#Lesko Help New York State

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

A Stock Investor’s Guide to Brazil’s Presidential Election

Brazilian stocks have outperformed global peers this year, and some investors say more gains are likely in store as neither of the two candidates vying for the presidency in the first round of voting Sunday is expected to jeopardize the country’s fiscal accounts in the short term. 

But the consensus on the outlook for Latin America’s largest equities market tends to stop there as the two leading candidates -- former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from the Workers’ Party and incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro -- have different views on several issues, ranging from the privatization of state-controlled companies to the focus on a transition to more sustainable energy sources.

While Lula has been more vocal about using state-run companies to help boost the economy, Bolsonaro intends to keep pushing forward with a privatization program he started during his first term and possibly include oil giant Petroleo Brasileiro SA.   

With just days to go until the first-round vote, Lula holds the lead over Bolsonaro in almost all polls. The leftist leader is also ahead in simulations for a run-off election, which is slated for Oct. 30 if needed.

A representative for the Lula campaign declined to comment. A representative for the Bolsonaro campaign didn’t respond to a written request seeking comment.

Brazil’s Ibovespa Index is up 7.1% in dollar terms this year compared with a 23% drop in the US S&P 500 Index. Valuations still look historically attractive, investors said. “Brazil is cheap” said Greg Lesko, a portfolio manager at Deltec Asset Management in New York. 

Here’s what to watch for ahead of the vote:

Continue reading.

[lewismorgancbz]

Lesko Help New York State: Matthew Lesko Is The Best Advisor To Help You In Your Financial Assistant, Business Report, Job Education Training, Health Dental Per Care, Research Help, Real State And Housing, Legal Problems In New York State America. Lesko Reports New York State

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

July 20, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

Today, the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York indicted three men for illegally influencing the foreign policy positions of a presidential candidate and then, after the election, of the United States government.

They were acting in the interests of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a wealthy country in the Persian Gulf. The candidate was Donald Trump, and one of the three men was his ally Thomas Barrack. Another was Matthew Grimes, a 27-year-old employee who reported to Barrack. The third was UAE citizen Rashid al-Malik Alshahhi, who lived in California until 2018, leaving abruptly after the FBI interviewed him about the case.

The return of Barrack to the news recalls the outsized influence of foreign actors in the previous administration, and how U.S. policy appeared to change to suit their interests. On Twitter, Mark Mazetti of the New York Times wrote: “One of the mysteries of Trump's first six months was why the administration came out of the gate so hot for Saudi and UAE—with Trump traveling to Saudi Arabia and then going along with the Qatar blockade. The Tom Barrack indictment explains a lot.”

A billionaire private equity real-estate investor and longtime ally of Trump, Barrack was a key fundraiser for Trump’s campaign, which he advised between April and November 2016. In June 2018, New York Times reporter David D. Kirkpatrick wrote a profile of Barrack, explaining that he is the son of Lebanese immigrants to Los Angeles and so grew up speaking Arabic, which helped him do business and make contacts in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Barrack got to know Trump in the real estate world of the 1980s, and by 2010, he acquired $70 million of Jared Kushner’s debt and retired enough of it to keep Kushner from bankruptcy. When Trump launched his 2016 campaign with anti-Muslim rhetoric, Barrack calmed his Middle East contacts down, assuring them that Trump was simply using hyperbole.

Barrack urged Trump to hire Paul Manafort—fresh from his stint working for a Ukrainian oligarch—and served as chair of Trump’s inaugural committee. Grimes and Barrack proposed to contacts in the UAE that it should use “its vast economic surplus to obtain a level of influence…which the country should rightfully command.” They suggested it should use financial investments to “increase [its] influence with USA and European governments and people.”

A final draft of their proposal explained that “[w]hile the primary purpose of the platform [will be] to achieve outsized financial returns, it will also…garner political credibility for its contributions to the policies of [the recently elected Candidate, hereinafter, the ‘President-Elect’]....We will do so by sourcing, investing, financing, operationally improving, and harvesting assets in those industries which will benefit most from a [President-Elect] Presidency.”

Barrack’s investment firm raised more than $7 billion between 2016 and 2018, 24% of it from either the UAE or Saudi Arabia.

According to today’s charges, once Trump was in office, Barrack continued to lobby for the UAE until April 2018. He allegedly worked with allies in the UAE to draft passages of Trump’s speeches, hone press materials, and prepare talking points to promote UAE interests. Without ever registering as a foreign agent, he worked to change U.S. foreign policy and appoint administration officials to meet a “wish list” produced by UAE officials.

Barrack helped to tie the Trump administration to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, turning the US away from Qatar, an ally that hosts US air bases (although they are now being closed as bases and in the process of becoming housing for our Afghan allies before their US visas come through). From the beginning, the administration worked closely with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, who controls $1.3 trillion in sovereign wealth funds and essentially rules the UAE, and with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), whom Prince Mohammed championed.

In May 2017, Trump advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Bannon, along with Saudi and UAE leaders, met without the knowledge of then–Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to talk about blockading Qatar. When Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt launched a blockade on June 5, 2017, Trump cheered them on, although the State Department took a neutral stand and the Pentagon thanked Qatar for hosting US troops.

