.

Nonilex,
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The lawyers have begun to argue over whether the defense can use that was not previously a part of the trial. Justice has barred one potential email, related to & , a lawyer who spoke w/Cohen in 2018, as he was beginning to question his relationship w/ . Costello, a fmr fed prosecutor, became a character late in the trial, but he’s come up a lot in the last few days.

Nonilex,
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NYT from a few yrs ago about the relationship between , a lawyer in 's circle, & . Some of the emails & other records are included.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/21/us/politics/michael-cohen-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.tU0.jexg.q9YjwKlbTMJ_&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb

Nonilex,
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Justice has made several other things clear as the pre-jury proceedings cont. He will restrict the testimony of a witness who is an expert in , who the defense had wanted to call. He says that too much explanation of the law from an expert would overstep the role usually granted to such witnesses. They are meant to help understand a certain subject area, but it is the judge’s role to help jurors understand the itself.

Nonilex,
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Justice #Merchan says he is still deciding on #JuryInstructions. Both the prosecutors & the defense have submitted proposals for what they would like. He makes it clear that he has not decided what he will do.

Merchan made 2 minor rulings against the defense. Both times defense lawyers pushed back, seeking another chance to enter new #evidence (#delay), + clarity on jury instructions to inform the testimony of their expert witness.

#law #Trump #TrumpTrial #conspiracy #ElectionInterference

Nonilex,
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defense atty Emil suggests that the prosecutors, in their proposed , shifted their theory of the case.
He’s possibly talking about the state that underlies the business records charges against Trump. Justice doesn’t seem to agree, but says prosecution’s proposal for jury instructions holds no weight — it’s only a proposal.
“Just relax,” Merchan tells defense. Nothing, he says, has been determined.

Nonilex,
@Nonilex@masto.ai avatar

Prosecutor argues “there’s nothing new at all” about their theory. The charges against are because he falsified business records to conceal another . They signaled that other crime was seeking to promote his own "by unlawful means," in violation of state . That introduces a 3rd potential crime.

3 potential crimes, all wrapped into each of the 34 felony charges of falsifying business records.

Nonilex,
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is back on the stand.
Todd , 's lawyer, begins by asking Cohen how many reporters he’s talked to about what happened last week. Cohen says he didn’t speak to reporters about what happened last week.

“I did not talk about this case,” Michael Cohen says. Blanche then asks him how often he’s spoken to reporters this year. When Cohen says he has done so frequently, Blanche asks him how many times he has met w/prosecutors.

Nonilex,
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is now asking about meeting w/people ahead of his public testimony before a panel in 2019. He asks him about meeting w/ , then a House investigator & now a congresssman in NY. Then he jumps back to Oct 2016 & .

Blanche is skipping around again. He started by speaking about 2024, then went back ~5yrs, to 2019, & is now back in 2016, right before he made the payment to Daniels.

Nonilex,
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The defense has yet to counter the prosecution’s narrative about the hush-money payment & the reimbursement. It’s possible Blanche ‘s weird jumps in time may be molded into the defense’s alternative explanation of the events.

asks about an issue related to his business in October 2016. Waiting to see where this goes.

Nonilex,
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a is a permit allowing someone to operate a taxi cab in NYC. Once very expensive, they plummeted in value w/the rise of ride-sharing apps.

One thing mentioned — something about helping w/an extortion issue — underscores how it’s possible to still learn things about what Cohen was doing in that period.

Nonilex, to iran
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A helicopter carrying President of & his foreign minister crashed on Sunday in the country’s mountainous northwest, acc/to state media, deepening the turmoil that has gripped the nation on both the international & domestic fronts in recent months.

, 63, was traveling from Iran’s border w/ Azerbaijan to inaugurate a joint dam project.


https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/19/world/middleeast/iran-president-helicopter-crash.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb

Nonilex,
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The helicopter, carrying #Raisi & #Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir #Abdollahian, state media reported, crashed near the city of Varzaghan around 1PM local time, in bad weather & thick fog.

Search & rescue teams scoured an area of tall mountains & dense forest through rain & fog for >10 hrs. At one point the authorities called off the aerial search because of the weather, dispatching on foot soldiers, elite commandos of the Revolutionary Guards & 40 rescue teams….