Today, prosecutors said that Barrack provided foreign government officials “with sensitive non-public information about developments within the Administration, including information about the positions of multiple senior United States government officials with respect to the Qatari blockade conducted by the UAE and other Middle Eastern countries.”

They say he also "met with and assisted senior leaders of the KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia], a close ally of the UAE."

In May 2019, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared an emergency to bypass congressional oversight of an $8 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. After the UAE signed onto the Abraham Accords, normalizing relations with Israel, the U.S. sold them another $23 billion of arms, including 50 F-35 advanced fighter planes.

Barrack and Grimes were arrested this morning in California.

When announcing the arrests, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, said, “American citizens have a right to know when foreign governments, or their agents, are attempting to exert influence on our government. This is especially important to Americans during a Presidential election year, and the laws on the books were created to protect our nation from such untoward influence. This case is about secret attempts to influence our highest officials.”

Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s National Security Division Mark J. Lesko said, “Through this indictment, we are putting everyone—regardless of their wealth or perceived political power—on notice that the Department of Justice will enforce the prohibition of this sort of undisclosed foreign influence.”

Acting U.S. Attorney Jacquelyn M. Kasulis said, “These arrests serve as a warning to those who act at the direction of foreign governments without disclosing their actions, as well as those who seek to mislead investigators about their actions, that they will be brought to justice and face the consequences.”

Prosecutors warned that Barrack was a flight risk because of his wealth, private jet, and “deep and longstanding ties to countries that do not have extradition treaties with the United States”: Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

Barrack’s lawyer says that Barrack “has made himself voluntarily available to investigators from the outset,” possibly indicating a willingness to flip.

A judge has ordered Barrack be held in custody until a bail hearing on Monday.

—-

Notes:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/former-advisor-presidential-candidate-among-three-defendants-charged-acting-agents

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/press-release/file/1413306/download

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/thomas-barrack-indictment-trump/2021/07/20/d40b64f0-e985-11eb-84a2-d93bc0b50294_story.html

https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/24/politics/trump-arms-sales-saudi-arabia-uae/index.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20210105060948/https://www.state.gov/u-s-approves-advanced-defense-capabilities-for-the-united-arab-emirates/

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/20/trump-friend-tom-barrack-arrest-puts-the-spotlight-on-united-arab-emirates.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/thomas-barrack-trump-s-inaugural-committee-chair-arrested-federal-charges-n1274533

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/13/world/middleeast/trump-tom-barrack-saudi.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/02/world/middleeast/crown-prince-mohammed-bin-zayed.html

Mark Mazzetti @MarkMazzettiNYTOne of the mysteries of Trump's first six months was why the administration came out of the gate so hot for Saudi and UAE--with Trump traveling to Saudi Arabia and then going along with the Qatar blockade. The Tom Barrack indictment explains a lot.1,732 Retweets6,683 Likes

July 20th 2021

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/08/troubling-overlap-between-jared-kushner-business-interests-and-us-foreign-policy

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/20/us-afghan-interpreters-qatar-kuwait-military-bases-500275

https://www.stripes.com/branches/army/2021-07-01/us-military-closes-qatar-camps-in-move-that-could-play-into-iran-policy-2009140.html

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[zumpietoo]

At the top of the heap of people whose names shall live in infamy are GOP Senators Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, who led the coup in the Senate to overturn the will of the people. After the fires started burning, Ted Cruz very poorly paid lip service to trying to cool things down, after he had helped commit the arson. Hawley could hardly be bothered to do that. Those two garbage fascists were joined in objections to Arizona and/or Pennsylvania by Tommy Tuberville, Roger Marshall, John Kennedy, Rick Scott, brand new Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis, and Cindy Hyde-Smith. Let the record show that these people went ahead and kept up their objections even after the US Capitol building was attacked by domestic terrorists they and their shithole Dear Leader had incited. In the Senate, it was only those assholes. In the House, though? Holy shit. They objected to Arizona and somehow even more of them voted to sustain the objection to Pennsylvania in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, as if yesterday's terrorism put a spring in their step, as if the blood in the hallways of the Capitol gave them sustenance. Again, all of this was after the terrorist attack. And in the House it wasn't just Arizona and Pennsylvania either. Reps like Louie Gohmert stood up to object to other states too, even though the GOP senators who had originally planned to support those challenges had put down their guns and agreed to end the standoff peacefully. (It was particularly pleasing to watch Vice President Mike Pence glare at Gohmert, who just got finished unsuccessfully suing Pence to make him overturn the election, and tell him his objection to the electors in Wisconsin "MAY NOT BE ENTERTAINED," since he couldn't get even the Senate's dumbest Republican Ron Johnson to sign his treason permission slip anymore.) Overall, 139 House GOP members voted to object to the electors from Arizona and/or Pennsylvania. These are their names. They should not be allowed around your children, you should kick them out of your chicken restaurant, and they should always and forevermore be referred to as seditious traitors to democracy in the United States of America. They really should be expelled from Congress. They're listed by state, to make it helpful for people to know which chicken restaurants to ban them from, specifically. Alabama 1. Robert Aderholt 2. Mo Brooks 3. Jerry Carl 4. Barry Moore 5. Gary Palmer 6. Mike Rogers Arizona 7. Andy Biggs 8. Paul Gosar 9. Debbie Lesko 10. David Schweikert Arkansas 11. Rick Crawford California 12. Ken Calvert 13. Mike Garcia 14. Darrell Issa 15. Doug LaMalfa 16. Kevin McCarthy 17. Devin Nunes 18. Jay Obernolte Colorado 19. Lauren Boebert 20. Doug Lamborn Florida 21. Kat Cammack 22. Mario Diaz-Balart 23. Byron Donalds 24. Neal Dunn 25. Scott Franklin 26. Matt Gaetz 27. Carlos Jimenez 28. Brian Mast 29. Bill Posey 30. John Rutherford 31. Greg Steube 32. Daniel Webster Georgia 33. Rick Allen 34. Earl "Buddy" Carter 35. Andrew Clyde 36. Marjorie Taylor Greene 37. Jody Hice 38. Barry Loudermilik Idaho 39. Russ Fulcher Illinois 40. Mike Bost 41. Mary Miller Indiana 42. Jim Baird 43. Jim Banks 44. Greg Pence 45. Jackie Walorski Kansas 46. Ron Estes 47. Jacob LaTurner 48. Tracey Mann Kentucky 49. Harold Rogers Louisiana 50. Garret Graves 51. Clay Higgins 52. Mike Johnson 53. Steve Scalise Maryland 54. Andy Harris Michigan 55. Jack Bergman 56. Lisa McClain 57. Tim Walberg Minnesota 58. Michelle Fischbach 59. Jim Hagedorn Mississippi 60. Michael Guest 61. Trent Kelly 62. Steven Palazzo Missouri 63. Sam Graves 64. Vicky Hartzler 65. Billy Long 66. Blaine Luetkemeyer 67. Jason Smith Montana 68. Matt Rosendale North Carolina 69. Dan Bishop 70. Ted Budd 71. Madison Cawthorn 72. Virginia Foxx 73. Richard Hudson 74. Gregory Murphy 75. David Rouzer New Jersey 76. Jeff Van Drew New Mexico 77. Yvette Harrell New York 78. Chris Jacobs 79. Nicole Malliotakis 80. Elise Stefanik 81. Lee Zeldin Nebraska 82. Adrian Smith Ohio 83. Steve Chabot 84. Warren Davidson 85. Bob Gibbs 86. Bill Johnson 87. Jim Jordan Oklahoma 88. Stephanie Hice 89. Tom Cole 90. Kevin Hern 91. Frank Lucas 92. Markwayne Mullin Oregon 93. Cliff Bentz Pennsylvania 94. John Joyce 95. Fred Keller 96. Mike Kelly 97. Daniel Meuser 98. Scott Perry 99. Guy Reschenthaler 100. Lloyd Smucker 101. Glenn Thompson South Carolina 102. Jeff Duncan 103. Ralph Norman 104. Tom Rice 105. William Timmons 106. Joe Wilson Tennessee 107. Tim Burchett 108. Scott DesJarlais 109. Chuck Fleischmann 110. Mark Green 111. Diana Harshbarger 112. David Kustoff 113. John Rose Texas 114. Jodey Arrington 115. Brian Babin 116. Michael Burgess 117. John Carter 118. Michael Cloud 119. Pat Fallon 120. Louie Gohmert 121. Lance Gooden 122. Ronny Jackson 123. Troy Nehls 124. August Pfluger 125. Pete Sessions 126. Beth Van Duyne 127. Randy Weber 128. Roger Williams 129. Ron Wright Utah 130. Burgess Owens 131. Chris Stewart Virginia 132. Ben Cline 133. Bob Good 134. Morgan Griffith 135. Robert Wittman West Virginia 136. Carol Miller 137. Alexander Mooney Wisconsin 138. Scott Fitzgerald 139. Tom Tiffany These are the people who either incited yesterday's attackers, gave them aid and comfort as terrorist sympathizers, or both.

https://www.wonkette.com/here-are-all-147-members-of-the-terrorist-inciting-gop-sedition-caucus-may-their-names-forever-be-stained

[dragnews]

Macron, Ronny Jackson, Toronto: Your Tuesday Evening Briefing

Dr. Ronny Jackson, above, has been accused of overseeing a hostile work environment as the White House physician, allowing the overprescribing of drugs and possibly drinking on the job.

Mr. Trump accused adversaries on Capitol Hill of going after Dr. Jackson because they failed to block Mike Pompeo, the president’s nominee to become the next secretary of state.

_____

Photo

Credit U.S. Navy, via Reuters

3. American commanders fighting the Islamic State are being forced to shift their tactics.

With their Kurdish allies now fighting Turkey in northern Syria, the U.S.-led campaign is stepping up airstrikes, using aircraft like the Super Hornet fighter jet above.

The Islamic State holds less than 10 percent of the territory it captured in 2014, but it can still launch attacks outside its own territory. We talked to an analyst who expects the group to increase attacks in Iraq and Syria to mark Ramadan, which begins May 15.

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Photo

Credit Cole Burston/Getty Images

4. A portrait is emerging of Alek Minassian, the 25-year-old suspect in Monday’s vehicular attack in downtown Toronto.

Prosecutors charged him with 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of attempted murder, but did not disclose a motive. Above, a memorial.

We spoke to people who knew him and saw his now-suspended Facebook page, which showed he was socially isolated and had expressed hostility toward women. He had briefly joined the armed forces, but quit after 16 days of basic training.