#geopolitics #MiddleEast

Nonilex,
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Even well into the night, state media had not yet reported on casualties, or on the condition of the president or anyone else aboard. The cause of the crash was also unknown.

“There will be no disruption in the country’s operation,” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali #Khamenei said in an address on state TV. “Senior officials are doing their work & I have advised them on the necessary points & all of the country’s operation will carry on smoothly & orderly.”

#geopolitics #MiddleEast #Iran #Raisi

Nonilex,
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#Raisi, a conservative who violently crushed dissent is widely viewed as a possible successor to the SupremeLeader. The uncertainty over his fate comes during a particularly tumultuous period for #Iran.

Its long shadow war w/ #Israel burst into the open after #Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, setting off the war in #Gaza & a cascade of strikes & counterstrikes across the region.

#geopolitics #MiddleEast #Khamenei

Nonilex,
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#Raisi is a hard-line religious cleric who came of age during the #Islamic revolution. Under #Iran’s #theocracy, Raisi, as president, is the 2nd most powerful individual in Iran’s #political structure after… #Khamenei.

After becoming president in 2021, Raisi consolidated power & marginalized reformists who wanted to defuse tensions w/the #West. He repeatedly said he pursued a policy of “strong diplomacy,” forging closer #economic & #security ties w/ #Russia & #China.

#geopolitics #MiddleEast

Nonilex,
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… oversaw a sweeping & deadly crackdown on domestic , many of them & young people, who took to the streets against the country’s ruling clerics. groups said hundreds of protesters were killed by Iran’s security forces.

Raisi has been viewed as one of the front-runners to succeed as supreme leader. One of his main rivals for that role is ’s son.

Despite the crash, some analysts said they did not expect a major change in ’s agenda abroad.

Nonilex, to legal
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After brashly declaring he wanted to in his trial, it appears increasingly unlikely that will do so, as the seems poised to hear next week.
Defendants rarely testify, because their advise them that the risks of doing so, particularly when it comes to being questioned by prosecutors , are simply too great.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/18/trump-trial-testifying/

Nonilex,
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In Trump’s case, the judge’s discussions w/ in recent days indicate that even if the defense calls a small number of witnesses, they do not expect to be one….
4 people close to Trump said next wk’s plan does not include him testifying, & they expect the to start deliberating later in the wk. Trump is famously mercurial & could always demand to testify….

Nonilex,
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The defense may still call other witnesses, however. said in court on Thurs that the defense would like to call , an expert on , even though the judge has put strict limits on what he can testify about in this case because the jury’s job is to make findings of , not .

Blanche said he was also weighing whether to call a small number of defense witnesses, tho he expected they would not take much time.

Nonilex,
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“It sounds like we might possibly be done w/ the presentation of evidence on Monday,” NY Supreme Court Justice Juan said Thurs.
Blanche quickly added, “I was not speaking about President Trump, obviously. … That’s another decision that we need to think through.”
★ If were to take the stand, such testimony could take many days, which would significantly extend the trial.

★

Nonilex, to random
@Nonilex@masto.ai avatar

pledges to 'roll back' Democratic President Joe ’s put in place by Democratic President Joe & to fire the chief during a lengthy rally speech to the on Sat, during which he accepted the influential group's .


https://www.reuters.com/world/us/donald-trump-fire-up-supporters-nras-annual-us-gathering-2024-05-18/

Nonilex,
@Nonilex@masto.ai avatar

#Republicans largely oppose stricter #GunLaws, saying the right to bear arms is established in the #UnitedStates Constitution's #SecondAmendment. That stance has remained fixed even in the face of a steady stream of #MassShootings that have led to calls from many #Democrats to impose more controls on #guns.

"In my 2nd term, we will roll back every #Biden attack on the 2nd Amendment. The attacks are coming fast & furious," #Trump said.

#BidenHarris2024 #VoteBlue #GunCulture #GunViolence #law

Nonilex,
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…Biden accused of prioritizing the desires of the over .…

"Tonight, Donald Trump confirmed that he will do exactly what the tells him to do - even if it means more death, more shootings, & more suffering,"— camp spox.

…Trump repeated a false claim that he won the 2020 election, & he went after Biden in aggressive terms, repeating claims of corruption that are not supported by available .

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