Continue reading the main story

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Photo

Credit Caroline Tompkins for The New York Times

5. The F.D.A. is cracking down on the sales of e-cigarettes to minors, especially the popular vaping brand Juul.

The agency said it had issued warning letters to dozens of retailers and demanded that Juul Labs submit health and marketing information.

“We don’t yet fully understand why these products are so popular among youth,” the F.D.A. commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, said in a statement. “But it’s imperative that we figure it out, and fast. These documents may help us get there.”

_____

Photo

Credit Anita Snow/Associated Press

6. Voters in Arizona’s Eighth Congressional District headed to the polls in a special election to replace Trent Franks, who resigned after he was revealed to have offered $5 million to an aide to be impregnated with his child.

It’s a conservative suburban district outside Phoenix. Debbie Lesko, the Republican nominee and a former state senator, is favored to win over Hiral Tipirneni, a Democrat and emergency room doctor. Still, Republicans are nervous.

We’re tallying the results here — the definitive moment should come around 11 p.m. Eastern.

_____

Photo

Credit Matt Edge for The New York Times

7. Amazon has begun delivering packages to parked cars.

The service is available in 37 American cities and surrounding areas, to customers with recent-model cars that use technology allowing satellite location-tracking and digital access to the locks.

A delivery person will unlock the car using a smartphone and leave the package in the trunk or on the back seat. That helps customers who don’t want to risk “porch pirates” or who can’t get deliveries at work.

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Photo

Credit Zack Wittman for The New York Times

8. Two former N.F.L. cheerleaders who are suing the league for gender discrimination have proposed a settlement. For $1.

Continue reading the main story

The plan was crafted by Sara Blackwell, a Florida lawyer who represents the former Saints cheerleader Bailey Davis, above, and the former Dolphins cheerleader Kristan Ware.

They’re asking for a meeting with Commissioner Roger Goodell, and they want the league to create rules that apply to all N.F.L. teams. Their proposal would also prohibit teams from disbanding cheerleading squads as a way to retaliate against women who raise complaints.

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Photo

Credit Marvel/Disney

9. On Monday, we highlighted our interview with the directors of the latest Avengers movie, “Infinity War,” which opens Friday.

And now, our review is in. Our critic A. O. Scott notes that as the 19th installment in a series, the movie was never meant to be viewed or judged in isolation.

After all, it’s not just a movie; it’s a “synergistic expression of the corporate interests of Marvel Studios and the Walt Disney Company.”

“I’m supposed to tell you, in this review, how much fun you’ll have at ‘Infinity War,’” he writes. “(Yes, you will have some. Will you have enough? Almost.)”

_____

Photo

Credit Alexi Lubomirski/Kensington Palace, via Reuters

10. Finally, James Corden welcomed Britain’s new prince with a few good-natured jokes on the “Late Late Show”.

Continue reading the main story

“This is Kate’s third child in just five years,” he noted. “When she heard that, Meghan Markle was like, ‘Heh, we’re not all expected to do that, are we?’”

Ms. Markle, of course, is set to wed Prince Harry on May 19. (Here’s our guide to everything you might ever want to know about the royal wedding.)

Have a great night.

_____

Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern.

And don’t miss Your Morning Briefing. Sign up here to get it by email in the Australian, Asian, European or American morning.

Want to catch up on past briefings? You can browse them here.

What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes.com.

Continue reading the main story

The post Macron, Ronny Jackson, Toronto: Your Tuesday Evening Briefing appeared first on World The News.

from World The News https://ift.tt/2HqPGQa via Today News

[thewebofslime]

Department of Justice prosecutors last week briefed attorney Michael Avenatti and his alleged co-conspirator in the Nike extortion case, Mark Geragos, on the NXIVM secret society sex-trafficking case. The bizarre twist in the NXIVM case, which involves billionaire Seagram heiress Clare Bronfman and “Smallville” actress Allison Mack, was revealed in a federal court in New York on March 27, with the judge asking Bronfman if she had retained Avenatti. Geragos is already representing Bronfman. “Yes or no,” the judge asked, according to Emily Saul, a reporter with the New York Post. The judge’s question caused Bronfman to faint. Avenatti was arrested March 25 and charged with attempting to extort millions from Nike. According to The Wall Street Journal, which cited two people familiar with the matter, Geragos is the unnamed co-conspirator in the Nike case. Geragos hasn’t been criminally charged, The Associated Press reported. Avenatti gained national attention by representing Stormy Daniels, the adult film performer who claimed to have had an affair with President Donald Trump. Daniels had retained Avenatti until earlier this month. According to Saul, Avenatti never entered a notice of appearance in the NXIVM case. “First assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Lesko says on the record he met with Geragos and Avenatti last week about THIS case,” Saul wrote on Twitter. Saul added that Geragos wouldn’t admit that he was the co-conspirator in the Nike case. He also grumbled “no” when asked if he would be testifying against Avenatti. Avenatti also represented one of the accusers of Justice Brett Kavanaugh during the judge’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings. After Kavanaugh was cleared of all accusations and confirmed, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee referred Avenatti and his client for criminal investigation for lying to Congress. A federal court unsealed a superseding indictment on July 24 that charged Bronfman, a member of NXIVM’s executive board, for the first time, as well as Kathy Russell, a former bookkeeper, Nancy Salzman, the president of NXIVM, and her daughter, Lauren Salzman, also a board member. All four women were charged with racketeering conspiracy, including identity theft, extortion, forced labor, sex trafficking, money laundering, wire fraud, and obstruction of justice. The New York-based NXIVM masqueraded as a self-help company that ran “executive success programs” and other similar curricula. In the wake of the allegations, the company announced the suspension of all operations until further notice. “The details of these alleged crimes become more and more grim as we continue to dig deeper into the conduct of this organization and its intended mission,” FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney said in a statement accompanying the charges against Bronfman. Members of the NXIVM society were recruited on the condition they gave up private information about themselves, including compromising images or videos, as “collateral.” Once inside, they were regularly required to provide additional materials to ensure they kept secret the society’s inner workings. Bronfman was the group’s largest financial backer, contributing at least $150 million, Frank Parlato, a whistleblower who first broke the story about the society’s alleged schemes, told The Epoch Times. The $150 million was also cited in documents that came out in a legal case, going back to 2010. While some money went into recruiting, the majority, Parlato said, went toward legal fees so NXIVM could prosecute its enemies, who were largely whistleblowers. Brandon Porter, NXIVM’s doctor, is facing accusations of illegally conducting a slew of disturbing human experiments. The New York State Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC) accused Porter of moral unfitness, gross negligence, and gross incompetence. Depending on the findings of a closed-door hearing, Porter, 44, a high-ranking member of the society, could face a criminal referral to the New York state attorney general. The current charges only center on suspending or revoking his license. Porter is accused of conducting illegal and highly perverse experiments, including a so-called “fright study,” which involved showing murder and dismemberment videos to subjects without their consent. In another incident cited by the OPMC, 50 to 60 children fell ill from “an undetermined infectious disease” at an NXIVM retreat in August 2016.

[dani-qrt]

Macron, Ronny Jackson, Toronto: Your Tuesday Evening Briefing

Dr. Ronny Jackson, above, has been accused of overseeing a hostile work environment as the White House physician, allowing the overprescribing of drugs and possibly drinking on the job.

Mr. Trump accused adversaries on Capitol Hill of going after Dr. Jackson because they failed to block Mike Pompeo, the president’s nominee to become the next secretary of state.

_____

Photo

Credit U.S. Navy, via Reuters

3. American commanders fighting the Islamic State are being forced to shift their tactics.

With their Kurdish allies now fighting Turkey in northern Syria, the U.S.-led campaign is stepping up airstrikes, using aircraft like the Super Hornet fighter jet above.

The Islamic State holds less than 10 percent of the territory it captured in 2014, but it can still launch attacks outside its own territory. We talked to an analyst who expects the group to increase attacks in Iraq and Syria to mark Ramadan, which begins May 15.

_____

Photo

Credit Cole Burston/Getty Images

4. A portrait is emerging of Alek Minassian, the 25-year-old suspect in Monday’s vehicular attack in downtown Toronto.

Prosecutors charged him with 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of attempted murder, but did not disclose a motive. Above, a memorial.

We spoke to people who knew him and saw his now-suspended Facebook page, which showed he was socially isolated and had expressed hostility toward women. He had briefly joined the armed forces, but quit after 16 days of basic training.

Continue reading the main story

_____

Photo

Credit Caroline Tompkins for The New York Times

5. The F.D.A. is cracking down on the sales of e-cigarettes to minors, especially the popular vaping brand Juul.

The agency said it had issued warning letters to dozens of retailers and demanded that Juul Labs submit health and marketing information.

“We don’t yet fully understand why these products are so popular among youth,” the F.D.A. commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, said in a statement. “But it’s imperative that we figure it out, and fast. These documents may help us get there.”

_____

Photo

Credit Anita Snow/Associated Press

6. Voters in Arizona’s Eighth Congressional District headed to the polls in a special election to replace Trent Franks, who resigned after he was revealed to have offered $5 million to an aide to be impregnated with his child.

It’s a conservative suburban district outside Phoenix. Debbie Lesko, the Republican nominee and a former state senator, is favored to win over Hiral Tipirneni, a Democrat and emergency room doctor. Still, Republicans are nervous.

We’re tallying the results here — the definitive moment should come around 11 p.m. Eastern.

_____

Photo

Credit Matt Edge for The New York Times

7. Amazon has begun delivering packages to parked cars.

The service is available in 37 American cities and surrounding areas, to customers with recent-model cars that use technology allowing satellite location-tracking and digital access to the locks.

A delivery person will unlock the car using a smartphone and leave the package in the trunk or on the back seat. That helps customers who don’t want to risk “porch pirates” or who can’t get deliveries at work.

_____

Photo

Credit Zack Wittman for The New York Times

8. Two former N.F.L. cheerleaders who are suing the league for gender discrimination have proposed a settlement. For $1.

Continue reading the main story

The plan was crafted by Sara Blackwell, a Florida lawyer who represents the former Saints cheerleader Bailey Davis, above, and the former Dolphins cheerleader Kristan Ware.

They’re asking for a meeting with Commissioner Roger Goodell, and they want the league to create rules that apply to all N.F.L. teams. Their proposal would also prohibit teams from disbanding cheerleading squads as a way to retaliate against women who raise complaints.

_____

Photo

Credit Marvel/Disney

9. On Monday, we highlighted our interview with the directors of the latest Avengers movie, “Infinity War,” which opens Friday.

And now, our review is in. Our critic A. O. Scott notes that as the 19th installment in a series, the movie was never meant to be viewed or judged in isolation.

After all, it’s not just a movie; it’s a “synergistic expression of the corporate interests of Marvel Studios and the Walt Disney Company.”

“I’m supposed to tell you, in this review, how much fun you’ll have at ‘Infinity War,’” he writes. “(Yes, you will have some. Will you have enough? Almost.)”

_____

Photo

Credit Alexi Lubomirski/Kensington Palace, via Reuters

10. Finally, James Corden welcomed Britain’s new prince with a few good-natured jokes on the “Late Late Show”.

Continue reading the main story

“This is Kate’s third child in just five years,” he noted. “When she heard that, Meghan Markle was like, ‘Heh, we’re not all expected to do that, are we?’”

Ms. Markle, of course, is set to wed Prince Harry on May 19. (Here’s our guide to everything you might ever want to know about the royal wedding.)

Have a great night.

_____

Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern.

And don’t miss Your Morning Briefing. Sign up here to get it by email in the Australian, Asian, European or American morning.

Want to catch up on past briefings? You can browse them here.

What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes.com.

Continue reading the main story

The post Macron, Ronny Jackson, Toronto: Your Tuesday Evening Briefing appeared first on World The News.

from World The News https://ift.tt/2HqPGQa via Online News

[newsvomit-blog]

Trump slammed Clinton over handling of classified info. That looks like hypocrisy now

First Read is your briefing from Meet the Press and the Political Unit on the day’s most important political stories and why they matter WASHINGTON — If there was one issue Donald Trump campaigned on more aggressively than the others in 2016, it was the importance of handling classified information — when it came to Hillary Clinton’s private email account and server. “She set up this illegal server knowing full well that her actions put our national security at risk and put the safety and security of your children and your families at risk,” Trump said in Phoenix, Ariz., on Oct.29, 2016.

“Think of it, can you imagine Anthony Weiner has probably every classified email ever sent.And knowing this guy, he probably studied every single one, in between using his machine for other purposes,” Trump added in Tampa, Fla., on Nov.5, 2016, referring to the FBI looking at Clinton emails that were on a computer owned by Clinton aide Huma Abedin and her husband Anthony Weiner.

“Hillary Clinton will be under investigation for a long, long time for her many crimes against our nation, our people, our democracy, likely concluding in a criminal trial,” he said on Nov.6, 2016 in Minnesota. Why is this stroll down memory lane important? Yesterday, we learned that White House senior adviser and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner — who had access to highly classified information and was even viewing the Presidential Daily Brief — lost his top-security clearance.

That came, of course, after reported that scores of top White House aides, including Kushner, lacked permanent security clearances.And also yesterday we learned from the Washington Post that officials “in at least four countries have privately discussed ways they can manipulate Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, by taking advantage of his complex business arrangements, financial difficulties and lack of foreign policy experience, according to current and former U.S.officials familiar with intelligence reports on the matter.” And who can forget this story from last spring? “President Trump revealed highly classified information to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador in a White House meeting last week, according to current and former U.S.

officials, who said Trump’s disclosures jeopardized a critical source of intelligence on the Islamic State.” We’ve seen the Trump White House engage in plenty of hypocrisy over the past year — the vows to clean up the “swamp,” the promises that wealthy Americans wouldn’t benefit under the tax law — but its carelessness about who is seeing classified information might be the biggest hypocrisy of all. And regarding that Washington Post report about how foreign governments have discussed how they can manipulate Kushner, no one can survive a story like that — unless you’re the president’s son-in-law. The last example is from DICK’S Sporting Goods, which announced it would no longer sell assault-style rifles.

“We support and respect the Second Amendment, and we recognize and appreciate that the vast majority of gun owners in this country are responsible, law-abiding citizens.But we have to help solve the problem that’s in front of us.Gun violence is an epidemic that’s taking the lives of too many people, including the brightest hope for the future of America — our kids,” the company said in a statement.

The New York Times: “Department of Housing and Urban Development officials spent $31,000 on a new dining room set for Secretary Ben Carson’s office in late 2017 — just as the White House circulated its plans to slash HUD’s programs for the homeless, elderly and poor, according to federal procurement records.” More: “The purchase of the custom hardwood table, chairs and hutch came a month after a top agency staff member filed a whistle-blower complaint charging Mr.Carson’s wife, Candy Carson, with pressuring department officials to find money for the expensive redecoration of his offices, even if it meant circumventing the law… Mr.Carson ‘didn’t know the table had been purchased,’ but does not believe the cost was too steep and does not intend to return it, said Raffi Williams, a HUD spokesman.

‘In general, the secretary does want to be as fiscally prudent as possible with the taxpayers’ money,’ he added.” This isn’t a small admission, folks: “Hope Hicks, the White House communications director, told House investigators on Tuesday that her work for President Trump, who has a reputation for exaggerations and outright falsehoods, had occasionally required her to tell white lies,” the New York Times says.“But after extended consultation with her lawyers, she insisted that she had not lied about matters material to the investigations into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible links to Trump associates, according to three people familiar with her testimony.” Given the “white lies” admission from a communications director — of all people — every reporter should ask this question each time the White House makes a statement or declaration of fact: Is that a white lie? So this helps explain why Sen.Bob Corker, R-Tenn., ultimately decided to end his second thoughts about seeking re-election this November.

“For two and a half tense weeks, Bob Corker quietly pondered a dramatic reversal: running for reelection to the Senate seat he had forsaken.Inside the White House, there was a loud movement to stop him,” the Washington Post writes.“Many of President Trump’s political aides made it a priority to ensure that the Tennessean, who has accused the president of ‘debasing’ the country with his ‘untruths’ and ‘name-calling,’ did not reenter the race.

So they went straight to the one person with the ability to give Corker a new lease on his political life: Trump himself.” “They frequently reminded the president of Corker’s criticism, at times even providing specific examples.They kept folders documenting the attacks from Corker and other Trump detractors.They argued that if Trump backed Corker, all that ugliness would receive renewed national attention.” So the Republican who was mired in a sexting controversy — state Sen.

Steve Montenegro — did NOT win last night’s special congressional election in Arizona.Instead, the winner was fellow state Sen.Debbie Lesko.

The Arizona Republic: “Debbie Lesko won the Republican primary race for the vacant West Valley congressional seat Tuesday night, drawing on her deep ties to the area to defeat 11 challengers… Earlier in the night, Hiral Tipirneni was declared the winner of the Democratic primary.Lesko and Tipirneni will face off in an April 24 special general election.The race will settle who finishes the current two-year term for Trent Franks, who resigned in December after being accused of sexual misconduct by some of his female staffers.” Lesko will be the favorite in the April 24 general election; Trump won the district by 21 points in 2016.

Democrats gained control of two more previously GOP-held state legislative seats in special elections last night, bringing the total to 39 red-to-blue flips this cycle.In Connecticut, Democrat Phil Young won a Stratford-area state House seat long held by Republicans, which became vacant after Republican Laura Hoydick was sworn in as mayor.Hillary Clinton won the district 49 percent to 47 percent, according to Daily Kos.

And in New Hampshire, substance abuse recovery coach Philip Spaguolo bested Republican retired hazardous waste materials coordinator Les Cartier.The area backed Trump by a 54-41 margin but narrowly went for Obama in 2012. Source: NBC News.

Trump slammed Clinton over handling of classified info. That looks like hypocrisy now was originally published on NewsVomit

[thewebofslime]

A billionaire Seagram's heiress who is on trial for a number of offenses relating to her role in the sex-slave cult DOS was taken out of a federal courtroom in Brooklyn on a stretcher Wednesday afternoon. Clare Bronfman, a member of controversial organisation Nixivm, had been notified on Tuesday that she would need to appear for a curcio hearing in the case. Judge Nicholas Garaufis made the order shortly after it was revealed that one of Bronfman's lawyers could find himself dealing with his own legal issues. The judge wasted no time getting down to business, and early in the hearing asked Bronfman and her attorney if she was being represented by Michael Avenatti. Bronfman remained quiet, an eyewitness told DailyMail.com, while her curcio lawyer objected to these questions. That in turn prompted very irritated judge to call a sidebar and, eventually demand that Bronfman give him a 'yes or no' answer. It was then the she suddenly staggered back to her table in the courtroom and collapsed onto the floor. Emily Saul from the New York Post was the first to report the story. Scroll down for the video +6 Gray day: Clare Bronfman (above exiting court with Mark Geragos on Wednesday) fainted in court and had to be carried out on a stretcher after she was ordered to attend an emergency hearing +6 Recovered: The sudden spell occurred while the billionaire Seagram's heiress was being asked to reveal if she had secretly hired Michael Avenatti as her lawyer (Bronfman and Geragos) +6 Legal woes: Both Bronfman and Geragos now find themselves in legal trouble as a result of their ties with Avenatti Video playing bottom right... Click here to expand to full page Loaded: 0%Progress: 0%0:00 Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration Time 1:42 Fullscreen Expand Close Soon after she hit the floor, an ambulance rushed to the courthouse and EMTs were seen rolling in a stretcher to examine Bronfman. She remained conscious and was taken into a conference room so she could regain her strength. Bronfman never did answer that question about her lawyers, but she will be back in court on Thursday for a continuation of the proceedings. The judge called the hearing shortly after Avenatti was indicted for allegedly trying to extort $25 million from Nike with the help of co-conspirator Mark Geragos. The curcio hearing was likely called because of Bronfman's ties to Avenatti and Geragos, with the judge now ordering Bronfman to state in open court that she would not try to delay or put the federal case on hold should she suddenly be without her counsel. Avenatti has never filed paperwork that stated he was representing Bronfman in the legal proceedings, but both Geragos and Assistant US Attorney Mark Lesko revealed that there was a meeting last week with the lawyer discussing the case against Bronfman. RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next Doctor accused of killing mistress' newborn with PCP and... 'The public will learn the truth about Nike¿s crime and... EXCLUSIVE: R Kelly dodges NYC court hearing as lawyer for... Robert Durst murdered wife Kathie after being told to 'take... SHARE THIS ARTICLE Share 24 shares It is unclear if this mean Bronfman will be seeking a plea, as a number of her co-defendants have now done. It was announced just last week that both Allison Mack and Kathy Russell were hoping to get leniency in exchange for their testimony. Nancy Salzman, the woman who co-founded the group with Keith Raniere, chose another option all together. She broke down in tears earlier this month as she entered a guilty plea to one count of racketeering while apologizing to her daughter and co-defendant, Lauren. She said that it took a great deal of soul searching to arrive at her decision, and then struggled to gather herself as she stated: 'I am deeply sorry for the trouble I have brought to my daughter.' Salzman did this without a plea deal in place and said she was eager to begin atoning for hers sins, with her crime carrying a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. At the same time, attorneys for the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York began laying out their case against the remaining members of the group, who in addition to NXIVM were also involved in the branded sex cult DOS. The most startling claim to emerge this far in court documents is the claim that Raniere raped two underage girls on multiple occasions. Raniere was also in an 'intimate relationship' with Bronfman, claim the documents, who had previously been funding the legal defense for her five co-defendants but is now distancing herself from the group. 'I am pleading guilty because I am in fact guilty,' said a shockingly frank and emotional Salzman. 'I got involved with NXIVM because I believed we would be helping people, and I still believe some good came out of it.' The judge scheduled Salzman's sentencing for July, and it is unclear if she will now be testifying against her former co-defendants in the case. 'NXIVM's teachings and practices are no more inflammatory than the allegations surrounding the predicate acts and charged offenses themselves, which include keeping a woman in a room for nearly two years, non-consensual sex, extreme diets and sleep deprivation, sexually explicit photographs and branding of Raniere's initials on women's bodies without their knowledge,' states the new prosecution filing, submitted on Monday. +6 Here's Mikey: Assistant US Attorney Mark Lesko revealed in court on Wednesday that he had met with Geragos and Avenatti (above on March 22) last week to discuss the case +6 Regret: Nancy Salzman (above leaving court on March 13) broke down in tears earlier this month as she entered a guilty plea to one count of racketeering while apologizing to her daughter and co-defendant, Lauren. +6 Brander: It was announced just last week that both Allison Mack (above last June leaving federal court) and Kathy Russell were hoping to get leniency in exchange for their testimony. Those underage rape claims were revealed in greater detail further down the documents. That is where is was stated by prosecutor that many people 'including the defendants, were aware of and facilitated Raniere's sexual relationships with two underage victims.' The first was 'a fifteen-year-old girl who was employed by Nancy Salzman and who—ten years later—became Raniere's first-line 'slave' in DOS.' The second was 'a child whose sexual relationship with Raniere was known to, and facilitated by, members of the Enterprise.' The prosecution also revealed how they would be offering proof of these crimes, stating that they were in possession of 'dated images of the victim, constituting child pornography, that were created and possessed by Raniere.' There is also 'electronic communications between the victim and Raniere reflecting their sexual relationship and indicating that it began when she was fifteen years old.' Shortly after, the government presented how they would make a case on those counts of human trafficking that Rainiere and Smallville star Allison Mack are facing at this time. 'At trial, the government will offer evidence that the defendants and their co-conspirators sought to secure visas and immigration status for certain non-citizens so that they could work in one or more NXIVM-affiliated organizations or as sexual partners for Raniere,' reads the memorandum. 'The evidence relating to this conduct will consist, in large part, of testimony from the same witnesses who will testify regarding the charged offenses.' Kathy Russell actually took care of housing one of these 'slaves,' leasing 'the property for over seven years and, each year, paid the rent in cash and in full.' Mack meanwhile engaged in a 'sham' marriage with a woman who 'recruited DOS "slaves" who pledged loyalty and obedience both to her and to Raniere, their "Grandmaster."' The memo also details how the government plans to show the ways that the defendants 'protected Raniere and the Enterprise by, among other things, attempting to silence and intimidate DOS slaves and issuing public statements falsely denying Raniere’s involvement in DOS.' One example that is offered involves comment that Bronfman made after she 'received letters from separate DOS victims requesting the return or destruction of collateral, which included descriptions of the collateral, including nude photographs and videos.' Despite having seen those letter, Bronfman still publicly stated that DOS was a 'sorority' which had 'truly benefited the lives of its members, and does so freely.' She went on to state: 'I find no fault in a group of women (or men for that matter) freely taking a vow of loyalty and friendship with one another to feel safe while pushing back against the fears that have stifled their personal and professional growth.' A brief mention is also made of a campaign launched by Bronfman and Raniere to lure former members to Mexico where there were reportedly warrants out for their arrest. Prosecutors also plan to hone in on the subservient role that woman play and are taught to play in the organization. 'Nxivm’s teachings about women’s allegedly prideful natures and willingness to "play the victim," and the emphasis in Nxivm’s teachings on penances and "ethical breaches," are interwoven into Jane Doe 4 and the DOS victims’ experiences,' states the memo. 'These concepts also appear throughout the documents that will be trial exhibits, including emails between the victims and the defendants.' It then cites: 'For example, Jane Doe 4 and Raniere exchanged at least 300 emails discussing her supposed “breach” and approximately 400 emails discussing her acting like a "victim."'